Missed a few days

I've been sick for a week, some days better than others. Yesterday was a good day, I went to school, and a work meeting. Between I went to do some geocaching at a park in Bloomington. I took some pictures!

Here they are.














Here's a view of the head of the valley. The park is called Leonard Springs. There are a lot of springs, they all flow to a water impoundment where the city of Bloomington got their water (1914-1923 or so) Now the impoundment has been drained and it is a wetland.

The stairs lead down to where the trail starts.


















This is a shelter cave at the top of the hill.


















On the left side of the picture is where all the
water just flows out of the ground at the largest spring.


















Here's a "bridge" over the creek


















This is why I used "bridge".

Park part 2

More pics from the Park.














This little guy was WAY up in a tree watching me.





















His cousin here let me get much closer
for a better photo.




















I don't know what kind of plant this is, but they
were all over this end of the park.




















This cave was at the very top of the hill.
I wonder where it goes...maybe I'll go back with
a light sometime.

Night 4 of 4

This is my fourth night working in an ER. I'm relatively not tired, considering.

Not much to report on, I've been sleeping and working for the last 4 days. Maybe something will happen next week.

Training Night

I'm working orienting a new UC tonight. So I'm not doing much. She has a good handle on things.

Not much going on.

Happy Thanksgiving

I has a sore throat this morning when I got off work. I stopped at the new MEGA Wal-mart in Bedford and got some vitamin C, cough drops, coldeeze and multi-vitamins. I took lots of everything and went to bed. I got up a little earlier than usual and went to Missy's for Thanksgiving dinner. Now I'm at work, I still don't feel great, but I am better than I was.
I need to get some pictures posted on here...I got that fancy camera and everything.
I'll try.

What a day

I slept all day, I watched one episode of X-Files. I got up and in the shower, had to fly to Bloomington cause I was running late. So far we're having a night....we'll see.

Wasted day

I got up this morning, drove to Bloomington, was in class a little over an hour, then came home.
I did go deer hunting tonight, I didn't see anything, except Randy, he sat in a deer stand 50 yards or so behind me, he didn't see me till it got dark and I turned on my flashlight. No deer.

I'm watching a stupid movie about some Indian ghost, nothing about the ghost looks "Indian". eh Nothing good on TV anymore.

I watched the new House tonight, it was pretty good.

I work the next 3 days.

Is it Sunday?

I'm so lost, I don't know what day it is. I got home this morning as the sun was coming up. I went to sleep in the recliner. I woke up about noon or so, I went back to bed for a couple of hours, then got up and went deer hunting. I saw one deer, or I saw four, I'm not sure. It was either four, or one four times....anyway, I couldn't get a shot. It is so amazing how you can watch a deer, then it just disappears behind a tree, and you don't see it again for 30 minutes.

I think I'm going to place a different stand tomorrow and see what I can do tomorrow night.

Now we are all watching TV and getting ready for bed.

Working

I'm at work.
Not much going on, we've only seen 10 patients or so.

I missed midnight by 2 minutes.

Friday Night

We went to my sisters tonight and had a "singing". We tried some songs we sing at church, that we needed some practice on. We had some snacks too. It was enjoyable.
We came home, House is on in 30 minutes. I realized while flipping the channels that "Insomniac with Dave Attel" isn't on Comedy Central anymore, and I'm glad.
"Braveheart" is on, I like it, that is a good movie.

I had class today, I was very tired. Pharm isn't the most intertaining subject.

Why do actors think it's "cool" to be gay? I just don't understand that.

I think I might try some standup comedy...probably leave the gay actor stuff out....
I've been laughed at lots in my life, may as well have fun doing it. I'd post some of my material, but Jerry Seinfeld might steal it. And it isn't nearly as funny to read it as to HEAR me do it.
So much of jokes I tell require an intelligent audience, which can really back-fire on you...if you live anywhere near here.
I'm sure you have all seen comedians do a joke that people don't get, then they have to explain, it gets real uncomfortable. "...so, see, PI is a greek number, and the guy said "Pie", but the other guy thought he meant "Apple pie"....nevermind...."

Sick Day

I stayed home all day today. Still feeling sick. I was able to sleep most of the day without the stupid phone ringing, I was surprised.

That's about it for today!

I feel better tonight, but still don't know why my stomach feels weird. My foot still hurts too, but I don't think there is anything wrong with it. My elbow is still hurting too, I think I'm going to have to go to the doctor to see what he can do about it, I might get steroid injections, or physical therapy.
I'm falling apart.
I don't know how some of you people get up in the morning.

Today

Had the second to last day of clinicals in the nursing home today. I was glad. I'm not going to work in long-term care.
I was sick feeling all day; but made it through. I was supposed to work tonight but I didn't feel like working 12 hours. I came home and had some chicken soup and slept most of the evening.
I have Thursday off, nothing to do, I don't know what I'll do with myself!
I work Saturday night by myself at Monroe.
Things are fine there, they are still working on getting things completed. (The time clocks aren't set up, so we just write in our times)
I wasn't "thrilled" when I got home after my first shift. Joe'l asked me what was wrong, the only way I could verbalize was: "They are just not 'MY' nurses". I love you all. (I've spent three years training you guys!) I'll see some of 'my' nurses on Thanksgiving night.

Quick post for the day

I'm still at school. There is a Nursing club meeting today at 4. I'm in charge of the webgroup that has been set up for the club.

I have to be at work at 7pm. I don't know how they do supper there, I guess I'll find out tonight.
I'm excited, but a little nervous too.

Patrick

BIG day

Today we worked outside. We dug some flower beds and I backfilled next to the house with the dirt. I of course got the lawnmower and trailer hung-up. The trailer is pretty large (it has a 1500# capacity) I got in some soft dirt and the tire sank, so Joe'l had to come and drive the mower while I pushed and pulled and tugged, but we finally got it free. Bella helped too, she dug some with her little shovel, then she wanted to use the BIG shovel like mommy and daddy.

(The clearing in the background, just above the mower, on the other side of the road, is the same clearing shown in the picture of the pretty sunset)

Here we are, with the trailer, and barely seen, the new John Deere "tractor" mower.

After a while, she laid down in one of the beds. It was cute, but we made her get out. It looked too much like a grave. eerie

While we were working outside I heard some people on ATV's on our property, so I drove out to the "back field" in my truck. I didn't see anyone, but I could hear that they were still in the area. While I was sitting in the field, someone shot (what sounded like a high powered rifle, not a shotgun) in the general direction that they were. My neighbor to the north has been known to sue people he catches trespassing, and he was a policeman, so I'm sure he has guns.

The ATV's headed for the road, back towards our house. I headed out. I was on the hunt. I caught up with them just down the road from our house and I had seen them come out of the woods ON our property. I really let them have it, I told them to stay off our property, they were trespassing, I had signs up, blah blah blah....they said the knew someone who owned property in that area and didn't know they were on someone elses property. I didn't believe them. Anyway, I told them to stay away, and if I caught them again, I'd call the police, like I did on the LAST people who I caught trespassing.

Back on happy notes....we came in the house after working outside in the cold, Bellas hands were so cold. We ate some french bread pizzas, watched "The Mummy Returns". I did some laundry and changed the bed linens (yes this is worth mentioning!)

When I came downstairs, I caught this picture.

Two tired Ducks!

Have a good week, I start my new job tomorrow night.

Friday friday

Fridays hold a few special things. One is that the TV show "House" has reruns on USA. So tonight, after waiting till 11pm to watch it, I was somewhat upset that it was a re-rerun that was just on last week.

I got a take home test today in Pharm....maybe I will pass this class.

Work again

I'm back at work....this is my last night at BHOC as a regular employee.
I worked 3 hours at Monroe on the 7th, doing my paperwork, W-2 forms and such. I did get to sit and watch the ER for a while also, but they weren't very busy so there wasn't much to see. The ER is HUGE and has all new equipment and such. My first "real" shift will be on the 13th. I get two days of orientation, then I'm off on my own...Dr. Hart has apparently really "talked me up", everyone up there knew who I was. Nothing like having a reputation to live up to.

Work, School, Work, School

Right now it's "work".

I broke part of a tooth off today, I don't know how that happened. I was chewing gum
and when I went to throw it away it was stuck to one of my teeth. I had another student look in my mouth and she said I had broken a tooth. I went and looked in the mirror and sure enough, I was a broken tooth.
I text-messaged Joe'l and she got me an appointment at the office. I was still there for over an hour! She got to work on me. She used this little caulking gun looking thing that put some temporary filling in the little hole, then she used the drill to grind it down so my mouth shut right.
I got to drive the family wagon-ster today. I really like our car. I'll get a pic on here soon.
I got to work with two of my favorite nurses tonight, Annis and Sally. Although all the nurses here are my favorites. I'm really gonna miss Carolyn, I hope she comes back some day.
Speaking of, this is my next to last shift, after Wednesday night, I will not be scheduled, only called in (more money) I'll be working at Monroe Hospital in Bloomington. I can't wait to start up there and get into all the new things. I like learning, I think that is why I pick up new "hobbies" all the time. Lets see: Growing mushrooms, growing ginseng, making rustic furniture, making rustic tools (to make rustic furniture), sheep farming (that was a fleeting idea!), beef farming, grapevine wreaths, ebay store...hmmm..sure that is not all!
Mum-mum got a new dog this weekend, I'll get a picture of him tomorrow too. He's cute. Although, not my idea of a "dog".

**Caution Graphic Content**

Last Sunday I mashed my finger in the car door.
This is a picture of my finger one week later.
The two holes are where I drilled through the nail to let the
blood out. This is the original picture.


















This is cool. I used the zoom on the camera, after I had taken
the picture to zoom in to this level. I have a Nikon Coolpix 5200
I don't think they make them anymore, I got it used, but it
works great, as you can see.



















Lastnight, I fell down a couple of the stairs on the
spiral stairs. I might have broken my toe, it hurts if I
put weight on it. My 4th and 5th toe both have bruising
on them, as well as the lateral dorsalis area (lower right)
Joe'l told me not to put my bruises on the internet, that no
one cared. But I know that my friends care.

Another long day....

I got up at 0530 this morning and had clinicals all day at the nursing home. I had a really nice resident as a patient today. He still had his mind and was not too bad off physically. He fell last spring and broke his leg and has been getting rehab in the NH.
Anyways, I'm at work now. Only 4 1/2 more hours to go, then I can go home and sleep. I'm pretty tired. I had a hard time staying away during the drive down from school.

We've only seen 5 patients tonight...but we have had someone in here almost all night. Long test times....

Have you ever heard the phrase "on the other hand..." What was on the first hand? Was it something yucky?
Oh, and we studied "bed sores" at school today too....what fun THAT was. To know that your own body weight can actually cut off the blood supply to your skin and cause the tissue to die. Wow...made me want to go on a diet!