I’m feeling pretty low today. Never mind why.
I’d love to hear people’s good news. Or fun news. Or just something to make me feel better.
Spring is finally here in Canada. It’s supposed to hit 21 degrees today and right now it’s sunny and the promised thunderstorms are nowhere in sight.
This time next week I will be on a plane heading to my home country for a month-long trip!
Cute rabbit story (sorry, no pics handy): one of my pet rabbits absolutely adores me. My husband thinks it’s the cutest thing. The rabbit loves sitting on my lap as long as I’m petting him - bridge of the nose, under the chin, behind his ears, scritching his back, whatever. If I stop petting, he headbutts my hand until I start up again, or until he gets bored and hops onto the nearby couch arm so that he’s close enough for petting in case I change my mind. If I put my face next to his, he’ll lick my nose or forehead. He also likes sitting under my chair for a nap or just a secure place to hide out. If I reach under there while still sitting on the chair, he’ll lick my hand. If I poke him to try to drive him out from under there, he just licks more, as if trying to placate me. But if I do want him out, I just have to get down on the floor in front of the chair and call him, and he’ll come running out to me. Sometimes he’ll even follow me around the room right at my heels, like a little puppy.
Both of our rabbits are adorable and sweet, but they definitely have their own human favorites.
I’m taking a motorcycle trip next month. Two weeks, Michigan to southern Utah and back. Meeting up with one friend in Nebraska, who will ride the rest of the way with me; meeting family in Denver; and catching up with more friends in Utah after taking three days on backroads to get there from Denver. It’s been four years since I rode out there, too long. Paris-Dakar it ain’t, but still, there’s plenty of physical and mental hardship involved in riding so far, which imbues the whole experience with far greater depth and meaning than could be had by flying out to Salt Lake City and renting a bike. It’s a big deal, and I’m looking forward to it.
I came up with a big idea at work, that makes them tons more money. They will be implementing it at all their clinics. I think I should get a bonus, but I will settle for recognition, which I’ve gotten.
The Happiness Generator at Cracked.com is designed for exactly this. Page after page of good-news stories, jokes, and pictures of cute animals.
I’ve been feeling terrified at my impending graduation from nursing school, as I feel completely and utterly inadequate, and should not be allowed to get a nursing license or be responsible for anyone’s health care.
So I’m quite tickled that three different RNs at two different ERs told me in the last week that I’m actually quite good - above average - for this stage of the game, and they don’t doubt in the least that I’ll be a *very *good nurse once I’m through orientation and preceptorship on the job. It means a whole lot more coming from them than from my teachers.
Now if I can just find a job…
Tomorrow’s my birthday. It’s also Scott Fujita’s birthday. He plays football for my favorite football team. And it’s not just that we have the same birthday, oh no - it’s the same YEAR too.
I think that’s neat.
Also, my baseball team is in first place.
My girlfriend just returned from her native Italy to start a new job.
After her first day yesterday she said that the new job is “a mess”, “completely shit” and “a joke”.
But she said it doesn’t matter: “I came back for love,” she said, then melted into my arms.
I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon for my sister-in-law’s wedding in Arkansas. She’s 37 and never thought she’d get married; just never found the right guy. Apparently, he was lurking in Oklahoma. It’s her first marriage, his second (he has three kids). She’s so excited, and she’s over the moon about being his wife. (Not getting married, really; I mean, she’s happy about that, but she’s way happier about getting married to him. He’s the important part in the equation.)
It’s so sweet. I’m just thrilled for her.
Pokes self in uterus
I’m told there is a baby in there.
I did not get picked for grand jury duty on Monday. It was a random draw, and my name didn’t come up. I really wasn’t looking forward to 3-4 days a week of jury duty where I’d have to be making up employment work.
We recovered our pregnant foster cat, who went missing yesterday. We were afraid she’d gotten out of the house or found a hiding place in the basement to give birth (she did almost get out through the pet door before we locked it, and found herself a hiding place but came out today looking for food). She’s about ready to pop.
I’m headed on an adventure next week- going to beautiful Victoria Falls and then winding me way down- however the wind takes me, I have no real plan- to South Africa, where I will spend three months providing technical advising to an early childhood community education program in a small village. The kids there are really, really cute and the project is already in really good hands. My time there will be enjoyable and productive. I can’t wait!
Another project I’ve been working on, designing a monitoring and evaluation plan for an organization that provides vocational training and sexual and reproductive health information to unschooled girls in India, just concluded and it went really well. It was unpaid work done as a classroom assignment, but the project does not have monitoring and evaluation staff and so our contributions are invaluable to the success of the project. This was a win-win situation for everyone- we got A’s, valuable job experience to put on a resume, and most importantly some assurance that our hard work and money is actually giving us valuable, marketable skills. The organization implied we’d be great candidates if we applied for jobs with them. The organization got the technical assistance they need. The girls in India get a better program. And our school is using this project to start working on a student consulting program that will charge partner organizations and use the funds to allow students to travel to the projects they are working on. How often does something work out that well?
I have two and a half more days at this dreadful job, followed by ten days off which I will spend in beautiful British Columbia with my in-laws. I start my new, awesome, high paying, fantastic benefits job on May 10. Then on the evening of May 17, I am flying out to Penticton, B.C. for six days of training on my road bike.
And THEN, my parents and one of my sisters are visiting over the last weekend of May.
My son, on his first start on the golf team this year, gave them the win. Though he scored more poorly than he usually does, it was enough. He got a nod for his efforts in the local town rag. Cool.
9 more hours and I have a four day weekend since I don’t work Thursday or Friday. I’m going to visit my family and friends in the city I grew up in. I’ll be playing golf with my best friend from highschool and his wife. I’ll also get to stay at my parents house and play with my 2 and 3 year old nephews. I’m excited!
Worldwide polio eradication is on track for next year.
http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/408/iid/105/Default.aspx
The surgeons are pretty sure they can restore my sister’s eyesight now. The last surgery went better than expected and they are confident she will be able to see well enough to return to work, and maybe even drive again.
(If next week’s operation is successful, the entire pullin clan may be hungover for a month) 