*It was a very merry Christmas.
*I met my neighbor and had tacos at her apartment tonight. She seems very nice and she does triathlons! Who woulda thought?
*I am playing in an indoor soccer game tomorrow night with a team I found on Craigslist. I'm very nervous and excited. HOPEFULLY I won't make a complete fool of myself.
*The next three days have great potential to kill me. I work tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday-- 7a-730p (ish). The soccer game tomorrow starts at 10pm. I'm hoping to get home by midnight and go STRAIGHT to sleep and be alive enough to not completely fail at work on Tuesday. We'll see. Eek. This is just one example of poor decision making on my part. Who agrees to play in a 10pm game when they have to be at work by 7am the next day?!
*I just realized it's 11:40... I definitely thought it was 9:00.
*After talking about triathlons with my neighbor I was inspired to register for the half ironman in August. I went to the website and it wasn't working, but I stumbled on some race reviews. Apparently it isn't the best race ever. Is this a sign?? Second (or eighty fourth) thoughts for sure.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas Eve. This is perhaps my favorite day of the winter holiday season. This year is even sweeter due to my absence in the family festivities last year. I don't think I ever took said festivities for granted, but I appreciate them even more after having missed out.
I drove home early Tuesday morning to avoid traffic. Since I am still on orientation at work, I can't work holidays (they don't want to pay two people-- my preceptor and me-- holiday pay). Fine by me! So I worked on Monday and don't have to be back until Saturday. I told my mom and we decided to surprise my dad. When he saw me in the driveway Tuesday morning he thought something had gone terribly wrong until I said "Surprise!" Nothing crazy mind blowing or terribly exciting, but fun nonetheless.
It's nice to be home even though I was here just a few weeks ago. I like that more frequent visits are a reality.
Feeling in the Christmas spirit, my dad paid for a guest pass for me to my favorite gym ever this morning. I went to spinning (duh) and enjoyed it thoroughly (double duh). Frequently in the class, the instructor will say "Give your neighbor a thumbs up" after a particularly challenging song. As I turned to give the thumbs up, my neighbor said to me "Don't eat too much tonight." What a tool. I know men don't get women... but seriously, you would think they'd be a little more aware. I was especially grateful to spin because the past two days I've been here I've been running in the hills outside and my knees needed a break from that nonsense. Spinning was the perfect remedy.
The first day I was running outside on a particularly narrow and windy country road. There are either gravel shoulders or no shoulders at all out here in the sticks. As I crested a hill, I saw a car coming towards me with a construction orange sign on top of it that said "OVER SIZED LOAD." I looked behind that car and saw an incredibly over sized load, so I decided to stop running (phew!) and get as far to the side of the road as possible. Unfortunately there was really no where to go. I looked back toward the over sized load, I saw orange flags hanging off the side of the load signaling that it was significantly wider than the road. The flags were coming straight for my head. I didn't panic but I was confused-- I wanted more to figure out what in the world was on this load and why in the world they were using this road to transport it. I snapped out of my curiosity just in time to duck and avoid decapitation. I didn't get a good look at whatever it was, but I didn't lose my head either, so I guess we'll call it even.
Not a lot to report. Work is going well and I am enjoying it. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was overwhelming, but that's to be expected, and it's my sincere hope that in good time it'll be better. I know it will be, I remember feeling even more overwhelmed when I started my old job. So I know there's light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a long tunnel.
My apartment is looking good. My parents were kind enough to come up last weekend and help a lot. I needed some power tools so my dad brought a toolbox for a champion and helped me put my guest bed together (that's right, I have a guest bed!), and helped hang a bunch of things on the walls, and a ton of other stuff. It was great to have the company and the help. My mom brought a fancy pants wall hanging that fits perfectly above the TV. It's starting to look homey!
Merry Christmas-- happy holidays. I'm a Christmas enthusiast, but embrace your holiday of choice. The Wal-Mart bell ringer was quite excited about Winter Solstice yesterday. I love the West Coast.
I drove home early Tuesday morning to avoid traffic. Since I am still on orientation at work, I can't work holidays (they don't want to pay two people-- my preceptor and me-- holiday pay). Fine by me! So I worked on Monday and don't have to be back until Saturday. I told my mom and we decided to surprise my dad. When he saw me in the driveway Tuesday morning he thought something had gone terribly wrong until I said "Surprise!" Nothing crazy mind blowing or terribly exciting, but fun nonetheless.
It's nice to be home even though I was here just a few weeks ago. I like that more frequent visits are a reality.
Feeling in the Christmas spirit, my dad paid for a guest pass for me to my favorite gym ever this morning. I went to spinning (duh) and enjoyed it thoroughly (double duh). Frequently in the class, the instructor will say "Give your neighbor a thumbs up" after a particularly challenging song. As I turned to give the thumbs up, my neighbor said to me "Don't eat too much tonight." What a tool. I know men don't get women... but seriously, you would think they'd be a little more aware. I was especially grateful to spin because the past two days I've been here I've been running in the hills outside and my knees needed a break from that nonsense. Spinning was the perfect remedy.
The first day I was running outside on a particularly narrow and windy country road. There are either gravel shoulders or no shoulders at all out here in the sticks. As I crested a hill, I saw a car coming towards me with a construction orange sign on top of it that said "OVER SIZED LOAD." I looked behind that car and saw an incredibly over sized load, so I decided to stop running (phew!) and get as far to the side of the road as possible. Unfortunately there was really no where to go. I looked back toward the over sized load, I saw orange flags hanging off the side of the load signaling that it was significantly wider than the road. The flags were coming straight for my head. I didn't panic but I was confused-- I wanted more to figure out what in the world was on this load and why in the world they were using this road to transport it. I snapped out of my curiosity just in time to duck and avoid decapitation. I didn't get a good look at whatever it was, but I didn't lose my head either, so I guess we'll call it even.
Not a lot to report. Work is going well and I am enjoying it. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was overwhelming, but that's to be expected, and it's my sincere hope that in good time it'll be better. I know it will be, I remember feeling even more overwhelmed when I started my old job. So I know there's light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a long tunnel.
My apartment is looking good. My parents were kind enough to come up last weekend and help a lot. I needed some power tools so my dad brought a toolbox for a champion and helped me put my guest bed together (that's right, I have a guest bed!), and helped hang a bunch of things on the walls, and a ton of other stuff. It was great to have the company and the help. My mom brought a fancy pants wall hanging that fits perfectly above the TV. It's starting to look homey!
Merry Christmas-- happy holidays. I'm a Christmas enthusiast, but embrace your holiday of choice. The Wal-Mart bell ringer was quite excited about Winter Solstice yesterday. I love the West Coast.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Jesus Crows
My first day on the floor was all sorts of crazy. I definitely feel like a brand new nurse and it's very daunting, but I know it will get better... with time. While some things are the same at my new job as my old, a lot more are very very different. It will be a great challenge to not only learn the new way, but to break my habits of old first. Perhaps my biggest nemesis-- paper charting. That and no medication barcode scanning. I feel like a cave-woman. Despite the 'holy shit' of realizing all that I have to learn and adjust to, I can say that my preceptor is very kind and patient AND articulate. I appreciate that very much.
Today I forced myself off the couch to go running. I have not been the most disciplined at running lately. I shuffled my way up and down several very long and very steep hills to Green Lake. Around Green Lake is a trail that is a hot spot for runners, walkers, bikers, bladers (not my favorite people), etc. I went a little ways on that trail and noticed that the water had a layer of ice on it. I only noticed this because I saw crows walking on it. "Jesus crows!" I thought to myself. I chuckled and shuffled along. It's the little things.
I still get lost every time I drive, but the time it takes me to figure it out is decreasing.
I went to spinning last Thursday morning before work under the impression that the circus clown instructor wouldn't be there. However, I was unpleasantly surprised as she tromped down the stairs, three minutes late no less. Needless to say, I'm not feeling the vibe of ProRobics... I might give 24 Hour Fitness a try... I really don't like the idea of a big chain gym... but I'm not finding much else. The downtown Seattle location has an appropriately sized pool and they have spinning classes, and they're open 24/7. But it's quite a hike to get there from my apartment, and the only parking available is street parking, so it'd be $$$ every time I went. There is an 'express' location much closer to my apartment, so I could use that for running and lifting, but I'd have to make the trek for swimming and spinning. We'll see. If I could convince the Courthouse to move here, that would be fantastic.
Today I forced myself off the couch to go running. I have not been the most disciplined at running lately. I shuffled my way up and down several very long and very steep hills to Green Lake. Around Green Lake is a trail that is a hot spot for runners, walkers, bikers, bladers (not my favorite people), etc. I went a little ways on that trail and noticed that the water had a layer of ice on it. I only noticed this because I saw crows walking on it. "Jesus crows!" I thought to myself. I chuckled and shuffled along. It's the little things.
I still get lost every time I drive, but the time it takes me to figure it out is decreasing.
I went to spinning last Thursday morning before work under the impression that the circus clown instructor wouldn't be there. However, I was unpleasantly surprised as she tromped down the stairs, three minutes late no less. Needless to say, I'm not feeling the vibe of ProRobics... I might give 24 Hour Fitness a try... I really don't like the idea of a big chain gym... but I'm not finding much else. The downtown Seattle location has an appropriately sized pool and they have spinning classes, and they're open 24/7. But it's quite a hike to get there from my apartment, and the only parking available is street parking, so it'd be $$$ every time I went. There is an 'express' location much closer to my apartment, so I could use that for running and lifting, but I'd have to make the trek for swimming and spinning. We'll see. If I could convince the Courthouse to move here, that would be fantastic.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Circus Cycling
Sooo I really need to find a gym and get my workout on. This weekend I purchased a 10 for $10 pass at a gym very close to my place of employment. It's kinda cool because this deal is a promotion they're running AND all proceeds (the $10 part of the equation) go to Seattle Children's Hospital. When I saw that on their website, I took it as a sign and went to enroll. I've been there a couple of times since and the jury is still out. It's very small, which after being a member of a mega gym, I can appreciate. When I took a tour of the place, the woman showing me around said something to the effect of there is a lot of camaraderie within the gym and it isn't a bunch of meat heads strutting around. That's something I really would like in a gym, so I was pleased to learn that. I'm nervous that it's TOO small though... we'll see.
(RANDOM PS-- I'm watching FRIENDS and it's the episode where Phoebe changes her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock-- this show NEVER ceases to make me laugh out loud... I love it)
ANYWAY-- this morning I went to spinning at ProRobics. It was no Group Ride, but I was sweating (which IS significant because it was a whopping TWELVE degrees this morning and their spinning 'studio' is in an un heated basement... I could see my breath and the steam rising off people!). The instructor wasn't my favorite.. she was very... 'west coast' as we called them in Chicago.. earthy-zen-center-your-soul-esque. Also, she didn't DO the workout... she'd be on the bike and do some of it, then she would either like slow down completely or get off and start barking at people... DON'T QUIT! SIX SIX SIX SIX! SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN! (FRIENDS reference-- the one where Monica gets excited about SEVEN... hahahha). So this clown wasn't my favorite. I know that it's my own workout and it'll be what I make of it blah blah blah... but I think there's a lot to be said for the instructor demonstrating what they expect from the participants. The last straw was at the end of the class we were stretching. Several of the stretches were not only life threatening, but also resembled circus like acrobatic moves. One was where she wanted us to stand up on the pedals, and then lean back toward the seat-- still standing... be completely 'stiff as a board' leaning back at like a 45 degree angle to the floor... then put our hands above our head and stretch. I can't even describe the ludicrous nature of this activity. The other one that made me scoff was standing on the pedals, knees bent at 90 degree angles, leaning over the handlebars. Then "like a cobra," you lunge forward so your legs are straight and you're extended out over the handlebars even farther. I was clinging for dear life when she goes "and let go with your hands and reach out to the stars..." all in her flowy mother earth voice. I just looked around at the geezers who get up at 5am for this nonsense and watched their feeble attempts. I'm sorry, I didn't know this was circus cycling. I achieved and maintained my target heart rate, so it wasn't a waste on any level, but I don't know that I will enthusiastically return to this instructors class anytime soon.
I have decided against the half marathon in January because I'm not ready for it and I need to get into a regular flow with life before I can take on diligent training for an event. There is a half marathon here in March that I'm hoping will work. We'll see. Still unsure about the half ironman, but I have to decide by the 25th, I think. Hopefully registration won't close BEFORE then... and hopefully I can scrounge up the $$$ to register... we'll see. I feel like I keep saying "I'll do it next year" but it really won't get any easier the longer I put it off, so let's just get it done now. Perhappers.
Work is going well. I have GENUINELY enjoyed the classroom time and have been engaged and learning a lot. That's huge-- during orientation in Chicago I wanted to gouge my eyes out with boredom. Everyone continues to be ridiculously nice and welcoming. I'm anxious to meet my coworkers and hopefully future friends! It's a very fun time.
(RANDOM PS-- I'm watching FRIENDS and it's the episode where Phoebe changes her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock-- this show NEVER ceases to make me laugh out loud... I love it)
ANYWAY-- this morning I went to spinning at ProRobics. It was no Group Ride, but I was sweating (which IS significant because it was a whopping TWELVE degrees this morning and their spinning 'studio' is in an un heated basement... I could see my breath and the steam rising off people!). The instructor wasn't my favorite.. she was very... 'west coast' as we called them in Chicago.. earthy-zen-center-your-soul-esque. Also, she didn't DO the workout... she'd be on the bike and do some of it, then she would either like slow down completely or get off and start barking at people... DON'T QUIT! SIX SIX SIX SIX! SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN! (FRIENDS reference-- the one where Monica gets excited about SEVEN... hahahha). So this clown wasn't my favorite. I know that it's my own workout and it'll be what I make of it blah blah blah... but I think there's a lot to be said for the instructor demonstrating what they expect from the participants. The last straw was at the end of the class we were stretching. Several of the stretches were not only life threatening, but also resembled circus like acrobatic moves. One was where she wanted us to stand up on the pedals, and then lean back toward the seat-- still standing... be completely 'stiff as a board' leaning back at like a 45 degree angle to the floor... then put our hands above our head and stretch. I can't even describe the ludicrous nature of this activity. The other one that made me scoff was standing on the pedals, knees bent at 90 degree angles, leaning over the handlebars. Then "like a cobra," you lunge forward so your legs are straight and you're extended out over the handlebars even farther. I was clinging for dear life when she goes "and let go with your hands and reach out to the stars..." all in her flowy mother earth voice. I just looked around at the geezers who get up at 5am for this nonsense and watched their feeble attempts. I'm sorry, I didn't know this was circus cycling. I achieved and maintained my target heart rate, so it wasn't a waste on any level, but I don't know that I will enthusiastically return to this instructors class anytime soon.
I have decided against the half marathon in January because I'm not ready for it and I need to get into a regular flow with life before I can take on diligent training for an event. There is a half marathon here in March that I'm hoping will work. We'll see. Still unsure about the half ironman, but I have to decide by the 25th, I think. Hopefully registration won't close BEFORE then... and hopefully I can scrounge up the $$$ to register... we'll see. I feel like I keep saying "I'll do it next year" but it really won't get any easier the longer I put it off, so let's just get it done now. Perhappers.
Work is going well. I have GENUINELY enjoyed the classroom time and have been engaged and learning a lot. That's huge-- during orientation in Chicago I wanted to gouge my eyes out with boredom. Everyone continues to be ridiculously nice and welcoming. I'm anxious to meet my coworkers and hopefully future friends! It's a very fun time.
Friday, December 4, 2009
A post in *aStErIsKs*
*For every day I choose to NOT drive to work, I get paid an extra $3.25 for the day. Take notes, Chicago. Shoot-- if I'd had that incentive last year when I didn't OWN a car-- it would have made biking that much more rewarding! I love my new green employer.
*Day two of orientation was... rocky. I woke up that morning feeling crazy nauseous but decided to suck it up and go (via walking) to work anyway. Through the morning talk I got the chills and sweats, then on an afternoon tour, ended up in an observation room in the Emergency Department after essentially fainting (black vision, sounds like underwater...). After three hours of begging them to not admit me (I don't have insurance this month and that is not a bill I can pay) they finally sent me home in a taxi (praise them!). I immediately found my bed, called my dad and lost it, then fell asleep. It was a night of febrile dreams, sweat, dry heaves, ridiculous nausea and dizzy attempts at hydration. I spent Wednesday on my couch in and out of consciousness. I felt a lot better on Thursday, but the hospital has a 24 hour fever free policy that forbade me from going there. Good news is that as quickly as that episode came, it left, and today I went to work without any episodes. What an icebreaker, eh?! m-o-r-t-i-f-y-i-n-g.
*My apartment is slowly looking like an apartment. I have a couch, thanks to Craigs List. My focus is now the spare bedroom. It should have a place for potential guests to sleep, so I'm looking for a bed. And a bed for ME, seeing as how I am borrowing one right now.
*I haven't gotten to explore much yet-- thought I did run on the Burke Gilman Trail once and enjoyed it. The hills really ill my knees... so that will be interesting. I'm looking forward to a mild winter that will allow me to stretch my legs a little.
*I'm ridiculously nervous to drive anywhere, though, out of pure fear of repeating the episode of getting lost that happened on my way back from dropping my mom off. That's a quarter tank of gas I'll never get back. Bah!
*Everyone I've met here has been ridiculously nice and that is SO ENCOURAGING and exciting. Maybe I made a good decision... the first time...! (knock on wood...)
*I'm still looking for a gym. Haven't looked super hard this week because I haven't been able to walk 20 feet without feeling light headed.. but that is atop my TO-DO list for the weekend.
*I feel like I am in school again with all the 'online learning modules' to complete and notebooks of information that I'm "responsible for" I've received in the past few days. Gulp.
*Loving Seattle!!! Pictures later.
*Day two of orientation was... rocky. I woke up that morning feeling crazy nauseous but decided to suck it up and go (via walking) to work anyway. Through the morning talk I got the chills and sweats, then on an afternoon tour, ended up in an observation room in the Emergency Department after essentially fainting (black vision, sounds like underwater...). After three hours of begging them to not admit me (I don't have insurance this month and that is not a bill I can pay) they finally sent me home in a taxi (praise them!). I immediately found my bed, called my dad and lost it, then fell asleep. It was a night of febrile dreams, sweat, dry heaves, ridiculous nausea and dizzy attempts at hydration. I spent Wednesday on my couch in and out of consciousness. I felt a lot better on Thursday, but the hospital has a 24 hour fever free policy that forbade me from going there. Good news is that as quickly as that episode came, it left, and today I went to work without any episodes. What an icebreaker, eh?! m-o-r-t-i-f-y-i-n-g.
*My apartment is slowly looking like an apartment. I have a couch, thanks to Craigs List. My focus is now the spare bedroom. It should have a place for potential guests to sleep, so I'm looking for a bed. And a bed for ME, seeing as how I am borrowing one right now.
*I haven't gotten to explore much yet-- thought I did run on the Burke Gilman Trail once and enjoyed it. The hills really ill my knees... so that will be interesting. I'm looking forward to a mild winter that will allow me to stretch my legs a little.
*I'm ridiculously nervous to drive anywhere, though, out of pure fear of repeating the episode of getting lost that happened on my way back from dropping my mom off. That's a quarter tank of gas I'll never get back. Bah!
*Everyone I've met here has been ridiculously nice and that is SO ENCOURAGING and exciting. Maybe I made a good decision... the first time...! (knock on wood...)
*I'm still looking for a gym. Haven't looked super hard this week because I haven't been able to walk 20 feet without feeling light headed.. but that is atop my TO-DO list for the weekend.
*I feel like I am in school again with all the 'online learning modules' to complete and notebooks of information that I'm "responsible for" I've received in the past few days. Gulp.
*Loving Seattle!!! Pictures later.
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