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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Birthday wishes
A very happy 30th birthday to my beautiful sister Rachael!
Us, summer 2008.
Us, spring 1997.
Rachael is kind, thoughtful, generous, ridiculously witty, and amazingly beautiful. (And she's older than me!) I'm lucky to have such a wonderful sister and friend. Happy birthday sweetie!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Happy April Fools Day.
I have always regarded April first warily - I'm very gullible, and thus always fall for at least one silly prank. Rest assured, there will be no jokes from me...
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I haven't written much lately, mostly because I haven't had much to report. I'm still job hunting, and I recently expanded my search to include positions in neighboring towns. My initial plan didn't include commuting, but times are tough, and I'm hoping that flexibility will pay off. I am fortunate that I am in a position in life where I can travel if I need - no kids or pets (yet) to require my presence at home every single day. If I get a position in another town, I'll probably request consecutive shifts and just stay over for those days. Really, after a twelve hour shift I won't be doing anything but sleeping anyhow, so might as well not drive the hour or so back to Missoula just for that. I'm hoping that once I have some experience, I will more easily get a job here in town. It's nice to have some sort of plan - makes me feel more in control of the situation...
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It's very strange, not having any demands on my time. No schoolwork, no exams to study for - it's weird. The other day I crashed out on the couch and watched hours and hours of the DIY network, and the absence of some other task or project to feel guilty about neglecting was - well, at first it was refreshing, but after a while it became unsettling. I actually function much better if I'm busy. So now I'm back to the house stuff, coming up with some projects to keep my mind occupied and give me a sense of accomplishment. Next up, making curtains. I have almost no sewing experience, but I'm sure I can figure it out... :)
______________________________________________
I haven't written much lately, mostly because I haven't had much to report. I'm still job hunting, and I recently expanded my search to include positions in neighboring towns. My initial plan didn't include commuting, but times are tough, and I'm hoping that flexibility will pay off. I am fortunate that I am in a position in life where I can travel if I need - no kids or pets (yet) to require my presence at home every single day. If I get a position in another town, I'll probably request consecutive shifts and just stay over for those days. Really, after a twelve hour shift I won't be doing anything but sleeping anyhow, so might as well not drive the hour or so back to Missoula just for that. I'm hoping that once I have some experience, I will more easily get a job here in town. It's nice to have some sort of plan - makes me feel more in control of the situation...
______________________________________________
It's very strange, not having any demands on my time. No schoolwork, no exams to study for - it's weird. The other day I crashed out on the couch and watched hours and hours of the DIY network, and the absence of some other task or project to feel guilty about neglecting was - well, at first it was refreshing, but after a while it became unsettling. I actually function much better if I'm busy. So now I'm back to the house stuff, coming up with some projects to keep my mind occupied and give me a sense of accomplishment. Next up, making curtains. I have almost no sewing experience, but I'm sure I can figure it out... :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Midwest, redux.
I'm heading back to Kansas next week to help the family out after my dad's upcoming surgery. He's a trooper, and I'm sure he'll heal up just fine. :) I just want to be there to help out with whatever they might need. I'm looking forward to seeing family again - the downside of living so far away from my hometown is that I see my folks once, maybe twice a year. It's not enough, really, but we make the most of the time we do get, and we supplement with lots of calls and texts and photos.
So all things considered, it should be a good trip. And I took a quick look at weather.com-- this doesn't sound so bad either:
So all things considered, it should be a good trip. And I took a quick look at weather.com-- this doesn't sound so bad either:
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Big One.
Tomorrow I take the NCLEX-RN (stands for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses). This is the exam that proves my competency to practice as a registered nurse, and upon passing I will receive my license to be a nurse in the great state of Montana.
It would be much easier if I could just promise the state board that I'm safe and competent, but that doesn't appear to fly. Instead, I'll drive to Helena, get fingerprinted and frisked, and go in to sit the exam. I have six hours to complete it, and I will answer somewhere between 75 and 265 questions. It's a computer adaptive test, so it bases the question selection on how I've answered previous questions.
I don't get much test anxiety, but I'm nervous for this one. For the past few weeks I've reviewed and answered practice questions for anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, most days of the week, but right at the moment it's not feeling like enough. I have friends who studied by just taking practice questions, and other friends who reviewed for hours a day, several weeks. So far, everyone from my class has passed. At first that was reassuring, but then a new thought occurred to me - what if I become the only flunkie of the bunch?
On the bright side, for $10 I can see my test results online the next day. It used to be that you had to wait for a letter, and it took a couple of weeks to get your results.
I booked myself a nice hotel in Helena for tonight - my test is at 8:00 in the morning, so I need to stay in town the night before. I found one with a workout center and a hot tub - two ways I loooove to relax. My current plan is hard workout, hot tub, dinner, wine, sleep, pass exam.
Any number of variations on the plan are acceptable, so long as they include that last step.
In a few minutes I'll pack my bags and hit the road. Wish me luck!
It would be much easier if I could just promise the state board that I'm safe and competent, but that doesn't appear to fly. Instead, I'll drive to Helena, get fingerprinted and frisked, and go in to sit the exam. I have six hours to complete it, and I will answer somewhere between 75 and 265 questions. It's a computer adaptive test, so it bases the question selection on how I've answered previous questions.
I don't get much test anxiety, but I'm nervous for this one. For the past few weeks I've reviewed and answered practice questions for anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, most days of the week, but right at the moment it's not feeling like enough. I have friends who studied by just taking practice questions, and other friends who reviewed for hours a day, several weeks. So far, everyone from my class has passed. At first that was reassuring, but then a new thought occurred to me - what if I become the only flunkie of the bunch?
On the bright side, for $10 I can see my test results online the next day. It used to be that you had to wait for a letter, and it took a couple of weeks to get your results.
I booked myself a nice hotel in Helena for tonight - my test is at 8:00 in the morning, so I need to stay in town the night before. I found one with a workout center and a hot tub - two ways I loooove to relax. My current plan is hard workout, hot tub, dinner, wine, sleep, pass exam.
Any number of variations on the plan are acceptable, so long as they include that last step.
In a few minutes I'll pack my bags and hit the road. Wish me luck!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
March first?
Boy, how time flies when you're in a freefall.
The past few months have been very surreal. I have been mostly unemployed since January 1st (randomly picking up receptionist shifts for my old company when I can), living somewhere new and not going to school. Any of these changes alone would be stressful, but doing it all at once has thrown me way off balance. At times I've almost felt as though I stepped into someone else's life. I've had a hard time getting into any of my normal routines - I haven't been to the gym since I was in Topeka!
I'm going to start back to the gym today. The first of the month always seems like a good time to make changes, and I'm hoping that by getting back into that routine, I will be able to garner some normalcy for myself.
I really miss going to school. I love to learn (though fortunately I'm studying for the NCLEX, so I'm still doing that part), but more than that I miss my classmates. I spent every day with those people for two and a half years, and they really began to feel like a family. I still see and talk to some of them, and everyone passes along updates and good news about one another's lives and jobs, but it's just not the same. A lot of them are working as nurses already, which means long shifts, often nights and weekends. Others are holed up, studying for their NCLEX. And lots of them have scattered, moving for jobs or to be with family. For the first month I felt a dull ache in my chest when I thought back to being in class with everyone. The day before the semester began at the university I even had a dream about being back in school. I think my loneliness was compounded by the fact that I was spending all day, every day at home by myself. It's been much better the past couple of weeks - since I've been filling in more at the office I'm getting some social interaction with old friends and coworkers. I enjoy having time to myself from time to time, but I'm a social person, and I really need to be around people.
The work situation is one that I have little control over, and I'm trying to be patient. I did interview at a hospital several weeks ago, but the first thing nurse recruiter told me was that they had frozen several of their open RN positions due to low census. (Low census is when there aren't very many patients in the hospital. Even hospitals are feeling the economic crunch.) I had a pretty good interview with her, but I haven't heard back since. I don't know if they are holding off still on hiring for that position or if they have filled it. I am trying to put that job out of my mind, and just watch for new ones opening up. Something will work out in time.
I hate to sound like a whiner. I love our new house (and that we can afford it even with me unemployed, thanks to my hard-working (and tenured!) husband), I'm proud of graduating from college, and I'm excited about all the new things in my life. But positive change is still change, so it's still stress. Remembering that helps me be kinder to myself when I feel a little out of whack.
The past few months have been very surreal. I have been mostly unemployed since January 1st (randomly picking up receptionist shifts for my old company when I can), living somewhere new and not going to school. Any of these changes alone would be stressful, but doing it all at once has thrown me way off balance. At times I've almost felt as though I stepped into someone else's life. I've had a hard time getting into any of my normal routines - I haven't been to the gym since I was in Topeka!
I'm going to start back to the gym today. The first of the month always seems like a good time to make changes, and I'm hoping that by getting back into that routine, I will be able to garner some normalcy for myself.
I really miss going to school. I love to learn (though fortunately I'm studying for the NCLEX, so I'm still doing that part), but more than that I miss my classmates. I spent every day with those people for two and a half years, and they really began to feel like a family. I still see and talk to some of them, and everyone passes along updates and good news about one another's lives and jobs, but it's just not the same. A lot of them are working as nurses already, which means long shifts, often nights and weekends. Others are holed up, studying for their NCLEX. And lots of them have scattered, moving for jobs or to be with family. For the first month I felt a dull ache in my chest when I thought back to being in class with everyone. The day before the semester began at the university I even had a dream about being back in school. I think my loneliness was compounded by the fact that I was spending all day, every day at home by myself. It's been much better the past couple of weeks - since I've been filling in more at the office I'm getting some social interaction with old friends and coworkers. I enjoy having time to myself from time to time, but I'm a social person, and I really need to be around people.
The work situation is one that I have little control over, and I'm trying to be patient. I did interview at a hospital several weeks ago, but the first thing nurse recruiter told me was that they had frozen several of their open RN positions due to low census. (Low census is when there aren't very many patients in the hospital. Even hospitals are feeling the economic crunch.) I had a pretty good interview with her, but I haven't heard back since. I don't know if they are holding off still on hiring for that position or if they have filled it. I am trying to put that job out of my mind, and just watch for new ones opening up. Something will work out in time.
I hate to sound like a whiner. I love our new house (and that we can afford it even with me unemployed, thanks to my hard-working (and tenured!) husband), I'm proud of graduating from college, and I'm excited about all the new things in my life. But positive change is still change, so it's still stress. Remembering that helps me be kinder to myself when I feel a little out of whack.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
For your Valentine's listening enjoyment, I present two beautiful duets, sung in heart-tugging harmonies.
Lucky - Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat
Once - Falling Slowly
Lucky - Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat
Once - Falling Slowly
Monday, February 09, 2009
All things misc.
I woke up this morning, and my google blogstalker feature was inundated with new posts from my various subscriptions. I dove in and read everybody, and then felt guilty for all of the neglect my blog has seen since... well, last fall. It's a silly thing to feel guilty about, especially since there are no clamouring audiences waiting anxiously for my next words. There is only me, wishing I had the patience or energy to sit down and write, since it's something I enjoy so much. (And a few kindly readers who pop as well. Hi! And thanks!) However, I'm better at guilt than I am at writing, so it often wins out and I guiltily indulge in reading everyone else's new thoughts while leaving my own blog untouched.
So today - a miscellaneous update post (also known as an excuse post). Some people aren't fans of the random topic update type of post, but it's one of my favorites. The only theme to my blog is me, and those of you who know me personally will agree that the long-winded-random-strings-of-stories-with-no-point posts are closest to what real life with Mandi is like. (For better or worse...)
Anyhow, away we go!
This weekend we had our housewarming open house. It turned out to be a pretty good party, and it was fun to have people over to our (mostly unpacked) house. We netted six or so bottles of wine plus two of champagne - I'm going to have to have people over again to drink all the wine they brought this time. Interestingly, the party seems to have worked - it feels so much more like home now that we've had our friends over. Maybe the walls absorb the happiness and the laughter and the little kids' joyful shrieks, but somehow the energy feels different. Maybe it's all perception. Whatever it was, it worked. This place feels like home.
We moved into this house three weeks ago yesterday. It's gone by quick, mostly because I've kept busy with lots of little repairs and improvements. I painted the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom (twice for the bath - didn't like the first color), done small electrical and plumbing fixes (leaky faucets and toilets), patched nail holes and drywall and all sorts of other little odd jobs. I really enjoy that type of work - there is a real satisfaction in standing back and seeing something that works because I fixed it, or that looks good because I put a lot of time into the details of patching or painting it. It's kept me busy and distracted from the fact that I am jobless and broke...
...but -- I have an interview tomorrow! Wish me luck - it's at the hospital where I really want to work, and for a job that isn't overnights! If the position I originally applied for is still open, it's a 3-11:30 evening shift. I had sort of reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that I would have to work 12 hour shifts overnight (7p-7a) as a new graduate nurse, but I just really don't want to. I worked nights at the post office years ago, and I had a really difficult time with the sleep deprivation. Granted, I worked part time there (midnight to 6am, about three days a week), but I also worked at a department store, taught clarinet lessons two days a week, and went to college full time. God, to be twenty again... I only managed that schedule for about six weeks before I quit the night job, but these days I imagine I could survive for about, oh, 48 hours before I went completely berserk. Anyhow, evenings sounds lovely by comparison. Cross your fingers for me!
Okay, I'm off to unpack all of my nursing books so I can get started on studying for my boards. I finally set my test date (March 11th) and now that there are a finite number of days between now and when I'll sit down to the exam, I'm feeling the pressure to crack some books. Yay!
But before I go, one more thing:
So today - a miscellaneous update post (also known as an excuse post). Some people aren't fans of the random topic update type of post, but it's one of my favorites. The only theme to my blog is me, and those of you who know me personally will agree that the long-winded-random-strings-of-stories-with-no-point posts are closest to what real life with Mandi is like. (For better or worse...)
Anyhow, away we go!
This weekend we had our housewarming open house. It turned out to be a pretty good party, and it was fun to have people over to our (mostly unpacked) house. We netted six or so bottles of wine plus two of champagne - I'm going to have to have people over again to drink all the wine they brought this time. Interestingly, the party seems to have worked - it feels so much more like home now that we've had our friends over. Maybe the walls absorb the happiness and the laughter and the little kids' joyful shrieks, but somehow the energy feels different. Maybe it's all perception. Whatever it was, it worked. This place feels like home.
We moved into this house three weeks ago yesterday. It's gone by quick, mostly because I've kept busy with lots of little repairs and improvements. I painted the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom (twice for the bath - didn't like the first color), done small electrical and plumbing fixes (leaky faucets and toilets), patched nail holes and drywall and all sorts of other little odd jobs. I really enjoy that type of work - there is a real satisfaction in standing back and seeing something that works because I fixed it, or that looks good because I put a lot of time into the details of patching or painting it. It's kept me busy and distracted from the fact that I am jobless and broke...
...but -- I have an interview tomorrow! Wish me luck - it's at the hospital where I really want to work, and for a job that isn't overnights! If the position I originally applied for is still open, it's a 3-11:30 evening shift. I had sort of reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that I would have to work 12 hour shifts overnight (7p-7a) as a new graduate nurse, but I just really don't want to. I worked nights at the post office years ago, and I had a really difficult time with the sleep deprivation. Granted, I worked part time there (midnight to 6am, about three days a week), but I also worked at a department store, taught clarinet lessons two days a week, and went to college full time. God, to be twenty again... I only managed that schedule for about six weeks before I quit the night job, but these days I imagine I could survive for about, oh, 48 hours before I went completely berserk. Anyhow, evenings sounds lovely by comparison. Cross your fingers for me!
Okay, I'm off to unpack all of my nursing books so I can get started on studying for my boards. I finally set my test date (March 11th) and now that there are a finite number of days between now and when I'll sit down to the exam, I'm feeling the pressure to crack some books. Yay!
But before I go, one more thing:
Happy birthday to my wonderful brother-in-law Emilio!
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