Crunch Time

Ok, t-minus 4 weeks and counting until the end of this semester! Wow! This semester has really flown by and hasn't been too unbearable. However, the next few weeks are jam-packed filled with assignments and papers and exams etc. I just handed in my big paper for this semester today, but I still have a 6 page psych paper left to do as well as 1 major psych assignment and 1 minor psych assignment to complete. As well, I have a group debate to complete for my ethics course, written final evals for my clinical rotations, and studying for finals etc...etc...etc. So as you can see, the next few weeks for me will be really, really busy so I felt the need to write a small blog to all my faithful readers to let them know that it may be AT LEAST a week or so before I am able to blog again so I don't want any nasty emails or messages from people as to why I haven't written anything, alright Darla!! :) Send me your positive vibes as I endure another 4 weeks of psych rotation of which I absolutely loathe with every fiber of my being. You may think that I am exaggerating and overreacting, but until you have spent a 12 hour shift working on the psych ward you have NO idea! Pure torture! But I am trying to stay positive and look ahead to the end of the semester, the start of summer, my new job, and most importantly...the return of my best friend Heidi from Guatemala so we can go road tripping together!!

Here are some pics from my summer adventures last summer and the summer before with Heidi! Can't wait to add another summer trip to the repertoire.


Beach at camp site in Oregon
Camp-fire on the beach in Oregon. (Jalene, me, Jenn, Heidi)
Heidi driving on the I5 in her bathing suite because she was hot
Heidi being Heidi at the Caeser's hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Call me Surgical Nurse Extraordinaire

I have spent the last couple of weeks stressing about an interview that took place today. I attended a large hiring fair for student nurses to gain employment in their chosen hospital as whats called an Undergraduate Nurse. Yes, I am still a student nurse, but I have the majority of the knowledge and skills to work as an Undergrad on a hospital ward.

I spent yesterday in the psych ward, as part of my clinical rotation not as a patient :), for a VERY long 12 hour shift. As I was there I had more than enough time to dwell on the fact that my summer job and future of my nursing experience hinged on my doing well in my interview. I was rather panicked. I managed to get myself pretty worked up and rather stressed out. After my 12 hour shift I came home and was so physically exhausted I could hardly keep my eyes open and it was only 8 p.m. Yeesh! Yet, somehow as I went about my lazing around in front on the T.V. for an hour to get my mind off the impending stress of the next day I became WIDE AWAKE!

I spent the first few hours after I went to bed lying on my back and staring at the ceiling wondering what it would be like to be the only one who didn't get hired at the hiring fair. Eeek! Ok, so that is the worst case scenario but I still went there.

When I woke up this morning though I had a strange sense of calm. Praise the LORD! But as I drove to the hiring fair with two other classmates my nerves began to act up again and I could feel my heart beating faster. My anxiety was anything but subdued when I arrived at the hiring fair and ended up having to wait almost 4 hours to get my interiew!

When my name was finally called my heart tried to jump out of my chest! As I was escorted to the interviewing table, the lading escorting me asked me a strange question: "You wouldn't happen to be Marina's daughter would you?" "Ummm, yes" I answered, "I am actually." This lady turned out to be my mothers old boss from when she worked on the surgical floor. Then as we arrived at my interview table she introduced me to my interviewer and then proceeded to say:

"I was totally right! This is Marina's daughter!!"

The women who was doing my interview was my mothers current boss in emergency! What a small world! So right then and there all my anxiety disappeared and I was able to sit calmly and answer all her 4, yes 4 pages of questions. The interview lasted just over 30 mins but to me the time flew by! At the end of the interview the women stood up and shook my hand and said that she thought I would make a wonderful addition to the surgical ward.

I WAS HIRED!!!

What a relief! It is a wonderful feeling knowing that I am finally going to get paid to do what I love and get so much great experience while I am doing it! I cannot wait to start.

Scrubs - The More You Know

Yes, thats right, it's time for another Scrubs video clip. Yup, I love the show and this clip is a short one but it's still quite funny. Enjoy!

Confessions of a road-rage-a-holic

Hello, my name is Stacey, and I am a road-rage-a-holic:

I think this may be something that not a lot of people know about me. I try to hide my road rage when I am driving with other people in my car. Let me just say that I have never been violent towards another driver because of my road rage, it hasn't come to that, yet! :) I car pool to school with 3 other girls, and I know they think I am an aggressive driver, and I guess I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm also, I think, a very safe driver. But I am also sometimes an impatient driver and tend to get enraged while driving very easily. I think this road rage got worse instead of better when I got my new car because now I could actually drive over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic without fear of something falling off my car.

While was I driving home today I was talking on my cell phone with my friend Darla, and forgetting that I was talking to her I yelled at the women "driving" in front of me to...eh hem..."freaking hurry up and drive for goodness sake!!!!!!!" The women was driving merrily along a busy road at 30km where the speed limit is 50km! I don't do 30! I rarely can keep myself at 50! Well Darla started to laugh at me, and that's when I realized that my secret was out. She was like, "did you just yell at the car in front of you?" "Ummm, yes maybe I did" :)

There have been several occasions where I know people may have suspected that I had road rage, or at least strange driving tendencies. I have driven around with some of my youth group kids in the car and they have laughed at me when I put my hand out making a stop signal and verbally told a car sitting on a side street to "stay where you are, don't you dare pull out in front of me!!" I constantly talk to myself and other drivers while I am driving, as if they can actually hear me. I will say things like "hurry up!!! get out of my way!! don't you dare cut me off!! idiot driver!! "etc...etc...etc. I seem to always be in a hurry when driving, even when I am not in a hurry to get anywhere!

I will also say that I have never been in an accident that was my fault so it is not that I am a bad driver, just a very animated one. And yes, I am sure my car pool girls are secretly making fun of me while I am driving, it's ok, I love them anyways! :) I used to have an air freshener in my old car that said, "smile, God loves you" and my car pool girls joked with me that I should simply recite this and my road rage would go away. If I can find one, I should try and buy another one of those air fresheners and put it in my new car as a subtle reminder.

[Scrubs] My Musical - Guy Love

Another odd but oh so funny scrubs musical clip! Yes, I am addicted to this show. Also, I had nothing interesting to say so I thought I would post this. This one's for you Darla! (if we were guys) :)