Merry Christmas!

To all my friends.
I have been off school for a little while, and got out of my habit of posting.
Things are going well at our house.

Patrick

End of the Semester

Well the semester is over, and I passed all my classes. B's in my "Nursing Fundamentals" and a C in Pharm, but a "C" is passing and I'm fine with that!
So I'll start classes again in January, two days of lecture, and two days of clinicals at the hospital.
I have some pics and other things to post, I'll try to get to a longer post later today.

Warm weather

It's in the 50's right now at 6:10am. I get off work at 7 and am getting pretty tired.
We saw a lot more people today. 29 people from 11A-11P. We're starting to pick up. Word is that Anthem is going to sign with the hospital sometime this week, and that will really help.

I checked online earlier and my new GPS arrived at my house today. I'm so excited to get to play with it! Er, use it for it's intended purpose and have it as a valuable tool.

I took my final today in my "Fundamentals of Nursing" I got an 83 I think it was, my average grade was an 87. My grade in Clinicals was also an 87. So now I only have to worry about Pharm....oh pharm, you could be such an interesting, fun class...but alas, just a bunch of crap to memorize.....

To keep myself centered and focused on the goal (ie more money and secure jobs) I have been browsing what I may purchase once I graduate. I'm thinking a new car for myself is possibly warranted...and I'm looking at this: Subaru WRX STI. Joe'l says it's a roller skate. I say, yeah, but it is a 300HP all-wheel driver roller skate! (The STI does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds; the new Ford Mustang Shelby 500 does it in 5.3 seconds)[The sticker for the Shelby is $45K, sticker on the STI is $33K, not that I plan on buying new]

I long for the days of a stick shift [my other stick-shift car]. Mine was almost identical to the one in the picture, minus the T-tops. Perhaps I'll have to start a "Retro Friday"

Day Shift

I'm working a day shift at Monroe today, I haven't worked day shift here yet. I don't know the "routine" for day shift. Everyone has a routine for their shift....I just told them to let me know if I'm supposed to be doing something.
But it was much nicer than driving to work at 3am!

So I'll work till 7pm tonight, then I have a final tomorrow and work tomorrow night, I'm going to stay in Bloomington tonight to study, and do some laundry. My other set of dark blue scrubs were not clean, so I'll have to wash these for tomorrow night.

We thought Bella was doing better, but then lastnight she threw-up in our bed again. She'd had milk. She drinks a lot of milk, but I wonder if maybe it is upsetting her stomach now all of a sudden. She told Joe'l something to the affect of "I'm not supposed to drink milk, it makes me sick..." right after she threw-up. It was funny since she'd been begging for the milk, then acted like Mommy made her drink it and get sick. So we got cleaned up and all went to bed.

Too little sleep

I've slept much too little in the last two days.
I've bought a new GPS, but it isn't here yet. I'm excited.

I went geocaching again today, I found 3 or 4 and couldn't find 3 or 4. I am pretty sure I could find 2 of the ones I didn't find now that I looked at a map closer. I'll have to go find those another time.

I might 'cache some today, I picked up some items to be moved to another 'cache.

Bella has been sick, she threw up Thursday night and had a fever. She is feeling better now, must've just been a quick stomach bug or something.

She's really getting to be a big girl!

Week-old picture

I took this picture last sunday morning when

I was geocaching on my way home from work.
I really hope Santa brings me a new GPS for

Christmas, but it's ok if he doesn't too.

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.