and the fiasco continues

Well, all the talk and hype was for nothing apparently. Magellan made all these promises for a better mental health system in Maricopa County and said they would be better than Value Options. According to the yearly audit released this week, the promises were for not. The findings show that the county’s mental health system has actually regressed since Magellan took over in 2007. As a social worker and crisis counselor that works within the system 4 days a week, I am very distressed by this. We had all hoped it would be better. After a year it is only getting worse so that does not bode well for the rest of Magellan’s contract with the state. The audit calls for a complete overhaul. We’ll see if anything really happens.

enough already

A Tolleson, AZ school has seen enough tragedy already. Please, please let there be no more. First the students and staff were dealing with the news that over Christmas break two kids were severely beaten (and ultimately died from the injuries) while playing in a nearby park. Then after the school was back in session, another student was run over by a car while on his way to school and died. In approximately two weeks this school lost three students. I hope the school is utilizing all the resources it can in order to make sure the students, and staff, are able to process what has happened. They say things strike in three so hopefully the school has seen the end to tragedy. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

some people should be shot

I came across this article the other day and am again horrified at what people are capable of doing. This babysitter put a baby into the dryer…yes the clothes dryer because…prepare yourself…the baby interrupted the babysitter’s tv time. OMG!!!!!! There is no way to wrap your brain around that one. And yes, I do believe some people don’t deserve to live after what they have done.

have masters, will be gopher

I work as a crisis counselor for a nonprofit mental health agency. We work in pairs so when one person does not show up, the team is down. We do not go into the field on our own.

Today my friend and work partner called in sick and they did not find a replacement so I was a “floater.” This means that I am available to help out other crisis teams by switching out so one person can finish paperwork. It was slow this morning so instead I became a gopher if you will. I dropped off a broken radio, took three vans to the car wash, and delivered to and picked up vans from the dealership we use to service our fleet.

It was an exhausting day and one that put my higher education to the test. Glad those student loans are earning their keep.

poop duty sucks

Well a good portion of my weekend was spent either cleaning up after or actually cleaning my cat, Lovebug. He is a little chunky and occasionally has issues with being able to clean his nether regions. And because of this he sometimes accumulates some poop in his fur.

Ugh!!!

So after cleaning up my desk from some….spots….and conducting other poop maintenance, I had no choice but to tackle the issue of my cat.

So yesterday and today I had to clean my cat’s butt. And yes this was as gross as it sounds but necessary. The poor kitty didn’t know what to do. He kept trying to bite me but is too fat to do so.

I think this means I’ll be able to handle a baby’s diaper when the time comes.

dinner anyone?

Tonight we hosted a dinner for 4 of our friends and it proved to be a delightful evening. We had a Mexican themed dinner- tacos, refried beans and Spanish rice. Scott cooked both ground turkey and soy meat, to ensure everyone would be able to enjoy the food.

The dog behaved well and we had no medical emergencies, despite the fact that I overdosed the dog on Benadryl. We are supposed to give him a children’s pill and I gave him a maximum strength pill. Oops!
He was pretty mellow through most of the night so BONUS.

After a pretty good dinner we watched a little TV before diving into Guitar Hero. There were 6 of us so we paired off and had a little competition. It was a fun way to spend the night.

I look forward to our next dinner night.

11 wins not good enough

The New England Patriots ended the regular season with a record of 11-5. 11-5! Without Tom Brady. And we didn’t make it to the playoffs. Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. When Brady got hurt in the first game of the season, I know I was not alone when I thought “Oh Shit! There goes the season.” But as t turns out, Cassel can play quarterback despite not playing since high school.

It looked so promising going into the last few weeks and I really felt that it was going to happen. That the Pats would be in the playoffs once again. But instead Miami made it. Luckily we watched them get schooled today and lose to the Ravens, so I feel some peace.

I look forward to the rest of the playoffs and am rooting for the Giants to get killed next week.

good but not good

It looks like the Patriots will be placing the franchise tag onto Matt Cassel, to prevent him from being an unrestricted free agent in March and possibly leaving the team. While I am happy they are doing this so we know he will be able to start next season and feel comfortable with him playing, after a stellar season this year, I am also sadden. Because this means there is a real big chance Brady will not be ready to play in 2009 and may ultimately be cut. Right now he is having a lot of complications from his knee surgery, i.e. scar tissue build up and may need additional surgeries to get it all squared away. So 2009 is probably out of the picture for Brady to come back. I know the Patriots have faith in Brady that he WILL come back and be just as awesome, but I understand the need to have security in the quarterback position. I am glad to see the organization be willing t pay both quarterbacks big money especially when it does take up a large portion of the salary cap.

Obviously this Patriot fan wants Brady back behind center, healthy and ready to lead us to another Super Bowl. I believe it will happen. But until he is ready, I’ll support Cassel wholeheartedly!