National Mall

     Today my goal (lofty as it may be) was to cover the National Mall. First stop, Washington Memorial - CLOSED for repair from the earthquake. Really. STILL. Ok, so much for that one. Next the WWII Memorial, the Reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial. Next to Arlington, the pool and Lincoln gave me chills. When I thought about how I was standing and looking upon the same things as all those who attended the March on Washington. What they had gone through before, during and after was simply chilling.

     I guess I must have been overwhelmed because I actually almost left without seeing the MLK Memorial! Totally impressed and sooooooooooo thankful I didn't forget. Oh and awe...

The moment I thought I was getting arrested...

The next weekend or so I go to church in Maryland with my boyfriend's (at the time) sister and brother and I end up spending the night at his sister's. As I was getting dressed to return home, a college friend FB messengered me with an invitation to go to the National Aquarium in D.C. I decide to drive back to a metro station closer to my apartment here and ride the metro in so I wouldn't have so far to drive back home. Well as I am driving, the GPS is not taking me back the way it took me the previous time I left Maryland-seemed to be really taking me out of the way, especially when I saw the sign ahead of me as big as day - 95-S/495-S. So I think, why go 20 miles out of my way when the highway I want is right here? I take the 95-S/495-S and ignore Google maps. Something wasn't right. All the signs seemed to be bringing me closer to D.C.!. Keep in mind, my friend has already been there 30-40 minutes so I texted her that I wasn't likely to make it. I get off an exit, reprogram Google maps and try again. This seems to be looking better, only I see a strange site ahead in the distance and a sign that says something about a bridge. The Woodrow Wilson Drawbridge. So I am not really fond of bridges, especially these crazy modern contemporary designed ones that look as if they are held together by spider webs. I mean for crying out loud, there are traffic lights on the bridge! So I finally make it into the city, drop my car off @ the metro station and catch the metro to the city to go to the aquarium. As I come up out of the metro station, I am looking for signs that will lead me to the aquarium and as I walk into the building, place my purse on the xray machine conveyor belt. It was then that I remember that I have a stun gun in my purse. By the way, the aquarium is in the basement of a FEDERAL BUILDING-Department of something or other. Naturally I am nervous and pray that the fact that it is also a flashlight will get me through but NO, the slightly pronged tips give it away and security stops me. They inform me that they will have to call the supervisor and can't just hold it for me while I visit the aquarium. As I wait for the supervisor and attempt to pray, the security guard begins to marvel at and question me re:the stun gun. Voltages? Why I have a stun gun? Where did I get it? One guard calls over the other one and asks her "Don't you have this model? No girl, I have the old model-this here is the NEW joint!" So the supervisor arrives and asks me why I have it. "Let's see, I am single and I live alone in D.C.! He then informs me that stun guns were banned 2 years ago in D.C. and that I could/should be arrested on the spot! He tells me to not show it to anyone. I tell him thank you and not to worry because I will NOT be hanging around in the city. I was getting back on the metro and heading back to VA!

Metro tales

     Visited Arlington National Cemetery on my day off. This would be my first venture into the city, my first time on a metro train and my first outing since being here in the DMV. I know I will be here 13 weeks but I didn't want to waste any time. I used my handy dandy DC Metro app for the iPhone and I was really excited. Purchasing a SMART card took more time than I anticipated. I thought I would just walk up to a booth and buy a card, but instead I had to contend with a vending machine, which should not have been difficult, but proved to be just that. 

     After what seemed like 30 minutes I had a SMART card which covers the parking too. After getting off, I walked up the stairs to the street and the sunlight actually kind of rained down on me as I walked upwards toward the street. I turned to the left and as I walked I began to see the beginnings of the cemetery and just how expansive it really was. I believe it creates a U shape, so it is on both sides of the street.

     I decided on a drop off tour so I saw the major sites of Arlington. And the piece de la resistance was the changing of the guard. Simply incredible. As I was leaving and walking back to the Metro, I realize that one of the many other monuments is just down the street, but my feet really hurt and I was hungry so I decided to call it a day and take my tired bones home.

Culture Club

     This area has a lot of diversity. West Indian, Hispanic, Indian, African, Korean, Filipino and an array of Middle Eastern culture. I met a patient from Afghanistan. The patient was older and spoke no English. I could tell she was nervous. She asked her daughter to apologize for not speaking-she was so sweet to be thinking about manners when she was about to undergo surgery. One of her children tried to review a few important words in English, things like 'take a deep breath' and of course 'pain'. I tried to recall something concerning cultural diversity from nursing school. She wore the traditional head covering and I remembered that it was important so I didn't want it to be stained by the Betadine prep or anything else, yet I wasn't sure if I could remove it, so I finally had to ask about removing it and why. I assured her daughter that it would remain in place until after she was asleep and I made it my business to replace it as best I could before she awoke.
     The adventures continued as I prepped a patient for a hernia repair, a common surgery that I have prepped for many times before. It was a pretty significant bulge in the groin which had pushed the penis away from midline already, but as I performed the scrub and paint I noticed that things were getting firmer. Oh OK harder! There I said it! Just then the surgeon walks in and says "what's going on in here." I couldn't even say anything. One of the surgical assistants chimed in "I shaved him and he didn't do that for me!" Later the other surgical assistant told me that the surgeon stated I had actually made his job easier...

Adventures with Doctors!

     So it takes 3 weeks to finally gain computer access so that I can work on my own. Before and after that time I endure the looks of 'who is this new nurse & I don't want her in my room', which is quite funny to me, but I endure. Sooner or later they will have to come through me. I am a traveler. It's what I do ;)
     So I am finally on my own and I am awaiting the arrival of my surgeon, who I have no idea what he looks like. On top of that I am not wearing my contacts so I can't read the name tags! I am depending on the pre-op staff to give me a description. My surgeon walks in and the description was right on so I knew who he was immediately. My eyes go straight to the Dallas Cowboys lanyard around his neck. I proceed to blurt out not an introduction but "I like you already", to which I get a sideways look as he walks away. Oops!
     A few days later, one of the surgeons is sitting on a cord. I figure its a thin cord, I should be able to pull it out without him noticing. Well he does - only he thought it was my hand. I say,  "Dr. we just met!". He says, "I know, I was thinking I may come here more often!"

The DMV!!

     So now I am in the DMV, which stands for D.C., Maryland and Virginia, a larger and busier metropolitan area. This time I had to make the 13 hour trip back home all by myself. I packed up ALL my stuff, packed my truck and drove home for the weekend.

Crossing the Mississippi River again on my way HOME!

     

Welcome to VA!!

     I arrived here Sunday evening to stay in a hotel because my apartment had no furniture until the next day. The hotel was nice except the business area as they called it consisted of an e-computer without Microsoft Office or its own printer - NOT COOL!.
     The first couple of days at work was spent as usual in orientation of all kinds and tons of computer based training. Talk about sleepy days. Thankfully week one went by and I was finally into orientation and actually in a room. This was my opportunity to learn the computer charting system - EPIC. That was really important because I had not previously worked with it anywhere else.
     On day two after my arrival I was finally able to unpack my truck and move all my junk in on the second floor. Thank God my apartment is on the front - closest apartment to the stairs. Very modern appliances - all stainless steel, beautiful countertops and cabinets. The furniture is so so, with possibly the world's most uncomfortable sofa EVA! But get this - what do realty properties have against overhead lighting? Other than the kitchen and dining room this joint has no overhead lighting! I had to request a floor lamp from my travel company, otherwise I would have been living in a dungeon for 3 months!

     Again, I had mapped out a couple of churches in the area - so I was excited for my first week to attend. Extremely large congregation. AWESOME WORD!. Enough said!

LOVE the kitchen!

Last Days

     Well my ArkLaTex assignment was a pretty descent one. My last days were spent getting drug tested (again) for the new assignment I accepted, and of course packing. My last weekend a member of the church I was attending invited me over for dinner after church which was nice.

     My assignment ended on a Tuesday and I was out of there on Wednesday for my long journey home - alone this time.

     Kinda weird, but I met more people on my move out day than I think I met outside of work the entire time I was here. One of the maintenance men actually helped me tote some things down to my truck. Then a cleaning crew came to clean the apartment next to me, (which would explain why I never saw anyone there) and one of the crew also assisted me.

     I tried to do the trip in one day but I couldn't make it. Stopped on the other side of ATL in Conyers for the night. Next stop, HOME SWEET HOME (for the weekend) by way of my SWEETIE 1st!!! 

Hurricane Isaac

Hurricane Isaac decides to make itself known - considering the history of the area I was concerned. Before accepting the contract I was sure to investigate this whole hurricane/weather situation, but I was wrong. Thankfully I had a few days to prepare in the event of the storm really coming down the line.

What I discovered is that my city is a lot like my home - far enough inland that it is usually the evacuation destination. Forecasts were coming in about 5 days before landing. I did the usual prep - buying some non-perishable food items and bottled water, prayed and prayed more.

My family and friends were highly excited by the prospect of me being caught in the hurricane especially by myself, so I decided to start a hurricane update - periodically I would send a mass text message to everyone reporting the progress and projection of the storm. This method seemed to calm their concerns and nerves.

Thankfully the storm moved exactly as expected. Many residents of the low lying areas were evacuated to my city and I think we only experienced a little rain. So Thankful!!!

Big Storm!!

     So on a random morning I am preparing for work as usual and I can tell that it is raining pretty hard, but no big deal right? Boy was I wrong. This rain is unlike anything weather wise I have ever experienced, and I survived HUGO!! Water was coming down sideways and it hurt-literally as it hit me in the face, but you run to the car and it's over. 
     Next comes the lightening with booms so loud my SUV shook-not to mention the paths seemed so close and frequent that it was blinding-my eyes didn't have the chance to adjust-it was like the paparazzi!
As I try and make my way to work, the car in front of me is slowing for no apparent reason, then he stops and makes a U-turn. Then I see why-another car has attempted to drive through a significant amount of water on the street and is now flooded in water above the doors! It was hard to see. Perhaps if he wasn't there I might not have seen it either!?
     I only know one route to work so now I have to navigate the city to find my way to work. The weather report on the radio tells me not to go under the interstate as it is also flooded. Of course I call the hospital and make them aware of the situation but that I am making my way. I'm doing pretty good figuring it  all out. I have to make a couple of U-turns due to the water levels at various street. In the midst of it all I forget that I drive a SUV (Thank God!) so I was finally able to make it through some water that other cars had to turn around for. I made it safely!
By mid afternoon you could never tell anything at all had happened that morning...

'Tha Boys'

     An old friend that lives in Texas told me about a gospel concert going on in Alexandria-it was nice to just get away and hear some great music!
     A couple of weeks later I hit Dallas for the weekend of a lifetime - A DALLAS COWBOYS pre-season football game!!! 3 hour drive, but there was noooooooo way I was going to be that close and not at least try to get there! I decided to go for church and spend the night just in case I could swing a tour of the stadium the next day.
     So, if you are a Cowboys' fan and have yet to experience a game, let me share some info I wasn't privy to. You have to have a parking permit to park in addition to your ticket. Without the mercy of a parking attendant I would have NEVER gotten in. I had to walk around one half of the stadium before getting to my entrance, but it was all worth it when I sat in that seat without hassle or disruption from anyone around. The jumbo monitor-Heck, just being there was a dream come true!
     The next day I took a tour of the stadium@ half price too! Didn't get to go on the STAR but the end zone was a satisfactory substitute :)
     Another one of those things I WILL NEVER FORGET and despite having to go alone, it ranks high with one of the few coolest things I have done!!!
Part of my NO WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA TOUR!!!

The End Zone!

Sharp Dressed Man! - R.I.P.