Now For Some Good News ... I'm Officially "Pineapple Proud" 🍍🥰

So after our sheltie, Brookie, passed one month ago, then our horse, Factor, on Thursday - both of whom Mark had longer than he's had me - Mark and I were looking up at the sky waiting for something to fall on me or something 😂 (Just kidding.)

We really, really needed some good news.

Then yesterday, my trainer and boss informed me that I passed my training!

I literally teared up (but then it was super easy already for me to cry yesterday anyway, due to Factor's passing), but especially when she said that I'd exceeded expectations on both my actual work and  my attitude!

And I have to say they have exceeded mine, too!

I already knew when I saw employee reviews as a 4.5/5 on Glassdoor, Indeed, and Linked In that it was a good place to work, as that's the highest score I've ever seen - but their encouragement and kindness towards both new people and each other, I haven't seen since my early days in transcription!

Thus, I am officially "Pineapple Proud" 🍍🍍🍍 - as a (home-based) medical transcriptionist for Baptist Health South Florida - specifically for the Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute! 

(If "someone" wants to contact them to smear me - again - good luck with that!  Most people have become wise to how creepy that is, plus they know me pretty well already - certainly better than you ever did!)

So we are #2 in South Florida for Cardiac Care - a close second, behind only the Cleveland Clinic -Miami!

(Well, it IS the Cleveland Clinic - with Mayo and Cleveland Clinic being the best in the nation, and ranked internationally as well, for just about everything, but cardiac care in particular.)

Now, when we say South Florida, we mean from Palm Beach County to Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) to Miami-Dade County, with the heaviest presence in the Miami metropolitan area. 

Though we have many hospitals in South Florida, with their largest and anchor hospital being in South Miami, they originally started out in Kendall (suburban Miami), which is where their Children's Hospital is, which I personally think is their prettiest location!

Though I work from home, this is my particular facility, MCVI (Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute). 

We transcribe outpatient interventional radiology procedures done at this facility as well, such as ultrasound or CT-guided biopsies and administration of complex chemotherapy and immunology combination agents as well. 

Though I've been a medical transcriptionist for 27 years, It's been a rough the last 15 years or so in medical transcription - initially replaced by offshore outsourcing, then EHR/EMR "check-the-box" systems, and now voice-recognition/AI. 

In fact, it became cutthroat-competitive, considering the amount of jobs that were left, for low pay/no benefits, with much power-abuse/bullying going on, because jobs in this field are scarce. 

I was lucky enough to have a contract for 5 years transcribing for an independent pharmaceutical marketing firm, with a GREAT boss (who I still pick up work for, on occasion) -  but even that work began to dry up in the summer of 2023.

Fortunately for me, the doctors at MCVI especially care that their healthcare documentation is accurate, and they realize that medical transcription is not just a basic secretary - it's a skilled position.  

Because to be a really good MT - and believe me, I'm not the best there is, but I do okay - you're not just typing and correcting spelling and grammar, nor is it even just medical terminology.

You'd better have aced your anatomy and physiology courses in college to be able to understand where they are in the body and what they are doing to it -  how they're treating it!

(You also have to have good hearing and a great memory.)

And they'd already tried the cheap routes - offshore outsourcing, "check-the-box" EHR/EMR stuff, and the voice-recognition/AI stuff - and realized that although these things are cheap upfront, inaccurate healthcare documentation will cost them more in the long run.

Though we do use EHR/EMR systems (electronic health/medical record), as well as voice recognition as a tool, no more "checking the box" here - our work gets directly uploaded into EHR/EMR. 

And believe me when I say voice that voice rec/AI still gets things wrong that need human correction and intuition (because this is human communication) because it can affect patient care AND their billing.

For instance, this particular voice-recognition system likes to mishear the doctors say  "left ventricular ascending artery" and "poster descending artery" with some dictators, you need to understand that makes no sense and those cardiac arteries do not exist, and that you should correct it to "left anterior descending artery" and "posterior descending artery."

And they DO test you to make sure you understand all of that!

Many doctors don't realize how important this is until they either:

A) Don't get paid after insurance denied the claim, either because their medical assistant checked the wrong diagnosis box in the EMR/EHR or because offshore or AI "misheard"  their dictation. 

- OR - 

B) They're called into a deposition after someone isn't happy with the results of their treatment, but their voice-rec/AI program or offshore misheard their dictation, so they lose the lawsuit - NOT because they did anything wrong, but because they couldn't prove they didn't.

Of course, I never say never -  AI is getting very close to human intuition -  but for now - hopefully this setup holds until I retire! 

 

I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!

I think the other reason I teared up was because I haven't seen this kind of encouragement and comradery since my early days of transcription in the early 2000s!

Not so long ago, I got used to mistreatment in both my personal and professional life, such that it became "normal" to me, I even believed I deserved it  - until I realized it wasn't and I didn't.

However, even then, I also knew that I was getting older, this was all I was trained to do, and this is all that was left - so us older gals in the field just put up with it, grateful to still have a job in the field  - and boy, these third-party contract companies knew it, too, took that ball and ran with it!

Verbal and emotional abuse - personally or professionally - is a very effective way of devaluing you so that you end up feeling like you deserve it, like you're lucky they allow you to work there because you're otherwise worthless and nobody else would want you - until one day, they take it too far, and you finally wake up and start to think - "maybe I do deserve better?")

Those 27 years in this field, hanging on by the skin of my teeth, is finally paying off again - we DO still have value!

The pineapple logo for BHSF is the symbol for welcoming - and believe me, they are!

They have an extremely thorough and rigorous hiring screening, and one of the things they're looking for is a welcoming, kind, empathetic attitude - and believe me, even in transcription, that's true!

My trainer and supervisor is so very intelligent and kind - she's my mentor!

(I would say it's a tie between my pharmaceutical contract boss and my BHSF boss for mentorship - hey, I can have two mentors, can't I? 😂 

So bye bye to all the third-party BS - I work directly for a renowned hospital again as an actual employee with benefits!

(We were always capable of taking you seriously without threatening account loss every 5 minutes, you know. Not to mention, that scare tactic loses its effect after a while.)

Bye bye all-cap emails to entire teams, threatening us with account loss if we don't hop on and work on our days off or we don't score 100%, though your current contract productivity pay amounts to around  $9 an hour for even your fastest MT - and no benefits!

Some contract companies now actually doc your already sweatshop-level pay if you make a mistake!

For comparison, I made 50K in the early 2000s, only to watch our line price value drop to essentially 18K a year competing with offshore outsourcing, EMR/EHR "box-check" systems, and AI.)

Bye bye, self-employment tax of $3,000, though you only made that 18K!

Bye bye, inconsistent QA performed by cliquey mean girls with unwarranted arrogance, who bully/power abuse (especially online) just because they can and know you're desperate!

Bye bye, treating skilled MTs like sweatshop labor, paying them less than flipping burgers at McDonald's!

Hello, welcoming new people, kindness, encouragement, and valuing/rewarding skill, hard work, a job well done, and a positive attitude -  rather than cronyism, power abuse/bullying,  and toxic competition - it's nice to see you again, it's been a long time! 

And though there are productivity standards as well as accuracy standards, I can actually take the time to craft a report to perfection, which they prefer, rather than worry about pay based on productivity only!

Ya know, though I haven't really been a Florida kinda gal, I prefer the mountains and forests to beaches - I admit, Miami  is starting to look pretty great to me, right now!

I love the international mix and the friendly, welcoming attitude!

Not sure if everyone in Miami is like that, but they definitely are at BHSF!

Thank you, BHSF "family" - I am SO very grateful ...

... and Pineapple Proud! 🍍

PS - Just an FYI, since I edit and proof all day, every day, for a living - I usually take off my proofing hat for personal communication including my blog. (I usually come back and edit later, though, when/if I have time. 😜)

Text and emails are like post-it notes to me, I scribble them out and go back to work, so don't judge based on what I do in more personal communication I'm not getting paid to do! 

Factor Is Gone Now, Too ...

Mark and Factor, just after Mark recovered from s stroke in 2017

For those who haven't heard yet, we had to emergency-call the vet for Mark's horse, Far Factor ("Factor"), and have him put down.  

When Mark fed him at 5, he appeared weak. He came home and asked the couple that took care of him when we went away for the weekend, to call us when they arrived at 6 to let us know how he was doing.

They sent us a video, because at this point, he began strangely spinning around and falling.

The vet said he had progressive neurological issues that would only get worse. We'd noticed he'd been weaker the past couple of days, today seemingly worse, and then an hour later, he was spinning and falling.

Factor was 27 years old, a good long happy life for a horse - and Mark took excellent, excellent care of him.

God, he was an absolute beauty with the gentlest eyes and a playful soul.

I know it's probably just coincidence, but with the timing, you have to wonder, did he know Brookie was gone?

They had been the best of friends, running in the fields together, and she suddenly just wasn't there anymore. 

I know that's stupid and trying to find meaning when there is none.

Regardless, I like to imagine them running together again in green fields, with Snuggy in tow, all pain-free, young, strong and beautiful again.

I had never seen a horse put down and was absolutely terrified, as the vet warned us how this could go, but was determined to be brave for my husband - as this is two major losses now for him in a month - Brookie and Factor, both of whom he's had longer than me.

However, Factor just quietly laid down, Mark put Factor's head in his lap, I looked directly in Factor's eyes and gently sang to him, as he always liked, petting him and thanking him for being such a good boy - and then he just peacefully went to sleep.

Please keep sending those thoughts and prayers to Mark, he needs them now more than ever - they are much appreciated.

Thank you to all who have already.

God, if you're there, and if you care, hold him up, Lord, please. Hold him up ,,,

The Omni Hotel, Louisville, KY, May 2025 ( Where Ziggy Became The Unofficial Greeter) 😂

So I have been getting my mammograms in Louisville since COVID, when Baptist Health - Lexington was behind on them for a year. Thus, when I need one, I go to Baptist Health - Louisville. This time, we decided to make a holiday weekend of it, since we haven't been able to afford to get away in quite a while - and we got a GREAT deal on the Omni!

The Omni Louisville is considered one of the nicest hotels in Louisville, with the rooms ordinarily going for $375 to $1,275 (which isn't expensive by NYC standards, but is here), with the room that we stayed in ordinarily going for around $450 a night; however, with reduced rates for Memorial Day to compete with resorts, Expedia points, and requesting an upgrade upon arrival for unused rooms, we got it for around $175 a night!

We had planned on taking a ride on the new (refurbished) steamboat, The Mary Miller as the world-famous Belle of Louisville sprung a leak in March 2025 and is being repaired.

However, unfortunately without Brookie, Ziggy became very anxious and cried loudly when left alone in the hotel room, even in his crate, so we postponed the boat trips for another time.

The Mary Miller isn't an authentic functioning paddle steamboat like the Belle of Louisville, but a beauty nonetheless!

(Not my photos)

(Just for an FYI, the second newer steamboat is named after Mary Millicent Miller, who was the first female steamboat captain, who had to fight to become one as a woman, and in 1884, she passed her exams and did exactly that - became the first female steamboat riverboat captain in history.)

For comparison, here is the Belle of Louisville, once a functioning paddle steamboat traveling all the way down to New Orleans, commissioned in 1914.

Though some of the original 19th-century riverboats are now in museums, The Belle of Louisville is the oldest functioning riverboat in America!

Thus, we just stuck to things that we could do with Ziggy in tow, with the exception of the rooftop pool, but only after we figured out that putting him in the large, luxurious bathroom with barn-sliding doors with toys and water worked for shorter periods of time. 

As mentioned in the post below, the entire staff fell in love with Ziggy, he was like the unofficial greeter and ambassador for The Omni, so much so that one of the front desk clerks, Nathaniel, wore his pug socks one day in tribute!

Ziggy inspects them, here, just to make sure they're up to "snuff!"  😂

(I have those exact same socks, mind you, but in pink.)

The gift shop lady also fell in love with him and even gave him a free plush horsie toy!

(We were going to buy it, but she just gave it to him because she loved him so!)

I don't have any pics of him greeting people without their permission, of course, but believe me, he did, HE was the Belle of the Louisville!

The staff is AWESOME at the Omni, the best I've ever encountered.  It's not just that they are good at what they do, it's that they are super friendly - and not like saccharine, OTT friendly, like in Lexington, trying to upsell you on local stuff, but genuine friendly, telling you what they really think of this and that, and if they see you out around town, they come up and chat with you or have a beer with you. 

In fact, the whole city is like that, at least downtown.  Mark and I said if we had to stay in Kentucky for the rest of our lives, we'd prefer to move to Louisville. 

So without further ado, here are some pics of our stay in Louisville ,,, 

The main lobby ... 

The much-beloved, temporary unofficial greeter and ambassador of the Omni Hotel - Louisville .... Ziggy!

There are 4 restaurants and adjacent market/pub/coffee shop, plus a rare-bourbon "speakeasy" room with a vintage bowling alley (which was closed this weekend), but the first floor bar/restaurant, "The Library," was our favorite place to hang out 

Flan and an espresso martini by the fireplace ... 

In the hallway to our room ...

Our view from the room ...

So this one has a story behind this next one  ... 

So Coke has decided to put people's names on their bottles again, this summer -  and since my sister-in-law had just literally evaded a shark attack while snorkeling AND my niece-in-law (who is my SIL's namesake), had just had the first grandchild in Mark's generation a week prior -  we bought a Coke with their name on it ... and Ziggy decided to smile during the picture of it. 

2nd floor mezzanine, ballrooms ....

Christ Episcopal Church, built in 1823, the subject of the below post. 

Pictures taken on Friday, while they were beginning preppartions for the huge Indian wedding and receptions that I mentioned was happening in the post below, on Saturday and Sunday  ... 

Believe me, by the time they were done, this room was completely filled with tables and people ...

I'm told there were 500 people at the rehearsal dinner, 600 at the actual wedding the next day, and 400 at the reception.

Some of the guests invited us, but not the bride and groom, plus we had nothing to wear, so we declined, but I would've loved that, I LOVE Indian weddings!

As mentioned, all weekend, ladies floated around like beautiful spring butterflies in their obviously very expensive embroidered silk sarees and lehenghas - they looked like royalty! 

Of course, I didn't take pictures without permission but one (last photo), but here are some examples of what they wore .... *NOT MY PHOTOS* 

Absolutely stunning!  

(I felt like an absolute schlub, running around in denim shirts and khakis! 

I snapped this one photo of the bride and groom in the lobby, and here's why ...

If you'll notice, though the women are still dressed in sarees, they are completely covered, including wearing hajibs - meaning they are Muslim and thus most likely Pakistani (though they could be Parsi - Zoroasters).

For those unaware, Pakistan and India used to be one country until 1947, when Pakistan became its own country, largely due to religious conflict - Hindus and Sikhs versus Muslims (although Hindus and Sikhs aren't always the best of friends, either). 

(Why we continue to fight and feel compelled to assert dominance over faith in 2025 is beyond me.)

Much like Israel and Palestinian countries, they continue to fight over territory, even going to war again very recently after terrorist acts in Kashmir.

But what was very interesting and super cool was  the fact that the bride and groom left their wedding reception to come down to the lobby specifically to publicly receive and welcome their Muslim  (likely Pakistani) guests in the hotel lobby!

I'm not sure if anyone else in the lobby understood how significant a gesture that was but us, but I felt very privileged to witness it!

I was told by the pool restaurant manager that the year before, they hosted a similar wedding, only they hosted an actual parade, blocking off 2nd Street entirely, riding to the hotel on elephants!

She said she almost cried, it was so beautiful!

We are talking major money, my friends - with that previous wedding costing in the tens of millions!

Speaking of the rooftop bar, restaurant and pool ...

A blackberry mojito ... SO good!

Around town ....

By the way, downtown Louisville is very clean and very safe!

I spoke to another female guest, a retired Target executive from Louisville, who was staying there for her retirement job, who said "White people don't come downtown anymore unless they have to, due all the riots and the homeless invasion."

Okay, so though there were a few bad apples in the bunch, the Breonna Taylor protests were predominantly peaceful marches.

So I WANTED to say "Oh, you mean like the January 6th riot actually happened HERE?,?" feigning ignorance, or "Girl, that was no riot over Breonna Taylor, that was a protest - now, January 6th, THAT was a riot" - but I was good, I did NOT say that. 

So I just said "It's sad, isn't it? I feel perfectly safe here, people of all races have been friendly, all around town. "

Then of course she looked at me quizzically, like for which side I meant it was sad for, but I didn't elaborate - on purpose - and just left her wondering, then changed the subject 😉

And in fact, the only people who were either rude or brought up politics (or both) were white Trumpers, but even that was only twice!

Y'all trynna act like January 6th wasn't a riot,  and either pretend it didn't happen or was justified - it's hilarious! 

I think she mistook us for Trump-supporting white suburbanites, a common mistake in Kentucky.

Regardless, I swear to God, I would walk down those downtown streets at midnight in Louisville, and as one staff member put it, who was a person of color, after I told him what that lady had said, "You actually could here. Even the thugs will say hello to you here and the homeless don't harass you. Just don't start talking shit, and there won't be nothing. People always afraid of what they don't know and see on their political news, when what they don't realize is, if even true, it's the worst of the bunch, not the rest of us."

Waterfront Park ...

Cherokee Park (designed by the father of landscape architecture, Frederick  Law Olmstead, who also famously designed NYC's Central Park and the gardens of The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

Unfortunately, despite Olmstead designing Central Park in NYC, the grounds for the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, and grounds for The Biltmore Estate, the park had fallen into disrepair by the mid-2000s, after a direct-hit tornado in 1974 and general lack of upkeep, until the private national Olmstead Society members stepped up to restore it.

However, there are some remnants of the original stonework bridges left (which were weren't able to see fully as we didn't have time to see the entire park, but we were able to capture a few beauties.

This first photo is of a fountain wasn't added until 1920, but nevertheless beautiful ... 

But my absolute favorite is the Christensen dragon-head Viking ship fountain, dedicated in 1901, with classic Art Nouveau elements. The actual ship sculpture was basically rebuilt in 2004, but the surrounding stonework is original ...

 

We had a great time, highly recommended!