“No man is a failure who has friends” — an MDS Merry Christmas
By
Joel VanEaton
Dec 20, 2023
As Christmas and the new year approach, I get nostalgic. I like to think back on good old childhood memories. For me those are the 1970s and ’80s. I remember one Christmas, I was probably 7 years...
The MDS on Christmas vacation: ‘It’s a beaut Clark, it’s a beaut!’
By
Joel VanEaton
Nov 28, 2023
I love this time of year. Christmas is on its way. I especially love the holiday movie classics, “A Christmas Story,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “White Christmas,”...
Section D surprises! The season’s biggest change
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 31, 2023
There has been a slogan that has circulated on social media recently that goes like this: “Fall is proof that change is beautiful.” Hmm… I suppose individual perspective is the key to whether that...
Trick or treat? MDS changes are in the bag
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 03, 2023
When I was a kid, I loved getting dressed up for Halloween. I remember especially a clown (funny not scary) costume I got one year. I couldn’t wait to put it on and be transformed into another world....
CATs in the cradle, CAA changes coming soon
By
Joel VanEaton
Sep 05, 2023
Have you listened to the song, “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin? It’s a folk song written in the early 1970s. If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen. I think you’ll like it. The phrase...
New interviews in the MDS? We’ve been scripted!
By
Joel VanEaton
Aug 08, 2023
Have you ever watched or listened to an interview where the person being interviewed consistently dodges the questions and responds with something completely unrelated or that doesn’t really answer the...
It’s Independence Day y’all!
By
Joel VanEaton
Jul 11, 2023
I love summer and especially the July 4th holiday. In the small town where I live, we have an event called “Jonesborough Days.” It’s a two-day celebration with a parade, food vendors, music, fireworks...
The movie is never as good as the book… usually
By
Joel VanEaton
Jun 13, 2023
Have you ever read a really good book that was subsequently made into a movie? I have. Time after time, after watching the movie, I end up walking away thinking, “I wish I had just stuck with the book…...
The MDS reminds me of something in Narnia?
By
Joel VanEaton
May 16, 2023
I am a fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have not read “The Chronicles of Narnia,” you should. You may have seen the more recent three films based on these books. As good as they were, as is usually the case,...
The MDS is the ‘bee’s knees’
By
Joel VanEaton
Apr 18, 2023
Last summer, we all got a taste of where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is heading regarding a unified payment system for Medicare-covered post-acute care
