Monday Miscellany
I have my first big exam today
At 8:30 this morning, I am going to take my exam and see if all my studying paid off. I have heard that people don't usually do well on this exam, so I am a little scared.
(ok, ok, more than a little.)
I worked really, really, really hard with the studying this time and I just hope that the prep translates into an ability to answer the questions properly.
Regardless of how the test goes, though, I do at least know that I have thoroughly packed a lot of new information into my head. I know a dizzying amount of information about ventilators, respiratory pathologies, EKGs, and heart attacks.
I feel kind of shocked at how much my knowledge grew in three weeks, actually!
I get my results early Tuesday morning, so it's pins and needles until then.
It is very fortunate that I don't care about the Super Bowl
I had clinical yesterday, went to the gym, and then when I got home, I studied for my exam. I'm not faintly interested in football, so it wasn't even tempting to skip the studying.
Having a real job is such a new experience for me
I signed off on my first work evaluation recently and I thought about how I have never done that before in my entire life.
That's because except for a short stint as a retail employee at Nordstrom in 1997/1998, I have always been self-employed.
I don't think that's good or bad; I just was thinking about how funny it is that I have been working in some way, shape, or form since I was 13/14, but I had my first work evaluation at 46.
I also sometimes think about the experience of having co-workers; that's new to me too! I've always been what they call a solo-preneur, working on my own, for myself.
Working alone has advantages, but I have to say, my social self does love having co-workers too. 🙂
Did your comment disappear? Email me!
Every now and then, my spam filter gets a little too aggressive, and it puts perfectly good comments into the trash.
I try to remember to check it regularly, but sometimes I forget. So if your comment is sitting in "pending" jail, just send me an email (thefrugalgirl@gmail.com) and I'll go hunting for it.
I am a little sad the snow is all gone
My trails are back to being brown again, and that's a bit of a bummer.
But I am grateful there's no snow to interfere with clinical days. You never want clinical canceled because you have to make up every single hour!
And I am glad there are some 10/10 mosses to break up the brown and gray.
Meet a Reader
We haven't had a Meet a Reader submission for a while. If you'd like to join the many readers who have done an interview, send me an email, or leave a comment here, and I can send you the questions. 🙂
No pressure, but the door is open if you're interested! And you can be as public or private as you like.
_______________
Thinking about you as you take your test this morning, and as you wait for the results. I can't wait to hear that you passed with flying colors.
On the subject of coworkers, I feel extremely fortunate. My coworker right next to me is the best listener when my feelings of grief spike. I can't count the number of tears I've cried to her. She has my back and I have hers. And we have subtle facial expressions that we give each other for all the work shenanigans.
Awww what a wonderful gift that coworker is!! And you are a gift to her too.
Good luck on your exam. If anyone is prepared you are.
I too don't care about the Super Bowl, NFL, etc.
If you don't get more Meet the Reader submissions you could think about interview updates. A blog I follow posts Millionaire Interviews and some of the interviewees complete a follow up interview three years later. The questions are a bit different.
@K D, may I ask which blog that is? I’m always looking for new FI inspiration. Thanks!
@Kate Upstate,
It is ESI Money: https://esimoney.com/
It is quite a different blog than this one.
@K D, I was thinking I’d love to hear more about some of the readers we’ve met!
@K D, yes, I’d also love updates—great idea!
@K D, Would love this idea too.
@K D, thanks so much. i signed up for it. love reading aobut millionares.
the millionaire next door was fascinating to me.
Good luck with your test- all that prep work will carry you through! Do you ever feel that you study too much?
Or is the nature of that classmeans there is never too much studying?
About having a "real job" , that's one of the things that keeps me from leaving my part time teaching position. As long as I teach my class at the right time, I have absolute freedom. I can set office hours when I want, work at home, leave early, stay late, chat with coworkers without anyone glaring at me. A real job with fixed hours and a boss and no flexibility would be so hard. I've done it before, but now it would take sone adjustment.
I hope the time flies by until you find out you passed.
We didn't watch the Superbowl, either. I used to like going to Superbowl parties, but I don't care enough about football to watch it on my own.
In anticipation of some single-digit temperatures this week, I gave my husband his Valentine's Day present early: A winter hat with a brim and furry earflaps. He had mentioned he would like to have one for driving the bus, when the sun is often in his eyes and he's on a cold bus first thing in the morning. I have to say, it really completes the image of the rural bus driver. 🙂
This is why my children are always incredulous when I mention that their father used to wear a suit and tie every day. Only my eldest remembers his dad's going-to-court days (as a lawyer, not a client :-), but my youngest son Googled his dad one time when I was subbing in his classroom and found a news article with a photo from when my husband joined the last law firm he worked at. My son was so amazed at how different Dad looked--he was in a suit and this was a decade ago, so he was a lot younger--that he took his computer around to show all his classmates. They were similarly disbelieving that this was the same man who drives the activity bus for them. We all lead many lives within the one, I guess.
Only four more weeks until Spring Break. And yes, I am totally counting.
Good Luck on your test today!
Most of the friends I talk to on a daily basis are friends I made at work. We have kept in touch and the friendships have deepened over the years. We talk about much more than just work and we are each others' biggest cheerleaders. Its a lovely thing! Speaking of your Meet a Reader series - I was thinking about how different my life is now vs. when you sent me questions. One of the great miscellanies of life is that it is ever-evolving. Thank goodness, because altho the past is nice to think on, I want to live in the present! Lastly, good luck on your test this morning. I am guessing you are not a person who gets last minute jitters, since you have done a bang up job of testing thus far!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, give us an updated Meet-A-Reader, please!
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
I love your sentence: although the past is nice to think on, I want to live in the present. Great advice!
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
All of a sudden, I'm unsure if I've read your Meet-A-Reader post. I need to check the archives, and yes! an update would be great!
Have you finished the small table that you paid five dollars for?
My husband absolutely despises American football and I find it boring, so we did not watch the Super Bowl either. If it was just the commercials and the half-time show, I might be interested. The last time I went to a Super Bowl party, way back in college, we’d run to the TV for the commercials, and spend the actual game time talking and getting snacks.
@JenRR, oh man- I am completely the opposite. I love love love football. I went to a Super Bowl party last night & had to work on not being annoyed that people were talking! I didn’t have a horse in this race, but when my team plays, I stay at home so that I can concentrate. The Super Bowl makes me melancholy because I know it's a long wait until next season. Fortunately, I love MLB, too!! Viva la differences!
@Diane, football lover too. Haven't watch the NBA since Michael Jordan retired - too much run and gun, far too little defense. However NBA/NFL/MLB are getting too focused on the almighty dollar. The Cubs owner had the audacity to say he barely made any money on the Cubs. Yeah he must thing people are stupid. He makes the bucks from Wrigley Field as well as other businesses located around the field.
As always, Kristen, good luck on your exam. But as always, I'm not too worried about your not passing it.
And I too ignored the Super Bowl, as I've done for decades. But I did watch the Superb Owl Awards video made by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It was, if you'll pardon my saying so, a hoot. 😀
@A. Marie, your comment brought me a little bitty tickle of delight. Thanks for sharing. You just never know what will strike a chord.
@A. Marie, I will be scuttling off to go look that up when I'm done with the rest of today's work. Superb Owl Awards!
Good luck on your exam (that you are at this moment taking) and I feel sure you will pass! I hope the wait for your grade doesn't bother you.
My life has changed a good bit since my last interview, so I like KD's suggestion. I'm sure a number of us have life changes/frugality changes that could be interesting to hear.
I didn't watch the Superbowl because I don't subscribe to a channel that carries it, but also because I am much more interested in college and high school football. The only time DH and I really followed professional football was when a young man from our local high school played pro, but once he retired, we pretty much stopped watching pro. Well, I did. My husband sort of followed a couple of teams but was not fanatic about either of them.
@JD, I had to watch it on Telemundo because I don't get Fox (in every sense of the word "get"). Was a lot more fun in Spanish!
@JDinNM,
So proud of you.
@JDinNM, desportes - que hermoso!!
Good luck today! We now you'll do great even if, for once, all that you learned isn't reflected in the grade.
My dogs current morning pattern starts with jumping on the bed and stretching out next to me. Sure makes it hard to get going in the morning.
Good luck on the exam!
I’m not a football person, but my husband sure is! He found yesterday’s game unsatisfying. Not enough drama.
I recently stopped working at a part time job because the location moved beyond what I consider a reasonable commute. I miss having coworkers!
@Ann on the farm, not enough drama - Eagles kicked arse the first three quarters. Eagles game plan kicked arse - Chiefs looked tired and flat. Likely the white slug. Eagles fans booed Taylor as she rooted for the other team. Few if any magats in Philly.
All the best with the test. Now I'm on pins and needles 🙂
I have zero "skin in the game" with the Superbowl, but I did watch a chunk of it more for people watching than anything!
Totally not a sports fan. The best thing about the Super Bowl for me was that Sunday the youth at my hometown church did a Souper Bowl collection for the food bank.
Happy Monday!
All the work evaluations I had before I became a teacher were sketchy. I was young and just not very good at many things. My brain works in a million directions. I was clinical depressed and didn't understand what that means. It manifested as obstinate, negative and careless in my teens and early twenties. The minute i step into the classroom, I became a Superbowl star. My first principal called me into his office and said he had never seen anything like it. Isn't that funny. I truly believe there is a place for everyone in this world.
Today I leave for my Antartica expedition. It is one year in the making. I can't believe it. The trip is similar to long backpack. If you forget something or lose something, you do without. If you miss the boat, your out. If the weather does hold, you don't land. In a real sense, it is a complete adventure. I am grateful Hubby, who is in no way a travel adventurer agreed to go with me.
Wish me luck.
@Mary Ann, That sounds like a fantastic adventure! ENJOY!
@Mary Ann, best wishes for this exciting adventure! Can't wait to hear you report back on everything!
@Mary Ann, All the best!!! That sounds amazing!!!
@Mary Ann, I too look forward to your report on Antarctica.
@Mary Ann, this is the best thing ever.
@Mary Ann, Bon voyage! We'll want all the details when you return.
@Mary Ann,
Good luck. Looking forward to the whole story when you’re back. Can’t imagine your next adventure. Kudos to your DH.
@Mary Ann, your trip sounds thrilling!! I’m looking forward to hearing your accounts of this adventure!!
@Mary Ann, good luck. enjoy. when i was an outside travel agent i sent someone there. they loved it. not a place i have ever wanted to go though. can't wait to hear all about it.
I somehow managed to get the flu last Thursday and it is the worst sickness I have had since having mono & an enlarged spleen in college. High fever, pain in all of my muscles and joints...just terrible. I am grateful to feel come better today although energy levels are definitely not back to normal.
Coffee is so very good - even more so than normal. And I am actually planning to get dressed in actual clothes today. All of these things seem so minor but they are major victories for right now.
I have a major deep cleaning of my home on my list. It was there before the flu hit but now it is really there like an alarm going off rather than just a looming task on my to-do list.
I could not care less about the SuperBowl so my Sunday evening consisted of a lovely everything shower, clean pajamas, and watching a movie on Prime. It was exhausting but fantastic.
Lots of bills paid off, a patio expansion scheduled for the upcoming month, vacation planned for April - like a real one with no one to care for, and garden planning underway. All of these things make me so very happy.
@Angie,
I caught the flu about 2 years ago, right before Thanksgiving. I have never, ever been that sick before! Just like you describe....I just stayed in bed and slept most of the time. I am grateful for the friend who brought two turkey dinners on TDay for my DH and myself (my son couldn't care less about turkey). It took me a looooong time to get rid of the cough, and to regain my energy. Maybe put off that deep clean for now?
@Angie, I’ve had the flu and felt awful for 5 days then had very low energy for weeks afterward. I hope your recovery is much better than mine was. I’m sorry you’re going through this illness.
Did you notice in the top Snoopy cartoon that the words on the building in the background are in Chinese?? (Or maybe Japanese, but not Korean because there are no little circles)
I enjoyed your observations about your first time at a “real” job. The drudgery of the same thing at the same place with the same tasks and the same people, day after day after day… pretty soon I just would think, “why even get up in the morning?” I wonder how I’d feel now after 32 years of self-employment.
By the time I am commenting here on the Left Coast, you will have finished your exam, and I believe you will have knocked it out of the park!
In practically all my employment for my entire life, including freelance stuff, my sister has been either a coworker or the only coworker.
When we worked at the newspaper, we shared a cubicle for the majority of our time there, and we left on the same day. (I dreaded those work evals. Who knew what the editor might come up with to answer the "what you can improve upon" question. Horrible anticipation.) (Also, @Fru-gal Lisa, newspapers/news gets in your blood a little, doesn't it?)
I don't plan ahead well and would never have known what to request of a working life but this is pretty, pretty good.
@Karen.,
Yes, it gets in your blood a LOT. I think the old-timers used to say we have printer's ink in our blood. I still have nightmares about not being able to get the story and it being deadline, and I will wake up in a cold sweat after those dreams. But I miss the lifestyle, as demanding as it was.
As for evaluations, some editors are incredibly ignorant: I once had one whose professional training was as a cake decorator for a bakery, and no, she was not the editor of the women's lifestyle section but of a news bureau. (I am not making this up!) Then there was the guy who first got hired at a 3-person rural weekly newspaper via a Hire A Vet program and had absolutely no idea about journalism ethics, or journalism in general. He didn't even know he was applying for a city newspaper, our paper, not having the common sense to look us up prior to sending in his resume. He was what we now call a DEI hire; also, it was at a time when they were doing budget cuts. (You get what you pay for, though; in this instance, it was NOT VERY MUCH.) Neither editor had ever been a reporter, and had no inkling of what reporters go through, but oh boy, could they be armchair quarterbacks!
Anyway, both of their evaluations of people were laughed about at the local watering hole, and neither editor knew that they were making fools of themselves all over town.
Is that similar to what you had to go through?
I'm not a huge Peanuts fan, but that picture of Woodstock with the little ice bag on his head is frickin' adorable. Woodstock is my favorite.
I'm sure the test went better than you expected--I've learned that most of the time, the anticipation of something we're dreading is worse than the actual event. There are exceptions, but given how well you study and prepare, I bet you did great. I have a chem quiz to take today and I have been telling myself, "Prep like Kristen does!"
My only Monday miscellany is my pondering about how I invariably end up assisting older adults in the grocery store. Today it was a very nice lady looking for rooibos tea, and we both commiserated about why chai spices are being put in all sorts of tea "It's like pumpkin spice!" and how a plain rooibos tea is just not to be found in our Kroger. I got to show her the Traditional Medicinals and Yogi teas, but nothing there. I still fondly remember the sweet old man who was plaintively asking anybody in earshot where he could find "JAM? JAM?" and then later I ran into him again and he said, "Thanks, I found it!"
I would be more interested in a Superb Owl than the Super Bowl. I tried that joke out on my kids and they just blinked at me, except for my youngest, who loves wordplay.
Real humans in real jobs and AI and robotics finding their way into nursing. Rothman Index and elderly care robots(Sophia) are a couple of examples. I remember when my brother was operated on by a robot. It’s funny that the NSF, gov branch looking for ways to use robots in nursing, is earmarked for massive layoffs by AI tools. 2025 version of rock em sock em robots?
So relieved to read that you studied really Really REALLY hard for this exam, and didn't slack off by studying only really Really hard, like you usually do. ;-}
@JDinNM,
LOL! Exactly! 🙂
oh puleez. you know you have got this. i don't care about football either. baseball used to be my thing. i was at mickey mantle's retirement, have been to cooperstown with hubby and our 2 kids. and was at a few yankees vs. mets exhibition games. i am a yankees fan through and through.
We all know you did great on this test! And your clinicals are over for this weekend.
I don't car for the Super Bowl, either, but I'm from Missouri so...a LOT of friends were beyond disappointed. I have seen a couple of the commercials and always enjoy those. Harrison Ford and P(j)eep? Two of my favorite things!
I already got some 2025 EOB's in the mail so seeing where my deductible will be going and it's division. And it's my first of the year order for Xarelto. Funny how the pharmacy is always forthcoming in how much I will pay when I go in to pick up my meds, but nary a mention on this one.
By now, Kristen, you’ve finished the exam, and I believe you’ve done well. Love that image of you in your scrubs actually at work. You just look so happy!
Good luck on your exam!
Hubby and I went to our friend's house to watch the Super Bowl on the biggest screen tv I've ever seen. It was huge! My friend lives with her daughter and son in law and two granddaughters. The house was that happy messy of a busy family living there. I got to hold the baby (8 months old) and meet the 3 year old. Such sweeties. There were 3 dogs there but they were pretty mellow. We had sausage and peppers, clam dip and leftover cannoli dip. That did me in! So good!
Watched the game and the commercials. We left at half time. My friends daughter, son in law and grandkids went to a Super Bowl party so Mom was able to have her friends over. It felt like the parent's were gone so I can have a party. I enjoyed it.
If you are truly missing snow, it’s happening here today! We had the first amount of snow to cover the grass! Very unusual! Good look in your tests!
I enjoy your blog!
Kristen, I hope your exam went well and that you can rest deeply tonight.
I hope you're happy with your test results! I made wings and cookies and we went to a party where we all enjoyed watching the Eagles come prepared, and KC not so much (sad for them).
GO BIRDS!!!
I really hope you did well on your exam. Please let us know tomorrow!!
My miscellaney:
-I drank coffee at 2 because I was tired (this weekend was a comedy of errors that resulted in less than stellar sleep) and I justified it because of the workout I had scheduled for this evening. Well…I’m at the ER with my kid who is very, very sick which means I will not be working out. And while the caffeine helped me not freak out about the heart rate of 197 or the terrible condition my son appeared to be in when I arrived, it did not stop me from asking a bajillion questions which were not all helpful. And I’m a bit worried about being able to sleep tonight.
-It was cold today. And tonight is supposed to be worse. Hopefully my car starts in the morning.
-I, who grew up in a burb of Philly, was happy with how well the Eagles played as a cohesive team last night. Even after a bad play, the attitude on the sidelines was calm as they looked at tape and made adjustments.
-the most annoying part of being at the hospital right this minute is that I need to wear shoes and I really don’t want to. My feet have been cooped up all day. Small potatoes, right?
Being a Texan, my take on the Super Bowl is this: if the Dallas Cowboys aren't playing, why bother? But, really, I haven't followed the 'boys since Tom Landry was unceremoniously booted out by that brash owner Jerry Jones. And since Dad died, I don't have anyone to watch football with, so I don't.
Kristen, you probably aced that test and will tell us the exciting news real soon.
My miscellany is that I almost got a free dog. Went to see him after work. Friends at church were telling me of a dog they fostered and offered him to me at no charge. But he's about as big as Marmaduke in the funny papers, so I passed on him, sweet boy that he is. If I had to move out of my house and into senior living, they only accept dogs 40 pounds or less, and he's at least twice that weight. I've started looking for a puppy dog to replace my beloved Miss Lucy, but most places want rehoming fees that usually are 100 bucks or more. If I can't find one, and this doggie is still around, I may still get him, but then again, I'd hate for him to have to be rehomed another time. His foster home is like the 3rd or 4th time he's been moved.
I don't mind being up at bat for a Meet the Reader someday. Hopefully it will be after I get my front room redone, which is in just a few weeks.
@Fru-gal Lisa, the cowgirls, I mean cowboys still have a team? They are the main team that needs a new owner. Followed by Giants, Jets, and Bears. Money is on the Bears to up their game and it supercalifragalisticexpialadocious sucks that Virgina Halas McCaskey was not inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame before she died. No sports league likes a female owner and I do wish Marge Schott's had told the MLB to stick it. But she didn't. Georgia Frontiere shouldn't have caved either. Late boomers, Gen X and beyond will have more of a spine.
Girl - you need to watch football. Tis an excellent business class (minus the whiny boy stuff) - constant staffing challenges.
And please make it a point to not discount females who think they are having a heart attack. Far too many doctors blow them off, such as the employee where I used to work. Sent her home, fatal myocardial infarction the next day.
miscellany:
-my walks are still snowy & icy but it is beautiful and I’m thankful for shoes with traction & beautiful snowy landscape.
-I tried a new study at church, which will lead to new friendships & community. Opportunity to learn is a bonus.
-didn’t watch Super Bowl, went hiking instead!
-I purchased a well loved & secondhand woven wrap to try babywearing with (when I babysit) & it will be a learning curve but I appreciate the challenge!
-I have been craving curry so am hoping to learn to make some next week.
-my personal commitment to journal 5 days a week is going well. The act of writing the truth down might be difficult but it is therapeutic and refreshing to show up for myself.
I love that the Peanuts gang is there to encourage you!!!