Isn't it ironic

This article just amazes me. Mick Jagger's ex-wife is being sued for not rewarding the Austrian man who found and returned her platinum ring, worth $254,000, last year. Irony #1) Bianca Jagger is a human rights activist but too stingy to give the guy a tip. Irony #2) She's a human rights activist but owns a ring that costs more than the it would to feed Ethiopia, or for America to fund Doctors Without Borders in Honduras. Irony #3) As a compromise to not giving the Austrian his fair share, she offered to donate the majority of the five percent expected of her to Amnesty International. But she'll keep the ring for herself. And #4) She makes me feel really good about myself. :)

The Confession

I just read an article in the Washington Post about a woman's deathbed murder confession. She killed two girls she worked with at an ice cream shop in Virginia in 1967, when she was 19, because they teased her about her sexuality. There's a picture of one victim's mother now, probably about 85 years old, with a scrapbook of news clippings and pictures dealing with her daughter's case. A lifetime of grieving.

William Thomas was a 24-year-old teacher at the time and the main suspect for the murder. After 42 years of beatings and ostracism, he's been given a new life.

This part made me cry:

"A jury would find him not guilty, but the indictment would not go away until two months ago. Before then, it would show up during job interviews and on loan applications. It also meant he couldn't leave the country.

"He said his daughter called him at a motel in Pennsylvania while he was away on business to tell him about the confession.

"'I shook so hard and cried so hard,' said Thomas, now 65. 'I've never had something weaken me like that. I prayed. Then I just started making a list of things I could do. I can now go to Canada. I can now go to Mexico. I can now go to Europe.'"

Can you imagine?

CNAs are where it's at

I just finished up a CNA (certified nurse's assistant) class this week, so now I can work at a nursing home or hospital doing the really dirty work no one else wants to do! I don't mind it so much. Two weeks of clinicals have made me dispassionate about... doing some of the things we have to do. Which I won't go into right now.

But, Tuesday night we had graduation for my class of four. My parents came, which was really cute--bringing sugar cookies, nonetheless. Before graduation we had to take a final exam. We've had little quizzes all semester with similar multiple-choice questions as the final, and I often find myself giggling as I pencil in my answers--because some of the answer choices are so darn audacious! Here are a couple of the questions that I thought I'd share with you (pretend you're me and you have to choose correctly for your final exam!):

1. The single most important thing a nursing assistant can do to prevent the spread of disease is to:
a)carry dirty linen close to his uniform
b)never change his gloves
c)remove his gloves before cleaning spills
d) wash his hands

2. Which of the following is NOT an example of abuse or neglect?
a) assisting a resident to make a complaint
b) not answering a resident's call light
c) leaving the resident in a soiled bed
d) threatening to hit a resident

3. Residents have all of the following rights except:
a) the right to refuse treatment
b) the right to voice complaints
c) the right to make personal choices such as what to wear and how to spend their time
d) the right to be abused by nursing assistants if they're being combative

4. A nursing assistant can show she is listening carefully to a resident by:
a) looking away when a resident talks
b) changing the subject often
c) rolling her eyes when a resident says something she doesn't agree with
d) responding to the resident when it's appropriate

5. What is the proper way for a nursing assistant to help care for a diabetic resident?
a) the nursing assistant should clip the resident's toenails
b) the nursing assistant should make sure that the resident eats all he is served
c) the nursing assistant should encourage the resident not to exercise or have any activity
d) the nursing assistant should make sure the resident goes barefoot

My parents and I had a good laugh over all of these. :)

In other news: I got to have a little Spain reunion with Biz, Tim and Ginny last weekend in Birmingham, AL! My only regret was that the 26 hours I was there went by too quickly. But I did deeply appreciate the time spent with dear friends.