Laughing Gas

I don't suggest having the tv on The Price is Right during your first encounter with laughing gas when you are already extremely nervous. The music and sound effects in combination with the tipsy feeling of the laughing gas is similar to that scene in Willy Wonka with the boat ride and the tunnel starts swirling around and around and around. Creeepy!

Take this job and shove it! I ain't workin here no more!

My two year contract for my first job out of school is up next Wednesday. I managed to weasel my way into having my last week of work off with PTO and flex days. I'm DONE!

I'm tired of not getting respect. That's what it all comes down to. I didn't go to school for 7 years to get two degrees and $80,000 (before interest) of loans to be disrespected. I think the worst part of it all is being told things like "you are too compassionate."

Are you kidding?

This is health care for crying out loud. What would I be doing here if it weren't for my compassion? I sure am not in it for the money.

My older co-workers tell me "it's like this every where."

If that's the case I will change my job every year until I find people that do not accept the unacceptable.

What it comes down to is this: If you allow people to walk all over you they will time and time again. I refuse to be a doormat.

I will continue to stand up for my patients and what is right. That's the kind of clinician I am.

In closing, I'd like to sing another song:

Kiss. Kiss this. And I don't mean on my rosy red lips!

Aaaand, on that note, I'll be having dental surgery tomorrow and then moving to the beach on Sunday! Whoop whooop!

This Weekend

I know the rest of you don't want to hear that four letter "s" word again anytime soon. No, not that one, the one that ends in a "w."

We had our first s**w fall down here last night and the town was in a frenzy trying to prepare for the 3 to 4 inches we got. I was so excited because we've only had one weekend of ice. No real s**w until yesterday! Wahoo! Well, the sun is brightly shining today, so most of it is already gone. Sadly, I did not get to play in it. But nevertheless, it was still exciting.

Today is The Southern Belle's birthday. She is one of my closest friends at work. She keeps me sane and she lets me rant and rave to my hearts content. The Southern Belle is a SC native. She is classy and smart. And today is her birthday! We are going to celebrate by dinner at a nice restaurant prior to going to her favourite Irish pub. We will see where the night takes us from there.

Tomorrow the two of us are going to see "Valentine's Day." Cheesy? Yes. Necessary? Another yes.

Here's to a fun girls weekend! It's always nice to have good girl friends around when you need them!

Bittersweet silence

The past two days I've gotten to work in the units. As in intensive care and cardiac care. Read: really sick people. In these two days, I've felt more useful treating those 3 patients than I have in a long, long time.

I've decided I like treating non verbal patients. I make them laugh. Really, it's a stitch. They can't tell me I'm being corny, silly or dumb, so I talk and talk. There really is no stopping me when I get going. Then they laugh and I like to pretend it's because they think I'm funny. In reality, it's just because it takes too much effort to mouth "you're ridiculous."

The best is when I'm co-treating with Shorty, a COTA, and we banter back and forth until we make the patient smile. Now, that's some funny stuff. The best is when I make fun of how short she is. That gets 'em every time.

Bring on the lines, leads, and vents! It's on, I'm bringing back purpose to my job and knocking out debility one treatment (and smile) at a time!

In other news, I'm not drinking soda. I normally don't drink a lot of the stuff anyway, but sometimes I get on a roll and then crave the sticky, sweet stuff. I haven't had a Coke or another soda at all this month. All 5 days of it. Pretty good, huh? Now, the hard part is going to be not having a rum and coke the next time I go out. I don't like beer...so I guess I'll be drinking a lot o' wine!

"It's my birthday!!!"

As I stood, chilled, in the parking lot, waiting for a friend to finish a phone call before we entered a fantastic Indian restaurant, the following scene unfolded before me:

A happy couple exits a bar. Dangerously close to one another (I couldn't help steal and change those lines as they were perhaps written for a situation similar to this). They stumble to their car, then abruptly change their course. Run to "Lucy's Love Shop."

The girl yanks on the door to find it locked. The girl tugs on the handle again before her partner's hip juts out to gently shove her out of the way. He gives the door a try.

"Nooo!" they scream in unison as the shop keeper glares as she turns out the lights and points to the closed sign.

"Come on! We'll be quick! We know what we want!"

"It's my biiiirthdaaaay! Coooome ooon!"

After what had to be several minutes of the two of them literally jumping up and down and shaking their fists and yelling, the shop keeper flips on the lights and lets the pair in.

At this point I couldn't help but hear that horrible "birthday sex" song in my head. 'Nuf said!

Welcome to Ghetto-fab G-vegas, baby!

Apartment Pictures

I know, I know. I've been a slacker. I've been busy. Really, I have. The good thing is that I've been socializing more with people than with the computer. That's a good excuse for not writing, isn't it? I've had a 3rd year PT student staying with me for the past several weeks. We get along really well and I've enjoyed my first roommate ever. She's also good at decorating and has been helping me out. . . Plus, I finally got motivated to buy some furniture. So, without further ado here is the updated apartment:








We went live with the new computer documentation system this week. . . It has been crazy. Needless to say I've been much less productive. We document by exception. Which means if nothing is wrong then you don't write anything. Let's say you have full strength and intact sensation in all extremities. Nothing is documented as its within normal limits. At the end of the day I look at what I wrote and feel like it doesn't represent anything I did with the patient. All in all, it will work out well in the end, its just a matter of getting used to the system...and other disciplines actually documenting when and where they should so I can do MY job correctly.

Well, that's all of an update I can handle for now. I hope you enjoyed the pics, TK! :)

PR, BABY

Here's my gimic:


The Dietary Student told me to "Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth!"


We finished.


And I totally PR'd...8 minutes off my time. . .

Place	Bib	Age	Name	City/State	Chip Time	Gun Time	Pace
244	1235	25	KRISTEN SHERIFF	GREENVILLE SC	02:06:56	02:08:33	00:09:49

1/2

Just ran the Greenville 1/2 Marathon today. I didn't train too much, but I think I PR'd. The official time hasn't been posted yet, but I think I did it in under 2 hours and 10 minutes, which is at least 5 minutes faster than the last one I ran in March. I plan to post intense pictures and the official time once they are up online.

I'm hoping to get motivated this week to actually train for the Richmond half which is next month. . . but at this moment, as I'm hobbling around, I don't want to think about running another race so soon.

Fall cleaning?

This weekend I am cleaning house and buying things in preparation for my first TWO house guests! :D The Best Man is wrapping up his road trip this week and will be HERE on Thursday!!! The Dietary Student whom I met while on my rotation in fabulous FarmVegas with The Self Proclaimed Crazy Cat Lady and Best CI Ever (I have given her the second title), is coming to G-Vegas as well. She is attempting to run a marathon in EVERY state. So, while I run the Greenvilel 1/2 she will run the whole marathon. After next weekend she can check off her 5 (I think) state!

I must run to continue buying home decor and groceries! I hope everyone is having a fabulously lazy day!

Pictures

I thought I'd post some pictures to prove that I am indeed talking to people and making friends.
Below is the evidence.

I decided to have a weekly girls night out. The second of which was last night. From left to right: 1) me, 2) new RN on my floor who works nights, 3) went to grad school with 4) new PT that I work with :)


Rehab Night Out: From left to right: 1) OT on my floor who is sadly leaving in 2.5 weeks, 2) guy who's job I took, 3) me, 4) new PT, 5) our lovely secretary :)

First Weekend

My first weekend here alone (without The Best Man) and NOT studying went a little something like this:

Friday:
- Began reading Inventing a Nation- Washington, Adams, Jefferson
- Lounged by the pool and got a tinsy bit burned
- Crocheted a scarf for someone from high school...I was supposed to finish this in 2000. . .
- Ran 1.75 miles on the treadmill
- Watched Bridget Jones' Diary & Wimbledon
- Drank wine
- Missed The Best Man (he's in Illinois)
- Texted The Best Man
- Talked to The Best Man

Saturday:
- Recycled the boxes I have unpacked
- Bought a really cute dress from Old Navy
- Ran 1.99 miles on the treadmill
- Finished the scarf noted above and started working on another half finished one
- Watched Serendipity
- Did not drink wine

Sunday:
- Lounged by the pool while reading, crocheting, and listening to the outrageous accents of the other people at the pool
- Cleaned my bathroom
- Grocery shopped
- Elliptical x 20 minutes
- Got ready for my first day of work! :)

Man, what an exciting life I lead!

A Kodak moment or two. . .

Good news, people! I found the USB cable to connect my camera to the computer! Score! Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks:

7/11: Moving down to G-ville. The car was packed!



My odometer at one point during the trip:



The Best Man blowing out the candles on the tower o' brownies I made him for his birthday:



7/18: HUGE snapping turtle The Best Man spotted while camping this past weekend:

Packing up Ol' Bessie!

I've already started packing up Ol' Bessie over the past couple of days, but now it's time to get serious. So serious in fact, that I'll be packing not only my stereo, but also this laptop! Over and out! I won't have internet, except poolside and in the club house once I move. I don't have the money for luxuries such as the internet, when I have to worry about gas and food. I'll try to update sometime after the move and/or boards! Adios!

Finally!

Everything has officially gone through! Now I just have to wait to get a letter in the mail so I can sign up to take my boards! I'm SO glad this process is finally coming to an end! Yaaahooo!


Crap....now I really have to study!

Also, I move in 1.5 weeks! :D I'm mostly packed up and have managed to score the following from various friends (mostly The Best Man and his old roomies):
- Dinning room table and chairs
- Dresser
- Desk
- TV stand
- Deck/camping chairs
- Microwave
- Jumper cables

It's slowly but surely coming together, folks! :)

HOME :)

I officially have an apartment!

I found a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom about 15 minutes from work. The second bedroom is going to end up as an office/guest room. It has two doors that swing open and can kinda extend the living room space, which is nice. The kitchen is small and open, so you can see into the living room while you're cooking. It also has a "breakfast bar" which I love! I can't wait to go shopping and find some cool bar stools to put there. The bathroom just has a the tub and toilet in it, with two sinks in the hall outside-nice if I actually have friends come visit. I also have a little deck off the living room and dinning room. Oh, and I can't forget to mention a real, working, wood burning fireplace! There are tons of windows, filling the apartment with natural light and offering wooded views. I'm SO excited about getting to play around with decorating/furnishing it! :) Pictures to come once I can distract them from The Best Man's camera!

"Oh, Please Fate stay with me, and guide me along my way"

After my onsite interview in Greenville I got a call from Charlotte saying that the position I was interested in had already been filled. I saw this as a sign, to help me decide that yes, I did want to be in Greenville.

Last night, my voice mail became so full that it would no longer take new messages and I finally broke down and deleted new messages (Mom, Mom, and Mom) and old ones that no longer mattered (Recruiter, recruiter, recruiter). One of the new messages was from the recruiter from Charlotte. She said that the position was now open again and was I interested? I think the fact that the position was "filled" long enough for me to make my decision to go w/ Greenville, just shows Someone had a helping hand in this. Personally, I would have taken ages to decide on my own which place was the one for me...and then I would have come to the same conclusion, but with a lot more hassle.

Amen.

In other news: I'm having a blast shopping online at Target! I've made a wish list for my birthday/graduation- so, buy me pretty things already!

The details

The flight from Charlotte to Greenville, SC was only 15 minutes. Well, 15 minutes actually in the air. All the pomp and circumstance actually takes longer than that. The pilots couldn't have been older than me. Finally, had a "hot" flight attendant that meet the stereotypes I gained somewhere along the way. I sat next to an OBGYN and we chatted about where we lived and what we do or what I want to do anyway. He's from some island "near the southern tip of Georgia." He said he'd like to move up here, but his wife would be too cold. I found this funny as everyone in VA is telling me that I'll burn up (plus, they say I'll get an accent, can ya'll believe that?).

I went for a run down Main St. last night. There are trendy shops, galleries, restaurants, and bars all over the place. Everything looks brand new. It's all so clean. The streets are made of brick/stone and in the middle of town it looks as if you can stroll down the middle of the street- which could be bad because several times I almost ran down the "sidewalk" then noticed cars passing.

Then, I got to the park. Absolutely amazing. I really can't describe how cool this place is with words. Basically, there is a river and waterfalls in the middle of the city. It blew me away. I felt safe running through this huge park even at 9 PM. Quiet impressive.

I had my interview this morning. Needless to say, I was shy. However, I think it went well. Everything looked brand spankin new here as well. The staff seemed friendly enough too. I will hear from the director tomorrow. I'm really excited!

After the interview, I explored the town a little. Walking, I got to see a lot more than I had on my run last night. There were some really cute shops, several expensive shops, a few grandma type shops, a shoe store, and a couple jewelry stores. Man, I love shopping. It was all I could do not to buy anything. Having to put the rental car on my debit card was the only thing that held me back! They put a 300 hold on my card! How crazy is that? I guess I should have expected that since it was a several thousand dollar CAR afterall. Oh, well. At least it kept the shopping bug at bay!

Lunch consisted of sushi. Great stuff. I do realize I'm several hours from any fresh fish, which is quiet a bummer. They say, "Greenville is close to everything and next to nothing." It's 2-4 hours from Charlotte, Atlanta, Charleston and Columbia. It's also a quick drive to the mountains and a little bit farther from the beach. If I end up here, I think that's what I'll miss the most- being able to hit up the sun and sand on a whim.

Then, I went to another park. It is MUCH bigger, but not nearly as pretty and maintained. It does, however, have a TON of trails. There were a ton of runners enjoying the warm afternoon sun. Instead of changing into my running shoes, I took a much needed nap on a bench under a tree. The result: the first few freckles of the spring!

The real question is "what to wear?"

I seem to have more anxiety about what to wear for my interview than the interview itself.

This is sure to change over the course over the next 24 plus hours.

The itinerary

FINALLY got an itinerary put together for me for my first on-site interview.

Tuesday, 15
Fly. Arrive in Greenville around 8 PM. Pick up rental car. Plan to eat out??

Wed, 16
Interview. Check out town (ie. run, shop, eat). Fly back home.

I'm glad that it's all official and I had to do next to no planning (except for hounding HR persons).

Also. . .
I got a call from Charleston, SC! This was the original "dream." So, I'm ecstatic about this waterfront town! I now have a phone interview lined up for the same day I have the interview for Charlotte.

It's all starting to fall into place. Now I just need to practice not blushing and stuttering. This week has been extremely trying on my family, so this has been a positive outlet for me- well, that and going to the gym!

The measure of success

Bumper Sticker of the Day: "We seceded when others did not" seen on a white Tracker in the Y parking lot.

In other news: STILL no word as to when I'm flying out for the interview in Greenville!

Also of note: the 10k is this weekend!