Monday, January 31, 2011

I'll do everything I can to keep you by my side and I'll stare off through the darkness to find us a kingdom. Just kiss me before I go.

Despite having only gotten 6 or so hours of not so good sleep, I managed to be productive at work without any coffee. I did try a new place for lunch, "Barbara's at the Brewery," a bar located in the industrial part of LA near San Antonio Winery and Lanza Bros Market. My tri tip sandwich was pretty good, but I didn't like how we had to order at the bar, pay at the bar, ask for refills at the bar. Oh and during lunch (with two CEO managers and a former manager) I tried a little sample of a craftsman beer called "Aurora Borealis." I liked the name. After the bartender poured it, another one says "you know that beer is 13% alcohol." It was tasty and smooth but I wouldn't order a whole one. I cannot handle alcohol anymore, not even beer. My tolerance is quite pathetic actually. 
After work, I went to visit Sov at the hospital. I left work kinda late (6:20) and traffic on the 10 East was pretty good. I picked us up some food at a "healthy Yoshinaya" called Flame Broiler. Flame Broiler in West Covina but it definitely was not anywhere close to being a 5. I would give it a 2 or a 3. Price was cheap. Portion was good sized but the "salad" was whack. The dressing was as viscous as hair gel, the beef was thin and tiny and the chicken was dry. I really don't like instant/americanized Asian food. I liked that they had brown rice for the same price as white rice though. 
Sov is feeling a lot better. He was breathing easier and he was smiling. He has a really good attitude and is really resilient. If only I could be more like him....Unfortunately, our visit was cut really short. A murse (male nurse) came in around 8:20 and informed us that visiting hours at 8. I knew that, but the night before I was there until 9. So that shitty visiting hour policy is enforced really randomly. 

24 hours later...

Spent nearly 24 hours at Queen of the Valley hospital in West Covina. http://www.yelp.com/biz/queen-of-the-valley-hospital-west-covina. I am fine but my dear Sovie had difficulty breathing due to his asthma. The first 8 or so hours were spent in the ER and the remaining time was on the 3rd floor. The hospital def doesn't give a clean vibe and some of the staff were slow to respond and didn't give the impression that they cared about their job or their patients. He had one semi-decent respiratory therapist (Antonio Zuniga) and one great RN (Darleen).
My baby was getting "breathing treatments" periodically-- a mask that pumped albuterol into his lungs but he said it didn't really help. Despite his inability to breathe easy, he was one of the "healthier" ones there. There was a gangster guy in the next bed that came in bleeding profusely with stab wounds. He was accompanied by 4 of West Covina's finest until they stabilized him and prepped him for the OR. The guy was moaning a lot before they sedated him with the drug that killed Michael Jackson (Propofal?). The entire ER staff (it seemed) concentrated on saving this guy's life...shouting to give him blood, drugs, whatever. And for what? So they could sew him up, arrest him and take him to jail. Wonderful. Some of the the things the staff asked/told him were: "what's your name?" "what is your doctor's name?" "who did this to you?" and "we are going to save your life today, okay?" He was a young guy, I think his birth year was 1987 or 1988? 
It's been almost 24 hours since he checked into the hospital and he is still there... Get better soon baby.