I had a very pleasant visit at mairegirl 's house for the goodbye party for Chen, Elayn and Allison. It was very relaxing, the food was good, and I got to see people I haven't seen in too long.

We'll see if I can make it to Chen's for a little while late Saturday, but if I can't, then a safe trip out to SLC!

Your result for Reincarnation Placement Exam ...

Starfleet Crewperson

56% Intrigue, 63% Civilization, 63% Humanity, 46% Urbanization.

Had a lovely dinner Saturday night at a Japanese restaurant that I had heard good things about, but never had occasion to go to before. Good food and good entertainment from the Japanese hibachi dude who flipped food at the people sitting around him, played with fire, and was liberal with the sake squirting through the air into open mouths (kind of reminded me of carp in a pool waiting for treats). Got to see Rory, Tuge, Angelique, Chen & Elayne and daughter, and a couple of others whose names I forget. There was much geeking out about Star Trek and Wolverine. : ) I was happy to congratulate Elayne for graduating from physical therapy school, but sad that they will be moving so far away.

I'm just glad I was off work so I could be there.

I'm a little surprised I could get on the internet tonight. There's a problem with my phone line. I'm not getting a dial-tone, and my brother called my cell-phone today after failing to get through to me on my land-line. I've called verizon, and hopefully this will be taken care of tomorrow.

Worked Sat/Sun/Monday. Saturday and Sunday as floor nurse in post-intensive care, then Monday car-pooling with a couple other nurses to a pain education seminar in at St. Francis in Peoria. I'll be going back to the seminar next Monday, too, then I'll be one of 7 or 8 nurses considered "Pain expert" nurses at my hospital. The most useful part of the seminar so far is learning which pain medications work best with different sources of pain, and equivalencies between the effects of different doses of different medications by different routes (e.g. pill form versus IV administration of the same drug, or the effectiveness of propoxyphene versus hydrocodone). We also discussed which pain medications have a ceiling to how much you can give (e.g. only so much acetaminophen per day, or you fry the liver), and which ones do not, like morphine dosage can be increased way high, depending on how well the patient tolerates it. We also discussed barriers to effective pain control, including fear of becoming addicted (RARELY happens, but a lot of people refuse adequate amounts of pain medication due to this fear), or healthcare workers fear that patients will stop breathing (also greatly exaggerated, especially in patients who routinely get pain medication, and who's bodies have adapted to the pain med. These patients also frequently don't get adequate pain control because of misguided fears).

I treated myself to Star Trek on Friday, and really enjoyed the movie. It wasn't perfect, but I liked the back-stories presented on the various characters. I especially like Quinto as the younger Spock. Well played! I loved his reaction to the Vulcan Science Academy official who dissed his mother. : )  

I called Mom briefly Sunday night, to let her know I hadn't forgotten it was Mother's day, then a second time Monday night when I wasn't so tired, and we had a nice long chat. I look forward to seeing her and my brother for the first time in a couple of years when I fly to California next month for his graduation ceremony.

I finally broke down and made an appointment to see a doctor next week for a right hip that has been hurting the last couple of weeks. It keeps zinging me at the joint, like something's getting pinched. I kept waiting for the pain to go away, and took ibuprofen for about four or five days, but it won't go away entirely. I can still walk, run, etc. but it's more of an effort than it should be to walk without limping, and on those occasions when it really zings me, the leg kind of wants to buckle, which isn't good. So, I'm going to see the doc next Tuesday, and see what he says.

LOVED!  

IT!

Fantastic opening sequence. Great for history buffs. Very cool seeing all the things hinted at in the other X-Men movies fleshed out. I haven't read the comics, so it was all new to me, and I hadn't seen any spoilers.

Seeing Hugh Jackman all buffed up and with his shirt off was worth the price of admission alone. A really good movie to go with it is frosting on the cake. : ) : ) : )

I'm going to go see it again!

I should have a bit of fun this weekend.  On Saturday, I will be supporting Cat's team with the Rely for Life by attending Tea Time at the David Davis Mansion here in town. There will be tea and cakes, a show, and a tour of the mansion (which I have not yet seen, despite living in the area since 2000).  A portion of the ticket price will go toward the Relay, and  I will have a very pleasant afternoon with a few other SCA people who will be there. Nice!

I got sucked into the Twilight universe. I have read (and re-read) the books the last two months. Two days ago, I bought the movie when it came out on DVD, and saw it for the first time. It was not as good as it could have been. The potential was there, but it had a rough-around-the-edges look to it, unpolished. The director declined to make the second movie, New Moon, saying that there was not enough time to do it by the release date sometime late '09 or early '10. From the look of the first movie, this may be the literal truth. I don't know if it was the acting, the directing or both, but it needed something more. Perhaps more background music during dialog to support the emotions, or to cover up awkward pauses. Despite the shortcomings, I still enjoyed the movie. I liked seeing the cast portray the characters. I really liked some scenes, such as the Cullen family playing baseball vampire style. Billy Burkes, who played Bella's father Police Chief Charlie Swan, was so funny in an understated way; he was such a scene stealer! Pet peeve: the way the nasal cannula tubing was arranged to come up over Bella's eyes in some close-up's during the last hospital scene (in the wider views it was down on her cheeks where it should be). Other pet peeve: Bella shaking her head so much, it looked like she had a tic. However, the scene with Bella and Edward's first kiss was HOT. : ) : ) : )

OK, so I made it to the event yesterday a little late (1:30pm), but at least I got some sleep after getting to bed about 4am. I had some nice conversations, bought some whole nutmeg and a grater from plumettycat (just grated some on top of hot milk with a dash of brandy, and it was as good as I thought it would be!), learned to finger-loop braid cord from Loretta, and watched a puppet show. I helped serve the feast and clean up at the end of the event. Overall, a success. The event was on the small side, but the guys at troll said there were about a hundred people there. The feast was good, and only $5 for those who paid. I especially like the venison and stew. The organization was a little rough because both the autocrat and feastocrat were first timers, and not used to delegating (there was no head server at feast, for instance). However, with a little guidance on how to make use of others to make things run more smoothly, I think they'll do better (if they decide to try again) in the future. As it was, not a bad first attempt! Afterward, caught a beer with blackcatter at Applebee's, since I had had enough of crowds and loud noise at the event, and didn't feel up to more at the bardic post-revel.

Today I rested, and caught a  movie at a new movie theater that recently opened within walking distance of my home. I saw Watchmen, not having read the comic. Interesting movie. I liked how they introduced the alternate history at the beginning of the movie. I was concerned that the plot would not make sense to me if I hadn't read the comic, but they did a good job of explaining what was going on. Cool special effects, and I like that they didn't shy away from the full frontal on Dr. Manhattan. ; )

Yay!

I studied the booklet Monday, went to the class for about 6 1/2 to 7 hours yesterday, listening to videos and running simulations of life threatening cardiac problems. Got to practice CPR, play with defibrillators and discuss various medications. Studied again last night, then today we did additional simulations with each person changing roles and getting to be team leader once at each station. Finally did a "mega-code" simulation as a team leader and passed that (not perfectly, but no one was perfect, and I didn't embarrass myself). Finished with a 25 question test, missing just one, which I am grumpy about. It's one thing to honestly not know the answer to the question and get it wrong; it's another when I'm just sloppy and accidentally put down the wrong letter with the wrong answer. Grrr....   But, overall, I'm happy with the results! : )

I like the algorithms we studied. I'm told there used to be more algorithms, but the powers-that-be tightened them up and condensed them to a few manageable pages including:  Pulseless V-tach/V-fib combined with Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) and Asystole, to make a single paged algorithm that you can bounce back and forth on easily as the situation changes; Bradycardia (heart rate too slow); and Tachycardia (heart rate too fast) with pulse. Just three algorithms to memorize, not too bad.

I'm finally satisfied with my training for the post-intensive care. I've felt like I've been walking on eggshells sometimes at work because I hadn't had the advance training, and I felt inadequate because of this. I still am not really comfortable with the idea of leading a team during an emergent situation, not having actually been in a code beginning to end, but at least now I feel relief because I feel like I have a clue.

I did this once before, but the pictures are different this time...
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Everyone!

I went to see this last night. Will Smith did an interesting portrayal of someone dealing with depression, and the title of the movie is literal if you understand the reference. I don't want to spoil the movie for people, so I won't say more about the plot. A real tear-jerker, not something to see if you want to have your spirits raised. Quite a departure in tone for Mr. Smith.

After I finished dabbing my eyes, I went to the mall to make an exchange. My step-mom Shirley (bless her heart) once again decided I needed a size large sweater, which I of course swam in. : ) I was unable to find the same style of sweater at the local store, so went with a few other items, spending some of my Christmas money on:  a very soft, tight, button-up gray hoodie sweater, and a sweet thigh-length and belted black leather coat. The coat was 60% off, about $80 (down from about $200). YES!

Today, I'm just doing lots of laundry. That, and hiding in the basement for a few minutes this afternoon during the tornado warning. The cats weren't happy about being taken down to the basement, and Tien made a break for it. He disappeared under my bed, and I had to pull him out. Fortunately, all we had were some extremely strong straight-line winds that I later learned knocked over a number of semi-trailers in the area.

I wish I could attend the Terra Finis New Year's party, but I'll be working December 31st, and won't be able to make it. Are you and Aileen doing anything that night, Rory?

The drive back was...interesting. ( Talk about a cold sweat... )

The roads to Michigan on Saturday were great! No problem, and I made excellent time. Hopefully, they will be as good going back Tuesday.

I'm having a very nice time with my Dad and Step-mom Shirley, and eating excessive amounts of food, including a wonderful blueberry pie.  : )  I'm also doing some last-minute shopping. I'll be getting some presents in the mail late. : (  Oh, well....better late than never.

We went to see the movie Australia, with Hugh Jackman. OH. MY. GOD.  All you ladies out there have got to see this movie for this guy alone. Jackman was mouth-watering in an early scene with him soaping up and pouring a bucket of water over his head. They gave the scene plenty of time for us to admire him, too. : )  Oh, and the rest of the movie was very good, too. : ) : )   It's long, about three hours. Go see it.

I'm missing my cats, but they're in good hands.  I'm happy to visit relatives, but I'll also be happy to get back home.

I hope. : )

We'll see how the roads are in the morning.

I can make the drive to Jackson in 5 1/2 to 6 hours in good weather, but in bad weather it's more like 8 hours of tense driving. NOT looking forward to it, but I haven't seen family since I graduated from nursing school a year and a half ago, so....

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It's beautiful outside.

The outdoor lights illuminate the crystalline coating on bare trees.
The wind causes an almost continuous crackle and pop of ice breaking from branches
to land in shattered shards on the snow
like course sugar on white frosting
punctuated by an occasional sharp crack as limbs snap
and tumble noisily to the ground.

It's a little scary.

Three days of work in a row. I was an admitting fool today. : )  Lots of admissions in med/surg unit. Ugh...Tired puppy, and I'm actually thinking of getting up early tomorrow to catch a seminar  on our 401(k)'s at the hospital tomorrow. I have a feeling how that's going to go over with me in the morning. : ) 

My plan was to take off for Michigan Friday morning to visit family before Christmas, but the weather predictions for central and northern Illinois are making that seem less than likely. The weather man on tv said that conditions would be "undrivable", between the heavy ice storm in the central state, and heavy snow in the northern state. I'm thinking I'll call my Dad tomorrow and say that I'm driving up Saturday, instead. That will still give me a couple of days to visit before coming back on Tuesday.

Rory and Aileen are nice enough to look after my cats while I'm gone. Thanks!

 A great concert, as usual. Music and singing were great, light show was awesome. The Christmas story was the same, but they had a few differences in the second half of the "fun" part of the concert:

A second electric violinist, so that two of them could play off each other, and have fun. The pianists dueled on the same piano for some more fun shtick. And they managed to incorporate even MORE fire into the show, this time with sheets of fire both behind the band and some in front of the drummer. Two of the electric guitarists got on a platform behind us that raised up. This was not new, but the difference was that instead of a plain platform, it was one that had lights all over it like the rest of the lighting rigs, and in addition it had white jets of something condenced shooting out from underneath it as it raised, so that it resembled a  spaceship taking off. I could feel the cold from the jets as well as I could feel the heat of flames earlier in the concert. There were multicolored funnels of flame timed to change colors with the music.

Speaking of the light rigging...Early in the concert, a corner of one of the light rigs let loose and started swing erratically up and down. The guitarist under the rig looked up at it (never missing a note that I could hear), and a second guitarist came over and pulled him by the arm out from underneath it, in case it decided to come down entirely. I thought at first that something had broken, but apparently it was just loose, because a few minutes later it was operating correctly again.

I think I was a little over-tired for this concert, because I started to get sensory overloaded from all the lights and noise, and had to look away for a while towards the end. It was still a great show, but I'm not sure I'll be going again next year, unless someone decides to go with me.

So, I've survived my first week at my new dayshift Admissions nurse job. ( With the help of coffee... )
( Much needed time off )
( Sick cat )

I talked to my manager about my new nursing postition after she got back from a week off work. They want to start me right away next week in my new job as admissions nurse, which meant that Thursday night was my last night of work. I treated the staff on my floor to pizza to celebrate. : )

So, after I got off work Friday morning, I decided to try to stay awake all day, so I went shopping, bought some books, bought new nursing scrubs and shoes (I just discovered I had worn a hole in the sole of my old pair), and tried to read a book through the day. I was only partially successful, since I kept nodding off, but I didn't actually go to bed until Friday evening (well over 24 hours after I got up). I got about 7 hours of sleep before the cats woke me up this morning to feed them, but now all I want to do is go back to bed. I am going to have some severe jet lag going on at work Monday morning. Speaking of which, I don't know yet exactly when I'm supposed to start. My manager was suppose to call and let me know what my schedule is going to be, but I realized she hadn't called by the time I got up this morning. If I don't hear anything this weekend, I'll go in at 7am Monday, and let them decide what to do with me....

I'm looking forward to later this week, too. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the Peoria Civic Center is on Friday night, and the Baile Cristmas party is Saturday night. I'm really going to enjoy getting out for good music, then seeing friends the next night!

Uhh....must...fight...sleep.....(eyes drooping shut). Sigh. Might have to take a nap here, after all.