L'aventure américaine

I have been reflecting about the last ten of years of my life. They certainly have been eventful. 10 years ago, I was starting the final semester of high school in Muncie. Since then, I have lived in Ohio, Montpellier, Ohio again, Lyon, Colorado, Bloomington, Indianapolis and now Phoenix. That's a fair amount of boxes that I have packed and unpacked. 10 years ago, I was sure that I wanted to be a physician and knew that I would never be a nurse. If I had followed that career, I would only be in my second year of residency and wouldn't have been allowed to be a bum nearly as much as I have been. I would have oodles more student loans than the oodles that I already have. I am glad that I am not a physician. 5 years ago, I planned on living in France after college for several years. I couldn't exactly visualize what I would be doing, but I knew that it would be fantastic, fun and lucrative and I would be very chic. While that fantasy still appeals to me, I now know th...

It was a different Christmas this year, obviously. It was my third Christmas away from home, but the first in which I did not have a solid family or friend base to rely upon. I had thought it was going to be a sad one, but while there were moments of homesickness, the majority of my Christmas day was a wonderful. I woke up with anticipation on Christmas morning and found sunshine streaming into my apartment. Santa had visited both Odie and I and we opened our stockings first thing. After a walk and some coffee, I opened my presents and then made myself a special Christmas omelette. It was a great morning. I later went to a Christmas party. A new nurse that I met in orientation invited me to her house for their Christmas; like me, most of their family was far away (in her case, New York), but her sister and brother were still in Phoenix along with some of their coworkers, friends and partners. It was an eclectic group, but a fun one, and I passed a very enjoyable evening with the...

My sewing practice has taken a vacation due to, um, a move to Phoenix and a new job. But, after receiving a beginner sewing book from my brother, I decided to pick up my art again. So, last night I played on the sewing machine. I started by reintroducing myself and trying not to break anything. And being a sewing prodigy, today I started (and finished) my first project. I was on a deadline because Santa comes on Thursday night and I want to make sure that my pretty little Odie gets something because he's been a very good boy this year. However, there were no patterns in my book for pet stocking and I was too lazy to look it up on the internet, so I designed my own. And here it is... in all of its 6 inch long glory. At a later date, I may embroider Odie's name on the stocking, but this'll do for now. I think that Santa will know whose is whose (if only because I have bigger feet).

Well, I was home. I ate. I played. I put up Christmas decorations. I enjoyed my family. And I returned. This afternoon I picked up Odie and reassured him that I missed him very much. Which is true. In addition, today I placed a nasogastric tube, did two dressing changes, started some emergency D5, and hung a heparin drip. Of course, all of these procedures were on manikins in the simulation lab, but I was successful, nonetheless. However, I am still missing my home a bit and who in particular? The cutest and best baby ever. And I am totally his favorite aunt.

I know, I know, I have hardly been in Phoenix. Do I merit a vacation yet? The answer is a resounding no... mainly given by my credit card... but, I'm going anyway. In four days I plan on eating an inordinate amount of cookies, macaroni and cheese, consuming a few gin and tonics, and soaking up family time to the maximum. But, mainly, I will dote on my nephew and will try to finagle my way into the favorite category. I know that 8 month olds are very selective in their core circle of friends, but I am determined to be in with Daniel Thomas. Happy early Christmas!

Having a job is not easy. You have to get up early. You have to take a shower. You have to eat at regular times. You have to drive to work (in Phoenix, anyway). All of these things require some effort. So, I'm exhausted. I haven't written this week because I've been introduced-out. I have met new nurses who are also on orientation; I have met the managers and other workers on my unit; I have met some women in a new women's group that I joined; I have met some new men and women in a young professionals group that I joined; I have gone to the Unitarian Church and met some members there. So, I'm exhausted. It's been a good week. People are nice. Phoenix is pretty. (Sorry, I just wanted to use some inane adjectives.) My update will not really tell you about my work yet because I haven't worked on the unit. But, from what I've gathered during orientation, Banner Good Sam is a great place to work, consistently rated as one of the top places of empl...

Yeesh. I cringe when I type that. However, at long last, I can say, "I'm going to work tomorrow." It's my first day of orientation at Banner Good Sam and I am nervous, but ready. Of course, I won't know much aside from hospital policies at the end of the day, but it will be a good start. It will be good to set my alarm, to get my coffee pot ready, to set aside the paperwork I need. It will be good to listen to NPR on the way to work, to wear business casual, and most importantly, to clock in! So. Day 1 at Good Sam. Tomorrow. (Oh and don't fret... Odie's reservation is already made at Doggy Day Camp for tomorrow!)

I don't even know what to address since I have had so many exciting things occur lately. 1) I know that you were all dying to know what happened at the PetsHotel. Well, Odie was the coolest kid in school and his Pawgress report was stellar. 2) Odie and my aunt's 9 month old dog did not get along and had to be separated for the entire Thanksgiving holiday. I am beginning to thing that the Pawgress report is just a ploy to get me to go back and pay for more services. 3) I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family from the West. A bit smaller than I am used to, but quite delicious and laughter-filled and even included a Charades game! (I used the traditional stumper: The Audacity of Hope) 4) I went shopping on Black Friday and arrived at Target at 5am. 5) The television that I wanted was sold-out at 5:15am. 6) I bought a more expensive TV at Sears at 6am. 7) I returned the TV because it was too expensive the next day, deeming me a total Black Friday failure. 8) I got a 12 p...

The apartment is very quiet now. There is no sound of chewing and no little paws on my lap nagging me to go out and play. It is very quiet. I just dropped Odie off for a trial run at the PetsHotel. The woman at the desk was very kind, offering him treats until he warmed up to her. She gushed about how cute he was, which I ate up like a bag of M&Ms. And as she looked over his paperwork, Odie started to sense that something was amiss, running up to me and whining. I wished him good luck and she took him to the playroom to introduce him to other dogs. I tried to stay hidden, so that Odie wouldn't see me and whine to be let out. I watched as the butt-sniffing commenced as well as the exploration of his newest environment. His tail was up, but he looked nervous. And I realized that I was sad to see him go and anxious that he be happy there. The woman came out and told me that my feelings were perfectly natural. She would call me if there was a problem, but Odie seemed ne...

While you may think that (gasp!) Odie is gone and/or has gotten a bath, neither is true. That is the name of park where I hiked today. I think that this might be the closest hike to my apartment, only about a 10 minute drive away. It was a gorgeous hike and I happened to do it when the sun was descending, causing long shadows to fall behind the seguaros. You may have surmised that I decided to forego the Nov. 23rd start date and commence work on Dec. 7th. Therefore, per some excellent advice, I plan on getting to know the area. Tomorrow... the Heard Museum. Wednesday, I'll stop getting to know the area and start to visit my family in New Mexico and Colorado for Thanksgiving. It will be a delightful, yet different Thanksgiving. And to fully buck tradition, I plan on going shopping on Black Friday. While I have condemned this day for years, I am in need of a television and am loath to spend too much money on it. So, this Friday, I will be out with the consuming masses pur...

I mentioned earlier that I had planned on studying cactus around the area. My education took a giant leap forward this weekend. I visited my great aunt and uncle who live in Green Valley, a town just south of Tucson (interesting because you have to be older than 55 to reside there). They were the perfect hosts and also believed that my cactus education was necessary. Especially after a hike with Odie in which we had to pull several different types of cholla (pronounced choya) from his paw. Odie loves a thorough education. So, they took me to the Desert Museum in Tucson. I saw gems, javalinas, the raptor show, mountain lions, sea otters and many, many types of cactus. I am not an expert, but I can answer questions about chollas, pricky-pears, hedgehog cactus and my favorite, the seguaro cactus. What's that? You wanted some trivia for the day? A seguaro cactus lives for over 200 years, but it's really impossible to tell how old they are. At fifteen years, they're on...

Here's the question: Some erroneous information from HR told me that I could get a temporary license in 48 hours. Long story and lots of bureaucracy later, it takes two weeks. I should get my permanent nursing licensing in two weeks too. Temporary license now becomes moot. So, I can work as a tech for two weeks and learn the layout of the floor, but not really be able to work as a nurse and go back to orientation after that. Or, I can wait two more weeks, visit friends and family in the area and go through nursing orientation like everyone else. What do you think?

It all started with a mouse. I had a mouse in my apartment and said jokingly, "I should get a cat." And Art Boy responded, "You should get a dog." And so I did. And he was great. Soon, I realized that he liked rawhide, so I bought him some rawhide. He was also so much happier in a dog bed we found after a visit to my parents' and an encounter with their dog bed, that we got him his very own dog bed. He also got an indestructible frisbee among other chew toys. I now had dog hair all over my car and my carpet and the dog was taking trips with me. I made my friends and family pet him and tell me how wonderful he was. It got worse when I knew that I had to move. He would be my only companion, so I had to get him safely to my new locale. Thus, my only option was to buy him a car harness and get sedatives so he could ride out to Phoenix comfortably. And now, as I unpack his chew toys, his dog dishes, his toothbrush, and his shampoo, I wonder at myself, bu...

Today Odie and I enjoyed our first hike. He was quite happy to be off the leash for once and we learned a couple of lessons together. Namely: unless we find a rock in the shape of a bowl (of which we did find one, but only one), I need to pack a dog dish for water for him. In addition, Odie learned not to investigate the bottom of a cactus bush. He escaped from one pretty pathetically with about 20 cactus needles in his paws. I have also surmised that I might be in a different climate here in Arizona. Evidently, the images of the cactus are pretty darn true and it was impressive to see them towering above me today. So, my new mission is to name these cacti. First off, our most famous and most impressive today: the Saguaro cactus. And the meanest cactus of the day, I believe, goes to the Buckhorn Cholla . Of which, I have no photos, but did spend 10 minutes in close inspection of the needles (as I pulled them out of Odie).

Today I saw my hospital. I did not go inside, but only saw the outside, since I just visited Human Resources and the Security Offices. But, I made the commute and I saw it. Good things: 1) There are several routes to take to get to work. One involves going through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and passing a Trader Joe's. 2) The hospital looks like a space station.

I am back online now and very grateful to be so. I have had to marvel at the many travelers before me who have moved out West without cell phones and internet. In these first days in a new city on my own, I am very grateful to have instant contact with people. I am also grateful that there was a Best Buy very close so that I could buy a new modem. I bought that before I bought groceries. I've got priorities! I have found some great trails near my apartment that Odie and I have enjoyed. Not a lot of dog-walkers, which surprised me, and only foo-foo dogs at that. Odie and I snickered at them after they walked past. I am worried that Odie won't be happy here with their strict leash laws, but I think that I might be anthropomorphizing him. He seems awfully content currently with a chew toy and I think that he's even more excited about the balcony than I am! Colts game tonight and I luckily found one of my Colts shirts packed among some books. I plan on frequenting a s...

Everything is in the new apartment. While it may have seemed like I had a lot of stuff when it was in my parents' garage or my aunt and uncle's basement, in my new two bedroom apartment, it doesn't seem like too much at all. Aunt Jan and Uncle Carl came up for lunch today and helped unpack. Then we roped a friend of a friend into unloading all of the heavy stuff. Lastly, we happily returned the U-Haul. I was not sad to see it go and we toasted its departure several times this evening. In retrospect, it seems that no one really thought that we could pull it off by Saturday. Fortunately, Mom and I are a foolhardy and actually believed that I would be moved in by Saturday. And so I am. Tomorrow Mom flies home and Odie and I begin unpacking. Life in Phoenix commence! (This made me think of home with fondness and LOVE.)

This morning, I put on my lucky underwear, earrings that belonged to my grandmother, and actually took a shower. In terms of wardrobe karma, there wasn't much more that I could do. But, evidently it worked. Yesterday, our realtor drove us around Scottsdale, but we didn't find a perfect place. Today, when the realtor picked us up with her two year old daughter in tow (to keep Mom occupied), we had that last minute panic to really inspire us to find a place. I loved the first place that we visited, but was trying not to get my hopes up too high, since apartment hunting can be full of let-downs as the previous day had shown. However, the more we looked, the more I was sure that the first place was the place for me. And the clincher came when the realtor said that I could move in the next day. A flurry of paperwork started and by the end of the afternoon, their realtor had said that she would hand over the keys. So, at 6:30pm tonight, I got the new keys and emptied the trunk...

That's the first line to the song I made up a long time ago when a digital clock would turn to my favorite time: 11:11. It only happens twice a day! As most of you know, I do love this time and day (still planning the 11/11/11 party in a couple of years) and so I consider it a good omen that 11/11 is the date when I look for apartments. Mom and I have had a leisurely morning and have enjoyed resting our respective buttocks from the not-so-comfortable U-Haul seats. Odie is enjoying life without sedation, although I'm not sure what he thinks of the desert climate yet (he misses grass). And we're being picked up at 10am to visit some apartments. I feel nervous about this, but I've got 11/11, so that gives me a little more courage. After all, I'm hoping to find a place and move-in by Saturday. That's reasonable, right? So, I've included a picture of one our stellar parking jobs. We didn't really attempt to back up the truck on this trip and were conte...

Mom and I have arrived in Phoenix after 1700 miles and about 30 hours of driving the U-Haul. While driving the truck got easier, I am pretty sure that both Mom and I will be happy to turn in the truck and be done with it forever. And Odie did a fantastic job. His sedatives worked marvelously (ever seen a drunk dog?) and he was content to be strapped into Easy Rider harness. Or relatively content, that is. I am feeling braindead and "The Andy Griffith Show" is distracting me (you can tell how tired I am when THAT is distracting me), so more stories to come. For now, enjoy the pictures of our adventures.

I missed yesterday, so I guess that I'm a NaBloPoMo failure, but I'll continue truckin' on. And speaking of truckin' on, Mom and I will be U-Haul truckin' it today. Car trailer is hitched, U-Haul is nearly packed. I'm moving to Phoenix. Ai!

I pick up my 17 foot U-Haul with car trailer tomorrow. This can lead to only a couple of outcomes: 1) I destroy my car and my possessions and pay out the wazoo in U-Haul insurance. (This is NOT an option, really) 2) I realize that I missed my calling, give up nursing and become a semi driver. 3) I drive out there with Mom and very white knuckles. Nothing dangerous happens and we make a fairly routine trip. Here's hoping for #3. (Minus the white knuckles)

Saying goodbye is sad. But, the whole thing is helped when you have ice cream sundaes for lunch. Mom and I shared a Fudge Brownie Sundae and a Sea Salt Caramel Sundae yesterday. Best lunch ever.

I just tried to have a lesson with my mom about photo sharing on the internet. Wow. One does not realize how complicated the internet is until one tries to explain it to one's mother. Of course, I'm pretty sure that my cousin felt the same way today when she was explaining threading a bobbin and a needle on a sewing machine today. Both Mom and I take furious notes though and that's bound to help. Self-threading sewing machine versus simple photo sharing/uploading/downloading sight... Which one is more necessary? What do you think?

Today I got bobbins and needles and thread for my new sewing machine. My uncle found one and I am the lucky recipient. Tomorrow I get my first lesson. So, I have proven to be less than mediocre in the art of drawing, painting and pottery. I do not excel in sports. I cannot sing nor dance. And I am determined to find a skill in which I excel. Sewing... here I come.

I am currently on hold with Uhaul. I am also currently having my first experience with rental trucks. During my other moves, I have been smart enough to keep my belongings to a car-full. However, after living in Indiana for three years and accruing enough furniture to fill a house, I'm renting a moving truck. This gave me quite the sticker shock. However, after bargain hunting with Budget, Penske and Uhaul and looking inside each truck, I have finally made a reservation. Just an FYI, Uhaul price matches the others which are significantly cheaper. Hurrah for bargain hunting! Now, if someone would just add a backseat for a dog to one of these trucks, this decision would have been much easier. (As it is, Odie will now be one of those geeky dogs in a car harness... yeesh...)

I like to think of myself as an original. However, if you look back at my personal history, it would seem as though I were a copy-cat. Case in point: 1) My older brother is obviously a boy. When I was little, I wanted to be a boy. Wearing shirts was a cruel punishment when Mom told me bare chests weren't appropriate for little girls. 2) My older cousin got an abscess on her throat and had to have a tonsillectomy as an adult, which is extremely painful. So, I got an abscess on my throat and had a tonsillectomy as an adult, which was extremely painful. 3) My friend, Laura, is doing NaBloPoMo, in which you post on your blog everyday for a month. So, I'm doing it too. Or attempting it. She has a theme. I don't... I'm starting to break out of my copy-cat role already.

The New Yorker, 2009.

My cousin and I have recently relocated to the hills of Greene County. Different opinions may project this fact in different lights such as: unemployed graduates return to live with their parents 'cause they can't get a job. Or perhaps, two successful students return to help their parents with the chores of daily life after studying very hard for years in order to get a bit of respite and bring joy to their families. I prefer the latter. If you put us together, we have three bachelor degrees and one masters degree, another one on the way. We have gained an extraordinary amount of knowledge in our combined fifty-seven years and we are prepared to save the world through architecture and sustainability and nursing. So, it is with great pride, I unveil our most recent creation: "Maple Town Returns." Pretty awesome, isn't it? All that education wasn't for nothin'.

Let's discuss the merits of film. First of all, I know that the book on which a movie is based is always best. Blah, blah, blah... Except for "The Devil Wears Prada," that mantra has held true since film was invented. But, you might find this rather shocking, I think that the "Pride and Prejudice" film that is less true to the novel is better than the one that does. I know that I can compare the two because for the last two nights I have watched them. On Sunday, my parents and I watched the entire BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" (or P&P as my cousin calls it). Then on Monday, for comparison's sake, my mom and I watched the 2005 Focus Features version of "Pride and Prejudice " (my dad's manhood just couldn't swing another night). I appreciate the BBC for its attention to detail, loyalty to the book, and the casting of the two main characters as well as Mr. Bennett. But, point #1 addressing the recent film's su...

Don't worry! It's just raining on my face. (Check out the link above.)

I wanted to read about Ted Kennedy's funeral this morning when I noted this headline on the nytimes.com webpage. "Students Get New Assignment: Pick Books You Like." This article, which I do think harbors a great idea, is spouting this new idea that is making the rounds in reading workshops. Instead of forcing students to read books like Moby Dick or any Henry James, students can choose anything they want. (Having read both Moby Dick and Henry James, I don't have a desire to read either of them ever ever again) However, I don't think that these authors realize how behind the times they are. My Aunt Jeanne did this with her students more than fifty years ago. It was always the example that my dad and I used when talking about her dedication as a teacher. Who would want to read thirty books chosen by their students? As Aunt Jeanne noted, "It got them read, but they read horrible stuff." I wish that she could have read this article. I can just ima...

Did you know that you can make an exploding cocktail? Add a mentos to a Diet Coke and rum (hold the rum if you just want an exploding drink). And watch your party go from kind-of fun to super-duper fun (and quite sticky)!

I have to wonder if it's worth it make a study calendar. I'm tempted to make another poll to see if people think that it is worth it to make a study calendar. I'm wondering if I have a procrastination problem. I take the NCLEX exam on September 10th. If I pass this exam, I will become a registered nurse. If I don't pass the exam, I will become a sad, homeless bag lady who makes her dog perform an erratic "Roll-over!" for food. Because I am telling you all this date, I am considered a "Sharer." A "Non-sharer," is a nursing grad who is so afraid that he or she might fail, they they refuse to tell anyone when their test date is. I think that I have to state the date just so my friends and family can hold me accountable for studying. Which brings me back to the study calendar. If I make a calendar in which I can cross off all of the days until I take the exam and check the days when I study for a half-hour, will that make me more produ...

If you go into my kitchen, you'll see my dishes are mounting. The number of job rejections isn't even worth counting. I'm sweating in this chair and the heat won't go away because the AC in my car and home went out on the same day. But, alternator belts and crank shafts are being replaced (even while my savings is being erased). And job offers will come and I'll have cool places to go And "Flight of the Conchords" ensures that my feelings aren't low. So I'm bucked up and am happy to say, that I'm in a good mood! (at least for today)

I saw "Julie and Julia" on Friday night and it was wonderful. I recommend this movie to: 1) Women in their 20s who are flailing and feeling a little lost in life. 2) People who love food. or 3) People who are fun. If you do not fall into any of these categories, then don't go see it, and you're probably not my friend anyway. So, go see it.

The nice thing about being unemployed is my daily walk with the dog, Odie. We've gone on nice long rambles to the river and the IMA and he's done an amazing job. We've been training him with a shock collar, and while this is somewhat controversial, after the first day, I've barely had to use it and he's so stinkin' well-behaved now! This morning, I decide to spice it up and go on a morning bike ride around Rocky Ripple. Odie knows the "Wheel" command that Nate taught him, so he pretty much stays right by my back wheel on the right side. Even when a giant white dog starts chasing us down the street... Odie totally ignores him. Hurrah! However, Cpt. Grumpy Neighbor further down on the street asks where Odie lives... and I told him... and then he informs me that Odie gets out and comes over into his yard. I told him that Odie was an indoor dog and only came out with us, but he told me I was wrong and he was there quite often. Harumph. Later, I ...

I told Dad that I would use real names after I'd known someone for a year. So, introducing Art Boy and I in our first film together.

I realize after uploading these pictures that I should have increased the size. But, life in the country is busy with bean-picking, chicken-feeding, dog-chasing, fish-catching, egg-gathering, tomato-harvesting, cucumber-eating fun and I just don't have the time. It is beautiful out here as always and Dad has outdone himself. You can't see the garden in detail, but know that you should. 'Cause its awesome. Isn't the black dog pretty? His name is Hank. He's delightful. You want him. Come adopt him. Back to bathin' in the lake and playin' in the creek. (I tried to write "crick" there, but I just couldn't do it.)

Step 1. Find a group of friends who are not easily grossed out, are not vegetarians, are hard workers, and have a penchant for the ridiculous. Step 2. Find someone who is willing to raise 100 (or 175) baby chicks for slaughter. Step 3. Wait 6 weeks or just until these heart-attack prone chickens keel over before setting the kill date. Step 4. Provide coffee the morning of the kill. Step 5. Nail two nails the diameter of a chicken neck apart in a stump and sharpen your machete. Next, assign someone with adequate upper arm strength and good aim* to free the chicken of his head. (*This point can be critical, as tested through trial and error.) Step 6. Jam the chicken in an upside milk jug with the bottom lopped off to let "Chicken-with-its-head-cut-off Syndrome" subside and to keep the blood in a localized area. Step 7. Dip the beheaded chicken in scalding water to help remove the feathers. Note that the temperature of this water is very important and workers further along th...

I forgot to log out of a computer and someone posted a comment on my blog as me, 'kj'. I'm assuming that it was Mom. But, it comes on the same day when Katherine Jochim (of San Diego, CA) requested me as a Facebook friend. Maybe I have an subconscious computer alterego.

Sometimes things don't go, after all, from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail, sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well. A people sometimes will step back from war; elect an honest man; decide they care enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor. Some men become what they were born for. Sometimes our best efforts do not go amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to. The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow that seemed hard frozen: may it happen for you. Sometimes -Sheenagh Pugh I have kept this poem near my desk for nearly a month now. It has helped and so has my cousin . Her care package made my day. I think that spring is finally here and 2009 is turning around. Welcome tulips and Pig Cats alike.