a look at the bright side

I'm trying to stay positive, but it's been tough amidst the funky-funky-doldrums kinda mood I've been in lately. This weekend was a blessing as it kept us busy and left little time to ponder that which makes me unhappy, and alas I really don't have much to be unhappy about anyway.

It has to be the hormones...

Friday we went to see Land of the Lost with friends. It was the other mom, myself and 7 PWP (people with penises). We enjoyed the movie. There was very little I could remember from the TV show days. It was funny nonetheless.

Beware the Sleestaks

Yesterday we headed over to the same friends' house for an afternoon filled with a muddy football game, jousting in the jumpy castle, and a game of basketball. Oh, we can't forget the kids firing off the potato gun. It was a blast. No pun intended. It was so nice to get out of the house and just hang out with a fun group of people.

I should mention I decided to boycott homework all weekend! I'm going to give that a try every weekend. It's for the best.

Today we had the American Legion baseball season opener and it was a double-header. Our guys lost both games. It should be an interesting season. Our team will be one of the smallest. Most teams consist of a good amount of college players, as AL baseball allows Freshman in high school up through I guess the Freshman year of college. We have one college-aged player, and he's not the biggest guy on our team by any means.

Tomorrow I head out to the ENT doctor. Aside from that the week is pretty much uneventful...and I must have just taken a hit off someone's crack pipe! Lest I forget the boys' dental appointments Tuesday, a baseball game Thursday, and then there's Friday.

Not only is Friday our high school's graduation, it is also D-Day. We're not talking Normandy type, we're talking Driving-Day.

LB is legal to drive as of June 12th.

I'm. trying. to. think. positive...

drama free as of late

This past weekend pretty much went off without a hitch. It's either restrictions placed on AW keeping him from causing too much frustration or Murphy decided to visit someone else, maybe both. The weekend was also pleasant considering it was Valentine's Day on Saturday. I've eluded before to the fact that birthdays and romantic holidays have not received the attention desired by me, but so far this year has been a bit different. Maybe it's just my standards have lowered. Who knows? Bottom line I don't have any complaints from the past few days, even Saturday!

Friday we sent the boys off to the skating rink that has reopened after closing several years ago. It's a great thing for our area considering there's not much to do around here, especially this time of year. Big B and I watched Pride and Glory with Ed Norton and Colin Ferrell. We gave it a thumbs up. Earlier in the day I was able to get in some worthwhile studying.

Saturday we spent being lazy, I did some studying and then we topped it all off with a great dinner. When we were in Italy we dined at several favorite restaurants, and I've tried to replicate some of the recipes we enjoyed. Big B loves the steak with arugula, parmesan and balsamic vinegar. We had that with a side of risotto with mushrooms. Our beverage of choice was Cabernet Sauvignon. I think I'm allergic to red wines. Everytime I drink one I end up with a massive headache that same night.

We'd rented two other movies for the weekend. Saturday night I ended up viewing one of them by myself as the guys gave it a thumbs down! I liked it though. Dorothy Mills,a psychological thriller set in Ireland is sure to give you goosebumps.

With our second Mental Health Nursing exam tomorrow I was able to squeeze in some studying for it, and medications and perioperative nursing for our other classes.

Sunday was yet another lazy day, the highlight being our viewing of Fireproof. Big B and LB watched it with me, even though they spent more time making fun of it than anything else. I swear sometimes I think I live with two fifteen year olds! It was a good movie, despite the poor acting. The theme was definitely something any couple could take something from. The guys were pretty irritated that there wasn't more firefighting in it. I think the movie left its mark, however temporary, on Big B as he was sweeter than he'd been all weekend. He bordered on syrupy, sickening sweet. I love that guy!

Nonetheless we all got along for the most part, there weren't any teen/preteen related incidents and I was able to get a moderate amount of studying in!

Besides our MH exam tomorrow we have our Pharm class and we'll be going over IV meds. I've got basic drug calculations down, but the IV meds are giving me a little more grief. I just need to practice more than I have been.

A classmate called me after class today and told me about an article concerning the turnover rate for new nurses and how some hospitals are dealing with the issue.

Today's another one of those days, after so many of feeling confident and sure of my decision to become a nurse, where I have repressed feelings come back to haunt me. Back when I was active duty confidence was not one of my vocabulary words, so I struggled with a lot. At 38 I'm more confident than I was at 18-19-20, however, like I said, it's insecurities that have been living at the back of my mind resurfacing. As the days press on my classmates and I are facing our first clinical rotation together and it's at a long term care facility. Actually two groups are going to one LTC and a third group is going to the other LTC. In many ways I'm so excited, but also extremely nervous. I feel like that 19 year old again! I look forward to the experience feeding into a heightened level of confidence for me.

reflections of...

For those who have entered the nursing world, at some point in time it has been brought to your attention, if you hadn't realized it already, the fact that nursing is not represented well on television, or in movies for that matter. If you're not a RN, LPN, or student nurse you may or may not have noticed. I came across a blog earlier that discussed this issue, and the source was from The Center for Nursing Advocacy website.

It really is a sad state of affairs. But I got to thinking about what shows there have been, and there haven't been many. Recently my class was instructed to do an assignment. We were given the choice to read a book or watch a movie, and then relate it in an essay to the three attributes we feel are necessary to uphold as a nurse. One of the movie choices was MASH. I had already started reading Life Support, by Suzanne Gordon, but didn't think I would be able to finish it in time for the assignment deadline. So I rented MASH and then proceeded to watch it. I had only ever watched the TV episodes, and thought the movie would be just as good. My opinion? WRONG! The theme song was irritating in it's entirety, as it plays on and on and on for the opening sequence. "Suicide is Painless"? Whatever.

I digress. Normally I am not one to give up on a movie, but found it necessary for my existence with my only viable neuron of sanity left. I did get about half way through. The representation of nurses? Not so good! As usual they were the typical handmaiden for the doctors, or were just an object of lust for the men in general.

Even in the latest episode, the season opener of Grey's Anatomy, the one nurse shown, Rose, was seen portraying a bitter woman cast aside by McDreamy-one of the surgeons on the show.

My thoughts led me to reflect-haha-on China Beach.
Dana Delaney (you might know her from Desperate Housewives), Marg Helgenberger (of CSI fame), and a few other stars graced the TV show during its run from 1988-1991. Delaney and Helgenberger, lead actresses, played nurses, in the Vietnam War setting. One of these days I might have to partake in a DVD marathon! I only saw a few episodes here and there, and can't quite speak on the quality level of the portrayal of the nursing profession.


Delaney can also be seen in Vietnam Nurses, a documentary on the entitled subject matter.

My reflections also led me to the Internet and some of the other choices available representing nurses. Nurse Betty with Renee Zellweger was front runner. Other selections were of the R- or X- rated variety.

Sad.

On a happy note there is plenty of reading material available. My latest find is Nurses: The Human Touch, by Michael Brown. As a nursing student I am finding that reading these non-fiction books about nursing help to put some of the concepts were learning into perspective.

That's all we ever want is a good perspective, right?