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
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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...
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