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I have some of my favorite photographs at
My Photoblog.
A more complete collection, is at Flickr.
Random Flickr Photos:
Blogrolling
Archives
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Random tidbits about me:
I'm a PiscesI don't hold any belief in the Zodiac stuff
But I do love water: swimming, scuba diving, hot tubs
Actually, I like most things outdoors
I often forget to change the air filters on my HVAC monthly
People often tell me they like my eyes, but I think it's a plot
I am continually amazed by how many people I barely know remark about my posts
I love the Internet
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Rich Lassiter's Web Surfin' Blog
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Southwest Road Trip
11:53:00 AM
Friday, July 18, 2008
Carrie and I decided to drive my jeep up to Colorado Springs for the wedding of one of her cousins. I wound up with a few days off, and we wanted to go camping. So, we packed up the jeep with camping gear, wedding attire, and the puppy (about 10 mos old now), and headed off. It didn't turn out exactly as planned. My jeep had been slow to start for a while. I actually don't remember when it started up quickly, but it seems to have been getting longer. It was taking up to 7 secs or so to start after I turned the ignition. On Friday night (in Colorado Springs), it took about 12 seconds, the longest it's ever taken, and I got worried and was talking with Carrie's family about this in Colorado Springs. A lot of them are mechanically inclined (her dad was an mechanic in the Air Force and her uncle apparently does his own car work, etc). We had a discussion about whether the problem was fuel or fire. Seems the fire was OK b/c it ran fine, the plugs were brand new, and the problem was only with starting. Eventually we settled on a fuel problem, and they thought the fuel pump might be going bad. Well, having sustained a roadside fuel pump failure before, they got me worried enough to take it in for service on Saturday (day of the wedding). At the recommendation of a family friend, I took it to Firestone, who diagnosed a dying fuel pump, and put in a new one to the tune of $460. (It was only $300 including towing last time my fuel pump was dead in Tiger, GA? Maybe that time only the fuel pump and not the whole 'assembly' was changed.) Anyways, I was ready to pay that since I wanted the peace of mind of not getting stuck in the middle of the Rockies or some other far-from-civilization place. So, after the family picnic on Sunday, I started up the jeep and it took 12 seconds again! I was unsettled that they hadn't fixed the problem, so I took it back and also Carrie's uncle decided to do a little research. Internet searching revealed the fuel pressure regulator to be the problem all along, and not a fuel pump issue. SO, they had to replace the pressure regulator, but none were available in Colorado Springs, so we had to wait until one could come from Denver the next morning. It took until the next afternoon, so instead of leaving Colorado Springs on Sunday at 1pm, as planned, we left on Monday at 5pm. I drove about 120 miles from the Firestone, and stopped to fill up gas in a very small town called Fort Garland, CO. I reset my odometer when I filled up. I got 3.8 mi from the gas station and lost power. I spent the next hour or two talking to her uncle and the mechanic @ Firestone, who is apparently a friend of the family, and tried various things, but eventually we determined the fuel pump was bad. The same brand new fuel pump that was put in 2 previously. So, I experienced precisely what I had delayed a day, and paid $460 to avoid. (Firestone put in the fuel pressure regulator for free since they misdiagnosed the problem initially). However, instead of being able to stay with her family, we had to get towed, and buy a hotel room (we were going to camp that night).
We were towed to a town called Alamosa, CO, about 14,000 ppl according to the sheriff we spoke with, a little after 11pm Monday night. There was a Jeep Dealership there, and the next morning they said the fuel pump was broken and looked like it had been installed incorrectly/in a hurry. Again, we had to wait for a part from Denver, so we had to spend ANOTHER night waiting for a part, and another $500. SO, instead of leaving on Sunday, as initially planned, we left on Wednesday, about noon. The bright side is we had the dog with us, so weren't paying more for boarding fees, but it did cost more to board us, since we had to rent a room instead of a campsite. We finally got to camp on Wed night, we went to Canyon de Chelly in NW AZ. It's pronounced Canyon de Shay, and is in the Navajo Nation. We finally drove back home Thursday afternoon. Surprisingly, after the new spark plugs, pump, and pressure regulator, the last two fill-ups have netted me 23.5 mpg instead of the 19-20 I was getting beforehand. I called Firestone to complain, and they said I would see a refund on my credit card. Since they fixed something that worked, well, really they broke something that worked, and cost me three days and a good bit of my vacation, I expect to see that, and I don't expect they'll see me again.
Commentary: How to fix our broken immigration system - CNN.com
12:45:00 AM
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Commentary: How to fix our broken immigration system - CNN.com
This fellow has some great ideas.
Meanwhile, at Casa de Lassiter, I just changed the spark plugs in my 97 Jeep Wrangler (TJ) for the first time. It's got 130,000 mi on it, almost every mile driven by me. I'm sure they've been changed before, but I had never done it personally before. I was hoping it would help with slow starting, but there wasn't a dramatic improvement.
Carrie's just arrived in Atlanta. She drove across country with her cousin, Karen, and Karen's Chihuahua Jax. I stayed home to work and take care of our dog.
I'm baaaaaack!
12:59:00 AM
Monday, June 02, 2008
Yikes! It's been months since I posted. I've been busy. I got married! I'm gonna start posting again, though, I promise! I'll start with this interesting bit of logic on global warming at YouTube
.
Also, you can see a little bit about my wedding at the website my wife made: CarrieandRich.WeddingWindow.com
We're working on a more polished wedding presentation. Hopefully I'll get that together soon. So far, married life is great!
Star Wars-Obsessed Rocket Geeks Build and Launch an X-Wing Fighter
1:42:00 PM
Monday, December 10, 2007
Star Wars-Obsessed Rocket Geeks Build and Launch an X-Wing Fighter
Are you kidding me!? how funny is this? I love the part in the video where someone says off camera, 'this could be a YouTube video.' After you watch it, there's a link to another shorter video from a different angle that has a better shot.
Rands In Repose: The Nerd Handbook
7:31:00 PM
Monday, November 19, 2007
Rands In Repose: The Nerd Handbook:
My friend Tim Aucoin sent me this. Seeing as we're both nerds, we can attest to the correctness of the article. It's correct.
Sedona
1:17:00 PM
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Sedona Off-Road
Carrie and I bought this time-share thing. I was good...I resisted the first few levels of them offering me the 'deal' but eventually they came up with some sort of trial offer that sounded too good to pass up. Apparently, the reason behind that is every time we go on a trip, they're going to try and sell us on the whole package! Anyways, one of the deals we got was a free 2 nights in Sedona, so we went up this week. Sedona is really very pretty, and this time, we took my jeep! I have a 97 TJ that is mostly stock, but I do have some sway-bar disconnects that I added a few yrs ago. There was a 'staircase' (8th & 9th photo) that I probably shouldn't have done. At least, not going down....probably would have been easier going up because then I could look at the ground. Anyways, my trusty jeep seems to have navigated it OK.
Black Friday Ads - Adscans Downloads - The Official Black Friday 2007 Website
10:14:00 AM
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Black Friday Ads - Adscans Downloads
This is a great consumer website--they acquire retailer ads in advance of Black Friday so you can scout out the deals with more time to spare! :) They've already got a couple listed (as of today: Macy's, Harbor Freight, and Ace Hardware). I'll definitely be checking back there as it gets closer to T-giving. I'm planning on getting a new laptop...
Fun Stuff
1:28:00 PM
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
So, Halo 3 is an excellent game. I played through on 'normal,' which really wasn't very difficult. I can't imagine how little effort would be required for 'easy.' I've played a bit on 'Heroic,' so far. It's significantly more challenging. I've also moved on to 'online' play, which is what made Halo2 so popular. I think Bungie did a really good job with the online portion for 3. I haven't figured out all the maps, yet. My Xbox Live Gamertag is Radical Richie. Add me to your friends list!
I would have played all weekend, except Carrie and I went up to Las Vegas.
We saw the Zumanity show by Cirque du Soleil, which was really great. It was at least as good as the other Cirque shows, but the women were topless, and it was quite funny as well. All-in-all, a great show, and we had a good time in Vegas. It's only about 5 hrs away, so it's certainly something we can do again in the future.
Lastly, but not leastly, Carrie put together a website about our wedding, that has all the details, etc, in one place. Check this out: http://carrieandrich.weddingwindow.com . She really did a fantastic job. If you run into password trouble, you'll be needing to type in Honda Accord
Xbox & Projector United!
10:53:00 AM
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Thursday (2 days ago), I was anxiously awaiting the delivery of my new projector. I bought a Mitsubishi HC1500 to replace the conked-out Infocus 4805. After a brief stint in the pit that orning, I came home and shortly afterward the FedEx guy delivered my PJ. I adapted my prior ceiling mount and hooked up the system and began waiting for the UPS man to deliver my Xbox360. Finally, at 7pm, he showed up, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the Microsoft had replaced my console. The new one has a build date of just last month! Hopefully, some of the hardware issues and failures that have been plaguing the first generation of the consoles will not trouble this one. The thing that annoys me about this, is that I called Xbox support a few days before to ask what was wrong, and all the phone support guy could say when I asked him what was wrong was 'it's in the mail.' MSFT seriously has some weak people in India (or wherever they are) answering its Xbox phone lines. I have luck with them only about 2/3 of the time when I call.
Seconds after plugging in the console, I was able to play Halo 3 on my new HD-capable projector, and it looks marvelous! When I plugged in, there were 3 friends from med school online playing, too! I haven't even watched a movie yet! (Carrie did while I was at work last night...said it looked good). OK, so I'm excited. Bungie did a good job with the game from what I can tell so far. I'm bummed that I have to work the next 3 days....It would be great to stay home and play!
Tucson ERs lack docs you may need | www.azstarnet.com ?
1:55:00 AM
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tucson ERs lack docs you may need
This article was published Sunday Sept 16, 2007 in the Arizona Daily Star. I hope it helps create public outrage at the system that has developed in Arizona, and other states. I certainly experienced the shortage when I was working in Tucson, and I continue to have problems in Phoenix.
Lessons on the surge from economics 101: Rutland Herald Online
7:00:00 PM
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Lessons on the surge from economics 101: Rutland Herald Online
Here is a well-written article on the quagmire that is Iraq and the need to get out.
Halo 3 Believe
5:13:00 PM
Friday, September 14, 2007
Halo 3 Believe
So, Halo 3 is released in a few weeks (sept 25), and I have pre-ordered it. However, my Xbox360 lost its video output! I've contacted MS and apparently my console is under warranty because I already had the 'three flashing red lights' power failure that required repair. The way their repairs work is they ship you a box with padding that you can then ship back to them to have your console repaired. I've been waiting 6 days now for my box, and it hasn't come, yet! grrr...I doubt my xbox360 will be back at my house when the Halo3 game arrives.
In other sad news, when I was trying to figure out what was wrong with the xbox360, I apparently killed it! Or, maybe I just caused the lamp bulb to blow when I was turning the project off and on. At any rate, it's out of commission, too. I'll either have to replace the lamp bulb ($300) or the whole projector. That wouldn't be the end of the world, since I could then upgrade to a true HD projector instead of the extended-definition one I currently have.
Wow! Great news....as I was typing this, the UPS man showed up with a box to ship the 360 back, and he even waited a few mins for me to pack up the console and he took it away!
How we think
3:38:00 PM
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Medical Dispatches : What’s the Trouble?: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
One of the guys I work with passed this essay along. It's from the New Yorker, so is of course a little longer than most WWW articles, but it is well-written and rather explains how we have to think in the emergency department. It might offer you some insight :)
Carrie and I got engaged!
12:38:00 AM
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Here's a series of photos that depicts our morning.
I managed to get Carrie out of the house at 4:30 this morning (07-07-07) and took her to the local airport (Deer Valley) where we went on a hot air balloon ride. This was a complete surprise to her, for her birthday later this month. Carrie had always wanted to go on a hot-air balloon ride and we see them every day in Phoenix, and so she was really excited and about the trip. Photos show the balloon inflation and then the mid-flight marriage proposal, her reaction, and then the post-flight champagne breakfast.
I hope you enjoy the photos!
Our Engagement - a photoset on Flickr
12:23:00 AM
Our Engagement - a photoset on Flickr
These are some great photos :)
Life Saving!
10:05:00 AM
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Yesterday, I had a miserable shift. There were too many patients, and too few on-call doctors, and we had problems trying to transfer people out, with on-call doctors refusing the transfers, etc. I stayed really late in order to help out. I just got home from a night shift, though, and we had a great case. It's one of the reasons I really like my job. Here's the story:
At about 0145 today, a patient drove himself to our ED from a town about 30 minutes away. He told our 'quick look' (aka triage) tech that he had 'throat pain.' He was being placed on the 'fast track' side of the emergency department until apparently he motioned towards his upper left chest when talking about the pain and it prompted our tech to put him onto the critical side of the ED. Another tech quickly did an EKG and handed it to me. It didn't show anything acute and the story of the patient wanting the doctor to look down his throat to see about the burning did not strike me as very concerning. I was actually planning to see a different patient first, but after he was hooked up to our cardiac monitor he had a few beats of sinus rhythm and then went right into v.fib. Our tech was standing right there, and called for a code. I was only a few steps away, and got to the room to find him pulseless and breathing, but only for a few more breaths.
The nursing staff quickly established an IV and we hooked him to the defibrillator and started chest compressions and bag valve mask ventilation. A few moments later, he was shocked, receiving chest compressions, and I had him intubated without using any medications. I gave him Amiodarone 150mg and he converted into V.tach with a pulse, and a few minutes after that he woke up. He was really disoriented at having all the people surrounding him and a tube in his throat. I was standing by his head and said something like, "Hi, I'm your doctor, you just had a heart attack, try and remain calm." He's of course freaking out because there are probably 10 people in a room designed to hold 4, and he now has 3 IVs and 2 monitors stuck to him and a tube stuck down his throat, when the last thing he knew, he was in a room by himself. It didn't help that I was calling him the wrong name! (someone had incorrectly told me his name was Carl). So, it took us about a minute to calm him down, and I extubated him and he remained alert and stable, although he was now in a slow a.fib.
At that time I was able to get a history from him, give him some magnesium for the torsades he had during the event, aspirin, etc. We called his cardiologist, who came in and took him to the cath lab at about 0330. The patient was very appreciative and in some level of disbelief that he had really just had a heart attack and also nervous that it might happen again. I had him call his wife to come down to the hospital because he would be going to the cath lab. He did, and then told us he'd been married for 34 years and that if he had another heart attack and didn't make it, he asked us to make sure and tell her that he loved her. I was really touched by that and was really hoping she would get to the hospital before the cath team, but I didn't want to delay his treatment by postponing the cath. As it happened, the cath team, the doctor, and his wife all arrived within minutes of each other. According to the cardiologist, he had a totally occluded circumflex artery and extensive coronary disease, and he is probably receiving open heart surgery as I type this.
What a great day. If he had been 15 minutes later in the car, he'd probably have crashed and been dead. Frankly, if he hadn't been in an emergency department when he went into that cardiac rhythm, he'd probably be dead. And to have a guy ask us to tell his wife he loved her in case he didn't make it, it really touched me. I don't recall any patient ever telling me that before. Hopefully, he'll have a really good outcome from his bypass surgery.
The Turtle Bra
4:10:00 PM
Monday, June 04, 2007
My friend Carrie (Yurcisin) Grote from PC is designing clothing! Well, at least one particular piece of clothing. She's designed a sports bra with a pocket between your breasts to hold your cell phone. Clever idea! (I nearly resisted the urge to call it a cleaver/age idea). She's calling it the turtle bra :)
No News is Busy News
1:12:00 AM
Well gang, I have recently discovered that some of my college friends have graduated into the blogosphere. I have been the brunt of many a joke for having a website and a blog over the years. Although my posts are sporadic, I've been doing the whole 'website' thing now for about 9 years. That's a pretty long time. I guess my archives on this blog go back to Feb 2002.
I find it pretty amusing, and exciting, to see so many of my friends now online. I wonder how much myspace had to do with the mainstreaming of blogs?
I have plans of increasing my activity on my own website...it's probably time for an overhaul. I started by calling it a 'web surfing blog,' and grabbed various interesting links and commented on it. I'm envious of some of the other medical blogs that I see out there. Frankly, though, I'm not a very good story-teller. Once I've told a story once or twice, I don't usually like telling it again. Usually I've told a story once or twice by the time I leave the hospital. Therefore, by the time I get home, there's not a lot I want to talk about.
One of my partners treated a 30 year-old woman the other day for a cardiac arrest. I never saw her (I was off), but she had a complete occlusion of her LAD (the primary artery feeding the heart). That's a pretty rare and sobering thing. It makes me a little more concerned about the chest pain I sometimes have playing ultimate... (by the way, she survived).
Wireless identity thieves
11:36:00 PM
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Security Watch: Wireless identity thieves This is a brief article at CNET.com discussing how easy it is to hack into WEP encryption for your home network. Better beef that bad boy up to WPA! If you don't know what this means, and you have a home network, ask your local computer geek.
Funny or Die
10:02:00 PM
Friday, May 04, 2007
So, there's a new comedy website called Funny or Die. It made its mark with a funny sketch involving Will Ferrell and the site's owner's 2 year old daughter acting as a foul-mouthed drunk landlord. It's pretty funny. So is this parody of
David Blaine Street Magic 2
Check it out.
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