BREAKING BAD the HOME Version

When I was young, one day my father came home from the Flea Market with a vintage chemistry set. It was very old but appeared to have all the original contents... beakers, test tubes, a bunson burner, all kinds of chemicals... but the ONE thing it lacked was an instruction manual.

From my memory it looked a lot like these photos:

The ONE thing my new (old) chemistry set lacked was an instruction manual. It would have been nice to have one of these to go with it:

So I was left to experiment on my own. Within an hour I had the entire kitchen table ablaze as I experimented by heating up various chemicals in the bottles to see what would happen.

So... my message to you out there, FATHERS... if you're going to get your kids a chemistry set, please, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure it comes with an instruction manual. 

Fortunately, I was able to get the fire out without anything getting too damaged... and this was probably where my first interest in chemistry started... followed by an interest in pharmacy.

Click below for cool photos of:

Vintage Chemistry Manuals

Vintage Chemistry Sets

Rest on Sunday by Laughing

It's the Soft Water

It's fun to have nice friends...

How the Trouble Started

One in the VaJayJay at bedtime? Isn't that how this whole trouble started anyway?

And the comment below? Uh... no comment.

Freedom Chair

When I was kid, I had a dirt bike accident and broke my leg. I spent that entire summer confined to a wheelchair, forget the fact that I couldn’t swim because of the cast, and my leg was hot and itchy for the whole 10 weeks, I hated the wheelchair. I could never get anywhere fast enough, my arms hurt, and well, lets face it, there hasn’t been too much wheelchair innovation in a long while. What if I really needed that chair for a long time? What if I needed it forever, and what if I lived in a country that didn’t have all the ramps and sidewalk accessibility that I always took for granted?

Please check out the Leveraged Freedom Chair, being developed here in the United States, this unique and high performance wheelchair is being designed specifically with helping the disabled located in developing countries in mind. The Freedom Chair has variable gears, depending on where your hands grab the removable levers, and it was built to go off-road, the option to use leverage in order to propel the chair instead of only being able to turn the wheels with your hands, gives you a lot more torque with less effort, enabling you to conquer hills, rocks and more rugged terrain.

If ONE is good, TWO must be BETTER!

Mr. and Mrs. Simmons are at the pick-up window. He's on foot. She's sitting in of our electric shopping carts. She's rather obese with a round moon face. I have no doubt she really can't get around the store without this cart.

Mr. Simmons informs me that his wife needs a refill on her Prednisone 1mg tablets. He says something about it being early but that she "spilt" some down the drain.

I look on the computer. I send off the refill for authorization. She's two days early on her refill for Medicare to pay for it. It's not expensive for a cash pay, but I've been becoming increasingly concerned over her Prednisone usage. She has prescriptions for 1mg, 5mg, and 10mg. I've talked to her at length about the issues and even more issues associated with taking too much of this medication several times. Her reply is that the doctor tells her to take more. When I suggest that we need new prescriptions for the increased dosage, somehow those prescriptions never make it to Goofmart Pharmacy.

"Mrs. Simmons, you're out of the medication?"

"Yes, I'm all out. I took the last one yesterday." The part about some going down the drain never comes up.

"You remember our discussing that this medicine isn't candy?"

"I know, but the doctor tells me to take more!"  Of course I'm wondering if that's true, why can't we ever get a new prescription for a larger amount? I'm thinking it's more like they taught me in pharmacy school. People consistently think: If one is good, two must be better.

"I'll give you four tablets. That will get you through until it will go through on insurance."

"Oh, can't you give me eight tablets then? You know, just in case I can't make it back in two days?"

I give her only four tablets. Two days later there she is for her refill. I seriously doubt this refill will last thirty days. Because... you know...

If one is good, two must be better!

Stinging Advice

A lady stops in me in the aisle on my way to help another lady. She asks, "Where is your Absorbine Jr.?"

"We don't carry that, but I have some menthol-containing products over here," I reply, pointing to the shelf.

"I got a scorpion sting and my chiropractor said I should get some Absorbine Jr., rub it in really well and it will cause the poison to come out."

I look at her for about five seconds, thinking about everything she's just told me. "I'm not sure that will work, but I guess it's worth a try." I've learned not to argue with people once they have something in their head, but I did manage to add one additional comment. "I guess I'm more interested in why a chiropractor is treating bug bites and stings..."

She replies, "I wondered about that too." Then she wandered off, ignoring the shelf I pointed to.

Chiropractors. Now treating bug bites and stings.

Sick Days for the Pharmacist

I'm fresh out of school and just started working my first pharmacy job. I had only been with the company for a few weeks when one evening I start developing a kidney stone (shown at right... I know it's small, but it felt like a bowling ball). Technically it had been developing for awhile, it just decided to start making my life miserable that night. It was probably from Mountain Dew overload.

I suffered through the entire night desperately trying to fight off the pain and trying to figure out who I'm going to call. I can't work in this condition. Heck, I could barely stand up.

At 6am I decide to call my pharmacy partner. There's only one problem. He's out of state. I'm thinking he'll know what to do to get someone in the pharmacy to work. But I can't get a hold of him.

I call the corporate office after hours number and leave a message explaining my situation.

Another hour passes. I need to talk to a person to let them know what's going on.

I call my regional pharmacy manager:

"Jack, this is Crazy RxMan. I work at store #666. I'm in incredible pain. I can't work today. I've tried to call my partner but he's out of town. I've called the corporate number and left a message. I don't know who else to call."

Jack: "Are you sure you're sick?"

A Bill Engvall comment rolls through my head, but instead I say, "Yes, I'm very much in pain."

Jack: "Well, the protocol is that you go open the pharmacy and work until we can get someone there to replace you."

"Uh, no... I'm on my way to the hospital. I won't be going into the pharmacy anytime soon. I'm sorry."

Jack is quiet for a moment. I don't think he was expecting me to say no. Finally he says, "Ok, we'll get someone to work the pharmacy."

So no matter how sick you are, corporate policy is that if your partner can't work for you, you go to work until someone can come replace you. It doesn't matter if you have a kidney stone, a heart attack, or a gunshot wound, you better damn well open the pharmacy until someone comes and replaces you.

Nice.

Silly Sunday Funnies

Back to the Future DeLorean in LEGO

I collect a few things. I have a few antique pharmacy items, some coins, and quite a few "new in the box" toys. Among those items are a few Back to the Future DeLorean vehicles.

So when the Lego version came out, I had to have it. There's only one problem. Once you take it out of the box, it's no longer "new in the box" or "mint condition." So I bought two. One I could build and play with, the other to keep in the box as a collectible item. My youngest son helped me assemble it in less than an hour.

So what's this have to do with pharmacy? Nothing. I just wanted to make you jealous. I know you want one. And you can get one here.