Views of Fleatopia

Playing Dumb

2008-05-19T21:03:00.001-04:00

I seriously think Domi plays dumb so she doesn't have to obey commands. I say this because she has a very pointed way of letting us know when the water or food bowls are empty.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Some Patients...

2008-04-17T07:28:00.001-04:00

require patience in mass quantities while others just remind me why in hell I decided to be a nurse.

To be brutally honest, most patients fall into the first category. We have this doctor who admits people for the most bullshit reasons. When we get an admission and his name is the admitting doctor the nurse getting that patient either sighs deeply with a sense of despair or starts campaigning for it not being their turn to get the admission. Without fail, these patients will be the ones who set the alarms on their celphones so they never miss a chance to ask for the narcotics and the Phenergan. They also want us to double as waitresses all night because they're up and have the munchies.

0200, any night, the call light goes off:
"Can I help you?"
"I... is it time for my pain and nausea medicine?"
"No, not yet. It's due in two hours."
"Oh."
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Can I get a Coke with ice, a sherbert and some crackers and peanut butter?"

Sure they can. They're feeling sick to their stomach and want that Phenergan (which has a sedating/narcotic effect) so we sally on over there with an armful of snacks so they can kill two hours before their next dose. It makes me want to scream.

Then there are the ones who come in with legitimate medical problems/post-op. They feel like they're few and far between, but they aren't. The others just make it feel that way. I had this wonderful gentleman as a patient through my last shift. He was a pleasure to help. His family were friendly and pleasant. He has a genuine desire to get better and is the ultimate in compliance with doctor's orders. He'll be discharged before I'm back Saturday night which is good for him, but disappoints me. I'll end up with a whole group of 8 of the previous type of patients.

Bitter is the soul of the already burned out nurse.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Infinite Fish

2008-04-09T02:00:00.002-04:00

Hey, I found my directory of Infinite Fish backgrounds. Boy, these sure bring back memories.

I play!

Texas Redux

2008-04-08T21:57:00.001-04:00

All the talk and back and forth and maybes have resulted in the decision that we are going to move back to Texas. The tentative timeframe is to move in/by 2010. My contractual obligation to the Health Alliance will be up that year and Rusty's given the go ahead. I'm happy!

Not that I don't like it up here. I do. It's mostly gorgeous, lots of hills and green, green grass far into summer. I just don't have any support group up here. I lean on Rusty. All the time. He deserves a break and I deserve girls to talk girl stuff to. Oh, and I miss my family so very much. Great niece and nephews are all growing up while I'm not there. It makes me sad when I visit and Joey doesn't remember me. This will be great!

I've already started scoping the real estate market. The logistics of choosing a home, buying said home, and then moving our worldly goods back down from Kentucky are blowing my mind though. Bleh! I'm making lists and more lists. We have to balance out our needs versus our wants.

Such as... We want land. However, we want to be close enough that we can game and socialize with the Dallas area crew with ease. So the land becomes a want instead of a need. It's a bitch. I'm super looking forward to all the work though. It'll so be worth it in the end.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Puppy Ups and Downs

2008-04-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sooo. We have a new puppy in the family. Her name is Domina due to the Roman eagle proudly splashed across her furry chest. I'm serious, check it out:

Domi's mommy is a husky/german shepherd mix and her dad is a mystery... He's a deadbeat, good lookin' guy, I'm sure. Her feet are gigantor, her bladder teeny, her puppy teeth very, very sharp. She's freakin' adorable.

Puppies don't really make for relaxing times when hanging out at home though. Domi pees. A lot. I'm constantly running her ass outside just to play it safe because you just can't tell when she's gonna pop a squat on ya. It's exhausting. And trying. Very trying. More so for Rusty than for me. He didn't really know what he was getting into with a puppy whose age is measured in weeks, not months.

What you get into is pee.

Lots of pee.

She was 8 weeks old when the above picture was taken. She was born on January 25th. So in the pic below she's 1 day short of 10 weeks old. Bodie looks pissed because she is. She still hates the camera and I was making her stay there so I could get the photo. Then Domi wanted to leave. Then she was just confused by my yammering at her, hence the head cocking.

There are galleries up on the Gallery page of Fleatopia for more puppy tussling and cuteness than any sane person can handle in one sitting. Go look!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Little Lady

2008-02-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

This is our very proper little lady. Lookit!

It was just a moment with Bodie climbing in Rusty's lap on the couch. They were totally adorable.

They're trying very hard to be serious and grown up.

As an aside, that's my shirt Rusty has on. He even got it for me at GenCon a couple years ago. And yet he steals it!

Not Dead Yet!

2008-02-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

So... I'm all graduated and have been working 3 twelves a week on the overnight shift. Because of this, I never get to talk to anyone. All the people I know live during the daytime! Well, all but Rusty. Which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. I like being on roughly the same schedule as my hubby, but we lose touch easily and quickly with people outside of our household. That's everyone but us, by the way.

Because of this I've been feeling really lost. I miss calls from friends and family. I just plain miss my friends and family. Badly. A lot. Rusty worries that I feel he's not "enough." That's not it at all. I just... Miss everyone. I get tearful when I think about it or start to admit it out loud. I guess that's normal, but I don't like it whatsoever.

I'm not kicking crap all over my co-workers with this. I like them. They're good people and most of them have major amounts of cool. I'm just not one of them as of yet. They've got groups that go hang out when they're not working. They go out drinking, etc. I did go out with them on New Year's morning. They worked. I didn't. But they called me anyway. Yay. They dig me a little! Bah. I dunno why I care so much.

Bodie continues to be the best dog ever. She's awesome and cute and smells pretty good right now since she went to the groomer a few days ago. She's learned how to high five and gimme ten. Even if she always wants to 'gimme ten.' Our biggest problem right now is her tendency to jump up on people whenever they come in. And before you ask, it's not angry jumping, but jumping for attention and to say "Hi! I'm down here! I'm cute! Pet me!" We're trying the ignoring her until she calms down method of controlling this behavior. Now if only the gaming group would actually follow through with the ignoring. It's hard for them. Cause she's damn cute.

I'll post some pics later today. I'm totally in a web mood. Expect more later!

DCon 2007

2007-09-05T20:43:00.000-04:00

DragonCon has come and gone. Another year gone by. At least we went this year. We came home totally wiped out, which is amusing since as Rusty puts it, "We didn't do anything but hang out and walk around and people watch!" Nonetheless, I was exhausted and had to work the next morning at 7 after arriving home at 11p.m. Of course, most of that day was spent either riding in the van from Atlanta to Murfreesboro, TN or driving from there back to Northern Kentucky. Car trips are tiring!

I saw, but did not meet, Jamie Bamber and... Argh, the guy who plays Chief Tyrol on BSG. I also saw Lou again and added James Delancie and the guy who played the evil professor guy in Real Genius.

It was a good, relaxing year without many actual plans made or intended. There are talks of marching in the parade again next year with Rusty spearheading the plan with his proposed purchase of a Cobra blue truck to use for Destro and/or Baroness to ride in.

Okay, I'll write more later. I'm sleeeeeepy and have to work in the a.m. as well as get a root canal after work.

Winter Storm 2007

2007-02-13T20:16:00.000-05:00

So our weather is the crap. We've had freezing rain and sleet and generally yucky weather all day. Around four in the afternoon I started noticing the creaking and snapping and cracking going on in our trees outside the apartment building. My neighbor came up and suggested I might want to move my car. So I did. I looked at Rusty's car and thought, "Eh, that seems a good enough spot. Should be fine."

Stupidity on my part turns out.

Freakin' A

2007-01-30T18:39:00.000-05:00

New Pics!

2006-10-17T20:47:00.000-04:00

I put up a new gallery of Bodie pics tonight. I just want to point out the differences in her since we got her this spring.

Gotcha Day:

Notice the fluffy ears and the attentive smile. How could we have resisted her at the shelter?

Tonight:

Still attentive, still fluffy eared... She has a longer nose now and those long, long legs.

So it Begins

2006-09-14T21:42:00.000-04:00

The school year is back in swing! I went ahead and attended the LAP seminar thing on Monday and then we had class on Tuesday and Wednesday. We pretty much jumped right in with a review of IV theory and management of possible fuck-ups. Then, with no segue whatsoever, we leapt headfirst into Maternity care. It was rather surreal.

We met today for our clinical orientation and ended up spending way, way too much time on communication skills as our instructor and a co-student were butting heads in a perfect example of some people "just not freakin' gettin' it." When the student mentioned her background in hard science and engineering the instructor laughingly suggested she might be a... J? Some kind of preference/personality test thing. Anyway, she meant that the student must be analytical and detail oriented (not a bad thing in nursing). Anyway, the student didn't appreciate being pigeonholed and took it waaaaaay personally. Said student also displayed disdain for the communication model theories the instructor had been talking about. I got the feeling she doesn't believe in them. The instructor? Spent several years in her earlier life as a communication specialist and consultant for major corps. Hoo boy. It was interesting and uncomfortable all at the same time.

A single conversation does not a belief change, however. I'm sure the student still thinks those test things are full of shit and I'm sure the instructor is still feeling that tight fist in the gut that comes from someone scoffing at your hard-earned knowledge and specialty.

*shrug* I don't buy totally into those test things either, but I do find them interesting and occasionally revealing. I do know that sometimes it's worth it just to keep my damn mouth shut in the interest of forging ahead with an agenda instead of dragging everyone else down into my attempts to make clinical even freakin' longer.

I'm in a group with the two most question-askin' folks I've ever experienced. I don't begrudge someone the chance to get a question answered on our shared time. At least, I don't begrudge them the first three times in a single lecture. After that all bets are off because it then becomes ridiculous and combative and just plain silly. Maybe they'll settle down after the nerves wear off. I know mine are frazzled and we start with our patients in the morning.

Thoughts

2006-09-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

I'm doing laundry at my mother-in-law's place today and I'm rather bored. There's a Monk-a-thon going on, which is cool, but they're playing all the ones I've already seen. Boo. Hiss.

Bodie stayed home with Rusty for once so I'm pup-less and that's just weird. I work overnight tomorrow night so I've either got to sleep this afternoon/evening or stay up until tomorrow day. I'm debating which way I want to go with that. Rusty got a couple of anime DVDs from the library yesterday when we walked up there so I could watch those tonight. It's almost a mile from our place to the library according to Yahoo! Maps and it felt pretty nice. Bodie seemed to enjoy it too.

I love the fact that summer's over here. It's still hot in Texas. I gloat!

Re-Acquaintance

2006-09-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

I stopped posting this spring because my beloved Horace died and everytime I thought about writing something about it I'd just get all teary-eyed and weepy. It was rough. I had to put him down because he developed Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and nothing we were trying worked to make him better long term. So we put him to sleep and that was the all-time suckiest thing I've ever had to do.

Maybe because he was my last tangible link with Texas and my mom and family is why it hit me so very hard. Whatever the reason, it was horrible.

School starts back up next week and I'm a jellied, terrified mess over it. Second year is supposed to be easier, but the fact is I don't feel like I've held a whole ton of the info from last year in my brain for easy retrieval. I've tried to review the info from last year and end up rubbing my eyes and cussing instead of getting anywhere. I'm going to take advantage of the LAP(Learning Assistance Program) this year as much as I possibly can. I know I said that for a semester or two last year, but this year I MUST do so.

The first half of the first semester I'm going to be on a Med/Surg floor instead of OB for my clinicals, which is kind of a disappointment. I'm not sure what is going to be different about that compared to the Med/Surg floors we were on last year... but I'll find out. The super news about that is that the hospital where I'll be is within five minutes of home. FIVE. That makes a massive difference in my ability to sleep before clinicals. The second half of the semester I'll be back up in Cinci at Christ for OB. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about both parts of the semester. I'm just tickled to death that I get to sleep in an extra hour for the first half.

Rusty and I adopted a pup from the Boone County Animal Shelter over in Burlington after Horace passed. Since Rusty's gone at night, I feel better having a dog with me while I'm sleeping. She's alert at least and draws my attention to any little noise outside the bedroom. Boudicca is her name and she's a gorgeous girl. We have no idea what her actual lineage is, but I suspect either Smooth or Border Collie with some spaniel of some sort. There could be some shepherd in her also. People always ask what kind of dog she is and I answer, "Animal shelter special!"

Lots of people don't really get it. My humor:often a failure.

Bodie's been to obedience class at Petsmart and I was most pleased with both the teacher, the class structure, and the results. To be honest, the classes were about teaching the owners how to teach the pups more than focusing on the dogs themselves. It was a good thing too. The instructor's dogs were huge and very well trained. One of these days Bodie too will be able to pretend sneeze on demand.

Forever and a Day

2006-04-21T17:57:00.000-04:00

But today is the day after that so I've decided to post an entry.

It's been chaotic as hell around here lately. School, life. Okay, mostly school. I don' have the greatest amount of time for an actual life. Closest I get is playing CoV with Rusty whenever I get the chance.

Okay, to sum up. First things first.

Horace was a very ill little daschie for a while. He almost died of AIHA, or Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. He stopped eating, got weak, his gums and tongue were pallored, and there was a lot of blood in his stool. When I got him to the vet on Friday last week he was so weak I had to carry him everywhere and was almost too deeply into crisis to be helped. A shot of steroids perked him up overnight and now he's on a daily dose along with 15mg of Imuran and half a Tagamet a day. He's feeling much, much better and eating like a little piggie. It's a good thing for the now. He'd lost too much weight and had a few more pounds to gain back.

I was terrified of the exam I had on Monday in Nursing. Our first exam was an asskicker and I only got a 78 on it. This last one was just as scary with tougher topics like COPD, female reproductive problems. I've spent the last four days in extreme anxiety waiting for the grades to be posted. Today the grades came down. My heart about leapt from my chest when I found my ID on the list. 96! Ninety-freakin-six. Talk about a relief! Woo!

Other good news: I got a laptop! I'm using it now. Trying to familiarize myself with the keyboard by typing a whoooole lot.

That was the plan, but I'm getting sucked into a movie so I'll have to write more later.

Friggin' Winter

2006-02-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

The low tomorrow night is forecast to be 5 degrees Farenheit.

F-I-V-E, end of number. Not even a digit in front there. Just the lonely little 5.

Geez.

Blame Greg

2006-02-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

I always do!

Aside from that I think these things are nifty coolicious!

My Johari

My Nohari

Pharmacology...

2006-01-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

Is for the birds!

I've been studying this crap for hours so far this weekend and I don't feel like I've gotten anywhere. It's not even the hard stuff! This exam is only over one day's worth of notes, and it's all allergy stuff. I should be able to knock it out easily... But that isn't happening.

*sigh*

I'll be studying for a couple more hours then heading to the gym where I will continue to study while using the treadmill. Then I'll decompress with some weight training and maybe some cycling if I can get to those machines. I should feel better after that.

Oh, and Greg?

2006-01-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

Got a 92 on that exam.

I rock.

Now I just have to perform at that level the rest of the semester through the final. Then my ass'll be officially pulled out of the fire.

Good Grief

2006-01-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

It's ten p.m. on a Friday night and while this isn't usually what I'd call a "late hour," it is what I'd refer to as "too late to be moving stuff into a new apartment." Sadly, that is just what appears to be happening with the vacant apartment on our floor.

Whackos.

Aiiiieeeee!

2006-01-19T21:38:00.000-05:00

Terrified Flea.

I have an exam on Monday that's over musculoskeletal problems and connective tissue disorders. This might not sound like much, but there's a shit-ton of information involved. I should've read tonight but I didn't. I completed some assignments that are due tomorrow, then vegged out.

Slackass Flea.

I'm super sleepy. I'm afraid to sleep though. I should read. The textbook, not something fun.

Rusty made me smile today! He does that lots. Today he shaved off his goatee just because I get so tickled when he's smooth-shaven.

What Made Me Smile Today

2006-01-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

So today I got home from class and found a note scribbled on the "whiteboard" we have by the door for just these kinds of days. It tickled me so much I have to share.

Fine, Fine

2006-01-16T19:25:00.000-05:00

Damn Canexian.

Things That Made Me Smile Yesterday: My mother-in-law telling Rusty how much she liked me while I was gone picking up Horace from our place. Us finding an awesomely cool 6-man tent on clearance at Dick's for a hundred bucks.

Things That Made Me Smile Today: My friend Christina talking about how she wants a new haircut and manhandling her current hairstyle in goofy ways while doing so. Rusty cleaning off the table after our lunch together and putting everything in the fridge that needed to be put there.

Resolution(s)

2006-01-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

So I made a Blogger related resolution and this resolution is...

To post every day, at least one line. I've decided that if nothing else this line will be titled: What Made Me Smile Today.

You might find what makes me smile to be totally mundane, silly, preposterous (in the case of things I imagine might happen) or just plain boring. And yet -- I'm not overly concerned. This is the Internet. The Back button is for just such items of minutiae.

Course I also made the usual resolutions: Lose weight, do well in school, keep the dishes caught up by washing little bits as I happen to notice they're dirty, quit smoking (again), get outside more often for fun and play, and remember to take my vitamins every day.

I had most of these resolutions last year also, except for the school thing since that didn't start until September.

I did lose weight (YAY! 40lbs. less Flea) but I want to lose more

I didn't wash dishes all the time and I really don't forsee me doin' it this year either (are you kiddin' me? This resolution is never going to happen I'm just foolin' myself)

I quit smoking a handful of times last year and was obviously not successful as I'm still actively quitting. I consider the fact that eventually it'll stick and I'll be happier, Rusty'll be happier, and I'll feel a hell of a lot better. Until that time, I'll just keep on trying and not beat myself up for my occasional falling down.

Last year this did not happen. Not even close. But this year Rusty and I are considering joining a "sportsman's league" that has a kind of preserve down past Lexington. There're places for shootin', fishin', campin', hikin', and the dog's welcome. This is going to be good for both of us. I'm super duper excited!

I always forget those stupid vitamins! I wish I could get a combo of birth control and vitamin all in one pill then I wouldn't forget the damn things.

What Made Me Smile Today: Rusty came home from work and instead of hopping on the computer to check his various forums and/or play a game he came back and snuggled in bed with me. Ahhhh, comfy!

It's Christmas for Christ's Sake

2005-12-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

Seems like everywhere I went today I was subjected to uncharitable and un-Christmasy behavior. It was most disheartening and saddening.

I took the Horace up to Petsmart to get his nails clipped and the nice girl also cleaned his ears. Everyone there was just fine. Happy, helpful, tickled pink by my unfriendly doxie-dog. It was kind of fun. I walked him around the store afterward and discouraged him from peeing on things. Things like columns and shelves. He thought about it. Very seriously, until I gave him the, "Don't even think about it, pal." It was after I left that things went downhill.

My normal way home from that area is typically over-congested with traffic. Thanks to it being the 23rd it was rendered fucking insane. Intersections that are normally a hassle were totally deadlocked by people who were in such a hurry that they blocked the entire four way intersections with their idiocy. I opted not to attempt the "short" route home as the construction there makes any driving impossible. During the "long" way, which involved driving straight until I hit Mall Rd. and pulling a left, some sort of altercation happened behind my spot between an new-ish Impala and a SUV.

There was a horn involved. I missed the actual action that prompted said horn, but it was loud and insistent and longly blown by the driver of the SUV behind said Impala. Driver of Impala threw her vehicle into PARK and hopped out to confront the driver of the SUV who wisely stayed inside her tank. The Impala driver, tall, twenties, thin with a yard of straight blonde hair was obviously yelling and gesticulating at the honk-ER in the SUV. Blonde's man-friend stayed in the Impala, looking embarrassed. Girl yelled and stomped back to her car well before we actually moved, but all I could think was:

"Dear Christ, it's Christmas! Grow up and act like an adult!" Yes, I'm aware of the inconsistencies in my thought processes. But, c'mon. When you go out into that area (where Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, numerous restaurants, and Dick's are) in the mid-afternoon the day before Christmas Fucking Eve, you expect it to be traffic hell and you compensate for it. I'm new to this area and even I know that! The lady and kid in the minivan directly behind me exchanged some glances with me that showed I wasn't alone in my disgust. Mom was obviously horrified at the scene that took place sort-of in front of her son and son was goggling like crazy. You couldn't blame either of 'em. They were closer and could probably hear what the nutball blonde was saying. I'm sure it wasn't nice. Someone deserves coal in their stocking this year.

Second event was actually here at home. Again, I missed the actual action and only got to see the fallout. Two kids from upstairs were outside killin' time and futzin' around. They're on vacation and it was a balmy almost-50 degrees. Can't say I blame 'em for wanting to get some outside time. I took Horace out for a walk since he was crying at me and doing the wee wee dance. We hit the outside door just as these two kids go running right by, my left to my right, heading down the sidewalk. To the left and up the hill I see a truck idling and a guy standing outside of it. He's yelling the equivalent of, "You rotten kids!" in their direction and generally looking puffed up and ready to kick ass. A voice from inside the truck, the voice of reason is telling him to just calm down and let's go. He's ignoring it as he walks around the truck, apparently inspecting it for damage of some sort. I can vaguely hear the kids from their spot way down at the end of the row of buildings muttering to themselves as one says incredibly, "Did I really hit it?"

Driver of truck gets back in and I hear woman saying things like, "Nothing got hurt, everything's fine. Let's get going." Guy yells at her now, pulls up and turns around to come back and drive the parking lot, looking for his evil bad guys. All both of them. Whose ages might add up to 21. Maybe. Before he gets in the lot though, the kids are back down to our building and up the stairs, scared as hell. That guy though... He was all kinds of riled up.

Sometimes I just have to realize and accept how blessed I am. I'm married to wonderful man who would never chase down a couple of kids for what I'm pretty sure was an accident nor throw down in the middle of traffic because someone honked at him for pulling a bonehead move. I wouldn't do those things either! So that makes him lucky too.