WOW, Okay Portland, Listen Up At Arrivederci's

One of my old bosses used to say you want your customers to say WOW, when they receive your goods and services.

Let me say that Mike Horsfall, Tasha Miller and Dennis Caiazza delivered the WOW for those of us lucky enough to be in attendance at Arrivederci Wine Bar in Milwaukie tonight. This is a place where you can sit away from the band or right up next to them, and tonight I did both.

When the music is clear and pure you can almost see it or feel it move through you and listening and watching as the music is being played is just awesome.

Tasha Miller sings in a way that makes you wish you could listen forever, The three of them delivered fantastic songs, there were 5 that took over the room, one that Dennis Caiazza sang, and sang very well, and the other four sang by the Tasha Miller, they were The Beatle's Imagine, Cindy Lauper's, True Colors, and My Funny Valentine by Frank Sinatra, and Memories by Barbara Streisand. Now I am sure that the glass of wine, the room full of friendly people and just how intensely into the music these three people get makes a difference, unfortunately you just can't capture it on a CD, but that will be a memory that I will enjoy for a long long time.

If you find yourself some where that any of these three are playing, get yourself a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, and sit back and enjoy the moment.

If you don't know where to find them, start in Milwaukie and ask Katie or Steve or Derek, I am sure they will know when they will be back in the restaurant.

Cheers to you all.

Appreciate what you have, because life is uncertain, and it is short.

Keith

One Sad Comment

I was walking down the hallway at work when a young woman pushing a stroller came toward me. As we drew even and then passed I smiled at a little girl in the stroller who was probably no more than 2 or 3 years old. The little girl didn't notice me as she was too focused on pointing, turning around to look at her mother and asking "Daddy's wheelchair? Daddy's wheelchair?"

Does that comment hit you in the gut the same way it did me?

No Name

I don't know what to call this post, I have no clear idea about what to say. I just know I need to talk and I'm using the one outlet available to me tonight. Last week's work week was horrible. Thirty minutes after my first shift started my patient coded and died. That particular day we had 3 patients go into cardiac arrest and die. The rest of the week didn't get any easier and with the arrival of several new war causalities we were in for very busy shifts. When I finally finished up, it took the better part of 3 of my 4 days off to recover from three 12 hours shifts that were tragically sad.

Up until this evening this work week hadn't been too bad. This evening I learned a young soldier I cared for last week, flown in from Afghanistan, has cancer. The bad kind, not that all cancer isn't bad but this one is exceptionally bad, it's liver cancer, which is almost always fatal. He's 19 years old.

New National Holiday

I have been in the car on the freeway a lot more lately, and have grown very tired of listening to all the get out of credit debt free ads. However I have also noticed that it is almost not possible switch channels to something less obnoxious than what I was originally tuned into.

This has given rise to a new holiday that I believe anyone in America who has taken the path of financial irresponsibility will appreciate. I think it should be called National I Am Not Responsible For Past Transgressions Day, It is long I know, but it is descriptive, and besides I am open to another name if someone has a better one.

The key to this is that after you run up your credit cards bills on pizza, bowling, movies, cars parts and hotel bills, you can then call someone up who out of the goodness of their hearts will help you pay only half of the honest debt you incurred. It is like a get out of jail free card, except you don't get the cool cartoons.