Mmmm....Cave Bacon

Today I finally got around to seeing some sights.  Of course this means driving far away as there isn't much to see here in Abilene.  Before I got going I ran some errands and decided to get Starbucks.  There are only 2 here in Abilene, and the one with the drive thru is a logistical nightmare.  And it always takes forever.  I honked at the people in front of me for not paying attention.  Turns out this earned me a free drink.  I totally deserved that drink paid for after their order took 10 minutes (at least ten minutes because I completed 3 levels of Candy Crush Saga while waiting). 

It was a perfect sunny day to be driving and I actually really enjoyed it.  I think the only stretch I've not enjoyed driving is Nebraska.  Anyway, the destination was Caverns of Sonora.  Once I got there I had to dodge past the guard peacocks to get to the gift shop/information center.  Happily, they were starting a tour just as I got there.

It's really hot in that cave, and humid.  And they tell you up front about how long it will take, how many stairs there are and not to go if you have lung issues.  What they don't tell you is that nearly all the stairs are at the very end.  They should be more forthcoming with that tidbit, I think.

I'll put pictures on Facebook so everyone can be jealous they weren't there.  My next adventure will involve mom and Rita, and I have no doubt that will include lots of laughs!  Also, please feel free to point me to other sights to see while I'm in Texas.  I have a book, but personal anecdotes are always preferred.

There is nothing like being a nurse

Since I'm working nights while in the armpit of Texas (Abilene) I have started working on my continuing education credits to maintain my nursing license.  I have seen nurses and other professionals (my dad) scrambling to finish them right before their license comes due and decided to avoid that stress. 

This has been good in that it gets me back in the groove a bit of studying and thinking more seriously about getting back to school and what I want to do when I grow up.  It also is interesting to me as a nerd because I'm learning and a lot of the articles I'm reading are relevant to my field and can be put into practice.

That said, I truly believe that knowledge is power and ignorance in bliss.  There are things I wish I didn't know.  Things like "In a few studies of contamination of nurses' uniforms, researchers have reported up to 65% nurses' uniforms are contaminated with body fluids and bacteria/MDROs at the end of a shift."

In theory I knew that, but seeing it in a research article with statistics is just disturbing.  I truly just want to burn my uniform when I get home now.  For all my nursing friends with kids, don't let them touch you while in uniform!!!  Oh, and to those who aren't in nursing, MDRO is multi-drug resistant organisms.  The super bugs you hear about in the news.

On a more positive note, I'm making excellent progress on the cross stitch.  I am nearing done with the stitching and then on to the finishing work! 

Week 2

Things I dislike about Abilene:
   -No Waffle House
   -The wind

Things I like about Abilene:
   -My floor takes their dinner break together
   -Extra shifts are not a problem.

Funny things I've heard:
   -"I forgot what dementia was before I started working here"
   -"My blood flows on instinct"

So nearly finished with week two.  So far it has been going well.  Small hiccups include no hot water for two days and still no internet at the house.  On the other hand I'm catching up on Redbox and cross stitching my heart out!