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...

'Tis the season

Oh, the holiday parties, lunches, etc. begin. We recently got our decorating requirements from the safety staff at the Hotel: no lights near patient beds, no blocking egress with trees or decorations, or covering up fire alarms (yes, they have to tell people that).

The weird requirement, though, was the "No decoration can cover more than 10% of a door". Guess I have to tell the elves that the fancy bow on our door is actually over the limit.

If that's not exciting enough, it's always fun when I'm off work and see some of our fine floor unlicensed nursing staff out shopping at 9AM. The local mall is located two miles from the Hotel. It's not lunch time, either.

Oh, I so want to call the house supervisor, to ask if he/she knows where all his/her employees are, but I know nothing will be done.

Stay tuned...

Planes, trains and automobiles, NOLA version

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was only 24 hours, but darned, it was so good. I felt the pangs of frustration of Steve Martin, the screaming kids, the shuttle that was crammed with folks, but it was really amazing.

Our shuttle driver gave tips on some of the best things to do (and most importantly, eat) in New Orleans. I promptly made my way to Central Grocery to try out their muffaletta, and I made it, just before they closed. On the way back, I ate dessert first: beignets with cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde. My other culinary adventure was to Acme Oyster House, while I was roaming around Bourbon Street before I left. You can't beat an oyster poboy! (NOTE: I don't eat raw oysters, so try it if you are not a fan of these runny bivalve mollusks. They are delicious fried!)

While I was in the neighborhood, I fulfilled a mission: I went back to the French Market and got the silver pendant I figured I didn't need two years ago to go with the earrings I bought to remember the Crescent City.

Coming home I met a nice lady from another conference at our hotel. She worked for a very famous beauty company, and picked up my tab for the cab ride. Thank you Angela! Will definitely buy your products at the store!

The rest of my trip included a layover, but since the massage shop was too busy, I opted for a salty summer brew, then I talked to some fun folks at the airport's Starbucks. And listened to live music in the terminal.

I attended the meeting and longed to stay for the awesome conference I went to last year, but family comes first. I went home to get Bubba and he was happy. He got an awesome trumpet T-shirt souvenir to replace the one he grew out of, and a good one to wear for Mardi Gras this year.

I can't wait to go back and hang out among the many rehab nurses again. It's always a blast. See you all in Philly next year.

Stay tuned...vacation is never dull.

Here comes the rain again

April showers do bring May flowers, but after those showers get mixed in with tornado watches and warnings, I get a little edgy. It fits the mood, though. I'm still a little melancholy after this week.

Thankfully, the latest tornado watch was called off so Bubba could go to his track meet, hang out and have fun while Dahey and I had a date night. We went to a neighborhood I grew up in (which has since become moderately gentrified) to a restaurant I've wanted to try. It was nostalgia: some things change and some things stay the same. Thankfully, the food was good, the beer was cold, and the various games were on the (baseball, hockey, etc.) TV so Dahey could follow along.

Since we were on a nostalgia trek, Dahey decided to drive to a shopping mall we walked in a lot while we were dating. A lot of stores are gone, but some old reliables got bigger. They even got an Apple Store in this particular mall. Which of course, made Dahey want a new phone. Thankfully, his problems can be resolved by sending his phone in for repair, which will be done this week (thank goodness!)

Now, I'm back to doing my volunteer homework. Sometimes this is a time-consuming activity, but other times, it's a lot of fun.

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

Reprieve

Alas, Bubba's silty and sandy shoes, did not kill the dryer. (I had to wash them twice: by hand, then in the washing machine) I really thought they did because my teenage dryer suddenly stopped last week as I was finishing the last of the dirty camp clothes.

Hallelujah! I can enjoy my weekend, instead of going shopping for appliances (at least this weekend...)

More to come...

Total, utter shock

Hospital workers frequent Facebook during free time, says study

Okay. Yes, this does describe some of my coworkers at the Hotel to a tee, but what about shopping, travel planning and other mindless things they do in the middle of the day when they should be working?

Alas, these were limitations of this study.

Stay tuned.

I am showing my age..

I feel sorry for the girl who actually brought Joan Rivers along to pick out her wedding dress.
Too bad an opinionated mother or sister wasn't enough. (head smack)

Back to reality, not TV...nursing a bunch of characters at the Hotel is WAY easier than dealing with Joan Rivers.

Stay tuned...

Ah, a couple of days...

It just takes a couple of days away to really enjoy the start of the holidays.

Thanksgiving dinner was delightful. The day was sunny and the food all turned out really good. No politics was discussed at our dinner table (a major feat). We watched movies after lunch and just vegetated. (Thank goodness for the dishwasher!)

Black Friday came and went. I worked on a paper (I actually felt like writing) and Dahey and Bubba went shopping. Since most of the hardcore shoppers were out on Thanksgiving, it wasn't nearly as crowded. I did most of my shopping online. I did go to a store, but couldn't find anything I wanted.

The boys came home with an unusual present. They decided they needed a ukelele. (Dahey wanted a guitar, but didn't like the one he saw that was in the price range). The ukelele was in the price range and even came with a teach yourself DVD. Should be interesting to see if Bubba can get good enough to qualify for one of these scholarships. (Yes, there are scholarships for ukelele!)

Today, we're going to a local holiday fair and Bubba is excited. He knows the Santa there is not "real Santa" but he promises not to mess it up for the little kids.

Should be interesting...stay tuned.

I'm on vacation...

But my mind drifts, here, there and everywhere.

I talked to one of my former coworkers, who is now a code monkey for a major health system here in RehabLand. Before you know it, I have a contact (actually four) for a project I'm doing at work.

The part I really love about being on vacation: cooking. I cook more when I'm on vacation than any other time. I have time to check my recipe books, plan, shop and actually cook. I've made soups, stews, cakes, pies and all sorts of other goodies while I've been on vacation. I even made my first duck dish.

My absolute favorite thing, though, is actually budgeting time for myself and doing what I plan: exercising and taking long baths. Yes, it may be terrible for the skin, but as Winston Churchill noted to one US president "I have nothing to hide." 

Just let me hide in the bathtub with a good book for a while, and all will be good.

Back to cooking. Bath (and book) to come...

Just in case...

Dear readers:

Please note: I did go out shopping on Black Friday, and no, I did not need pepper spray/knives/guns. I wait until THOSE people are gone before I shop. (I also take Bubba, and frankly, they are a bad influence to children.)

Since I actually paid attention in economics way back when I was in school, I figured out early, that getting beat up and spending thousands of dollars on a trip to the hospital for a $200 big screen just ain't worth it.

I'll be lurking around my computer bright and early for Cyber Monday, though.

Hoping there are no traffic jams on the internet before I go to work Monday. Happy shopping!

Yours truly,

RehabRN

In the news

I'm really enjoying my snow day. I even took a nap.

In between all these taxing tasks of shoveling and shopping, I found a few items of note on the internet. Enjoy!

Silent and really deadly
If they get their way in Malawi, you will go to jail for letting one rip. (from BBC)

The other most wanted list
No, John Walsh doesn't have anything to do with this list, but OIG surely does. Check out the Medicare fraud most wanted list. (from www.oig.hhs.gov)

What a pain
Yes, it sure is when your insurance company doesn't believe you are in pain (from www.nytimes.com)

Holiday stuff
Valentine's Day will be here before you know it. Make sure you buy the right color and kind of flowers, folks. Otherwise you may be saying something you didn't intend.

In the news

I'm off today celebrating MLK Day with Bubba, who incidentally, was born on one holiday himself. He's having a grand old time, shopping, buying stuff, and being a little kid playing video games. 

We've already been shopping, to Starbucks, and visited Giacomo and his crew, since today really is his birthday.

So while he's busy being a kid, I get to sit down and relax, which means reading away on the trusty computer. Here are some items of interest.

• The perils of the world's most famous liver transplant patient. I cannot imagine ruining financial markets if I called in sick. Just shows you how important (or not) some people are.
• Yes, it's not life or death, but I enjoy reading report cards like this one after the Golden Globes.
• And if you thought your employers dress code was crazy, at least they didn't mandate what color underwear you could wear, like UBS. Thankfully, in the spirit of the New Year, they've decided to rethink things. Just one word...duh!
•  What's for dinner? I spend a lot of time looking for recipes online, so I'm especially ecstatic when I find ones I can make quickly. Check out this article on how to make some different and new meals by putting together a few items.

And, in the spirit of the MLK holiday, check out this YouTube montage, complete with Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday to ya.

Enjoy your day, wherever you may be.

The kindness of strangers

Yes, I was enjoying my day off shopping on this Black Friday. We shopped early, but enjoyed the lull between the early shopping crazies and the lunchtime shoppers. Bubba had a blast.

When we rested for a short time, I set down my purse. I didn't even notice it until later in the day when I went to look for my cell phone, which also happened to be the most valuable thing in there. (I keep my wallet and keys on me at all times). I started calling around to the stores I was in, to no avail.

Later, I went back to the stores tracing my path. Lo and behold, I found the purse at the bookstore. The lady told me someone found it in the back. I had been trying to call the phone four or five times before I got it back.

"Honey, it's been so loud in here, we never noticed."

Profuse thanks to the bookstore staff. We frequent the store often and will continue. You are all the best.

Nerdly pursuits

Yes, I'm one of those crazies who seek out trouble.

I am no longer employed in the computer industry, but I got to convince my friend to do some networking work at home and buy her kid a new computer. Happy Birthday Nico! Remember, I got you (by talking to mom) that iPod Touch last year, too. Don't pull any crap or mamasita's compadre here will mess up your box (as much as it hurts me...it'll hurt you more!)

Dearest Elderly Relative asked me to hook up his/her new PC....and transfer files. You'd swear the world would end if DER can't get those chain letters!

And because everyone's been buying new stuff and making me salivate, I'm coveting this software for one of my upcoming projects. I've been tagged by one of my instructors to publish a paper that I co-authored this semester. Two of three of us are on board to shop the project out....so we'll see what happens.

I'm heading to the online stores. Stay tuned for more tech toy updates.

It's flying by...

I can't believe the month is flying by so quickly. Not long now until the conference starts....yippee!

Travelling partner and I are up to no good, according to her man. Imagine, two nurses using free time to shop and be tourists and share all the sale info with your fellow conference attendees.

For shame...!

Stay tuned for more sales, I mean, conference, updates.

Cookin'

That's what I'm doing on my day off, enjoying the overcast skies. If I could sing on key, I'd probably pen an ode to my favorite kitchen appliance.

A little housecleaning, a little shopping and a little visiting with friends will make my day complete.

Stay tuned...it's back to the ranch soon, so more fun ahead!

Escaping the paper monster...

Sure, I was off, but most of my days were doing paperwork. It was nice to go outside periodically when I wanted and drink coffee whenever I wanted, which is relaxing.

I've learned a few things lately:

1. Gonna have to get creative on financing for grad school...don't you just love regulations (and I'm sure someone's going to say "It's the economy, stupid.")?

2. Learned a few more things about research nursing. I joined a journal club in the area and got together with some local nurses, one of whom I met recently before the meeting. We had a great dinner and talked about Kaplan-Meier curves and hazard ratios. Just remember: it never hurts to network!

3. You can powershop in a hurry and sometimes get lucky. Even with the heady material we had to read, I had a great time and since I didn't want to get lost, I got to the restaurant early to check out everything, then I went and scoped out the local, swanky shopping mall. There were sales galore, so in the last few minutes before the meeting, I found something. I'd show you all the link, but I'm saving it for my anniversary, and I know for a fact someone who reads this blog would click on it just to see it. (Yes, Dahey reads this blog...)

Anyway, should be a fun day at work...more to come.

Other random weirdness

Today passed reasonably quickly. I had only one patient and the med wagon again today. Things were pretty good. A few people didn't feel well, so things were quieter than normal. The Slug was still her lazy old self, taking an almost two hour lunch so we got to deal with the doc admitting her patient, but nothing new about that.

My patient was a riot. Instead of complaining to my boss the first thing this morning, as he's been doing for the last few days that I've worked, he sits up and tells me, after I get him a pan of water to wash up with, "Maybe I can get in the shower." "Sure you can," I say, "that's why the bathroom's attached to your room." This works out well, especially with rehab patients, since we can get them to do things on their own when everything is nearby in your own bathroom. (We're an old unit, so each room does not have a private bath attached.)

I go down to pick up a shower chair, which is basically a wheelchair with a padded seat with a hole in the middle. Said patient, who did a wonderful sit-pivot transfer for me yesterday, refused to do it today. I had to go roll out the old, reliable hoyer lift and deposit him on the shower chair. I ran the water, got it the right temp, and rolled him into the bathroom. Once he was in there, he was oohing and aahing to no end. He washed himself from top to bottom pretty well and all I had to do was wash his back. It's amazing how much work it is to get clean from top to bottom, but he did it. I even got the unit blow dryer and he dried his hair to finish up. It wore him out, so he skipped his AM therapies.

He ate lunch in bed and then just before he's supposed to get up and go back down to therapy he says, "I have to take a dump." Yes, the docs call him a simpleton, and yes, he's got those earthy quips to prove it. After about half and hour waiting for the farts to become feces, I convinced him to give up until his bowel program in the evening.

Again, I hoisted him out of bed and into the wheelchair, got him all situated and escorted him down to therapy (the docs want to make sure he actually goes). He goes and hangs out with the rest of the guys and all was well.

I would have put him back in bed, but one of the nurse assistants told him the store was going to be open until 5PM tonight. He got his money and was off to do some Christmas shopping. I made sure he was ready and wished him well.

Finally, I finished up my med wagon paperwork. It is always so much fun. I save some of the work until the end so I can get things squared away when things aren't so crazy. I finished everything and walked out of work to a stiff breeze and light snow. Things should be interesting tomorrow. I just hope I don't freeze my toes in the snow!

More later...

The holidays are coming...

And, as usual, I never feel like I'm ready! I've been busy shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning out cabinets and freezers. After that, I'll get to clean some more in between working.

On top of it this year, I'll be fluffing and buffing around here as I get ready to host the Thanksgiving edition of Change of Shift. The submissions are trickling in, so if you're so inclined, get going on yours and send it in!

You know it's the holidays on our unit because food is appearing everywhere. It's tough to be a nurse or hospital employee when wherever you look (in only JCAHO-approved places, of course) there's food--candy, cookies, you name it. A few people have dropped hints to families that no nurse can deny a good piece of chocolate. I'll second that, thank you. Bring it on! I'll just have to do a few more laps around the Hotel to burn off that candy!

More later! Send those posts in...I'll be waiting!

Whirlwind trip is over

After way too much fun and excitement on United Airlines last night, I finally made it home. Since there was no coffee on the plane, I drank some Coke and was awake enough to get home in one piece without falling asleep. It was tempting but I just don't sleep well on planes.

I enjoyed the seminar with my partner-in-crime, A. We got a lot of shopping and walking done in between sessions and it was fun. I met a lot of interesting people and the organizers plan on keeping in touch with us, to see how we're doing. Since we all work for the same place, I'm not surprised that they're doing this....it'll probably end up as a research project or something!

Today so far has been busy, and tomorrow I'll be back to work after a week away. I'm as ready as I'm going to get right now. Back to housework...stay tuned.