Ten Years

So apparently I'm old. Next year marks my ten-year anniversary of graduating high school. Holy crappers.

On top of all that reminiscing, I have to do actual WORK - I was class president and so it falls to me to put a whole reunion thing together. However. There are some snags that I immediately see to this lets-get-together plan - there were only 23 people in my high school graduating class. That means not a lot of moolah. Also, I'm not Facebook friends with all 23. Lastly, I don't even know where to START with the whole planning process.

Oh well. I sent out a Facebook message to the FB friends I DO have, just to gauge interest. We shall see.

A Post Illustrating the Differences Between my Husband and Me.

What my husband wants:

The 1989 Reebok Pumps. Oh yes. He is that awesome. Please take into consideration that he already has three other pairs of sneakers that are similar to these - weird shoes that were only bought for costume parties at our friend's house in Greenville, SC.

What I want:

A Hamsa necklace to ward off the malocchio and other evil things floating through the air. HEY I work on an ONCOLOGY floor people. There is a shit-ton of crazy stuff floating around there.

Sometimes I wonder how we ended up together... =)

Dani

I Hate Making Up Titles.

Seriously, I do. My dislike of coming up with creative titles stems from my stint as a PR/marketing writer - I liked writing stories...but the titles...sheesh.

Anyways.

I've been a nurse for almost six months. Not very long, but long enough to be tired of working in the "trenches" of the floor nurse. It's not that I don't love (most of) my patients, or enjoy working with (most of) my co-workers, but it's a million little frustrations that happen almost every day while I'm at work. I'll go into them in future posts - but right now I'm in a mood that isn't too foul, so I'll stay away from those nagging annoyances.

Also, I've turned a new corner in my life. I've changed careers, reached 6 months in that new profession (well, almost) and I'm getting that feeling again. That I-need-something-to-do-before-I-go-crazy feeling, that something-needs-to-change feeling. I'm officially a woman in my late wenties and my biological clock is starting to go tick-tick-tick... but I still want to get my BS and possibly MS in nursing. I want to be a change agent on so many levels - but I also want to be a mommy. That's a change agent too, right?

Hmm.

I'm a firstborn, and was one of the oldest kids in my class. I got married when I was 23 and have never regretted it. However, I'm terrified to be the first of my same-aged friends to get preggers (at least first of the non-Greenville ones!). But that's another topic too. SO, you can see, I have a lot rolling around in my head - so much, in fact, that it's been really hard to sit and put it into words. But...I'm going to try. At least for my sanity's sake!

So. That;s it for this rainy Friday (really like my Sunday since I have to work tomorrow and the next day). I solemnly swear that I'll be much much better about trying tp put SOMETHING down on this blog regularly.

Love and kisses.

Dani

Rainy Tuesday

Awesome Things of Today

• Kitty snuggling in bed, on the couch and on my lap
• Finally finding a pair of Danskos that I like
• NOT having to go to the DMV for a replacement license (thanks K for telling me my license number is on my car registration!!!!)
• $1 gardening gloves at Target
• $3.99 wine at Trader Joes (see picture below)
• K’s two kids are the cutest things ever
• Glee is on tonight!!

Awful Things of Today

• It’s raining.
• My Danskos were $110.
• I have to work tomorrow and Thursday.
• I have a bitchin’ headache.

Oh well! Obviously the good outweighs the bad here. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Back to my Books

AWESOME BOOKS THAT IS. None of those crappy nursing textbooks or NCLEX review books. That's right bitches. I am back on track to read 50+ books this year. AND I WILL DO IT. I have my library card, two new tea mugs, a Keurig, and a ton of PG Tips. I am ready for the reading extravaganza of 2011. 

To prove my point, I went to the library and got a ton of books out:

I am done with three of them (Child 44, Are you There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea, and The Eyre Affair), and on the fourth (Confessions of a Shopaholic)! Those are books four, five, six and seven in 2011. I have a long way to go, but it's such a delicious prospect of reading 43 more books this year!!

I know I'm a nutter...but we all have to be crazy about something right? At least my addiction is books, and not eating chalk or drinking laundry detergent like those weirdos on TV.

Soapbox.

Here is a hot minute of me soapboxing about the dangers of the sun, not getting your mammograms or self boobie and testicle exams, ignoring chest pain, and generally not enjoying the time you have left.

Yes. It seems that being a nurse has made me into a downer. BUT, a downer who appreciates her life a lot more and realizes that she is super lucky to have a fabulous husband, and wonderful kitty, a loverly house and NO CANCER. Seriously, in the last week I have just seen way too many patients who ignored shit for too freaking long. Guys in their twenties who have huge tumors, women in their forties who ignored the sudden appearance of an inverted nipple and a large lump under the clavicle. Sigh.

On a brighter note, I did get to hang out with a patient who was so doped up on Lortab that he looked like a drunk frat boy. And another one of our patients brought us all doughnuts. Yummy. =) AND The ice cream cart came around on Friday...which was hilarious - everyone perked up (nurses, patients, respiratory therapists...) and helped themselves to free popsicles, snickers ice cream bars and more. It was a much needed break on our floor. 

Did I mention that next week I am working three nights in a row? Like 7pm to 7am. HA. HAHAHAHA. Part of my 9-week orientation. We shall see how THAT goes.

I'll leave you with a picture i took one morning I took before work. I have seen way too many dawns already. Meh.

The Pros and Cons of Nursing... so far

Pros:

- Providing comfort and care for people while they are at their most vulnerable.

- Meeting and interacting with a wide variety of people, in a wide variety of situations. (Sad, happy, funny...)

- Tons of gross stuff to "oooh and ahhh" over. (Like my patient the other day...his remaining foot had three black toes and a lot of dead foot...)

- Fast paced, CRAZY-ASS environment (I'll look at the clock and say, "Shit! How is it 2:30 already???")

Cons:

- Making my husband wash his hands after hugging me when I get home (because my patient was positive for C diff... you don't want to know...)

- Patients who argue with me about how medications work...

- Physicians who don't write complete orders (sorry, "Heparin dosing with bolus" is not a complete order)

- Hospital administration who decide that we can go with 8 patients per nurse on night shift...WITH a float nurse

- Getting to work at 6:30 am ...and leaving at 8:25 PM.

Yesh. I had a long day. And yesh, nursing is really hard in many ways. But I think I like it.

- Dani