night shift amusements August 30, 2007

i love the night shift.
have i told you that?

it’s quiet, all my patients are tucked in
their beds, and there are very few doctors,
pt, ot, social workers, ect. around.  there
are many admirable qualities about the
night shift.

BUT

there are times when the lights are low
and all my work is done for the moment.
I get a little…well…bored.

this was the case last night.

at this hospital the computers can be used
for nothing other than carting and work.
this makes a slow night even slower.

however, as most of you know, i am an
only child.  i am a   m a s t e r  at entertaining
myself. it’s a skill that often comes in handy:
road trips
plane rides
days when my friends are working and i am not
waiting rooms
ect.

tonight i employed my skills.

i am a major list maker. so i made lists of
the things i must do on my day off, things i’d
like to get done soon, people to call, people to
email, a grocery list, people to write (paper letters),
things to get done online, and some goals for the
next few months.

i volunteered to feed a 9 day old pt in only for
hyperbilirubenemia (jaundice).  they are the
sweetest because they are hardly sick at all.
his exhausted mom slept hard while i fed him
every two hours.  and…maybe…i snnggled him
close when i was sure his mom was fast asleep.

probably annoying the other staff,
i jumped at every opportunity to help my
co-workers do their tasks…i was begging for
work!

i read the sports section of the newspaper.

i pre-wrote this post.

i skimmed a couple of magazines, women’s
health being my favorite of the selections.

i filled out my request form for vacation in
january.

i probably should have just brought a book
and sat still.

nonetheless, the night moved at a steady
pace and i was happily humming on the
way to my car feeling the effects of a smooth
seamless night.

charting thorough and complete….                c h e c k
patients and families satisfied…                     c h e c k
meds on time…                                           c h e c k
everyone’s chart and history read…              c h e c k

it was good night!

please feel free to send me ideas of other
suggestions you have for how i could spend
my extra time at work.

kauai August 30, 2007

last week my two visitors, julie, and i went
to kuai, another hawaiian island.
matt’s always wanted to go to kauai,
so we made last minute plans…
and off we went.

the flight was maybe 30 minutes…
a breeze.

we were only there for one night and two
days. it was too short.

the first day we hiked the na poli
coast…only about 2 of the 11.7 miles.
it was… it was…
breathtaking 
astonishing
mesmerizing

after hiking we took a dip in the
ocean. i stayed in my beach chair
and let the waves tickle my ankles.

the second day we went horseback
riding.  my horse’s name was
Pikoki.  she was the only white
horse.  she must have known she
was special because she was
s a s s y

she wanted to gallop more than she
was supposed to, but i liked it.
we were a good match.  at the end of
the ride i let her go over to the watering
hole and she tried to toss water up over
her head at me, still on her back.
s a s s y

near the end of the ride we stopped at
a waterfall to swim, play and have lunch.
really…what more can you ask on such a
great day.  waterfalls, swimming in fresh,
brisk water, and a relaxing little jaunt
through a hawaiian forest.  wild strawberry
guava grew all over the tails and we could pick
it off and eat it as we rode.  there is nothing
more fairytale-like than wild (edible) fruit.
dreamy!!!
we also had a clear view of the wettest
spot on earth, mt. wai’ale’ale.  460 inches of
rain over the last 32 years.

later that afternoon we began to
drive around the island.  our wish
was to get to the canyon near the
northwest side of the island.  we didn’t
make it before we had to turn around
and go back to the airport…traffic.

but

we did find our way to a coffee plantation.
it closed just before we got there, but we
did get to meet some of the coffee plants.
the beans off the tree don’t taste so good.
nevertheless, we bonded with the coffee
and showed our appreciation.
(yes, this is me hugging the bush, i just
couldn’t help myself…i really like coffee!!)

 

finally, just before dinner we viewed the
spouting horn.
this was spectacular! 
Every third or fourth waved came up
and crashed against the overhanging
rock.  there is a big hole in the rock and
it spits and flings water into the air. 
i could have stood and watched for much
longer than we did.  had i any less manners,
i would have made them drag me away from it.

funny story:
on the morning of the second day julie
and i are attempting to get some shut-eye
on our only day off when one of the guys opened
and closed the garage door several times…
i still don’t know why.  it happened to be directly
under our room.  shaking and rumbling…it was   
                               S O   L O U D!
then matt came upstairs and turned on the
tv right outside of our door.  again…
                              S O   L O U D
mind you, all this was around 7:45 or 8 am.
julie gracefully marched out to matt and sweetly
asked him to turn the tv down saying, “do you
want us to get up now?…no? well maybe could
you turn down the tv a little.”
we think he turned it up!
with our heads covered we tried our best to
get back to sleep, although we couldn’t help
quoting the familiar commercials.  at one point
i whispered something to julie and she
said, “i can hear jag better than i can
hear you!” we, of course, laughed wildly
about the whole situation.

scuba steve August 30, 2007

having visitors is great fun!

we went suba diving!! 
it was my first time. 

i found out that…

a tight tight tight wet suit
                  +
          301b of gear
                  +
blue warm hawaiian waters
                   =
gobs and gobs of  F U N!

confession: i had to take some dramamine
provided by captain john, but was ready and
stoked when it came time to get in the water!
(i had to wait an hour on a VERY rocky boat for
the experienced divers to do a deep dive.)
badbadbadnogoodpukeyfeeling

it was exciting
challenging
calming
and relaxing

the loud sound of your respirator giving
you oxygen and the bubbles out with
every breath was hypnotizing, soothing,
and steady…addicting maybe.

before i end this i’d like to give a shout out to all the
friends i made that day.

hi mr. sea turtle, i’ve always wanted to meet you!
wish i could have pet you, hugged you and loved
you…but my instructor said no…who has $50,000
to spare when i’m fined for “loving” you?!!!

what’s up mr camouflauge poisonous rock fish.
i’ll probably never see you again!

all you clownfish out there…you’re common,
yet so beloved by all snorkelers and suba
divers of the world. stay strong…word to your
mothers!

mr. and mrs. chocolate brown with white polka
dot fish… you are so true to the current fashions.
stay up if you can!!  keep subscribing to vogue.

     

heartbreak hotel August 30, 2007

that’s where i’ve been living the past
few days.

here’s the story:

eyes burning and smarting with hot tears,
a painful lump in the back of my throat
threatening to choke me if i attempt to
speak a word.

this is the state of my being as i walk down
the hall with three other tired yet cheerful
night nurses to the parking garage.

i just recieved the sure and unchanging news
that i will N O T be getting time off from work
to visit home(ok and nyc) in december. it all
makes sense really, as i am number 45 of 45
in seniority on the unit, yet it is still devastating.

“people put in for vacation almost a year ago.
october, november, december are always
taken first. there is no way i can let you leave
during this time.”

my heart… broken at the news
my feelings… hurt at the insensitive way
it was given to me.

thinking about not being able to return home
until january or february makes me feel like
i’m suffocating.  i must “come up for air”, as a
friend put it, and i can’t!!!

sadness
frustration
a deeper realization of my love and longing for nyc

curled up on the couch cuddled next to my dad
under a blanket drinking hot cocoa, made so
perfectly by mom, staring at the lights
in the house and the tree, content to sit there
all night saying nothing, just looking…

not this year.

after a tearful (to say the least) drive home
and a call to mom i kicked off my shoes and
crawled into bed with the half awake julie.
she comforted me like only she can. we
talked it though. i sobbed, leaving a wet
spot on her sheets from my tears .
she was sympathetic and gentle rubbing
my back the whole time. after a long while
the subject changed and we were soon laughing
uproariously about something.

all day i tried to resign and yield my plans
and desires to whatever God chooses for me.
difficult, yet comforting.
he knows, i do not. he is sovereign, i am not.

the good news:

that day i was laying down for a pre-work
nap. mom and dad called. (they are really
very tender and kind parents, unable to
bear when i am so sad. it rips them to shreds)
they are coming to me for christmas!!  isn’t
this marvelous news?!!

mom and i are still working on dad.  leaving
the businesses and house and pets for more than
a few days is hard to coordinate, and he is
inclined to stay and hold down the fort.

i’m so thankful!

i could still cry at any moment thinking
about missing okc and new york at
christmas time, but the drama is fading
and reality is setting in.

so, my beloved new york, maybe january
or february is our time to meet again!!

fun on the north shore August 19, 2007

could i have been any less creative in 
the title of this post?  the answer is no!! 
and lame it will stay!!

i have two friends who are in town
for a visit.  dale and matt.  so today we
took a trip to the north shore.  we went
the very long and very pretty way.

sunglasses on
music loud
windows down
singing at the top of our lungs

pop quiz:
q. what is always the best local food to be found?
a. food  from the back of a large vehicle.

q. what does this girl vow to eat at every meal
on vacations near the ocean?
a. shrimp

put them together…
 s h r i m p    s h a c k

we stopped for lunch at a shrimp shack.
i’m livin’ the dream…really!
the road along the north shore is littered
with them.  we sat across from teal blue water,
the hawaiian sun warming the air, eating
our delicious shrimp.

     

by the shrimp stand we found the most deserted,
ideal, picturesque bus stop. i could not have
imagined more wonderfully.

we passed sunset beach, pipeline,
shark’s cove, turtle bay, china man’s hat,
 and settled in at waimea bay.
(see photos from an earlier post)
after being in the car for two hours
we rapturously threw off our clothes
and ran into the waves. we had our
suits on under our clothes of course!!

it was a classic day at the beach:
reading anne aloud
frisbee in the water
burying each other in the sand
power bar snack
sun

   

F U N F U N F U N

macy’s the hawaiian way August 19, 2007

so, i was at macy’s the other day
and i stumbled over the

island attitude

section of the store.  i was surprised
that an entire section of the store is
dedicated to the selling of muumuus!!
i told you they are alive and kicking
here.  i had to stroll around the section
in silent awe of all the flowery yards and
yard of material.

    

i also ran into something so very wonderful…

the dishes of my  d r e a m s!

they were designed with me in mind.
the classy black and white
the swirlyflowerypaisley design
the black goblets
the square plates and bowls
my heart beats wildly at serving future
dinner guests a beautiful meal on these
dishes with a crimson tablecloth and
centerpiece of exotic flowers.  candles.
glasses of wine to match the tablecloth.

can you see it?!!

EA August 14, 2007

excused absence

at work if the census is low less nurses
are needed to work. so they call and ask if
you want to stay home.  the nuse is usually
on call, so they can make you come it at any
time during the shift.

i gladly took the e.a. this sunday night.

instead of work i went to an amazing
thai place and had some fabulous curry.
so good you that if it were overreaction
day there would be a seizure or fainting
spell, or something equally dramatic.

for dessert julie and i strayed from our
p90x eating plan…which i have tried so
very hard to stick to.  we had this sticky
rice that was covered in something delightfully
warm that tasted a bit like bread pudding
and then topped with sweet coconut milk.
it was amazing!!!  i’d give it to all of you for
christmas if i could get it to your houses
warm and perfect like it was last night.

post-dinner we went to spits caves.
it’s on the side of a cliff somewhere.
it was very dark.

we climbed down down down and then out
onto the rocks. the waves were crashing so
hard onto the rocks under us that it felt and
sounded like thunder at times.  our faces were
kissed with sprays of mist every so often.
i haven’t seen the stars so clear since i lived
in the foothills of the himalayas in china.
nothing is that clear!
we watched the meteorite shower. it was simply
magical! if i had the proper thing to sit on, i
could (and would) have watched all night.

awe
captivated
still
tickled

it was utterly impossible not to praise  and
adore my Creator God with every sigh of delight
…which was every breath.

ESPN August 14, 2007

julie and i are on the couch
happy as larks.

we are watching espn and eating
strawberry sorbet.
(we love you vita mix 5000!!!)

college football is coming and julie
is getting giddy. we have the ou
schedule written out on our mirror.

the more golf i play the more i long
to watch it.

i am sad to say that i have not
seen pardon the interruption in
way too long.

this is me…happy.
please note the shirt i’m wearing.
it says p.e. island.  that’s where the
anne books take place. julie has a
matching one.  that’s right!!

a few nights ago julie and i watched
pride and prejudice. we were huddled
up next to the teeny tiny screen trying
to hear every perfectly placed word , trying
to see every glance of the eyes. 

when it came to the end, the mrs. Darcy
scene, julie blurts out…”this isn’t even
fair!!  it’s just not fair!”  we did not let
ourselves watch it again. we went to
bed sighing. 

seriously, a girl can’t watch this very
often and have a healthy content heart!
julie and i vowed not to watch it again for
at least three days. 

just kidding!!

sad sunday August 14, 2007

yesterday was sunday.

i was sad.

you want to know why?

i missed my beloved new york and
the blessed people therein.

i wore an outfit to church that
i wore many many times in nyc to
redeemer. then i listened to a redeemer
sermon on my way to church.  then i
sat all alone.  this time the beautiful
green trees and flowers blowing in the
wind behind the preacher were of no
comfort to me. 

i couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

i would have given anything to hear kj’s
beautiful voice in my ear instead of the
painfully flat one that was blaring.

i drove home listening to the same
sermon again…more for comfort measures
than anything else.  although it was very
good!  props on the second commandment
john lin

my sweet roommate gave me great
comfort.  she sat me close to her on
the couch, wrapped her arms around
me and let me tell her why i was sad.
“oh. i’m sorry buddy,” she said in her high
gentle voice.

more tears

since then i have talked to three dear
new york friends at length and the
ache of missing is beginning to pass.

“a perfect grave yard… August 14, 2007

of lost hopes and dreams”—Anne

we have a friend that lives in an apt complex
with the most beautifulamazingfabulous
pool/garden/bbq area i’ve ever seen!

so julie and i go over for a swim today.
we thought we’d waltz in and enjoy the
water.

um…no.  we were

B U S T E D

the security guard came over and told us
the “resident” had to be with us. we called
our friend and she wasn’t home.

before we had to engage our exit
strategy i took some pictures.
maybe this is what gave us away.

julie’s heart was broken…and still is.

we packed up our things and headed
to the beach. we had a hard time
deciding which one to go to.

we decided on waikiki…the eastern
part of waikiki where there are fewer
tourists. it was not my favorite beach,
but it had waves and sand…so we were
satisfied.

sickbed August 7, 2007

…julie is on hers right now.

my sweet roommate is ill.

so our day went like this:

julie, can you wake up and drink some of this?
okay.
here, take this medicine.
okay.

sleeping
sleeping
sleeping

julie, can you wake up and drink some more of this?
okay, i’ll try.

more sleeping
more drinking

this went on all day.

now, she’s feeling a little better and we are
enjoying hello dolly on my tiny portable
dvd player.  after watching mostly martha,
a german movie with subtitles and then
trying our best to focus on the little dancing
people on the screen, julie will  soon have to
add eye strain to her list of ailments.

today’s menu:
propel
gatorade
emergen-C   electrolyte replacement
homemade vegetable soup(only the broth for julie)
saltines
strawberry sorbet (me only) thank you vita mix 5000!!

strong bad August 7, 2007

julie and her brother jeff introduced
me to homestarrunner.com 
it’s not new, i’m just so 5 minutes ago!

these two are our favorite strong bad emails.

h i l a r i o u s

love at first site August 3, 2007

the vita mix 5000

at costco the other day there was a demonstration
of the vita mix.  the guys made, sorbet, smoothies,
a coffee drink, and soup. it was all delicious…and healthy
for you! i could not tear myself away from the front
row of people crowded around the raised platform with
two men in aprons, bowls and bowls of fresh fruit and
veggies and the vita mix.  i was in love and i had to have
one.

so it got it. “it’s really a lifetime investment”, the man told
me. 

every day i own it and use it i like it more.

jamba juice, starbucks, and other big time places
use this same machine.  it blends so fast that it keeps
boiling water hot and the friction makes it even hotter.
AND it makes ice cream and sorbet.  so it actually
makes the ingredients colder and freeze them as it
blends. it grinds coffee beans and grains as well.  it makes
peanut butter and hummus! you can blend things
together that you don’t like so much, like tofu, into
other things and it mixes so well you can’t even
taste it. Like cabbage, carrot, fruit smoothie.  Yum!!

julie and i made strawberry sorbet last night
    2 c frozen strawberries
+ 1 c ice
+ 1/4 c water
+ 1/2 c splenda

 = 3 1/2 cups of the most delicious & healthy after
dinner snack ever!!

we were amazed! 

residual August 3, 2007

i warned you about overreaction day.

at costco last week there was the largest
bag of frozen strawberries i’ve ever seen!

i overreacted; gasped, flung open the
glass door, grabbed the bag and stared
at it with wide eyes and maybe a small
tear.

we bought it.

i asked julie if my overreacting in public
embarrassed her. she didn’t care in the
slightest.

the inevitable has happened August 3, 2007

imagine with me…..
my first night of work on the night shift is
over and i’m dragging myself down the
street to my car.

wait a minute!  where is my car??!!!

my little poni was    T O W E D!!

i checked the street several times before i
left her there the previous evening to
 make sure that i was not violating any rules
and putting her in danger. i still cannot find any
sign denoting that it’s a tow away zone.

but, i didn’t cry or anything overly dramatic.
i called julie. she was unable to get me because
she was on her way to pick up someone from the
airport, but was very sympathetic and comforting.

“is this really happening?”  i thought.  “do i have to
walk home?” 

on the walk home, UP UP UP two hills in the
heat of a clear hawaiian morning i tried my best
to be thankful that i didn’t live any farther away
than the 1 and 3/4 miles i did. i tried to
be thankful and not to have a complaining heart.
and then i tried not to worry that she was really
stolen and not towed.

after canceling my golf lesson i had later that day,
my coach, kimo green, gave me the name of a big
tow company. he offered to come get me and take
me to the place. he also assured me that she was not stolen
because isuzu rodeos don’t have a high theft rate.
i tried not to be offended on behalf of my little poni
that thieves don’t want her kind. 

stone ridge had my ride! so later that day after
an afternoon full frightful of dreams about my car being
stolen julie took me to get her.

it cost big bucks!!  P L U S   a parking ticket.

she is not safe at home with me.

the next night i looked and looked for a safe
place to park on the street.  i could find none
in the amount of time i had, so i had to park in
the public parking garage.

$20 a night!! 

yikes!!  

i have to work on this situation.