Category Archives: Nursing Lifestyles

Life Outside of Patient Care Areas

Artist Matt Lamb

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Matt Lamb is an internationally recognized artist who uses his fame and resources promoting world peace. Umbrellas for Peace is one avenue of this global pursuit. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lamb, but I have read his biography Matt Lamb: The Art of Success, by Richard Speer. Drawn to his story of finding his voice as an artist after a serious health crisis, and leaving a lucrative career, I found many of Mr. Lamb’s insights  about life, death, and creativity resonated within me, a nurse, cancer survivor, and artist. I posted a comment on his blog, thanking him for sharing his story.

Last night, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Matt Lamb wrote a post about my work as an artist and a nurse. His respect for both professions is clear, and I am appreciative of his generosity and kind words. Be sure to check his art, his blog, and Like his Facebook page.

Keeping Toddlers Safe in an Adult Only Home

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Scarletti Confetti pencil and markers on paper 2011 by J.Paradisi

With the onset of late summer hot weather many local children are falling through the screens of open windows. (Another frequent danger to children during hot weather is drowning.  AJN editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy posted an excellent article on that subject for Off The Charts).

When I was a Pediatric nurse, the falling diagnosis was nicknamed failure to fly, but only if the child was admitted for nothing more serious than observation and a few bruises. Often the injuries are life threatening or worse, and in truth such an accident is no laughing matter. Perhaps this is why Sesame Street has never featured an episode titled Things That Don’t Fly, in which I imagine Elmo singing a list of things that don’t fly: rocks, books, and YOU!

Okay, that’s not funny either; it’s a poor attempt at humor stemming from recent anxiety while babysitting my favorite toddler, the sister of my favorite twelve year old. A decade has passed since I’ve babysat a toddler, and I worried over her potential for injury while in my care. I’m a nurse, and a former Pediatric Intensive Care nurse at that. It’s a lot of pressure. Of all the people in the world, she should be safe with me, but from the moment she entered my home I realized how dangerous the adult environment David and I share is for an active toddler, even after efforts of childproofing, which included taking all of our CDs out of their towering storage rack and laying it on its side so she couldn’t pull it down on herself, locking under the sink cabinets, installing socket covers, and removing from reach all small, swallowable objects. The balcony door was fastened the entire visit, and she was not allowed on the balcony, even with adult supervision. All windows were closed and locked. There would be no failure to fly on my shift.

Here’s some other tips gleaned from over fifteen years in pediatrics, the news, and personal experience. In no way is this list complete or infallible:

Grandma, What’s in Your Purse? I have no idea how many accidental poisonings occur because a small child finds prescription pills in an unattended handbag. It’s so common that I have removed my little bottle of ibuprofen, used for headaches at work, from my purse. It’s inconvenient; sometimes I have to mooch from my coworkers or walk over to the hospital pharmacy and purchase ibuprofen when a headache comes on at work, but that’s how it is.

 ABSOLUTELY KNOW WHERE THE CHILD IS BEFORE STARTING THE CAR’S ENGINE. This applies when there is more than one adult with the child. Too many children are run over by a car while it’s backed out of a garage or driveway. The driver of the car and the adult in the house each assumed the child was with the other. When I was fifteen years old in Drivers’ Ed, the instructor taught us to walk behind the car to see what might lurk there before getting into the driver’s seat. This is an especially good idea when small children are near.

Never Leave The Child Unattended With The Family Dog. Dogs that are not accustomed to children are unpredictable around them. Dogs that are accustomed to small children are unpredictable around them. I once heard a story of a loyal dog uncharacteristically attacking the family’s toddler. The family was so shocked that after the dog was put down, they had an autopsy performed and found the dog had a painful ear infection. When the toddler touched her ear, the dog attacked him in pain. A very sad story. Protect both the child and the pet by never leaving them together unattended.

Secure That Big Ass TV. Towers of CDs aren’t the only things children old enough to crawl can pull down on themselves. TV’s that are not secure on their bases or bases that are the least bit wobbly put children into ICU’s with crushing injuries every year.

Do Not Assume Any Device Installed For The Child’s Protection Will Work. I’ve seen children who got under impossibly heavy hot tub covers and drowned. Baby gates fail and lead to falls. Years ago, I put my daughter’s baby acetaminophen on top of our refrigerator, safely out of reach when she was small. When she became a teenager, she informed me that as a child, she had climbed the kitchen drawers onto the counter and ate one or two orange flavored acetaminophen at a time while I took a shower, demoralizing me the way only a teenager can demoralize a parent.

The Best Protection for Children is Your Presence. Let the housework and phone calls wait. You are not the kid’s parent, so you’ll have time to clean up after they leave. Getting to know these little people is one of life’s most satisfying experiences. This is your opportunity to influence a developing new life in a positive way. There is nothing in the world more important than their safety and your peace of mind. Enjoy it while it lasts. They grow up so fast.

Scrubs Magazine Features JParadisi Paintings in Fall 2011 Issue

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Three Vases, Two Dollies, and a Thong. oil/canvas by J Paradisi 2011

Scrubs Magazine published two series of paintings by moi in the Fall 2011issue. It is a rare opportunity for an artist to publish more than one or two images in a article, so to see the newest series, Vessels of Containment: Part I posted on the Scrubs Mag website is gratifying. I usually create paintings in a series; while each one stands alone, they were intended to be exhibited together. Vessels of Containment: Part I featuring Catalina Island Pottery (made on Catalina Island from 1927-1937) and vintage dolls, explores collecting as a means of holding.

Also unique about the Scrubs Magazine, is that the print version is entirely different from their website. Previously available only in uniform stores, now you can subscribe for monthly home delivery. Past issues have included articles by popular authors Theresa Brown, RN, Garrison Keillor, and in the Fall 2011 issue, Dana Jennings, journalist and cancer survivor who posts for the NY Times Well Blog. You’ll find a very nice article about me, which features five paintings from my series, From Cradle to Grave: The Color White on page 48.

Incidentally, photo credit for all the images, both online and print, belongs to David E. Forinash, my husband.

Grilled Eggplant & Grilled Radicchio With Endive Salad

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Grilled Eggplant photo: jparadisi 2011

The fatal flaw of left-handed, creative polymaths, I’ve mentioned, is not finishing what we start. Today I’m following up last week’s post with how I prepared the eggplant and the radicchio bought a week ago at a Farmers’ Market while David and I visited Newport, Oregon. Just so you know, those beautiful vegetables did not meet their demise by rotting in my refrigerator.

Grilled Eggplant

3 medium eggplants

A good quality olive oil

1-3 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Fresh ground black pepper and salt

1/8 -1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake (or to taste)

Wash and pat dry the eggplants after trimming away both ends on each, but leave the skins on. Slice each eggplant length-wise into four 1/2-inch slices. Brush both sides of each slice with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. On a medium grill, cook eggplant slices until there are grill marks on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Don’t over cook.

Arrange the slices on a platter and sprinkle with the fresh basil and crushed red pepper. Makes a dozen slices. The next day, I used the leftovers in Panini along with the heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Grilled Radicchio With Endive Salad

1 medium head of fresh radicchio

3-4 large Belgium endives

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons of a good quality olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Wash and pat dry the head of radicchio and the endive. Quarter the head of radicchio into wedges and brush the cut sides with the olive oil. Place the first oiled side onto a medium grill and lightly char the edges, then turn to the second cut side, and slightly char it too. Do not walk away from the grill while cooking the radicchio; they char quickly. Remove from grill, and set-aside until cool enough to handle with your fingers. Slice the endive length wise, then chop into 1/2 or 1-inch chunks. I like mine chunky, but I noticed David set the bigger pieces aside on his plate. I don’t think he knew what endive was until he met me. Put the chopped endive into a large bowl. Chop the cooled radicchio and add to the endive. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar; toss to coat and adjust to taste, along with the salt and pepper. Add the shredded Parmesan cheese and toss one more time.

Pair with crusty bread, and a crisp Pinot Gris.

Don’t Change the Way You Look, Change the Way You See

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Vegetable Still Life with View of Yaquina Bay photo: David E. Forinash 2011

Getting cancelled for part of a scheduled shift at work is often a problem during a recession, but on Friday I volunteered to go home at noon when our patient census was low. David and I planned to leave early Saturday morning for the Oregon Coast, but since he had Friday off, I packed quickly and we left that afternoon instead. Getting cancelled for half a shift felt like a gift instead of a loss in this circumstance, and my coworkers who wanted the hours were happy. The way it looks depends on your point of view.

I am in Newport, Oregon looking at a 180 degree view of the Pacific Ocean, with a blue heron nesting in a nearby fir tree. Last night I thought I heard a small dog barking, but it was the heron. What surprisingly harsh squawks from such an elegant bird! I see the heron in a new way.

Saturday morning at Newport’s Farmers’ Market we bought heirloom tomatoes, slender eggplants, a radicchio with red leaves edged in light green, and purple, yellow, and red peppers. Although we are traveling, I couldn’t resist the beauty of the vegetables, and when we paid for them even the farmer commented on the remarkable colors. Although he’d set up the booth himself that morning, he saw them from a fresh perspective while weighing them on the scale.

At the locally owned JC Market (which has a surprisingly good wine selection) I bought a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir and a Pinot Gris. As I carried the brown paper bag through the parking lot, I saw Don’t change the way you look, change the way you see, written on a sticker pasted to the bumper of a parked car.

It makes perfect sense.

I knew a pilot who said when he entered any public venue such as a movie theatre, the first thing he did was locate all the exits in case of fire. It makes sense that a pilot would see a theatre that way. After all, how to exit the plane in an emergency is the first thing taught to commercial jet passengers.

For a long time, I viewed many opportunities through the lens of their worst possible outcomes. I believe I learned this behavior as a nurse, seeing the traumatic outcomes of choices written on the bodies of patients in the ICU. Jobs requiring an exceptional sense of responsibility for the safety of others, such as piloting a jetliner, or nursing, affect our view of life, creating habits within our personalities, which I believe are unique from most of our society. It took me awhile to realize nursing influenced my enjoyment of life, and not always in a positive way.

For instance, I used to make choices based on their potential for risk or emotional pain. “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst,” was my viewpoint. Now I look at choices for their fun value too, not only potential peril. Otherwise, I may miss seeing the movie by worrying that the theatre might catch on fire.

Don’t change the way you look, change the way you see.

Nurse Entrepreneur Sells Hand Painted Clogs

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Kira painting clogs in The Swanx booth at Sock Summit. photo: jparadisi 2011

Craft is remembering that art is seen, felt and heard as well as understood, knowing that not all ideas start with words, thinking with hands as well as head.

Mark Jones, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum

Yesterday, I went to Sock Summit, billing itself as “…the greatest (and only) sock knitting show on earth.” Sock Summit is a conference for knitters held annually in Portland, Oregon since 2009. Their tag line is “Taking sock knitting almost too far!”

I wasn’t there to shop for yarn or knitting projects though. I was there to meet Kira Chelemedos, an artist who hand paints clogs for The Swanx, a Washington business owned by a nurse, Shawna Johnson, and her husband Curtis. Kira begins with a pair of leather clogs, and custom paints virtually any design a buyer wants, including portraits of pets, children, or grandchildren. The paint is sealed onto the leather, and waterproof. The Swanx website features many original designs by artists if you aren’t interested in designing your own.

Tiny beaded Victorian purse necklaces knitted by my Mom. photo: jparadisi 2011

I tried on a pair of open back clogs and was surprised to find non-slick inner soles. I have narrow feet with high arches; when I wear open back clogs my feet slip out backwards and I hit my instep on the back of the shoe, which hurts like hell. The non-slick inner soles of these clogs prevent that from happening. The pair I wanted was already sold in my size, so Kira and I discussed the idea of sending her a jpeg of one of my paintings for her to copy onto a pair of open backed clogs. It costs a little more for a custom design, but how cool will it be to wear my painting on a pair of shoes?

Afterwards, I toured the other vendors’ booths. I can knit. I have made several sweaters, (which I actually wear), scarves, and felted handbags. I’ve also knitted wire bowls, which I’ve exhibited in a gallery, and sold from my studio. I do not consider myself a knitter, however. My mother is a knitter, and by that I mean she can make anything from a long, continuous strand of yarn: tiny, beaded Victorian purses to hold an amulet and wear around your neck, scarves that look like lace, prize-winning christening gowns for babies, and well, socks. It’s rare to see my Mother sitting without knitting needles clicking between her fingers. As soon as I entered the conference room full of vendors selling hand spun and dyed yarns, and knitting paraphernalia, I wished my mother and I lived in the same city so we could have shared the experience.

Note: I did not receive payment or reimbursement, either financial  or in product from Sock Summit or The Swanx for this post . The information above is my opinion.

10 Things to Do On Time-Limited Medical Leave

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Three Horses oil & graphite on canvas by jparadisi

I expected to return to work today, but a temporary administrative glitch changed those plans. Rather than languish at home, I’ll write about things to do while on a time-limited medical leave, derived from my own experience.

  1. Finally read Middlemarch, by George Eliot. Okay, I haven’t actually read it yet, but I downloaded the free version to my Kindle this morning. Free is a very good price on disability wages.
  2. Make new friends on Facebook, also free.
  3. Ask my daughter, the hairstylist to give me a cute new haircut. She gave this service as a gift.
  4. Call my mother more often and realize how much I enjoy our leisurely conversations.
  5. Spend time with my favorite eleven year-old. Unfortunately, his toddler sister weighs more than I’m currently allowed to lift. Sigh.
  6. Learn how to apply make up like a pro. By way of charming and entertaining videos, Marlena at Makeup Geek teaches how to create a smoky eye, and wear red lipstick without it making you look clownish. She explains which brushes you need and how to use them. She offers alternative products to more the expensive department store brands. This is a fun site to watch with your teenage daughter if either of you want to bump up your everyday look once in a while.
  7. Walk alternative routes in the neighborhood and see what’s new.
  8. Earn continuing education units. In order to maintain my OCN certification, I’m required to complete 100 units of CE every four years. CE is expensive at $10-$20 per unit. Medscape offers CE in 0.5-2 unit increments free and provides a convenient on-line CE tracker.
  9. Thoughtfully consider my direction as an artist and writer, and plan new goals.
  10. Send a platter of cookies to my colleagues at work, because I’m sorry I’m not there to pick up my part.