A Monday peek into my brain
Otherwise known as...stream of consciousness.
I don't have any Meet a Reader submissions in the queue, so here we are. 😉
Six more weeks!
My classmates and I are definitely counting down to the end of the semester; as of today, we have six more weeks of school left before SUMMER!!!!
This week is gonna be a little crazy for me; I have clinical on Monday and Tuesday, a four-hour OB lab seminar on Wednesday, a five-hour OB lab on Thursday, and a two-hour OB simulation on Friday followed by a three-hour lecture.
I'm pretty sure I have to be in uniform for all of those days, which means I'm gonna need to be on top of my laundry. I have two uniform scrub pants and two tops, which usually works out fine because I have two clinical days each week.
But if I need to show up in clean scrubs five days in a row, I will need to do some extra laundry!
My frugal decision to buy only two of each has been fine up until now, so I don't really regret my decision. 😉
If a rectangle became a shirt...
...it would be a student scrub top.
I understand that most shirts resemble a rectangle to some extent, but man, these student scrub tops really are like rectangles.
Once I graduate, I'm sure I'll have some more options for scrubs that fit a little bit better.
Two more semesters of rectangle shirts after this. 😉
I got my two ATI practice exams done
We have these tests each semester which basically help us practice for the NCLEX, our RN licensing exam.
We have a non-proctored practice one for each class, and also a proctored one for each class.
And for each question we get wrong, we have to write down three bullet points of information about that topic and submit them.
I tackled both of my non-proctored ones this weekend and also got all my bullet points done and submitted.
We typically get a lot of questions wrong on these exams, since they're meant to be a test of whether we'd pass the NCLEX and obviously, right now, we would probably not pass it!
I got 16 wrong on each test, so I had to do 96 bullet points, and I am so glad that's off my back now.
They're not due until the end of April, but I always prefer to get things done and out of the way early if I can.
(The proctored exams will happen in early May and then...more bullet points. BOO. I hate doing bullet points.)
Can we appreciate the absurdity of this gate?
This one cracks me up every time I see it, because there are well-worn tire tracks to the side.
They need to rethink this design. 😉 Or just give up and take the chain down.
I'm gonna miss the eclipse
And honestly, I don't care.
I'll be at the hospital, which is decidedly not a good eclipse-viewing spot. 😉
I feel a little like I should care about viewing it, but I just have a very take-it-or-leave-it kind of eclipse attitude.
I rolled out of bed this morning for a walk, and I got to see the sun above the water. That's perfectly good enough for me!
And I did that yesterday too.
speaking of sun and water...
I love the way sunlight sparkles on the water.
So beautiful!
And also, I love to look at the way the water makes little ripple marks in the sand.
They're so tidy, it almost looks like a person made them on purpose!
I know grades don't matter that much...
The important thing in nursing school is passing, and being competent in practice when you graduate.
But there is a little part of me that still wants to get an A.
In my maternal/newborn/women's health class, I would have to absolutely tank to end up with something less than an A (my grade is currently 99.4%).
So I haven't been sweating that one.
However, Med Surg has been more of a challenge. I got a 46/50 on last week's exam, though, so I'm holding steady at around 94%.
That means I just gotta maintain that for one more regular exam and a final exam, and I'm starting to think that I can pull that off.
(We do get points for other things too, but the exams obviously have the biggest impact on your overall grade.)
Here is a random duck (or some sort of water fowl) from this morning.
And I wish I'd gotten down lower to take this next picture but...it always amazes me to see plants growing out of things like this railing.
That little plant is making the best of where it's landed.
I want to be like that plant. 🙂
Alrighty. I'm starving. Time for some breakfast for me!
Wanna join me?* You can do a little stream of consciousness in the comments if you'd like.
*not for breakfast! I'm unprepared to serve a crowd. 😉
I haven't commented in quite some time, but I still ready daily! Here's my current stream of conscience.
-Like you, I really don't care too much about the eclipse. I spent enough time hearing my teenage son complain that he didn't have viewing glasses to EVEN care at this point.
-Our 3 week German exchange student left for home today, so there were many tears last evening before we went to bed. Hubby does the hard job of dropping him "off for good" My 9 year old stated "It's like they walk out of the house and out of our lives forever" Que the crying!
-We are also hosting a 6 month German exchange student, so he keeps us very busy!
-Girl Scout camp is tough on an old body! I'm in charge of all the girl scouts in our area and this weekend was our unit wide camping. I was not prepared for the literal mountains we would climb!
@Jenelle, Yikes! You are one busy woman. Teenager, 9 year old, two exchange students, ALL the Girl Scouts... I'm exhausted just reading this. Promise me you'll sneak in a nap during the eclipse (since that's the ONE thing you won't be doing)!
@JDinNM,
I thrive on being busy. I work full time and run an Ebay store! Thanks for noticing!
Random thoughts.
I would like to see the eclipse but I think my son took all three pairs of glasses I had by mistake. He is driving to get our new beagle pup in the Midwest, but will stop along the path of totality during the event. My daughter is in Manhattan looking for glasses.
It's a beautiful day today. I need to spend it photographing the rental cottage and cleaning.
The double cream I had yesterday with blackberries was terrible.
We're disagreeing about Beagle Pup's name. Sigh.
A guy from Connecticut is coming over on the ferry this morning to deliver an antique brownstone step. I will add it to the vintage stoop I have so I can easily get into the house. (The doorframe is about 6 inches above the stoop surface, which was no big deal before 2020 when I got Covid. Now it's a big deal, sigh.)
@Rose, Speaking of sun sparkling on the water, a house nearby me is called "Sea Diamonds." I think it's a kinda dumb name, but I'm sure that's what it's supposed to be. Another one is a "Sea Smoke" which I think is absolutely terrible. Smoke is nasty smelly stuff and has nothing to do with the ocean. What's wrong with "Sea Mist"?
@Rose,
I wonder if some prior owner's spouse said "oh, look.....the sea is shining like diamonds!", and thus the name was born? I agree, kinda dumb. Sea Smoke is even dumber. I like Sea Mist.....Beachside, maybe....Sea View? I don't know.
@Liz B., The house of Bill O'Reilly (the conservative TV guy) is three doors down from me and it's called Sea Light, which works for me.
@Rose, you have my condolences.
@Rose, have you seen Holly, The Terror Dog??
@Selena, hahaha! He really is a mean guy, but as a neighbor he's perfect. He's quiet and the house he built is tasteful and low-key.
@Jana, I have to check it out!
@Rose, great neighbor because no one to protect him. I have no comment on his taste as I've not seen the structure.
where is everybody? i don't care about the eclipse either. but my kids are very excited. zoe who is 15 will go up to the roof of her high school building. am thrilled that you are doing so well in nursing school. but i expected that would happen. u r very dedicated.
as always, thanks for the chiquita photo.
We are in the path of 99% totality and it is OVERCAST and Gray right now so there is a lot of fretting on my husbands part as he took the day off since he loves this kind of stuff.
My oldest graduates college in 4 weeks-EEK! Time for him to start thinking about what he wants to do with that...HAHA
McDonalds changed it formula of ice cream and I am very not pleased with that. It used to be a creamy white soft-serve and now it is like a white/gray icy mess.. Which is fine since they upped their prices anyway. One summer they only charged .50/cone and that made kid treat so affordable!
I just cashed in a huge quantity of Fetch points and broke it down into gift cards and put them onto apps that are on my phone for easy use! Looks like I can grab a few drinks from Sonic and meals from Chipotle in the future!
The Starbucks closest to work shut down temporarily effective last night for remodeling. This is potentially bad news for us at work as somedays the little preschoolers are CrazY and that caffeine boost after work is necessary, but at least the money on my app will last longer!!
@jes, is your family going to drive to a place in the path of totality? I highly recommend it if you can. The difference between being in the path and being even one mile outside it is like night and day, literally. 🙂 Either way, I hope the skies clear up for you! I'm in NE Ohio and it's overcast here this morning, too. My kiddo and I have been waiting for this day since we saw the 2017 eclipse in Missouri!
@Becky Stewart, We are also in NE Ohio! Staying in the backyard where there is no traffic or people! We were in Nashville in 2017 in the THICK of it!
@Becky Stewart,
I'm in SW Ohio, and we were in the 99.8% totality area! We could have driven to Dayton, Hamilton, or other areas to get to 100% totality, buy NO WAY was my hubby interested in getting stuck in traffic. Which, I get it, I don't either. We watched from our back yard. It was great!
@Liz B.,
*but* NO WAY
@jes, Hello, neighbor! 🙂
@Liz B., Hello, fellow Buckeye!
To jes and Liz,
I was really surprised how little traffic was on the roads on Monday. And the parking lot of the park we viewed the eclipse from was only 10% full. I guess almost everyone decided to stay home. Glad you enjoyed the day, Liz, and I hope you did too, jes!
Kristen, I love your water photos. Such a beautiful place to walk!
*Like you, I’m not overly excited about the eclipse. Maybe if it was the first time seeing one, I’d be more excited.
*My husband and I both had Covid for the first time about two weeks ago. Today we are going on a little day trip, our first fun outing since we were sick. I’m excited!
*We have had such great weather this weekend! Beautiful, sunny and cool. My perfect spring days!
*After our car wreck three months ago, hubby is set to lose the back brace if all goes well at his spine appt. on Wednesday. He is especially excited, since the warmer days have made it uncomfortably warm under the brace when he goes walking.
Loved this -- Happy Monday - loved the photos and ruminations --also loved "That little plant is making the best of where it’s landed." Captures so much . . .
oxoxoxox
Lovely post, as always.
Photo tip: Flip your phone upside down and take pic. It give a much more broad perspective and would really set off some of the view.
Ohh, I'd forgotten about that trick!
@Mary, does that trick make your lens be even more wide-angle??
We are supposed to have 97% totality here. My kids’ schools have viewing glasses for all the students and everyone is going to be outside this afternoon for the event. My 9yo is very excited! I feel like I should care more, but I’m kind of “meh” on it.
Also, I’m very excited about Spring! My youngest and I had a nice walk to school this morning and enjoyed the springy weather. My seedlings are getting big and the migrating birds have come back. It’s suddenly gotten very noisy and busy outside!
I love your photos of the water, sand, and sun. So relaxing.
I am going to my friend's house this evening to watch my alma mater, Purdue, play in the championship game. So excited! I have followed them off and on since the 80s. Sometimes it's hard to catch their games when I don't have cable TV. I watched the two semifinal games at his house on Saturday and the next day I was wiped out. Being a sports fan is rough on me. But I still managed to get some work done and two loads of laundry in between naps.
I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor at the end of the month. The x-ray showed I fractured the radial head in my elbow when I fell. I looked up an image online and read about that type of fracture. Often there's nothing they can do, so I've just been following my doctor's orders to take it easy with the right arm and I'm still icing it nearly every day. It only hurts when I accidentally use it. I'm hoping it's all healed by the time I see the specialist. My doctor also wants me to go for a sleep study and PT for balance. One thing I think will help a lot is that I'm trying to be very mindful when I'm moving around. I tend to think about other things as I'm locomoting around the house.
I don't have any eclipse glasses (or if I do I don't know where they are) so I'll have to observe the shadows from inside.
No eclipse for us this year. We have the glasses (my son took a box to school just in case and left a pair for me) but it looks like it will be too cloudy. The last eclipse we went to a rooftop party hosted by Minnesota Public Radio and the Brains On podcast. My best friend has been sending me pictures of that day and it's pulling my heartstrings!
We hosted my husband’s dad and his wife for lunch this weekend. It was sweet watching my husband get ready to show them our new home.
I was able to set up a dinner with two of my cousins when I am on a work trip next week. I am going to be exhausted but I don’t get a chance to see my out of state family often and my work trip just happens to be in their metro area so it was an absolute must for me.
I want to be excited about the eclipse and might go outside for a bit this afternoon if I remember. I've so much personal and professional stuff to plow through this week that a few minutes of wonderment would do me some good!
We *almost* have enough saved for my husband's periodontal work in May. Insurance laughed at us despite a tightly written appeal (no major work covered during this time frame--^@$@%!**) so we're on the hook for $1600. It's a very necessary procedure, and I already spoke with the clinic about making one BIG payment and a smaller final payment if we don't quite have enough by the appointment. The clinic doesn't offer any "payment day of" discounts worthy of mentioning, alas! We'll save more by putting it on our card, paying it off immediately after, and getting the rewards points.
The stress of teeth being expensive aside, life is good. My husband and I are currently enjoying "Dystopian Date Night," wherein we choose a movie from the 60s/70s along that theme. "Silent Running," "Soylent Green," and the Donald Sutherland version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" were already household favorites (though certainly not light watching!), and we just saw "Rollerball" for the first time. "Logan's Run" and "Westworld" are next weekend!
@N, can you appeal one more time to insurance? This was several years ago, but I was told by someone very knowledgeable about insurance that, in the case of a denial/dispute, you have to ask three times to get something approved. It worked in my case, so just wanted to mention it.
@Tina S., I haven't heard this! Can you please tell me whether you just kept sending in the same appeal, with minor tweaks, or new ones each time? It's worth a try, regardless--thank you for the suggestion! I thought our main point in the first appeal--that it's either this procedure now or dental implants and A LOT more money later--pretty damn valid.
@N,
I sent in the claim appeal then talked to six different representatives and got, no lie, five very different reasons for why it was turned down and one rep who admitted it should be paid, and finally wrote a letter to the insurance company including the varied excuses for "no" that I got from reps, the doctor's statement that this was needed, and some questions I had that kind of highlighted the absurdity of their excuses, and lo and behold, I got it paid, 8 months after all that started.
Don't give up yet. It's worth badgering them.
@N,
I can remember watching Rollerball as a teenager - probably when HBO was still a new thing, lol - and I was blown away. Thought about it for weeks afterwards. I haven't watched it since, but now I think I should - no longer being an impressionable teen. 🙂
@N, I do insurance submissions for very ill folks, as my bit of community service. Absolutely, submit and resubmit. On second appeals I throw in things (if they are true) like, "I hope you are not refusing to cover this because you assume I will die soon and you will not have to pay out since my (spouse, parent, whatever) will be too grief stricken to follow up on this claim." Or in one successful case I wrote something like "I realize I am in my 60s (I always write as the person, since they submit the claims) and perhaps you think I am too old or becoming senile so you can wait it out and not pay but let me assure you I am in my sound mind and will continue to follow up on this." You would think that shaming would not work but sometimes it does because you get the right human... I never say "You should be ashamed..." but I throw in the human element as much as I can. If I talk to a human and get the coverage as a result, I do write a note of thanks so that perhaps they will do the same for the next person who files an appeal. I often send notes to a supervisor if someone in a store, for example, is very helpful but insurance people are not rewarded for giving out money on claims so I don't send letters to the supervisor saying how wonderful it was that the employee helped me.
@N, follow the great advice of the other people who responded here. Call your insurance and ask why it was denied. If you don't get a good answer, call again. Always ask for a call reference number, and take notes. Refer to notes as needed for the second appeal. Include any relevant call ref numbers as well.
A little polite shaming does help if there are inconsistencies. Refer to the exact part of your insurance coverage document if relevant. (I.e. Under chapter 6. Section 4, subsection b, it says I should have coverage....).
Include a statement from your doctor if relevant. Include diagnosis/procedure codes if you have them.
Be persistent and keep trying. I am always a very polite pain in the butt in these situations.
Good luck!
@Liz B., I hope you do watch it again! It was my first viewing and my husband's first unedited (he watched the cable TV version as a kid), and we're both still thinking about it.
Your photos are gorgeous & make me want to get outside. Stream of consciousness for today:
1) not even a basketball fan, but had so much warm & fuzzies after watching the finals yesterday, which were broadcast on the enormous TVs at a restaurant I was at with the family.
2) I'm so, so, so ready for DS18 to make a college choice. We finished our last tour on Saturday & I loved the college & think it would be the best option for him. That said, ultimately his decision & I know being 18 and making these kinds of decisions can be challenging. But, I'm so ready for us to have a plan. We've been in limbo since the application process began in October. As a person, limbo isn't something I'm personally very good at.
3) My house is a wreck after being gone all weekend. So much laundry. So much cleaning needed today.
4) It was so fun to see my family over the weekend (they were close to the area for the college tour). That would be another huge advantage, if DS18 opts to go there.
5) I got pretty far off my eating plan over the weekend & need to get back in order today.
@Hawaii Planner, I'm a long-time Dawn Staley fan due to Philadelphia and UVA connections, but I had a hard time watching the game. Too close for comfort for a while there....
@Hawaii Planner,
It is agony waiting for the kids to make a choice! After playing all the admissions games and visits and testing, just decide already! 😉 Some of my kids applied to (i) schools who send out their decision on the last possible day (ii) 13 different colleges or (iii) schools which waitlisted them with the tantalizing hope of a different outcome later. Just wildly frustrating! I imagine with the FAFSA chaos this year, financial aid letters were a long time coming. Luckily, I have no graduating seniors this year.
I hope your kid picks a great school that works out well for him. For most schools, it's what the kid puts into it that determines what they get out of it. (I'm a frustrated college teacher who has to keep sending warning notices to students who have good intentions but never do any work. I love it when students find a place they can thrive and follow through!)
@JDinNM, I think it is great that Clark has been a huge boost to women's basketball. Hope it remains but the women play defense and are, with the exception of a few, sportsmanlike. I just wish that open mouth "stuff" would stop, just stop.
@mbmom11, I was told that waitlisting is the new rejection.
Fingers crossed that it's not too cloudy to observe the eclipse here in TX. It's a great excuse to visit fellow FG reader (and my sweet SIL) librarian Elizabeth and the family! I work in aerospace and several of our projects involve spacecraft that study the sun, so I'm looking forward to being in the path of totality!
Great job on your nursing classes this semester, Kristen! You're rocking it!!
Aww, say hi to her for me!
@Kristen, Hi! from Texas. We had enough break in the clouds to see the eclipse. It's fun to have PD here for a visit. You're welcome anytime -- between semesters, of course. 🙂
@Kristen, eclipse was fantastic here. And we're having a fun visit together! I passed along your greetings 🙂
Yay!!
Kristen might go down in history as the Best Nursing Student Ever.
Eclipses aren't all that interesting to me, compared to things like sparkling water, sunrises, alpenglow, fluffy clouds. . . but I am interested to see if the shadows have that weird little bite out of them. (I missed that in 2017 because I was looking skyward.)
Rode bikes yesterday with a friend who is learning how to use the gears on hills; I think her shifter isn't working right because she walked all the hills. But we'll keep trying.
We also played pickleball, which was so fun and took me back to the olden days when I loved to play tennis. (Pickleballs bounce like dead tennis balls, and the racket is so short.)
Unseasonably cold weather with a very low snow on Friday wrecked the poppies on the hillside across the canyon. BUT it is supposed to be in the 90s by next weekend—Rude weather.
Gotta interrupt my painting schedule this week to slam out four smallish paintings of sequoia trees because the local gift store reopened in a new location and has sold four paintings in 3 weeks for me!! It is so fun to be selling again, and the tourists are coming in spite of the Park being closed AGAIN.
Oh, I am sure there are people in my cohort of 130 that are getting better grades than me! But I AM working hard, and I know I'm doing my best. 🙂
I agree about all the other things that are more interesting than eclipses, but I know I must be in the minority because when these happen, they are a huge cultural event!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Nice! That's a perfect souvenir. I keep trying to talk my daughter into doing something like that with this town, but she won't because reasons. SIGH.
@Rose, be my agent for a store or two in Montauk, send me photos, and let's roll!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I will 100% do that!
@Kristen, please send me Jana's email!
We are in the path of totality for the eclipse. We had another (partial) eclipse back in 2017, and watched it via my husband's telescope streaming to our TV, so we're doing that again. Makes it easy to protect our eyes! School is cancelled, they didn't want kids walking/bussing home during the totality, so I'm letting my homeschooled kid have the day off as well.
We went for a wonderful family hike on Sunday, and I was amused to see tourists taking walks in the reserve--and yes, I could tell who were tourists and who were locals. Even if they weren't wearing eclipse souvenir t shirts. 😉 People around here are renting their yards for people to park and watch the eclipse--some for hundreds of dollars a pop! All for 3 minutes of darkness. As my slightly cynical oldest child said, "I believe that's known as nighttime." "But it's during the day," I pointed out. "I believe that's known as a very cloudy day."
Clark is learning to at least pretend to be patient while waiting for us to get out of bed in the morning and feed him. Generally I read my Bible when I first wake up, so I'm in bed and the light is on, and those two things frustrated Clark to no end. He'll walk on the bed, then hop over to my bureau and see what he can knock off (usually a sock or a scrunchie) and then pull fur out of his tail before laying down and pretending to sleep. At least he doesn't knock my glasses off my nightstand, as a previous tuxedo cat I had used to do!
I love these stream of consciousness blogs. It's so interesting and fun to read everybody's thoughts.
For my birthday last week, my BFF sent me an Edible gift: it was a bouquet of flowers (so pretty), plus a bouquet of edible fruits AND chocolate covered fruits (with sprinkles!). So delicious!
Plus on Saturday we were able to have a very long catch up telephone call which made my heart sing; we haven't actually "spoken" in many months, even though we do text each other "Happy (insert day of the week)" every morning.
I had a bad experience last night for which I am very anxious. I had terrible acid reflux last evening, and then at 4:55am IMO I believe my sphincter valve (lower oesophageal?) failed which resulted in the back of my throat burning (bile). I'm hoping this was a one off.
I went for a walk yesterday and it was very mild outside (15C); it was such a lovely walk. My Canadian friends will know that once the temperatures here hit like 5C, everybody is outside in shorts and t-shirts! Then I went to my gym and did a round of exercises. I felt very good after that. Exercising definitely is good for the body and the mind.
I have to prepare the paperwork today for our income taxes as I am dropping them off to our accountant on Wednesday.
Would you be interested in continuing your education after nursing school? Grades do matter if you want to pursue higher education, such as a masters degree. This is especially important when it comes to getting scholarships for graduate school. In my state, you need a nursing degree and then a masters in order to legally be a midwife, for example.
So, I do plan to get my bachelor's after this (my R.N. will be an associate's degree). Beyond that, I am not sure.
But you're right; it can't hurt to have high grades in the bag!
@Kristen, I can see you as a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner. At our hospital, a lot of them are far more practical and hardworking than the docs.
If I was younger, I might consider that. But I am gonna be 47 when I graduate with my R.N. and so I'm hesitant to take on a bunch of years of schooling! I want some time to get out there and practice.
We'll see...
I just got home from a dentist appointment, and I'm getting ready for the impromptu eclipse party that's happening in my front yard this afternoon. (Honestly, 48 hours ago, all I was going to do was ask my next-door neighbor and a couple of others to join JASNA BFF and me to view the eclipse--but things have gotten a wee bit out of my control! Further details in tomorrow's FFT.)
It's cloudy here too, and we're near the southern edge of the totality path, but we don't care; we're gonna have a good time anyway!
@A. Marie, I love this. Wishing you a super fantastic party. Where I am it is also cloudy, the whole day, so I'm not too sure what we will or will not see. I believe we are just out of the totality range.
A. Marie, still time to whip up some black & white cookies!
¡La fotos están hermosas!
I would like to use some for my phone screen. May I download some? Thanks.
Of course! I’d be happy to email them to you as well; the quality would be better
@Kristen, Yes please. Thank you!
Done! Check your email.
I love the sparkles on the water in your picture, Kristen. Someone, I don't know who, called it fairies dancing on the water, and that always comes to my mind when I see the sparkles.
My friend the wildlife biologist could probably identify that water fowl, but I can't.
My daughter's flight landed in Norway this morning; she is in Gjovik, where there is snow on the ground; she sent pictures. Here in north Florida, we are predicted to hit a high of 81 deg. F, (27 C) today so she's having to make a climate adjustment.
A remark from an auto mechanic today about his daughter and son-in-law both being doctors while he is "just a mechanic," made me think. My nephew got straight A's in school but joined the army for four years and learned heavy equipment mechanics instead of going to college. He's worked as a mechanic for a national heavy equipment company since leaving the army and is a foreman now. His wife chose to forego college and cleans houses for a living - she now has about 8 or 9 employees and has won small business of the year in her county about 3 years running. They are doing well - they own a home, their kids attend private school and they take 2-3 vacations a year. We need mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, appliance repair persons, and cleaners! There is nothing less about doing that kind of work at all. We should encourage and support kids going into the trades. I am always so tickled to think Lisey got a Mike Rowe scholarship, and she's not even my kid, ha.
I will try to watch out for the eclipse but we are at 60% here, I think. I've seen several partial eclipses and it's not as exciting to me as it is to others, although it is kind of fun.
Aww, I will tell Lisey that you are proud of her. 🙂 Me too!
@JD, I went to college but I'm completely mechanically inept. Besides, mechanics make very good money!
My nephew is going to school to be an electrician, while one niece is a mechanical engineer and the other is an earth science teacher. They'll probably all make about the same amount of money once established.
@JD, your "just a mechanic" post struck a chord with me because of some recent newspaper articles I've been reading:
Thanks to a $20 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies and a partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), a high school in Southwest Philadelphia is being turned into a "workforce development hub". It's part of a $250 million investment from Bloomberg in creating 10 such high schools nationwide. In Philadelphia, it will prepare high school students for careers at CHOP, from patient-facing roles like medical assistants to information technology workers to hospital administration positions, so that students can then "walk right into full-time jobs in the hospital system as soon as they graduate" from high school. Along the way they'll have paid internships and career supports once they graduate.
"There are multiple entry points ... on the pathway to a family-sustaining wage, a career.... The system has washed its hands of the kids who are not college bound ... But there are thousands of jobs that 18-, 19-, 20-year olds can do if they get the training in high school, and we're talking about good-paying jobs ... and a foot in the door to a medical career." Students will still have a traditional high school education and experience, but their electives will look different and be about exposure to different hospital pathways: direct patient care, hospital operations, administration, etc. They'll start internships in 11th grade and, in 12th grade, the internships will be paid.
When people think of hospital jobs, they think doctors and nurses. But there are 3,000 different job positions at CHOP and "every single one of them is essential [and] valued and respected" by a hospital that has 500 open jobs at any given time. "In any given year, we're [hiring] thousands of people" says CHOP's vice president of human resources.
And after one university shut down its nursing program, the Community College of Philadelphia started a program for those abandoned students that will allow them to get their nursing associate's degree and qualify for the NCLEX registered nurses' licensure exam.
And in New Mexico, a high school is starting an auto mechanic program, because it's what some of their students were most interested in.
Sorry for the lengthy post (feel free to ignore) but, although I think there was a movement away from these types of programs years ago because we thought everybody should follow a high school to college route, maybe we're starting to listen to the kids again. And the employers! And we need not just doctors and nurses, but also all the other people required to run our hospitals and medical practices, and we especially need auto (and plane) mechanics!
@JDinNM, Wow, what a great idea.
@JD, my DH would certainly have seconded your remarks about the need for mechanics, etc., and about society's attitudes toward them. DH's own parents often made it clear that they thought less of him for pursuing the occupations he did (see my Meet a Reader update on DH's death for details), and it gave him a lifelong inferiority complex. Another of the things I said to DH on his deathbed was this: "I don't care what your parents thought of you. You've always been my hero."
@JDinNM,
I'm glad you posted it, because that is great!
@A. Marie,
That's so sad that his parents disapproved of his choice! From his obituary, he sounded like a truly remarkable, gifted and intelligent man. What more could one want in a child?
Where would we be without people like your DH, my DH, my nephew, Lisey, and the many others like them!?
@Rose,
The electrician may end up out-earning the others, especially with the shortage of skilled tradespersons, ha.
@JD, We'd be sitting by the side of the road, hoping and praying one of them would show up to help us before we die of thirst. ;-}
@JD, Or we'd all be right where Boeing is now ...
@JD, Possibly. Though most Long Island teachers make more than 100K a year. My son's BFF of whom I am very fond is an electrician, too.
@Rose,
Yeah, but the cost of living on Long Island is bananas. I'm not sure what the average salary is for teachers here in SW Ohio, but I can bet it's nowhere near $100,000/year.
The wife of a friend of my hubby's went back to trade school to learn welding several years ago, and about tripled her former teacher's salary. If I was younger, I probably would have done the same or similar. I honestly thought about it back then, in spite of my age.
@Liz B., My sister became a welder and spent her career working as a civilian on Navy ships. She had high security clearance and was sent all over the world to work on submarine repairs for the Navy. She was tiny in size and would have to crawl into the hulls and weld lying flat with the welds inches above her face; there were few men who could fit in, and her helper would stand outside and pull her out because while she could crawl in she had trouble getting herself and her equipment out. I believe I would rather have starved to death than do her very necessary job. Her husband was a nuclear welder who worked on Navy ships, so also high security clearance. Together they made an extremely comfortable financial life for themselves. When my sister became too old to handle the welding, she taught welding. They both lamented how hard it was to find young people trained as welders, even though the pay was good.
@JD, and @A. Marie,
Exactly! We need people with all different skills, training and abilities. I hate hearing about parents who disapprove/d of their children's perfectly good life choices. A. Marie, your comment to your dear DH almost made me cry....I know he must have known that throughout your life together.
@Lindsey,
Wow! Your sister was so smart to learn welding. What a career she must have had! Same, no way would I want to crawl into tight spaces like that....yikes....my father in law was career Navy, and was not tall in stature. They wanted him to serve on a submarine, but his claustrophobia prevented that. He still had a great Navy career.
My hubby's friend's wife, last I heard, works as an aircraft welder.
@Liz B., we had a lot of people with skills in the trades until the great recession of 2008 happened. If it didn't kill them, they found other jobs (mostly less skilled, lower paying than before the great recession). However I am still seeing the unwillingness to pay for trade skills. So we'll see if the corp/business idiots mess it up AGAIN. So much knowledge lost and not passed down.
@JDinNM, it is time for the pendulum to swing away from a four-year-degree as The Answer For All back to skilled trades. Your information is very heartening!
I’m in Houston, where we are SUPPOSED to have 94% totality, but rain is forecast. Oh well. It’s also my birthday!! I’m meeting my mom and daughters for an early lunch, then home to see if any of the eclipse is visible at all. Then I’ll continue my Frugal Floor Fix— I am laying vinyl tile in my kitchen all by myself. I am about a box and a half of the planks away from being finished—aside from reinstalling the molding.
@SandyH,
Happy birthday and good job on the floor!
@SandyH, Happy birthday! What I like about tile/planks is that if one of them is damaged, it's pretty easy to swap in a new one.
Been down with a flu-like illness since Thursday. Don't know if it was Covid--didn't bother hunting up a test kit to see, and what difference would that make anyway? But today my temp is under 100 for the first time, and I'm beginning to feel human--a tired human, but human. Now to tackle the loads of laundry and dishes. There wasn't a clean fork in the house, and I need to strip the bed and let it air out. The high today will be 69, so I might just open a few windows, as long as there's no wind.
Dishwasher's been down since January, but so many other things have taken priority--doggy surgery, dental bills, HVAC maintenance renewal, car repairs, etc. I keep saying "maybe next month"... However, when my sewing machine started acting up, I took it right in. lol Priorities! It's been ready since Fri., but it'll probably be tomorrow before I feel up to driving 1 1/2 hours round trip to get it.
We aren't doing anything for the eclipse, either. I've seen a few in my lifetime already. I like lunar eclipses better--you can actually see them with the naked eye.
I've come to realize I really don't like yardwork--I just like the results of yardwork. I like being outside when the weather's nice, and I like smelling freshly cut grass, but that whole raking, planting, weeding, pruning, hauling business--especially in weather extremes--nah, I've just been kidding myself all these years. Or maybe it's because I'm eyeballing 73.
When I got tired of being horizontal the last few days, I'd drag myself to the recliner and binge-watch The Walking Dead from the beginning. Didn't like any of the spin-offs, but I did watch TWD: The Ones Who Live, just to see SOME kind of closure. Dialogue was cheesy, but some of the scenery was gorgeous and it was good to see a couple of the kids more grown up now.
I hope you feel totally like yourself soon!
@StephanieLD,
I had a days-long fever event earlier this year and it turned out to be influenza A, not COVID. As you say, the diagnosis didn't make much treatment difference for me as I had already been sick for a bit, but I was able to get my kids and husband tamiflu prescriptions to take prophylactically and they didn't end up catching it, so it was worth it for that. Also, I tested so I wouldn't have any difficulties taking time off work. You would think that running a fever for days on end would garner you any amount of respect or understanding, but then...you would be wrong...
Will your eventual employer provide scrubs? Just wondering, here the nurses also have other options, such as sweatshirts and jackets, with the proper logos, because it's always so cold in certain facilities. I missed the 2017 eclipse (clouds), so I'll be sitting in my backyard with my glasses on, and maybe a light jacket, since it's 60 degrees in Michigan. I'm hoping for the zen of the experience, because I accompanied a friend to the doctor today. The pronouncement was . . . cancer in the lung -- the ENT doctor could hardly say the word so it was sad and awkward at the same time.
@Jean, Oh, and congratulations on your good grades, that's the only way to get frugal use of the money you're spending on tuition!
I really have no idea! I bet it varies according to facility; some places have everyone wearing the same scrubs, and others do not.
But until I graduate, the blue and white with my school's name embroidered is all that I am allowed to wear.
@Kristen,
Just had a thought: did anyone who is your size drop out of the program or graduate? Could you get their uniform scrubs? Maybe they would be willing to sell you their scrubs very cheaply --or even better, give you their uniforms. Wonder if you could advertise you needed some on Freecycle or a Buy Nothing group.
@Kristen, The blue and white is perfectly fine. I've seen some truly awful ones in my time.
Oh, for sure! My sister did this same program years ago and her scrubs were definitely worse than ours.
@Jean, I am so sorry about your friend's diagnosis. I'm sure that friend was glad you were there.
I feel like its a stream of thoughts in my head alllll day long. And hard to turn it off at night. Right now, though:
*thinking of Christmas because I have four of my mother's handmade quilts for my peeps, and I want to swing by Michael's or Hob Lob and pick up four XL plastic coated snap closure totes to place each one in, with my typed instructions on how to car for them. We'll call this a "little project in the back of my head". In April, no less.
*thinking about how I need to get into the kitchen in a bit and make some kale salad to keep in the fridge. I have a big bag of dried cranberries sitting out for this, and I need to fish around in there and find the sliced almonds.
*Its overcast here in the Path of Totality and I could care less if it thunderstorms, which it is supposed to. My yard needs the rain.
*Squirrel! I just heard the washer about to finish up, so I need to go load the dryer.
Hello Everyone,
Kristen a bit of history on the NCLEX--- I was in the last class to sit boards in 1993. When I graduated university we did not have jobs here in Colorado so most of my class moved to Texas. We had to take the NCLEX in Dallas Texas at the convention center. Over 2000 graduate nurses along with Miss Texas Pageant and a Minden Knight convention. I was sure God was with us at this two day test. We took board in July and did not get our tests back until October. That was the hardest time to wait. How I passed I have no idea, 31 years later and I am still at it. Now you all have so much more to complete then we did. We also were just starting to have computers at school too. Time amazes me... Best wishes for the week. Melissa
Ooof, that is such a long wait for a result!
@Melissa, A nurse's exam, beauty contest and convention? Sounds like a 3 ring circus, certainly not conducive to being able to concentrate on your test! What a story to tell your grandkids! But congrats on passing and I'm sure you've helped countless patients over the years.
@Melissa,
I took mine in 1989. All of us on the West side of the state took it at the Tacoma Dome and those on the East took it in Spokane. All test takers across the US had to take it at the same time due to some cheating scandal in recent past (something about East coasters sharing test questions with West coasters). In any case, it was 4 sessions over 2 days. Stressful and painful - sooooo many questions! Checking IDs at the door, emptying pockets, taking watches off for inspection (just in case someone had notes taped to the back?). We took them at the end of June and got our results back in September. It was a painfully long time to wait! My sister took her NCLEX 10 years later on the computer and freaked out when it shut down at 75 questions, certain she had failed. Of course, she had gotten 99-104% in every class, never passing an opportunity for extra credit. She passed and got her results in just a few days.
I still remember typing up care plans, using a word processor or type writer, or just plain writing it out. No computers when I started in 1986.
Thrift stores have good selection of used scrubs in all sizes.
Yes, once I graduate, I can take advantage of that. But while we are in nursing school, we have super specific scrubs that we have to get, with our school's name embroidered on them.
Sooo, there aren't many good ways to save on those, unless you can manage to buy some off of a graduating student. 🙂
@Kristen, Have you gotten ID.me yet? It’s an online verification of affiliate status, including student and medical professional. For example, I just got 10% off at Jockey.com using it. Even better, it’s not a discount code so often you can combine with a discount code.
I'm like a lot of you: the eclipse is not something I'm going to run outside and see. Our town is in the path of totality. But I figure I can watch it on TV news tonight. Yesterday at church, a fellow member who works at a BBQ joint (we're in Texas) said business really picked up at his restaurant and there were lots of tourists there. He looked really tired. Supposedly there is going to be lots of traffic/tourists but I'm not seeing it on my end of town. We were also in the eclipse path last October, although our town was in the partial eclipse area; all I remember is when I was getting in the car with my pal Monica, we noticed the shadows from the tree leaves were crescent-shaped. That was pretty cool! We didn't bother looking at the sky since we didn't have the special glasses. I bought a pair of eclipse glasses from the drugstore where I work and will have those handy, but it's overcast. I feel sad for all the folks who made a special trip here -- I want them to have a fabulous time visiting our area, and the weather is likely to spoil everything for them. I will be going into work in another hour and will be at my cashier's station when it all goes dark, but I'm happy to get the extra hours. School is closed today so I couldn't substitute teach. Some people are saying there were 4 blood moons in a row over Jerusalem, Israel, and now this -- they say it could mean the Rapture may happen real soon. OK, Jesus, I'm ready! Meanwhile, I've got to fix myself a lunch and get ready for work. I've seen, but didn't buy, any special T-shirt touting the eclipse but I fished out an old Moody Blues concert T-shirt that has the moon and planets and stars on the front. They say the eclipse will change how you see colors: if you wear red, it'll look like sepia, and greens and blues will look super bright. Wonder if that will be the case indoors. Our store sold out of eclipse glasses, and I feel bad when people come in for them and we don't have any more. One of my customers yesterday stocked up on snacks; she said her family has a boat and they're going to cruise down the river and watch the eclipse. That sounds amazing!
I had a bit of a pity party yesterday. The sun was out, and most of the family was outside. But the breeze was cool, so I was inside. I am just so tired of my face not working normally. Enough of the pity.
The clouds have mostly clear where we are, so we're hoping to see our 92% this afternoon 🙂
The kids' first soccer game of the season is this evening (and I'll be viewing from the van since I don't want my face to be tight and twitchy).
It's looking like the college boy might end up in seminary. His thoughts are moving in that direction, I think.
I want to go to A. Marie's party. Especially if there are cookies. I've been craving cookies.
@Jody S.,
Cookies are always so tempting to me. I'll join you on a road trip to A. Marie's party! 🙂
I think that's so understandable; there is a certain level of difficulty that chronic problems bring. They might not be as tragic in the moment as an acute problem, but anything that persists for a long time is just tough, tough, tough.
I wore blue linen pants to work on Friday and an eighth grader told me, “No offense but your pants look like my mom’s scrubs.” Honestly, for things that could follow “no offense but” from an 8th grader it wasn’t too bad.
Hahaha, so true!
@Lori, That’s funny. Kudos to the kid for giving you that warning (if it needed to be said at all, that is).
We were in the path of totality in 2017 and it was right up my geeky/nerdy alley. We will be at 25% today, with 100% cloud cover (no biggie). I will enjoy the next one in 2044 & 45! I am not sharing how old I will be, Ha!
I am scheduled for 1 work shift this week, celebrating! I have so much catch up to do on the farm since our weather finally turned. I have trees to plant in the orchard today and prepare for spraying the fields.
Scrubs will always be boring, but at my hospital system we are allowed to wear our personalities on our feet. I mainly wear Carhart because I need so many pockets for all of my gear/patient supplies. We used to have secure supply cabinets in each room, but that permanently changed during/after covid.
We are celebrating the sale of my aunt's home. I listed it 5 weeks ago after an extensive remodel focusing on multi-generational use. It paid off in spades...so happy for my cousins.
Have a wonderful week, everyone.
I am so tired today! I travelled last night and went straight to work this morning and had plans this evening!
Unfortunately, the eclipse isn't visible in my part of the world. I would love to see it. I did have a beautiful sunset walk on the beach though.
Re grades, I think there is a danger for people, especially in the US it seems, to conflate grades with self-worth. Of course you should try your best, especially in things such as in medicine, but personal self-worth shouldn't be tied to what kind of grades you get. I always got a mixture of grades but didn't worry about it too much.
I am also at a hospital** for the eclipse. Some of my RN friends from across the hall are "sneaking" out to see it (we aren't in totality land, but close!) but I'm probably going to stick here. Today is a really low-key day in the pharmacy. Yea for getting evaluations tackled (only... 6 days late!)
I have a family member transitioning to nursing home life... I'm not sure if either of us is going to survive the transition! I know LTAC is not the glamorous side of nursing, but we really need good people working in that field too.. just something to consider as you train!
I'm 37 weeks pregnant too, and I can tell you. second babies get the "eh, we'll figure it out" energy compared to the "OMG BABY" energy of a first kid... not going to lie, I'm not going to push back if I'm told "it's time" at my appointment today....
**Hospital/ infusion center... it's basically the same thing!
@Ginger, With my first I pushed for five damn hours. (He was huge.) With my second, four pushes and she was out. (She was even bigger!)
Beautiful pictures. You are a really talented photographer.
Thanks for sharing
Congrats on how well you are doing in school. Grades are important but to me, aside from technical competence, a good nurse is all about people skills. You can't, alas, teach those.
I have had the mixed fortune of both excellent nurses and those who are best described as "not so much." It makes a huge difference in our healing and well-being in hospitals and elsewhere.
Keep up the good work.
Yes; I feel lucky that I already have good people skills. I just need the technical skills, and school can provide those for me.
And thanks for the photography compliment!
Keep in mind that you'll likely wear hospital provided scrubs if you work in labor and delivery, as you're also an OR nurse. It's for infection control, as you can't be wearing home laundered or day-two clothing in an operating room. Plus L&D is a juicy area of practice and it's not unusual to have to change your scrubs out before your shift ends.
@Katy, The word "juicy" there....no bueno.
@Katy, I have to admit that after my first was born, the doctor took her shoes off and threw them in the trash.
@Rose, I thought it was a nice, PC term. Versus what I'd call L&D, down right gross (and at times disgusting).
@Rose, teeheehee, I thought the same thing about that word. Well, I actually thought "eeewwww".
SOC is my go to on fb. I'm not too excited about the eclipse. That said, we are full sun today and as I type this, it's that weird shadowy lighting outside and Miss Molly looks a little confused.
I have been dealing with kitchen ants. Have had Terro on waxed paper in varying places and they seem to enjoy it and it obviously has not gotten back to the queen. I gave up and put Miss Molly's food and water dishes in a moat which has been effective. Will wholeheartedly tackle them this afternoon.
Get to work tonight. We are in the short staff season. In all the years I've worked in this field, there has been a peak and wane of enough, and not enough. While I firmly believe a college education is not wasted, I am a prime example (even at 71) that having a trade is more advantageous in many ways. In this area of the country, educators make less money than nurses. I have a degree in art ed, but I am an LPN.
One of the other nurse's graciously offered to work for me tomorrow night, as on Wednesday (at 10a), we have CPR training and I am due for renewal. It is important to keep it updated for many reasons, but I have to admit, it is quite strenuous on older bodies. To slide into training after being awake the previous night would be just a bit much.
A hundred years ago, when I was in nursing school, we had to wear a blue and white pinafore over white uniform dresses, or blue and white apron type thing over white uniform top and pants. AND A CAP! I am so glad those days are over. I have a white uniform and shoes and pantyhose (aaargh) and my cap on hand for Nightingale Funeral Tributes and am honored to wear them on those occasions. In my current work, I wear colored scrubs with print (and often seasonal) tops for mine and the residents enjoyment.
@Chrissy,
My two older sisters were candy stripers, and wore the red and white pinafore and white blouse during their high school volunteering years. My neighbor was a nurse for a doctor's private practice, and left the house in her crisp white uniform, white stockings, white shoes and white cap each workday. Things have changed.
As a potential user of nursing services, I am all for medical personnel learning and remembering as much as they can. This is not like some random history class, peoples lives depend on it. Good for you.
@WilliamB, As a college history major, I have to protest. Even more people's lives depend on having a knowledge of history when making public policy.
@Rose, fair enough. It’s a more subtle effect, though. It really does seem like people don’t learn from history, making it very painful for those of us who do know the subject. I was Econ-PoliSci with a couple of country concentrations, so I took a lot of history as well.
I’m trying to comment more …
We had a small group from church over for brunch after the service. It’s a temporary group to help us get to know one another better. Everyone brought something and it was nice to connect with each other.
Too many clouds here to even catch a glimpse of a very partial eclipse. If for some reason I live long enough … I’d be in my 90’s … I’ll definitely catch the next one!
This weekend I attended a celebration of life for one of my former students (UG and Grad). Cancer sucks! The most moving part for me was hearing former students recall what a wonderful teacher she’d been and the impact on their lives, even now as adults. As a college professor, I no longer worked with kids, so I lived through my students and wanted them to do their best. She did! So very sad.
I wish words like “stupid” and “idiot” were archaic. My teacher heart winces every time I read/hear someone refer to themselves as such.
@Casey, I feel like I spend a lot of time correcting people who use “stupid” instead of “ignorant” or “unknowledgeable.”
My first career was as a registered occupational therapist. Once I graduated from my university OT program, I had to do 9 months of unpaid clinical work in three rotations--full-time so it wasn't possible to work and earn money during that period of time. My favorite was pediatrics where I worked with children from premies to teens. I loved the babies, but I had exactly two uniforms that had to get me through the week, and I used to hold the babies saying "please don't spit up on me, please don't spit up on me". Laundry was coin-operated and expensive considering my budget. Somehow I made it.
It looks like your program is doing a really good job helping you prepare for the NCLEX. Back in the day, programs weren't helping at all with passing certification exams so that was out of my own pocket after and expensive too. My daughter is about to finish her pediatric residency, and her residency program is providing study materials, time and tutoring if needed to help her pass pediatric boards, even though she will be done with the program by the time she takes the boards in the fall.
I'm sure you'll do fine, in school and on the NCLEX. One of the advantages you have is that you are very disciplined and dedicated, and you have the maturity to push on through. You're almost halfway done! It won't be too long before everyone is calling you "nurse". Hang in there.
I love your photographs, Kristen. I can't identify the water fowl in the one photo - I'm certainly no expert - but what peaceful, lovely shots. And Chiquita always brings a smile.
I fall in the "very excited for the eclipse" category. Hubby took a half day off, I took the day off, and our son is off from school. We are in a 99.8% totality area! So, we did not see the corona, but it was still thrilling to watch. We had our glasses ready, cued up Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon, and watched from our back deck. I've seen solar eclipses before, but I am such a big science/space nerd that it's always a big thing for me.
Scrubs most definitely are rectangular in the extreme. I know I've seen some of the nurses at the hospital where I work wearing a more "tailored" version....more nipped in at the waist, maybe? There are two parallel darts up the back. Different disciplines in the hospital wear different color scrubs...we dietitians can wear sort of a deep green color scrubs, but I prefer to wear my street clothes with a lab coat. It's good to have a choice. No one is allowed to wear scrubs with, say, cartoon characters, holiday or seasonal themes (such as snowmen, pumpkins, etc), which is unfortunate.
I realized this morning that I have practiced as a dietitian for almost 36 years, all of it in hospitals, all of it with the same hospital system. 3 more years, fingers crossed, til retirement.
I was gifted a shampoo bar through my Buy Nothing group. I'm trying to decrease our use of plastics....hoping this works out well once I try it.
Kristen, your good grades will always be a good thing....but it's your caring, empathetic warmth, in addition to your training, that will make you a great nurse. So many RNs have one or the other, but not both.
Wow, what a wonderfully long career you have had!
This is gonna sound kinda dumb and obvious, but maybe there's a really good reason why you can't do this...Anyway, why not turn your scrub tops inside out, pin them where you want them to be slightly more fitted, and then run a quick seam on your sewing machine? My sister used to do that with jeans because she wanted them skin tight, but I suspect scrubs would be much, much easier to sew. If it was a case of you couldn't resell them if you altered them, you could always pull the stitching out when you're done with them. I say make those scrub tops a bit more flattering!
Well, I think one of the reasons they are so boxy is that they are made of very non-stretchy, thick fabric. So if they were cut to fit my shape, I wouldn't be able to move very well!
I think the nicer scrubs (like ones made by Figs) are stretchier fabric.
My entire family of 12, kids, spouses and grandkids got together for the eclipse! Some grandkids were off school the entire day and the others had early dismissal. I made sloppy Joe’s and coleslaw and we had SUNchips. We had 100% totality and the skies were clear. It was a once in a lifetime experience with my family and none of us (except maybe the four year old) will forget it!
Aww, that's so great you guys were able to enjoy this together!
Personally, I think "attire" is like zero important (hygiene is of course) during educational courses. No different than "attire" indicating how much money one has. My money, which I have, is just as green as anyone else's. And if you choose to assume I don't have money (or can't do my rather skilled labor job) because of the way I am "dressed", your loss, not mine. I never understood corp america's insistence on "attire" for those they pay but a pittance. Off my soap box but "attire" has been a really, really sore subject for me for at least 40 years.
Please tell me you don't get dinged for wrinkles!
Kristen, at our Goodwill there are a ton of scrub tops. Not sure if they have the pants though.
You are the first person that I've heard didn't really care about the eclipse. I felt the same way. It wasn't total here, and I work in a school, so I think all of the comments on social media and all of the emails with opinions on what the school should do about it turned me off to watching it. Some opinions: cancel school, don't cancel school, release them early, hold a school wide (you're talking 500 kids PreK-5 here) event to celebrate, oh no celebrations but teach them and buy them all glasses while you're at it.
So I chose peace. Just keep going and enjoy the sunshine. 🙂 I prefer sunrises and sunsets too, they always make me smile.
I, too, was just commenting last weekend how I LOVE how the sun sparkles off the water! We went to a little almost-mountain lake near home, enjoyed the springtime plants budding, and even saw a bald eagle!
We drove to Ohio to see totality, while traffic was a HOT mess it was worth the 115 mile 3 hour drive. I still have motion sickness today due to the stop & go traffic. We originally were going to stay with our son in Columbus but hubs came down with stomach bug so we just drove down for the day. We ended up at a park in Perrysburg that a bunch of Corgis were at, perhaps a Corgi convention. It was all low riders...
Monday (writing this on Tuesday) we walked an area to see if the herring are running. Didn't see a one. But we saw some duck encounters on the river--it was mallard territory. There was a funky looking duck with a cute mullet trying to pass through, but the mallard wouldn't let it through. We saw herons, swans, duck couples. It was a fun morning. And bonus--the sun was shining and the temperature rising. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we may be back to normal--clouds and possible rain again.
Sunday I found our basement had flooded with the rains. For some reason the float on the sump pump stuck. But it appears we may be lucky. The hot water heater is back working and the pump is working and the basement is dried out again. Now to throw out the damp stuff.
sand ripples, beautiful.
plants want to live, they grow anywhere, everywhere, great plant pix!
keep going, one step at a time!
I have to laugh at your rectangle shirt comment. I HATED my school scrubs (I went to nursing school at 40). I always said that the scrubs made me feel bad about myself they were so unflattering. I sold them the day after my last student shift!!
I do still have some baggy scrub, but I wear those by choice on night shifts, with non-baggy shirts!
😉