Reality bites

Yes I'm still recuperating from my recent travels. It was fun, but tiring.

I did my presentation to lots of applause (along with my partner). Being scheduled after lunch is entertaining, since you get an upfront view of everyone in the room falling asleep. "No one was nodding off while you talked," my traveling partner said.

"Au contraire," I said. "You'd have seen them all snoozing from my seat." Luckily, she got some action shots of my speaking partner and I fielding questions at the end.

I got to see lots of people I haven't seen lately, including some folks who retired. They came for the CEUs.  We had a big group of folks go to dinner at one of these Food Channel-famous joints. It was interesting. After taking a stealth photo of the namesake owner talking to my traveling partner, I was waiting for security to come and throw me out. Needless to say, we're not famous, so said proprietor was not keen on a photo with us or my traveling partner, who told Mr. Big how excited she was to be there. Bubba, however, was impressed. (After watching all those episodes of MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, in addition to all the other food shows I miss...)

Thankfully, one of the folks who attended and works in a satellite office, knew that it was Restaurant Week in town and got us the "special menu" (similar to a prix fixe in normal places). It was good. The only thing that was annoying was the overcharging on the alcohol. I paid $14 for a glass of chianti when my traveling partner and I could have bought a bottle for the price of two glasses.

However, the happiest part of the trip, besides hanging out with my speaking partner and talking to the chief of staff of the organization (he/she was our main speaker one day), was escaping a hurricane. Despite Dr. H's insistence that he survived many a hurricane during his years in Florida, I was not keen on adding one to my own bucket list, thank you.

I made it home in time to do some chores, check my packed suitcases, then go out West with Bubba and Dahey to Dahey's niece's wedding. She's a sweet girl who was a guest book assistant at our wedding many years ago. Since then, she must have liked weddings, since she went into the wedding business herself. Needless to say, she had a whole lot of stuff and events. It was a busy weekend. Lots of food, drink and hanging out with the relatives, in-laws, and outlaws.

We even went on a horseback ride near one of the local wineries with the bride's Uncle Beau. Beau's brother, Bob, a professional rodeo star, had a party at his house for us when we were done. Bubba wanted nothing with riding a horse on the trails, so he went with the older folks on the wagon ride. However, he did ride the rodeo star's favorite horse, Biff at his house. We have lots of photos of Bubba smiling on Biff and he kept saying no, every time Uncle Beau asked if he wanted to get off. Thankfully, the other kids were busy playing in a water slide and didn't notice Biff was busy after a while. Despite keeping him up late, looking at those photos made him smile.

Thankfully, we didn't encounter any rattlesnakes or wild pigs in Bob's front yard as we were leaving. It was really dark and we could see the stars on a clear night. It was fun.

The day of the wedding we rested after all the excitement, because it was a long night. We went to the wedding at 5, had drinks after, then dinner, speeches, and dancing. Since everything was outside next to a famous creek side hotel, we also saw some wildlife. Mona, one of Dahey's relative's wives screamed when she saw a huge beetle on her side of the table. I wish we had a video of the encounter, because all of a sudden one of the flower girls appeared on scene. The bug rescuer was Dahey's five year old niece, Ella. She promptly rescued the flightless beetle and released him on a tree near the creek. She was smiling from ear-to-ear. Her father said, "Just call her my Crocodile Dundee."

After all the wedding excitement, we got up early and saw the Grand Canyon. It was clear, pretty and windy. Bubba was most impressed with the ambulance we saw about halfway through our hike. We heard no screams or saw any hysterics, so we kept moving along, since help had arrived. That definitely was one of the bucket list items I got to check off my list.

We returned home at the end of the holiday, then I went to work. It was tiring. I'm finally feeling like I'm not jet-lagged anymore.

So now it's almost the weekend. Hope you enjoy yours wherever you are. Hug your family members (human and furry) today. Life is short.

Fun, fun, fun

So much fun on my last day of vacation. Visited my sister, went to lunch with Bubba, got his favorite treats, saw a new art exhibit and went to a local history museum, which had a new exhibit on one of my favorite things: coffee, and included samples.

Life is good. Here's hoping next week is good as that cold brew they served (freaking amazing).

More to come...

Points to ponder about social media

I'd love to print this article out and leave it in our break rooms at the Hotel.

Nursing and the social media battlefield

I follow all of these, but not friending folks at work. I had to overcome that because people kept asking me if I didn't like them. I am selective (I don't friend everyone), but I've put everyone from work is in a separate group. My main rule: I also only discuss two things on Facebook: food and family, and I limit what I discuss on family (food is open to all!).

So if you're unhappy that you see too many recipes, photos of food, and restaurant info, sorry, but that's all I'm saying.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll be doing laundry in the laundry room as WildDog sleeps outside it on his special rug.

More later...

Friday, Friday...

Finally, it's sticking in my head that it's Friday. It should since I was able to do all of the things I enjoy on my occasional Fridays such as the following.

First, Bubba went on his weekly pilgrimage out with me and Dahey for breakfast. I can't remember exactly when we started this, but it's been going on so long, the staff remember when we hauled him in the restaurant in his carrier as a baby.

Next, I went to see my friend Giacomo. He survived vacation which included visiting the multitudes of sisters in his native land near the Erie Canal. Not just one sister, but the entire flock of them, along with mom and the requisite contingent of nieces. He was still reeling from being the lone male around and getting all the "attention." In his family, it's not always good to have attention...

Following that, I also saw some of the coffee people I haven't seen in ages. Dahey told me I need to get a medical file, since most of the oldsters are now answering my "How are you?" with all sort of medical complaints and requests for advice. It's hard to be blunt with them when a) they're old, b) they know your entire family--grandparents, parents, etc., and c) a few of them can tell you about your odd habits when you were younger. (just in case you think you're getting too smart for your britches!) For the most part, they're happy and for now, healthy, and I thank God for that. Besides, a few of them even love my zucchini bread!

Whenever I work evenings, or if I happen to be off, Dahey and I usually go somewhere for lunch. This is a good thing because we get to try new restaurants without having to bring our small restaurant critic along. Today, it was soul food near a place I used to work. This end of town was quite scary when I worked there, but every time I come back now, it's getting better and better. The food was magnificent. I thought I died and went to heaven when I got the smothered pork. The portion was so big, with the mac and cheese and the green beans, that I put half away. It probably won't last too long tomorrow.

I keep looking ahead and try to prepare myself for going back to work. I really understand when some of our older nurses say, "It was really hard for me this time to go back." This little vacation has been wonderful. I have made contacts with people I haven't talked to in years all over the world. I have had lunch with friends who I don't normally see, even though they live within two miles of me. I realize more and more how lucky I am in my life, as crazy as it sometimes can be. It has been a thoroughly amazing time.

Tomorrow I get to do a few more things, then start preparing for the return to work. We'll just keep cruising along...stay tuned!