Turn for the awesome

So my life has definitely taken a turn for the awesome.
I'm on break now. No work for a month, very little school. Just basically I get to sit around and do wth I want. All the time.

So what I'm I doing? Running. Lots of running. This is actually a great treat for me. I love to run, but never get the chance to. I'm a pretty good wuss. I don't like treadmills because I have very high arches that can't handle the flat board. I can't run outside because of my allergies or asthma. I change my mind quite frequently in the middle of things so I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere and suddenly remember I have something else to do. So I've been having a lot of fun with my Wii fit. I've already run for an hour today. Something I have to say I actually feel blessed to get the opportunity to do. On a totally girly side note, as of Monday I lost the 20lbs I gained in nursing school.

Anyway. Not a vast amount of nursing updates. I am however looking for more ways to get involved with Sigma Theta Tau and have started examining Masters and Ph.D programs. Determining what I need to do what I want to do. So many options, so little time... sigh.

I have a cat now. Mr. Spock, he's cute and sweet and already trained. I love cats. He peed in the floor once, got swatted, shown the litter box and has nailed it every time. Last night I thought I had squished him in my sleep, but when I started petting him he purred for the first time. Sounded more like ice in a blender next door than a purr but he's only 7 weeks old.

Geek updates out the wazoo. (Yes, that's medical) Star Trek movie tomorrow. I have tickets for an early showing. I'm going with a gang of people and yes, we all have uniforms. I'm very stoked. My Dad, (where my Trekkie genes come from) is probably more excited than I am. He's getting to go see this movie with a bunch of college students all dressed up and geeking out. It probably takes him back to his college days.

I like podcasts.
Normally I have a pretty set standard of what I listen to when. Nature Podcast is for cleaning the house, Steve Eley's Escape Pod for running, 20 minute yoga for stress, Infectious Disease in the car or surfing the web. Now I've started listening to Cory Doctorow's Craphound. I backed up to the beginning of his short story "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town." I'm on section 003 and it's darn good. Oh yea, sorry Steve, but it replaced your running today. Don't worry I'll probably catch up with you later when I run this afternoon.

I think I'll turn my next rambling into it's own post. Otherwise this will be too hefty to enjoy.

April is almost over.

Ta-da!
Sigma Theta Tau- Lambda Theta chapter new inductees! BabyOrthoNurse (blogger) is not pictured. I don't know where she was, but she's in it too. I had to wait to get this photo from my dad but, we look a bit like a cell phone commercial, with our vertical assent.


Another day in the ER. Just three days left of my Externship. Wow, it's gone too fast. I'm a little scared to think that in a month I'll be an Intern and have more responsibility and autonomy, but I'm looking forward to it.

Today, I felt was a blah day. I didn't feel like I was at my best. However, at the end of the day my preceptor (Jacob) asked me how I felt. So I was honest. So was she. She took me aside and said that she felt today was one of my best days. I was more autonomous, had more patients, prioritized them well, etc. Really boosted my confidence. Looking back, she was right. I did a lot on my own. It's just a little fragmented because we'll both do things separate so I don't get that entire flow in my head. I reported to a nurse on another floor for the first time. I'd never called report before and for some reason I was terrified. We got really busy and I just decided to do it on my own. Then I took them upstairs on my own. I was scared but... I did it. So there.
My only regret is that my batting average is going way down. I've missed so many IVs recently. They keep blowing or missing, all these old people I'm getting. I can't get a good stick in any of them. It will just take getting my confidence back. I mean, after all I started a 16 g in someone a week ago and that went just fine.

I'll never see another man as happy to tell me he has brain cancer as a patient I had today. He was so excited about it too...

In other news, one of my favorite podcasts is back (or at least I remembered to update)
The PUSCAST.
If you don't listen to Mark Crislip you should. He's funny, sarcastic, and provides excellent reviews of infectious disease literature. He's got a blog I should look into now that I'm doing this whole blogging thing myself.

I came home today to find a small box on the desk with my name on it.
Ewiggen likes to get things for free online.
Today he gave me two sets of Magic the Gathering Cards... Random, but thanks.

One more picture and side note.This is Spock.

He will soon be MY KITTEH! I have wanted a kitten ever since I had to put my two cats to sleep a few years back. Now I finally have the chance. Ewiggen and I have been talking about this a long time. I am so excited. I can hardly wait to take him home. Sunday the 26th... So happy.

Late Entry #2- Saturday the 18th

I normally wouldn't post about nursing on a Saturday. I haven't worked Saturdays in a while, but I have great news.

Yesterday I was inducted into SIGMA THETA TAU!
It's an international Nursing Honor Society. They only took the top 1/3 of our class, (in a class of 38 that's amazing for me) and we had to have a least a 3.0 GPA. Man, oh man.
Honestly, I've wanted this ever since I started nursing school. I went and researched a bunch of stuff. Being interested mostly in research I found that Sigma Theta Tau was the group to join. I worked so hard and when I got that first "B" I of course was devastated and mentally took my self out of the running. I also thought it was awarded to you your junior year and when that came and went, I changed my career mentality. But I was WRONG! Never so happy to be wrong!
Yay! I did it! I'm in! So happy... sigh.
My Dad has photos, so uploads later.

I almost missed it though. Recovering from the night before (see previous post) I slept until my husband's alarm went off at 830. Eep, the induction started at 900. I have never looked so good in such a short amount of time. So, I made it. On time even. There were poster presentations set up and I read a few interesting bits of research I believe mostly the sophomore prenursing majors were doing. (I'll never understand why they make you take nursing research before you learn anything about nursing. Shrug.) I made idle chit-chat with those at my table, previous members. (I was the only inductee at my place) We discussed my plans post graduation. It's been fuzzy to me as EWiggen and I have waited to hear from MedSchool, but basically. Work the ER, get some good experience, go on to get my Masters at least. Probably be a nurse practitioner/educator. (I love students. I worked with the juniors as much as I could) My original plan was to get a Ph.D and be a research scientist. Etc. Etc. Etc. That sort of conversation

Later I learned, my parents selected the brainiac table to sit at. I was unaware until after it was all over I was sitting with our speaker, the chapter president, and various other nurses with Ph.Ds. Oh, I've never been so embarrassed. Somehow looking back on the conversations, I must have sounded like I had no idea what I was doing, but boy am I excited about it.
Our speaker had a great little presentation on the future of nursing education. Computerized, online, that sort of thing. She had done research into the best way to teach and learn with computers for nurses. It was fun to hear people encourage others to use technology, learn how to blog (me, right now) listen and create podcasts (next project) get out and on twitter and facebook (I'm there!), be connected to your communities. All of them. It made me happy. Again, I had a realization of why I love this and what I want for my life.
Plus, I got a rose.

The rest of the day was unrelated to nursing. Making jewelry with my Mom and Grandma for my brother's wedding. Going out to a fantastic restaurant with my husbands grandparents. It was hectic, but nothing to bore you with at this point.