September 28, 2013

Wild and crazy Saturday night

I'm doing some research for my Capstone project and other assignments.  My next discussion question is due Tuesday at 0600.  As I have both work and a social engagement on Monday, I'm getting a leg-up on the work.  This is actually going to be one of the last four Saturday nights that I'll be spending doing schoolwork.  It's a little bittersweet.

Unfortunately, I can't print any of my journal articles to read, as the printer is located in the little one #2's room, and he went to bed early because he was a crabby monster.  The lavender oil in the bath did help tame him.

My procedure went well.   Some discomfort, no complications.  I get the results in two weeks.

I was brought home and passed out.  I apparently woke up to feed and surf the web before passing out again.  I have zero tolerance for benzodiazepines because I never take them:  I only take them pre-operatively or pre-flight.  I don't like them, I don't trust them.  So much so that when my doctor wanted to prescribe an anxiolytic to help with some severe anxiety issues, I requested Vistaril.  Vistaril does not do much for severe anxiety...but to me, it was better than popping Xanax.

Anyhow, the next morning, I still had the Valium hangover...I'm not surprised though.  The half-life of diazepam is about 60 hours, meaning that it'd take 2.5 days to just get 50% of it out of my system.  For it to be considered fully metabolized, that takes four half-lives...in this case, 240 hours or 10 days.

I've kept the prescription bottle should I have to do a random UDS any time soon.  It's not likely, but you never know.

September 26, 2013

Procedure today.  Took my doxycycline (been taking it for a day, now).  Have my Motrin and my diazepam ready to take when I'm there.  Got to love twilight sedation.

I turned my homework in early this week because I know that 10mg of diazepam is going to be render me non-functional as far as intelligent thought goes.  I also have brought a better book to read while waiting for the diazepam to kick in:  Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence.  I hope it's much less depressing than Less than Zero was.

Mind you, I could bring my substance abuse handbook and read that...that would really make them think.  And it may even counter the mental effects of the Valium.

I also need to get some milk ready for the Milk Tiger for the evening, as 10mg of diazepam is going to render me unable to nurse until it clears.

I got offered another shift at my main job next week, so I need to cancel on the agency.  Guaranteed hours trumps every time.  Next month is definitely shaping up to be a feast and not a famine as far as work goes...provided I'm not cancelled on short notice.  But since most of my hours are at my main job, I don't have much there that could be cancelled.

There is also a part-time day ICU position going.  While I really want to get into psych-medical, I have to admit that this position is calling to me.

September 24, 2013

I'm hoping that the government isn't going to be shutting down next week, as that may directly affect us.  The other half--being military--may not see his paycheck next week.  It is a worry...and an annoying inconvenience.   I can't really do too much about it though, unless I somehow develop the power to control governments.

We have enough in savings to weather the storm for a few months, and he will get back pay so the savings would be replenished.  Though hopefully any shutdown would only be in terms of weeks, not months.  If we need to, I could call the agency and start picking up weekend shifts.  Or I could just make that plunge and go full-time earlier than planned.

September 22, 2013

5 weeks to go

Capstone is up on my Blackboard, so I've been downloading materials and updating the calendar.  The deadline for assignments is 0800 Texas time.  That means 0600 my time.  As I don't see myself getting up at 0-dark-30 to submit assignments...I put the due date for all assignments as the night before.  So that's a bit of an annoyance, but it's nothing I haven't had to deal with before.

This means that I have to submit some of Week 5's assignments before Week 5 even begins.

But at this point, I no longer care.  In 5 weeks, I will have completed this course and thus the BSN program.

No textbook needed.  No tests.  The discussion questions are back.  Lots of writing, but after Vulnerable Populations, it can't be that bad.

In other news, the weather finally started to change.  There's a bit of a chill in the air in the evenings.  We went to see my sister and her family yesterday, and we dined on Thai on the patio.  Good thing my pad thai was spicy enough to keep me warm.

September 18, 2013

Thank God

Surfing the nursing forum...at least once a day, someone thanks God for something.  Usually it's for passing the NCLEX, or getting a job.

I'm all about God.  I'm Catholic and not ashamed to admit it.

But I'm also reminded of the George Carlin sketch...why do we only mention God when it's a good thing?  You never really hear him mentioned when it comes to the bad things.  For example, you'll never see, "I failed the NCLEX, guess it wasn't part of God's plan to have me pass just yet."

Or what if it's something that God had nothing to do with?  I'd like to think that my grades are due to my hard work and not due to divine intervention...if that wasn't true, then I'd spend more time in church saying Rosaries than studying my textbooks.

Or no one ever thanks anyone else but God.  I haven't seen any references to thanking Buddha or Allah or Yahweh or the Goddess or the Spaghetti Being for doing well on a test.  Jesus Christ gets plenty of press though...but I suppose that's the same as God, isn't it?

For once, I'd like to see someone post, "I passed the NCLEX, and I want to thank Cthulhu for making this possible."

Speaking of which, I really need to find a Catholic church around here.  The last area I lived in was heavily Baptist and you couldn't find a Catholic church anywhere.  Out here, there seems to be a lot more of them around, so I should find one to start attending.

September 17, 2013

It's a proven fact that the more un-toy like something is, the more a baby will want to play with it.  Case in point:  little one #2 is sitting here on the bed with me.  He has all the toys he could want at his fingertips, but he's chewing on the better half's belt and letting out the Happy Baby Squeal.

So the feast eased up a bit:  I was cancelled by the agency this week.  I've learned that they agency has placed a full-time agency person in there, so they're going to get priority when it comes to scheduling.  Fortunately, my main job wanted me on short notice, so I didn't lose any hours this week.  We'll see if the agency will pick me back up at the end of the month--I'm taking some time off to have the follow-up to an earlier medical procedure done.

But going back to the full-time agency thing...I have to wonder why someone would sign on for that.  They're getting the standard agency rate--which is actually less than what the equivalent permanent employee gets--and no benefits.  Plus if there's enough permanent staff there, they can get cancelled.  The only perks that I see are priority in scheduling, some flexibility (though they are being forced to pick up every other weekend), and the ability to walk tomorrow.

Still, I guess it worked enough for someone to take it.   Who knows?

I have the day off, which is nice as it's grey out.  It's a good day to put something benign on the television for background noise, sit with little one #2 and work on the shawl I cast on last night.  Grey days are rare out here...what would make it perfect is if it rained.  But that may be asking for too much.

September 11, 2013

I'm alive

I'm waiting for a sleeping baby to wake up.  One rule of parenting that you learn really fast:  never wake a sleeping baby unless the house is on fire.  As long as they're breathing, that's all that matters.

The second rule is to never try to make a happy baby happier.  If they're happy staring at a toy in the corner, let them stare.  

So, Vulnerable Populations was such a mixed bag.  A lot of hard work and research.  Very interesting and fun to learn about this little community I live in.  Not as much fun turning in 30-50 page papers each week.  I want to go plant a tree in honor of the ones I've killed during the course of this class.   

The course was straightforward, though it felt like I had to teach myself most of it.  And like Research and History part 2, it is not without some drama.  I commented on it--and probably pissed off a few classmates in the process--but I'm largely staying out of it, as I think the school's in the right on this one.  It's expected that even if students aren't pros at APA yet, they should know the need to cite your sources.  Ideally, cite it correctly...but even if you have to cite it incorrectly, at least cite it.

The two history classes and Research pounded that well enough into my head.  I may get dinged--and often--for craptastic APA and Turabian, but I've never been dinged for plagiarism.

It's interesting watching people argue about how they shouldn't be penalized because they didn't cite as they should have.  Oh well.

Anyhow, I got an A.  I haven't taken the last quiz yet, but even if I don't, I still have the A.  So I may actually end up with that elusive 4.0...we shall see.  One week off and then it's Capstone.  The final class.   I'm already registered for it, and the tuition is paid for.  I'm ready for this to end.

I've been working 2-3 days a week.  Once again, it's gone from famine to feast in my world.  I wasn't cancelled from the agency three days in a row, which is unusual.  Someone must have gotten fired.

Plus my main job has offered me the chance to cover one of their sites 3 days a week starting in late September through October, and possibly beyond.  Of course I said Yes.  So they're going to check their staffing, confirm the dates and let me know.  In the meantime, I'm holding off on canceling with the agency for that month, just in case.

In other news, an opening for psych medical opened up...but full-time nights.  It was all I could do not to cry.  *sigh*  My time will come one day.