Miles to go

I feel like it. I have run a good race this week at the Hotel. I have set goals and attained some. Others make me want to beat my head into the desk. No way that's happening!

And I volunteered for a computer setup job tomorrow with one of my elderly relatives.

But I still have to get through Friday. Then I pack for not one, but two trips, for three people (because I have men who would pack socks and the computer (along with some allergy meds) and forget the rest.

I feel like I'm living that "miles to go before I sleep" line.

Stay tuned...

Now I know why

I really, really need to make a list (and/or complete my packing) all at once. I also need to plan ground transportation.

Arrived at hotel tonight for nursing conference and realized that,

1. I only have two pairs of pants.
2. I rode here from one of the nation's busiest airports in a Scion cab that smelled of old socks and clove.
3. I spent more on cab rides today than I would have spent on gas to drive here (close anyway).

So now I'm getting ready to call it quits tonight, I'm

1. Thanking my lucky stars for that package of sanitizing wipes.
2. Cheering that I remembered to buy those little packets of travel Tide.
3. I have free internet, so I can tell you all about my excitement.

Now back to getting ready for the 0600 wake up call...er alarm.

Almost like going to work...more later.

Packing

So much to talk about, so little time...so a bit of my day in a nutshell.

I literally was packing a patient's belongings today, and it made my heart ache thinking about it. I packed up stuff for a patient who is on the express train to the hereafter. You know it's heartbreaking when the boss says, "Can you look for his cell phone? They need some numbers only he (Dad) had to make calls for the funeral." Happily, I found it amid all the stuff, but packing and sorting all the toiletries, t-shirts, therapy items and treats was hard. I liked him. He was one of my best patients ever.

We moved people around again. If only the transportation fairy comes to our unit and takes us to the sister unit for a remodel. Maybe Santa Claus will visit next year...

Finally, before I left I was packing supplies to distribute to my rooms down the hall on the way out. A couple of my more macabre coworkers thought I was smuggling out a urinal for a novel "beverage container".

No recycled beverages for me, thanks.

Off to bed...one more day to study...stay tuned.

Sweet end to the week

I didn't have to get angry at anyone today. I keep reminding myself that frowning will cause wrinkles, and just being happy for the heck of it will irritate the people who drive you nuts.

My people were pretty good. One was up and one in bed, but the census has been low, so I can round on them, and do lots of other stuff without issue. I even helped out another nurse who was busy with his/her heavy (literally and figuratively) patient. Family education is a big part of what we do, so I had to verify that this family could do what they say they can do. Besides, I like the patient. He's a very nice guy. It's not hard to help him.

I actually had time to get into lots of interesting discussions today: about lazy coworkers (one of whom was chewed out by the boss for his/her lack of diligence), family education and dynamics between spouses when one has a debilitating disease or condition, previous lives and packing boxes.

One of my coworkers may trade me her schedule for part of next week, so we'll see if the boss lets me do it. I hardly think it will be an issue, but you never know. With our pre-JCAHO inspection, who knows what will happen.

I'll ponder it all this weekend...while I rest and relax. Stay tuned!

A rainy Thursday

I'm looking out the window and it's gray and rainy. The wind is also cool, too. Fall is definitely here in our neck of the woods. There is some fall color, but most of the leaves have been blowing away and not really turning too well.

I need to clean my house before my in-laws come over this weekend, and I don't want to do it. The dog looks outside and sees the damp concrete and looks at me as if to say, "You want me to wait out HERE while you vacuum? No way!" This will make things very interesting (since he tends to chase the vacuum cleaner.)

To start today, I got Bubba to school and then I went to get Bubba some stuff and some Halloween makeup. I'm actually planning on wearing a costume this year. I have enough makeup for me, Dahey and Bubba to get made up a couple of times. Rest assured, all of the makeup I bought is water soluble, made in the good ol' US of A, and supposedly hypoallergenic. (We'll test it out and see...) No idea what the boys will be this year. Bubba keeps vacillating back and forth on what he wants to be. We have costumes galore Dahey has collected since the summer and of course, Bubba doesn't want to wear any of them.

After the trip to the store, I got out my carry-on and started packing some of my stuff for the conference coming up in early November. It's in the Pacific Northwest, so I'm expecting more of the cold, rainy stuff. I won't pack everything yet, but it's easier to inventory and get stuff when you have to look at the bag every day. I just throw something in once I think of it, then I reassess when doing the final packing and checking off the list (yes, I have a list for everything I pack). I do this in an effort not to forget the important stuff, like underwear and socks (I have done this several times on trips).

I'm still working on my CRRN review. I really like the Datachem software, since it has a lot of questions and answers (about 750 in the database). If you buy it at www.rehabnurse.org (in the Bookstore section) and you're a ARN member, you get $10 off the list price. I got the Certification Review software, too, and it's a little more flashy, with a lot of sounds and feedback when you answer questions.

Well, since I'm back to work this evening, I'll stop for now and start cleaning. Hopefully, the dog will stay out of trouble! More later...