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!

A bad day

Today I had class, a lady from the OR came to talk to us about do's and don't's for me we have observation time there. I'm the first person to have time in the OR, it is tomorrow. I don't want to do it. I'm afraid I'll freak out while I'm in there.
She said that if we feel like we are going to pass out that we should just sit down in the floor, not try to make it out of the room, we'd probably fall down and crack our heads. Great!
I was really happy to be home and see Joe'l and Bella, I'm having a hard time with my anxiety right now.

Splitting a weekend is bad

I worked Saturday 7am-7pm, and Sunday 7pm-7am. Don't try this at home.

I may be chosen to have a blog on the Ivy Tech website, I will find out later this week...maybe. There are several others vying for the position. But my wit and charm, I'm sure, will lead me to win.
We've had a good night in the ER, our patient numbers are up, which means we aren't all bored to tears all night long. And some of them are actually SICK! (and have insurance!)

One hour till I'm off, and I can't wait. I am really tired tonight. I work again on Tuesday day-shift and then have school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and am scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday day-shifts, then school on Monday morning and a "nursing luncheon" at noon. Then I'll be off for a whole day! I think I'll sleep.

Thursday I'll be in the OR at Bloomington Hospital observing. Friday will be Endoscopy (that is where they put the scope down your throat and look, or cut or whatever needs done.) Endoscopy will be interesting and Surgery probably will be too.
But, going into Nursing school, the one thing that I didn't really want to do was OR, so what is the FIRST specialty observation I have to do.....OR of course. *sigh* This is just my luck. But I will arise and overcome!!
I gotta get some pictures on here, I'm sure the blog is boring.

Home away from Home

My Aunt lets me stay at her Condo on the lake when I need to. I'm probably going to be here more this semester than last, due to class schedule and work.

Tomorrow is the first day at the hospital for clinicals, we are going to be learing about IV pumps, and the computer system and where things are in the hospital....yee haa...I just had to learn a new facility, but that's ok, I will arise and overcome.

I am going to get to some reading, then to bed. (Why can't we just have a USB port put in our head and download all the information? al-a "The Matrix")

The Blog ought to be more frequent now that I am back in school.

Caving at the nudey camp

I went caving for the first time in months on Saturday. I had a good time, didn't do anything too over the top. Just a couple of small caves. One was on the property of this place http://www.ourhaven.info/ I didn't know such a place existed so close to home. It is actually in Martin County. This cave was only 65', but it did have some nice yet small formations in it. Most notably were the very tiny rimstone dams.
The second cave we went to was almost in the town of Shoals, it is a sandstone cave. We surveyed (mapped) this cave, and it took a lot longer than anticipated, due to many large rocks in the way. It took 2-3 hours, but we finished it. I'm anticipating seeing the map drawn out.

I started back to school today. I only have one class this semester, but two days of clinicals at the hospital, so I will be busy non-the-less. I'll still be working two shifts a week also.

Bella and Joe'l got back from PA yesterday, I was happy to see them, they had been gone for 9 days to visit family and celebrate the holidays with them.

I should be able to get back to the blog now that vacation is over and I'll be on a more set schedule.

Oh the wonders of boredom

We got a new "all-in-one" printer for ourselves around Christmas time...so I guess it was a gift to ourselves. Now I can scan in some of these pictures I have around. I have a bunch from my Senior band trip to Florida. Those will be NICE!! ha ha....
And I am pretty sure I have a really great one of Letajoy hanging onto the back of my lawnmower, being the "weight" for the grader blade, if I'm not mistaken, she is wearing a neon green hat....Yeah, maybe tomorrow I'll got on a scanning frenzy!

Joe'l and Bella are in PA, they left last Monday er Sunday, Friday maybe, I can't remember, I don't even know what today is. Anyway, they will be home on Sunday!
I miss them awful. :o( Poor daddy.

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.