Thursday, August 30, 2007

Date Ideas

Pizza Party - Buy some pre-made pizza crusts, pizza or spaghetti sauce, and toppings (sausage, pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, etc.) Pair people up and let each person create half of a pizza with whatever toppings they like. Cook the pizzas and then share them among the group. You can then all go to an ice cream place for dessert.

Pot luck dinner - The idea behind a pot luck dinner is that everyone brings something. As the host of a small party you would want to make the "main dish" and then have people bring other things like salads, side dishes, desserts, etc. You want to be sure to tell everyone exactly what to bring. If you don't then funny, strange things can happen.

Progressive dinner - If you and your friends live close together, then a progressive dinner can be lots of fun. The idea is to go from house to house for each phase of the dinner. At one house you have appetizers, at another the salad, at another the main dish, and so on. You might stop at four to six houses for the full meal. Organizing it can be half the fun.

Fondue party - Get a good fondue recipe and have a fondue dinner.

Sundae party - Buy several different flavors of ice cream, some toppings (hot fudge, sprinkles, etc.) and let people make their own sundaes. You might use this idea as the dessert for some of the other parties described here.

Cook out - Organize a cookout, either in your back yard or at a park. Cook hamburgers and hot dogs, serve chips and potato salad, and make ice cream for dessert if someone has a hand-cranked ice cream churn.

Video party - Pick up a video or two and invite some people over. Serve snacks and beverages. Or combine a pizza party or a sundae party with a video party.

Day trips - Pick a place an hour or two away and make a day of it. The place might be another city, a historic site, a mountain trail or a nice beach. Be sure you get home on time. My wife and I have made day trips to Washington DC, historic towns, beaches, etc. when we were dating. Planning the trip can be as much fun as the trip itself.

Shopping together - Let's say you are looking for a gift for someone like your mother or father. Take your date along with you to the mall and look for the gift together.

Picnic - Plan a picnic at a local park or natural area. Invite some friends along if you want a little less intimacy.

Ball game - Get a group together and go to a professional baseball/football/hockey/basketball game. Eat lunch or dinner at the game. This can be a little expensive if you aren't careful, so plan ahead. Or try going to a minor league game rather than a big league game. Not only is it cheaper, but you can get a lot closer to the players and the field.

Star gazing - Get a book on constellations (or invite a friend with a telescope) and watch the stars. This can be especially fun during a meteor shower.

Do something neither of you have done before - find an activity neither of you have tried but that you have both thought would be interesting. Figuring out the thing to do that you have in common can be as much fun as the thing itself.

Walk on the beach - If you live near the ocean or a large lake, taking a walk on the beach or the shoreline at sunset of in the moonlight can be very romantic. It can also be a lot more contemplative and peaceful.

Visit a park. You can swing together or ride down the slide. If you go in the evening it will be less crowded.

Cheer on a mutual friend - If the two of you have a mutual friend who is playing in a game or a concert at school, attend the performance together to cheer your friend on.

Go to church together - If you are both religious, take your date to your church and then go to your date's church the next week.

Go to a club event - If one of you is in a club, the other can tag along to see what it is like, make new friends and participate in club activities.

Try something spontaneous - Pick a nearby town neither of you have been to before and go explore it to see what you find. Or put a bunch of restaurant names in a hat and pick one. Spontaneous dates are probably not good for the first date, but can be fun if you have been going out for awhile.

Poetry reading, book reading - lots of time local authors will have poetry or book-reading sessions at local bookstores. If you like that sort of thing find one in your area.

Boat ride - Lots of municipal lakes have boat rentals (canoes, paddle boats, fishing boats, sail boats). Take a picnic lunch, rent a boat and see where you end up.
Take photographs together - Get a couple of disposable cameras and go some place to take pictures. Then once the pictures are developed compare how different they are!
Look up special events in the paper - The Saturday or Sunday paper in your area will have a list of special events for the weekend. You can find some really interesting things to try that way.

Have a dance - Usually you think of "going to the dance" at School, but what about having your own dance? Get a group of friends together, pick the music and dance.
Get a guide book for your city - Go to the library or a bookstore and get a tour book for your city. You will be amazed at all the attractions that are hidden nearby. A guide book may also contain self-guided walking tours that are fun. Or get a guide book for a nearby city and make a day trip there.

Berry picking - In the spring or summer go strawberry/blueberry/blackberry picking if available in your area. Apple picking in the fall is another option.

Flea market - Go explore a local flea market one Saturday.

Australian


I found this somewhere - I don't remember where.

No Worries!
Think it might be tricky understanding Australian? Here’s a handy guide to some words and phrases you might hear teens and others use. But remember, it’s often just a word here and there, not a constant stream of unfamiliar language.
Australian
American
Good on ya!
Well done, good for you!
No worries, no problems
That’s okay, You’re welcome, It’s no big deal
Tomato sauce
Ketchup
Sand shoes
Sneakers
Capsicum
Green pepper
Rock melon
Cantaloupe
Bush walkers
People out hiking
Lemonade
Sprite, 7-Up
Bush bashing
Four-wheeling
G’day
Hello
She’ll be right, mate
Everything will work out fine
Bin
Trash can, garbage can
Mossies (say "mozzies")
Mosquitoes
Woop woop
Out in the sticks, in the boondocks
Sunbaking
Sunbathing
Panel beaters
Auto body shop
Chook
Chicken
Bush tucker
Edible wild plants and insects
Aussie (say "Ozzie")
An Australian
Sloppy Joe
Sweatshirt
Dummy
Baby’s pacifier
Spit the Dummy
Gets upset
Chuck a wobbly
Throw a tantrum
Stiff bikkies
Tough cookies (tough luck)
Barrack
To cheer for a team
Stubbies
Shorts (especially football shorts)
Footy
Aussie-rules football, rugby union, rugby league, or soccer

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Medication reference sheet


This was useful to me when I worked as a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). The assisted living facility I worked for allowed its CNAs to pass meds under their nurse's license, including narcotics, which are kept double-locked.

Medication Names

Generic Name
Common Names
Brand Names
Phenytoin sodium
Dilantin

Lansoprazole
Prevacid

Verapamil
Calan, Verelan

Levothyroxine
Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl

Prednisone
Deltasone

Nortryptylene
Pamelor

Pantoprazole sodium
Protonix

Levalbuterol hydrochloride
Xopenex

Citalopram
Celexa

Carvedilol
Coreg

Insulin

Humalog, Humalin, Iletin, Novolin, Velosulin BR
Venlafaxine hydrochloride
Effexor

Oxycodone
OxyContin

Mirtazapine
Remeron

Metformin
Glucophage

Glipizide
Glucotrol

Glimepiride
Amaryl

Celecoxib
Celebrex

Alendronate sodium
Fosamax

Alprazolam
Xanax

Risedronate
Actonel

Loperamide
Imodium

Antacids

Gaviscon, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, Tums
Allopurinol
Zyloprim

Lorazepam
Ativan

Zolpidem tartrate
Ambien

Nitroglycerin
Nitro-Bid, Nitro-Dur, Nitrolingual spray, Nitrostat tablets, Transderm Nitro

Latanoprost
Xalatan

Nabumetone
Relafen

Trazodone
Desyrel

Pravastatine
Pravachol

Glyburide
Micronase

Donepezil hydrochloride
Aricept

Amlodipine
Norvasc

Pioglitazone hydrochloride
Actos

Aspirin

Empirin, Ecotrin, Genuine Bayer, Halfprin
Acetaminophen
Tylenol

Fexofenadine hydrochloride
Allegra

Acyclovir
Zovirax

Azelastine hydrochloride
Astelin

Morphine
MS Contin, Roxanol

Omeprazole
Prilosec

Docusate
Colace

Famotidine
Pepcid

Spironolactone
Aldactone

Tamsulosin hydrochloride
Flomax

Percocet

Endocet, Roxicet, Tylox
Digoxin
Lanoxin, Digitek

Haloperidol
Haldol

Nitrofurantoin
Macrodantin

Tolterodine tartrate
Detrol (LA)

Prochlorperazine
Compazine

Clonazepam
Klonopin

Fluoxetine
Prozac

Bumetanide
Bumex

Lisinopril
Zestril

Warfarin sodium
Coumadin

Potassium chloride
Micro-K

Metoprolol
Lopressor, Toprol-XL

Tramadol
Ultram

Polyethylene glycol
Miralax, Glycolax

Furosemide
Lasix

Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen
Lortab, Vicodin

Olanzapine
Zyprexa

Losartan potassium
Cozaar

Diltiazem
Cardizem

Paroxetine
Paxil

Mycolog

Myco-Triacet II, Mytrex
Ranitidine
Zantac

Quetiapine fumarate
Seroquel

Loperamide
Imodium

Escitalopram oxalate
Lexapro

Sertraline
Zoloft

Benazepril
Lotensin

Simvastatin
Zocor

Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride
Cipro

Levetiracetam
Keppra

Oxybutynin
Ditropan


Sodium
Vitamin C
Cranberry
Iron (Ferrous Sulfate)
Vitamin D
Potassium
Calcium
Milk of Magnesia

Not in PDR Med Book
Compro
Ocuvite
Senokot (Senna)
Bisacodyl (Pulcolax)
Estrace
Pangestyme
Sulfatrim
Cymbalta
Oxytrol
Tiotroprium (Spriva)
Namenda
Mucinex
Vesicare
Peso
Metoprolol
Boniva
Cymbalta
Cyanocobalmin
Ferrous Gloconate
Qualaquin