Braised Lambchop
a nurse trying to work while suffering with chronic pain - she rambles a bit

1. Where were you when you heard Ronald Reagan died?

I was right here in this chair, at home, getting ready to watch Smarty Jones run in the Belmont Stakes.

2. Where were you in September 11, 2001?

I was at home and hadn't yet arisen for the day. I heard on the radio that a small plane had hit the World Trade Center, and I decided to get up and see what kind of dope couldn't miss the tallest building in New York. Then I saw the second one hit, and my perspective changed.

We were supposed to be in New York that week. We had reservations at the Marriott World Trade Center for a class John was to take somewhere in the financial district, but not in the WTC itself (I don't think). We were to fly in Sunday, sightsee on Monday, and his class was Tuesday through Friday. There was a closer one in San Antonio in October, though, and we decided to skip the expense.

3. Where were you when you heard Princess Diana died?

At home, sick, watching TV. This was about a month before my first big operation, and I was getting progressively weaker and more anemic. It was a Saturday night, we happened to flip by CNN, and caught the news of the wreck. About 30 minutes later they announced she had died. We get the BBC overnight here on our NPR station, and they didn't quite know what to do.

4. Where were you when you heard Kurt Cobain died?

In a hotel room in San Francisco.

5. One for The Gipper: What's your favorite flavor of jelly bean?

Strawberry Daiquiri and Watermelon.

6. Where were you when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring due to HIV infection?

At work in a MSICU, in a hospital in Wausau, Wisconsin. I was caring for a young father who had just broken his neck in a logging accident and did not have Magic's millions. I was saddened for Magic, but there are others who have problems too and who don't have vast financial resources.

7. Where were you when Reagan was shot?

I was a junior in high school, in my Chemistry II class, and the principal announced it. It was late afternoon, and nobody knew how serious it was. We thought he was dying.

8. Where were you when the space shuttle Challenger exploded?

In my apartment in Norman, between doctor appointments.

I caught an infection the night before from a hot tub at John's apartment complex in north Oklahoma City. Some genius had urinated in the warm water of the hot tub, and that caused the bacteria to multiply, and it got into my skin underneath my swimsuit, causing a condition called 'hot tub folliculitis'. Most of the hair follicles where my swimsuit had been were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and I had about 1,500 very painful little 'pimples' on my trunk and groin. The doctor at the OU student health center thought it was a form of chicken pox, and referred me to a Norman dermatologist. I had just opened the door to my apartment, flipped on the TV to take my mind off the pain, and taken off my clothes to get comfortable when the news broke in. My dermatology appointment was later that afternoon, and he had televisions in all his treatment rooms so patients could watch the news. I had to dab erythromycin solution on every one of those follicles for ten days, and it hurt like hell. I missed a week of work and class because I couldn't put on underwear, much less any clothing.

I haven't been in a public hot tub or spa since January 1986. I don't ever want to have that kind of skin infection again. You don't either - stay away from public spas. They're dirty.

9. Where were you when the O. J. Simpson verdict was announced?

In my office at the Phillips Research Center, listening on the radio.