My first weekend- Roommate Ashley, and I at the "Tour de Fat"
Shortly after moving in, Julia and I went to IKEA, where we bought. And bought. And bought. And by some miracle from God, we managed to cram all of our HUGE, heavy boxes into the back of her brothers pick-up truck and drive back to the city from Boling Brook. I built an entire dresser (see right photo) while the roommate was sleeping- oh did I mention- I'm back on the night shift? UGH. But the real beast was this wardrobe that was a necessity since my closet space was cut by about 2/3 when I moved here. With the help of the roommate, we built this entire GIANT piece in the living room, and then attempted to move it into my room. Which was not possible. (In my defense- I measured the door frames and the wardrobe--it was the angle turning it in the hall that made it impossible). Long story short, we took it back apart, destroying the back part, bought replacement parts at Home Depot, and re-built the whole thing in my room. Where it will stay for the rest of eternity.
Sure, it looks tiny here, but believe me, it is massive!
And really the dresser isn't all that small either- I can rest my chin on it!
But I love them both!
The weekend before last I went with Julia and boyfriend Ari on a boat for a firework cruise around Lake Michigan. Ari's friend is a bartender on the boat, so we had free admission and free drinks!
I suppose I should also talk a bit about work- it is going really well! At first, there was a lot to get used to. I guess I didn't think about how hard it is to be student and new person again after so recently being the teacher and the one in charge. It has also been a bit of a culture shock to go from a privately funded, suburban hospital with all of the best technology and latest medical advances to a community funded, urban hospital where my unit hasn't gotten new equipment since 1982 and we are still using paper charting (NO computers!). That part is challenging. The not so challenging part is caring for my tiny new patients. I quickly adjusted to the smaller scale (one of my patients only weighed 590 grams when she was born- that's a little over a pound!) IV starts and blood draws are more challenging, the target is much smaller, but that seems to be going well. I am enjoying getting to know my patients and watching them grow over time, and looking forward to being off orientation in a couple weeks.
I have also recently decided that it's necessary to go back to school. It's really irritating to me that it is necessary, but the major medical centers are not hiring people who don't have a BSN (Bachelors in the Science of Nursing), and it seems like in the future it may be a requirement at all hospitals. If I do it now, I won't have to re-take some of my science courses. Since I have a bachelor's degree already and my associate's degree in nursing, I will be taking online courses at UIC and have it completed in a couple years. But first. I have to take 2 Chemistry classes. UGH. I am taking the first one now, online through good old Parkland. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.
