New Job-New Life

Since I last posted, a lot has changed.  My job in the operating room was about to make me crazy.  I'm not just talking frustrated.  I'm talking padded room crazy.  The stress got to the point it was overwhelming. I have been so busy at work I have had literally no time online.  No time for myself.  So, since that last post I have quit my job and acquired a new one.  A job that comes with no weekends, no holidays, no call, and a $3.00 per hour raise.  The job was basically dropped in my lap and I would have been a fool to pass it up.

To restore my physical health and sanity, I am currently on a mini vacation in New Braunfels, Texas.  A small  town in south Texas near San Antonio with a large German population.  It's a quiet town with lots of shopping and home of the oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall, where George Strait got his start.  I've done a lot of relaxing, sleeping, thinking, and reflecting.  It's been just the refresher I need.  I start the new job July 2, so wish me luck.

The Carol Burnett Tumblr is still up and running.  Lots of new things have been added.  Go check it out!

All About Carol

Carol Burnett's Birthday

So, this may be a new blog, but if you've read it at all you know I'm kind of in love with Carol Burnett.  So, in a shameless plug for my fanblog for my favorite funny lady, I invite you to visit my Carol Burnett Tumblr Fan Site.  April 26 is Carol's 79th birthday...if you happen to also be a Tumblr addict, stop by on Thursday and join the blogging event in honor of the Charwoman herself.

Diagnosis Confirmed

So the illness I contracted from a bacteria-riddled child has been identified.  It is--and I quote--"the worst sinus infection I've seen in years." According to my physician...So I've got one week to kick this thing or it's into the OR to have an exploratory nasal endoscopy and possible endoscopic sinus surgery.  I'll spare you the details of just how disgusting this infection really is, but few people know that if sinus infections are bad enough, and are left untreated, they can lead to abscesses in the brain and even be fatal.  Mine--thankfully--has not reached that stage yet, but it is well on it's way.

As a result of this infection, I've been given massive doses of antibiotics, as well as a steroid shot and steroid pills to try to reduce the inflammation enough to let the nastiness drain out of my sinuses and give me a chance of beating this thing without the need for surgery.  The steroids are wreaking havoc with my body.  I have gone insane.  I'm ravenously hungry...all the time.  I do my best not to eat or I will weigh 500 pounds by the time this subsides.  I can't sit down.  I've taken the dogs for a walk.  I've cleaned the shit out of my house.  I feel like I have an engine inside of me and it's revving to go...alas it is 10:15, I'm pretty sick--by most standards--and the only thing I probably should be doing is going to bed.  So, I'm going to give it a shot.  I'm hoping watching some monotonously boring TV show will lull me into a restful slumber.  I think Anthony Bourdain should do...

Sweet death bring me relief...

I love my job.  I really do.  Taking care of little kids and being a part of making a sick child well--it's one of the most rewarding careers imaginable.  Knowing you had your hand in it, no matter how insignificant, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Getting to calm a child's fears as you take them from the comfort of their mother's arms.  Having them trust you, and cling to you for comfort...it's a feeling that can't be described.  I love my job...I love kids.  I love helping kids.  Some kids are more of a handful than others...*insert props to all those school teachers out there.**  Unlike teachers, the majority of my work with children occurs when they are asleep.  I calm their fears and make going to sleep for surgery as non-frightening as possible.  Then they're asleep and I don't have the usual kid problems to deal with.  Makes getting your job done a lot easier.  I have major respect for teachers!

But there is, alas, a downside to working with children.  They are adorable, yes.  Fun to be around, yes.  But they are also little germ-infested bacteria breeding grounds.  They carry so many different illnesses I can't even begin to tally them up here.  Once you've worked with them long enough, you begin to develop an immunity to the cooties kids carry around.  My first year as a nurse, I was sick at least 4 times a year.  Over time that number has diminished, but I still--on occasion--contract some bug that I have no doubt I caught from some sick, snotty kid.  Such is the case now.  102 temperature, chills, cough, headache, and body aches.  I am trying to tell myself it isn't the flu, after all I did have my mandatory flu shot this year!  But as this progresses, it is becoming strikingly similar to the old flu bug.

To say I feel miserable would be an understatement...

April Showers

As I type this I am listening to a weather report, which is a warning of dangerous thunderstorms on the way.  The storms have already caused numerous tornadoes in Kansas and other areas west of here, but it is believed the storms will not be as bad here.  Listening to this report has brought back some rather unpleasant memories for me.  Last year, around this time, I experienced my second close call with a tornado.  Fortunately, my house sustained no damage during that storm.  A tornado did, however, touch down near my house.

I've also watched from a closet under a staircase as a tornado tore part of the roof off our house and sent our patio furniture flying.  We found it 3 houses down the road.  Perhaps more frightening than the flying furniture was the hail that hit before the tornado.  It was the size of softballs.  After it passed, we went outside to survey the damage.  Apart from roof damage and trees being down, our neighborhood had fared rather well.  Turns out that the tornado had not yet touched down when it passed over our house.  It did touch down east of us, destroying a neighborhood and a grocery store, killing one person.  We were lucky.

Here's hoping we don't have a repeat performance of last year's crazy weather...Not only did we have several huge tornadoes, but also massive flooding!  That was a bigger problem here where I live.  I live near a creek and a low lying swamp area.  It's beautiful, but when it rains, it can get dicey.

Best of luck to all who are facing the bad weather today!

The Fur Babies And Their Ailments

Sophie-The Special Needs Dachshund

Dixie-The Chug

So I have two of the most adorable dogs on the planet.  They are two little furballs and my constant companions.  They love me more than any person I know, and if I'm not careful I'm likely to slip into a "dog lady" lifestyle.  Like a cat lady...without the overpowering stench of urine all over the house.  Anyway, as I was saying, I adore my dogs.  One is a chug (a chihuahua-pug mix) and she is the most precious, well-behaved animal I've ever owned.  Then there's my dachshund mix.  I call her my "special needs" dog because she has so many issues that require constant care.  She has insane separation anxiety.  To the point that if she isn't medicated, she destroys my home and my belongings (and even has been known to hurt herself) whenever I leave.  I also think that she has ADHD...if dogs can have that.  If they can get diabetes, I think they can have ADHD.  My friends all her P.D. (psycho dog) and I have to say that, although cruel, the nickname is accurate.  Well, I went on a cruise and left her with my aunt who lives in the country and has a huge yard for the girls to play in.  Apparently sometime while we were gone, she got into something that caused her to develop Campylobacteriosis...which is basically doggie dysentery.  It is the most horrible, foul illness I have ever encountered (I'll spare you the details).  And of course, she spread it to the other dog.  My days and nights (when not at work) have been spent taking dogs outside every few minutes...poking pills down their throats...MISERY.  And it takes forever for them to get over it.  I haven't had a full night's sleep in a week.  When I'm at work, I always dread coming home because there will inevitably be a nice mess waiting for me...I'm having to isolate them in my laundry room while I'm gone.  It's a nightmare.  Sorry for spending an entire post talking about my dogs' digestive problems, but that has literally been my life for the last week.  Despite their tummy troubles, they are precious...I leave you with a photo of my angels.

Carol Burnett

So, a couple of things happened in my life yesterday involving Carol Burnett.  In this day and age, it isn't really typical for Carol Burnett to be brought up more than once in the same day in the average person's life; however, seeing that it did happen yesterday and I'm a huge Carol fan, I felt it necessary to revisit the events here on my blog.

Let me begin by explaining how a typical 20-something girl came to adore Carol Burnett when most people my age don't even know who she is.  My grandmother is a fan of Carol's and when I would spend the night with her, we would often watch re-runs of The Carol Burnett Show.  If you're a young person who hasn't had the privilege of seeing this show, do yourself a favor and check it out on YouTube.  Most of the greatest skits can be found there.  Anyway, I was also a huge fan of musicals and fell in love with John Huston's hit Annie the first time I saw it.  And although Aileen Quinn was adorable in the title role, it was Carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan that won my heart.  I don't remember a time in my life that I didn't love Carol, so needless to say when I have the opportunity to share my thoughts about her with someone else, I am always happy to oblige.

The first incident was at a local ice cream parlor.  Myself and a group of friends were sitting around the table enjoying our ice cream, when one of them pulled up a clip from the Carol Burnett Show on his iPhone for us all to watch.  He had seen it in an email containing funny videos and wanted to share it with us.  

(View the clip here)  Being the fan that I am, of course I had seen the clip before.  Everyone laughed and enjoyed the clip immensely, which led to us looking up other clips from the show on our phones.  We sat there for a good 30 minutes watching Carol Burnett clips and laughing like a bunch of idiots.  I'm sure the others in the restaurant thought we were nuts.  I didn't gush about Carol and how much I love her, but I did make sure my friends saw what I think are some of the funniest clips from her show.

Examples:

• Carol and The Horse
• Went With The Wind
• Mama's Family-Elephant Story

After watching Carol clips for a while, someone realized where they had seen her before--as Miss Hannigan in Annie.  This person then proceeded to explain that they liked Kathy Bates in the made-for-TV version of Annie which came out in the late '90s better...

*insert "Shit Just Got Real" gif*

There is no way ANYONE will ever be able to compare to Carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan.  I do like Kathy Bates, don't get me wrong.  I loved her in Titanic and Fried Green Tomatoes, but if you're trying to convince me that she did a better job as Miss Hannigan than Carol did--well, you're barking up the wrong tree...but don't let me influence you.  Watch both versions and see for yourself!  They're both good.  And I'll say it--I prefer Victor Garber's Daddy Warbucks to Albert Finney's.  I regret nothing!  But Carol Burnett MADE Miss Hannigan.  

*END OF RANT*