Baby Shower & stuff

Flew to Atlanta after I got off of work yesterday morning. Yeah, AFTER my shift. I was SOOOO tired, but it was SOOO worth it! :) My Aunt Margaret (Dad's little sister) threw Keri a baby shower, & I suprised KC by showing up. (As far as she knew, I was stuck in Baltimore working). She was so happy she started to cry! (Sometimes tears are GOOD!)

Mom brought some goodies I'd had tucked away for KC & Aunt Margaret for me... (I went a little hog-wild on the Carter's stuff before I moved, and it was all at my house in BFE so mom was nice enough to put it all in a gift bag and bring it with her for me).
But I also had a few other goodies I'd bought at the local Carter's store here in MD ... along with a kickass risque top I picked up for KC at Spencer's. I really wasn't sure if she'd hate it or how she'd react.. but she *loved* it! It was a total hit! Yeah, thumbs up.. and um.. a big p3n1s! It's definitely a BOY! hahah!
Sadly, I forgot my camera, & this is pretty much the only picture I took during the whole shower (with my phone) .. and I cut off her head! (This is what happens when you're up over 24 hrs and try to function!) Thankfully, KC brought her camera, and had people taking pictures for her the whole time, so I'm sure there'll be some kind of other pics to add. (*crossing fingers*)

I did take pictures today of other little things... found pictures of Grandpa Speed's artwork hanging in Aunt Margaret's house that I photographed. I also took pictures of a couple stone sculptures in the ATL airport that moved me. (I love seeing art in unexpected places!)

I'd planned on posting these pictures at the end of this post. For some reason, I can't get the HTML to look the way I want it to.. I'll post in a separate entry once I get it all squared away!

Neither Rain Nor Sleet..

Full size picture here

Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow will keep us from getting our mail...
BUUUUUT... a president-elect speaking in the neighborhood,
and you're out of mail for a bit! Just realized there was no mail
delivery Saturday, & because of the holiday weekend, that means
no mail again until Tuesday.

Actually I don't begrudge them. The whole neighborhood
was blocked off from all vehicles... I just got a snicker from it.

Hung the Eff Over

I used to pride myself on the fact that I've never, ever thrown up from drinking. And let me tell you, it's not from any lack of drinking, either!

... Until last night.

Holy mother of GOD. I cannot believe how sloppy of a drunk I was yesterday! I went to dinner at Cheesecake factory, and had wine. Then went upstairs. Drinking at the harbor. Went to the local bar that I like there. I always get well taken care of. Made a couple new friends. They decided we were heading to the Irish bar across the hall afterward. I got more shitfaced after that. I'm pretty sure all night I was only charged for 2 beers- and yet, I distinctly remember drinking at least 4 tall beers at Uno's + a shot of Jaeger. And um, at least one, maybe 2, tall beers at the Irish bar. Maybe more.. but def at least that much.

I remember leaving the 2nd bar... walking to the intersection with Megan (One of the girls I met last night that had been hanging w/ me. Her boyfriend was a mgr at the 1st bar we were at). I got home, and couldn't find my keys, or phone or access card to get in the building. So I walked the 4 blocks back to the bar. Um, when I got back to the bar, there was nobody in there pretty much. (Except the bartender from the first bar, and some employees). They looked at me and asked "Where the fuck did you come from?" I was like from here! I told them I was just here. All of them asked how I got black shit on my face. I was like What? One guy gave me a hot towel and told me to wash the black shit off my face. (I have no idea!!) I remember washing my face, then putting the towel in my mouth to get a vomit taste off my teeth. (Yes, I'm admitting this... but I don't know why). I have a distinct feeling that before I walked home, I threw up on the bathroom floor of the 2nd bar. - I have a fuzzy memory of someone (Megan?) saying something about having had pasta for dinner, and I asked "How'd you know I ate pasta?" (Um duh, because I was probably fucking wearing it!)

One of the girls there, she just kept questioning me. I was like, "I promise, I was just here. I got drunk, and walked home." Then she helped me go through all my pockets. Wouldn't you fucking know, all my shit was there, just hidden in *deep* pockets!? I felt worse the more she pointed out how fucked up I was. She gave me her hair tie- my hair must've been everywhere. She pointed out that I need to throw my shoes in the washer when I get home because they had vomit all over them. She kept telling me she was calling me a cab- and me, concerned that I had no cash, wouldn't let her. I was like, "I live 4 blocks away, and it would take longer to do that than to walk anywway." She took down my number, and actually texted me to make sure I got home. (Said she'd call missing persons if she didn't hear from me in 1/2 hour.) I think she is amazing. That was so uber-cool of her.

Made it home safely, and let myself in without problem the 2nd time. Stripped off all my clothes in the dining room, and passed the eff out. Now it's 8am, and I stink like vomit, and I have a pounding headache. (I totally did this to myself!) I work tonight, then as soon as I get off, I'm flying straight to Atlanta for my sister's baby shower. Fuck.

Going back to sleep now to try and recuperate.

Just so you know

You haven't actually lived
until you've seen PROACTIV
sold in a vending machine.

IASwIW & other shopping

Guess where I went yesterday! Yeah, that's right, Bitches! :D
Those of you on MySpace might remember my blog thread titled IASwIW..
If At Safeway I Would...

Over 5 years since the last time I was in a Safeway.
Yeah, and I pretty much didn't do anything that I said I would!
Mostly because I couldn't! The stuff I chattered about pretty much was exclusive to
California (or west coast). Sorry, link is for friends only. My Myspace stays private!

I didn't even buy a bottle of wine there. Really!!
Didja know that in MD grocery stores can't sell beer or wine?
Very strange. It all has to be sold at the liquor stores! Weird!
I just thought that was funny, because when I think of Safeway, I
associate it with their amazing wine selection. And in CA, you can
buy ANYTHING in the grocery stores.

PS. Maybe it was just the town I was in (Hanover, MD) but
Safeway wasn't quite as cool as I remember it. Probably because
last time I'd been shopping in Sonoma county, and that's just a
whole different entity. *shrug*

Did a little shopping while I was in Hanover. They have a huge mall there. Good times. Usually I hate shopping, but I enjoyed myself today. I'm still gonna need something to wear next week. I packed hella light for this move & definitely didn't pack clothing for festive occasions. (What the hell do people wear to baby showers, anyway?) KD may just wear um, her new pair of American Eagle jeans? Speaking of this trip... um... what the EFF was I thinking flying back into BWI on 1/19!?!? Oh guaranteed insanity. I may just consider calling for airport shuttle service. It's like $30 each way (which would cost me way more than parking) but for sheer hassle-free living, I may do it. Baltimore is expecting a huge influx for the inagural ceremonies, and BWI will most definitely be no exception!!

I booked my trip to Atlanta for next weekend.
Going to Sacramento for 2 days in February.
Moving again in March.
2009 is gonna be all about bouncing around!

PS. I think I'll really be sad when Sam Adams Winter Lager isn't on tap again. Love that stuff. I totally found a Chevy's in Hanover and was drinking a tall one with some fajitas at noon on Sunday. It was fantastic. (Except for the weird bartender that kept hitting on me and asking for my phone number- but hey, good food and good beer made it all ok!) Chevy's - another place I hadn't been since I left CA! The corn-hole was just as good as I remembered it! *giggle*

Charting

Yeah, it's really not good when you're halfway through filling out your flowsheet on a patient, then go, "Wait, who am I charting on, again!?" Lots and lots of boxes to fill out for even our most stable (non-medical) patients!

Paper charting on 8 patients is a LOT of writing. Thankfully, most of them are pretty stable and don't require much narrative. Once the eight million boxes are checked, I'm ok for most of the patients. I'm pretty much really starting to feel comfortable and enjoy my job. Most nights I work with some really awesome staff. The LPN I usually work with kicks ass. She & I started at the same time, so I was afraid at first that it'd be like the blind leading the blind, but it wasn't. She's great. And the techs.. oh my gawd. I've never seen such great help. They do so much, without even being asked- so I have time to get all my paperwork crap done.

And while this job is SWEET, and easier than any I'll ever see again, I've already decided I'm not renewing. It's not that things aren't good- the assignment is good, the city is great, and the pay is OK. I want to bounce around the continent for a while. I imagine the travel thing will get old fast, and I really want to see what's out there. Besides, I kinda get bored if I don't see wounds, needles and labwork after a while. ~ Like I said before, the number of assignments available right now looks really thin, and at least I know that I can keep this one if I need to! Backup plans are always good!

PS. I'm so going to hell for this, but I LOVEEE some of these fucked-up patients! They just make me laugh. I wish I could share them with y'all. I have one that has a head that looks like a deflated basketball. She's so messed up, and so damn funny. I can't think of her without bursting into laughter!

Take the Stairs!

Took them down, at least... on the way to the gym to work out.
If I wasn't so worn out, I probably would've taken em back up.
Solid marble steps and wood bannisters. It's really pretty.
Stairwells like this don't get much attention when in a
high-rise apartment!

Purple Capitol

Ok, seeing the capitol building all lit up in purple means nothing to most people. But I guess I see the irony or twisted humor in it. In the Carolinas, you can pretty much like 95% guarantee any time you see a building with purple lights on it- there's porn inside! Really!

So, I thought it was funny that the city hall or capitol (or whatever the hell building that is) was all lit up in purple when I looked out my window!

Come to find out, it has something to do with Ravens pride. They've got some "Paint the Town Purple" thing going. Still. I love the innuendo that comes to mind.

30 Days In, & Chance Cards SUCK

this is the harbor, as seen at about 730 am on my walk home from work.

I just realized that I've been here in Baltimore for 30 days.
I move again in 9 weeks! Holy mazola.

I went online to look at where contracts are available, and right now I'm not liking too much of what I see. Very few contracts at this moment.. it's kinda scary. Hospitals are tight-budget and travel/agency employees are easy to cut. (But for now, at least I'm working).

As for Baltimore-
I kinda like it so far.
Cold. Full of concrete.
But not too bad.


I feel like I'm starting to completely understand
the orange Monopoly cards all too well.

The county made an error and charged my property tax at the wrong rate. They sent me a tax bill for like $2400 or something. I went down to the assessor's office and got it all corrected (or so I thought) back in November. Afterward, it dropped to like under $700. Huge difference! Well my mortgage company paid the higher bill as soon as they got it. They sent me a letter a couple weeks ago stating that there was a deficit in my escrow account, and I needed to pay $1700 immediately. (Um HELL no, I'm not paying that!) So I called the Mortgage company, thought I got it all straightened out. I guess it didn't.. because on January 1, they raised my monthly mortgage bill by $300 "to cover expected escrow costs."

Really!? REALLY!? I should have an OVERAGE already in my escrow account, and you're charging me an additional $300/ month for the tax office error that was already fixed? The whole situation is pretty much fucked, to be honest. Um, dear credit card company.. I'll continue to make monthly payments, but paying off the thing probably won't happen right now- my money is kinda tied up. Maybe this is how the banks are saving themselves during this credit crisis? Do they hold on to ALL money they can?