midnight nightingale

Like OMG OMG OMG!

2008-10-05T23:08:00.004-05:00

It's amazing how these five individuals have the power to turn me, a thirty-plus-year-old soccer mom, into a bumbling, screaming, dancing lunatic.

(Not my video, but I caught this same concert yesterday in Chicago.)

I have just rekindled my everlasting love for Joey McIntyre.

Some things never change

2008-08-25T14:35:00.006-05:00

August 1995: Aida, J and A enjoy a night out on the town. With J behind the wheel, the girls drive around Orange County, listen to Biz Markie and Technotronic, get a bite to eat at a local sushi joint, and gossip about boys and fashion.

August 2008: Aida, J and A enjoy a night out on the town. With J behind the wheel, the girls drive around Orange County, listen to Biz Markie and Technotronic, get a bite and martinis at a local sushi joint, and gossip about husbands, kids, and fashion.

Yum!

2008-08-18T23:08:00.004-05:00

Everytime I go back to Southern California I find a new food addiction. Last year it was Pinkberry frozen yogurt. This year it's red velvety deliciousness.

Please oh please oh please come to Chicago soon!!

Welcoming the little one into the Christian world...

2008-05-21T00:17:00.001-05:00

Baptism
Originally uploaded by aidanightingale

I've come to accept that my blog will now consist of random photos and a few phrases here and there. This little one takes up waaaay too much of my time, but I'll gladly give it all to her!

Almost four months

2008-03-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

Almost four months
Originally uploaded by aidanightingale

It still seems like she was just born yesterday, and now she's smiling, squealing with happiness, and reaching for her toys! She even yells at you when she's pissed off. It's quite hilarious!

Note to self and all new mommies...savor and enjoy every single moment with your infant. They really do grow up way too fast.

Back to the daily grind

2008-02-16T19:48:00.003-06:00

I went back to work a couple of weeks ago, and now I have no free time! This explains why I haven't been blogging. Luckily, my mom is in town to help me and hubby out with the baby and the household chores, but she's going back to California next week. I'm absolutely dreading this. Life will turn from busy (but manageable) to chaotic.

It's so amazing how time flies. It seems like yesterday that I just gave birth, and now my little one is nearly three months old. Maternity leave felt like no time at all. For the past couple of weeks I've been moving at 100 miles an hour, juggling my two jobs, the girls, and the house. All I want is one hour to curl up in the sofa with my daughter and watch Hanna Montana, or play peek-a-boo with my baby.

Luckily it's the weekend and I have some free time, so I think I'll go do those things now. Before I start on that mountain load of laundry.

Motherhood...gotta love it! :)

Got the best birthday gift ever!

2008-01-06T22:15:00.000-06:00

The little one greeted me this morning with her first smile! It was probably gas or post-meal bliss, but it doesn't matter. It was the most precious thing and it totally made my day!

Resolutions

2008-01-01T10:41:00.000-06:00

Every year I make mental New Year's Resolutions, but I always forget what they are, and ultimately I don't follow through on them. I figure I should write them down so I can remind myself regularly and make these changes for the better! I also decided to make it realistic and not to make too many resolutions so I can accomplish them.

1) Exercise more patience, especially with the hubby and the kid.

2) Work off the postpartum belly! I'm making the mistake of eating like I'm still pregnant, and I had the baby over a month ago!

3) Be wiser with my money...i.e. start saving more, pay off my debts faster, don't shop for things that are unneccessary.

Happy New Year!!

Babies are so goofy sometimes

2007-12-23T12:20:00.000-06:00

I tried to rub my nose with Alyssa's nose, and she began to root. Her mouth landed on my nose, and she began to suck on it! Eww! I pulled away, and she immediately began shrieking. I guess she's hungry, so I should go feed her now.

Birth Story

2007-12-10T12:56:00.000-06:00

Many moms say that giving birth the second time around is usually easier, and Alyssa's birth was no exception. The day before she was born I was having my normal Braxton Hicks contractions, and I didn't think much about them. I even went to the mall that day and did some Christmas shopping, trying to get as much done as possible before the little one came. In the evening I started getting more regular contractions, about every five to ten minutes or so, but they were not painful at all. Hubby and I decided to drop off the kid to my mother-in-law just in case. It's a good thing we did that, because in the twenty minutes it took to get to my mother-in-law's house, the contractions went from every seven minutes with no pain to every three to four minutes and painful.

We got to the hospital around eleven o'clock in the evening. According to the resident I was 7cm dilated. The L&D nurse was amazed because I was still fairly comfortable at this point. The contractions were painful, but tolerable (with my first pregnancy I was tearful and belligerent at 5cm). Even though I wasn't in excrutiating pain I still opted for the epidural just in case.

Labor progressed pretty quickly. Once the epidural kicked in I was already at 9cm. My doc ruptured my bag of waters, and within minutes I was ready to push. Even though I didn't need the epidural for the earlier stage of labor, I was glad I got it because I had the worst back pain with each contraction once I was at the pushing stage. After about fifteen minutes of pushing Alyssa was born at a little after two in the morning. My doctor said that my awful back pain was due to the fact that Alyssa was born face up, and the back of her head was putting a lot of pressure on my back as she was coming out. Overall, it was a fairly easy and quick labor and birth. Of course, I'd also go through a difficult labor for the end result of my beautiful daughter.

Right now I'm just enjoying my maternity leave, taking care of the little one, and trying to get some rest whenever possible. It's amazing to me that after carrying her for nine months, and wondering all that time about her appearance and her personality, she is finally here. It's also amazing to me that from the moment I met her I loved her so much it hurt, and now I can't imagine how my life was like without her. It's funny how motherhood (and post-pregnancy hormones) can stir up all these emotions in you. Or perhaps it's lack of sleep.

Speaking of sleep, the little fell just fell asleep in her swing, so I should catch a nap also!

She's here!

2007-11-28T12:14:00.001-06:00

New baby!
Originally uploaded by aidanightingale

Alyssa was born November 26th, at 2:17 in the morning. The whole family, mostly her big sis, is beyond ecstatic. I may post soon about the details of her birth, but right now I have to get some sleep!

Waiting, waiting and more waiting...

2007-11-24T07:38:00.000-06:00

Baby's official due date is today, but I'm still waiting. I honestly thought I was going to deliver earlier than the due date. A couple of weeks ago the baby had dropped, and I was getting frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. My mom-in-law, my resource and expert at giving birth (she's had seven kids, including hubby), swore I was going to give birth two weeks ago. My sis-in-law made a bet that it would happen the following week.

But they were both wrong...I'm still here, pregnant and waiting! Baby must be cozy and comfy in there. As of last Thursday I wasn't even dilated at all. The Braxton Hicks have become less frequent. My back and my pelvis are killing me, and I can't sleep more than two hours straight. My first daughter was born on her due date, and my OB/gyne thinks this one will do the same. Now I have the feeling she'll be coming later.

Even though I'm totally uncomfortable and anxious to meet the baby, I guess this is best for now. I'm going to try to use this time to clean the house a little more, put away more the baby's stuff (at least half of her stuff is still in boxes), and finish up my Christmas shopping. (Side note: I'm so proud of my Christmas shopping skills! I made it through the chaos known as "Black Friday" and actually went to the mall at eight in the morning. Now I am nearly done with everyone on my shopping list, and I saved about 50% in discounts at the same time!) Even hubby is telling my belly to "hold on for a couple of days!" because he's finishing up on the nursery furniture.

Now that I'm on maternity leave, I can use this opportunity to get what seems like millions of errands done, and at the same time the energy spent will hopefully get the ball rolling on labor. I don't think I'll ever be completely ready with the house and the nursery and the baby items, but as of right now I'm totally ready to meet my baby and hold her in my arms.

"Me" time

2007-11-10T07:48:00.000-06:00

This early morning I'm enjoying some quiet time, some well deserved "me" time until the hectic weekend begins. I've got a full day ahead of me...working a few hours at the office, taking the kid to balllet class and a birthday party, grocery shopping and running a few errands. Normally these activities are quite easy to handle, but lately my back hurts and I get short of breath easily, so I'm just trying to take it easy right now before my long day begins.

There's nothing better than waking up early in the morning and having time to lounge on the sofa with your favorite fleece blanket, sip your vanilla coffee (decaf for me nowadays), and watch the morning news or browse the internet. The sunrise creeps in through the blinds. The hubby and the kid are still sound asleep upstairs, and they probably won't wake up for a couple more hours. It's heavenly.

I'm anxious to see my little munchkin. On top of that, I'm totally uncomfortable and would like to pop her out soon. But I'm also enjoying mornings like this, when I have several hours to myself of untinterupted bliss and quiet. This will be a luxury once the little one is born, so I'm taking in all the calmness and solitude while I have it. Because in several weeks I won't have time to even take a shower, let alone enjoy an early morning cup of coffee and celebrity gossip blogs.

Oops, the landscapers are here early today! I hope their lawnmowers don't wake up the hubby and kid just yet. I want to savour this morning for just a little while longer. Happy Saturday, everyone!

Almost there!

2007-10-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

Today marks one month before my due date! A month sounds like a lot of time, but I have a feeling that I won't have everything done and ready before the baby comes. Slowly but surely I'm gathering the absolute necessities. The bassinet is set up, the infant car seat is ready to go, and the newborn clothes, towels and blankets are washed and folded. I've also got several necessities that are still in their boxes and packages, like the stroller, bouncer, monitor, diapers and bottles. The crib frame and baby's dresser have arrived, but are not assembled yet. My hospital bag is halfway packed and I still need to do a few things before it's complete (like buy comfy slippers and nursing PJs, load my ipod shuffle, find my Juicy sweats). I'm getting there, but I feel like I have a billion things left to do. And my energy level is decreasing more and more every day!

The physical readiness is not what makes me nervous, however...it's the mental readiness. I'll admit it, I'm totally nervous about the idea of taking care of a newborn all over again. It's been a LONG time since I've had to deal with the neediness of a young child. My seven-year-old is fairly independent and I don't have to watch her 24-7. She expresses what she needs and can get it, or least figure out how to get it. She makes her own judgements and acts appropriately, with some guidance, of course. Hearing stories from friends and bloggers who are moms of infants makes me wonder if I can really handle it again. I'm talking about handling the sleepless nights, the incessant crying, and susceptibility to colds and ear infections, the breastfeeding and weaning...and the pooping! The extra expenses for things like formula, diapers and day care are also stressing me out. And as she gets older there's potty training, trying new foods, keeping her fingers out of electrical sockets and Draino...it's all so overwhelming just thinking about it!

A friend, who has both a five-year-old and a newborn, told me not to worry, and that indeed all the maternal instincts do come back. She also said that her older child is great at lending an extra hand for caring for the baby. I can't wait to meet my little one, but I think I'll relish my last month of "freedom" before she makes her debut. Instead of driving myself crazy with all the thinking and worrying I should take a leisurely stroll at the mall, go to the movies, or enjoy a nice dinner at a restaurant with the hubby. The last month sounds like a long time, but I know it will fly by fast.

I WANT THIS!!

2007-09-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

It's for the baby, I swear!

The practical mom in me is saying, "Are you crazy? You can buy a stroller and diapers and bottles with the money you'd spend on that one item!" But the fashionista is me is screaming "Get it!! Get it!! Get it!!"

I think the fashionista is winning. I'm in such trouble.

The best part about seeing my OB/gyne...

2007-08-09T16:53:00.000-05:00

...is passing by this shop on my way home. It has the yummiest chocolate croissants, fruit tarts, and hot chocolate in the Northside. I caused a traffic jam trying to parallel park in front of the shop, but I didn't care. Hey, it's not me...the baby wanted chocolate.

This is going to get bad when I reach the point of frequent, weekly visits!

Nursing Revelation #8

2007-07-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

Running around between four feverish post-op patients, a new admission from the ER, and a patient with respiratory difficulties has caused me to forgo eating, peeing, and sitting down for a good nine hours.

And yet, even though this isn't ideal for my pregnant self, I still can't quite give up bedside nursing just yet. It really is too much fun. (I mean that seriously and sarcastically.)

We'll see if I can still handle it in another month or two.

Because I left my digital cam at home while on vacay

2007-07-19T22:54:00.001-05:00

A couple of highlights from my mini vacation...taken with my cell phone cam:

*The kid burying herself in the sand. Yeah, it was fun getting all the sand out of her suit and her body parts when we got back to my Mom's.

Huntington Beach, Cali

*The kid enjoying a green tea frozen yogurt, my new sweet treat addiction (I need this in Chicago!).

Pinkberry, West Hollywood, Cali

*Running into Heidi and her boyfriend from "The Hills" while shopping in West Hollywood. Sorry, I didn't want to take her photo with my cell phone. She already looked quite annoyed with the paparazzi stalking her outside the boutique.

Back to my normal self

2007-07-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

The first trimester and part of the second trimester threw me for a loop, but I'm happy to say that I'm back to my old self. I decided to take a short trip home for a week, probably my last plane trip before I have the baby. Like I do each time I return, I was able to indulge in two of my favorite things:

1) Food. I love trying new restaurants and ethnic foods, but the last few months have been horrible because everything I normally love (garlic, any Asian food, Mediterranean spices, etc.) was making me nauseous, and I had to live with plain toast, undressed pasta and Capri Sun. I actually lost weight from not eating enough. Now the smell of Italian food is glorious, and I can savour the spices from Thai, Indian, and Mediterranean cuisine. And now that I'm back in SoCal, I've been hitting my old favorites (In-n-Out, Carl's Jr., Wahoo's) and new ones (oh my lord, what am I going to do without my green tea frozen yogurt with granola and blackberries when I return to Chicago?!?)

2) Shopping. My energy, along with my appetite, has returned with a vengence, and the shopping bug has hit me big time, so I've been hitting the malls and boutiques like crazy. Now I have an excuse for a new wardrobe (hello stretchy pants and babydoll tops!) I've been trying to take it easy on the spending, but I did go a little nuts for the kid yesterday while shopping at my new favorite spot in West Hollywood. I almost walked away with this adorable number for the baby, but I figure I better hold off on buying gender specific clothes until I know for sure that this kid is a girl...ultrasound is not 100%, you know!

Because of my condition for the past few months I've been off-duty at the hospital, but now that my energy has returned I've decided to go back to working part-time at the hospital. This means I'll be working a little more than 40 hours a week (since I'm also doing my administrative nursing job--my normal 9-to-5 job). I figure I need to fund my growing appetite and spending habits! So I'll enjoy my last few days of vacation before going back to reality and the intensity of the daily grind. At least I'll have the energy to return to work. But for now, Kitson and Pinkberry, here I come!

Yay! I'm having...

2007-07-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today was much anticipated my 20-week ultrasound. I thought I'd be in-and-out, just like my first ultrasound at 12 weeks, which took about fifteen minutes. This one was more in-depth, in which the tech took a good look at all the body systems. Plus, a medical intern was in the room, so there were lots of pictures and explanations of things. The ultrasound was pretty damn cool. I got to see fingers, toes, the spine, and the four chambers of the heart. At one point the baby turned it's head towards our direction and we caught a hazy glimpse of the face (crazy!).

Hubby and I found out that we're having a girl! This was a total, but pleasant surprise because I totally had the feeling that I was having a boy! With my daughter I had a similar strong feeling I was having a girl, and I was right! With this pregnancy I'd inadvertently call the baby "he" and I'd gravitate towards baby boy clothing. But my intuition was wrong this time! I think part of me was hoping more for a boy because everyone (both my family and the hubby's family) were rooting for a boy. Also, I figured once I have a boy I'll stop having kids, but now I guess I'll have to try again. Even though hubby is happy we're having a girl, he's talking about trying again in the future for a boy! I'm not even thinking looking that far ahead...let me concentrate on this pregnancy and baby first!

The first ten minutes of the exam were difficult because the baby was curled up in a ball AND her legs were crossed (the absolute worst position for viewing during an ultrasound). She finally relaxed a little after some coaxing and proding, and we got lots of cool pictures. One features the text "GIRL!!!" with an arrow pointing at her, um, goods. One shot features her facing you, but her eyes are shadowed out and she has a "Skelator" thing going on, which made the Hubby jump back a little and exclaim "Whoa!" Then there's the standard profile shot, which has a pretty clear view of the side of her face. This is the one which makes her seem so "real," and I was taken by surprise much like when I heard the heartbeat for the first time. This is the one that makes me giddy with anticipation and say to my belly "I can't wait to meet you!"

I may post photos of the ultrasound when I get around to it. In the meantime, I'm going to do what I do best...eat, then take a nap! My little girl and I have some resting to do!

It sure feels nice to call her "my little girl."

Productive shopping weekend

2007-07-02T10:12:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to shop, but ever since I became pregnant I simply lost interest in it. One reason was because I was so fatigued during the first trimester and could barely tear myself away from the couch and the TV. Another reason was because my maternal instinct kicked in and a voice in the back of my head would exclaim "must save for baby!!" whenver I was tempted a pair of red peep toe shoes or the latest Marc Jacobs leather tote.

This weekend was beautiful, my energy has returned, and I had some free time, so I decided to brave the mall with the kid. I did a little damage...more so than I've done in several months. I steered clear of the bags and shoes, though, and focused on more practical items:

First purchase for baby! I've been trying to avoid buying baby things until I'm a little further along, but I fell in love with the Dash canvas diaper bag by Skip*Hop. It's practical and super functional...it's waterproof, easy to clean, and has ten pockets! I purchased it in standard black, although I may return it for another color when I found out if I'm having a boy or a girl. I have been toying with the idea of custom diaper bags, or trendy diaper bags. But I'm trying to be practical with my money nowadays. Plus, I need something that the hubby would be willing to carry!

Clothes for the kid. Cute summer clothes on sale for 40%! How could I resist! The kid also got her first two-piece swimsuit, to the dismay of the hubby.

Clothes for me! Thank goodness babydoll tops are trendy, so I can shop at my favorite stores and still look appropriate for sporting a basketball in my belly!

Gift for the goddaughter's first birthday. Another summer sale...25% off all kids' clothes!

Toy for me! I wish!! I got to play with it at the Apple store, and it sure is a sexy phone! But I think I'll wait until I read user reviews on it, or until Apple produces an improved, second generation with a longer battery life and more memory. Or if I have an extra $500 to burn.

Is that gas?

2007-06-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

Lately I've noticed what feels like big bubbles popping in my lower abdomen. I've been reading on pregnancy sites that the stage I'm at right now (around 16-17 weeks) is the time that one may start to feel the baby move. So everytime I feel the "popping" in my belly I get all excited and giddy.

Hopefully I'm feeling what I think I'm feeling, or I'll feel like a total dork for getting excited over gas.

It was Wicked awesome...again!

2007-05-29T14:03:00.000-05:00

The kid, the hubby and I saw Wicked last weekend. Even though I've seen it already and have listed to the soundtrack thousands of times, let me say and it's even BETTER the second time around! I'd totally watch it again if given the opportunity (and free tickets, because they can be hella expensive). "Defying Gravity" was so awesome it gave me goosebumps, and "For Good" brought me to tears.

The best part of the experience was watching the kid's reaction. It was her first staged musical experience, so she was in awe with the lights, the orchestra and the effects. She's also heard the soundtrack thousands of times (because of me!) and she was finally able to visualize the music she's been hearing all this time. She totatlly loved it and wants to see it again.

Seriously, watch it if you haven't seen it. It's out in LA now, so I've been recommending it to my friends there!

2007-05-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

You take two different tests, each which show two positive results. You feel nauseous and fatigued. Your boobs hurt. You get crazy mood swings. You get thick around the middle.

But still, there is a tiny lingering thought in the back of your head wondering if it's really true and if it really exists...until that one definitive moment. The doctor squeezes some cold goo on your belly and presses a little instrument on it and moves it around. Then you hear it. It's a faint, but distinctive whooshing sound that goes about 170 times a minute. A wave of relief rushes over you. That sound is the most amazing, beautiful sound you hear all day.

Okay, folks, it's official. :)

It's been a while...

2007-05-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

...since I was last pregnant, obviously, as my daughter is now seven years old. I have apparently forgotten about pregnancy and have recently immersed myself in pregnancy websites and books, studying each week of the embryo/fetus's life. I know each pregnancy is different, but I still feel the need to know what exactly goes on and what should go on every week. For instance, is it normal to still feel like total crap and not want to eat anything but dry toast or drink anything but Capri Sun? When will I start to show and how big should my belly be at this point? When will the fatigue end? How big is a kumquat? (Apparently, that's how big the fetus is now.) So many questions! My first prenatal visit is this Monday, so my OB/Gyne will have an earful!

It's not only the pregnancy that's making me a little apprehensive. I'll admit I'm a little apprehensive about having a baby again. I'm not nervous about my abilities as a mom for a newborn...I know all those maternal instincts will kick in. However, I still feel like I'm starting all over again. My daughter is at the point in her life where she's opinionated and somewhat independent. I've been able to focus on work and my career. I'll gladly put work on hold for the baby, but I'm wondering if I'll have the energy to deal with someone who is utterly and totally dependent on me. Once my daughter entered school I became used to her independence, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to nursing, weaning, bottles, diapers, sleeplessness, etc. But in several months I will! It's a good thing, but it still makes me a little anxious!

Perhaps I should take it easy and not worry so much about taking care of a baby...yet...and deal with the pregnancy first. That's one adventure in itself. Oh yeah, another question that's been bugging me...when will I have the stomach to eat Chinese food? I miss my shrimp in lobster sauce!

Ooooh boy (or girl)

2007-04-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

There's a bun in the oven and it's kicking my butt.

More to come when I get out of this fatigue and nauseousness.

New job

2007-03-07T20:47:00.000-06:00

I have accepted a new position...still in nursing, but now in administration. I'll now be working a nine-to-five schedule. I haven't worked these hours in several years, and quite frankly, I don't know how I'll deal with it. I liked picking and choosing shifts, four or five-day weekends and paid-time off. I liked being able to drop off and pick up the kid from school. I liked being able to eat lunch and watch my daytime soaps at home.

But you know what I like even more? Sleeping in my bed at night!

I'm still going to work registry at the hospital, one or two nights a week. I can't give up the working at the bedside just yet!

We'll see how this new schedule works out. Perhaps it will do wonders for my sanity.

Sorting things out

2007-01-30T22:43:00.000-06:00

Working a day job and a night job (though both are part-time) is taking a toll on me and is making me loopier than usual. This is due to a crappy sleep cycle, which consists of me sleeping if and when there is time. There are times when I go for 24 hours without sleep, then I sleep for six hours, then go without sleep for eighteen hours, then I sleep for four hours...and so on and so forth. Nursing jobs rarely have fixed schedules, so I have to deal with inconsistencies in free time. So why keep both a day and night job? Because I happen to like both jobs, they are flexible with my daughter's school schedule and activities, and we need the money.

Oh, and we can't forget about the kid, the house, the bills, etc. That's another job all together!

Something needs to change. I don't know how yet. All I know is that I'm starting to loose my short term memory, I'm starting to get headaches from lack of sleep, and the kid is saying "I miss you, Mama!" more often.

Last week I took a mini vacation home to California. Time was spent walking on the beach with the hubby, strolling at the mall with the kid, eating out at good restaurants and eating real food (instead of fast food lunches in a car while driving to patients' homes), and taking in culture at the museum. That week was also the first time in months that I've had eight hours of sleep a night for more than seven days. Just being able to lay in a bed for that long was so deliriously awesome I could barely contain myself. In that week I came to the realization that I do need to change something in my career...manage my time better or cut back my hours somewhere.

I need to work. But I also need more rest, more eight-hour sleep nights, more home-cooked meals, more time for enjoying life and doing things like running through the park with the kid...

Getty Museum Garden

Perhaps I'll be able to sort all that out in the morning, after my mind is clear from a good night's sleep. I'm off tonight (woo hoo!) and I'll enjoy the awesomeness of laying in my bed for more than eight hours. Good night!

Free Time

2006-12-17T15:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the hubby, the kid and I managed to have brunch, put up the Christmas tree/decorations/lights outside the house, do some grocery shopping, clean the house, and have a Christmas party with our close friends.

Today, we slept in until 10am. We caught a couple of hours of the Bears game. I had a couple of minutes to check my email and blog. Now the kid is off at her cousin's house, and the hubby and I will watch a movie.

It's been the first work-free weekend the hubby and I had in...good lord...three months. And we're enjoying it before work (yuck) again tomorrow.

Hopefully it won't take another three months for me to relax.

Happy holidays!!

About time!

2006-10-28T18:51:00.000-05:00

Not only is this awesome airline now offering direct flights from Chicago to Long Beach (no more dealing with crazy LAX!), but there is a thirty-freakin'-nine dollar promotion on a one way trip from Chicago to Long Beach!!

I guess I'm going home again for a quick get away!

Someone, give me a martini!

2006-10-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

I think the next time I post something substantial is the time that hell will freeze over.

Free time has been extremely rare these days. Especially after the hubby brought home this as a surprise for me and the kid. He left the house saying he was going to check out a van for sale. He said "I just saw the pet store nearby, and decided to check out the puppies." Then he went ahead and bought a friggin puppy. And I thought I was an impulse buyer!

Anyhoo, with me picking up a second job (home health nursing, so far so good!) and having this new member of the family (practially a baby who needs lots of attention) I have no time to blog, let alone clean the house, make dinner, balance the checkbook, buy groceries, blah blah blah. And I've had to somehow find new time to clean up dog pee in the house, feed the dog and wait for him to take a crap outside, deal with his incessant barking, and teach him not to chew the leather couch and my Steve Madden pumps. It's been a somewhat crazy stressful month. I'm attempting to manage my time better, and trying to keep myself from pulling out my hair and/or drinking myself into a sense of stupor.

And despite the craziness, and love that damn dog (along with his cute puppydog eyes, wagging tail and incessant barking) and wouldn't go back to the time before we had him.

Yum-a-licious

2006-08-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

The best part about going home is that my youngest brother takes me out for dinner, dinner, and more dinner.

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch, er, dinner?

Sidenote: The skewered shrimp and scallops at Gladstones was the most delectable, mind-blowing meal I've had in a long time.

2006-07-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

Yay for my friend who has an office on the 29th floor of a downtown Chicago highrise overlooking the lake, so that I may witness the awesome 4th of July fireworks in air conditioned comfort, away from the thousands of hot, sweaty, cranky people who are surrounding the lake, with said highrise being only two blocks from the el, so that right after the fireworks I can race to the el and make it home before the thousands of hot, sweaty, cranky people even reach the el and cram themselves like sardines inside the el cars.

Yay!

Happy fourth of July!

Nursing revelation # 7

2006-06-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

3:45 am: My patient with the triple bypass surgery goes into a rapid atrial fibrillation at 150 beats per minute. Get EKG and vitals STAT.

3:50 am: Call Dr. T. and receive orders to give the patient a cardizem bolus IV. Heart rate still too high in the 150s with oxygen saturation dropping to 89% on 2L of oxygen per nasal canula. I try to administer the cardizem, only to discover that his IV, which worked one hour ago, was blown.

3:55 am: My colleague and I are still trying to start an IV.

4:00 am: My other patient's blood transfusion finishes and her IV machine is beeping annoyingly loud.

4:05 am: I finally get an IV and administer the cardizem.

4:10 am: The heart rate is still in 140s. I want it below 100. I proceed to start a cardizem drip to help reduce the heart rate.

4:15 am: Other patient's IV machine is still beeping.

4:20 am: Bypass dude's oxygen saturation is still only 89% on 5L of oxygen. Heart rate is in the 110s. Lungs sound clear. WTF?

4:25 am: Um, can someone please turn off the beeping IV machine?

4:22 am: Wonderful colleague looks at my transfusion lady's orders and gives her lasix, flushes her IV, and turns off the machine.

4:25 am: Page Dr. T., and give update. Bypass dude has orders for lasix and a non-rebreather mask. Carry out orders.

4:30 am: Bypass dude's heart rate jumps into the 160s. Check on patient to find him standing up to pee into a urinal. Proceed to tell patient he shouldn't stand or else his heartrate will go up. Patient states he can't pee unless he's standing up.

4:33 am: Heartrate back into the 100s.

4:40 am: Heartrate up in the 160s again. Patient is standing up to pee again. Damn lasix.

4:43 am: Get orders to insert foley catheter into bypass dude so he doesn't have to stand up to pee.

4:45 am: Transfusion lady spikes a fever of 101.2 F. WTF?

4:55 am: Patient #3 aka dude with heparin infusion starts bleeding from an old blood draw site and stains his gown and the bed. WTF?

5:00 am: Patient #4 aka has a blood pressure of 201/104. WTF?????

5:01 am: Page Dr. K. for transfusion lady

5:02 am: Page Dr. H. for patient # 4

5:03 am: Dr. T. calls me and asks for an update on atrial fibrillation dude.

5:04 am: Doctors K. and H. call at the same time with orders.

5:07 am: Draw blood from heparin dude to check his PTT

5:10 am: Bypass dude's oxygen saturation is 99% on non-rebreather mask and heart rate is in the 90s. Whew.

5:14 am: Norvasc given to freakin' high blood pressure lady.

5:20 am: Tylenol given to transfusion lady.

5:25 am: Clean up heparin patient, apply pressure dressing to bleeding site.

6:00 am: Sit down and breathe.

6:15 am: Hypertensive lady's blood pressure is down to 178/84. Transfusion lady's temp is down to 99.8. Heparin dude has stopped bleeding. Whew.

6:30 am: Atrial fibrillation guy's heart rate converted to a normal sinus rhythm in the 80s. Oxygen saturation is 98% on a partial rebreather mask. Wheewww.

6:35 am: Haul ass to audit charts and finish charting, which I normally complete by 4:00 am.

7:10 am: Give report to oncoming nurse, and say "peace out, don't call me if you need an extra nurse tonight."

7:45 am: On the way home, realize that the shift still wasn't that bad. Must be getting better at this nursing thing.

Material girl

2006-06-16T19:04:00.000-05:00

To say that "I love shopping" would be an understatement. I mean, I LOVE shopping to the very core of my being (okay, not that much, but it's pretty close). And I love window shopping almost as much as I love shopping itself. From the time the kid was in a stroller I'd take her to the mall on my days off and free time. So I guess it would be no surprise that I've raised the materialistic, girlie-girl princess known as my six-year-old daughter.

Recently she has started to take notice of how she looks like and the clothes she wears. Everytime we walk in front of a mirror she stops, tosses her hair back, strikes a pose and assesses her outfit. When we pass a make-up store she stops at the pink glittery lip glosses and states "Ooh, I love that! Can I put some on?" And today I nearly fell over from shock as I SAW MYSELF when she tried on some sparkly gold wedges and stated "Oh these are SOOOO CUTE! I WANT THEM!!"

I told the kid that I would not buy her the gold wedges, and she broke out into tears. I asked her why she she felt the need to have them, and she simply said "because they are pretty and I just want them." Oh lord. That's when I realized that I'd have a spoiled girlie-girl princess on my hands if I didn't change her outlook on material things. It seems as though parents try to provide for their kids better things than what they (the parents) had growing up. Perhaps I've overdone it by buying the kid lots of clothes and toys throughout her life? Perhaps I take her to the mall too often? Perhaps she sees me ogling material things, such as shoes and bags, all the time? Okay, it's not "perhaps," she DOES see me ogling shoes and bags all the time. When am I not ogling shoes and bags?

Over chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, the kid and I sat down for a few minutes for a little discussion. I told her that I would not buy her anything unless she needed it, and that she had two perfectly good pairs of sandles at home. I told her that she was a very lucky girl to have lots of clothes and shoes and toys and that there were many kids in the world who do not have the things that she has. I told her that moms and dads work hard for money, and that the money has to go to the house/food/bills before it goes to fun stuff. The kid seemed to get it, and was back to her happy-go-lucky self within a matter of minutes. She is only six, but she's pretty knowledgeable. I mean, if she realizes how fashionable gold wedges are, she should get the general idea of the value of a dollar.

As a parent, I try to teach the kid the right values and make myself a better example for her. It's hard at times, but I feel that I did something right today. Perhaps I should reiterate what I had told my daughter earlier TO ME...so that I won't feel the need to own a pair of black wedges I've been eyeing because "they are pretty and I just want them."

Still hungover after two days

2006-06-12T16:13:00.000-05:00

Johnnie Walker and Kool-aid DOES NOT taste like a mai tai (as the hubby had stated), but after you throw back a few it tastes pretty damn good.

Happy birthday, Dan 'da Man!!!

Nursing Revelation #6

2006-06-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

Regarding: cancellation of shift due to low patient census

My wallet says "D'oh!!"

Everything else says "Whoo hoo!"

Randomly thinking...

2006-05-26T21:45:00.000-05:00

...how the heck the hair dresser at J's wedding managed to fit the massive, uncontrollable beast known as "my hair" into such a compact, pretty do

...how weird it was that I've been looking for a long lost high school friend for a couple of years, and she found me within the two weeks that I joined friendster

...what prompted me to join friendster in the first place

...why all the bad reviews about the Da Vinci Code? I really liked the film. Granted, the movie cut a LOT of what was in the book. But how could you seriously fit the numerous storylines and character developments into two hours?

...who's idea was it to have the adorable, innocent-looking Kevin Covais perform the ~~mildly~~ obscene "What's New Pussycat" on the finale of American Idol

..."Pussycat lips"? Seriously, it would take a tremendous feat to get your mind out of the gutter.

...I'd like to plant my lips (not a reference to the above) on the individual who invented the Baskin Robbin's Capuccino Blast

...and Nutella hazelnut/chocolate spread

...and Godiva's hazelnut truffle

...and chocolate/capuccino/hazelnuts/any combination of the three

...I sure as heck can go for a capuccino blast right NOW

That is all.

Sunshine

2006-04-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

Weathermen predicted that there would be rain all day today in LA, but instead we were blessed with a nearly clear, bright blue sky and mild temperatures. It was actually one of the nicer days since I've been here. For the trip home I packed my bag (and the kid's) full of skirts and flip flops, but the weather has been pretty cloudy and chilly. I had to resort to borrowing Mom's fleece jacket and hiding my new pedicure behind some ratty, old sneakers I found in my old room (pink and black LA Gears from the early 90s, why Mom kept them, I'll never know). Today's weather, however, was absolutely perfect. The kid and I donned our skirts and flip flops and spent the afternoon in Belmont Shore, walking up and down Second Street, taking in the bright sunshine and salty air, browsing the boutiques (and finding the perfect pair of gold hoop and lavender beaded earrings), eating fish tacos on an outdoor patio, and finishing the meal off with colorful rock candy from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The perfect end to a perfect day was driving down Ocean Boulevard back to my house, toward a gorgeous orangy-pink sunset.

Living in Chicago has taught me to appreciate beautiful weather. Weather in LA is beautiful nearly all the time, and as a result its residents take it for granted. Chicago's weather, on the other hand, is unpredictable and can be downright nasty at times. When the sun shines in Chicago, everyone takes advantage of it and lives it up outdoors. When the weather is perfect as it was today, I'll find any excuse to go out, from running an errand, to satisfying a craving for fish tacos and rock candy.

Weathermen say it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I'll pray that they're wrong again and that there will be at least a glimmer of the sunshine that there was today.

Vacation

2006-04-24T16:04:00.000-05:00

Just some of the things I've been able to do now that I haven't done in a looooong time:

1) Sleep at least eight hours a night

2) Eat three square meals a day, with at least two of them being homemade

3) Tweeze my monobrow back into two distinct eyebrows

4) Take the kid out to play and not have to worry about being home at a certain time because of work or house chores

5) Read a book, an actual work of fiction. When I was at the airport, before boarding the plane to LA, I picked up "Lucia, Lucia" by Adriana Trigiani. My goal is to finish it in the week that I'm here in California, because once I get back to Chicago I'll never finish it. That's what happened to "Memoirs of a Geisha," which I started reading during Christmas vacation. It's four months later, and I still have twenty pages to go.

6) Blog!

I also found the time to do some pretty useless things:

1) Eat tons of snacks and sweets in between the three square meals

2) Play solitaire on the computer...for two hours straight

3) Watch "My Super Sweet Sixteen," "Tiara Girls," "Made," and "Yo Momma" on MTV, for four hours straight. Perhaps I need to turn off the MTV and get back to my book.

No Day But Today...

2006-04-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

The hubby and I saw "Rent" on stage last night, and it left me wondering "why did it take me ten years to finally see it?!?" It was absolutely amazing and beautiful and it left me speechless and in tears. I won't write a review on it, because you can read professionally written ones here. I will, however, advise you not to listen to the CD before watching it on stage. A friend of mine who was an avid musical fan told me when you listen to a recording of a musical, then listen to the same music on stage you may be disappointed because the singing on the recording is cleaner than it is on stage. I didn't heed this advise when with "Rent," as I listened to the motion picture soundtrack a gazillion times, and had grown accustomed to every quiver of Jesse L. Martin's smooth, silky voice, then cringed a bit when I first heard another actor on stage. This actor still made a fine "Collins" and I ended up loving him, as well as the rest of the musical and its cast.

"Be my lover, I'll cover yooouuuu..." *Tear* My goodness, the song chokes me up everytime...

Ballerina girl

2006-04-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

It was the hubby's suggestion to enroll the kid in ballet class. He's the one who found the class; a new dance studio opened up on the street that he takes on the way to work. You would think that the mom would be the one who signs up her kid for all the extracurricular activities, like soccer or karate or whatever. However, he's the one who actually went into the studio and talked to the teacher. He's the one who excitedly showed me the brochure for the studio. My reaction to the whole ballet thing was "What the heck? Now I have to give up my Saturday morning?"

So now every Saturday at 10:30 in the morning I crawl out of my nice warm bed and haul myself, my daughter, her ballet supplies, and a large Dunkin Donuts coffee to the dance studio. And now I'll admit that I'm glad the hubby found the dance studio. It's nice to see that the kid has taken an interest in something other than the whole line-up for Nickelodeon/Cartoon Network/Disney Channel. She actually looks forward to ballet, and asks nearly every morning "is today ballet class?" And while I'm not anticipating that she'll be a professional ballerina, I'm going to encourage her to continue taking classes and developing her skills. I'm going to enjoy watching her new moves and seeing how proud she is of what she has learned.

Wake up call

2006-03-29T19:48:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been somewhat neglecting the blog because of my crazy work schedule. Luckily, my supervisor at the hospital let me cut back to a couple of nights a week so I can spend more quality time during the evenings with my kid. I've also been seeing several patients through a home health agency. I like how the hours with home health nursing are flexible, as I usually do my visits while my daughter is in school or with the babysitter. So far it's working okay, but I still suffer from lack of sleep and disorientation at times.

I literally got a "wake-up" call today that I need to schedule my work hours better or cut back somewhere. I worked twelve hours last night, and made the mistake of seeing two patients right after work. When I got off from the hospital I had a cup of coffee and felt good to go, so I decided to do my home visits right then and there. I was fine, until I headed home from my final visit. I felt myself getting increasingly sleepy on the road, so I tried opening the car window to get a cool breeze, and I turned the radio volume high. I stopped at a red light, but I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew I tapped the car in front of me. I've never jumped out of a trance so quickly. The driver and I pulled over to the side of the road and checked our cars for damage. There was no damage on our cars, and the driver was nice enough about the situation that we just exchanged cell phone numbers, then went about our separate ways. I must say, nothing woke me up faster than that whole situation. It could have been worse (like I could have fallen asleep while I was driving on the freeway), but I was still pretty upset with myself for letting the situation occur.

So, the I guess the moral of the story is not to let work get in the way of sleep, or don't overwork yourself to the point of utter exhaustion. It will catch up with you in the long run. It took a minor fender bender to make me realize that. Now, I'm going to enjoy my evening off with a hot chocolate, a glossy magazine and a good, long night's sleep.

Going home...again!

2006-03-12T20:30:00.000-06:00

Having two jobs and lack of free time makes me itch for a vacation. A long vacation. One that involves the sun, the ocean beach, and frozen alcoholic drinks. Lots and lots of frozen alcoholic drinks (I've had a rough past couple of shifts). Luckily, I get to go home next month because one of my best friends in the world is getting married. And even though going home is simply going home, it's also a vacation for me because a) I can relax and not deal with work and b) my family and friends always entertain me by taking me to touristy places in LA and Orange counties.

And so, my vacation days are set with the hospital and my flight is booked. Next month I'll be heading home with my swimsuit, my peridot bridesmaid dress, my dancing shoes, and my thirst for margaritas. Five weeks can't pass fast enough.

Four Things...

2006-02-22T14:35:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Michelle!

Four jobs I’ve had:
receptionist/photocopy-maker/go-to-girl in a university office
recreational aide in an nursing home
office/medical records manager
registered nurse

Four movies I could watch over and over:
Grease
My Best Friend's Wedding
Clueless
Saturday Night Fever

Four places I’ve lived:
My mom's house, Long Beach, CA
Dorm room right next to the Brown Line Fullerton stop, Chicago, IL
Mom-in-law's apartment building, Northside Chicago
Hubby's and my first home, Northwest suburb of Chicago

Four TV shows I watch:
The Office
Will and Grace
Scrubs
The Simpsons

Four places I’ve vacationed:
Paris
Pampanga, Philippines
New York City
Las Vegas

Four foods I love:
Shrimp wonton noodle soup from Seven Treasures Restaurant, Chinatown
Portillo's chocolate cake
Mom's sinigang (Filipino sour soup)
Bacino's spinach deep dish pizza

Four sites I visit daily:
yahoo
tvgasm
ilounge
metromix

Four albums I can’t live without:
Mariah Carey, Emancipation of Mimi
Rent motion picture soundtrack
Aaliyah, I Care 4 U
Beatles, 1

Four places I’d rather be:
On a beach in Hawaii
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Driving down PCH along Orange/LA counties
In bed with the kid and hubby, watching a video

Four random items in my purse:
Bath and Body antibacterial gel in Country Apple
iPod nano
grocery list
Luden's cough drops

tag you’re it:
any takers?

2006-02-18T11:06:00.000-06:00

When the hubby asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day, I said that I wanted to go out for a nice dinner. I don't really need anything, like roses or jewelry or chocolates. (Scratch that, I always go for some good chocolate.) A fine dining experience, however, will absolutely make my day.

Because of my crazy work week, we celebrated heart-day yesterday by heading to Brasserie Jo for some Alsace fare. For starters we had lobster bisque and escargo, which was oh-so-buttery and just as yummy as I had it in Paris. My entree was the shrimp bag, a flaky phyllo "bag" with shrimp over rice and peas in lobster sauce. Hubby, being the steak and potato guy that he is, had the classic steak frites and pomme frites (essentially steak and fries) with mustard butter. After dinner we were stuffed, but I still managed to squeeze in some of the famous chocolate mousse, which our server presented at our table with creme anglaise and chocolate shavings.

The food at Jo's was absolutely divine and the dining experience was casual and fun. However, the best part was topping the night off with a Rose wine and conversation hearts. Who knew those candies were so addicting!

No place like home for the holidays

2005-12-19T09:06:00.000-06:00

My trip to California was short, but sweet. Because I have to work on Christmas evening, I decided to fly home this past weekend to spend the holidays with my family. Prior to my trip I asked my mother what the weather was like and what clothes to bring. She responded that it was a "chilly" 60-degrees and that I ought to bring a jacket. I didn't know whether to laugh at the reference at 60-degrees being chilly, or cry that Chicago's "chilly" is 10-degrees (or 10-below-zero with the wind chill factor).

Arriving from cold, snowy, cloudy Chicago I was met with this when I landed in SoCal.

Back home I did my favorite things: Drove up and down PCH along the Pacific Ocean, hung out at Huntington Beach Main Street, had a Western Bacon Cheeseburger at Carl's Jr., and went Christmas shopping at Third Street Promenade and Fashion Island. Fashion Island was especially in the Christmas spirit, with its merry shoppers, Christmas Carolers, and probably the most ginormous tree in Orange County.

It might not look that huge, but mind you, I took this photo from well over 50-feet away from the tree.

When I wasn't taking the "sight-seeing" tour of SoCal I was hanging out with my family, which was the best part of the vacation, of course. A lot of time was spent catching up with my brother about his school and activities, or gossiping with my mom about other family members and friends. My mom's birthday falls around the Christmas holiday, so the family and I treated her out to dinner at Tokyo Wako in Downtown Long Beach.

The trip was over before I knew it, and I headed back to cloudy, cold Chicago after spending four days in sunshine and 65-degree weather. And while my time spent at home was not long enough, I'm certainly thankful that I got to go home for my mom's birthday and at least part of the holiday season.

2005-12-05T16:39:00.000-06:00

I look out my living room window and marvel at the beauty of the crisp, white snow on the tree branches and icicles hanging from the decorated houses. The bright sunlight makes the snow even more luminous and wonderful.

Then I step outside to pick up the mail and nearly keel over from the disgustingly frigid cold. Yeah, now I remember why I decided to stay inside all day, rather than go out into the FRIGGIN' arctic weather.

Chicagoans like to say they have the most extreme weather, and they brag about how well they can handle it. Chicagoans most certainly have those bragging rights. My pansy warm weather butt can't take this 15-degree weather. And this isn't even the coldest Chicago can get.

My trip home for the holidays can't come soon enough.

Nursing Revelation #5

2005-11-18T18:05:00.000-06:00

Even though I work in an ICU step-down unit, some work nights can be pretty uneventful. One nurse on my unit will usually get four patients tops, and one or two of those patients may be heavy in terms of care (i.e. lots of IV meds, lots of tubes, hemodynamically unstable, etc.) For the past few nights I had patients who have been very stable, or who have no meds at night, so I spent my time making rounds every ten minutes, drinking coffee, reading my nursing journals, or doing anything in my power to stay awake. I often wished that something would happen just so I would have something to do.

Next time I'll be careful what I wish for, because last night I essentially got my arse kicked at work. One patient had a continuous bladder irrigation which I had to monitor every fifteen minutes to make sure it didn't clot. My second patient was hypotensive with her systolic BP in the 70s and she had no urine output for eight hours (usually in indication that the patient may pass away soon). My third patient, who has perfectly fine the night before, suddenly had a high fever and went into a rapid atrial fibrillation (heart rate in the 150s) with chest pains. Luckily my fourth patient, who was my heaviest patient the night before, was fine and sleeping soundly with her daughter at her bedside.

My night was spent calling doctors for orders and running room to room, emptying foley bags, giving cardizem boluses and starting cardizem drips, starting blown IVs, and administering saline boluses and albumin. Luckily, my patient with the heart issue eventually converted back to a normal sinus rhythm and ended up sleeping comfortably for the rest of the night. My hypotensive, patient, however, kept me on my toes for the rest of the night. Especially after we had this dialogue:

Patient (who was essentially non-verbal, suddenly grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes): Honey, I'm not going to last much longer.

Me: What?!

Patient: Oh nothing, never mind.

Me: What?!

I've never reached the end of a work shift with such relief and utter exhaustion. Other nurses tell me days like that make you a better and more educated nurse. And while I'm glad that this shift taught me how deal with rapid heart rates, hypotension, and CBIs, I will never again complain about a boring shift. Nor will I wish for "something" to happen. Never. Ever. Again.

What the heck will I do now on Monday nights?

2005-11-15T17:37:00.000-06:00

I no longer have to schedule my nursing shifts around Monday nights because Season 2 of Laguna Beach is done...or as Kristin would say, "dunzo." How sad is it that I, a professional in her late twenties, love following the escapades of beautiful, wealthy teenagers who do nothing but shop, "hook up" with each other, and take trips to Cabo San Lucas? Don't answer that.

Bring on The Hills!

Mama's toys

2005-10-15T14:40:00.000-05:00

Yup, I went ahead and bought it. And I must say, it's super duperific. I bought the 2 gig version because I don't have an extensive music collection on iTunes. So far it has 300 of my favorite songs and photos of my kid, my new house, and my trips to California and Paris. All of my favorite things in a credit card sized device, fitting snuggly in my jeans pocket.

Of course, right after I bought my nano, Apple announced the upcoming arrival of this new bad boy. For a hundred bucks more you get many more gigs and video play. But I'm still happy with my nano. I don't need a device that has such amusing features, or else I'd neglect my house and family.

It's my ipod family!

2005-09-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

Being the typical SoCal girl, I live for warm weather, blue skies and bright sunshine. Lately, however, I've been quite pleased to welcome in the crisp, coolness of fall. After a season of heat and humidity, waking up this morning to the 60 degree air was very refreshing. Fall also marks that time of year when I partake in a few favorites:

1) Soft, comfy sweaters and outerwear, in particular, the most awesome velour jacket ever.

2) My new fall purchase, a Charles David hobo in an exquisite burgandy leather.

3) Dunkin Donuts coffee. All summer I was drinking the iced version, but nothing beats a piping hot cup of the stuff.

4) Halloween coming up! Tricks and treats! Candy! Whoo hoo! Uh, I mean, candy for my daughter. Yeah.

5) Watching the leaves turn into the most amazing shades of red, orange and gold.

6) Jumping around in a humungous pile of red, orange and gold leaves.

7) Watching hubby rake up the red, orange, and gold leaves after I've made a mess out of them.

iLove Apple

2005-09-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

Oh my lord, I think I'm in love.

But I'm going to wait a few months before deciding to buy it because a) I want to make sure it's really love, and not just an infatuation and b) I want to read user reviews on it and make sure it's a good purchase, especially if I'm going to drop a couple hundred on it.

2005-09-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

The hospital in which I work is giving its clinical professionals the opportunity to join a volunteer team which will staff temporary hospitals in the Gulf Coast region. I feel the need to go, although family obligations are holding me back. Nowadays watching the news, with all the devastation, death, and sickness being depicted, makes me feel so helpless. Donating money will help, but I feel the need to physically do something. I'll inconvenience my hubby and my daughter by leaving. We have a lot to consider before I decide anything.

Nursing Revelation #4

2005-08-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

I've been a nurse only for a year, and already I have a love/hate relationship with my job. I did this whole big career change and left my office job for something with more excitement. Well, you can't get more "excitement" than patients going into dysrhythmias or respiratory distress, or patients with internal bleeding who are crashing in front of you. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I was getting myself into. And I thought getting paperwork done on time was stressful!

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret going into nursing. I loved nursing school. I love being a nurse. I love learning about anything that involves my particular line of practice. I think it's just that I've gotten into the grind of a working routine, and that itself makes me dread going to work.

Here are just a few things that make my job more than annoying:
1) Being a liason between two doctors. Sometimes a patient has two doctors from different specialties, and they need to discuss with each other their plans for the patient's care. For the most part, doctors will talk to each other. However, you'll get the occasional doctor who will ask the nurse to call Dr. So-and-so and ask if he/she can do this/that/and the other thing. What the hell? I'm not your secretary. I have better things to do with my time, like treat the crashing patient. Call the other doctor yourself, biyotch!

2) Administrative politics. This pretty much goes with any job.

3) Pushing the limit on the nurse/patient ratio. My floor is pretty good about keeping the number of patients to each nurse low. But sometimes when census is high, nurses call in, etc. we get stretched to the limit. As a nurse I feel like I'm merely putting out fires rather than effectively taking care of my patients. Luckily this doesn't happen too often.

The other night I had a pretty sick patient: she was septic, had bilateral lower extremily DVTs (blood clots in both legs), and was having respiratory problems and needed nebulizer treatments every couple of hours. While I was wiping her head with a damp towel, the daughter, who was standing beside her, said to me "I can never do what you nurses do. It's just so amazing. Do you like what you do?"

I thought about it for a split second and realized that I do indeed like what I do. It just felt right for me. I responded "yes, I really like my job."

She smiled at me and said "It's just so amazing. I'm glad you're taking care of my mom."

And this job, which involves comforting a declining woman and easing the mind of her daughter, is what I was meant to do. The end result of my job makes the annoyances of the job seem less important.

Chocolate Tour of Chicago

2005-08-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

Saying goodbye to my family when I left California was not as difficult as it usually is because the following week they came to visit me in Chicago. I entertained my brother by taking him to some of the usual Chicago tourist spots: Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Magnificent Mile, and Millenium Park. But the highlight of the trip for him seemed to be the chocolate. I didn't realize the extent of his sweet tooth until he got here. On Tuesday we hit Old Orchard shopping center, and his first stop was the Godiva boutique, where we both splurged on hazelnut, roasted almond, and strawberry truffles. We also went to Marshall Fields with the intent of going clothes shopping. He ended up with a large box of Frango mint chocolates. On Thursday I introduced him to the almighty Portillo's chocolate cake, and now he's hooked. After all, it is the best chocolate cake EVER. Today on the Magnificent Mile we visited the Vosges Haut Chocolat boutique because I was curious about their exotic spiced truffles. I purchased a few truffles to sample and savor. My brother bought a bag load and inhaled them all on the ride back to my house.

Needless to say, he's excited about planning his next trip to Chicago...er, I mean Marshall Fields/Portillo's/Vosges.

Side note: The Naga truffle at Vosges just may be my new favorite chocolate.

Fabulous End to a Fabulous Vacation

2005-07-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

I wanted my last full day in Southern California to be a culmination of all of my favorite things about this vacation. In the early morning I took my usual beach walk. Then I dropped my brother off at work, and he left me with his car for the day (whoo hoo!). I took my daughter to Fashion Island in Newport Beach for a morning of window shopping. My daughter was also able to do some of her favorite things. She squealed in delight while running around the "pop-up fountain" (a fountain of multiple water spouts that shoot water droplets into the air), made a friend while whirling around on the carousel, and hopped along a path through the koi pond. And while my intent was not to shop, I splurged a little at Lola Rouge, my new favorite boutique, with Ebba perfume oil in "Miss Fabienne" for me and Tarina Tarantino bracelets for me and my daughter.

I took the 405 south to Fashion Island, but decided to take the scenic route back home via the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove through Huntington Beach (where we stopped at Main Street for smoothies), Bolsa Chica state beach, Seal Beach, and Belmont Shore before ending up at my Mom's house. It was a great ride, with the bright blue sky, palm tree lined road, and sun-glittered ocean.

For dinner my family and I headed to PF Changs in downtown Long Beach. We thought that heading to the restaurant at 6:30 PM was a perfect time, but we were wrong! According to the hostess the wait was two hours! We put in our names, and waited for two hours, but our time was not wasted. We ended up strolling to Shoreline Village and browsed in the gift and candy shops. When it was finally time for us to eat, we had our meals outdoors and were able to witness a beautiful pink-orangy sunset.

In all, it was a wonderful vacation. Even though I was "home" for vacation, I tried to avoid the usual staying-at-home-watching-TV thing I usually do at my mom's house. I made it a point to hit the tourist spots and eat out at a variety of restaurants. All this made my trip home the best one yet. And while I'm a little sad that I'm leaving Southern California for now, I'm also excited about going home to Chicago to see my hubby so I can tell him all about my little adventures. And I'm even more excited about planning where to go in SoCal when I return.

2005-07-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

The best thing about my house is its proximity to the ocean. Nearly every morning during this vacation, right after the sun rises, I would wake up to the cool, salty breeze flowing in though my bedroom window. I'd stumble out of bed, slip into my flip flops, grab my iPod, and head out the door towards the beach. Within minutes I'd squish wet sand between my toes. I'd spend time with myself, hearing only my thoughts and the roar of the water.

A couple deep breaths in and out, and I'd feel refreshed and rejuvinated.

I think I'll be ready to tackle work in a few days.

I just need a few more mornings at the beach.

I sure am going to miss the ocean once I return to Chicago.

Man, I AM getting older

2005-07-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

This morning I opened up my email, and was pleasantly surprised to find that, gee, I'm getting older and should stop watching MTV and wearing Abercrombie tees. I just got notice of my high school ten year reunion, which is coming up in October of this year.

Ten years have gone by since high school. Just like that.

I have to admit I'm curious and I want to attend the reunion. I'm curious about how people look like. (Especially my old crush, Mr. Hottie-football player-big biceps-Gap model looking-tiny tee wearing-hottie hotness.) I'm curious as to what's going on with everyone. But most likely I won't go because a)my best friend from high school doesn't have any interest in going and I don't want to go if she doesn't go, and b)I don't want to fly from Chicago to SoCal just to attend the reunion.

Who knows, perhaps I may go. Curiosity just may get the best of me. Especially if Mr. Hottie hotness is involved.

Five Things I've Missed Most About Southern California

2005-07-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

1) My mother. My mom's mothering is endearing and wonderful, and I actually miss it while I'm living in Chicago. The things she tells me to do make me crack up, though. She talks to me as if I'm still an irresponsible teenager. For example, here's the conversation we had before I took my daughter to the mall:

Mom: Honey, don't forget her snacks and her water. And watch her and make sure she doesn't run off! Hold her hand!

Me: Mom, I know. I'm her mom! I've been taking her to the mall for five years!

2) My best friends from junior high/high school. Despite time and distance we are always able to pick up where we left off. These girls are my sisters and I love them and I will love them forever.

3) Tall palm trees towering into the bright blue sky. It's the quintessential snapshot of LA, but I still can't get enough of the sight.

4) The ocean. As lovely as Lake Michigan is, it still doesn't compare to the Pacific Ocean, its tall waves, its hypnotic blue-green hue, and the salty breeze.

5) Carls Jr. My favorite fast food restaurant, and home of the best burger in the world: the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, with its heart attack-inducing goodness of grilled meat patty, onion rings, bacon, cheese and barbeque sauce.

Five Things I Miss Most About Chicago While I'm Here in Southern California:

1) Dunkin Donuts

2) Dunkin Donuts

3) Dunkin Donuts

4) Dunkin Donuts

5) Dunkin Donuts

There are few things more exciting...

2005-07-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

...than going home from work and facing two weeks of vacation. It's like the last day of school before summer vacation. At this time tomorrow I'll be home in sunny Southern California, probably lying on a large towel, sipping lemonade, and tanning at the beach. And while I'm not going anywhere spectacular or new, it will be quite nice because I'll have the opportunity to do something I haven't done in a long time: sit back, relax, and bask in not having to do absolutely anything.

2005-06-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

Must Do's for My Five Day Weekend (thank God for self-scheduled nursing shifts!)

1) Hit the Taste of Chicago for jerked chicken, Puerto Rican steak sandwiches, stuffed spinach pizza, tempura vegetables, fried dough, and...oh, what the hell...EVERYTHING.

2) Get coffee tables, end tables, and rugs at IKEA.

3) Brunch with the girls.

4) Manicure and pedicure in Merlot.

5) Wash car.

6) Pay mortgage.

7) Prepare guest list and invitations for upcoming house warming party.

Things I've Accomplished So Far:

1) Watched four episodes of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" in a row.

2) Watched "50 First Dates" on HBO.

3) Watched "You've Got Mail" on TBS.

4) Watched my daughter stuff herself into a shopping bag and scoot around the living room exclaiming "I'm a snail! I'm a snail!"

5) Nearly peed in my pants from laughing uncontrollably at #4.

Lincoln Park

2005-06-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

The best thing about Sundays is brunch with the family. Instead of going to our regular place, IHOP, we tried something different and dined at Crepe and Coffee Palace in Lincoln Park. Simply delicious. I had the amazing "Palace Crepe" with spinach, pine nuts, goat cheese, tomatoes, and carmalized onions. Hubby, being the meat and eggs guy that he is, had a crepe with...you guessed it...sausage and egg. The kid had a crepe with strawberries and Nutella, which I willingly polished off when she couldn't eat all of it. Hubby and I finished off our crepes with cups of Turkish coffee. Crepe and Coffee Palace was an amazing little restaurant, and I'll have to suggest it to my college girlfriends, who also happen to be my brunch buddies, for future meals.

Going to Lincoln Park made me realize how much I miss my old college neighborhood, as well as the city itself. I was fortunate enough to find an affordable house in a fairly affluent suburb, which is right outside the city. While I enjoy my suburb's cleanliness, good schools, and spacious yards, I miss the excitement of the city. I miss hopping on the el and arriving downtown in a matter of minutes. I miss the diversity of people. I miss having numerous cafes, restaurants, and boutiques along my street. And believe it or not, I miss the honking of the taxis and cars.

During my college days I dreamed of owning a piece of property and living in Lincoln Park, or another neighborhood near the downtown area. Hubby shares this dream as well. Perhaps when we're older, and the kid(s) are grown and moved out of the house, we'll move back to the city. For now I'll settle for my clean air, abundant parking, and wide front and back yards. For excitement and good times, I'll have to settle for driving into the city...which, come to think of it, is a mere twenty minute drive.

Highlights from Paris II

2005-05-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

*I just got the second set of Paris photos developed...two months after the trip. This is why I need a digital camera.

We visited Sacre Coeur in the Parisian neighborhood of Montmatre. It rests on the highest point of Paris, and provides spectacular views of the city. So spectacular, in fact, that I was in much awe and forgot to take pictures! (D'oh!)

Photo of a street in Montmatre, with Sacre Coeur in the background. I simply loved the narrow, brick streets of the city.

The Musee D'Orsay is one of my favorite museums. The building was previously a train station, and it was developed into a museum in the late 70s. The museum is known for its collection of French impressionism and 19th century sculptures.

One of the most important aspects of Paris...the food! During an entire week we were there we ate at a formal restaurant only twice. With a meal costing an average of 25 to 40 Euro we would've been broke by the second day of the trip. We resorted to eating from street vendor crepe carts and picking up food from local markets. A baguette, a couple slices of cheese, pate, strawberries, chocolate, and champagne were all we needed for a fantastic picnic in the hotel room every night.

Yeah, I'm Still Around

2005-05-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't been blogging for the past month due to the fact that I just got my internet up and running. Hubby and I accomplished the "American Dream" and bought a house! Yay! Unfortunately, we had to leave Chicago, since a decent house in a decent neighborhood is insanely expensive. Luckily, I'm in a suburb not too far from the city limits. Hubby and I joke about having to "drive into the city" when we want to eat out or go downtown. I really do miss the hustle and bustle of Chicago. But the quietness and friendliness of my new neighborhood is nice too.

With all that said, I must go back to unpacking. Ugh. Moving is not fun. More updates and entries when we get everything situated...

Daughter vs. Nurse

2005-04-23T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today I was able to experience the point of view of a patient's family member.

My father is in the hospital. I'd rather not go into detail about what's going on with him. I'll just say that he had an extensive abdominal surgery.

Times like this make me glad that I'm a nurse. I've had many patients who are in his type of situation. I know what to expect in his care, I can ask the appropriate questions from residents and nurses, and, most importantly, I know he's pretty much okay. When I first saw him in the hospital I went into nurse mode. After I greeted him I asked him about his pain level. I checked his IV fluids, his foley, and his NGT output. I checked if he had passed gas or had bowel sounds. I asked his nurse about his labs, particularly his white cell count. I saw to it that he ambulated and used his incentive spirometer. I discussed the plan of care with my stepmom, who is also a nurse. From a nurse's prospective we both agreed that he looked good and that he could possibly go home next week.

That didn't stop me from going into daughter mode and crying my eyes out once I left the hospital. No matter how much I know as a nurse, no matter how many times I have worked with NGT's and foleys, it's still hard to see my father in a gown, bed or chair-ridden, connected to all those tubes and lines.

My father needs me in daughter mode...to give him love and support in dealing with his illness and recovery.

I need me in nurse mode...to convince myself that he is going to be alright.

2005-04-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

My perfect Saturday morning is waking up just after the sun rises, while hubby and daughter are still sleeping. I make my cup of coffee, curl up into my comfy chair, crack open a good book and read by sunlight. This is the brief moment of my day in which my time is truly mine, when I can take my time with whatever I'm doing, when all I hear are my thoughts, and when I can simply relax.

It's nice to be able to read a book every once in a while, a work that doesn't involve pulmonary edema or ventricular pacing. While I actually enjoy learning about anything that involves my practice, I get enough of that stuff at work and I sometimes I like to distance myself from work as much as possible. Especially when I'm in the comfort of my own home on a Saturday morning.

Hubby recently signed up for a $25 membership card with Barnes and Noble, which gives you discounts, for a year, on anything you purchase in the store. I normally don't buy books, but now I feel like I have to buy enough books to justify spending $25 on a membership fee. (Hubby, that's how stores get you to spend money. Sucker.) I ended up picking up a memoir and a work of fiction for me, and a couple of "Disney Princess" books for the kid. I'm actually looking forward to going back to Barnes and Noble to do a little more browsing. Perhaps getting the card wasn't such a bad idea. (Hubby, I'm sorry I called you a sucker. Sucker. I just like saying sucker.)

I better get back to my book before the family wakes up...

Highlights from Paris--March '05

2005-04-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

During the drive into Paris, from Charles de Gaulle airport, we were met by the Eiffel Tower. I was expecting to be awed by its grandeur. I was not, however, expecting it to twinkle. The tower gave us an amazing light show, which seemed to exclaim "Welcome to Paris!"

The Eiffel Tower was a five minute walk from our hotel. On our first night we took the elevator to the top. The view was exhilarating. It was a great opening for the trip.

We devoted an entire day to the Louvre. The museum is so large and the works so numerous that it would take several weeks to truly take in and appreciate everything. The paintings and sculptures were spectacular, as was the interior of the museum. The above photo is the ceiling of one of the wings.

Venus de Milo

Paris from the top of Notre Dame Cathedral

The "most photographed" gargoyle at Notre Dame

Thinker
Rodin Museum

More photos to follow when I finish developing the film!

Old School

2005-03-30T23:58:00.000-06:00

I'm having way too much fun with my iPod and iTunes. At first I was importing songs from CDs I already have, which pretty much consists of recent music. Now I'm spending most of my free time browsing iTunes music store for old school R&B. And I'm in my late twenties, so "old school" for me consists of jams from the 90s. Songs that take me back to my high school days. Here are some favorites that are getting major playtime...songs that remind me of homecoming dances, Cross Colors baggy jeans, and "kicking it" at Liberty Park in Cerritos, Cali.

Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) - Mint Condition
Come and Talk to Me - Jodeci
Sweet Thing - Mary J. Blige
If I Ever Fall in Love - Shai
I Love Your Smile - Shanice
Whip Appeal - Babyface
Hey Mr. DJ - Zhane
Weak - SWV
Baby Baby Baby - TLC
Just Kickin'It - Xcape
Tennessee - Arrested Development

I'm Back

2005-03-22T08:36:00.000-06:00

(...back in town and back to blogging.)

Okay, so my computer was f'ed up for the longest time due to some nasty spyware, so I wasn't able to update the blog. Plus I was out of town for a week in Paris. During this time away from blogging I made a couple of realizations.

1. I bought an iPod Shuffle to keep me entertained during the seven-hour plane ride (plus the one hour wait thru customs at the airport). Oh. My. God. I. Love. My. iPod. Shuffle. Love love love it. Where the heck was it all my life? Ten CDs worth of music in a tiny little package. It almost makes me collapse in exhiliration.

2. I love Paris. I simply do! I must go back again soon. Hubby says maybe in a couple of years. I say in a couple of weeks, damnit.

3. In relation to realization two, I have Paris withdrawal. I spend most of my free time looking at photos of my trip, browsing the web for sites about the neighborhoods and sights I saw in Paris, or leafing through Paris guides at the book store. My conversations with everyone begin with "oh my God in Paris I saw this..." or "I did that..." or "I ate my weight in crepes and baguettes!"

I'll be posting photos and talking more about my trip in another entry, but I just got home from work. Now I will sit back, relax, crack open The Da Vinci Code (based in Paris!) and indulge in some incredible chocolate truffles (from Paris!) Au revoir!

Creative Writing 101

2005-02-19T15:00:00.000-06:00

"Ode to the perfect jeans"

It was love at first sight
when I saw you
hanging
dangling
on a clear, plastic rack
on the second floor of Bloomingdale’s
your soft cotton
your deep Pacific blue shade
with the playful white whiskering
the intricate orange stitching
inviting me
to touch you
yet you made it perfectly clear
that you were playing hard to get
with your $158 price tag

Yet I gave in to temptation
gave into your invitation
your teasing ways
and I tried you on

And oh
How I nearly plunged into ecstasy
when I pulled you over
my hips
and fastened you
just below my waist
your softness caressing every inch
of my legs
The image of you and me
as one
showed me
how you fit me like a glove
how you held my thighs perfectly
how you molded my backside
into two perfect orbs

And I knew from that moment
that I had to have you
that I have been waiting for you
all my life
but the monetary boundaries
between us
were too deep
the chiasm too wide
and to have you
to attain you
would mean living for one week
without groceries for the family

But alas
I will have you
I will make you mine
I will purchase you
away from the spying eyes
of my spouse

I will have you
perhaps
after I get my tax refund
or when I work an extra shift
at the hospital

-aida

2005-02-16T18:24:00.000-06:00

I'm going to PARIS!!!! Three weeks from TODAY!!!!

And, as if the gods of travel were trying to remind me about the trip, I just received my passport, two weeks earlier than I had anticipated it. Awesome!

It's all falling into place quite nicely. Now all I need to do is learn some key French phrases. A few nights ago I was helping a colleague take care of a confused French-speaking patient who was trying to hit me, and all I know how to say is "Bonjour" and "merci beaucoup." That didn't help, as she was trying to choke me WITH MY OWN STETHOSCOPE. (I took this as another sign from the gods of travel, who were saying "learn French, damnit!")

Oh well, 'til the trip I'll try to contain my excitement. Weeee!

2005-02-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

Hot udon, wasabi, and sesame chili paste just may be the cure for the chills and a stuffy nose.

Thank goodness for Japanese takeout.

2005-02-07T09:24:00.000-06:00

Working three nights in a row last week caught up with me over the weekend when I got sick. I worked last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The good thing about it was that my weekend started on Thursday morning. The bad thing was that I was able to get only four or five hours of sleep in between each shift. As a result, my resistance to illness became low, and I caught a bad cold.

So, although it was a beautiful, long weekend with the fifty-degree barbeque/tank top/flip-flops weather, I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I could have. I took comfort in green tea and tempura udon at Edo Sushi and Noodle and Shrimp Dumpling soup at Chinatown's Seven Treasures. It's funny how being horrendously sick can bring out the deliciousness of a bowl of Japanese or Chinese soup.

I ended up calling in to work last night so I could recover and catch up on sleep. I'm scheduled to work tonight, and hopefully I'll feel better. Until then, I'll load myself on Luden's cough drops, afternoon naps, and perhaps another bowl of udon. Yum.

Getting My Fix

2005-01-29T18:57:00.000-06:00

A couple of times throughout the day, usually after meals, I get a craving for a piece of chocolate. It's usually not that bad, and can easily be resolved by a couple of bites of Portillo's chocolate cake, a cup of hot chocolate, or a piece of chocolate candy. And I'm a chocolate snob when it comes to candy. Some fifty-cent waxy chocolate bar won't cut it. I like the good stuff, like a Godiva roasted almond truffle or a Ghirardelli milk chocolate square. A friend of mine made some extraordinary cinnamon chocolate truffles that tamed my cravings for the past week. Now that they're all gone, I had to look elsewhere to get my fix.

While shopping at the supermarket today I stopped by Starbucks to try Chantico, since I've heard great things about it. I was expecting a really good cup of hot chocolate. That was the understatement of the year. Chantico is essentially a $3.00 shot glass of thick, rich, pure unadulterated chocolate. It's insanely chocolately. It's orgasmically chocolately. To describe it's chocolateness could deplete the world of adjectives. No, really, it says that in the advertisement. The amount of chocolate in a cup of Chantico makes it well worth the three bucks. Hubby summed it up when he took a sip, made a face, and exclaimed "holy shit, that's pure chocolate!"

After about half a cup (or half a shot glass) I had to stop drinking it and I put it in the fridge. It tamed my chocolate craving, and then some. I pretty much have a headache now, possibly from hyperglycemia, and I may need to inject myself with four units of insulin, even though I'm not diabetic. I probably killed my chocolate fix until the next week. Or until tomorrow, who knows. At that point I'll drink the rest of the Chantico.

The Night Shift

2005-01-26T15:16:00.000-06:00

I've been working on the night shift (7pm to 7am) at the hospital for the past three weeks. It has its perks: higher pay, the patients are asleep (except for the confused ones who roam the halls or attempt to pull out their IVs and NG tubes), there is a lot of down time, and there are no residents who steal your charts.

There are, of course, some drawbacks to the night shift:

1) The obvious one: lack of sleep. I don't have much trouble staying awake at work, but I have a hard time falling asleep during the day. As a result, I usually get four hours of sleep in between shifts if I work two consecutive shifts. On my days off I end up sleeping twelve hours a night and napping in the day. Thank God I work only three shifts a week.

2) The disorientation to date. I'm constantly wondering what the heck the day is and if I'm supposed to be working that day...err...I mean night.

3) Leaving the hubby and daughter to go to work. For me, the evening is considered "family time" because it's the time of day when we are home at the same time (after work, school, etc.) Now I have to work during "family time." The feeling kinda sucks. My daughter also has that sad, puppy dog, "I can't believe you're leaving me" look on her face when I'm about to leave. That sucks even more.

4) Missing my evening sitcoms and dramas. I'm trying to schedule my work days around the "OC", "Law and Order," and "American Idol." Yes, I said "American Idol." I know where my priorities lie.

Martinis and Cotton Candy

2005-01-17T23:45:00.000-06:00

In addition to the occasional Sunday brunch, my old college roommates and I like to hang out with the occasional Monday night at MOD...mainly because of the $3 martini. Today was a special occasion, as we were celebrating a friend's engagement. We shared laughs and wedding stories (about horrid bridesmaid gowns and drunk reception guests) over cosmos, porcini mushroom soup, steamed mussels, olives and cotton candy (yes, MOD serves cotton candy at the end of their meals). What better way is there to end a bitterly cold Monday than spending time with good friends, a sweet treat, and a nice warm buzz.

The Plans are Coming Together Quite Nicely...

2005-01-17T22:49:00.000-06:00

In a couple of months my girlfriends and I will be traveling to a European destination, where we will stay at a charming hotel and spend our week sipping coffee, eating baguettes and cheese, viewing exhibits, and strolling along a fashionable boulevard.

Now all I need to do is renew my passport and brush up on the language so I can communicate with the locals.

Resolutions for 2005

2005-01-01T17:38:00.000-06:00

1) Save up at least several hundred dollars every month for a down payment on a house.

2) Related to #1, STOP SHOPPING for clothes, shoes and handbags. Okay, so I started this year by buying these, but that's it! Really! I swear!

3) Become a more confident nurse...instead of going into work and acting like a nervous spaz who doesn't know what she's doing. This is something that will take time for me because a) I'm a new nurse, b) I still have a lot to learn in the practice, and c) I'm a nervous spaz by nature.

4) Call my mother at least twice a month.

5) Cook more often instead of supplying the family with fast food dinners.

6) STOP SHOPPING.

7) STOP SHOPPING. It needs to be reiterated as much as possible. The habit is that bad.

Nursing Revelation #3

2004-12-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

So I come into work at seven in the morning to find that I have five patients (normally a day shift nurse on my unit gets three or four patients max). One of the patients has sudden chest pain, which requires attention, meds, labs and an EKG STAT. Another patient needs a blood transfusion. As the transfusion progresses his IV infiltrates, spewing blood EVERYWHERE on the bed. Another patient has orders to be discharged to a nursing home and I need to get the patient out of the unit, "as soon as possible," the case manager urges, so that the bed can be filled by an incoming patient from the ICU. A family member of another patient follows me around the unit as I try to do the billions of things I need to do, asking me a billion questions about her dad. Which is fine, but damn woman, there's no need to plaster yourself onto my scrubs.

When the madness subsides I finally get some time to pee, sit down and inhale a sandwich...at three in the afternoon.

So, why the heck did I decide to become a nurse?

I oftentimes wonder what I was thinking, leaving my cushy desk job and going into a high stress job where I'm on my feet for twelve hours at a time, dealing with sickness, life and death situations, and people who want me to do hundreds of things at once. Then I remember why I became a nurse:

To save the life of someone who's potentially having a heart attack.
To restore blood in an anemic patient so he can go home to his wife and son.
To release the nursing home patient back into her community in better health.
To ease the mind of a woman who is worried about her ill father.

As a nurse you sacrifice a little of yourself: your time, your energy, your dignity, your lunch, your need to pee. But the end result, your impact on your patients and their lives, makes the job worth while.

The end result helps me get up the next morning, report to the unit at seven o' clock, and do it all over again.

Motivation

2004-12-23T22:55:00.000-06:00

I found something that is my motivation for working. It is my motivation to become a better saver. It makes me strive to become a better nurse so that I can get raises and bonuses...so that I may one day be able to own THIS.

This is something that makes my pining for a Louis Vuitton Speedy and a dove gray cashmere sweater meaningless. It makes me question why the heck I've bought so many shoes and purses in the past few months...when I should be saving for THIS.

I see myself decorating and furnishing this. I see my daughter dancing around in this. I see my husband remodeling this. I see myself throwing dinner parties in this, with merlot, gooseliver pate and goatcheese appetizers, and Sade and soft candlelights in the background. I see myself and the hubby on an early Sunday morning, sipping coffee and gazing out the wide window at the downtown skyline.

Oh yes, my beautiful condo in the West Loop. You will someday be mine...

Thinking...

2004-12-01T14:08:00.000-06:00

Waking up twenty minutes earlier than I normally do (which is pretty damn early) to scrape ice off the windshield of my car while it's twenty degrees outside makes me miss Southern California SO MUCH.

Driving into the city and witnessing diverse neighborhoods and cultures, the awesome downtown skyline, and a Duncan Donuts on nearly every corner makes me realize why I love Chicago SO MUCH and why I'll be sticking around for a while.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2004-11-22T16:57:00.000-06:00

Every year around this time, when Christmas decorations are displayed throughout the city and carols play from the radio, I become giddy and get into the Christmas spirit. I get the stockings ready, buy Christmas cards for family and loved ones, and hunt for the perfect new ornament for the year. I make my shopping list and brave the malls with anticipation and glee. But when I hit the crowded stores reality hits me like a ton of bricks and I wonder to myself: Why the heck did I marry into a family with forty kids?!?

Halloween Realizations

2004-10-31T17:05:00.000-06:00

Last night some college friends and I celebrated Halloween/a friend's birthday at her new townhouse on the North side. It was a fabulous time, not only because I got sloppy drunk and I haven't been sloppy drunk in such a long time. But also because, up until I got sloppy drunk, my girlfriends and I had great conversation and quality time catching up on each other's lives. I also realized a number of things last night:

1) We've known each other for almost ten years, when we first met in our dorm. More significant, it's been nearly ten years since we've graduated from high school. It still feels like I graduated from high school only a couple of years ago. Holy crap, where the heck did all the time go?!

2) When I'm sober I truly suck at air hockey. But get some liquor in me, and damn, I'm good!

3) My friends Lee and Stacy are going to Paris and Dublin this Spring. Lee is going as a gift to herself after graduating law school and as a recovery for passing the Bar. Stacy is going because she's studying abroad, also for law school. And now I'm thinking of joining them. I've always wanted to see Europe, but the hubby isn't interested in going. Also, I'll hopefully be buying a home and having another child in the near future. I figure I should take advantage and go to Europe now while I have money and free time. And what's better than two weeks of touring and shopping and binge drinking (we'll be in Dublin during St. Patty's day) in Europe with the girls! So, if all goes well, and if I have a couple of thousand dollars and vacation time, I'll be Europe-bound this Spring. Yay!

4) Vanilla Absolut vodka with 7-Up over the rocks is pretty damn tasty. Try it!

Nursing Revelation #2

2004-10-12T17:53:00.000-05:00

Today I witnessed a double coronary artery bypass surgery. I was literally two feet away from a cracked-open chest and a beating heart. The surgeon miraculously restored function to a diseased heart by grafting a leg vein and connecting a mammary artery onto two clogged coronary arteries.

My clinical instructor wanted me to get a feel of what the patients on my unit go through, so she allowed me to observe the surgery. It was one of the most mind-boggling, amazing things I've ever seen. It was almost as miraculous as witnessing a birth.

Now I'll no longer refer to my patient as "the guy in 31 with the CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) X 2." I'll call him as "the guy with a second-chance-at-life-with-the-leg-veins-and-mammary-artery-grafted-onto-his-still-beating-heart-oh-my-god-how-freakin'-awesome-is-that?"

Nothing frees my mind more...

2004-10-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

...than an early Saturday morning drive down Pacific Coast Highway, with the wind in my hair, the warm sun shining on my face, and old-school R&B slow jams on the stereo. I just might be ready to go back to Chicago and start the daily grind on the unit this Monday morning.

2004-10-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today I visited my youngest brother at his college and hung out on the campus while he was in class. I had to study some nursing articles for work (as in study for WORK!! The studying doesn't end with nursing school!!). I couldn't get much studying done at home, with all the distractions (the TV blaring, my daughter running around in the background, my constant runs to the fridge for snacks). So I left my daughter with my mom and went to the campus so I could concentrate on my articles.

Hanging out at CSULB turned out to be somewhat of a waste of time for me study-wise, as I ended up spending most of the time people-watching. Something about watching the young, bright-eyed, loud-mouth, pajama-wearing college students rushing from class to class made me pine for the days of when I was a young, bright-eyed, loud-mouth pajama-wearing college student. As an undergrad I was excited about my prospective career and life, although I had no idea at the time what exactly I wanted to pursue. My biggest worry of that time was where the kegger was going to be next Friday night, or if I'd get my ecology project done on time, or if I'd have time to read my massive "Les Miserables" novel in between chemistry labs.

I'm happy to be at the point in my life where I can make a living, be a professional, and support a family. I feel proud of the accomplishments I've made so far as a *sigh* grown-up. But sometimes...just sometimes...I miss the naivete of a young adult in her first years of college, looking forward to parties and keggers, having the emotional and financial security from mom and dad, picking out classes, still figuring out her future and career.

Today I watched those college kids and remembered myself nearly ten years ago. Then I managed to go back to my nursing articles and continue studying. Studying and increasing my knowledge for a career I've just entered. A career which I'm oftentimes uncertain about, but always excited about. I realized that I have nothing to do but look forward.

Hmm...I guess I'm not too different from these college kids.

Anniversary

2004-09-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Saturday evening by having an extravagant meal at a downtown hot spot. Given our usually quick and cheap meal options (McDonald's, mall food court Chinese, leftovers from mom-in-law), as well as the fact that we've reached a milestone in our marriage, we thought it was appropriate to spend an obscene amount of money on a meal for just one night.

I made reservations at Nine for 6:30 in the evening. Since I made the reservations late in the week, 6:30 PM was the only available time slot. At first I was worried that the mealtime was too early, but it worked out fine because we were such gluttons and were eating for a good few hours. We started the evening with Merlot and a couple of mixed drinks. The calamari and lobster bisque were the perfect first and second courses. The entree of choice, for both me and the hubby, was the "Surf and Turf," which consisted of a filet, grilled to a perfect medium rare, and a succulent lobster tail. We also shared a side of garlic mashed potatoes. And these are not your ordinary garlic mashed potatoes. These are melt-in-your-mouth-oh-my-god-my-eyes-are rolling-into-the-back-of-my-head-they-are-so-damn-good garlic mashed potatoes. Dessert was "Chocolate", which is a chocolate mouse with Godiva chocolate sauce (more of the eyes rolling into the back of the head) and a fudgsicle sorbet. At the end of the meal we continued drinking and dancing the night away upstairs at Ghostbar.

The evening didn't end there. When we were good and sober we left the restaurant and drove around downtown and West Loop for a while before heading home. Hubby and I have recently been talking about buying a home, and both of us decided that we don't want to leave the city. We're considering lofts or condos in the downtown area, so we wanted to check out the neighborhood and see what's available. We made a plan to start saving (which I can do now that I'm working full time!) and buy a property by this time next year.

In all, it was a wonderful anniversary. It was a celebration of our first five years of marriage...a well-deserved evening of an extravagant meal and a fun night of dancing. It was also a look into our future...a way for us to plan our next years together. I couldn't have asked for a better evening.

A momento from five years ago this day...

2004-09-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

One apartment…three vehicles (one burgundy 1986 Lincoln Towncar) …100 movie nights with theater nachos and jalapenos…50 candle-lit dinners…50 midnight dinners of noodle won ton soup in Chinatown…three vacations to warm, sunny destinations…ten walks hand-in-hand along the beach…three nights at a four-star hotel…one heinous night at a campground in Wisconsin Dells…150 nights of clubbing and bar-hopping downtown…50 gifts of jewelry, clothes, cologne, the charcoal gray Nike’s you wanted, and the Tiffany necklace I wanted…ten dozen roses…50 motorcycle rides…five trips to the museum with a running, screaming toddler…150 family functions…50 slow dances…one merengue attempt gone wrong…500 phone/electric/gas/cable/credit card bills…1000 petty fights over the bills…1000 make-ups…1,000,000 uncontrollable fits of laughter…one golden retriever…five goldfish…one beautiful, extraordinary daughter with two large brown eyes…

…five incredible years of marriage, and looking forward to countless more...

Happy anniversary, honey, I love you!

A Pleasant Find

2004-09-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

...and an entertaining read for a Sunday evening:

A couple of friends and I went with May to Bishop Montgomery in Torrence (by bus!) to visit her boyfriend. There I met this cute guy who wanted my digits. But I, being shy and stupid, said that I already had a boyfriend. I can't believe that! Well, anyways, it took me forever to get home, and when I did it was practically dark outside. Mom was worried and kinda pissed at me. But in all it was a cool adventure. Except for the fact that I turned down a cute guy.

Me, 15 years old
September 1992

2004-09-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

My addiction, my creativity manifested as the cutest handbag ever.

Okay, NOW it's Official

2004-09-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

I am a registered nurse.

I know that after I passed the boards I claimed that I was officially a registered nurse. But technically, my title was "Registered Nurse License Pending." Once I passed the test I had to submit another application to the Department of Professional Regulation. Plus they had to check my background and fingerprints to ensure that my record was clean and that I didn't kill anyone and bury him/her in my backyard.

Even though I've already been practicing for a few weeks I had to practice under supervision of a registered nurse with a license. I had to sign off on all my documents as "RNLP," which made me feel like such a newbie (which, duh, I am). But now that I have the actual piece of paper that says "Registered Professional Nurse" I feel so official now. I can sign my documents and my name as "RN."

Now, if only that piece of paper could magically turn me into a nurse who isn't so confused and overwhelmed and isn't such a...newbie.

On another exciting note, I'm new to my job and I'm already taking a vacation! Woo hoo! At the end of the month I'm going back home to Southern California to attend the wedding of a high school friend. Not that I'm required to attend (I'm not in the wedding party, but I just want to get out of town and go back to sunny California, and now I have an excuse. Man, I haven't worked full-time in over a year, and now that I've started again I realize how tough it is. I need a one-week vaca already!

Welcome me back to the working world!

Nursing Revelation #1

2004-08-25T13:10:00.000-05:00

I've heard from practically everyone throughout nursing school...professors, preceptors, nurses, and recent graduates... that actual nursing practice is nothing like nursing school. As a result of hearing this constantly I tried to prepare myself for my first job. And after almost two weeks on the job let me say this:

Actual nursing practice is absolutely NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING like nursing school!!!

I like to think that I excelled in school. I earned good grades, and instructors complimented me on my nursing techniques. And I pretty much nailed the boards. But once I started on the floor I have never felt so utterly lost. I wanted to scream "what the hell is going on here!!" Physicians on the floor were asking me stuff, then the nurses started asking me stuff, and I was like "Huh? Wha?" It was as if I hadn't been in nursing school working my ass off for the past thirteen months.

Don't get me wrong, I still actually LIKE the job. Despite my total confusion about physicians' orders, paperwork, and the logistics of the unit I still like what I'm doing and what I'm learning. My preceptor assured me that I'm not mental and that the confusion is quite normal. In nursing school one learns hard facts and techniques. As a result, new grads tend to be task-oriented. However, 75% of the actual job is critical thinking (i.e. what to do when a certain situation occurs), which develops after one was been practicing for a while. Let me tell you, you can give me a long list of things to do and I'll do them, from IVs to blood draws to foley catheters. But my critical thinking skills are still quite immature.

Yesterday, my fifth day on the floor, I wasn't as panicked and confused as my first day. I still have a lot to learn. It's a good thing my training period lasts three months. Hopefully by the end of that time I won't be saying "huh" and "wha" when the docs ask me about lab values and EKGs.

It's Official...

2004-08-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I passed the boards. I am a registered nurse.

I spent the past few weeks isolated from my family and friends, studying, stressing out, and drinking massive amounts of coffee up until the day of the exam. This was followed by agonizing, wringing my hands, and giving myself a stress ulcer before finding out the results of the exam. All this drama and headache...to get to this point in my life where I can relax, breathe and revel in my accomplishment and the start of my new career.

Next week I start my new position as a surgical telemetry staff nurse. I still can't believe it. I still feel like I have to study for something, or meet some sort of deadline. But I don't. I'm done with nursing school, done with boards, done with studying.

I. AM. A. REGISTERED. NURSE.

I still can't believe it.

Back to Reality

2004-07-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

I'm back in Chicago, or "back to reality," as my hubby would put it. He equates Southern California with a perpetual state of vacation, with its clear blue skies, sunshine and ocean beaches. Even though California was my "reality" many years back, it has become my escape from reality because I simply relax and unwind when I'm there. No stress, no work, no chores...nothing! Well, no more "nothing" for me. Once I arrived in Chicago I went back to the usual routine of work, studying, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, etc.

Speaking of back to reality, I just accepted a position as staff nurse in the surgical telemetry unit. I'm very excited and about starting my new position and getting the ball rolling on my new career. Now all I have to do is pass the boards and I'm all ready to start. Easier said than done? Hell YEAH!! That freakin' test is going to be freakin' hard!

So, I'm off to continue studying for the next two weeks or so. It's back to reality for me. It's kinda nice to be back from two-and-a-half weeks of doing nothing.

2004-06-29T23:30:00.000-05:00

Alas, my vacation comes to an end. Tomorrow, bright and early at 7 in the morning, I'll be heading back to Chicago. About a week ago I was a bit distraught at the idea of going back, but I think I'm ready now. Sure I'll miss my mom, my friends, the home-cooked meals, and the ocean beach. But I'm ready to get back to my hubby and my house.

Of course, there are a few reasons why I'm apprehensive about going back to Chicago:

1) I have a job interview the day after I return. I was hoping not to deal with job searches until I pass the boards. But the hospital where I did my internship called me while I on vacation, and HR wanted to set up an interview for as soon as I return to Chicago. How could I say "no, I'm not ready yet" to a possible job? And money!! I'm so poor!

2) I received notification that I'm eligible to take the state boards. Just receiving that info shot my blood pressure sky high. The Dean told our class to take the boards as soon as possible, while the info is still fresh in our minds. But I still have a good two weeks of hard-core studying to do. I tried to study in California. Of course, with my beach-bathing, shopping, eating-out adventures that did not happen.

And so, I'm off, to leave my relaxing, care-free vacation world to enter the land of apprehension and job-finding and studying for my life-altering exam. Goodbye, SoCal, it was fun while it lasted.

Le Creperie Cafe

2004-06-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

Another plug for a brunch site ('cause you know I love me some brunch):

When in Long Beach, California, visit Le Creperie Cafe. Christine, one of my best friends from high school, took me to this cute restaurant on Belmont Shore. We ordered and shared two crepes, one sweet and one savory, to satisfy our all-encompassing cravings. Our savory crepe (I forget the name of it) consisted of ham, spinach, some other greens, and scrambled egg. Our sweet crepe, "Romeo et Juliet," consisted of fresh strawberries, banana, and....Nutella! The latter crepe was like an orgasm in, well, crepe form. This was one of the best brunches I've ever had. Or should I say, it one of the most orgasmically, mind-blowingly best bruches I've ever had.

Now excuse me while I writhe in pleasure.

Best Friend

2004-06-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

JC is my best friend. She's been my best friend since junior high, when she moved to my school. We've been best friends for fourteen years, despite the fact that she ended up going to high school in Orange County (while I stayed in Long Beach), then I moved halfway across the country to Chicago for college.

Yesterday we did our traditional outing to South Coast Plaza (everytime I come home to California we end up going to this fabulous shopping mecca). We did some shopping and ogling over shoes, jewelry and handbags that were way too expensive for our budgets. (Side note: I ogled over a gorgeous lilac suede purse from Coach that I'm currently obsessed with, but I decided not to buy it because the hubby would kill me for buying yet-another-purse.)

We had a fabulous dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Over a vegetarian and Japanese eggplant pizza we caught up on each other's lives, talked about our jobs and significant others, relived old junior high memories, laughed at goofy past classmates, and contemplated on the lives of other classmates. It was a great time--one of the best times I've had out here in California during this vacation.

A friend like JC is gold. I have many friends and acquaintances who are fun to joke with, share a drink with, or converse with at a party. However, I can count the number of "true" friends, like JC, on one hand. These are people whom I can tell my deepest, darkest secrets. These are people who know all the details of my life. These are people I go to when I am ecstatic, upset, and everything else in between. These are people who won't pass judgement on what I say or do, but will offer advise when they feel that I need it. These are people I love and live for.

The best thing about JC is that although I see her once or twice a year, we pick up exactly where we left off and it's almost as if we've seen each other the day before. We simply look at each other, an inside joke will come to both of our minds, and we'll laugh hysterically. We'll laugh hysterically for a good ten minutes. Oftentimes JC and I will laugh so hard we basically embarrass ourselves in public.

A friend like gold is one who'll remain with you, no matter the distance between between the two of you. In fact, there seems to be no distance between JC and myself. Occasionally, when I'm at my home in Chicago, I'll get a phone call from JC. I see her name on the caller ID, and I almost begin to giggle. The rest of the phone conversation involves fits of laughter, gasping, and shouts of "oh my GAWD, he did WHAT?"

It's almost as if we're at South Coast Plaza, having a pizza and ogling over shoes. It's almost as if I'm back home in California, even though I'm halfway across the country.

With all the giggling and chatter is almost as if I'm in junior high again. And it's pretty damn fun.

Summer Vacation is...

2004-06-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

...waking up to MTV Beach house...driving down scenic Pacific Coast Highway to Huntington Beach...eating cheeseburgers and fries dusted with beach sand...getting annoyed over the sandy fries...gazing out into the greenish-blue water...listening to the ocean waves lap onto the shore...the salty, Coppertone-scented breeze kissing your damp skin...feeling the warm sun on your body...seeing your tan progess nicely via the bikini line...hearing your four-year-old daughter giggle uncontrollably as she runs from the incoming tide...watching surfers catch the perfect wave...finding the most exquisite pink and gray sea shell...ending the day with a bowl of chocolate banana brownie ice cream, watching the California sunset...

...being able to do it all over again the following day.

2004-06-18T22:40:00.000-05:00

Today I went to the mall. It was the same mall I used to shop at when I was 13-years-old. I would go to this mall with twenty of my closest giggly, gossipy, squealing girlfriends. We'd giggle and squeal over all the cute 13-year-old boys, with their bleach-blond hair and baggy jeans.

And when I went there today there were a billion 13-year-old giggly, gossipy, squealing girls.

I went to Wet Seal, a store I used to frequent when I was a giggly 13-year-old. I still enjoy shopping at the store because of its trendy, inexpensive clothes. But there were a billion more giggly, squealing 13-year-olds crammed in that teeny, tiny space.

I bought the cutest baby pink peasant top and a pink hoodie. A blond giggly, squealing girl behind me was holding the same peasant shirt. She was squealing to her friend, "Oh my GAWD! I'm going to get another one in BLUE! This is just so CUTE!"

What the hell? It's 1990 for me all over again.

Oh my GAWD!!