Did you miss me?
I did something in 2008 that I had not done in over 11 years. I missed church at Hope, the whole weekend!! I've only done that 9 times since 1996. This was #2. I got up Friday morning not feeling too great but I thought if I could just get myself going, I would be OK. Took a shower, got dressed… still not feeling good. I had a little sinus thing going all week… Had breakfast and thought "I've got a little time to kill. I'll just go by the minor medical and get a shot and I'll be good for the weekend." All you have to do is tell them you've got green stuff coming out (which I did) and they'll give you a shot. I got there, checked in, and started going down like a rock. 15 min into it and I thought I was going to pass out. I told the nurse she needed to get me in there in a hurry. She did, but no shot…. A prescription. That meant I had to go to the drug store for another 30 min before I was going to get anything that helped me…. I begged them for a shot.. nope! I got out to my truck and started wondering if I could call 911, maybe if one of my EMT friends showed up they would take me to the drug store and then take me home… then I saw the little red cross on my OnStar thing. I could just push that…. "OnStar... Mr. Oates, are you OK?... No… Would you like me to send an ambulance? I see you're parked in front of the minor medical place why don't you just go in and get them to give you a shot? " … Then I started thinking that the EMT truck would never fit in the drive-through at Walgreens… so I left S…l…o…w…L…y... I was thinking "no left turns or I'll get killed" …. I got to the drug store. I knew if I went through the drive-through the guy would say "Be ready in an hour!" all yippy skippy…. I didn't have an hour so I went in. The person at the counter said 25 minutes. While I was sitting there a lady in a suit with a Walgreens name tag looked at me and said "are you OK?" … "Not really" …. "But you're going to be OK… Right?" … "I hope so." … Then she went behind the counter and things started happening real fast and the girl walked up and said "Mr. Oates we're ready.." I guess they didn't want me to die in the store…. I got home, took the pills, got in bed, and started sending out emails and calling people and texting people to be sure I had everything covered … still thinking I would be ok for the weekend. Saturday morning, take another pill, I'll be OK … Get up to go get breakfast… almost didn't make it back to my bed. Maybe by Sat afternoon? …. Maybe by Sat Night? … Nope! … I'll be OK Sunday... Didn't happen… But, I had 40 other people covering for me… It's just the way Hope works, one falls out and ten more step in…..
God's like that: He put us here to be the light of the world, to be his people. The people that the world depends on… I want to be part of that, every day….
I wonder if I could invent an ambulance that could fit in the drive-through. I bet my EMT buddies would like that…. Sonic, Starbucks, Walgreens, Cleaners... Just think!
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Cooking 220 - 2 pans, 2 burners, 20 minutes:
This is from Food52.com they've got some great recipes. They've another page called Genius Recipes (https://food52.com/users/31034-genius-recipes) that's got a bunch of easy recipes like this one.
You don't need to go out and buy five different hunks of cheese. This technique can work with whatever you've got.
Al Forno Restaurant opened on January 2, 1980, in Providence RI. The Chef-owners are Johanne Killeen & George Germon.
Al Forno's Penne With Tomato, Cream & 5 Cheeses
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes in heavy puree
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup coarsely shredded (1 1/2 ounces) Fontina cheese
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, (1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
6 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 pound penne rigate or conchiglie rigate
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, sliced thinly
Directions
Heat oven to 500°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the pasta and butter. Stir well to combine.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
Divide the pasta mixture among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups in capacity) or place in a shallow (1-inch) layer in larger baking dishes. Dot with the butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.
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How about saving a kid's life!!
When you give Platelets it's like giving St Jude $700 - $1000. If we don't give them, they have to buy them.
Giving Platelets is like giving blood, it just takes longer (1 1/2 hours) and you get all of your blood back (so you can do it every week if you want). I know it's a long trip to go all the way down to St Jude, but you may be saving a kid's life. plus you get to watch a movie while you're there. Call Kim at 901.595.2024 and she'll set up an appointment and treat you like family. Just tell her you're from Hope.
Directions: From Poplar, turn north on Third Street, then right on Lauderdale/Jackson Ave (first right after you go under the expressway). Enter through the north guard gate (you'll see the Danny Thomas Pavilion. Gold top).
Tell the guard at the gate that you are here to donate blood. The guard will instruct you where to park. You will then enter the hospital by the red side door closest to the blood donor parking lot. The Blood Donor Center is in the southwest corner of the hospital on the ground floor.
Appointment times are generally available Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Except on Tuesdays, they start at 9:15am.
See you this weekend. Bring a friend. It's going to be great!!!
Mack