Short note to readers who are looking for info on SARS on this blog: You can look under the archives listed on the right. My posts on SARS occurred in the months of March, April and May. Thought this might help. :)

Okay, on to the post proper!

Latest on the Clay Aiken CD Release Party In Singapore

Date: October 25th, Saturday
Time: Tentatively starting at 1pm, till maybe 11pm or 12 midnight
Venue: email me for details ( ojj75@yahoo.com ), or go here ( need to register first )
Number expected: Aiming for at least 60. May hit 100, but venue capacity will need further evaluation if this happens
Attendance fee: ballpark figure of $20 to cover costs of food, T-shirt, mug (kinda like a welcome pack :)).
Activities: meeting other local Claymates ( always a pleasure! ); a special viewing of his performances; various games; just having good, clean fun. :D

Please join the thread via the link above, or email me. We will need to know how many are coming so we can plan accordingly. Admission is by invitation only. No gatecrashers, please!
Seems some reporters are already covering these events in the US. No idea if Singapore will follow suit, but the publicity is always welcomed!

Anyhow, his CD cover and title are officially out. It will be named "Measure Of A Man", though one of his friends from Raleigh did tell me that it wasn't a top choice on his list. I think it's a nice one, though, especially the "man" part. :) He's young and boyishly innocent, but makes women's hearts flutter wherever he goes. Counting down to the release date!

I wrote that the shift was okay earlier on, but again, I ended up jinxing myself! It's 3am, and I've seen 35 patients!?!? Here's an impromptu list of annoying patient characteristics when you're doing a night shift in the ER:

1. people who are really well and somehow can't wait till the next morning to see the doctor, preferring instead to storm the hospital after midnight for things like a runny nose or a blocked ear.

2. MC seekers, whom I suspect are capitalizing on the fact that MOs are very tired and thus less resistant to issuing medical leave in the middle of the night (or if this fails, the patient can always use the late hour as an excuse to get an MC in order to "rest properly" ).

3. patients who don't believe you, or second guess your assessments. I got 2 such cases today -- the first a young woman with the flu and a history of asthma, who was feeling a bit breathless, but whose lungs were completely clear. She seemed to be having problems breathing through her nose because of all the congestion rather than anything else, but refused to believe me when I told her it wasn't an asthmatic attack, and insisted on having nebulizer therapy. Like I said, we're too fatigued to argue at this unearthly hour, so I just gave it to her, and she went home happy. The other guy was a schizophrenic who fell and hit his knee, but could walk and everything. Fracture? Zero chance! But he refused to leave my room until I did an X-ray, so again I gave in. Sigh....

No super-nasty patients so far. Will be in resus for the later part of the shift -- people there are usually too sick to complain, so that's a relief. :D