kapachino

Category: me

  • I Am…

    …not hungry even though it’s my lunchbreak thanks to the free bagels and cookies someone brought to work.

    …excited about having joined 20-something bloggers.

    …contemplating an attempt on a VERY low-cost, creative makeover to my dining room. Any ideas? (It needs help desperately.)

    …trying to convince my husband to team up with my youngest brother on a blog because they are both hilarious.

    …loving my job. I had a dream that I quit and began working in a clinic instead and I hated it.

    …excited about the prospect of being able to do a little more with my blog design thanks to my brother.

    …wondering which of my 101 goals to tackle next.

    …nearing the end of two books simultaneously, which makes me feel incredibly productive.

    …relieved that my new stethoscope was delivered today.

    …dying for a shopping spree.

  • I’m Attending SchipulCon09

    My brother is a web designer and head of a creative team at a Houston web marketing/design company called Schipul. One of their clients is the Houston Zoo (check out the awesome website!), and this year Schipul is putting on a two day conference there. I follow Schipul’s updates on Twitter, so I knew this was going on but I didn’t think it applied to me.

    Then I saw my brother at church and he handed me a bunch of fliers for the conference. He said, “You should come!” I said, “But I’m not a web marketer.” He said, “It doesn’t matter, come hang out and learn about the Internet!” And after I noticed that I could actually get the two days off without taking PTO, and thinking about how I’d like to hang out with him and my good friend Margaret who also works at Schipul, and I saw the topics to be presented and that I was actually interested in some of them, I decided why not?

    So I’m going to a web marketing conference, and if you are interested in this kind of thing and live in or near Houston, you should come too!

  • Priorities, Time Saving, Organization

    Did you know that in soccer you can get a yellow card for time wasting? It’s true; my brother specialized in it. But wait, did you know that a yellow card, in soccer, is like a warning? And if you get two of them you get a red card, which ejects you from the game, and also the following game? Some people think of their cards as badges of honor, but time wasting? It’s kind of a stupid reason to get a card.

    I hate wasting time. On my days off, I feel really disappointed in myself if I’m not extremely productive. It’s kind of ridiculous, because I know I need to just rest sometimes, but in general that’s how it is. Lately I’ve felt my life drifting into disorganization. A few days ago I realized that I’ve been spending time on too many things that I don’t care that much about, and not enough time on things that are important to me. I wanted to make some changes, but first I had to evaluate my priorities.

    Work takes up most of my time now, of course. Apart from that there is time with David, occasionally time with family and friends, church stuff, and household chores/tasks. Those are all necessary, although the chores could be a bit more organized in their execution. There are two things that are important to me that I’m currently not making enough time for: reading for pleasure and Bible study. I do both, but not as much as I’d like to. So I’m determined to make the time, and here is my plan:

    1. Change my alarm clock sound. I’m hoping this will keep me from pressing snooze so many times, giving me more time in the morning.

    2. Every morning, over my bowl of cereal, do some Bible study. Lately I’ve gotten in the habit of checking my email during this time. I won’t let myself open my computer in the morning anymore.

    3. On the bus to work use my phone to check my email and Twitter. I’d love to also use this time (which is about an hour) to read, but who am I kidding? I’d fall asleep in two seconds. Best not to fight it.

    4. If I have any downtime at work, check Google Reader.

    5. As far as blog reading goes, I realized that I’m following way too many blogs about things I don’t really care about. I want to read blogs written by people I am interested in personally, have a personal connection to, or that are well written. So I’ve gone through and purged my GR of those that I don’t think I’ll miss.

    6. Read on my lunch break.

    7. Read on the bus ride home (until I fall asleep).

    8. I spent some time researching different “To Do” iPhone apps, and after much thought I downloaded one called Things for $9.99. This one is set up closest to the way I actually think, and it has some features that are important to me that aren’t available on free apps. It’s really helping me keep my thoughts clear so I don’t have to worry about forgetting something. I also downloaded a free app called Lists which is where I keep track of things I need to buy, grocery lists, wish lists, etc. I like to have this separate from my to do list. This app is simple and clean, and works just like I need it to.

    9. Usually for my days off I write down a ton of things I want to get accomplished. Sometimes it’s overwhelming and I don’t know where to start. When that happens I ask myself the question, “What are the things that I’ll be mad at myself about tomorrow if I don’t do today?” I’ll make sure to do those things first, and if I don’t get to the rest I’ll feel comfortable putting them off until the next day, or whenever I have time again.

    10. I don’t watch a ton of TV, but it’s something that’s easy to get sucked into. I have a couple shows that I like to follow, but I’m not going to let myself start a new show. I’ll still let myself watch Law & Order SVU reruns with David though, because it’s time spent with him. :)

    I’m hoping that streamlining my life like this will free up some extra time that I can use to read, spend time with David, and learn how to rest without wasting time. Anyone else have any tips?

  • Seven Things

    I was tagged to write seven things about myself on Saturday by Kaitlyn, and since she said I am an awesome woman I simply must comply. Tomorrow I should have some great pictures of our somewhat-finished living room to share with you, but for now I hope you enjoy these tidbits:

    1. I was born at The Methodist Hospital, same place I now work.
    2. One of my favorite things about my job is when I get to make beds. I’ve always enjoyed that task; I find it therapeutic.
    3. The mattress for our bed is my favorite piece of furniture. It cost $4000 and we are paying it off in two years, no interest. WORTH IT.
    4. I am also still paying off a $2000 credit card debt, amassed while I was in school with only a part-time job and measly loans to pay my bills.
    5. I am considering going back to school in the somewhat-near future to slowly become a nurse practitioner. I probably will, although it frightens me a little. OK, a lot.
    6. I don’t have very many irrational fears, although I almost had a panic attack when attempting to bait a hook with a live shrimp once. And I did have an emotional meltdown when a roach crawled on me in bed while staying at my brother’s house.
    7. My husband is not afraid of shrimp or roaches. And he loves me better than anyone ever could, which is the same way I love him.

  • #31. Take the Charge Nurse Class

    dscf2196

    I went to the 8-hour long class at Methodist the other week that supposedly taught me how to be a charge nurse. What is that, you wonder? Well, a charge nurse is basically like a supervisor. Except that we already HAVE a supervisor on our unit. Two, in fact: our director, and the nursing manager. The manager acts as the charge nurse Monday through Friday, and she doesn’t have a patient assignment. But on the weekends, we’re on our own. Someone has to charge, and that person has to have a patient assignment as well. For my weekend, that person is always my mentor Pat. But she’ll be retiring soon, so others will have to take over.

    At first, being the charge nurse doesn’t seem THAT hard. Here is a basic list of duties:

    • Assign patients to nurses at the beginning of the shift
    • Check the crash cart/defibrillation machine
    • Make sure there is the correct number of staff scheduled for the next shift
    • Be aware of the situation of all the patients on the unit by taking report, visiting each room, and making rounds with the doctors if possible
    • Help out the staff as needed and address any questions or concerns on the unit as they come up

    Okay, well maybe it does sound like a lot, especially if you have to take care of your own patients at the same time. But I’m not nervous about my ability to use my time efficiently; I’m nervous about dealing with conflict or issues with the staff. I am not an assertive person by nature. I dislike conflict. In fact, during class we took a test to determine our style of dealing with conflict and mine was a tie between avoiding and accommodating. I think that in real life I surprise myself and act differently than my gut tells me to, but I answered the questions on the test with my first instinct and this is what I got.

    The following weekend after the class I got the chance to put my newly acquired charge nurse skillz into practice. Pat was there for any questions I might have, but she let me charge. I had to deal with quite a lot of issues, but I came out alright. The part I liked about it was getting to meet all the patients on the unit and provide some care for them without the hassle of documentation. I liked feeling in the know about everything that was going on.

    But what I didn’t like was staff issues. Apparently I made a couple of mistakes in staffing, which were pointed out to me by my director when she returned. Also, there seems to be constant conflicts on our unit between the nurses and PCA’s (patient care assistants, which are like nurse’s aides). They all have extremely strong personalities, and I would rather just stay out of it. But as the charge nurse I have to be in the thick of it.

    Overall, I don’t like being the charge nurse and I don’t really want to do it. I didn’t get into nursing to be in charge of other nurses; I got into nursing to care for patients. I hate the politics of the workplace and I don’t understand why everyone can’t just do their job and get along. I’m going to have to be the charge nurse this weekend again, and I’m not looking forward to it. But this is what my unit needs from me, so I guess I’ll just do it and hopefully become a better person along the way!