happy that is over!!

 

just took the online exam for the ENPC class. won't be taking that course again.  either of those courses really. even if i don't retire. i'll not re up that. the exam was horrible. i was totally frustrated and actually near tears. it was the new edition.  the people who make these exams are clearly horrible, power hungry people. they make themselves feel good by proving they are smarter than everyone else because they can make everyone fail their test.  they make exams that take the most obscure facts and create tricky questions about them and demand very specific answers.  it was open book, thankfully, but still i had to look up/google nearly every single question. it is zero proof that i understood the basic course and had zero to do with the 2 days of class i just took. ridiculous. 

anyway. i can hopefully put that behind me now. last week i worked....ER and then ICU. the ER night was full of psych and screaming. so i was happy to not be back there the next night. most the ICU night went fine.  the last hour and a half got a bit crazy. i've only had adult patients with extremely high temps a few times and it's never a good thing. between 6-7 the temp climbed super high and super fast.  thankful for great co-workers who jumped in and helped me do all that needed to be done is that hour before we left our shift. 

in truth that is the stuff we live for as ICU nurses.  it's why i have always loved working ICU. people always ask me what is my favorite unit to work. i'd say it's still ICU. i'm happy to not be there all the time anymore but it's still my most comfortable/challenging place. ER and PICU are also challenging. ER is more physically challenging and PICU more emotionally challenging.  no matter where i go i have great co-workers overall. nursing is full of amazing people. i have met so many and we are put into crazy situations together and there is just something about being in the trenches with people in the job that we have. before this i was a vet tech, mostly in Er.  it was the same.  your team just takes on a different role in your life than i'd guess an office mate might. 

happy nurses week.  i was so busy those two nights for different reasons. did make it down to a little zen thing they had.  i didn't get that second patient in the ICU until around 4 am so most of the night i had one patient. got a mini massage. they also had stretching and rolfing? anyway, you just took first that opened and it was a massage. thanks. 

met with friends for some walks...or was that last week.  it's all blending together. two beach walks. one with the H crew and then the other with LS. LS and i hit the main beach in Kincaid. a few days later the report was there was a moose kill right there. it's that time of year. the bears are waking and gobbling up weak moose that just survived the winter.  nature is harsh. 

so haven't returned there again. 

these pictures are from a trek out of Seward back in '20. went out there again on Saturday with a few friends for a 3 hour trek to benefit Alaska Geographic. i think it was windy further out so we just wandered around closer to town. only one whale, fairly far off, but the most fun was the group of porpoises that circled the boat. they stayed quite some time and it was just fun to watch them. they are so fast. nobody got really great shots, but a joy to watch. the drive was beautiful both ways.

there was a silent auction on board. i ended with two packages. i'd gone through a few times just to help push up the prices, in the end i was focused on a few that i wouldn't mind taking home. my friend out bid me on the one cool bag. i have a cool bag that is very similar and if she hadn't i would have had 3 because one i'd bid on earlier never got another bid. it was mostly books and a few dvd's. good for some teasing though. 

i've spend some time this past week trying on old clothes.  i've gotten 4 bags full so far and took 3 to an abused womens shelter yesterday after class and before hitting the dog park. still way too many clothes that i never wear so i'll try to continue with that spring cleaning.  

put a few batches of free items out front and those went fairly quickly, just a few items left.  it looked like it may rain yesterday so i pulled what was left up onto deck. it did rain. 

i should pack up some dog toys for the shelter. i have way too many of those as well. 

i could hardly sleep Monday night.  we had class at 8 am both mornings, which for a night shift worker is no fun.  thankfully, they changed the second day from 7 am to 8 am.  there were only 7 students in class. 

i think i had some test anxiety and concerns i wouldn't wake in time so that meant i couldn't get to sleep and couldn't stay asleep. happy i didn't try the online exam until today. i was way too tired yesterday for that i think. i would have for sure ended up in tears. they make you do an evaluation before you take the online exam.  i would have had a few things to say otherwise. 

mostly, i've just been at the dog park. need to brave the bears out there on the main trails.  i have my bear spray. i am thinking Sunny Boy may have to stay leashed in summers as he is getting more and more interested in chasing moose and i'm hoping that doesn't mean he would run up to bears as well. he is mostly interested in chasing birds at the dog park. i can live with that.  

he even jumped into the water the other day and started to try to swim after a bird. his swimming skills are not very impressive.  he's really only waded since he had his official swimming class. he was all legs in the lake the other day.  for a quick second i feared i may have to rescue the poor poodle.  he managed okay. he looks a hell of a lot more graceful on land than in the water.

had pondered heading either to Denali to drive the first part of the road or to Homer to enjoy a fairly good low tide tomorrow.  procrastination has won the day though.  the exam took longer than expected and now i'm venting before i really get the day started.  will hit a trail with the dogs then groceries i think. may even pick up some plants and get started on that. it's pretty out

i've been slowly raking the yard and picking up the old poops. 

the snow is finally all melted in both the front and back yards.  so perhaps i'll concentrate on that.  i often spend may planting and getting the basics of the garden started.  the grass won't really grow for a bit.  may need to hire someone to do a clean up.  tackle the berry bushes.  they go nuts after a bit. 

many of the tennis balls and toys lost over the winter in the yard have been recovered. there are no doubt more deep under the deck that will never be saved. at least not until the deck gets redone one day. we may be able to get the fence done soon.  my neighbor seems to be taking the lead on that project. 

like the sedimentary rock look on the glacial ice.

got a lot accomplished Sunday when i was "studying" for the class. amazing what you get done when you are avoiding things. 

will be happy to retire and stop with all the ongoing education crap like this. it is good to run scenarios with the educators.  think of things that you don't always think of.  i get that courses like this help us all work as a team.  if someone forgets, someone else remembers. so much of our education is just proving to some far off entity that we know the stuff we knew last year and the year before. 

at least this one is just every 4 years.

the rest of the month i just have 4 shifts left to work.  the class took away one shift this week. i return June 1st. so i'll have a full week off for my Birthday.  Homer time for that.  another reason it didn't excite me to drive 5 hours today and then return 5 hours back the next day. i heard there was a car accident on the Seward this morning that had the road closed...so a few things.  north, well i could have pulled it off i guess. that is just procrastination and laziness. 

the rest of these pictures are from a trek to Homer in May last year. i won't get as lucky with low tides this trek. 

hopefully, i'll catch at least a few this summer.  love those low tides. also now i know there is that short hike in Seward to the beach we hung out at...probably worth a few day trips out if i can catch a low tide there.  just beginning to find their secret shell/tide spots. always more to discover in this land of beauty and wonder.

nice to have that class behind me. trying to pick a shelf or drawer to go through every few days. still so much crap....we collect so much crap. it's nuts.

the orange fool did get charged in the sexual abuse case. not for rape but for SA. he's supposed to pay out. doubt he will but it's there, it's on his record. he was already defaming the woman again who had just won the SA/defamation case.  he will never learn

reports are he has misused adderall and other rx over the years. it makes sense. he takes some to get him high others to bring him down. explains some of his inability to control both his mouth and his asshole.  he's known to have to wear adult diapers because he soils himself. the staff at his old reality show reported it years ago at this point. the word is he stinks, shits himself all the time. farts loudly.  just a disgusting person.  because he has money and power many around him just ignore all the obvious issues.  so strange the mess he made and how his Christian followers look the other way at his addictions, sexual deviance, racism....all of it. 

how they can equate him with Jesus is shocking to say the least. 

slowly a few in the GOP are getting what is due, but it makes no difference in the followers.  they are in a cult of crazy personalities which seems to make them oblivious to the lies and deviance of so many who are in power/control of the party.  

they continue to focus on books and drag queens and trans kids playing sports. nobody is cutting off their dicks to win at womens sports or to become middle aged women. these are decisions that are difficult and many years in the making.  the struggle isn't something i can fully understand but i feel very sure that none of these folks who are trans just woke up one day and said, i think i'll transition today. 

i'm for sure more worried about bears than i was when i first got here. also more concerned about our growing homeless population. i have no idea what our nation can/should be doing about this.  i suspect better care for those with addiction, alcoholism and mental health would go a long ways.  also better care opportunities for those who have served in our military....many of whom end up with addictions and mental health issues. at the moment though.  the numbers are growing and many of these have taken up residence in local parks. 

between the bears and homeless it could be a big more dangerous out there. thinking of just hitting the airstrip today. at least there are lots of people out there. 

been watching a few episodes of jr bake off. those kids are so cute.  love watching them cook.  it's a mess and i may have a tough time tasting their stuff if i was a judge...i've been around too many of the little germ carriers. i doubt they wash their hands enough for me to eat what they cook.  haha. 

i have spent far too much time indoors today.  it's beautiful out there. 

look at all those sea stars. 

i shall wrap this up and complain no more.

he's such a cute put.  this was when he still was in puppy cut. currently his legs are shaved for the start of the season. he gets knotted up easily. 

love the light on this painted boat. 

clam gultch. always another favorite stop these days

sunset in Homer

alright.  moving on for the day.  

thankful : A. that i am done with that horrible exam and that i will never have to take TNCC or ENPC again!  B. safe and fun trek out on the water on Saturday C. help of co-workers for that high temp!