On December 10th, the morning after over a 10" snowfall in Minneapolis, and also the coldest day of the winter thus far, I volunteered to be a bell ringer for The Salvation Army... you know the ones outside of every Target and grocery store that you try to avoid eye contact with so you don't have to donate because you would be poor if you donated to every one that you passed in December?
I too have been guilty of this on a number of occasions, but I have a whole new prospective now. I knew when I signed up last week that it was going to be cold today, so I thought I was being smart by picking a location in a parking garage connected to Lunds (grocery store). I didn't realize that the parking garage was not sealed, and actually was open to the sky near the entrance that I was standing, and I also didn't realize that what I imagined as cold... 20-30 degrees was in reality 8 (!!!!) degrees. I haven't felt 8 degrees in at least two years, if not four.
My trip to Lunds started off with me wildly underestimating how much it had snowed and how difficult it was going to be to get 10+ inches of snow off my newer to me SUV (I'm not that tall) which was also surrounded by about a 2 ft perimeter of 10+ inches of snow on the ground... goodbye dry shoes and socks. Why did I think tennis shoes were a good choice?? After some cursing and questioning of why did I move to Minnesota I was on my way, but only after dominating the pile of snow that the plow left behind my car- yay for having a car that's high off the ground and AWD!!!
I arrive a few minutes late to Lunds, but really, who is surprised by this? I put on my Salvation Army apron and get right to work ringing the bell. It was a while before my first donation. I quickly realized that they're are a few different reactions you get as a bell ringer:
Cold Shoulder- Really, they act cold and squish all their limbs to their body and tuck their head down b-lining it to the door, sure not to make any eye contact.
Sympathy- They look at you with sympathy that you're freezing your arse off.
Friendly Folk- Look you in the eye, say hi, and sometimes even add to the conversation.
Prepared- They've heard the bell from their car and have their money in hand ready to donate.
I tried to make eye contact, say hello and how are you to everyone that passed. These are couple of my favorite responses to "How are you?"
"Never had it better!" -no donation
"I'm cold." -no donation (Seriously?? I'm standing outside ringing a bell, are you're cold?!?!)
The friendly folk were great! One guy told me that he "finally made it downtown, or at least close enough." I have no idea what he meant, maybe because of the roads/traffic from the snow? Another lady came back and forth a couple times commenting that she forgot butter! When she came back out she said she would bring me back cookies. I left 40 minutes later, so I don't know if she was good for her promise, but I like to think she did, and some other bell ringer was there to enjoy them!
The Salvation Army has you sign up for 2 hour blocks. This was great because I think I would have had frost bite on my toes if it had been any longer. It's hard to shake a bell and stand in one place for two hours... especially when it's below freezing! There is a science in how you shake the bell without your hand getting tired or frozen. You have to keep the ringing at least rhythmic if the workers inside are going to have to listen to it all day. After a little bit of trial and error I went with the hitting it against your thigh method, alternating hands every 5-10 minutes. I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up with bruises on my legs tomorrow from the bell!
You are allowed to go in the store for a short break to warm up, but I tried to push through. I kept trying to think of all the homeless people out there that don't have the option to go inside to warm up. I was doing it for them. I lasted 90 minutes before I truly concerned that my feet were going to have some problems. I walked inside for a minute and realized a "short break" was not going to help them feel any better, so back out I went and thankfully the last half hour went fast.
What I took away from this experience was that I will never be a "cold shoulder" passerby again. I will say hello and if I don't have cash... EVEN CHANGE is much appreciated, I will at least thank them for standing out in the cold. I really enjoyed volunteering and will do it again, but will perhaps pay better attention to the forecast next time. :)
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Hotel Living
As most of you probably know, I took an 8 week assignment in Minneapolis and I'm now living in a hotel downtown for the duration of the assignment.
Best things:
Blackout curtains- I slept for over 12 hours my first night after three 12hr shifts in a row... not that it's difficult for me to do that, (I'm an excellent sleeper) but those things are magical. Can't wait for night shift!
Continental breakfast- It's not the best spread I've ever seen, but I get fruit, cereal, muffins, yogurt, and a variety of drinks for free every morning.
Room service- This might need to be on the worst things list...
Housekeeping- It took me several days to get up the courage to let them come when I was at work to clean... trust issues. It was pretty great coming home to a tidy room. Not that I've been able to get it all that messy in just a few days.
Worst things:
Only 32 tv channels, and no DVR- I think this is going to be a good thing, but I'm still in a little withdrawal.
Space- I think this is also going to be a good/bad thing, with lack of living space I think I'm going to want to get out of my room a lot and hopefully explore more.
Knives- I didn't realize how bad knifes could really be. Cutting apples has proved to be quite interesting.
Satellite Cable- goes out when it snows... I live in Minnesota. This is going to be a problem. Thankfully it's wasn't out for the whole day... with the first measurable snow.
Mini oven- it's maybe 1 1/2'x 1 1/2'... I don't think many pans will fit in it. Guess I'm going to have to scale back on the fancy dinner parties I host. ;)
Best things:
Blackout curtains- I slept for over 12 hours my first night after three 12hr shifts in a row... not that it's difficult for me to do that, (I'm an excellent sleeper) but those things are magical. Can't wait for night shift!
Continental breakfast- It's not the best spread I've ever seen, but I get fruit, cereal, muffins, yogurt, and a variety of drinks for free every morning.
Room service- This might need to be on the worst things list...
Housekeeping- It took me several days to get up the courage to let them come when I was at work to clean... trust issues. It was pretty great coming home to a tidy room. Not that I've been able to get it all that messy in just a few days.
Worst things:
Only 32 tv channels, and no DVR- I think this is going to be a good thing, but I'm still in a little withdrawal.
Space- I think this is also going to be a good/bad thing, with lack of living space I think I'm going to want to get out of my room a lot and hopefully explore more.
Knives- I didn't realize how bad knifes could really be. Cutting apples has proved to be quite interesting.
Satellite Cable- goes out when it snows... I live in Minnesota. This is going to be a problem. Thankfully it's wasn't out for the whole day... with the first measurable snow.
Mini oven- it's maybe 1 1/2'x 1 1/2'... I don't think many pans will fit in it. Guess I'm going to have to scale back on the fancy dinner parties I host. ;)
Friday, October 26, 2012
Oooh right... I have a blog!
Well helllooooo!!! It's been a while, again! I've been at my latest job for almost 8 weeks now. I like it a lot- well parts of it anyway. :) It's a busy unit, so I have many shifts with two deliveries. I feel like a real nurse again after two "slower" assignments. I'm not a big fan of the charting/paperwork, it's a bit excessive, but that's the trend these days. Ugh. The part I like the best is being back to 12 hour shifts 3 days a week! I'm not going to lie, many days I would love to go home at 3 with everyone else, but I'm quite happy with more free days.
Over the past several weeks I've been back to Omaha twice for my 10 YEAR(!!!) high school reunion and a wedding/camp reunion. I've also had numerous quick trips to Iowa to see my momma. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be able to be at my mom's for dinner or whatever in two short hours. If only I could just drive down the street... that won't happen though, no small town Iowa living for this girl... on a permanent basis anyway- sorry Mom!
About a month ago I drove up to Duluth and the North Shore. I drove up north of Duluth to Split Rock Lighthouse, hiked a little at Gooseberry Falls, and spent the night in a "cottage" near Two Harbors and then spent the next day driving the scenic byway in Duluth. It was an AWESOME trip!! I only wish I had someone with me to enjoy it with. The fall foliage was gorgeous!
I've also had the pleasure of attending the Renaissance Festival. It was a day packed with extremely entertaining people watching capped off by a "Men in Tights" contest that... lets just say it wasn't for children.
In one week I had several friends in town. Monday I got a random text from my friend GJ from DC. He was in the area visiting family and wanted to go to Grizzly Bear (band) perform at First Avenue, which is a well known club/small music venue. The concert was fantastic. The venue is awesome. I'm keeping my eye out for my next show there. It was great to see GJ too.
On Friday another friend from DC, Nate was in town for the weekend. A group of us went to dinner and then to celebrate Oktoberfest at Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit. It happened to be one of the first really cold nights in Minneapolis, so the huge tent they had set up was absolutely packed. We made our way inside to the bar in the basement for dancing and a couple of rounds with Das Boot. I won... twice. Just sayin.
On Saturday my friend/former roommate Ash and her fam came up to watch her sister run in the Twin Cities Marathon and a little b'day celebration for Ash. It was a blast! I had so much fun showing the girls around the cities. Hopping from spot to spot on the marathon route was a great way to see the city. Makes me want to run it next year! Well, maybe not, but you never know! I like the idea of running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth as well, but considering I haven't run more than 5 miles in a very very long time, I've got some work to do! Anyway, we had a fabulous weekend trying new restaurants and just spending time with old friends. After spending the last nearly 8 months constantly meeting new people and familiarizing myself with the unfamiliar it is so so nice to be with people I can completely be myself around without hesitation. The weekend also made me assured of how much I love Minneapolis. I was very proud as my friends commented on how cool/pretty the cities were.
Last night a fellow traveler on the unit and I went to dinner and then open mic night at Joke Joint comedy club. It was a lot of fun. The stand up was, well some of it was really funny, a lot of it was incredibly incredibly awkward. The crash and burns were made even more awkward because it was a small crowd. I'm happy to report that the women did waaaaaaay better than the men. Made me miss going to the Funny Bone in Omaha.
I still have my hesitations about the city, mostly it's due to the fact that the majority of the hospitals hire people into 8 hour positions, and ultimately my fear of commitment. I've also been talking to a fellow traveler who reminds me of how fun traveling nursing can be. Her stories remind me of how awesome it can be to move to a totally unknown city and throw yourself into it. Meet new people and have some crazy adventures. On the other hand, I want to be settled in one place, with lots of friends, and a place to call home. Part of me also wonders if I should take this opportunity to start something new with nursing. I just don't know what that would be. I just feel all sorts of unsettled. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I'm all ears.
In the next 5 weeks, I'm hoping to get out and about as much as possible. Last weekend I was able to get my winter gear out of storage, so although I am not mentally ready for winter to start, I at least have my ski coat if necessary. In a couple weeks I'll make my way to be a bridesmaid in my friends, Sharon and Billy's wedding in Virginia. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. It's been a really long time. I met them on my first travel assignment in DC. We had a fantastic summer together that year.
As of right now, Dec 1st is my last day of this contract. I've told the manager I'd be interested in extending my contract for a couple weeks. She said she was hoping not to need me, so we'll see. I hope to extend just so I'm not out of work for a whole month. I don't want to start another assignment right before Christmas. For once I'd like not to have to worry about my work schedule over the holiday. I'd like to get another assignment in MN for January. I don't want to make a permanent move anywhere in the middle of winter! Travel assignment moves are much easier than big moves! As for right now, I just have to wait and see what the opportunities are for the new year come December.
Over the past several weeks I've been back to Omaha twice for my 10 YEAR(!!!) high school reunion and a wedding/camp reunion. I've also had numerous quick trips to Iowa to see my momma. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be able to be at my mom's for dinner or whatever in two short hours. If only I could just drive down the street... that won't happen though, no small town Iowa living for this girl... on a permanent basis anyway- sorry Mom!
About a month ago I drove up to Duluth and the North Shore. I drove up north of Duluth to Split Rock Lighthouse, hiked a little at Gooseberry Falls, and spent the night in a "cottage" near Two Harbors and then spent the next day driving the scenic byway in Duluth. It was an AWESOME trip!! I only wish I had someone with me to enjoy it with. The fall foliage was gorgeous!
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| Split Rock Lighthouse |
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| Gooseberry Falls |
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| View of Lake Superior from the Scenic Byway in Duluth |
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| Grizzly Bear at First Avenue |
On Saturday my friend/former roommate Ash and her fam came up to watch her sister run in the Twin Cities Marathon and a little b'day celebration for Ash. It was a blast! I had so much fun showing the girls around the cities. Hopping from spot to spot on the marathon route was a great way to see the city. Makes me want to run it next year! Well, maybe not, but you never know! I like the idea of running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth as well, but considering I haven't run more than 5 miles in a very very long time, I've got some work to do! Anyway, we had a fabulous weekend trying new restaurants and just spending time with old friends. After spending the last nearly 8 months constantly meeting new people and familiarizing myself with the unfamiliar it is so so nice to be with people I can completely be myself around without hesitation. The weekend also made me assured of how much I love Minneapolis. I was very proud as my friends commented on how cool/pretty the cities were.
Last night a fellow traveler on the unit and I went to dinner and then open mic night at Joke Joint comedy club. It was a lot of fun. The stand up was, well some of it was really funny, a lot of it was incredibly incredibly awkward. The crash and burns were made even more awkward because it was a small crowd. I'm happy to report that the women did waaaaaaay better than the men. Made me miss going to the Funny Bone in Omaha.
I still have my hesitations about the city, mostly it's due to the fact that the majority of the hospitals hire people into 8 hour positions, and ultimately my fear of commitment. I've also been talking to a fellow traveler who reminds me of how fun traveling nursing can be. Her stories remind me of how awesome it can be to move to a totally unknown city and throw yourself into it. Meet new people and have some crazy adventures. On the other hand, I want to be settled in one place, with lots of friends, and a place to call home. Part of me also wonders if I should take this opportunity to start something new with nursing. I just don't know what that would be. I just feel all sorts of unsettled. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I'm all ears.
In the next 5 weeks, I'm hoping to get out and about as much as possible. Last weekend I was able to get my winter gear out of storage, so although I am not mentally ready for winter to start, I at least have my ski coat if necessary. In a couple weeks I'll make my way to be a bridesmaid in my friends, Sharon and Billy's wedding in Virginia. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. It's been a really long time. I met them on my first travel assignment in DC. We had a fantastic summer together that year.
As of right now, Dec 1st is my last day of this contract. I've told the manager I'd be interested in extending my contract for a couple weeks. She said she was hoping not to need me, so we'll see. I hope to extend just so I'm not out of work for a whole month. I don't want to start another assignment right before Christmas. For once I'd like not to have to worry about my work schedule over the holiday. I'd like to get another assignment in MN for January. I don't want to make a permanent move anywhere in the middle of winter! Travel assignment moves are much easier than big moves! As for right now, I just have to wait and see what the opportunities are for the new year come December.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Wrapping Up Another 3 Months!!
I haven't had many posts this summer, honestly because having an exciting and spontaneous life while working 8 hour night shifts has proved to be quite tricky. After almost 3 months, still haven't figured out how to sleep correctly, much less fit in exciting day trips to new places. Don't get me wrong, I've managed to have some fun!
Last weekend my friend Lauren and I headed to my mom and step dad's house (one of the places I've found myself the most) to join my mom and brothers for a 5k. Lauren and I managed to shave off about 3 minutes off our first 5k race we did together. It was the first race I've ever done with family, so that was pretty cool. Everyone finished!! I had high hopes to medal as this was a significantly smaller race than I've ever done before, but it turns out slow in DC/Minneapolis is still slow in small town Iowa! :)
Sunday we went to the Minnesota State Fair. This was my first state fair outside of the Iowa State Fair... yep, I grew up in Nebraska, but have never been! I don't think many Nebraskans have been... at one point I think it was going to get shut down. I'm not even sure if there is still one. Anyway, we always opted for the home of Butter Cow! Although smaller than Iowa's, the Minnesota State Fair did not disappoint in the amount of fried goodness on a stick! I tried cheese curds for the first time-- they're HUGE in Minnesota, and for good reason.. they're DELICIOUS! Yummy salty fried cheesy goodness that should probably just stay at the fair for me for only once a year indulgence.
What's next you ask? Oh well, surprise! I've already been in MSP for 3 months! My assignment ends Saturday and I am moving (AGAIN) on Sunday to Bloomington so I can be closer to my next assignment that I will start on Tuesday! I have four more night shifts this week, then I will be back to 12 hour shift bliss! I'm so excited! I'll definitely miss the people I have become close to here, but I'm excited for my next adventure! It'll take me to December 1st, then who knows after that!
Last weekend my friend Lauren and I headed to my mom and step dad's house (one of the places I've found myself the most) to join my mom and brothers for a 5k. Lauren and I managed to shave off about 3 minutes off our first 5k race we did together. It was the first race I've ever done with family, so that was pretty cool. Everyone finished!! I had high hopes to medal as this was a significantly smaller race than I've ever done before, but it turns out slow in DC/Minneapolis is still slow in small town Iowa! :)
Sunday we went to the Minnesota State Fair. This was my first state fair outside of the Iowa State Fair... yep, I grew up in Nebraska, but have never been! I don't think many Nebraskans have been... at one point I think it was going to get shut down. I'm not even sure if there is still one. Anyway, we always opted for the home of Butter Cow! Although smaller than Iowa's, the Minnesota State Fair did not disappoint in the amount of fried goodness on a stick! I tried cheese curds for the first time-- they're HUGE in Minnesota, and for good reason.. they're DELICIOUS! Yummy salty fried cheesy goodness that should probably just stay at the fair for me for only once a year indulgence.
What's next you ask? Oh well, surprise! I've already been in MSP for 3 months! My assignment ends Saturday and I am moving (AGAIN) on Sunday to Bloomington so I can be closer to my next assignment that I will start on Tuesday! I have four more night shifts this week, then I will be back to 12 hour shift bliss! I'm so excited! I'll definitely miss the people I have become close to here, but I'm excited for my next adventure! It'll take me to December 1st, then who knows after that!
Monday, July 23, 2012
July in MN/IA
I'm sorry for lack of posts. I'm having a hard time keeping up. Since I last wrote I've kept myself busy. My 4th of July was very low key, borderline sad. I had to work that night at 11p, but tried to at least go to my pool and was disappointed to see that is was completely filled with college kids slamming beers and being obnoxious. I'm pretty sure 3 of the 50+ people at the pool actually lived there. I lasted about 20 minutes sitting in an upright chair because all the lounge chairs were taken before I got too annoyed. I spent the rest of the day watching Moneyball and relaxing.
That following Saturday I went to the Basilica Block Party. They have three stages around the Basilica, which is gorgeous. We saw The Lumineers, Fitz and the Tantrums, and O.A.R. It was super fun! Made me realize how much I miss seeing live music! I can't remember the last big concert I attended.
Sunday night I went to dinner and a movie with my new friend Lauren. We saw Magic Mike. I'm not even ashamed. I was there to see some dancing abs, not a plot. I got what a wanted. :)
Tuesday I met up with two friends from high school who live in the area and their significant others. We spent the evening on a boat on Lake Minnetonka. It was so great to catch up with them and sooo nice to be on the water!!
Friday I headed to Iowa to my mom's for a family reunion (step family side) for the weekend. I also stopped at the DMV to get a license and register my car. Yep, you read that right. The population of a small town in Iowa just got a bit bigger. I was really sad to give up my DC license. She practically had to pry it out of my hand. You might be wondering why in the world I got a license in IA instead of MN... well, I don't have a permanent address here in MN and I certainly don't want to have to change it every 3 months until I settle somewhere. It's much easier and less risky to have everything sent to my mom's house than have things accidentally get sent to an old address and missed.
The family reunion was a lot of fun... a little overwhelming at times with about 40 people in the house all of which were new to me except my immediate family, but fun none the less! It consisted of lots of food, booze, crafts for the kids, kickball, slip-n-slide, and a fireworks show. The slip-n-slide got to be quite to competition amongst the adults. It was a great weekend and made me so thankful that it's so easy for me to be around for events like that now. One of my brothers and I stayed a day extra and made a trip to Greene, IA where my grandparents built their dream home when we were young. It was an acreage complete with barn, windmill, and for some time horses. My grandma had an apple orchard, grapevines, and a HUGE garden. We spent countless hours as kids driving the riding lawn mower around, climbing the windmill, snooping around the barn, playing with the animals (dog, cat, horses), or just playing in the dirt. Easter egg hunts outside, making chocolate chip cookies with Grandma, bingo nights (complete with prizes), and fireworks shows were just some of my favorite childhood memories at that house. My grandpa bought us two go-carts and made a large track out in one of the fields for us to race around. We would also drive up and down the gravel roads with them for hours on end. The town was so small our visits as kids would make it into the newspaper. It was also here that my grandpa would let me sit on his lap and drive his car. I guess you could say I learned to drive several different things here before I could drive! Grandpa also had a tractor he would carry us around in the front loader. Needless to say driving past the acreage brought back a lot of great memories. We were driving by slowly and taking pictures, then noticed the current owner in the window taking pictures of us, lol. So we pulled in and knocked on the door to explain our history. The guy thought it was weird, but was relieved to know we weren't crazy, but he unfortunately did not invite us in for a tour. Dang!
Wednesday, Lauren and I took part in the Aquatennial's Torchlight 5k. I haven't been running much since I've been here, so my pace wasn't the best, but it was great to get out and run! Thankfully the weather had cooled down a little for the 7:30pm race. It was followed up by a parade, although we only managed to see the last couple floats.
Thursday Lauren and I continued our participation in the Minneapolis Aquatennial by going to see the Twin Cities River Rats perform. It's a waterski show with acrobats on the Mississippi River. It's a free show and they do it every Thursday. The MC and skit stuff was a little corny, but the stunts were cool!
Now it's off to work night 5/7 which will bring me right toThursday morning when I will fly out to DC for a long weekend. I can't wait!!!!!!
That following Saturday I went to the Basilica Block Party. They have three stages around the Basilica, which is gorgeous. We saw The Lumineers, Fitz and the Tantrums, and O.A.R. It was super fun! Made me realize how much I miss seeing live music! I can't remember the last big concert I attended.
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| O.A.R. |
Tuesday I met up with two friends from high school who live in the area and their significant others. We spent the evening on a boat on Lake Minnetonka. It was so great to catch up with them and sooo nice to be on the water!!
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| Sunset on Lake Minnetonka |
Friday I headed to Iowa to my mom's for a family reunion (step family side) for the weekend. I also stopped at the DMV to get a license and register my car. Yep, you read that right. The population of a small town in Iowa just got a bit bigger. I was really sad to give up my DC license. She practically had to pry it out of my hand. You might be wondering why in the world I got a license in IA instead of MN... well, I don't have a permanent address here in MN and I certainly don't want to have to change it every 3 months until I settle somewhere. It's much easier and less risky to have everything sent to my mom's house than have things accidentally get sent to an old address and missed.
The family reunion was a lot of fun... a little overwhelming at times with about 40 people in the house all of which were new to me except my immediate family, but fun none the less! It consisted of lots of food, booze, crafts for the kids, kickball, slip-n-slide, and a fireworks show. The slip-n-slide got to be quite to competition amongst the adults. It was a great weekend and made me so thankful that it's so easy for me to be around for events like that now. One of my brothers and I stayed a day extra and made a trip to Greene, IA where my grandparents built their dream home when we were young. It was an acreage complete with barn, windmill, and for some time horses. My grandma had an apple orchard, grapevines, and a HUGE garden. We spent countless hours as kids driving the riding lawn mower around, climbing the windmill, snooping around the barn, playing with the animals (dog, cat, horses), or just playing in the dirt. Easter egg hunts outside, making chocolate chip cookies with Grandma, bingo nights (complete with prizes), and fireworks shows were just some of my favorite childhood memories at that house. My grandpa bought us two go-carts and made a large track out in one of the fields for us to race around. We would also drive up and down the gravel roads with them for hours on end. The town was so small our visits as kids would make it into the newspaper. It was also here that my grandpa would let me sit on his lap and drive his car. I guess you could say I learned to drive several different things here before I could drive! Grandpa also had a tractor he would carry us around in the front loader. Needless to say driving past the acreage brought back a lot of great memories. We were driving by slowly and taking pictures, then noticed the current owner in the window taking pictures of us, lol. So we pulled in and knocked on the door to explain our history. The guy thought it was weird, but was relieved to know we weren't crazy, but he unfortunately did not invite us in for a tour. Dang!
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| Adults and kids love the slip-n-slide!! |
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| Grandpa's Acreage |
Wednesday, Lauren and I took part in the Aquatennial's Torchlight 5k. I haven't been running much since I've been here, so my pace wasn't the best, but it was great to get out and run! Thankfully the weather had cooled down a little for the 7:30pm race. It was followed up by a parade, although we only managed to see the last couple floats.
Thursday Lauren and I continued our participation in the Minneapolis Aquatennial by going to see the Twin Cities River Rats perform. It's a waterski show with acrobats on the Mississippi River. It's a free show and they do it every Thursday. The MC and skit stuff was a little corny, but the stunts were cool!
Now it's off to work night 5/7 which will bring me right toThursday morning when I will fly out to DC for a long weekend. I can't wait!!!!!!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
It's Been A Month!
I've been here just short of a month. It's crazy for me to think that my guaranteed time here is 1/3 over. It's starting to put more pressure on me to get myself out in the city and meet new people. I feel like for being here a month I haven't made a whole lot of progress in exploring. I have, however become quite familiar with several highways/interstates and car dealerships. After weeks of research and searching I finally bought a new (to me) car. I love it, and more importantly I am so relieved to be done searching. I am NOT a fan of car shopping! I absolutely loath the "typical" car salesman... probably because I don't appreciate condescending people. Anyway, I bought a 2010 Mazda CX7. The sales guy was showing me another car and I saw it across the lot and said "I want to drive that one!" It was sorta fate. I'm pretty happy.
You may remember that my first day off orientation at work was a little crazy, well that really hasn't changed. I've developed a black cloud. I've never really had one before! It's exhausting! Every day I work is busy. I have yet to have a normal patient (mentally), with a normal pregnancy, with a normal labor, and a normal delivery. Weird things happen on the unit when I'm there. I've heard more than once "that never happens". It's a joke (reality) that it's me. I keep telling them things will go back to normal and calm come September when my contract is up. Although, for some reason the staff seems to want me to stay. We were talking about the craziness the other day and one of the nurses said "Yeah, but the nice thing is, is that you can handle it." and another nurse in reference to me wanting 12 hour shifts if I were to take a permanent job said she told our manager to "Give her whatever she wants." The job has been a little exhausting between the 8hr shifts and being constantly busy, but it sure helps when I feel like the nurses respect me and like me enough to want me to stay. I say that not because I worry about people liking me, (I think I'm pretty easy to get along with) but as a traveler and learning a new unit you inevitably feel like you need to prove yourself.
This past week I met two new people. Both are friends of friends. I met each girl for dinner in Uptown. I really liked both of them and hope that we will be able to hang out again. I am dying for a social life. It was also so nice to get out and explore. Both restaurants were fun and I love Uptown. Super cute and reminds me of places I would go in DC.
I've also started two weeks of going "gluten free". I'm on day 4 and it's going pretty well! It takes a lot of planning ahead and is quite expensive, but I'm surviving! I went grocery shopping the other day and it took forever because I kept having to google whether something was gluten free or not. I probably looked like a smart phone addicted crazy person. There are several things that are clearly marked, but many things that are not. I'm giving it two weeks to see if it makes a difference in how I feel. I've been told that 2 weeks is enough time to notice a difference. We'll see!
Today I went and walked around Lake Harriet. It was pretty humid and hot, but it was nice to get out. The lake has great paved paths for bikers and runner/walkers, separated which is nice so no one gets in each others way. I would have loved to run it, but I didn't think I was in good enough shape to run in the heat. After a lap around the lake I found a shady place to read until the free outdoor concert at the lake started. They have free music or movies every night during the summer, which is AWE-SOME! Basically means even if I never make any friends there's always something easy/free to entertain me. It was slightly annoying at the concert as I had found a nice spot clearly by myself and this woman with her two children comes up (with plenty of space around) puts her blanket down like two inches from me and then proceeds to summon her friends and their children to put their blankets down all around me. Now let me preface this by saying, I love kids and I like people, but these people were not friendly. The couple in front of me barely watched their kids, although I do have to say they were well behaved, but it was just weird. I didn't appreciate the invasion. It was fun though, to take in some Minneapolis culture and get some good people watching in.
I anything planned for this week except on Tuesday I get to see my friend Katherine from DC. She's originally from Minneapolis and is in town visiting family. She's actually the one that put it in my head to move here. I'm so excited to see her!! Other than that, I've got several days of work. Hopefully the Labor Gods will be kind and take my black cloud away. Please?!
You may remember that my first day off orientation at work was a little crazy, well that really hasn't changed. I've developed a black cloud. I've never really had one before! It's exhausting! Every day I work is busy. I have yet to have a normal patient (mentally), with a normal pregnancy, with a normal labor, and a normal delivery. Weird things happen on the unit when I'm there. I've heard more than once "that never happens". It's a joke (reality) that it's me. I keep telling them things will go back to normal and calm come September when my contract is up. Although, for some reason the staff seems to want me to stay. We were talking about the craziness the other day and one of the nurses said "Yeah, but the nice thing is, is that you can handle it." and another nurse in reference to me wanting 12 hour shifts if I were to take a permanent job said she told our manager to "Give her whatever she wants." The job has been a little exhausting between the 8hr shifts and being constantly busy, but it sure helps when I feel like the nurses respect me and like me enough to want me to stay. I say that not because I worry about people liking me, (I think I'm pretty easy to get along with) but as a traveler and learning a new unit you inevitably feel like you need to prove yourself.
This past week I met two new people. Both are friends of friends. I met each girl for dinner in Uptown. I really liked both of them and hope that we will be able to hang out again. I am dying for a social life. It was also so nice to get out and explore. Both restaurants were fun and I love Uptown. Super cute and reminds me of places I would go in DC.
I've also started two weeks of going "gluten free". I'm on day 4 and it's going pretty well! It takes a lot of planning ahead and is quite expensive, but I'm surviving! I went grocery shopping the other day and it took forever because I kept having to google whether something was gluten free or not. I probably looked like a smart phone addicted crazy person. There are several things that are clearly marked, but many things that are not. I'm giving it two weeks to see if it makes a difference in how I feel. I've been told that 2 weeks is enough time to notice a difference. We'll see!
Today I went and walked around Lake Harriet. It was pretty humid and hot, but it was nice to get out. The lake has great paved paths for bikers and runner/walkers, separated which is nice so no one gets in each others way. I would have loved to run it, but I didn't think I was in good enough shape to run in the heat. After a lap around the lake I found a shady place to read until the free outdoor concert at the lake started. They have free music or movies every night during the summer, which is AWE-SOME! Basically means even if I never make any friends there's always something easy/free to entertain me. It was slightly annoying at the concert as I had found a nice spot clearly by myself and this woman with her two children comes up (with plenty of space around) puts her blanket down like two inches from me and then proceeds to summon her friends and their children to put their blankets down all around me. Now let me preface this by saying, I love kids and I like people, but these people were not friendly. The couple in front of me barely watched their kids, although I do have to say they were well behaved, but it was just weird. I didn't appreciate the invasion. It was fun though, to take in some Minneapolis culture and get some good people watching in.
I anything planned for this week except on Tuesday I get to see my friend Katherine from DC. She's originally from Minneapolis and is in town visiting family. She's actually the one that put it in my head to move here. I'm so excited to see her!! Other than that, I've got several days of work. Hopefully the Labor Gods will be kind and take my black cloud away. Please?!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Random Tidbits
I don't know how long it's been going on, but I've recently observed that I hold my hand up to my chin/mouth when I'm thinking. I can't think clearly without doing it. This makes me quite similar to people (children) that do things like put there tongue out to the side of their mouth when writing/concentrating. It's cute, right?
I went to an apartment social last week in an attempt to make to friends. There were several college students, then mid 30s+. I sat with a group of ladies... all retired. I now have permanent lunch plans at noon and coffee at 4 in the social room with the ladies any day that I'm home. Not gonna lie, it was a successful day! ;)
My apartment smells overwhelmingly like roses when you walk in the door. There have never been roses or any sort of flowers nor lit candles in the apartment. I have no idea where it's coming from.
My car is not safe in the rain at night. The headlights have dimmed and the windshield wipers seem to smear the rain making visibility worse. It's quite scary actually. Anyway, it seems that now every time I decide to drive anywhere it wants to rain. My step dad is a farmer and they are in great need of rain... I think he should pay me to drive circles around the fields! This rain situation has caused me to push myself to make a decision on a new car sooner than later. Still working on that...
Currently I am developing a black cloud at the hospital. I am two days off orientation and two for two on taking on a patient who is pushing and ending up in the OR with an arrest of decent, chorio diagnosis and babies in SCN. At the last hospital I had a total of 3 c-sections with no babies admitted to SCN over the course of 3 months... Hmmmm
I went to an apartment social last week in an attempt to make to friends. There were several college students, then mid 30s+. I sat with a group of ladies... all retired. I now have permanent lunch plans at noon and coffee at 4 in the social room with the ladies any day that I'm home. Not gonna lie, it was a successful day! ;)
My apartment smells overwhelmingly like roses when you walk in the door. There have never been roses or any sort of flowers nor lit candles in the apartment. I have no idea where it's coming from.
My car is not safe in the rain at night. The headlights have dimmed and the windshield wipers seem to smear the rain making visibility worse. It's quite scary actually. Anyway, it seems that now every time I decide to drive anywhere it wants to rain. My step dad is a farmer and they are in great need of rain... I think he should pay me to drive circles around the fields! This rain situation has caused me to push myself to make a decision on a new car sooner than later. Still working on that...
Currently I am developing a black cloud at the hospital. I am two days off orientation and two for two on taking on a patient who is pushing and ending up in the OR with an arrest of decent, chorio diagnosis and babies in SCN. At the last hospital I had a total of 3 c-sections with no babies admitted to SCN over the course of 3 months... Hmmmm
Monday, June 18, 2012
It's Been Too Long
The last couple weeks have been great as well as stressful. Rewind to the last week in May... I had my last shift in Boston. It was great, even though it was Epic (new electronic charting system) launch day at the hospital which equals craziness and waayyy too many people around to try to help. My co-workers got me a cake and we ordered out for lunch. I had a friend come in early for me so I could meet Debbie to go to the Sox game. It was a beautiful night! The next day I packed up the apartment and my mom flew in that night. I took her to the North End for dinner. Of course we had to go to the place with the guy! There were two birthdays going on, so we got to have to owner sing twice which is always entertaining! Friday we went to Newport, RI (made it without incident this time!) and did the cliff walk. It was a perfect day. So fun to show my mom what I had been doing the last few months! Friday night we packed the car and headed out on the road at 6:30am on Saturday. We started out with several hours of rain, which is no fun in my old car... faded headlights and poor wipers. I'll spare you the details of the next twenty four hours, but it consisted of driving in a packed Honda Civic with no ability to adjust the seats from their upright positions. As professional cross country drivers we only stopped for gas, bathroom, and food which we tried to always bundle in one stop. It was a long trip, but we made it in exactly 24 hours driving straight through. We had quite a scare just about an hour from our destination. I was driving (4:30am) and keeping my eyes peeled for deer when I looked ahead and realized there was a car on the wrong side of the divided interstate going at least 75 mph towards us. Thankfully... for my heart I didn't see him until he was right up on us so I only had time to honk and possibly move over a little. I was in the center lane and he was in the lane to my left. He drove straight past me. It was so scary. We called the police who were already in pursuit. I think they got to him before he hit anyone because I didn't see anything online about a crash, although I did find many articles about people driving the wrong way on that interstate!
Anyway, my apartment wasn't available until Monday, so we stayed with my step brother and his family. Monday I drove to orientation with my car still packed full, and thankfully it was untouched at the end of the day! My apartment is pretty nice. It has a balcony overlooking a common area which I love!
I have had two weeks of orientation at the hospital. I spent four glorious days (with the most sarcasm) in computer training learning Epic... yep the same system I just learned in Boston. Learned might be the wrong word. This system is easy in some aspects and complex in others. As far as L&D is concerned Epic is no fun and they didn't seem to think about us when creating it. I miss Obix. I also had 5 days on the floor including a day in postpartum. Everyone is really nice. It was interesting being in postpartum... kind of made me miss it a little. Just a little.
The first weekend I was back I headed to Omaha for my friend Abbie's wedding. I got to have dinner with two of my roommates from college and their husbands. We had a blast! It's so fun to reminisce about our years living together! We've all come a long way since then! The wedding was great! Abbie was a beautiful bride and it was fun to see some friends from college and high school as well as camp friends! Abbie and her hubby met at camp... awwww! :) It was a very quick trip, definitely didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see and would have loved to have more time with the ones I did get to see. Omaha is just under 6 hours away, which is not ideal, but sure beats half way across the country!
Last Wednesday was my birthday. It was low key to say the least. I had computer training until 2p and then drove around the city a little bit, then decided to go test drive some cars. I fell in love with the Hyundai Tucson, however I did not buy it. Something about making a big purchase without sleeping on it didn't sit right. This past weekend I looked at more cars and test drove a Chevy Equinox with my mom and step-dad. Between debating between all wheel drive and front wheel drive, car or crossover, space or mileage, etc I'm completely overwhelmed. I'd really like someone to just tell me exactly what I should get. Ugh. Part of me just wants to drive an old car forever that I don't have to worry about getting scratched. I'm not really a big fan of car payments either.
Yesterday was my first day off of orientation. On orientation I've taken care of a couple of outpatients, an induction, and a scheduled c/section. My first day I got a patient who was pushing, but we pretty quickly we ended up in the OR. The documenting system wouldn't work in the OR, so I had to write down everything to be charted later. I had lots of help, but felt more than a little discombobulated! Hopefully tonight will go a little smoother!
Anyway, my apartment wasn't available until Monday, so we stayed with my step brother and his family. Monday I drove to orientation with my car still packed full, and thankfully it was untouched at the end of the day! My apartment is pretty nice. It has a balcony overlooking a common area which I love!
I have had two weeks of orientation at the hospital. I spent four glorious days (with the most sarcasm) in computer training learning Epic... yep the same system I just learned in Boston. Learned might be the wrong word. This system is easy in some aspects and complex in others. As far as L&D is concerned Epic is no fun and they didn't seem to think about us when creating it. I miss Obix. I also had 5 days on the floor including a day in postpartum. Everyone is really nice. It was interesting being in postpartum... kind of made me miss it a little. Just a little.
The first weekend I was back I headed to Omaha for my friend Abbie's wedding. I got to have dinner with two of my roommates from college and their husbands. We had a blast! It's so fun to reminisce about our years living together! We've all come a long way since then! The wedding was great! Abbie was a beautiful bride and it was fun to see some friends from college and high school as well as camp friends! Abbie and her hubby met at camp... awwww! :) It was a very quick trip, definitely didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see and would have loved to have more time with the ones I did get to see. Omaha is just under 6 hours away, which is not ideal, but sure beats half way across the country!
Last Wednesday was my birthday. It was low key to say the least. I had computer training until 2p and then drove around the city a little bit, then decided to go test drive some cars. I fell in love with the Hyundai Tucson, however I did not buy it. Something about making a big purchase without sleeping on it didn't sit right. This past weekend I looked at more cars and test drove a Chevy Equinox with my mom and step-dad. Between debating between all wheel drive and front wheel drive, car or crossover, space or mileage, etc I'm completely overwhelmed. I'd really like someone to just tell me exactly what I should get. Ugh. Part of me just wants to drive an old car forever that I don't have to worry about getting scratched. I'm not really a big fan of car payments either.
Yesterday was my first day off of orientation. On orientation I've taken care of a couple of outpatients, an induction, and a scheduled c/section. My first day I got a patient who was pushing, but we pretty quickly we ended up in the OR. The documenting system wouldn't work in the OR, so I had to write down everything to be charted later. I had lots of help, but felt more than a little discombobulated! Hopefully tonight will go a little smoother!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Oh New England, I'm Gonna Miss you!!!
Sometimes I wait too long to blog and then the idea of summing up everything gets overwhelming. The last few weeks have been super busy!
Last week Debbie and I hiked the Blue Hills. It was a beautiful day and the hike was awesome. The trees have really turned green recently which made the view from the top breathtaking. We followed the hike with lunch on the waterfront. Doesn't get much better than that.
Last weekend my friend Samantha was in town visiting family, so we got a chance to catch up. It was a gorgeous day in the city so after lunch we just sat in the Boston Common soaking up the sun and the atmosphere. On the walk over there was some sort of zombie parade going on... people screaming with fake blood all over them- never a dull moment.
Brian flew in late Sunday night. We started Monday with a tour of Fenway. The Red Sox were out of town during his whole visit, so the tour was the next best thing. It was pretty awesome! Afterwards, we met up with Debbie who helped me play tour guide through the Public Garden, Boston Common, Freedom Trail, the North End, and an obligatory trip to a pub for a drink and a Celtics/Red Sox game. The North End of course meant a trip to Dolce Vita (YUM!!) and my first trip to the famous Mike's Pastry.
Tuesday we toured Samuel Adams Brewery and then grabbed a late lunch at Doyle's Cafe which is the first bar to ever agree to carry Sam Adam beer. If you get a Sam Adams brew at the bar and then show them your tour ticket they give you the Sam Adams glass... sounded like a good enough excuse to keep drinking to us! After lunch Brian wanted to see Harvard and MIT so we drove over for a quick little drive through. It turned out to be a horrible idea because it was rush hour. Rush hour driving a manuel=no bueno. Brian got to see a few buildings they he had seen in movies, so he was excited, although his photography skills in a moving vehicle leave him mostly with pictures of a random tree or another car and not so much what he was aiming for. Oh well, that's what google is for.
Wednesday we did the Essex Scenic Byway. I did this drive when Stephani was in town, but this time we started at the top near Newburyport and worked our way all the way down. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It was perfect. It really made me realize how much I love the water and how much I am going to miss the ocean.
Thursday didn't quite work out how we planned. Brian flew in and out of Providence, RI, so we decided before he flew out Thursday evening we would go do the Cliff Walk in Newport and check out the mansions. We were just 30 minutes out for Newport when my car started sounding like the something was wrong with the exhaust/muffler and a piece of metal was dragging. Awesome. We luckily found a car shop just off the highway. An hour and half and $350 later we were back on the road. By the time we made it to Newport we only had about 45 minutes. We stopped at the beach for a few pictures and then I drove Brian quickly by some of the mansions. We finished up Brian's trip with ice cream at Kilwin's near the Newport waterfront... it's one of my favorites, so it had to happen. After a scenic drive back to the airport Brian was back to Omaha. It was great to have him out! We haven't gotten to spend that much time together since we lived together in college, I think!
So I finally got a job! (as most of you have probably already seen on facebook) It was harder than I thought and quite a frustrating process, but I am headed to Minneapolis! I have mixed feelings about the job itself, but it's getting me where I want to be, so I am pretty pumped! It's a travel position, 13 week contract, 8hr night/some evening rotation. Soooo that means I'll be working from 11p-7a (occasionally 3p-11p) 5 nights a week. I am not so excited about that, but the pay is good, so hopefully the people will be great... that's going to make all the difference. The other unfortunate thing is that the job starts June 4th. My last day of work here in Boston is May 30th. My mom is flying the night of the 31st, she wants to spend a day in Boston, and then we will drive the 1400 miles to my next job on June 1st/2nd. Needless to say Monday morning is going to be a little rough!! I was hoping to get some time off between jobs, but no dice. I wanted to go to camp. Camp Quality is an amazing camp for kids with cancer and their siblings. I've been volunteering for the last 8 years and this will be the first camp I've missed even with living half way across the country for the last 3 years. I also was hoping to visit DC. I miss my DC family so much. I'm hoping I can finagle a couple weeks of my days off together to make a trip during the summer, but I'm thinking it might have to wait until September. There's a few details to get figured out this week still, but thankfully I'm not responsible for that. My travel company should have an apartment address for me by the end of the week... the holiday weekend didn't work out so well for getting anything squared away with the contract. If all else fails they'll put me in a hotel until they find an apartment. The hospital is just north of the Minneapolis, so I assume I won't be housed in the city, but I'm hoping!
It's very surreal to be leaving a job again. I've really enjoyed working with many of the nurses and staff here. I haven't really thought about not seeing these people probably ever again. Saying goodbye to some of the girls today was a reality check. It's crazy to think that a week from today I will be living and working 1400 miles away. I'm really excited, but it's pretty overwhelming. I have two more shifts left. I work Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday is the big EPIC kickoff. The hospital is converting over to a whole new documenting program. We've all gone through hours of training for it. Fortunately/unfortunately for me I will get to be there for the first day, and it will be my last day. Many hospitals around the country are switching to Epic, so it's good that I got the training for it, although I could have gone without the 8 hours of training for 10 hours of work. :) Why not 12 hours you ask? Well I got someone to come in early for me so I can go to the Sox game with Debbie! I'm so excited! Thanks to Whitney for helping to make it happen!!
Well I better get packing! My next update will be coming to you from Minnesota!
Last week Debbie and I hiked the Blue Hills. It was a beautiful day and the hike was awesome. The trees have really turned green recently which made the view from the top breathtaking. We followed the hike with lunch on the waterfront. Doesn't get much better than that.
Last weekend my friend Samantha was in town visiting family, so we got a chance to catch up. It was a gorgeous day in the city so after lunch we just sat in the Boston Common soaking up the sun and the atmosphere. On the walk over there was some sort of zombie parade going on... people screaming with fake blood all over them- never a dull moment.
Brian flew in late Sunday night. We started Monday with a tour of Fenway. The Red Sox were out of town during his whole visit, so the tour was the next best thing. It was pretty awesome! Afterwards, we met up with Debbie who helped me play tour guide through the Public Garden, Boston Common, Freedom Trail, the North End, and an obligatory trip to a pub for a drink and a Celtics/Red Sox game. The North End of course meant a trip to Dolce Vita (YUM!!) and my first trip to the famous Mike's Pastry.
Tuesday we toured Samuel Adams Brewery and then grabbed a late lunch at Doyle's Cafe which is the first bar to ever agree to carry Sam Adam beer. If you get a Sam Adams brew at the bar and then show them your tour ticket they give you the Sam Adams glass... sounded like a good enough excuse to keep drinking to us! After lunch Brian wanted to see Harvard and MIT so we drove over for a quick little drive through. It turned out to be a horrible idea because it was rush hour. Rush hour driving a manuel=no bueno. Brian got to see a few buildings they he had seen in movies, so he was excited, although his photography skills in a moving vehicle leave him mostly with pictures of a random tree or another car and not so much what he was aiming for. Oh well, that's what google is for.
Wednesday we did the Essex Scenic Byway. I did this drive when Stephani was in town, but this time we started at the top near Newburyport and worked our way all the way down. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It was perfect. It really made me realize how much I love the water and how much I am going to miss the ocean.
Thursday didn't quite work out how we planned. Brian flew in and out of Providence, RI, so we decided before he flew out Thursday evening we would go do the Cliff Walk in Newport and check out the mansions. We were just 30 minutes out for Newport when my car started sounding like the something was wrong with the exhaust/muffler and a piece of metal was dragging. Awesome. We luckily found a car shop just off the highway. An hour and half and $350 later we were back on the road. By the time we made it to Newport we only had about 45 minutes. We stopped at the beach for a few pictures and then I drove Brian quickly by some of the mansions. We finished up Brian's trip with ice cream at Kilwin's near the Newport waterfront... it's one of my favorites, so it had to happen. After a scenic drive back to the airport Brian was back to Omaha. It was great to have him out! We haven't gotten to spend that much time together since we lived together in college, I think!
So I finally got a job! (as most of you have probably already seen on facebook) It was harder than I thought and quite a frustrating process, but I am headed to Minneapolis! I have mixed feelings about the job itself, but it's getting me where I want to be, so I am pretty pumped! It's a travel position, 13 week contract, 8hr night/some evening rotation. Soooo that means I'll be working from 11p-7a (occasionally 3p-11p) 5 nights a week. I am not so excited about that, but the pay is good, so hopefully the people will be great... that's going to make all the difference. The other unfortunate thing is that the job starts June 4th. My last day of work here in Boston is May 30th. My mom is flying the night of the 31st, she wants to spend a day in Boston, and then we will drive the 1400 miles to my next job on June 1st/2nd. Needless to say Monday morning is going to be a little rough!! I was hoping to get some time off between jobs, but no dice. I wanted to go to camp. Camp Quality is an amazing camp for kids with cancer and their siblings. I've been volunteering for the last 8 years and this will be the first camp I've missed even with living half way across the country for the last 3 years. I also was hoping to visit DC. I miss my DC family so much. I'm hoping I can finagle a couple weeks of my days off together to make a trip during the summer, but I'm thinking it might have to wait until September. There's a few details to get figured out this week still, but thankfully I'm not responsible for that. My travel company should have an apartment address for me by the end of the week... the holiday weekend didn't work out so well for getting anything squared away with the contract. If all else fails they'll put me in a hotel until they find an apartment. The hospital is just north of the Minneapolis, so I assume I won't be housed in the city, but I'm hoping!
It's very surreal to be leaving a job again. I've really enjoyed working with many of the nurses and staff here. I haven't really thought about not seeing these people probably ever again. Saying goodbye to some of the girls today was a reality check. It's crazy to think that a week from today I will be living and working 1400 miles away. I'm really excited, but it's pretty overwhelming. I have two more shifts left. I work Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday is the big EPIC kickoff. The hospital is converting over to a whole new documenting program. We've all gone through hours of training for it. Fortunately/unfortunately for me I will get to be there for the first day, and it will be my last day. Many hospitals around the country are switching to Epic, so it's good that I got the training for it, although I could have gone without the 8 hours of training for 10 hours of work. :) Why not 12 hours you ask? Well I got someone to come in early for me so I can go to the Sox game with Debbie! I'm so excited! Thanks to Whitney for helping to make it happen!!
Well I better get packing! My next update will be coming to you from Minnesota!
Friday, May 11, 2012
All Work And No Play
The last week and half has been pretty insane. Last Monday I found out that a travel job I had applied for required a certification that I didn't have. I had applied 6 weeks prior to finding this out and was more than irritated that this wasn't brought to my attention earlier. The certification is not one that is offered frequently in any particular city. Although it was probably too late for this particular job, I did a quick search to try to find a class anywhere near me, so this certification wouldn't continue to haunt me. My two options were a class in Dover, NH conveniently only about an hour and 15 minutes away, but unfortunately going to be held on Wednesday and Thursday... just two days away AND I was scheduled to work both days, OR there was a class in New Jersey in a couple weeks that I would be off work for, but it was 5 1/2 hours away and would require two nights in a hotel. I really didn't want to invest 11 hours in a car and two nights stay in a hotel in the middle of Jersey for a certification for a job I probably wouldn't get anyway. Thankfully, a miracle happened and my co-workers pulled through for me. I switched my friend Janice my Wednesday for her Tuesday and spent Tuesday at work sweet talking my friend Karin into switching my Friday for her Thursday. YAY!!! All that switching however, put me working/in class for 7 days straight. After all that I got one day off and then was back on for one more, which was icing on the cake of my exhaustion. I am now enjoying three very much earned/needed days off.
The class that I took was great! For those that are wondering it was AWHONN Intermediate Fetal Monitoring. I took it at a hospital in Dover, NH with about 8 of their nurses. It was really interesting to hear a lot about how they do things in their hospital, as obviously a lot of the conversation turned to their experiences. At one point I did however have to be "that girl" that requested that we get back to the class material... What?!? I didn't want to stay late to hear about how the nursery wasn't getting adequately notified about deliveries!! Same story, different hospital. :) Anyway, a lot of the information I already knew, but it's always good to get a refresher. More and more I'm learning how much research is evolving the way we do things in healthcare and it is so important to stay on top of it. Where ever I end up in my next permanent job I'm setting a high priority on the hospital being very active in the continuing education of it's nurses. I'm talking classes, conferences, lunch & learns, etc. I want it to be an expectation, not something you just do on your own. Yes, I've taken myself to conferences on my own, and I have no problem doing that, but it's different when the place you work for is on board with what you are learning.
I'm not planning anything too exciting for my three days off. Today I worked out and filled the fridge which had become baren. Then continued my "recovery" from my long stretch of work. It's also been raining and gloomy for the great majority of the past two weeks. There might have been one nice day, but I was definitely stuck inside. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be nice, so I'm sure I'll find something to do outdoors. Saturday night is Game 7 for the Caps vs Rangers in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. I am really looking forward to watching, and I really hope the Caps can win in regulation time as I have to work Sunday morning and 3 OTs don't really bode well for me and my 5am wake up call. Honestly though, I don't really care how long it takes if they end up with the W!
May is super packed between now and my last shift. I get to see my friend Samantha from DC here while she is visiting family, Brian (my brother) comes in 10 days, and my last day of work is in 20 days. Time is going fast, but I'm happy. I love it here, but I am so anxious to get home. I haven't seen my family since Thanksgiving. I feel like I'm just in a holding pattern at this point, just waiting for the next step. I don't really like that. That part of it makes me want to just go for a permanent job, but I think a travel assignment is the best thing if I can get one in Minneapolis. We'll see. Nothing in the works for right now.
Monday, April 30, 2012
My First Visitor!!
I had another big week last week. On Wednesday Debbie and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The museum is free after 4pm on Wednesdays, so we took advantage. Just like many of the Smithsonian Museums in DC, the Museum of Fine Arts was huge and overwhelming. It seems to go on forever. There's so many wings, we could have stayed all day and still not see everything. After a few hours and highlights of seeing the works of Monet, Van Gogh our stomachs yearned for delicious bar food and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals, Bruins vs. Capitals.
We went to a bar close by for dinner and the beginning of the game, then decided when they started pulling out stuff for Trivia Night that we needed to find a different bar. We found an Irish Pub that was perfect with a good crowd and seats in front of a TV. I silently cheered for the Caps as the Bruins college age fans around us proceeded to become more and more drunk and obnoxious. The game went into OT before the Caps scored the winning goal. The whole bar went silent and I just smiled. To be perfectly honest, if the Caps would have lost I would have then cheered for the Bruins for the rest of the tournament, but those kids were annoying so it made me happy to have them silenced.
Late Thursday night my good friend Stephani flew in from Omaha for the weekend. It was great having a little bit of home here and to show her around. Stephani is training for a half marathon, so Friday morning we started with a run around a lake a few miles from my apartment. Afterwards, we drove up north to explore the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. It's a 85 mile route that takes travelers through "historic seaports, colonial era farms, village and city centers, and a wealth of period architecture". We made it through about half of it. We drove through Lynn, Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem (where we had lunch), Beverly, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport. I've previously explored some of these areas when I was here in 2008, but it was fun to show Stephani this gorgeous part of the US. I myself, could drive coastal roads/highways all day, everyday.
Friday night we ventured into Boston and ate dinner at Dolce Vita in the North End. The North End is famous for its amazing Italian restaurants. Dolce Vita is one of the more authentic. The owner is this big Italian guy who is very involved in everyone's dining experience. He even turns down the lights and belts out Happy Birthday to celebrating patrons. There's also a old man that serenades you while playing the accordion. The food is also delicious! After dinner we went to a bar nearby and probably had a little too much fun.
Saturday afternoon we walked the Freedom Trail while I educated Stephani about Boston's rich history out of my Frommer's Boston travel guide. Just after we had passed Paul Revere's house in the North End we were stopped on the sidewalk by a woman saying she had written my book and wanted to know how I was liking it. What??? I was so thrown off as I figured some big group of people worked together to write a Frommer's Guide. She continued to ask if I had any suggestions for anything else to add to the book and if we wanted any tips for what to do and see. I was totally confused and wished I had taken more advantage of running into her. It wasn't until we walked away and I read inside the cover that the author, "Marie Morris lives in Boston, not far from Paul Revere". Then I saw her picture. I spent the next hour saying over and over again how I should have taken her picture with the book! LOL! After we finished the trail I took Steph to Top of the Hub so she could get the best view of the city. The pomegranate mojitos aren't bad either. :)
Saturday evening we went to Legal Seafood with one of Steph's good friends and her husband who happen to be in town for the weekend as well. Dinner was amazing!! I'm typically not a big seafood person, but I might be swayed. I need to keep taking advantage of the fresh fish while I'm here!
Sunday morning we toured Harpoon Brewery. It was a great tour with tons of sampling! At the end the opened up the taps to us and we got to try as many as we wanted until our time was up. Steph and I were in no shape for driving afterwards! We walked to a nearby little seafood place and then took a little walk around the waterfront before I drove her to the airport. We had a great time! It was fun to show someone around "my" city.
I have about 4 1/2 weeks left here, and I am sure it's going to fly by. My friend Samantha is going to be in the area visiting family in a couple weeks, so I'll get to hopefully meet up with her, and then my brother, Brian will be flying out for 4 days in a few weeks. I'm super excited!!
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| Claude Monet- Water Lilies, 1907 |
We went to a bar close by for dinner and the beginning of the game, then decided when they started pulling out stuff for Trivia Night that we needed to find a different bar. We found an Irish Pub that was perfect with a good crowd and seats in front of a TV. I silently cheered for the Caps as the Bruins college age fans around us proceeded to become more and more drunk and obnoxious. The game went into OT before the Caps scored the winning goal. The whole bar went silent and I just smiled. To be perfectly honest, if the Caps would have lost I would have then cheered for the Bruins for the rest of the tournament, but those kids were annoying so it made me happy to have them silenced.
Late Thursday night my good friend Stephani flew in from Omaha for the weekend. It was great having a little bit of home here and to show her around. Stephani is training for a half marathon, so Friday morning we started with a run around a lake a few miles from my apartment. Afterwards, we drove up north to explore the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. It's a 85 mile route that takes travelers through "historic seaports, colonial era farms, village and city centers, and a wealth of period architecture". We made it through about half of it. We drove through Lynn, Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem (where we had lunch), Beverly, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport. I've previously explored some of these areas when I was here in 2008, but it was fun to show Stephani this gorgeous part of the US. I myself, could drive coastal roads/highways all day, everyday.
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| Steph and I in Gloucester |
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| Rockport, MA- There was the cutest B&B right behind me. |
Saturday afternoon we walked the Freedom Trail while I educated Stephani about Boston's rich history out of my Frommer's Boston travel guide. Just after we had passed Paul Revere's house in the North End we were stopped on the sidewalk by a woman saying she had written my book and wanted to know how I was liking it. What??? I was so thrown off as I figured some big group of people worked together to write a Frommer's Guide. She continued to ask if I had any suggestions for anything else to add to the book and if we wanted any tips for what to do and see. I was totally confused and wished I had taken more advantage of running into her. It wasn't until we walked away and I read inside the cover that the author, "Marie Morris lives in Boston, not far from Paul Revere". Then I saw her picture. I spent the next hour saying over and over again how I should have taken her picture with the book! LOL! After we finished the trail I took Steph to Top of the Hub so she could get the best view of the city. The pomegranate mojitos aren't bad either. :)
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| Paul Revere statue with Old North Church behind it. The church is where two lanterns were held as signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. "One if by land, two if by sea." |
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| Old State House- The Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians from this balcony. Below where the group of people are standing is the spot of the Boston Massacre |
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| Old Granary Burying Ground- Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried here. |
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| View from Top of the Hub |
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| Another view- if you look closely you can see Fenway Park... so small! |
Saturday evening we went to Legal Seafood with one of Steph's good friends and her husband who happen to be in town for the weekend as well. Dinner was amazing!! I'm typically not a big seafood person, but I might be swayed. I need to keep taking advantage of the fresh fish while I'm here!
Sunday morning we toured Harpoon Brewery. It was a great tour with tons of sampling! At the end the opened up the taps to us and we got to try as many as we wanted until our time was up. Steph and I were in no shape for driving afterwards! We walked to a nearby little seafood place and then took a little walk around the waterfront before I drove her to the airport. We had a great time! It was fun to show someone around "my" city.
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| Harpoon Brewery |
I have about 4 1/2 weeks left here, and I am sure it's going to fly by. My friend Samantha is going to be in the area visiting family in a couple weeks, so I'll get to hopefully meet up with her, and then my brother, Brian will be flying out for 4 days in a few weeks. I'm super excited!!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Best Week Yet!!
I apologize for the lack of a post last week. I didn't have much to report, but this post should make up for it. I've had quite a busy last week or so! Time is going fast here in Boston. I'm half way through my assignment here, and just had my favorite week of adventures so far!
Last Tuesday took myself for a day out in Boston. First stop was the Museum of Science. I got there with only a few hours left before it closed, so I walked around the exhibits as much as I could, took in an IMAX movie about dolphins, and then finished up with a few more exhibits. The museum is pretty cool, but definitely geared more for kids. I would have loved it when I was little. They stamped my ticket so I could go back since I was only there for a few hours... maybe I'll have to borrow someone's child if I go back.
After the museum I walked through my favorite neighborhood and the most famous, Beacon Hill. The streets are lined with row houses, brick sidewalks, and gas lit street lights.. Most of the houses have window flower boxes. It's been home to many famous people, like John Kerry, Louisa May Alcott, Ted Kennedy, and John Hancock.
Beacon Hill is right next to Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden where I continued my walk. For those that aren't familiar, Boston Common is basically a big park in the middle of the city, much like Central Park in NYC, but much smaller. There are baseball fields, playgrounds, a lot of green space, the Frog Pond, and of course a historic cemetery. Past the Garden is Newbury Street that is lined with brownstones housing tons of shops and restaurants. I decided to stop for dinner at The Parish Cafe which was recommended to me. It's basically a restaurant where each sandwich is created by a different local chef. Pretty neat idea. To end the night I took myself to the movies. Saw 21 Jump Street. It was pretty funny. When I finally made it home I walked into the lobby to find a 9 week old yellow lab puppy. He was adorable!!! He topped off my night with some puppy kisses. I'm definitely going to need a puppy when I get settled... or a least a neighbor with a puppy I can borrow. :)
Friday night after work I met up with my friend Debbie to kick off our huge weekend we had planned. We met in Cambridge for dinner at Green Street Grill where I had one of the best burgers I've ever had. It was delicious! I'm definitely going to have to get it one more time before I move!
After the race we found had dinner on a patio on the waterfront, then grabbed seats at the bar next door and watched Game 3 of round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bruins vs Washington Capitals. I've been to see both teams play, but I'm rooting for the Caps, although I kept my cheering to myself in a bar full of Bruins fans. :) We lost anyway, but I just finished watching a Caps victory in Game 4! It's fun to watch the match up!
Last Tuesday took myself for a day out in Boston. First stop was the Museum of Science. I got there with only a few hours left before it closed, so I walked around the exhibits as much as I could, took in an IMAX movie about dolphins, and then finished up with a few more exhibits. The museum is pretty cool, but definitely geared more for kids. I would have loved it when I was little. They stamped my ticket so I could go back since I was only there for a few hours... maybe I'll have to borrow someone's child if I go back.
After the museum I walked through my favorite neighborhood and the most famous, Beacon Hill. The streets are lined with row houses, brick sidewalks, and gas lit street lights.. Most of the houses have window flower boxes. It's been home to many famous people, like John Kerry, Louisa May Alcott, Ted Kennedy, and John Hancock.
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| Acorn Street |
Beacon Hill is right next to Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden where I continued my walk. For those that aren't familiar, Boston Common is basically a big park in the middle of the city, much like Central Park in NYC, but much smaller. There are baseball fields, playgrounds, a lot of green space, the Frog Pond, and of course a historic cemetery. Past the Garden is Newbury Street that is lined with brownstones housing tons of shops and restaurants. I decided to stop for dinner at The Parish Cafe which was recommended to me. It's basically a restaurant where each sandwich is created by a different local chef. Pretty neat idea. To end the night I took myself to the movies. Saw 21 Jump Street. It was pretty funny. When I finally made it home I walked into the lobby to find a 9 week old yellow lab puppy. He was adorable!!! He topped off my night with some puppy kisses. I'm definitely going to need a puppy when I get settled... or a least a neighbor with a puppy I can borrow. :)
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| Make Way For Ducklings-spring hats! |
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| Beacon Hill from across the Common |
Friday night after work I met up with my friend Debbie to kick off our huge weekend we had planned. We met in Cambridge for dinner at Green Street Grill where I had one of the best burgers I've ever had. It was delicious! I'm definitely going to have to get it one more time before I move!
Saturday Debbie took me to my first Red Sox game! It was awesome!! Fenway has such a great atmosphere and we were fortunate to see an exciting game as well! Boston won 13-5. I think they hit somewhere around 5 homeruns. It was a blast! Afterwards we met up with friends at the bars nearby. Unfortunately the bars weren't quite as exciting or fun as the game. You know it's time to call it a night when someone (else) throws up all over your feet!! Thank God I was wearing cheap flip flops. Ugh so gross.
Sunday Debbie and I headed to Newport, RI. I've been dying to do the Cliff Walk since I was last living in Boston back in '08. It was a gorgeous day! The Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mi public access walkway along the Newport shoreline. There are huge mansions along the way. It's absolutely beautiful! We didn't plan ahead for this trip, but we'd like to go back again and do the mansion tours. We ate a late lunch downtown on the waterfront and walked through the shops. It's a really cute town. Made for the perfect day trip!
Monday was big day in Boston, Patriot's Day. It's observed the 3rd Monday in April and commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles on the American Revolutionary War. It's a civic holiday in Massachusetts and Maine (once part of MA), and according to wikipedia also observed by public schools in Wisconsin (RANDOM!). Anywho, for Boston that means that not only are the Sox playing in town, it's also Marathon Monday!! Debbie and I met in the city to watch the race and cheer on the runners. We found our spot at the 24.2 mile mark... or 1 mile left of the race sign. The marathon starts with wheelchair participants, then the elite runners, and then the rest of the runners. In order to run the Boston Marathon you have to either qualify or raise money (at least $3000) for a qualifying charity. Qualifying times for 18-34 yr olds are under 3hr 10min for men and 3:40 for women. For the 2013 race those times are being decreased by 5 minutes. Fun fact: I would have qualified with my marathon time if I were 75. Haha!! It was crazy hot for the runners... 89 degrees. The temperature coming off of the cement was 120. We saw several people go down. Honestly, I was in the shade and getting lightheaded just yelling for the runners! 22,535 people started the race, 932 dropped out before finishing. 2,681 runners received treatment at a medical tent, 215 were taken to the hospital with 15-20 admitted overnight. It was my first race that I attended that I didn't run. I had a blast! Made me want to run another marathon... someday. :) Took some pointers too. Next big race I run I'm writing my name somewhere on my body. It was so much easier to cheer for specific runners, so it was nice when you knew their names. It's also really fun and encouraging to be a runner and hear people specifically cheering for you. We spent about 7 hours at the race. Just as we were leaving we saw Team Hoyt. If you don't know who they are check them out. Pretty inspiring. I remember learning about them in middle school.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Activity Low, Emotions High
This week has been low key as far as excitement. I don't have any exciting adventures to tell you about. It was an emotional week though. I wrote quite the lengthy post about some events that happened at my previous hospital this week. After reading it over I decided that it wasn't quite blog appropriate. It's something that really upset me and tipped me over the edge with sadness and anger. All I'll say about it for those that read this that are involved is you guys are some of the best nurses I've ever worked with and I am so very very thankful to have had the chance to learn from you all and share in the miracle of life that we are so lucky to make a career out of with you guys. You are AMAZING nurses and are irreplaceable... regardless of what anyone else thinks or how anyone else may make you feel. You are true professionals and always have your patients' best interest at heart. Love you all and miss you terribly!!
Moving on... This week, week 4 of my contract (week 3 on the unit) I started to feel comfortable..errr a lot less awkward. I finally have all my passwords and access to things required to do my job... well except for a key to some cabinets, but it's a big improvement from having to have another nurse pull medications for me every time I need them. Oh, I suppose I also don't have "privileges" to make/print out care plans on the computer... DARN!! Anywho, I've been feeling a bit more comfortable with work. I think I've decreased my daily question count from 1,743 to 679 or so. I've been thinking about and hoping I was nice and helpful to the travelers I have worked with before. It sure is A LOT to learn! My biggest struggle with this hospital is losing my independence. I've never had a crowd of professionals when pushing with a patient for hours. I've never had to explain my strategies or consult so many people. There are a lot of positives and a few negatives, but most of all a lot of adjusting. It's funny, and for non-labor and delivery people it might seem really weird, but I was sort of giddy when I had to check my patient in the OR today because she complained that she needed to push and there was no doctor available. It's the first time I've gotten to check my own patient since I started. I was relieved to find that I still could do the assessment myself. I'm not the biggest fan of always trusting someone else's exams. Maybe I have trust issues? Today was by far the busiest day I've worked. Thankfully the labor bus pulled up after my c/s because it was my first one... there hasn't even been one performed during ANY of my shifts in the last three weeks. Yeah, sip on that for a little bit my Clubbers! It was nice to have a nurse available to guide me through their process and charting. After that, things blew up and of course that's when I became a helpless nurse with half of my allotted 679 questions for the day. I feel bad that I wasn't more help to the others. I still have a pretty stellar NCB (natural childbirth) to epidural ratio going although I can't take any credit. These women are amazing. They are so strong. I had a cute little lady that other day who was thinking she couldn't tolerate the pain any longer. We checked her and she was 6-7cm. Her response: "Oh, I don't think I need the epidural anymore. I think I can do it." She never looked back and had the most controlled delivery I've seen in a long time. Love!!!
This week also brought another reminder of how much I want to be living closer to my family. My brother had to put his dog to sleep today after she suddenly started having seizures and other neuro changes. They suspected a brain tumor and Brian decided to put her to sleep to end her suffering. My parents were able to be there for him, but it's just one of those things you want to be able to show your support in person. It's not the same over text or phone.
Really, I wish I could split myself into 3 people and be everywhere at once. Perhaps live a couple different lives?? I suppose this one will do. It's a pretty damn good life. I'm so thankful for all the opportunities/adventures I've had and the people I've had the pleasure of getting close to along the way. I wouldn't change a thing this far... well nothing major anyway. :)
I'm watching the Academy of Country Music Awards while I write this and they keep showing previews for The Lucky One starring Zac Efron. Would you stop reading my blog if I told you that I seriously can't wait to see this movie? Call me a cougar, but that Zachary David Alexander is "aging" quite well my friends, and I am not afraid to admit it. Yep, he has two middle names. I just consulted wikipedia. He's only 3 years younger...
Moving on... This week, week 4 of my contract (week 3 on the unit) I started to feel comfortable..errr a lot less awkward. I finally have all my passwords and access to things required to do my job... well except for a key to some cabinets, but it's a big improvement from having to have another nurse pull medications for me every time I need them. Oh, I suppose I also don't have "privileges" to make/print out care plans on the computer... DARN!! Anywho, I've been feeling a bit more comfortable with work. I think I've decreased my daily question count from 1,743 to 679 or so. I've been thinking about and hoping I was nice and helpful to the travelers I have worked with before. It sure is A LOT to learn! My biggest struggle with this hospital is losing my independence. I've never had a crowd of professionals when pushing with a patient for hours. I've never had to explain my strategies or consult so many people. There are a lot of positives and a few negatives, but most of all a lot of adjusting. It's funny, and for non-labor and delivery people it might seem really weird, but I was sort of giddy when I had to check my patient in the OR today because she complained that she needed to push and there was no doctor available. It's the first time I've gotten to check my own patient since I started. I was relieved to find that I still could do the assessment myself. I'm not the biggest fan of always trusting someone else's exams. Maybe I have trust issues? Today was by far the busiest day I've worked. Thankfully the labor bus pulled up after my c/s because it was my first one... there hasn't even been one performed during ANY of my shifts in the last three weeks. Yeah, sip on that for a little bit my Clubbers! It was nice to have a nurse available to guide me through their process and charting. After that, things blew up and of course that's when I became a helpless nurse with half of my allotted 679 questions for the day. I feel bad that I wasn't more help to the others. I still have a pretty stellar NCB (natural childbirth) to epidural ratio going although I can't take any credit. These women are amazing. They are so strong. I had a cute little lady that other day who was thinking she couldn't tolerate the pain any longer. We checked her and she was 6-7cm. Her response: "Oh, I don't think I need the epidural anymore. I think I can do it." She never looked back and had the most controlled delivery I've seen in a long time. Love!!!
This week also brought another reminder of how much I want to be living closer to my family. My brother had to put his dog to sleep today after she suddenly started having seizures and other neuro changes. They suspected a brain tumor and Brian decided to put her to sleep to end her suffering. My parents were able to be there for him, but it's just one of those things you want to be able to show your support in person. It's not the same over text or phone.
Really, I wish I could split myself into 3 people and be everywhere at once. Perhaps live a couple different lives?? I suppose this one will do. It's a pretty damn good life. I'm so thankful for all the opportunities/adventures I've had and the people I've had the pleasure of getting close to along the way. I wouldn't change a thing this far... well nothing major anyway. :)
I'm watching the Academy of Country Music Awards while I write this and they keep showing previews for The Lucky One starring Zac Efron. Would you stop reading my blog if I told you that I seriously can't wait to see this movie? Call me a cougar, but that Zachary David Alexander is "aging" quite well my friends, and I am not afraid to admit it. Yep, he has two middle names. I just consulted wikipedia. He's only 3 years younger...
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tidbits
The residents in my building are always in a rush. Every time I get in the elevator with one of them they frantically push the close door button. I learned on the first day I lived here that the button doesn't work, but these people are consistent and keep trying. I'm almost insulted that they are in such a hurry to get the elevator going so they don't have to spend that extra 3 seconds of wait time with me.
The T (train/metro) stops running at midnight... even on the weekends. It's probably the worst thing about this city. My cab budget has increased dramatically.
The other day I was hanging out in Boston Common enjoying the beautiful day. I was equally enjoying my book as well as the watching the man about 15 feet away from me read his book aloud to himself. After a while he did about 10 minutes of fitness (sit-ups, push ups, and some sort of squatting action), then he gathered his things and went on his merry way.
At the Prudential Building you can pay $14 to go up to the skywalk on the 50th floor to see 360 degree views of Boston, or you can go to Top of the Hub restaurant on the 52nd floor and enjoy the same views by purchasing a $12 martini... no brainer??
Today I did a Celebrity Draft with my friends from DC via Skype. Yep, just like a football draft. You get points for how many times your celebs get on magazine covers, have babies, get married, best dressed list etc, you lose points for going to rehab, worst dressed, break ups, etc. It was something I was really looking forward to before I moved. I couldn't miss out!
The T (train/metro) stops running at midnight... even on the weekends. It's probably the worst thing about this city. My cab budget has increased dramatically.
The other day I was hanging out in Boston Common enjoying the beautiful day. I was equally enjoying my book as well as the watching the man about 15 feet away from me read his book aloud to himself. After a while he did about 10 minutes of fitness (sit-ups, push ups, and some sort of squatting action), then he gathered his things and went on his merry way.
At the Prudential Building you can pay $14 to go up to the skywalk on the 50th floor to see 360 degree views of Boston, or you can go to Top of the Hub restaurant on the 52nd floor and enjoy the same views by purchasing a $12 martini... no brainer??
Today I did a Celebrity Draft with my friends from DC via Skype. Yep, just like a football draft. You get points for how many times your celebs get on magazine covers, have babies, get married, best dressed list etc, you lose points for going to rehab, worst dressed, break ups, etc. It was something I was really looking forward to before I moved. I couldn't miss out!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Boston Week Two: Welcome to LD, St. Patrick's Day, and Harvard
Monday I started working on the floor at my new job, and by Wednesday night I was working "on my own". Traveling nursing is pretty crazy. Somehow I managed to figure enough out in two days to take care of my own patient with only a little... or maybe a lot of help from my co-workers. There's still a lot to get used to, mostly remembering what I don't have to do. I seriously feel more like a tech than a nurse sometimes there. The docs are way more hands on and there is surprisingly A LOT less paper work! WAHOO!!! It obviously is still work, and I know some days will be tougher than others, but overall I feel like it might be like a little vacation from work as I knew it at "The Club". Can't complain about that!! Some info for those that are interested, they don't do deliveries under 37wks... level 1 nursery, anyone who's really sick gets transferred out. Everyone who gets a fever >100.4 gets dx chorio. Serial inductions are common... very common, although inductions are rare as well. PAs run the show under the supervision of the OBs. There are also midwives in house and they run a birth center across the street, so anyone what turns high risk or needs pain control comes over. On the first day I had an induction, and not once was I asked what the pitocin was running at. Needless to say, the c/s rate is quite low. Oh, and docs and nurses are on first name basis... every last one of them. I've had two deliveries and both made it without epidurals... by choice. :)
Friday I met up with a few ladies that I worked with when I lived here before. We went to dinner in West Roxbury and had drinks. We had a blast. Love those girls! They definitely made moving to a big new city and new job so much easier the first time around. Only downfall of the night was not paying attention on the T on the way home and getting off the train one stop too early. Fail. Luckily, the wait for the next one wasn't too terribly painful.
Saturday was of course St. Patrick's Day... also significant as Evacuation Day holiday for Boston which commemorates the evacuation of British forces from the city of Boston following the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War. Not sure how many of the people binge drinking yesterday knew that, but a little history lesson none the less. Thank you wikipedia. Anyway, we did our part in celebrating. We started around 1pm and made our way through several different bars, but managed somehow to not make it to one single Irish Pub. Impressive, I know. I was proud of us though, managing to stay out until around midnight without significant drama or sloppiness. We had a great time!
Today Debbie and I were going to head to Southie for the St Patrick's Day Parade. Today was also supposed to be the most beautiful day of the year so far. Unlike the rest of the US, Boston has NOT been having 70+ degree days for the last couple weeks. We've stayed in the 40s. Debbie and I decided to skip the parade and the crowds to enjoy the day walking through Harvard. I've never been to the campus before. Today was perfect. It was 70+ degrees and sunny. We walked all around and ended up having a late lunch near Harvard Square. We enjoyed the fresh air (through open windows) with a delicious cheese plate, glass of wine, and great entrees. We felt like we were on vacation. Maybe because the weather was so drastically different than what we've been used to. Loved it! It was a great day to top off an amazing weekend!!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A Weekend of Fun, Organization, and Fitness!
After a long week of orientation I had a great weekend. I went out with friends both Friday and Saturday nights. Friday I went out in Waltham with my friend from orientation and one of her friends. We had a great time. I love meeting new people. Saturday we went to a couple of places on Boylston St. The bars have been a lot of fun. Every interaction with people I have has been great. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. We met this group of people that were so much fun. One thing I've noticed is that the boys in this area seem to love to dance... with or without girls. It's hilarious! I wish I had video of some of the stellar dance moves I witnessed.
I finally got everything put away and organized in the apartment. I didn't have much left to do, but I had been avoiding the last few things. My closet is so organized!
I also found the gym in my complex. I've really been slacking lately, and I am determined to get back into shape. Sunday morning I woke up super sore and I couldn't be more excited about it. Haha! Today I was lazy, until I realized it was 60 degrees outside. I just had assumed it was cold. It's been 30-40 degrees for the majority of the time I've been here. Anyway, I decided I would take a quick jog just to get out of the apartment. A quick jog ended up being a couple miles longer than I expected. I was sure to bring my ID, but I neglected to bring cash or my Charlie Card (for the train). I had just planned to "get lost" running around the neighborhood to explore, but didn't intend to actually get lost. I made a few turns thinking in a grid I would end up back home or at least close to it. Unfortunately, Boston and the surrounding areas don't believe in grids or any sort of pattern of roads that makes sense. Needless to say I got lost and am very thankful to the lovely people who directed me back home. On the positive side, I got a great run in beautiful weather and a lesson learned.
This week I'll be working on the unit for the first time. I'm pretty excited to meet everyone, and anxious to get back to a career that I love. In my free time I want to work on making a Boston and surrounding areas bucket list. Three months flies by, so I want to be sure to do and see as much as I can. If you have any suggestions on where I should go or what I should do, please comment! I love taking day trips!
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