May 29, 2003
Everybody talks about how hard it is to get a job these days. The economy is a mess and there just aren't any jobs out there. Not in my field. Man, anyone wants a profession where they are guaranteed a job, go into Nursing. It may not be glamorous or pay as well as it really should, but you will have work. And you will have your choice of work. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, you interview them. They beg you to work for them. I think it is that way with many jobs in the medical profession these days and it will most likely continue to be that way for some time. It is hard for me to believe it when people say that there aren't any jobs out there when the nursing field hurting so badly. Nursing is a great job. Sure, you have to deal with poop and other bodily fluids and all, but it truly is a rewarding job. You help people, you touch their lives. You make a difference. It is worth it. Want a job? Go to Nursing school!
May 28, 2003
I got a pack! Yay! Mine is all black.
May 27, 2003
I have decided to start running. You see, I have been walking for a long time now. There is this nice little three mile path behind our house that runs next to the train tracks. I usually walk three to four times a week. Then Matt started running and I thought, if Matt can run, I can run! And I started thinking that my body might benefit a little more from running than from walking. So, I have done it three times now. The first time wasn't very far, but I gave it a try. The second time was with Shane, and I don't really know how long we ran for, but I was impressed with how far we made it. This morning wasn't as far, but it was for over 15 minutes, which isn't so bad. I think it would have been farther if Shane had been running with me, but I left without him. So, I think I need to keep it up and before I know it, I will be able to run the whole three mile path. And then we will move.
I have the night off tonight. They already called to see if I would work. It is unbelievable. Just nine more shifts left. Less than three weeks. 22 days till Europe. Crazy.
I am reading One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest right now. I can remember back in High School, it was one of those books that was semi-banned. In one of my classes we had to read several books from a recommended book list and do projects or reports on the books and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was on the list, but it had a little asterisk by it. The asterisk meant that you had to have your parent's permission to read it. Now that I am reading it, I am kind of confused as to why it was so naughty that it needed an asterisk. I mean, it does have some stuff that might be a little heavy or whatever, but we had to read all kinds of weird stuff. I guess it is has some adult content and all, but I still just don't get it. Oh and how that little asterisk makes everybody want to read that book. Every one wants to know what could possibly make it deserve that little asterisk? I didn't read it, though. I read some other non-asterisked books instead. I probably wouldn't have liked it if I had read it back then anyway.
May 23, 2003
I did CPR for the first time this morning. Not at all fun. Very, very tiring and very, very depressing.
May 22, 2003
I only have to work 13 more nights till we leave. That doesn't sound so bad, really. Unless you consider that my last day is June 11th (exactly 2 years to the day of my start date) and that June 11th is 20 days away and that 13 days is more than half of the days between now and June 11th. Then it doesn't sound so great. Or so soon. I just pray that those 13 nights go smoothly and quickly and that I can remain calm and not lose it when people are stupid or do stupid things. I am very easily irritated at work lately. If I could just get over it and not let things get to me, everything would be so much easier and more pleasant. So, I am going to try to chill out and have fun and relax a little bit.
May 17, 2003
You know that song Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys? It came on the radio last night while I was at work and I was reminded of one of our camping trips to Baja when I was a kid. We would go there quite a bit. We would hop into the back of our old Ford pickup with the trailer attached, no seatbelts. Just us kids in the back (there was a camper shell). My dad would put a mattress back there and we would sleep and play and stick our heads through the little hole that led up to the front seat and watch as we drove. I can remember one trip...I was between the ages of 5 and 7...when Good Vibrations came on the tape player and I was so very entertained by the fact that, attached to the front of the truck was my dad's black beach cruiser, with a sticker on it that said "Good Vibrations". And it was vibrating. I can remember laughing and thinking I was so clever.
May 15, 2003
One month from today, we will be packing up our U-haul and getting outta here. We actually probably won't leave until the 16th, but Shane will be finished with school and we will be on our way. Crazy.
May 13, 2003
I have a splitting headache and a poking feeling in my neck. I don't think Tylenol is going to do the trick. I have to go to work. It all sucks.
So yesterday, I started going for a walk. I was just about half way down the cul de sac when I saw a bird fly over head out of the corner of my eye. Just about the same time I felt something warm on the back of my calf. Bird poop. How gross is that? I walked back home to wipe it off and scrub my leg. At least it didn't land on my head.
I was reminded of a past bird poop experience. Vista High School. Lunch time in the quad. Sea gulls by the thousands, looking for left overs. Bird poop landing on my shoulder. It was very very yucky. Luckily, I was wearing a sweater and was able to take it off. Not the easiest thing to do, but I managed. Pretty embarrassing.
May 5, 2003
We started packing last night. Packing is so not fun. I grew up, my whole life, in the same house. Up until we got married, I had never moved. I had helped people move. I had helped Shane move several times (and it was raining almost every time). In June 2000, we moved into our first apartment. Then we began accumulating all kinds of stuff. Couch, chairs, coffee table, side tables, dining room table and chairs, our bed, guest bed, and so on. From there, we moved to the sweetest little guest house. We lived there about 7 months, then moved up here to SLO. We lived in one house about 8 months, and bought an entertainment center and desk. Then we moved to the house we currently live in (the place we have lived the longest, together...one year, 3 months). Now we are moving again, back down to San Diego. This time, all of our stuff has to go into storage, since we will be gone for the summer. Putting things into storage is altogether a different kind of move. You can't just stick a bunch of stuff in your car and unload it at your new place. You have to be organized and box everything up. I am glad we are moving. I have enjoyed our time up here in SLO. It has been rough at times, but it has been a good experience. It is beautiful up here and we have been able experience living in a different place.
So, what I am trying to get at is, we have way too much stuff. Way too much. It's overwhelming. I wish we could just get rid of it all, but we paid for it. We bought it. We use it. We have to move it. We can't just dump it all. I wish we could. I mean, I have already thrown a lot of stuff away, but some stuff, you can't just toss out. It's a bummer. At least we got started with the packing. It always seems hard to get started, to pack the first box.
I just hope we can stay put for a little while soon. I know we still have a few moves ahead of us, but I really hope we get to settle down soon and I can decorate and develop my style. Know what I mean?
May 3, 2003
I think Lucky Charms are even more magically delicious now that they have made their marshmallows bigger and better. Boy, they are good.
Well, I experienced my first seizure about an hour ago. I didn't actually experience it myself. One of my patients, (the quiet one who was an angel and slept all night) had a seizure while sitting on the commode. I walked in and she asked me to help her back to bed. The next thing I knew, she was seizing. So I am holding her on the commode, watching her, yelling for help (and of course it seems like hours, even though it is just seconds until someone comes). She came out of it and made the last half hour of my night fly by. It was a little freaky. I wasn't really freaked out during it, though, it was afterwords, worrying about it happening again and trying to relay all the details to the doctor. I am precepting a student nurse that is just about to graduate this May and she has been with me the last few nights. Unfortunately, she missed the whole thing, but it's all her fault. She asked for an exciting night and she got two in a row. The next night we work together better be a quiet one or I am not letting her come back. Actually, work has been okay lately. Largely due to our prayers, I am sure. I am very thankful for it. I only work three days next week, so that's very cool.
So, I am off this weekend. I think I will sleep a bit, then Shane will take me out to eat and then possibly to the movies to see X-Men Part 2. We'll see.
