Work, Pebble Steel reality, selling Fiona, Music funk, Mother's Day gift

I have a lot on my mind lately, but none of it seems worthy of it's own post... so please forgive me while I just dump out a lot of information.  Maybe after writing all of these things up I'll find a common theme.

First up is work.  I've come to a realization... I'm finally comfortable.  I can now come into work without knowing anything about how my day will go and not worry about what will happen.  Maybe I find that I have a lot of 'standard' appointments.  Annual Health Screens, Exit Interviews, New Transfers, PPD reads, Vital Checks, Scheduled Injections... nothing but standard procedural appointments.  Maybe I find that I have a bunch of 'non standard' appointments.  Call outs with patients having complaints like "my back hurts", or "I have this spot on my penis that's scaring me", or "I have a cold and need someone to tell me it's not going to kill me", or "someone took my bottom bunk away and I hate you for being part of it".  Maybe I find that I am assigned to the Med room (I've been there for the past four days), or even that I've been shuffled off for a day in 4 Block.  Or maybe I even find that I have a full day along with several 'emergency' appointments like 'chest pain', or 'seizure', or 'shortness of breath'.

I am in no way saying that I have nowhere to grow.  I'm not saying that I'm a great nurse and have nothing else to learn.  But the only feeling of 'dread' that I have when I'm driving to work is that I won't live up to my own expectations.  I honestly expected this feeling to take a year or two to develop.

Down with the sickness

I called in sick to work today.

Before any worries surface, I'm just feeling under the weather.  A combination of stomach problems and a nagging headache... although it's always hard for me to say whether a headache is part of a sickness or just one of my many headaches along with a sickness.

As I'm sitting here trying not to vomit, I figured I would put down some thoughts about sick, sickness, and sick time.

I guess first I should explain exactly what i'm feeling.  Since I woke up this morning, my stomach has been rumbling.  At first I just thought I was hungry as it rumbles in the exact same way.  But after about an hour, that sensation went away.  What replaced it was a simple dull ache in my belly.  I imagine this is what if feels like to get gut punched... althought I've never been gut punched so I really don't know.  It certainly isn't something acute... it's an ache, but not a true pain.  Around 11am, I decided to pack my dinner for work and make some lunch.  I prepared three fried eggs and some toast.  As soon as a forkful of eggs made it past my lips though... the nausea began.