Touring around....

Today was a day spent sleeping in. After dragging out of bed I went off to Queens to pick my new pair of glasses. I took along my little tourist book to see what was to do. Once I got used to sensation that I was about 10ft tall when looking at the ground I decided to take the 7 train to Grand Central Terminal - NYCtourist.com to see it all and go to the interesting stores there. Then I took the 6 to go to Battery Park (http://www.thebattery.org/index.php). This is the very south part of Manhattan where you take the ferry rides to Ellis Island and the green statue lady. I have been here before but don't remember a thing about it. I was really wishing I had my camera because there were so many things that would have made good photos. I think I will have to visit there again. I then set out walking in search of some thrift stores that my guide book told me about. This gave me an excuse to venture to places other than where the popular places are. In the end the thrift stores were really not thrift stores and I ended up going to the popular places. I wound up at the World Trade Center (http://www.tributewtc.org/index.php) and spent a little time there. There is a little museum with videos and pictures and stuff. I shed a few tears for those lost and for those who survived. A couple weeks ago I talked with Lucile about the experience of 9/11. She was a teacher at the time. She remembers that there was just a period of waiting, to find out whose parents and other family members were alive and whose were not.
I then went on the visit the Financial District Building. Lots of stores and places to eat and the Hudson River to gaze on.
Lucile invited me to go to listen to her friend play in a band so I met up with her and her daughter Laura for a bite to eat at Katz's Delicatessen Inc and headed off to the band. It was rock'n'roll and at a really dark bar type place. Not really my type of place...I was a little uncomfortable. It was something different and met a few people. I am safe at home now from noise, loud shouting for conversation, slurred speech, repeated phrases, loss of thought processes and now thoroughly enjoying the gentle rocking in my boat listening to the calm waters. I think I am ready for bed. g'night.

Geocaching....Poison Ivy

Hello, every one. Its been awhile since a posting. Things have fallen into a routine with not too much new going on. But wait...I have been doing some geocaching. Sort of a scavenger hunt type thing by using Lat. and Long. coordinates from your handheld GPS. (For those who want to know more about geocaching visit http://www.geocaching.com/) I took Miriam to find one. I think she is hooked on the idea of it. This particular one was a tough...long walk down wooded trail, lots of mosquitoes, we looked for 30 mins, didn't find it. To top it off I got poison ivy. It brought back memories about when I played "The Purse Game" with my two neighbors when we were about 13 years old. The game was we lay a nice looking purse in the street, tie a fish line to it and hide in the bushes until someone stops to look in it. The punch is once someone stops we quick pull it from their hand before they grab it and run away. The anticipation of a car coming and slowing a little was all part of the excitment. Of course nobody ever stopped except for once. A guy stopped we pulled the line as he was reaching for it. We freaked out after he started yelling at us what rotten kids we were. He sped off and we ran through the weeds and dropped to our knees in uncontrollable laughter literally rolling in poison ivy. Needless to say, all three of us for weeks went through the stages of the rash.
Any way, this past weekend I went with Miriam and Al and her sister and husband to Norwalk, Connecticut. Very nice place to visit with a little town to walk through with a bunch of restaurants. The trip back was a very good sail. I was a little doped up on benadryl and really slept most of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed being a passenger and napping on the deck. When we got back the poison ivy was getting bad. Miriam took me to the med center. I got a prescription for some prednisone and cortisone cream. The redness and swelling is down and I am doing much better now. I haven't had to immerse my body in cold water for 2 days now to stop that panicking itch that comes over me. Thank goodness for the air conditioner I bought a few weeks ago for the hot days. It really has saved me a lot of grief.

Work has been going pretty good. I have worked in 4 different areas now. ICU, CCU, PCU (pulmonary) and EDIP (ED holding area). The worse part of this particular hospital is their scheduling and staffing is a nightmare. Not to mention they have a lot of call-ins, people show up when they aren't supposed to be there, and other never show when they are supposed to be there. Also the scheduling people for example will know that they are short 3 nurses here or there and do nothing about it until they see who has actually shown up for work. And then about 1-2 hours of getting your assessments and meds done, they tell you you have to go to that unit where those 3 nurses are missing. Ok so I am the traveler and I expect that stuff to happen but please take care of it at the beginning of the shift instead of waiting.
Aside from those few complaints, I enjoy being a nurse bottom line and I enjoy spending time with my patients, intubated or talking (english or what ever other language these people speak). If all else is wrong at least I can help some one get better or help them be more comfortable.
Haven't taken too many pictures lately. I'll post them when there are some.

Until later.....

Afternoon of Bliss

Yesterday i had the opportunity to go sailing with Lucille in her 9ft little sailboat that she has. It was the perfect day. She let me take the helm and manage the sails on the way out and she took a turn the way back. We went on the other side of the Island weaving around boats in the mooring fields to check out a boat that she used to own. We made it there and saw a huge cloud coming our way. We made it back just in time. We packed everything up and it started to sprinkle. To top things off we saw a rainbow. We decided then to go get a bit to eat out. She took us to the little Italian place in a strip mall where you would never think a nice white table cloth restaurant would be. Good sail! Good food!! Great Day!!!

Night Out Racing

On City Island, Wednesday night is the racing night for the sailors. Last night was my first time participating in a race. The name of our team boat is "Wild Child." We placed 5th out of 6 in our division. Our captain is Brad who works at the City Island Yacht club, his wife Peggy takes the helm; Mike, Victor and I do stuff in the back when we tack and Maggie manages the front with spinnaker poles and such. I don't know much about spinnakers since i don't have one. So not only am I learning about racing but other types of sails as well.

It gets pretty hairy as all the boats are getting ready to start. The boats are places in divisions according to size, make, speed capability (like a triathalon with heats...m/f, age). As one division is starting the next division starts to hover around the starting area. The start for sailboats is not started at a dead stop like you would for a race with horses or runners. Every one is in motion trying to calculate just right so that when the horn blows for your division you are just crossing the start line instead of heading other direction in order to not cross the line too early. It was such a gorgeous night with plenty of wind. It was the first time for me being out on the water since I have arrived in NYC. I forget what I miss until I am out there again.

This team does some weekend races as well in the Long Island Sound. I hope to be able to join them and see The Sound...I hear it's very beautiful. It's fun to sail with others again and make some more freinds and share stories. After the race we packed the boat up and headed in to feast on the $10 buffet and lots of ETOH (alcohol-for the non-nursing people). I am learning that the party afterwards is the big deal; to celebrate the hard work of the race and brag about how good they did or how next time they are going to beat so and so ect.