Ring ring, Hello?

I've had to tell my mother on several occasions that she has poor phone etiquette. Well, maybe not so much poor phone etiquette as strange phone skills. My dad, who is old, had a health scare a few years ago and ever since then I've been a little nervous about him. I've had to tell my mom that her phone behavior doesn't help. I've had several adrenaline rushes due to her. A few examples:

• At my old job my mom would occasionally call two or three times in a row. I'd panic and think this was her way of calling about an emergency. I couldn't answer my phone in the lab, so I'd wash out and leave the lab to call. When I'd call her back she would say she only called multiple times in a row to give me extra time to answer the phone.

• When she called me and I'd answer, she usually start by saying "Kate," in a very panicky voice. When I'd ask her what was wrong, she'd say, "Oh nothing, just calling to hear how you are doing." I finally got her to correct this and now she always answers in a cheery voice.

Before you think I'm some bad daughter who yells at her mom, she's also given me lectures about the phone. When I lived in Utah, I could only call past 6:30pm Utah time (8:30pm Ohio time) unless it was an emergency, because sometimes she liked to be in bed by 9pm and didn't want to be woken up. She has since moved that time to 9pm as she has a 9:30pm bedtime (she gets up for work at 4am).

Anyway, here is the most recent example that almost gave me a panic attack (which I've never had, but I could imagine this could induce one):

Last Saturday night I got home around 1am. I got ready for bed when I heard the phone ringing in the other room. I was brushing my teeth and figured it was my friend who just dropped me off saying I forgot something in the car. I finished getting ready and checked my phone. To my horror, the missed call was from my parent's house (remember how my parents are in bed by 9:30pm). As I dialed their number, I started panicking and thought about how fast I could drive to their house and if it would be safe to drive myself. My mom picked up the phone.
Me: "Mom, what's wrong?"
Mom: "Nothing."
Me: "Why did you call?"
Mom: "I was just wondering if you were coming to my Memorial Day party. It's going to be lots of fun. Everyone is coming."
Me: "Is this seriously what you called for? Why are you calling me at 1am?
Mom: "I couldn't sleep and thought you'd be up. You were awake weren't you?

Needless to say I was relieved but a little upset.

With friends like these...

I don't mean to complain but this really annoyed me and I had to vent:
Have you ever done a favor for a friend, initially without hoping to get anything in return? You were just trying to do something nice for a friend.
Later, the situation arises when the friend can return the favor, and suddenly they can't be bothered to help; it would be too much of an inconvenience. Seriously? And the friend says, "you understand, right?" Yeah, I understand you're selfish.
Luckily most of my friends are a lot nicer than this.

When I looked up "friends" in Google Images, this came up with the title,
"Friends Forever."
Precious.

Cleveland Rocks!

A friend introduced me to this first video and I couldn't stop laughing. Yesterday I found out there was a second one. So for those of you who don't know much about Cleveland, here is a good introduction:
(caution: brief swearing)


And here is the awesome sequel:



I couldn't be prouder of Cleveland. If anyone would like a tour, let me know. Oh, and in Cleveland's defense, there are great suburbs. Like Medina:

I guess we can't joke about it yet.

I apologize if this picture is offensive. I think it is hilarious, and it goes with the theme of this post.

Today at work I had a patient's family member call in to talk to me. We had been talking about 10 minutes (she thought I wanted to know her entire medical history), when the topic turned to H1N1 virus (aka swine flu):

Family member: "So are you taking precautions against the swine flu?"
Me: "Well, we got rid of all the pigs running around on the floor."
Family member: Dead silence

So I guess it is too soon. But really, did she think we had pigs on the floor?

As a side note, I'm hoping that plane tickets to Mexico will go down because of the panic, because I'm looking for something to do over Memorial Day weekend.

Can I sleep for a day straight?

On Thursday when I was working, the charge nurse was trying to get nurse to come in and work the night shift as they were down a nurse and we were full. No one would/could come in. I told her I'd come in 4 hours early the next morning (at 3am). She decided to work till 3am and then I'd work from 3am to 3pm. So I left work at 7:40pm, fell asleep around 9pm and woke up at 2am to get ready for work.
As a side note, my patients were at the far end of one hallway. All 5 of my patients wanted pain meds every 4-6 hours. We carry the pain meds up at the nurses station, so each time they wanted some, I had to walk up to the station and back again. And you have to reassess how the pain meds work within an hour of giving them.
Anyway, here is a list in chronological order of how the day went:

• Get to work at 3am.
• Sit around looking up labs/test for 2 or so hours to pass the time (boring)
• Start passing 6am meds
• Patient collapses and unresponsive (not mine), crash cart rushed to the end of the hall
• Give out pain meds
• Day shift begins (hooray, only 8 more hours)
• Chart
• Help with complete bed bath to paraplegic patient
• More pain meds given
• Go to my patients room for the 3rd time to tell him to quit taking off his heart monitor and argue with with him why he has to keep it on (apparently having a heart attack isn't a good enough reason for him)
• Discharge one patient
• Lunch
• Admit new patient
• More pain meds given
• Start feeling guilty about leaving work after 12 hours when all our beds are full and agree to stay for 4 more hours
• Nurse yelling "we need help in here!"-patient having seizure
• Pain med time
  
• Ice cream break
• Get chewed out by paraplegic patient's girlfriend who is mad he is being discharged today instead of tomorrow (as if she gets the choice-she wanted to go out to the bar friday night)
• Patient's family bring in pizza for the floor
• Code Grey called-tornado warning. All patients moved out into the hallways
• Help move (along with 8 others) 500lb man from one bed to the next. After we roll him to his side to put the slide board under him, he yells "I'm having gas" to which we all jump back in fear. False alarm.
• Get chewed out again by patient's girlfriend. "If he had fancy insurance, you'd let him stay as long as we like." Um, this isn't a hotel, no one gets special treatment, and who wants to stay in the hospital as long as they like?
• Tornado warning cleared-move patients back into their rooms
• Leave work 7:20pm. Awesome.

This wasn't the worst day I've ever had. I know people have had a lot worse. It was just the longest (and most interesting) day I've had in awhile. And I did it with only have a Coke at lunch (they don't carry DP). I only slept 7 hours. I think I'll go take a nap. Or watch Lost.

Clouds and silver linings

Have you ever had something which you thought might be bad happen to you and then it turns out to be a wonderful thing? And looking back you wonder why you were so worried. Ok, that might not make a lot of sense. Here is an example:
Say you know you are going to lose your job. You've been worrying over it and thinking it will be this horrible event and you'll be sad, angry etc. Well, then it happens and instead of being upset, you couldn't be happier? And you wonder why you were concerned about losing your job in the first place. And you see how losing your job is a blessing.
Anyway, I had one of those experiences this week (no, I didn't lose my job). I feel great. Fantastic even. Maybe it's the spring weather. Maybe it's because the day it happened I got to take home a fresh bouquet of flowers from a patient. And on the way home there was a rainbow. Whatever it was, I love when life surprises you like that.

I don't like posting anything without a picture, so here is a demotivator to inspire you:

Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people each year who are trying to find it.

Another reason not to smoke...

is so your bathroom walls won't look like this:

(the worst I've seen it in months)

I've lived in my apt for 2 years. Before I moved in, the rental company put on a new coat of paint. I don't have a bathroom exhaust fan (it's an old apt), so every time there is a lot of steam in the bathroom, the nicotine seeps through and creates these lovely patterns on my walls. Gross. Really gross (luckily the stains wipe off easily with Clorox wipes). I think at this point I have scrubbed down all of the walls in the bathroom twice. I even keep the door open when the shower is on to help disperse the steam. Apparently a new coat of paint doesn't cover up the smoke damage. Fortunately the bathroom is the only room that has seen the yellow stains.

I know that cigarette smoke dissipates and that the previous owners clearly smoked inside, but since there is no end to the stains I think the old renters must have smoked in the bathroom. And that's trashy.

The point of this is: cigarettes+bathrooms=never ending stains.

Oh, and if you know of a more permanent solution for this, please let me know.

Germany: ich liebe es!

Last month I went to Germany and Austria. My friend Candace's aunt and uncle live in Frankfurt and were nice enough to host us. And when have I ever turned down a trip? So Kira, Candace and I flew over for spring break.

Bad Homberg

We found tiny doors all over

We drove along the Rhine river where there are castles at every turn

Like Burg Rhinestein

Burg Rhinestein

Later we went into Frankfurt

Heidelburg

Schloss Heidelburg

Entrance into Dachau concentration camp

Dachau. It was interesting, but very sad.

Our first glimpse of Neuschwanstein

Hohenschwangau Castle. King Ludwig's childhood home. My camera fell on the ground shortly after this picture was taken so I don't remember much from the tour. Except that the castle had secret passages between the king and queens bedroom.

View of Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein Castle

I was so excited when I saw the back side of the Neuschwanstein covered with scaffolding!
I mean really, couldn't they have just done part of it at a time and not the entire back side?

It is still beautiful, though

We then went to the top of Mt. Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany. As you may have guessed from the picture, it was freezing cold and windy on top.

I ate a brat. It was delicious. It might have been better if I hadn't scarfed it down in 3 minutes so I could board the bus.

In Austria, Aldi's is Hofer. (this is for my mom, who loves Aldi's)

Salzburg, Austria.
Mozart's birthplace and the city where the Sound of Music was filmed. We played silly American tourists and went on the grand tour of the film sites. It was fun thanks to our guide who mocked us and the movie most of the tour. Here are the highlights for anyone who has seen the movie more than 5 times (not me, I've only seen it 3 times):

The Von Trapp House

Where the backyard scenes were filmed (in the house across the lake)

The infamous gazebo. It was locked. According to our guide, some 80 year old lady was trying to jump to the different benches like in the movie, fell, broke her hip, and they had to lock it up.

Yes, those Von Trapp kids ran around this fountain.

Candace lost her right leg moments before while running through this pathway.

Do Re Mi steps

Entrance to Mirabell gardens (and also featured in the movie)

Rothenburg

Up inside the walkway around the wall. More cities need walls surrounding them.

Our last picture. Sad.

You better Belize it!

Last month I went to down to Belize and Guatemala. It was amazing. The 7 of us met up in the Dallas airport and started the introduction process (I only knew Kristin and Becca). After some delays we arrived in sunny, warm Belize. We got scammed by a porter (we thought he was our driver as he had our name on a piece of paper), met Manny our real guide and started the ride to San Ignacio, a town about 15 min from the Belize-Guatemala border.
Tourism is a huge part of Belize's economy. Americans make up 85% of tourism. Hence, many Belizeans speak English to help cater to us.

The adventure continues:

5 of the 7 of us were all redheads. Amazing.

We woke up and went to great outdoor market. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (including the oranges I got sick on). We met our guide and drove into Guatemala and up to Tikal.

Temple I

The courtyard around Temples I & II

A view of the tops of some of the other Temples

I also tried termites. They taste like carrots. Seriously.
Here is my shocked expression after realizing they do taste like carrots.

Zip line in Guatemala.
It wasn't as high up as Costa Rica, but it was still a lot of fun.

Watching TV in our hotel room and eating Mennonite ice cream instead of experiencing the San Ignacio night life. (In my defense, I was still feeling sick from the oranges)

Church in San Ignacio

The Blue Hole on the way to Placencia. They say that this connects underground all the way to Belize City and somehow "connects" with other underwater caverns out to the real Blue Hole in the ocean.

Dinner at Yoli's, a local restaurant on a pier

Ranguana Caye, the island we snorkeled around. It wasn't a national park so we were free to take anything we found. Like conch shells.

Snorkeling

We went fishing at the caye and I caught a bonefish.

The real highlight of the trip: Tutti Frutti's. The most amazing gelato I've ever had. Better than Italy. We frequented this place so much that the owner, Lorenzo, started taking requests.

Relaxing on the veranda

Placencia