Notes from me to you

hello again!

praise the Lord the sun in shining today.. no marine layer! the marine layer, in case you don't know, because i didn't, is a thick layer of clouds/fog hanging over the coast that is usually broken up in the early afternoon by the sun's heat. the past few days, however, its stuck around for the entire day.. ugh! but this morning i awoke to sun shining through the window.. i was pretty excited!

yesterday i toured the area of the hospital where i'll be working.. an interesting experience. i didn't expect it to be that much smaller than the hospital in st. paul, but it was! united's set up for their oncology patients is much better than this set up. for you fellow nurses reading this, can you believe they actually have this gigantic filtration (furnace-looking) mechanism in the room- sitting next to the bed! this is their negative air flow system. i was slightly horrified!! AND only two of their 14 rooms are private- crazy! also, they had converted to computerized charting 6 months before we did at united and the physicians still aren't entering their own orders! wow..

on a positive note.. several people i met told me i would enjoy working on the oncology floor there. i'm assuming this is because of the leaders as all of the nurses getting this floor up and running are travelers, with the exception of the few resource nurses from a nearby clinic. as i was sitting in my current leader's office, i noticed the many awards she'd received as "leader of the year" "director of the year" etc. that was encouraging. also, she's quite down-to-earth, a quality i very much appreciate! she asked where i was living and when i told her she said "oh.. there's a nurse working today that lives there" and she made sure i was introduced to her! how sweet!? when i met this nurse, she invited me out this weekend with her and a few other travel nurses for someone's birthday. a few of us are in the same complex, eveen! so.. with any job, it seems this one will follow suit with positives and negatives. :) kind of nice that i'm only committed for three months!

over all.. i'm looking forward to the new experience and can't say for sure that i would stay if they asked! we'll see! I am interested to see what its like working in a teaching hospital.

on the way home, i stopped at a drive-thru starbucks to order a latte (thanks to gift certificates from past co-workers:) !!) when i got to the window, i gave my card to the guy from which i ordered and he informed me that my coffee would just be a minute. no problem.. i sat and stared at all the pretty bikes across the street at the bike store and dazed off for a few minutes.

i was snapped out of my daze when a different guy, a strikingly gorgeous guy, leans out the window, smiling at me, cradling my latte as though it were a personal gift he'd been working on.. just for me, hoping i would love it as much as he thinks i will, practically leans into my car, and says in a (i kid you not) come-hither tone, "here you go." and gently, but with clear masculinity, places my latte in my hands.

hmmm...ok

i smile back. i thank him.. i am in shock. did that just happen?? lol.. are you seducing me with starbucks? i stare ahead in disbelief for a moment then drive away laughing, thinking "what exactly is going on in this city?" ha!

i guess i know where i'll be getting my starbucks from now on! lol...

i'm off for a bike ride on my new old bike.. then its nap time in order to prepare for my first 12 hour night shift. oy!

blessings to you all...

love
laura