going into hiding

i've decided that it is time to hide.

from what am i hiding?

the Sun.

I remembered today the things i dont like about Summer.
I dont like the sweating.
I dont like the hot humid air that is hard to breathe.
I dont like the multiple daily applications of sunscreen.
I dont like the sunburns, especially those in spite of the sunscreen.

Today i got my first sunburn of 2006. And it isnt even summer yet. And i even had sunscreen on. And it was overcast most of the time i was outside.
This isnt fair.

speculation

i am taking an extended leave of absence from work. my colleagues are curious as to where i am going and what i am going to do. thus far, all they know is that i am leaving town and i will be coming back to town.

my coworkers' thoughts on what i'm doing on my leave of absence:
1) going to find a husband
2) going to Asia to find a husband
3) going to Ottawa to rekindle an old romance
4) going to have a c-section (because we essentially have no OB-GYNs in town to deliver babies)
5) going to get pregnant
6) going for surgery
7) getting breast enhancement
8) getting liposuction
9) going to the super-famous-and-yet-i've-not-heard-of-it ashram
10) knitting dishcloths
11) going on a bike tour of the Queen Charlottes
12) doing travel nursing
13) joining a troupe of medieval re-enactors

Isnt this a fun game?!

hello, Hell?

it was a long day at work today. not a bad day, just a long one.
And the majority of us were suffering from First Day Back Brain. Ugh.
And i had to work with someone whose name backwards is Ah, Satan.
And the doctors were stressed.
And management was stressed.
And the nurses were stuck in the middle.
And apparently there were tv crews. And it was D Day. D for doctors. Doctors cutting services.
And i was sweating all day at work. Gross. Its what happens when its 32c in the middle of MAY and they dont turn on the hospital AC.
And my mailbox was completely empty.
And my email inbox was devoid of new signs of life.
And i ran down the hill from work to band practice only to find that the door was locked. Jerks.
And my house is a pressure cooker. Too warm. No air.

But i learned an important lesson today about knowing what you want, knowing your rights/entitlements, and being persistent. And so, today i won a battle against management. So long, suckers!

i hear noises in the dark

there's a party in the back yard of one of the houses across the street. I cant see it but i know its there. The music, the chatter, the vague party sounds are floating in through my open windows at a faint level that makes me pause and cock my head and think there are voices in the other room.
eerie.

and the Ghost Train just passed.
double eerie.

i watched a nice french film tonight called A Very Long Engagement. Unfortunately, it was based during the war and now i have war images in my sensitive head. Out damn spot!

after the movie, i decided to go for a drive around town. You know, take the long way home. There is this street that i've always been curious about. It has a strange curve to it. Its the one that, at the point where it crosses Cardiac Hill, has the sign that says "Caution. Wheelchairs on Roadway". I thought i could be all sneaky-like and go down the street in the dark and no one would be out to see me and recognize me. I forgot that my cute little car is a putt-putt car. It is audible (but i love it). Damn! No sneaky get-aways and no hiding bodies in the trunk. I guess i'm going to be traveling the Straight and Narrow from now on.

winning = losing?

we won our slo-pitch game tonight.
and yet, i feel as if i lost.

what gives?!

tomorrow i shall spend the day recovering from slo-pitch (seriously, i need a new body. My birthday is coming...)
i shall also hopefully finish two secret projects - one involving wool, the other involving paint.

tonight i shall leave you with this, two of my favourite lines from the autosummary of my current novel (i sort of forgot about it and just dusted it off tonight). It seems silly to share since most of you wont understand it anyways and i certainly dont want you to think i'm trying to show you up or anything. I just do it because, well, because i want to. - Why am i explaining myself? Its MY space!


two of my favourite lines:

- J’en prends et je n’en ai presque plus.

- Tu ne le sais pas, mon amour, et parfois, je ne le sais pas non plus.

grown-up me

today i went on a bit of an adventure.

i wanted to get my car insurance today so tomorrow, once my pay cheque goes through, i can pick up MY CAR!!!!!

but they wouldnt sell me car insurance without the car papers.
so i HAD to go get my car.

my car dealer is a super nice guy. He let me borrow another car to drive back to the insurance place in. This was nice because it had started raining and the rain was a cold one. It was also nice because it made me appreciate my car even more. I didnt like the sleek new one he lent me. It drove like a boat and the wipers didnt work well.

so i picked up some plates, he filled the gas tank up, assured me he'd find the stereo before i leave Town at the end of the month, and i drove off, promising to return tomorrow with some money. Sucker! Its my car now!!!

things i like about my new car
1) its mine (obviously!)
2) its shorter people-friendly! (ha ha! Anastasia, you're gonna LOVE it! Expecially the back seat... legs? who needs legs?)
3) its automatic - i can drive it!
4) the visibility is great! Its all windows! (wait, would that make it cold in the winter?)
5) it shall afford me great freedom - if i need to go to the city for a pizza or a lamp, i can!
6) it has very few buttons! i wont accidently set something off!

things to get used to about my new car
1) more things for me to have to clean
2) dummy locks
3) no modern air conditioning or funky things like cruise control and automatic seat controls
4) hatchback - limited packing space
5) the trunk is fully visible - the bodies will have to go elsewhere

image diary of my day

Opened.
(infinitely less cool than a can of whoop-ass)

Accquired.
(buying cars is unsettlingly easy)

Done.
(ratifying a contract is easy compared to restructuring a hospital)

strike!

today, my friends, we shall talk about different types of strikes encountered in life.

#1) work.

today i left work an hour late because one of the senior nurses decided to fill me in on the subject of this friday's staff meeting so that i wont panic and quit my job. yikes. good start, Nurse! And now i have the inside scoop on whether or not the doctors are going on strike/withdrawing their services.

#2) slo-pitch.



strike one!

and that's all i heard when i was at bat. you know, i really should have more faith in my abilities. i dont think i sucked nearly as much as i thought i would. and they didnt tell me not to come back next week. they didnt tell me TO come back but they are desperate for women and i'm a woman...
my first time at bat, i actually hit it AND made it to base. and eventually home, safe and sound.
after that, i never made it to first, but i hit it every time and i never struck out and i only had one strike in total. Go me! Toot my own horn. Toot! Toot!

things i learned at work this week

1) nurses are a strange breed

2) testicular piercings are gross

3) sometimes accidently snowing a patient ends up being in their best interest

4) quiet babies are unsettling in their rarity

5) sometimes you just have to make shit up and hope for the best

6) sometimes doctors make shit up and hope for the best (or that no one notices)

7) its ok to feel lost as a nurse because sometimes even doctors are stumped

8) dont let your coworkers diagnose you or they'll decide you are simultaneously pregnant, menopausal, diabetic, have kidney stones, AND have a UTI

9) even the most confident-appearing nurses sometimes like to run away from situations

10) always bring extra salty snacks and chocolate