Sometimes I hate my job...

First, let me explain. On Orthopedics, I usually see people pretty battered, but usually fixed up, and walking out the front door. The last few weeks, we have had numerous people admitted who come in with a fracture, and then receive the news that they found a "spot of interest" on the x-rays. Lately, this has been cancer.

An oncology nurse will be exposed to these people everyday, and therefore get a sense of "comfort" around cancer patients, meaning they will know what to say to them, and how to offer support. One of my patients received the devastating news yesterday, and today found out that it was inoperable.
She began the day with "I got some bad news yesterday." I knew what was coming, but didn't really figure it would work into my normal morning routine. As she told me the news, her eyes welled up with tears, and her voice began to tremble. I just held her hand, and told her that with today's technology anything was still possible. Now I know that we are professionals, but I am human first. As I was telling her this, my eyes filled with tears too. I'm sure everybody knows someone who has been hit by cancer. I told her that I would do everything possible to make her stay with us a comfortable as possible, and to ask any questions that she or her family had. Doctors are notorious for walking into a room, telling a patient some bad news, then excusing themselves as if nothing happened. We the nurses are left to do the damage control, and personally I wouldn't have it any other way. This is the hardest part of my job, but the most necessary as far as I'm concerned...

I consider myself lucky to be able to give this lady some hope and some laughter, even if it's for a short while. Sometimes I really hate my job, but sometimes I really love it too.

Baseball is fun....please tell that to the other teams.

I missed the first game last night, as I was at the Blue Bomber game.
We got beaten so badly, that they stopped the game after the fourth inning.

Skip ahead to today. I was able to play today. I was going to say I was able to help my team today, but we are really in over our heads in the division that they placed us in. We are ranked 16th of 16 teams in "C" division, and have been outscored a total of about 54-6 in three games.
It's too bad, because we're supposed to be playing for fun. I just wish the other teams got that same message.
It turns out Aaron (co-manager) was talking to the Commissioner of the league today, and he has the nerve to say "Oh yeah, I was looking at your stats. I think I should have put you in another division." You think?

Tonight we go to a house party, which is technically our "unofficial" windup party. At least I can drink away my sorrows. It will be short lived though, we still have two games to play tomorrow. Yay......

The big difference maker next year will be the matching T-shirts. That, and I'm buying cleats.
Wish us luck!!

Back, after a little break

I realize I've neglected my blog lately. As it turns out, I'm also a member of Facebook, which can be addictive at times....
I've just returned from Ontario, where Ali's family from down East was visiting. I tell you, there's something a little intimidating about having five teenagers surrounding you in a house. Non-stop eating, belching, farting, laughing, wrestling, complaining, being lazy, and eating again can be a lot to observe when you're not used to it.

I have my final baseball weekend coming up on Saturday, and I think we'll do alright. We have an "unofficial" windup party at a co-worker's house Saturday night, then the real deal the following week.
Before all of this though, my dad will venture into the big city for another night of football on Friday. They are honouring Milt Stegall pregame, so that will be exciting. It's a good thing we'll be there at 5:30 when the doors open.;)
When I was at my parent's house on the weekend, I couldn't help but notice all of the Blue Bombers merchandise that my dad and I have. My car has a few decals on it, as do my dad's Altima, Neon, and their new van. When I walked inside the house, I hung my Blue Bomber lanyard beside my dad's Bomber jacket and his Bomber pullover. At that time, I was wearing my new Bomber sweatshirt.....
If all that wasn't enough, I bought my dad a Bombers mouse, which I'll give him on Friday.

Sorry I've been neglecting you, my little blog. I promise to get back on board.

Idiosyncrasies of an Aries mind....

Title credit to my wife, Ali.
It was just, uh "suggested" to me that I write a blog. I've been in holiday mode for the last week, and truthfully, I don't think I'm out of it yet.
I worked 16 hours yesterday, because they were short staffed. Big surprise - short on a weekend. In the middle of Summer. It floors me that the powers that be aren't smart enough to see this trend happen every single year. They will be shocked when it happens at Christmas too. ;)
I say hire extra seasonal staff, just for these occasions. Department stores do this every year. Why? Because they know they're going to be busy. The last time I checked, Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, unlike a Target or the mall....

That's my soapbox for the day. I'm happy for Ali right now, because I know she's going to get to see the Bahama Mama this week. I haven't seen my best friend for a while, and wish we lived closer so we could hang out more. At least I have the option of jumping into my car and driving to see him, whereas Ali would have to book a flight. If I could just figure out a way to not work, or have to pay for airfare....

The NFL preseason is upon us, and my beloved Broncos play tonight. This is always a good indication of summer slowly coming to an end. I enjoy fall though, even that much more now, as my dad and I have starting bird hunting again. I love the smell of rotting leaves, and the many different colors we see as we walk down a quiet bush trail in pursuit of the dangerous Ruffed Grouse....

I'm still on board with the workout regime. I gotta say, it's kind of addicting. I'm sleeping better, having fewer leg cramps, and starting to feel better all around. Who knew exercise was good for you?
I'm a little embarrassed. I am constantly teaching healthy living to my patients, but never practiced what I preached until now. By the way, drink more water.

I'm off for a bike ride now. Gotta watch my girlie figure.

A quick pitstop...

Hey folks, I'm back in the big City for few nights. I have to maintain the control of my baseball team after all.
My cousins from Toronto are down in my area for the next few days, so I'm hoping to head out to their cabin and do some fishing. My other cousin is visiting from Alberta, so I'd really like to see her too. It looks like I'll be a road warrior for the next couple of days.

At the last Bomber game, the manager at the Bomber shop offered my dad and I some free Blue Bomber hard hats. I gladly accepted them, but thought afterwards that I will probably not wear it anytime soon. I do plan on taking it to practice one day, having a few guys sign it, and give it to a co-worker of mine who has a young son. I'm so nice. ;)
If it looks too good though, I might have to keep it for myself.
I still have a few days off from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, and I plan on spending it relaxing by the beach, working on my tan, fishing, swimming, tubing, and visiting.
See you next week.

Too humid to think

My holidays start this week, and I have no official plans. I've always been one to just pack up and do something, so I think I'll be fine this week. I want to do some fishing, golfing, and maybe some swimming at the local park.
Ali and I will have the weekend, then I'll be with my parents for the next week or so. Of course I have my baseball team to look after next week, and I'm actually surprised that we'll be able to field a team, with it being a long weekend and all....I guess they love beer as much as I do.

This current heat wave has me feeling very lazy. I don't want to leave the A/C, and my car doesn't have it, so driving really sucks. I'm very thankful that I have an indoor job now.

Aside from that, nothing else to report here. It's been a lazy day, and now I'll have a lazy night at work.
I actually cleaned up a little around the house, just to stay cool. I promise I'll do more on Thursday when I get up.

I like fire....

So Mr. Stegall got the record. 139 TD's and counting.

I was also thinking of how much I like sitting around a fire with people. There is something soothing about watching the fire. It could really put me to sleep. Thanks to our hosts, Zig and Alyssa. I wish I could have stayed all night. Unfortunately, I had to work today, so I ducked out early.
Sitting around with a group of people puts me at ease. I never feel shy, or reluctant to talk to anyone. I guess that's why Ali and I get along so well. We're both social butterflies.
It's usually a competition between Ali and I to see who can get the most laughs. We feed on each other's jokes and stories, and usually go off on our own little tangent, but I digress.
I really have the urge to go camping now. We had mentioned camping last night, but a few people sound a little to "high maintenance" to roll with us. We set up a tent, sleep on an air bed, and do all of the cooking over the campfire or our Coleman stove. That's camping. Not a huge 300' RV like some people I know. (Reggie). ;) By the way, does that thing have it's own satellite?
Maybe if I ever camped in an RV I'd change my mind, so I'll hold judgement for now....
We always have the invitation to go camping, we just have to actually pack up and go. Maybe next weekend? Nah, too hot.

Friday night lights

Tomorrow is Friday. Around here, this means a Blue Bomber game. My dad will be making the trip here from Ontario, and we'll head down to the stadium early.
I love game day. Seeing people walking around in their jerseys, waving flags, and honking at each other as they excitedly make their merry way down to the stadium just gets me so happy.
Enough of that, I know I've already told you before about the whole CFL experience....
I now have two Bombers flags which I fly proudly from my car. The one is quite large, and to be honest with you, it hurts my arms after holding it in the air for a while.

Tonight will consist of me cooking a BBQ chicken, watching another CFL game on T.V., drinking a Corona or two, driving Ali to her girl date, then relaxing for the night. I'm very much liking the idea of sleeping in tomorrow. I have been up at 5:40 a.m. the past few days, and gotta say, that's just a tad too early for me.

I just hope I forget it's game day tomorrow. Ah, who am I kidding, I'll probably sleep in my jersey tonight....

Go Blue!!

Just like Dicky Simmons, I'm sweatin' to the oldies...

Sometime about two weeks ago, I woke up and decided to get into shape. I guess I'm not really overweight, I just wanted to do a few things differently to feel better about myself.
I have been lifting some light weights for a while now. I've bumped up the frequency, and when you do slow reps the correct way, any weight will work to your advantage.

Since my back surgery in 2005, I have wanted to be able to jog pain free. I tried running on the soccer field one day to lessen the impact on my back, and felt no pain. Now, I'm trying to run three to five days a week. I figure this will also decrease the frequency of my leg cramps, which really hinder me sometimes, as well as prevent me from snoring - which Ali will also appreciate.

I notice the days don't drag as much now either. I seem to have more energy throughout the day, and feel better at night. I guess I'm lucky, because I never really crave chocolate or pop. Just lots of water.

I'm trying very hard not to treat this as a phase. This is really becoming a routine, so it is getting easier, and I actually look forward to running. I just wish the weather would cool off a bit. Running when it's 39 Celsius kind of sucks...

Aside form that, I'm looking forward to the Bomber game on Friday, and a bonfire with friends on Saturday. After that, it's four shifts, then holidays. Maybe I'll finally get to go fishing again.

Breathe in.......breathe out.......

This weekend, I hope to relax. I was telling Ali that I have been just sitting around here, but I never truly relax for some reason. In our hometown, it's always a little easier to....relax.
I'm going to bring my golf clubs. I was hoping to do some fishing, but I'll golf any day.
Also, I'm picking up my car again. I was able to get it to my good mechanic, and it apparently has been running well for him.
I get to visit my best friend again. It's been forever since I've seen him, and I think we're both in need of some "guy time" involving some good conversation, and some cold Coronas.

After this relaxing weekend, I will return to my beloved baseball team. We are still slowly getting better, and I have noticed a better team feeling at work now because of the team. Everyone gets along a little bit better now, therefore making work more fun. Speaking of fun, I was flattered the other by my co-worker Aaron. We were sitting in our break room, and the conversation turned to how crazy I am at work. I'm constantly singing a song, or doing some stupid dance moves just to keep the mood light. While one of my friends was on holidays in England, I picked up her rotation, thus allowing me to work with Aaron everyday. He went on to say that working with me so much was the most fun he's had on our ward yet. That made me feel good. I like when everyone enjoys my company, and can have a laugh at work. May I remind you that this is usually reserved for co-workers. I turn on my professionalism like a light switch when I walk into a patients room. ;)

I just wish I could muster up some of that energy during the drive to work in the morning. Ali is all fired up, and I'm sitting there like somebody just shot my dog. I guess it takes a large coffee to stimulate my, uh, ....funnybone.

To be young again (no thanks)

Last night, I stepped back into 1997. I was 19, living on a Military base, and was free to come and go as I pleased. First things first, Ali always lets me do what I want. I just have to make sure that I call her, and give her an update.
Getting back to last night. After our weekly baseball game, the team headed to our sponsor's for some beer and wings. My friend Aaron is still home alone, as his wife and son are in Alaska.
As we were leaving the restaurant, Aaron invited me over for a beer. Since I was driving him home anyway, I called Ali and let her know that I would be a little late.
As it turns out, somebody else heard this invitation, and before you know it, the entire team was figuring out how to get to Aaron's house. Since I'm the responsible one, I offered to be designated driver.
We get to Aaron's house, file into the basement, and begin socializing. A few people are playing cards, some others are having "girl conversations" in the corner, and Aaron and I talked about our tastes in music. His dad used to own a music store, and Aaron is in the process of cataloging the entire collection to sell on E Bay. As I leafed through the many pages of CD's/LP's, we reminisced over certain albums, and where we were when we first heard them.
After the beer was gone, the host wanted to continue serving his guests. He cracked out a bottle of homemade red wine, and offered it around the room. Being one of two people not drinking (Justin is the baby at 20, and only drinks Iced tea) it was getting a little boring. I just sat there and rocked out to Nu Shooz and a few others, and let everyone else have some fun.

11 p.m. quickly came and went. At 12 midnight, I decided to call Ali and tell her that I was still there, and would be leaving soon to drive people home. We finally left at 2 a.m.
Now, I feel old staying out past midnight. We all had today off, so I guess that's why everyone decided to stay out late.
I'm all for going out to bond with co-workers, but next time can we go somewhere and be home in bed by 10?

Insert power ballad here

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Eighth wonder of the world. Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2.
This game has overtaken me, and Ali is starting to crave it now too.
The concept is simple - you use the controller, which is the "guitar" pictured above, and you have to play various songs using the color coded buttons. Let me tell you, this would be a blast at any get together.
As you can see, I was really belting out a power ballad to Ali last night before I headed out the door to work.

In other news, I had to drop off my car at my mechanic's last week, and decided to go with my parents to Bemidji Minnesota for a day of shopping. Bemidji is a nice town, with a nice feel to it. It's on the lake, and it's a small town feel with big city shopping. The Target, 24 hour Wal-Mart, and Herberger's are a few of our favorites.
It's so nice there, my parents make the 1.5 hour trip every second week or so. My dad even said he would like to live there, and giving that he really doesn't say much about living anywhere, that's a big deal.
This is where I bought my game that forever changed my view of guitar playing. Ali has her guitar, I now have mine. I think I'll name him Joey. It goes with Ramona quite nicely.

Getting better

Our baseball team is getting pretty good now. It took us a few weeks to start to gel, and considering we are the new team, being our first year together and all, we're doing alright.
Most teams we are playing have been together for four to five years.
Our current record is 8-14. If the playoffs started right now, we'd be in the "C" division. It still pisses me off that there is a team that is undefeated after 22 games, outscoring the other teams 260-55. We have a mercy rule, and the game is called if the other team is ahead by 10 runs.
How fun would that be? You go out with your team, destroy the opposition, then go home after only 30 minutes of baseball. Woo!

The best thing I enjoy about playing is that you get to see your co-workers outside of the work environment. We have to maintain a certain level of professionalism, so it's kind of hard to be "yourself" all the time.
You can relax, have a few beers, and tell those bad jokes without repercussions.
I'm really looking forward to the playoffs at the end of August. Go Skeletal Remains!!!!

P.S. I didn't pick the team name.

All right Winnipeg, you ready to RAWK?!?!

On Friday, Ali and her co-workers had their annual pig roast. This was the first time I have ever eaten slow cooked-peel-from-the-bone pig, and it was goooood.
Amazingly, the BBQ was over by 10:30 p.m. and as expected, we were some of the last people to leave. Some other "highlights" of the day included me suffering a mild sprain to my left ring finger from a football, me getting hit in the "no-no" zone by that same football, and then Ali's boss getting hit in the face by a smaller football, causing him to lose a lens from his sunglasses, and get cut on the bridge of the nose. To nobody's surprise, he left shortly thereafter.
The main lesson of all this? Don't play catch when you're drinking.

As we headed back to Zig and Alyssa's house, we were talking about a new video game that Zig had purchased. It was called Guitar Hero II, and it has consumed me. Since I am not gifted in the art of guitar, this will probably be as close to a "rock star" as I'll ever become.
You hold this mini guitar, select a song from the play list, then have to strum and hit the colour coded strings in time to the music. I've gotta say, even though I sucked, it was a blast.
I vowed the next time I play this game I will try it left handed. It was weird playing a guitar on the opposite side of which I am used to.
Get ready Zig, I'm ready for round 2.

Untitled

Hmmm. What's new with me?
I finally get back to co-ed living tonight, as Ali and I have been on separate schedules for the last week or so. I'll be nice to have a home cooked meal, and spend some quality time with my wife again. In case you were wondering, I'm roasting a Mesquite BBQ chicken with rice and veggies.

My parents will be in for a quick visit this week. My dad will be joining me at the football game, where one of the all time best receivers in the CFL, Milt Stegall will go for the record in touchdowns (138).

Why is it that my arms always tan darker than my legs, when they've both received the same amount of sun? Furthermore, why does the skin just above my knees tan darker than the rest of my legs? Is this just me, or does it happen to everyone?

I really want to go camping. We haven't made it out yet this year, and with my holidays only being at one week intervals, I have to spread myself pretty thin. My wife, best friend, and cousin from Alberta all want to do different things. I'll just roll with the punches, and see what happens. I was never one to really plan anything out anyway.

Lastly, my beloved car is acting up again. Spitting and sputtering, it made it out to the baseball diamond and home last night, but I think it's only a matter of time before he croaks again. Now I"m just waiting for that dreaded phone call from the mechanic. I hope it's a cheap fix.