"Walking Tall"

I bask in the heady heights of your imaginations!

Perhaps this clue would have helped. In high school, my nickname was "hobbit".

We must stand in awe of amicablebitch, who was "spot-on". It is obvious how she got it--she enlarged the picture enough to recognize the camera brand, contacted Canon to obtain the exact dimensions of the camera, and, using her stellar math skills, extrapolated my true height from the camera dimensions!

I am 5'5".

Dinner Show

Saturday night we went for dinner at Vince's, the local italian restaurant. This place has been around for a while and is a local favorite, since it is one of the few restaurants in town that is not a part of a chain.

After we were seated, two young couples came in and were seated across from us. They were in tuxedos and evening gowns--on their way to the prom. It was funny to watch them acting all grown up. I remember when I was that age, acting so cool in a powder-blue tux and hair down to my shoulders. I shudder.

After a while, as we were eating, I began to notice a commotion developing at their table. At first I thought it was an argument. Then I heard the words, "he's choking!"

I got up immediately and moved toward their table. I thought about what I was supposed to do if someone is choking. Anyone who has ever taken CPR knows about the heimlich maneuver. You reach around behind the victim and jam your fists repeatedly into their midsection, in an attempt to force the obstruction out. I have been training for this my entire career, and have trained countless new nurses in how to do it. When I was a young nurse, I would scan restaurants for potential choking victims, dreaming of the glory of the life-saving hero. It never happened.

As I moved closer, I started thinking about what I would do if the heimlich maneuver didn't work. Multiple scenarios ran through my head. My heart started pounding. This all happened in seconds.

I reached the table just behind one of the waitresses, who immediately reached around the kid and started doing the heimlich maneuver. She gave him a couple of good thrusts, and out popped a piece of steak the size of my thumb. It was just like in the movies! He gagged a couple of times and began to breathe normally. A few minutes later the kids were all laughing about it. I did notice that the boy called his mom.

The waitress came to our table, and I asked her how she was doing. I told her what a great job she did saving that kid's life. She related that she works days in one of the hospitals, and has to take CPR every two years. It was the first time she had ever used it. She didn't even think about it--she just did it. And then went back to waiting tables.

When we paid the bill, I left her a $20 tip and wrote, "You saved a boy's life--you are a hero" on the bill. She deserves a parade.

I got rocks in my stocking, too.

myasma

The list

Here are a couple of things on my to-do list for this life:

1. Join a book club.
2. Visit the New England states and enjoy resonably-priced lobster.
3. Grow a full beard

Your own private Idaho