It's raining in the bathroom!

So this afternoon I started a load of laundry and decided to sit in my fancy anti-gravity chair and soak up some sun, which is possible since I'm in sunny Arizona!  As I was getting my Vitamin D I hear a dripping noise.  I start listening closely thinking it doesn't sound like it's coming from the washer, and that would be an odd noise from the washer anyway.

I venture inside to find the source and find water coming from the vent into the toilet.  This does help reduce the mess it's making, but it's still a huge problem.  I start shuffling papers to find my emergency number and after navigating the thousand option menu I leave a message for maintenance.  I then run upstairs to make sure they're a) home and b) alive.  Both turn out to be true, but her toilet is running without end and I can see the water all the way into the hall already.  I come back downstairs and the water is now dripping from the door frame, hallway and kitchen.  I leave another urgent message and being to frantically move everything out of the way.

Kudos to the maintenance guy, he arrived less than 15 minutes after my first call.  He immediately had gone upstairs and turned the toilet off and then came to see what I needed done.  He cleaned it up, explained it would just take a while for the drips to finish and said Monday someone would come fix the bubble in the ceiling.  He also took time to show my how to turn the water to the toilet off should such a thing ever happen to me.  I appreciated that, a lot.

Now a few hours later I hear dripping again.  I look in the bathroom, and do I ever have a bubble in the ceiling. 

So now I have my kitchen garbage can sitting in the bathroom and I'm trying to figure out what to do next.  I'm not sure if this is a new problem, or simply the left over waters escape plan.  For sure it will be a long night if the drip continues because it's pretty loud and not very conducive to sleep.

What did you say?

So I've had three stories from my last assignment that I've been meaning to share, so here goes.

That is not how you get my attention
  My patients call light had been going off and it took a bit before I could get in there.  When I walked in the patient was eating breakfast and, before I could say anything, looks at me and says "This place must be bulletproof!"  I immediately look behind me to the window by the door thinking someone tried to shoot my annoying patient and then look back and say "What?"  "Because when I do this," taking the knife and banging it on the breakfast tray "no one comes in here!"
  I then adopt a stern expression and state "That is never appropriate and I will never respond to that.  If you need me you press your call light.  Please understand that if I am in another room it may take a few minutes."  
  Oh, and the work you're looking for is soundproof.

Tell the truth
  I was helping another nurse get a patient settled, which including putting compression stockings on.  The patient was crying out and the family member in there (who very obviously had their own health issues) said "Remember when I was in the hospital and I didn't want to do what they told me, but you said I had to in order to get better?"  "I LIED" yells the patient.  I immediately bust out laughing and tell the patient that's the funniest thing I've heard all day.  I look at the family member and say "That pep talk went south in a hurry" to which they reply "I'm not sure how I feel about that!"

They did WHAT?
  And then there was the patient who had gone down for a procedure first thing in the morning.  Later in the afternoon they requested something for pain, understandably.  I bring in the medication and ask about the pain.  They proceed to tell me that the numbing for the procedure didn't work because they could feel the whole thing.  Since they've been back several hours I think this is untrue, but don't comment.  When the patients friend then asks how it went, the reply is "They were supposed to seduce me"   I whirl around and say "WHAT?!?" and the friend incredulously repeats "Seduce you?  You mean 'induce'?"  I give her a stupefied look and turn back to the patient "You mean sedate?"  Everyone in the room is just laughing.  A while later I went in to take vital signs and the patient was laying on their side.  To get an accurate blood pressure I ask them to lay flat on their back.  They begin to roll onto their stomach.  I repeat my request louder to no avail.  Finally they get the request and turn the right direction.  I look at his family and say "Don't worry, they're still seduced."

Where's the chicken?

Ok, this just kills me that this even happened.  Saturday night after work my fellow traveler and I decided to get dinner.  I had a coupon at Macaroni Grill so we decided to give it a whirl. 

We were seated quickly, but then had to wait some time before anyone showed up to get a drink order.  We ordered our meals from David and dug into the bread.  Our meals came out and I felt like something was missing on mine.  I had ordered the Mama's Trio, which should have had a Chicken and mushroom Cannelloni, Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna.  I had the Cannelloni and the Lasagna, but where my Chicken Parmesan should have been was just some spaghetti.  Where's the chicken?  So we hailed David and I asked what was supposed to come with what I ordered and he began to list it while looking at my plate.  He trailed off as he realized the problem.  He offers to take my plate back but I've already almost finished the Cannelloni and ask if he can't just bring out a piece of chicken.  Why should I have to stop eating?

DeAngela ordered the Chicken and Mushroom Cannelloni and about halfway through the first one she says something's missing.  Where's the chicken?  And the mushrooms?  I had already finished my Cannelloni and realized mine hadn't contained any chicken or mushroom either.  It had tasted like spinach and cheese and was great, but not chicken and mushrooms.  We hailed David again.  She explained the problem and he offered to get the manager because he has no idea since he doesn't eat that meal.  He seemed to be getting a little frustrated.

The manager comes to the table to explain that they have updated the foods they served but not yet their menus, and David should have informed us that they no longer have chicken and mushroom cannelloni but instead are serving spinach and cheese cannelloni.  So she bring DeAngela a piece of chicken as well.  DeAngela was not impressed as she would have ordered something different given that information.  David then comes back and explains that the update was on the website and he hadn't looked at that.  Not I'm thinking David isn't too bright or is lazy, I'm not sure at this point.

We decide to get salads to go for leftovers at work on Sunday and ask for the dressing on the side.  In order to use the coupon we come up a quarter short so we add on a loaf of bread to go.  The salads come out with the dressing on the side but no lid on the dressing...because they're out of those.  Paying the check becomes a struggle when David says he can split the check between us (which I was pretty sure with the coupon wouldn't work) and sure enough we lost the discount when he split it.  We finally get the check paid (and I was not returned my original copy with the survey offer, which I think was a deliberate move on Davids part, I'm leaning more towards not too bright) and we realize we didn't get the to-go bread. 

I walk over to the manager because I'm quite certain David is now scared of us and not coming back to our table, and tell her we're missing the bread.  I mention this wasn't my best dining experience ever and she asks to see the receipt.  I explain I only have the copy of the payment as the original receipt was not returned to me.  She appeared to be trying very hard to not roll her eyes, but she wasn't quite successful.  She tries to reprint the receipt without luck and so catches someones attention and tells them to get David.  She hands me the bread and asks me to wait.  She then goes and gets the original receipt with my survey offer from David and makes sure I have it before leaving. 

DeAngela and I agreed the food was good, but the experience was a disaster.  She of course blames it on me....because I was there and these things happen with such frequency in my life.  We had wonderful leftovers at lunch on Sunday and laughed as we shared the story.  I think we should have gotten something free for as much work as it was just to get what we ordered.  I will definitely mention that in the survey!

Magic milk

So it's been a while, but that doesn't mean nothing has happened!  As always my life is full of random moments that keep me laughing.

I'm currently in Augusta, GA and so far it's been great.  I'm only 3 hours from the grandparents and family and have been there twice already.  While I was here last week we picked up grandma's car from an oil change and on our way to the grocery store discovered the speedometer wasn't working...we appeared to be going 80 in a 45.  Later that day I was driving the car and realized the speedometer was telling us kilometers per hour instead of miles.  She'd recently had the battery changed and somehow it has converted to the metric system.  At least it was an easy fix.

Last week I walked into a patient's room, and the patient's son was looking out the window that looks at the ER, and he exclaims "I can't believe my neighbor is going to the ER!"  This cracked me up because the poor neighbor is probably going to get grilled about that later!  There isn't much privacy in the South sometimes!

And finally, I have magic milk!  I am living in a "corporate apartment" which also functions as a bed and breakfast.  I had bought some milk and put my room number on it and left it in the fridge in the shared kitchen.  I was gone for a few days and when I got home I realized there was definitely less milk than when I left.  No biggie, it's just milk.  That night I get home and put something in the fridge and I have way more milk!!  It's like magic!  But I don't really want to drink that milk now.

And here's a link to my latest hiking adventure.  Tallulah Gorge is so cool, even if the stairs will almost kill you!  I think it was definitely worth it.  https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3DPPEr 

Everything really IS bigger in Texas

So last year when I left Texas I drove to Arizona.  I discovered that everything is bigger in Texas, including nothing!  Last week I learned that even the hail is bigger in Texas.  I know hail exists in the baseball to softball size but I have never witnessed such an event.  I hope I never do again.

Last Thursday while I was at work the hospital was beset with hail that ranged from golf ball to grapefruit in size.  It was not pretty, at all.  My car was totaled, as were many other cars of employees and patient families.  I used garbage bags and gorilla tape to patch the Journey up to get back and forth to work until I could get a replacement.  Today I flew home to Des Moines and tomorrow I will drive my new Journey back to Texas.  

On the plus side some pretty funny stuff happened at work.  I had a student notice that a patient was charted as pregnant and lactating.  Not the biggest deal except they were an octogenarian.  I told the student to call the Guinness Book of World Records!  Turns out the admitting nurse had trouble with the admission profile scrolling and clicked those options on accident.  She and the patient had already had a good laugh about it.


Another funny thing was catching a patient trying to make a break for it.  I had seen the patient in a wheelchair being pushed by the unit clerk from a neighboring unit.  As I went to check on one of my patients I saw the same wheelchair patient alone, wheeling casually through the waiting room.  I watched as the patient turned the corner towards some offices and immediately increased their speed.  I quickly caught the patient and asked where they thought they were going.  I returned the patient to their unit, which I think did not make that patient happy.

And finally.  I had a patient on a breathing machine with a mask.  It is very difficult to understand what anyone says into the call light when they wear that mask, so I went to see what this patient needed.  They told me they could chew the pill in their mouth and needed to spit it out.  This concerned me as I had not given them a pill.  So I took off the mask and the patient spit out their lower dentures.  They looked a bit surprised by this, because they had been certain they had a pill in their mouth.

If you haven't seen pictures of the car, here is the link.  I included a picture of my new one.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35077813@N03/sets/72157645263630951/

My umbrella's broken

So last month we had girl's weekend in Asheville, NC.  As always there was no shortage of laughter.  You cannot take my mom and I anywhere, seriously!  But it was a great time with family and a most beautiful wedding with a breathtaking bride.

My mom, my aunt, my grandma and I went to the Biltmore Estate because I just love that place and wanted to share it with these women.  We took to the scenic route up and it was so a great drive through the mountains.  We ate at The Gourmet Chip Factory in downtown, and if you ever get to Asheville I highly recommend it.  They make great chips and the sandwiches were quite tasty. 

When we got to the Biltmore it had started raining, and that's really where the drama started, too.  Thankfully most drama in our family is hysterical.  This drama involved an umbrella and a shuttle of people who got to watch the craziness unfold.  My aunt had two umbrellas and said "one of these doesn't work" and proceeded to hand one to my mother.   We see the trolley coming and my aunt and grandma head over there immediately.  Mom is still trying to get herself together. 

She opens her door and tries to open the umbrella.  This is less than successful so she closes her door, because it's raining.  Meanwhile my grandma is partway on the trolley, my aunt is standing with her umbrella just looking at us like we're crazy.  I have a hood so I'm outside the car waiting for mom the get out of the car.  She opens her door again, umbrella doesn't open again and she shuts the door, again. 

I'm now trying to find her jacket in the luggage.  Grandma is now on the trolley and Julie is still watching us like we're crazy (and unbeknownst to us is telling grandma to get off the trolley).  I find the jacket, and get the umbrella open and we dash for the trolley.  My aunt and grandma are now seated and I sit behind them.  Mom gets on and now can't get the umbrella closed.  No one on the trolley is talking, just watching the drama continue.  In an effort to not get everyone wet mom turns the umbrella upside down, but now it's blocking the aisle and she can't get around it to sit by me. 

There is an empty seat across the aisle from my aunt and she finally tells my mom "Sit down, you're embarrassing me" to which everyone in the trolley start laughing.  Mom and my aunt proceed to argue about which umbrella is broken (it wasn't the one my mom had).  At the next stop everyone but our group gets off the trolley. 

After all that we enjoyed our tour through the house and gardens.  Saturday they shopped their way back to Georgia and I was able to attend the wedding of a dear friend.  It was a perfect day and perfect place.  She was a beautiful bride and it was a great ceremony.  I am so happy for her and so excited I got to be there! 

Change of plans

Virginia didn't work out, so I am back in Texas.  And while Abilene wasn't my favorite town, I did really love where I worked and the people I worked with.  I'm not on the same floor, but I like where I'm at and have already reconnected with local friends. 

The big benefit is I'm only on nights for a few weeks and will be back to a day shift.  I have learned as I get older I function better working days.  I'm a complete sun addict after my stint in Arizona.  It's been pretty windy so far, more so than normal according to locals.  If that lets up I shouldn't be crazy at the end of this assignment.

The drive down here went well, with a humorous siting of a truck pulling a trailer of tires on the side of the road with a flat tire.  And I truly love driving through Kansas, I think it's beautiful, especially The Flint Hills.  So far in my travels the only place I have not enjoyed driving through is Nebraska!!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to adventures and funny stories while I'm in TX, because I truly believe it's all in your perspective.  Or maybe I'm just blessed with a great sense of humor and knack for being in the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time....however you see it).

Feel free to go somewhere else, please!

So in a little over a week I have driven over 2500 miles with the briefest of stops at home and Cincinnati.  I'm looking forward to July and being home for a little longer stretch, but I greatly enjoyed the time I was able to spend with friends and family.

I am now in Danville, Virginia.  For supper last night I went to Subway, and I admit by the time I got there I was a little hangry.  The guy in front of me seemed indecisive, and then I realized that he would ask the price of an item, and when told he would say he could go to the sub shop up the road and get it for less.  He did this repeatedly, and I looked at one of the workers and mouthed "So go somewhere else"  and she nodded back at me.

Turns out, he does this all the time.  The poor Subway people have to deal with him frequently.  I do not get it.  The prices aren't going to get cheaper suddenly, and the person making the sandwich isn't the one determining the price.  I call that an exercise in futility.  He finally said he was going to the other sub shop because it was cheaper.  Maybe he owns that shop and was casing the competition? 

Anyway, I figure if that was my first experience in Danville I am in for a real treat of nonstop laughs the next three months!!

Home, sweet home

So I was sent home early my last shift after I discharged 75% of my patients, so I had a two hour head start on my trek home.  It was quite the adventure.  I am home, in one piece and with no go fast awards gained on the way.  We will call it a success!

So that's what Mesa looked like as I left.  It was gorgeous, except that it decided to rain for only the second time since I've been there.  Not really a big deal, but I was driving through  mountains, as it got dark, and I'd never been through there before. 

Once I got passed Payson it decided to fog from the the road up, there were "beware of elk" signs every ten feet and sleet.  As I continued to gain altitude the road became more slushy and my speed dwindled, making a mockery of my two hour head start.

By the time I got to I-40 it was a full out blizzard.  I know I was on the highway, going the right direction, by mostly had no clue what lane I was in as I could see nothing.  Thankfully a semi flew past me and I just followed his taillights and made up some time.

It cleared up once I got passed the Continental Divide, except that's when the crosswinds kicked in.  I decided to keep going because it was too cold to get out of the car.  I made it to Albuquerque, which comes up really sudden.  You know there's a city from the light ahead, but then you crest a hill and boom, there it is!

The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a pretty cool sight to see at night.  It also meant I was stopping for the night.  It was only 2am local time.  I slept a few hours and got back in the car and decided I was going for broke and making it all the way home.

There were flurries to start out the morning, followed by a dust storm in Texas.  I stopped in Amarillo for coffee and discovered that all Starbucks in Texas towns that start with the letter A absolutely suck.  And I must have passed half the snowbirds from Mesa before Kansas city.  Good news is they don't drive at night, which meant no traffic after 8pm!

This will all be quite the surprise to my mom in the morning as she thinks I'm somewhere in Kansas.  Dad was in the know and Truman was in the basement, so he's already had his big reunion.  Hopefully I can walk in the morning, because after 15 hours in the car I'm a little stiff!

Next stop: Danville, VA

Wow, been a while since I shared.  This contract in AZ has been incredible, and busy.  If I'm not at work I am out running around or hanging by the pool.  I don't think I've ever been this tan!  I did make it to the Grand Canyon, but need at least a month there to do everything I want!  Still so much to explore...next winter!

A couple of funny things have happened that I had to write down to share.  Apparently I am supposed to be psychic along with all my other nursing skills.  I walked into the nurses' station and the doctor was watching the telemetry monitor and asked me what my patient was doing that had his heart rate elevated...because I can look into my crystal ball and tell you!  Instead I told him I would go check, because I had no idea what my patient was doing.

Later that day I was charting and a slightly panicked tech requested help in a patients room.  I run right in there and immediately bust out laughing.  The patient had been sleeping in the recliner with the footrest up, had slid off the stack of pillows in the chair onto the footrest of the chair and tipped the whole recliner forward.  She was laughing so hard!  She said it was the most fun she'd has since getting to the hospital!!

And last, I had an admit that I needed an order for so I paged the physician.  When he called I got the order I needed and asked about some additional labs that I had not seen ordered.  He asked why I would want those and I stated my case and he dismissed my concern.  I hung up the phone, refreshed my screen and he had ordered one of the labs I had asked about.  Good thing he has a nurse to do his job for him!

So today is packing day.  I need to have everything loaded tonight, but still leave room to pick up a friend and her luggage from the airport...this could get interesting.  Then I make a mad dash across country to Iowa, hang with the family for a few days and then head to Cincinnati for some R&R with dearest friends before finally arriving in Danville, VA for 3 months.  I'm excited to be back in that area for a number of reasons.  I already have my travel books ordered and am sure many more adventures will be detailed here!!

What's that smell?

If you are easily grossed out, this is not a post for you.  If you are a nurse you will die laughing, after you finish retching. 

Friday was Valentine's Day.  It was a great day for me.  I had an unexpected present from my parents and an unexpected email that had me smiling all day.  And I can happily say this story did not happen to me.

It was towards the end of shift and a a patient had decided to have a GI Bleed.  For those not in health care this produces a very distinct odor.  The nurse of this patient continued to complain that she could still smell it, even though those sitting by her no longer could.  Just before end of shift, as night shift was arriving, she happened to look down as someone commented on her badge only to realize she had GI Bleed on her badge and shirt.  This produced quite a bit of hysteria for her and muscle cramping laughter for the rest of us, even as we tried to fix the situation.  Guess she wasn't lying about that smell.

And today I found a reason no hospital should have double rooms, ever.  I was getting an admission into a semi-private room.  There are really only 2 rules for patients in semi-private rooms according to our unit secretary: neither patient can be in contact isolation and they must be the same gender.  Doesn't seem too complicated, really.

My patient arrived while I was busy giving medications, and the patient was placed in the room.  The patients daughter approached the desk shortly after their arrival to notify the charge nurse that the patient who was already in the room was not the same gender as my new patient.  Thankfully my patient had a good sense of humor about it and we shortly had them in a private room.

The best part was the cardiologist sitting next to me.  His comment "Welcome to Obamacare, we are all just citizens"  I told him that comment would end up in my blog, he said he didn't mind being quoted. 

Anyway, I think from now on I will try to avoid working 4 shifts in a row during the full moon.  I am just not sure what else to blame for all the craziness that was the last four days.  I just know I don't know how any of that actually happened.

Still shaking my head about that...

So I think I must say "did that really just happen" more than the average person.  I cannot believe the list of things that have happened in the last week that I'm still not sure actually happened!  I now wonder if I wander around looking confused all the time because of all the things I see that make me double take and shake my head.

Last week at work I had a few of these moments in one day.  I was reading a physician dictation that said the patient had failed a medication treatment in the future.  I still haven't figured that one out.  And then the psychiatrist saw my patient and came to me to tell me the patient was acting really weird.  Isn't weird his specialty?? 

My folks got to enjoy Arizona weather for a few days, and I was off to enjoy it with them.  Another shaking my head moment here:  I go pick them up from the airport.  I pull up beside them and they are still looking at the oncoming traffic.  I guess 5 weeks is all it takes to forget what the car looks like.

We did have a wonderful whirlwind time.  We saw an Esteban gig (concert seems too formal), we visited Sedona which even cloudy was gorgeous.  We took the scenic route up to Flagstaff and decided we were not appropriately dressed for snow once we got there and promptly headed back to Scottsdale.  Sunday was my favorite, dad was the speaker for the IMPACT church service.  He did a great job and I cannot explain how humbled I am by God's direction in my life that allowed me to be here and experience that.  I do feel awful they had to go back to the arctic, but still thankful I got to stay here to soak up more sun.  I'm trying quite hard to get enough Vitamin D for everyone back home.

Today at Starbucks I watched with some alarm as a man went straight into the women's bathroom.  I almost said something, but am so glad I didn't, because the girl next to me moved and I saw the sign on the men's door saying out of order.

Tonight at Albertsons was my favorite moment.  I was getting in line to pay and I noticed an employee open the refrigerated beverage unit, pull out a water, take a drink and put it back.  It truly took a few seconds to realize I had indeed just seen that happen.  So I backed up a few steps to take a look and she had her water laying on top of the drinks for sale.  I guess that's how she keeps her water cool, but I think it's disturbing and I will not be buying beverages from the end unit ever again.


If you want to see pictures of the latest adventures here is the link.  There are some from Esteban, Sedona and the Biosphere 2, which I saw yesterday with another gypsy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35077813@N03/

I will be a snowbird for life!

I cannot get over how sunny and warm it is all the time here in Mesa.  I totally get the snowbird thing so much better now.  Forget waiting until I'm older, I think I want to do this every winter from here on out!!

So far I have been to Tombstone with family and friends, Sedona with a group of gypsies, hiking in the Superstitions with gypsies, shooting in Tonto National forest and out to eat at some fantastic new restaurants!

Tombstone was such a fun day.  We did see the OK Corral reenactment and it was worth it.  I wouldn't mind seeing it again!  Sedona was a blast and so beautiful.  I could definitely go back there.  Hiking in the Superstitions was absolutely breathtaking, literally, and I will get back there to see some more.  Shooting was a wonderful experience.  I've shot rifles, but now feel confident with a handgun.

Work is going well, too.  I know I could probably pick up OT, but I am having way too much fun running around outside to want stay inside.  I have met some wonderful people from all over as many of my patients are snowbird.  I even had some folks from Fargo and the wife and I reminisced about sauce from Mexican Village.

Funny story so far, I was helping an older gentleman to the bathroom and he was hooked to the IV and it was finished.  He was eager to go and I kept saying wait and he kept moving.  I finally said it more loudly and firmly "Wait!" and he said "That's what made the bridge fall"  I cracked up, he did as well.  It was so fun.

If you want to see my photos so far, here are the links.  I don't know if you need an account or not!

Tombstone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35077813@N03/sets/72157640354491573/
Sedona: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35077813@N03/sets/72157640352472465/
Tonto National Forest: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35077813@N03/sets/72157640353128435/

Enjoying the sun

So here's my flip flop shot that I promised everyone before I left.  With getting moved in it took a few days to get a pedicure, and I really did feel a little bad that I was wearing flip flops during the arctic blast my northern friends were suffering.

While I was getting my pedicure I was asked if I wanted a sea salt scrub.  I said "maybe next time" which I guess sounded like "that's fine" because I got the sea salt scrub.  During the manicure I was asked what color polish and I said none, so I got clear.  But it was really cheap and completely relaxing, so I am definitely going back!

Quirks I've noticed while driving is many people seem to be in the wrong lane, usually by several lanes.  I find that very unnerving.  Also, I see blinkers go on to merge into a lane, someone is there so the blinker goes off and the person comes over anyway.  Keeps me alert for sure!!

This is Charlie, my roommate's dog.  He is not as cute as my grandpa Charlie, but he is a pretty good dog.  He rarely barks, he doesn't beg too much, and he is friendly.  My roommate is great, too.  She has great stories to share and she is funny.  

Anyway, I'm off to try yoga with some other travel nurses.  I'm a little nervous and promise I'll share if it all goes horribly awry. 

 

New Year, new locations, new people

Happy New Year!  What is it about this day?  It's a Wednesday, normal snowy day in Iowa.  Yet it's a day that has so much significance to so many people.  A fresh start on goals.  This year I will.....?

Well, today I will not attempt to start a diet as we have snack food galore ready to go for all day football.  Today I will enjoy the snow falling because I know that come Monday, when the high in Des Moines is forecast to be -2, I will be in sunny Arizona wearing flip flops!!  Today I will cheer for the Hawkeyes in the Outback bowl, and I most likely will not start an exercise regimen.  Today I will enjoy a day with my folks, because these are few of these left this visit.

Next up is Mesa, AZ.  I am so excited about this contract.  I know people in the area, I know people that will be visiting the area and it's going to be warm!!  I get to work day shift which means I may even get a slight tan, or at least look a little less pasty.

And here is a laugh to start off your new year:

I was watching the heart monitors and realized my patient had leads off.  I went in to check and found said patient in the bathroom, with the heart monitor on the floor, IV line on the floor, pulling off various dressings.  I stood staring unsure what to even say or where to start and the patient looked at me and said "It's a mystery"   

Interesting sights and heart stopping moments

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and I think this is true, because I think even nothingness is bigger in Texas.  That's what driving across west Texas felt like, but it still isn't as boring as Nebraska!  I even saw new road kill: a hog and a mountain lion (which was actually sad).

I made it to Mesa without mishap, just short on sleep.  I received a call early in the day about troubles with my flight.  I had to wait an hour to talk to a representative and they pretty much said I would have better luck at the airport.  Delta wasn't going to get me home Friday as promised, so they put me on the red eye with US Airways, which I had not booked specifically because I do not care for that airline.

Airports bring out a lot of interesting behaviors in people.  I was haunting the gate of the earlier direct flight in the hopes of getting home sooner and got to see a spectacular meltdown and parenting fail.  I think I watched a sociopath in the making, and while I am a firm believer in 2 parent homes, I truly hope this kid only sees his dad on the weekends.  They had missed their connection, and the dad went on a quite vulgar rant.  The little boy at first thought dad was mad at him, but after being reassured that wasn't the case the dad then proceeded to yell at the attendant when she came back up the Jetway, and the little boy mimicked his attitude and volume, but thankfully not his words.  I was sitting by 2 other individuals and we speculated with equal horror about the future of that little boy.  

So I did make get a ticket for the earlier flight, which of course was promptly delayed.  I spent the flight home being abused by everyone on the flight.  The flight attendant threw a cup at my head and everyone tripped on me.  We had freezing rain in Des Moines, and I'm pretty sure we almost overshot the runway on landing.  Then I get to our neighborhood and no matter that I'm going 5 miles an hour I'm sliding.  I had to park on the street and skate to the lawn just to make it to the house!!

I pray you all have time to reflect on what we are celebrating: The coming of our Savior.  From birth in a stable He came to die in our place for our sins so that we might have eternal life with Him. 
Merry Christmas!

Count down is on!

Down to 10 shifts left at Hendrick Medical Center.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the floor I work on, the people I work with and the overtime I've been able to work....but I am ready to be home and move on to somewhere new.  My dad tells me I have a bad habit of taking my marbles and going somewhere else when I don't like things.  I suppose that is part of the appeal of travel nursing!  By the time I start to understand where the lines in the sand are, I'm moving on!

So things I dislike about Abilene: no one seems to know where they are going as they all slam on their brakes and turn at the very last second.  I do this too because I often don't know where I'm going, but I also have out of state plates to explain my erratic driving.  Not sure what the excuse is for the natives.

Also, it is nearly impossible to get a drink from either Starbucks location (yes, they have a grand total of 2) in less then ten minutes.   I talked to someone who works there last night and she explained they'd been without a manager for quite some time and even with the new manager they have a hard time keeping employees.  This explains why I get very pleasant service every time, it's just really slow.

Things I like about Abilene:  having family style dinner at work.  This is a P3 tradition, and I really like that there are 4 meals a week I don't eat alone.  Eating alone is definitely one of the harder parts of traveling solo.

Another plus is that I have owls now living on the roof of my apartment.  There presence has greatly discouraged other birds from hanging out up there which keeps the chirping to a minimum while I'm sleeping.  The downside of that is I can hear them up there at night and I worry about the integrity of the roof.  Another traveler had a good laugh just imagining me sitting in me apartment and an owl falling through my ceiling.  I would have laughed except I have a real fear it will happen.

So since I'm quite certain there is a owl sitting directly above me right this second I'm going to find something to do in another part of the apartment....closer to the door!

This IS my first rodeo

So my stomach still hurts from all the laughing I've done since I found mom and Rita at the airport.  The adventures so far include wandering around the parking garage at DFW, another couple brushes with mom's curse and a rodeo.

The airport adventure wasn't awful, just confusing.  However finding two women wearing cowgirl hats wasn't overly difficult.  The Dallas/Fort Worth airport is quite confusing and driving around it at night is not something I wish to do again.

So I finally got to go to Waffle House!  I'm still bitter there isn't one in the armpit of Texas.  Rita had never been so that was quite a new experience for her.  Thankfully this location was pretty tame and didn't scare her away.

After breakfast we started shopping.  It had been recommended to us that we try the Galleria shopping center, so we plugged it into the GPS and away we went.  And it's not there anymore.  The building is, but it's abandoned.  So we found random people and got directions to a different mall.

Lunch involved the first brush with mom's curse.  My mom seems to attract accidents.  This event was a bit of a repeat, but the drink tray was once again spilled on her.  This happened to her one other time, but it was with cherry lemonade and that was a direct hit.  This time was just water, and really was spilled next to her, but she did get hit.

After a short rest at the hotel we went to find the Stockyards.  They have a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night.  None of us have been to a rodeo before, so this was quite exciting.  The trip from the car was another repeat performance for mother.  We came to a crosswalk and she tried rolling into traffic.  Just writing this has me in tears.  Thankfully Rita caught her before she tumbled.  It's a good thing Rita was with us because I'm pretty sure my dad would not have caught her, like the last time this happened.

Anyway, we made it to the rodeo intact.  I cannot wait to see another one, because it was amazing.  I'm pretty sure you couldn't pay me enough to stand by the chute for 8 seconds let alone get on the bull.  The talent of the cowboys and cowgirls was so much fun to witness.

So now we're onto another day and new adventures.  Who knows how many more brushes with the curse remain, I just hope we all come through in one piece. 

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!