More to come later...

I haven't blogged in a while, but working day shift has gotten me all discombobulated. Is that how u spell that?? I don't really care.

Anywho...I'm just getting over a stomach flu/virus type-thing. I got floated to the PICU on thursday and some little JERK kid coughed right in my face while I was trying to hold her down for a lab draw. 24 hours later I started yakkin my brains out. Little jerk. That's EXACTLY why I DON'T DO big kids!!!

She better not let me catch her ass in the streets...

If I were a cartoon character, I'd have smoke comin out of my ears...

So, I've been in Nursing orientation for the past 2 days. It's been pretty cool. There are 3 other travelers and one full-time staff nurse going to the NICU. Everybody seems pretty cool so far. Me and one of the other travelers, we'll call her "CC," realized that we both like to drink and party, so we were already makin plans to hit up the French Quarter and Bourbon St. this weekend. We had even planned to get some drinks and then go on one of these "ghost tours" or something that they have in the city.

BACKGROUND INFO: When I accepted the assignment, I was told that there would be a day/night rotating schedule. Since I LOVE night shift (cuz we're the COOLEST!!!), I told her, the NICU manager, that I'd be more than happy to do nights if anybody else preferred days. She said that since that was the case, it'd be likely that I'd get the majority night shifts. That sounded good enough to me. I kindly reminded her on SEVERAL occasions that I would work nights. And there are 4 travelers and 2 of us prefer nights and 2 prefer days. Sounds simple enough, right? 50/50...

What did I get when she gave me my schedule for the next 2 weeks.............ALL. F-IN. DAY SHIFTS!!!!!! I was like what the hell??? I haven't worked a 12 hour day in almost 3 years!! The bullshit is...she scheduled CC all night shifts...and she specifically requested days. Does this make sense to y'all?? Why didn't she just give me the nights and CC the days??? So we asked her if we could switch and she gave us a response that basically said, "I'm the law around here...this is my unit...fuck you...get to work." Ok, ok...maybe it wasn't that harsh. Maybe I've taken the liberty to embellish a little bit---it makes for a much juicier story--- but she gave no explanations or apologies for the schedule. And she screwed CC even worse by giving her 4 nights IN A ROW!!! Now I've worked 4 nights in a row many a time, but that's DEFINITELY NOT something you schedule SOMEONE ELSE to do!!! That's some bullshit if I've ever seen it...

Meanwhile, I wanna vomit. Day shift right off the bat?? And by right off the bat I mean starting this Saturday! So basically I will have been working for 5 days in a row. Now granted...the first 3 were 6-hour days, but it's the prinicipal! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

She sucked us all in by telling us what we wanted to hear on the phone. She made sure to sound all nice and sweet...now she's bitch-slappin us all over the joint!

Ok...I'm gonna calm down. This experience is only gonna be what I make it to be. If I roll in Saturday morning with a shitty attitude, then I'm gonna have a shitty day, ya know? So...gray skies are gonna clear up...you know the rest of the song. I guess by Saturday...at 5 f-in AM...i'll put on my happy face.

I miss VCH.
I miss self-scheduling.
I miss being a nurse.
I miss working nights.

Oh...to make this all worse...me and CC arent gonna be able to get tipsy and hang with the voodoo priestesses this saturday night on the ghost tour! Not only that...we've been put on opposite weekends!! damn....Damn....DAMN!!! But you know...maybe I'll meet a hot, sexy-fine doctor on day shift that I wouldn't be able to see on nights... Tee hee... Shit...with my luck...I'll get hit on by all the cleaning crew and stock boys like I usually do! Am I a roody-poo magnet or what??

I need a drink...

Peace out, PIIIIIIIIIMPS!!

I got the blues...

I'm starting to miss my family and friends. Not bad enough to like feel really bad or anything, but i'm a little bummed. It's friday night and I don't have anybody to call to go out with or ask what's going on. The weather's a little weird down here tonight too, so it's not the best time to venture out and explore.

I called my mama to ask about Lola and it sounds like Lola is having the time of her life. I'm happy that she's happy, but i'm sad that she's not here. And...I know that she wouldn't be having as much fun with me. Up here, it's just me. In Nashville she's got my mama, my brother, and my mama's fiance's dog to play with.

So....I got the blues...and I'm not talkin about Kraft macaroni and cheese...

Blah.

Thanks guys...

Just wanted to say I appreciate the comments I've gotten so far. I'm glad to see people care about what I'm up to...ha, ha

Woo-Hoo!!!

I FINALLY GOT CABLE! I FINALLY GOT CABLE! I FINALLY GOT CABLE! If I had to watch another f-in DVD, I was gonna LOSE IT!! Now I can watch football! YEEEEEESSSSSSS! (I just did the arm movement that goes along with that...tee hee...)

"Tiffany Does New Orleans".....take 2.....ACTION!

Well...I'm back in the Big Easy (that's the nickname for New Orleans, right? If not...oops!) Anyway...I got back yesterday evening. I left Lo-Lo in Nashville for a while until I get settled and am able to find her some freakin grass! She's cool though...she's got another dog to play with and several people to keep her entertained. She may never wanna come back on the road with me...

In case you haven't heard...there may be another Hurricane A'Comin!! What the hell, man!!! This is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever encountered in my whole life. A part of me wants to pack up all my shit and leave New Orleans for good if I have to evacuate again. But then the other half of me wants to stick with it and stay in New Orleans until the end of my assignment....if I ever even start. Shit...I'm tempted to head for the coast and start Shrimpin' like Forrest Gump! I need to be makin some M-O-N-E-Y!

Today I used my GPS to basically get lost in the city. I found the hospital...definitely NOT Vanderbilt-ish. I don't even think I saw a parking garage. Anyway...I got lost trying to get back on the interstate. My navigation system was telling me where to turn, but I must be an idiot or something. Yeah...that sounds about right. While I was lost, I think I may have come across a dead guy on the side of the road. I tried to look and see if I saw any chest movement, but I didn't see any. I was in my car and my windows are tinted AND I'm just a NICU nurse, so what do I know? He might have just been sleepin one off.

When I got back to my side of town I decided to see what the mall was all about. It was LAME!!! There was a fake-ass "Build-A-Bear" called Jazzy Bears or some shit and there was also a SAS shoe store. Awesome. I've been meaning to get me a pair of SAS's. Those shoes are the whole reason I went into nursing. You're not really a nurse until you clomp around in a pair of SAS's!! I'm so lucky that I have a SAS shoe store so close by!!!

Next on my To-Do List: FIND A BETTER MALL! And I guess I'll go ahead and get a month-to-month gym membership somewhere. I found a gym right up the street, so I'll check it out tomorrow. I need to get the scoop on some good Happy Hours so I can throw a couple back and maybe meet some locals. I have yet to see/meet any of my neighbors and I was too shy to chat with the Grannies in the SAS store, so I havent made any friends yet. But hey...I've only been here a total of 48 hours. And providing the whole town doesn't get blown away in a hurricane, I'll have plenty of time to meet some people.

Adios, muchachos!

The wait continues...

What up pimps??? Well...I have yet to start my assignment. Heck...I was only in New Orleans for a little less than 24 hours before I "evacuated." Anywho...before the hurricane hit, I was told that orientation had been moved from the 3rd to the 8th. So, I had planned to make my way back to New Orleans friday or saturday. Well...today I talked to the nurse manager in the NICU and she informed me that orientation had been moved to the 17th!!!! WHAT?????? I'm not getting paid people!!! I got my last check from Vandy at the end of August and it doesn't look like I'll be getting another check until October. Sheesh...thank God for credit cards!

Anyway...everything's cool. I got an assignment in New Orleans for a reason. It must be where God wants me to be right now, so I'll continue to be patient and wait to get down there and start saving lives again =) I miss being a nurse. I haven't worked in almost a month. Oh well... I'll be back on the grind soon enough. But in the meantime I'm B.....O.....R.....E.....D!!!!!