La rentree

No, I'm not a kid going back to school, but returning to work after escaping for a conference was very similar. I feel as if I was jarred out of a deep, restful sleep and thrown into a world that is constantly going and I'm running in, then looking forward to the time I can run straight out.

It's always nice to go to a conference just for nurses. People, for the most part, look at you, talk to you in the hall and are social. Some other disciplines (which will remain nameless...Freudian cough cough) often walk with darting glances because you might actually talk to them. We had lots of interesting sessions. I even gave one this year. One presenter brought her demo dog, as she was speaking about how to get a service dog and ADA guidelines.

Overall, I had a wonderful time. I may even look to turn my presentation into a journal article (one of the things on the bucket list). I'm fortunate that my subject is not typical rehab (bowel, bladder or skin), so I just need to sit down and do it.

This week, I get to interview new staff for the Hotel. It should be exciting. I just hope they can survive the Manglement.

Stay tuned...

Staycation theme: Back to school

Today it was get ready for Bubba's last year of grade school. Shop until you drop, even without the boy nearby.

This means I'll end up back at the store later, exchanging whatever His Highness doesn't want. I don't mind because I want to beat the sales that are coming this weekend.

More to come...

It's coming

Vacation, that is. For me, and a lot of people around the Hotel. Many folks are gone the month of July, so it makes things interesting. I was going through my junk mail and actually learned that vacation accrual, etc., is usually related to state laws. As usual, here in RehabLand, little is legislated about vacation: except they don't have to give it to you in certain cases.

Bubba is going to an overnight tech camp, and we're going to take a couple of days roaming around. After that, we come back and Bubba goes to day camp. All day every day for a week won't be nearly enough! He's been bored. The week before school, he gets to see his band buddies at band camp.

I can't wait until school starts.

More later...

Snow day

Bubba was out of school. On the same day he became a teenager. Alone in a house with cupcakes, which made for some interesting text message conversations, complete with photos.

Alas, since nurses don't get snow days or much downtime (most of us, anyway), I went to work. It was quiet. By 0800, when the clinics are busiest, we barely had two people show up. Thank you RehabLand Snow Removal folks. You cleaned, but people forget how to drive when temperatures are low and the pavement refreezes. Slip and slide accidents were everywhere.

I kept busy. I had a few folks who couldn't come in call me, so I helped them with what I could over the phone. I stocked my rooms, I visited patients in their rooms. I did training, since it's that time of year for competency renewal.

After lunch, we started seeing more people in the Hotel. It never got to the usual levels, but a little variation in our routine was nice.

Hope you have time to breathe (and maybe even think) in your day today, wherever you are.

More later.

TGIF (aka counting the days)

This has been a busy, crazy post-holiday week. I'm so happy it's over. I'm adjusting to my new home at work by floating. I have equipment that allows me to work all over the Hotel, so I'm taking advantage of it.

The volunteers are nice, but the real dust-stirrers this week are the construction guys, but thankfully, the dust is contained. They are drilling stuff in our building (which is also being repaired for settling). If you didn't have a headache when you got to work, you might have one when you leave.

Bubba decided to give me a headache. He got in trouble. I got a call from the principal and now he'll be on in-school suspension for two days. He opens his mouth and inserts foot a lot. He is very filterless sometimes, and the think it-close the mouth-let it go mode doesn't always work with him. He is also not yet the master of the double entendre. I am baffled why my child has to be punny at school when the education system has zero tolerance for anything.

It's not as easy as when I was a kid. If you said the wrong thing, the nun (or other teacher) gave you the dope slap.

You never did it again.

So happy it's the weekend! Hope you enjoy wherever you may be!

Sadness

Back to school is full of newness and possibilities. Lots of kids with new clothes, school supplies, and meeting new friends.The school year shouldn't have kids getting shot. Kids trying to do better than their best while doing their homework.

It's just not right. We must stop killing each other.

More later...

The best things in life

Some are free, some not so much.

It's been a fun week. Bubba started seventh grade. He's happy enough, but wishes more of his friends were in his classes (only half of the classes contain at least one friend, which according to Bubba will make them "very boring.").

The school district here in RehabLand is having budget cuts this year. I always know which teachers talk about them (the ones most affected). It's very interesting. There won't be any intramural sports this year, so we have to find Bubba a boys' volleyball league he can play in. He is set on trying out for v-ball in high school, so we must prepare. This will be interesting. He may have to get on a girls team.

So today, we hung out, did homework and we had fun. We went to a local hamburger joint that's been around for ages. It's a tiny place (counter serves 10 people on each side) that makes their own root beer. We got a burger, fries and root beer. It was fun. One item crossed off the bucket list.

Since that wasn't enough calories, we decided to go to a local creamery known for it's oddball flavors. Bubba got one called Cookie Monster. It had both Oreos and chocolate chip cookie dough in it. I got old reliable double chocolate, which was amazing.  Bubba was a little scared of the teenage girl population, so we sat on the same side as the ice cream scoopers.

All in all, it was fun hanging out with Bubba. These moments are priceless. I would not trade them for anything.

More to come...

The end of the week

This is almost the middle of July. I hear the siren song of summer, since here in RehabLand, Bubba and the other kids will be in school before Labor Day early in the morning (clutching pearls).

I have many warm memories of starting school in September (when it was still blasted hot) and one year, I dreaded going to school since my classroom was on the second floor. I was in fifth grade. I had horrendous headaches that year. I figured it was the ragweed (since all the windows were open way back when).

The Hotel was hopping this week, and so was I. I actually got to go out on a field trip. That part was fun. When I wasn't busy doing that, I was getting some groundbreaking work done. Since I volunteer for pilot projects (because our boss volunteers our department), I got to work with some new stuff. It was so cool to make care work anywhere! It also helps that the patients like it, too!

I'm going to stop here. It's time to relax and enjoy what I have of the weekend: housework and a little fun. Vacation is in sight. I can't wait.

Stay tuned!

Just another Monday

Still Nurses' Week..YES! The psychology staff are celebrating on Florence Nightingale's birthday at the Hotel, but they have to send an e-mail every day so people don't forget.

I celebrated today by having lots of technical difficulties in my clinic. Now I have to find a creative way to get a gift basket of coffee, Mountain Dew, chocolate and other terribly fattening things to my favorite support technicians. Yes, it's been that kind of week and this is only Monday. We have a "special notes" section of our intranet, so I recognized two of the folks today. I had to...those two saved my derriere so much already.

Bubba got out of school early today and is counting the days when school ends here in RehabLand. Since his school had no snow days (we had a school boss from Minnesota who wasn't scared one icy day) this year, they'll actually finish on the day they said. Bubba, however, may notice those last days are different. For the first time ever, he has final exams. Should get him ready for high school!

Now Bubba is at his friend Jorge's house, helping him get some of the music homework done before the big party this week at the last band class. If Jorge gets the magic number, he'll be in. Bubba, his partner in crime, wants to provide moral support so it happens.

Stay tuned...one more day of Nurses' Week left. Enjoy every moment. You deserve it!

School is ALMOST out

But I think Bubba's mind is turning to mush already. We worked on the health class project this weekend and of course, had to make last minute changes today before school. However, Bubba forgot to have me sign something this week, so he lost some points for this week. I sign whatever is in front of me, but I make him be responsible.

Tonight, for some physical activity, we decided to go to the rec center, shoot hoops and then play some pickleball. We really just practiced while a foursome played, but Bubba got to learn some skills and watch people play. Hopefully,  this summer, he'll get to play with other kids (and not boring old grownups).

Just counting down the days...stay tuned!

The joys of parenting

Tonight was our first "free-for-all" parent/teacher conference in the RehabLand school district.

What does this mean? Take all the classroom teachers for a particular grade and stick them in the cafeteria. Leave the tables exactly as they are so no one can tell who is standing in what line. Put all the major subject teachers together, so the traffic jams are even more acute around their area.

Do this for three hours. Thankfully, Bubba took me over early and pointed out all the important teachers to talk to while we were there. And no, they weren't just the ones who gave him A's in their classes (although surprisingly, he loves school this year).

I hated it, but I cannot imagine what the teachers think of this.

Just like running the gauntlet...more to come.

Junior high excitement

Bubba is learning the ropes and discovering things I never though he would.

Like how to find your lost ID in the computer lab, how to buy pizza every day for lunch (one of the perks of junior high) and how to negotiate the neighborhood on foot.

Since they get extra points for attending the local high school football games (by sitting with the band-music points), he's learning about those, too.

Fun times in the land of the pre-teen....more later.

It's HOT!

Dear Summer:

I know it's not Labor Day yet, and the kids are back in school, but this 100+ degree temperature thing needs to go.

I finally got used to not freezing to death at the Hotel. Now my space is so cold I have to either 1) talk to patients in the hallway, if it's possible or 2) turn the air off and sweat while I talk to patients.

All this stuff about designing rooms for patients is nice, but once in a while, couldn't we get a universal design that works for EVERYONE?

I know I'll be waiting for the remodeling (that may never come) in my end of the Hotel. Here's hoping the HVAC folks can get it right.

Sincerely (only if you fix climate control),

RehabRN

The summer's dwindling

Soon, Bubba will go back to school. It will be a new one and a new grade, so it should be interesting.

After a year of trying, I finally figured out how the school information system works.

More to come...

Any day now...

Yes, the term (and the summer) will soon be over.

I won't miss the school part. Teaching has been a learning experience for me: lots of work for even less pay. That is all I will say.

Bubba and Dahey had a good time on our road trip, even though Bubba acted as if he had strep throat again (thank goodness he tested negative). I have had enough of communicable diseases, thank you very much!

We had fun traipsing around a historic playground, doing things we never do at home, and vegetating and enjoying nature. It was fun. I wish I would have felt like writing, because it would have been perfect.

One more class. A couple more days. I will perservere...and enjoy.

Stay tuned!

The story of my life, part 12

I read this quote recently in an article and it really struck me:

"The good workers get disheartened and demoralized if they see these non-performing workers making as much as them and they're not doing their job."

I have seen this daily since I started at the Hotel. It really does practically take an Act of God to get someone fired, unless of course, the state takes their license.

However, I am stubborn. I stick around and do my job to the best of my ability to spite them all (and trust me, there are enough of them). It's a challenge, but some days ARE really better than others (today was pretty decent).

I will let it all take its course before I decide to do something else, but the clock is ticking. I have never been so glad to be on the downside of my service contract for graduate school!

Deja vu all over again

No school due to a snow day. Supposedly, they'll take them back tomorrow. Some parents kvetch on the school's Facebook page. Others, like me, rejoice.

Bubba needs to learn something. The school year is flying by so fast.

On top of all of it, another great relative has died. This one was special. Before he married into the family, he was the doctor for most of the folks in town. He even delivered some of Great Aunt Marion's kids (when she was married to dear departed old Uncle Gilbert, the guy who threw some great parties, known for their food). Dahey was their wedding photographer.

The day he died would have been their 12th wedding anniversary.

More later

Never a dull moment

Bubba likes to tell me he's a "preteen". He's growing up.

So to get ready for the those awkward years, I bought this book, geared to 10-12 year olds.  He was not even remotely interested in it. It's written by folks from the American Medical Association, who have over 2600 other titles there.

Today he decided to take it to school, and it was promptly confiscated, after he showed it to another kid.

I explained that it was not his job to educate his classmate. My job is to educate him, and that was not a choice I would have made.

We shall see how this goes. So far, no note from the teacher or phone call.

The movie in health class is scheduled for March right before spring break.

More later...

Pain at a distance

I talk to a lot of people I don't normally get to see through Facebook. Yes, I know Facebook is now for old people, but in terms of socializing, with the crazy life I sometimes have, it's the only way to be a part of someone's life.

Most of my friendships are cemented by life events. Kindergarten. High school. College. Nursing school. Rexie and I met in nursing school. The knockdown drag out year that was accelerated nursing.
We decided to sit near each other. Being creatures of habit, we gravitated to the same spot with our friends, D and J. We anchored our section in the lecture hall, and we bonded. We collected papers for each other. We called each other if anyone got sick. We commiserated after exams at the local coffee shop.

Rexie has been teaching since we got out of nursing school. She had another interesting life before nursing school which helped her land that job. It also helped that the professor wanted to train someone before she retires.

But today, Rexie is back in the town she grew up in, and I can't help her. I can't make anything better, because Rexie's son died in a terrible accident. It was supposed to be fun: the men out for the weekend. It wasn't supposed to end like this.

As her friend, I can only see her pain from a distance; an uncomfortable space I have only travelled reluctantly in my life. I watch from afar. And pray. Pray she makes it through everything in the coming days.

More later...

He asks why

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day. It was crisp, bright and sunny. All the kids leaving the church on Sunday ran out onto the courtyard, between the bushes, and up to the pumpkin patch, to pick the perfect pumpkin.

Today, the kids went to school, and found out one of the boys playing in the pumpkin patch will never carve his jack-o-lantern. He won't get to wear his Halloween costume or go to the Trunk or Treat on Friday.

Today little Colin died when his house caught on fire. The fire department doesn't know why. Only two relatives were with him and they were injured trying to escape. Colin got lost in the smoke and died trying to get out.

And Bubba knew him. He asks why. He feels the pain of death for the very first time as we sit and cry together in silence.

More later...