Five Question Friday 2/25/11

Hip, hip hooray! It's Five Question Friday. I've missed this for the past couple of weeks. Sometimes feel like I don't have much to blog about; then along comes Friday and Mama M over at My Little Life offers up questions that are simple to answer and give me an excuse to blog--woo hoo! If you'd like to join the fun or find out what others have to say in response to the questions, click <here> to visit Mama M and copy and paste the original questions for yourself. This blog hop is a lot of fun. Here goes...

1. Can you drive a stick shift?

Bet your bottom dollar I can drive a stick shift.  An old boyfriend (former sounds a lot nicer, but that was a long time ago and he probably is old by now anyway) tried teaching me on his little blue Chevette.  I remember stalling out every time I tried to take off before I got the "feel" for it.  My first car (as in the one for which I was responsible for making payments) was a 5-speed Toyota Camry. I loved Katie Camry with a passion, and she was an awesome vehicle.  Alas, I had to trade her in once I had kids and needed electric locks & windows and more space and such.

2. What are two foods you just can't eat?

I can only think of one and that's "chitlins" or chitterlings if you want to get all formal. They're pig intestines and I've never been able to get past the "what" they are and the smell. I'm told I'm missing out on some good eatin' but I'll gladly take someone else's word for that.

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind?

Because Girl Scout Cookies now cost $3.50 a box (versus the 75 cents a box when I was a Girl Scout) I don't buy them all that much.  Growing up we all loved the thin mints (especially right out of the freezer where of course we stored them so as to enjoy them beyond the month of February). I'll usually try all of the new flavors, but if I were to only buy one box (which is all I bought this year 'cause my little neighbor was just so stinkin' cute) I'd go for the Caramel Delights...the one that's like a Twix bar with a little toasted coconut on top.

4. How do you pamper yourself?

I run right over to the massage school and get a full hour massage. The students cost half of what the instructors charge and they're really pretty good since they're trying to get good marks for their portfolios.  I'll also escape to a weekend bed and breakfast scrapbook retreat once or twice a year, finances permitting. 

5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?

I don't really have a nickname, per se.  When I taught the 18-month-old class at Parent's Day Out, I introduced myself to my babies as "Miss E" and they shortened it to "E" so that's what lots of people call me now.  The Hubs calls me "Sue-Sue" although it has nothing to do with any of my names.

Well, that was fun and now I'm done.  Gotta link up and skedaddle to an appointment. I can't wait to get back and see what everyone else has to say about these questions. Have a great weekend.  I'll be working, which is a good thing!

My House Stinks!

Hey, Everybody! I am so ready for spring.  I thought that maybe changing my blog background my help expedite the change of seasons.  We've enjoyed weather in the 70's for the past few days, but I think I heard a meteorologist saying something about rain and a cold front, so I don't think winter is quite over for good.
Anyway...I've survived three days on the unit--two days shadowing other nurses and one day taking care of a patient of my own.  My preceptor (akin to a mentor) will assign me two patients Saturday which will be a bit more of a challenge, but I'm ready!  I must follow my preceptor's schedule, and she works Sunday, Tuesday, Saturday, which suits me just fine except that I have to miss church and teaching my Sunday school class for the next 7 weeks :(.  I keep telling myself it's only temporary.  The Hubs is off on Tuesdays so we're able to get the kids to and from school without a lot of shuffling and drama.  My daughter, who feared she'd never see me ever again, is thrilled about this schedule.  Kicking the student mentality is still a challenge for me.  On my days off I feel as if I should be looking up medications, preparing paperwork for "class" or practicing putting together care plans or SOMETHING! It feels strange to just show up on the job and go from there.
On Wednesdays, we have classroom time scheduled for half a day.  This week a chaplain from Pastoral Care briefed us on where their office is and what they do for patients and staff alike.  I never thought of them being available to us (the nurses) as well as the patients and their families.  The chaplain dispersed prayer beads which I wear on my name badge.  I'll have to take a snapshot to share; they really are quite pretty.
This week's other speaker was a diabetes educator.  Diabetes is one disease that just confounds me and I'm always open to more information on the subject.  Nurse D actually made us all give ourselves an injection!  I was a little wary at first.  My hands were really shaking, but she contends that we'll be a little more sympathetic toward our diabetes patients who have to give themselves insulin injections if we've experienced it ourselves.  She said we could always demonstrate this for our patients...ummm, the verdict is still out on that one.  I guess I would if I really had to but I'm not too anxious to flush normal saline (salt water) into the flab on my belly in front of my patients.
Even though I don't have to go to work per se tomorrow, I do have an appointment with a plumber.  The carpet in my hallway is squishy wet from the hot water heater leaking (hence the title for today's blog).  Tomorrow is my first payday and guess where that check is going? *sigh* At least I can rest assured that more checks will follow and one day I'll even be caught up (with bills, anyway).
Now that I know my schedule and all, I'll try to incorporate more frequent updates and get back to visiting you all.  I feel like it's been forever since I've been blog hopping and I miss hearing what's going on with you.  I know better than to log on and get started because a few minutes quickly stretch into several hours, and I have a hard time breaking away.  Thank you all for hanging in there with me.  I look forward to visiting you all soon. Until next time...

What a week!

Well who wishing for those snow days last week? Because we sure got them here in Texas.  Actually, I should clarify that what I'm really referring to are "ice/cold" days.  My kids have been out of school all week!  Monday they went to school; and early Tuesday morning that storm blew in dumping rain and sleet all over the metroplex.  I debated about going in to work.  My educator told us we'd follow the local school district as far as school closings go, but then she said we'd be really behind if we lost a day so we should try to make it in if at all possible.  She gave us a number to call to verify whether or not classes would be cancelled, but admonished us not to call before 7:45 a.m..  The roads were icy, but I had a route mapped out that didn't involve any highways or overpasses. I figured I'd just take my time and get there when I got there.  I made it about halfway driving 20 miles per hours before I decided to turn around and head back home.  Seeing an ambulance pulling away from a scene that looked like bumper cars at Six Flags with several tow trucks thrown in the mix should have been enough. Then I made it to a stop light where a car was having trouble getting traction. The truck beside me was spinning his wheels and I was just praying that I'd be able to move forward when the light turned green.  Before then, a small white car turning left in front of me lost control and came sliding sideways toward the hood of my car.  All I could do was keep my foot on the brake (so as not to be pushed backward into the cars behind and beside me), try to brace for the impact and pray that my van would still be drivable.  Luckily, his front tires hit the median beside my van and he stopped a couple of feet away. He and I were able to go on our merry little ways.  I was so thankful to make it home safely...what was I thinking trying to get to work in that mess?  About a mile from my house the educator reached me by my cell phone and informed me that classes were cancelled.  Good enough for me!
Needless to say, schools have been closed all week and will remain closed tomorrow.  My kiddoes couldn't be happier--they have a 6-day weekend.  Unfortunately, I don't think the temperature has risen above the 20's all week and the ice just isn't going away (well, except on the highways and roads that affect Super Bowl Traffic, that is), so it's not like they can go outside and "play" in the ice. I did go to work on Wednesday and today. I'm supposed to report tomorrow as well.  We were informed that hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and nurses are considered essential employees (translation: get your buns to work no matter what even if it means driving in the night before and crashing on a cot somewhere until your shift begins or spending the night after your shift if you're supposed to be right back the following morning.  I have an extra set of scrubs and toiletries in my car even as I type this!
Training is going well so far.  I'm getting a little antsy to get to the business of patient care, but will gladly accept whatever skills reviews they have to offer to help me keep my patients safe when I do finally get to work with them.
I'm guessing there will be no Five Question Friday this week as hostess Mama M. over at My Little Life has experienced an unexpected tragedy in her family.  Please keep her and her family uplifted in prayer. Click here to visit her blog and  let her know you're thinking of them in their time of grief. Until next time, my friends...stay warm and snuggle with the ones you love.