Sooooo I haven't been posting on this blog nearly as often as I had intended originally; life has gotten in the way and it seems when I'm inspired I'm nowhere near pen and paper (much less a keyboard). In the interest of attempting to entertain my one sole subscriber (Thanks for hanging in there Tara!) I am committing to posting at least once a week (ideally 3-4 times a week but hey, I know myself better than that heehee).
So as to the name of this particular post............
I work in the recovery room at my hospital and we receive patients of all ages after their surgeries--often they are young children who have had things such as tonsillectomies, etc performed. To help comfort the children, they are allowed to have special toys/blankets/etc. accompany them through their procedures.
This morning I received a young girl after surgery and the nurse/CRNA who accompanied her from the OR was giving me report which included the personal belongings that were with the patient. She had a blanket and a stuffed animal, which I was informed was named "Clarice." I really didn't look hard at the type of stuffed animal as I was busy hooking up monitors and assessing the patient, but hearing the name 'Clarice' triggered something in my mind----and I leaned over and addressed the stuffed animal "Hello Clarice" in my best make-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-standup voice (aka Hannibel Lector). Just in case you're worried, the little girl was not yet awake so, no I did not scare her (although I think I would have been more scared if she had reacted to that particular phrase--I sure hope adults wouldn't let young children watch something that frightening). The CRNA immediately picked up on what I was saying and started laughing and said "I don't think that's the Clarice she named her after." I laughed and agreed and went on about my business.
It wasn't until I had got my charting done and was ready to unhook the patient for transfer back to her parents in Day Surgery that I got a really good look at 'Clarice' and then it hit me--Clarice was Rudolph's girlfriend! Now, in case you have not watched holiday TV in the last, say 30-40 years, every year there is an animated (of sorts) show broadcast of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.' In it there are key players known to most American children--Rudolph of course, Santa (voiced over by Burl Ives), the other reindeer (I'm not even going to try to recall them all here), and then there is the abominal snowman which used to terrify me something fierce when I was a little girl--and then there is Clarice--a doe who thinks Rudolph's red nose is quite adorable and becomes his sweetheart. This little girl's Clarice fit the bill with long eyelashes, etc.
So I am now left trying to figure out what it says about my psyche that when I hear the name 'Clarice' given to a stuffed animal (at Christmas time and said animal is a reindeer no less) that instead of a classic children's show I think instead of Hannibel Lector and "Silence of the Lambs." Hmmmmm. I have a sudden craving for organ meat for dinner now.................
