Long time coming

Wow, I've been so busy with school and work (and fishing) that I haven't posted in over a month.
So sorry, I know everyone hangs on my every move.

Tomorrow is my Final exam for the semester. I think I'm going to do ok on it. I have studied, and am retyping notes, just to get them better embedded in my brain. I also have a study group after work tonight.

I've been fishing whenever I can. I like to fish, as long as the fish are biting.

I'll post pics of some of my fishes later on.

Patrick

Busy day

I worked lastnight, then had class this morning, sleep this afternoon, back at work tonight.


I did find an hour between work and class this morning to go fishing.

I caught this one nice Crappie.

Hot day

I turned the A/C on at my aunts place when I got there this morning at 8am, cause I knew the day would be warm. I woke up about 10 or 11 and it was so hot in the house! The thermometer was pegged up passed 80. The vents were putting out hot air. The A/C unit outside was working, but the air was still hot.
I opened the windows and sliding doors and turned on the whole house fan, it pulled the hot air out mostly. I tried to go back to bed, but it was still hot in the house, I slept off and on the rest of the day.
I left the windows open tonight, so I hope it cooled the house off. I'm probably going to go fishing this morning between work and school, since it is just 3 hours, not really enough time to get good sleep. After class I'll come home and sleep though. Then I have to come back to work. I'll be glad to get this run overwith!

Preparing for a "three in a row"

I'll be working the next three nights, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. I also have class Monday morning. I slept most of today, I was up about 3 hours and watched TV, then went back to bed but didn't sleep very well. I really wanted to go fishing! It was so nice outside.

I'm at work now, we had a busy first half of the shift, one of the nurses got sick and wasn't much help, but the rest of us picked up where we could and got everything done.

Joe'l called a little after midnight and said that they were home. I'm glad they are back safely on the ground at home. Her and Bella are going to come up a little before my shift tomorrow night so we can have supper together.
I better get my work done.

More clinical news

Today at clinicals things went better, my patient is improving, but still making off color remarks.
When it was time for me to leave, I went to tell him goodbye and the like, he gave me 2 $100 bills. I told him I couldn't take it, it was against school policy, but that I appreciated what he was trying to do. He got mildly upset and said it was his money he could give it to me if he wanted. This went on for a few tense minutes, until I finally convinced him that I wasn't going to take the money. Thankfully his brother and nephew were in the room so there were witnesses that I didn't take the money.
When I got finished with school, I drove home to see Bella, I hadn't seen her since Tuesday night. She was excited to see me and told me all about her day at "mamaw Terry's". We went to my parents to eat supper, then I was going to drive back to Bloomington, as I had to work Saturday night. Bella continued to play with my mother while dad and I watched "Ice Age 2". I slept for a little bit on the couch, then got up about 10pm to drive back to Bloomington, then she didn't want me to leave. She hugged me about a dozen times and waved by to me all the way out the driveway.
I miss my little bug.
I'll be glad when Joe'l gets home, and Bella will be too.

Clinicals and FISHIN'!!

I had an interesting patient assigned to me at the hospital today. He was borderline lewd with some of the remarks he made. At one point I was moving him to a wheelchair or something and he told me to move over he was, "Looking at the meat". I looked over my shoulder and my instructor and one of my classmates were standing in the hallway (both women). It made for an interesting day!

After clinicals I went fishing. I'd been fishing a few times already this year, but hadn't had any bites, but today was different. Even though the water is still very chilly, the fish were active, I caught an estimated 30 bluegills (or sunfish) and about a dozen crappie. I don't think I had ever caught a crappie before. I fished about 5 hours before going back to aunt Milly's to complete my nursing care plan for my patient.

I didn't have my cell phone with me to take pictures of any of my fish, (or the "meat") ha ha.

Fishing with new friends

I met some people at Griffy Lake in Bloomington this afternoon that I originally met on the "indianaifo.net" fishing site. Nice folks, we talked some and fished, but none of us caught anything.

Sad news

Joe'ls "Pop pop" passed away tonight around 10pm. She and her mother will be flying to PA tomorrow for the viewing and funeral, I think they'll be back on Saturday.
Keep her and her family in your prayers.

Back at BHOC

I'm working 6 hours this morning at BHOC ER, just to keep up to date on the new computer system. We just had our first patient come in. We'll see how it goes!

"Look what I can do!!"

I was working on a floor today for a new piece of a shed dad and I am building. I was using large staples with a pneumatic gun to put the frame to the sheeting on the floor. I was working too quickly, shot the gun but didn't have it flat on the surface. The staple propelled by 100psi of air flew into my hand. I didn't have a camera to take a picture of it actually *IN* my hand, but I did have the ER save the staple. I yelled at the neighbor (I was at mom and dads) he and his grandson came over, called Joe'l on the phone and she came and got me. I got some lidocaine (the shots were 10x worse than the staple in my hand) injected in my hand, that made the pain go away. The doctor pulled the staple out, I got an Xray to make sure it hadn't damaged the bone, everything is ok and I'm on Keflex to prevent infection. Now what you've all been waiting for, THE PICTURES!

A distance shot, to give perspective.

This is where the staple was embedded, I'm not

sure which of these marks are from shots and

which are from the staple.

Here's the staple. As you can see, it's not from

your desk stapler!

Here's the staple on my hand.

OUCH!

What happenings

I've been neglecting my Blog, bad owner.

I went fishing today! I used to love to go fishing. I didn't catch anything today, but just being out in the sun and wind made the winter blahs go away.

School is still going on, although I'm on Spring Break this week, thus able to fish...
We changed clinical sites last week. Now I'm on the rehab floor "Where the nurses do nothing, and then blame you for it!" Not really. Well yeah really.

I'm still working. I might be splitting my time in the newly-to-be-opening ICU also, we'll see how that goes.

Joe'l is fine, she trys her best to keep our overstuffed little house spic and span. Stacking and restacking gets her down sometimes. She had a hair disaster earlier this week, you'll have to ask her about it.

Bella is still being a little girl, trying as that is for us parents. She goes potty by herself now, and as long as we are there to wrangle her away from the sink she does a fine job.
She is a big helper around the house too. She helped me dig a hole in the yard on Saturday, what a good girl.

I'll try to keep up with the blog better, but I can't promise....

Sick

Well, I had school yesterday then worked lastnight. I woke up today; nausea vomiting and diarrhea. I hate being sick....

In my "spare-time"....

This is a pile of brush!!

Actually, it is a cover made for small birds and mammals

to hide in. It started with the trunks of the cedar

trees, then piled on the boughs, this creates a place

that birds (I'm hoping for quail) can hide in the winter.

Another picture of my brush-pile.

And another picture....

This is the Rise of Lost River in Orangeville.

The river is filling the banks here, and spilling over

down-stream.

This is a view of the Rise looking north.

You can usually see the rock "bluff", not this day!

A nice sun-rise picture, that is 37 in the foreground.

Catching Up

I have been so busy! I tried to set up so I can just email
my posts, but it doesn't appear to have worked.

School is going along, some good days some not so good days.
Lots of late nights working on Care Plans. I'll try to post my next post
from my laptop, I have some pictures on there.

Bella knew what we were saying today when we spelled N-A-P, and she said
she didn't want to.

A great idea!!

I have a question, not only for Douglas County,
but for the entire state of Oregon. Like a lot of
folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay
me, I pay my taxes and the government
distributes my taxes as they see fit. In order for
me to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a
random urine test, which I have no problem with.
What I do have a problem with is the distribution
of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a
urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test
to get a welfare check, because I have to pass one
to go earn it for them? Please understand, I have
nothing against helping people get back on their feet.
I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping
someone sit on their butt. Could you imagine how
much money the state would save if people had to
pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Attributed to Leonard Wilson

Whats with the weather?

Cold, warm, windy, FREEZING, warm.......
Joe'l told me that it will soon be groundhog day, she said she hoped he didn't see his shadow (or whichever means no more winter) Anyways, I said "what winter? We haven't really had any winter yet."
I'm off today, although I have a full plate of things to do, at least I'm home!

Back at work

I'm at work now, wanted to drop a note and see if anyone had looked at the picture, but no one has.
The ER is very busy right now, I hope we get through this rush and have a peaceful night. I'm not getting my hopes up though.
The most important thing on my mind right now is what we are going to have for supper....I'm thinking Chinese, we'll see what everyone else thinks.

Who remembers this?

I told you this was coming, my own old pictures.

(I can't find the one of Leta that I promised, but I will.

Endo day at the hospital

Today I was observing in the endoscopy department all day. I watched 3 or 4 EGD's (down the throat scopes); 3 or 4 colonoscopies (up the rear scopes); 1 ERCP (shooting dye into the common bile duct to make sure the ducts are still patent, and the clip is still holding where the gallbladder used to be); and a bronchoscopy with biopsy under fluroscopy (real-time X-ray) THAT was really neat.

Joe'l came up to Bloomington and we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Bella is staying with her grandparents for the weekend.

OR time

I was in the OR all day at the hospital. I really had a good time! I took some extra medicine and prayed a lot before I left home. I didn't even *think* about being nervous today. I'm excited.
I got to see a carotid endarterectomy. That is where the carotid artery (in your neck) is cut open longitudinally and the plaque is taken out. I thought it would be like grease or fat that came out, but it was more like grissle or the parts of a piece of chicken that you don't eat.
In the afternoon I watched two hernia repairs done though the scope (endoscope). That was neat too, like playing a video game, watch the monitor and move the little graspers around inside.
I had a good day!