Saturday, April 23, 2005

Holidays!

I'm on holidays!!!!!

I've left my poor grad to fend for herself... poor Sarah! Not only was it her first week of nursing, but she somehow managed to not get any hospital placements in her third year. How can a Uni be so stupid?? Anyway, I had four days with her, supernumeri. The first day she followed me around. The next three days I gave her the key and told her to come and ask me anything and everything (which she did). I tried not to "help" by doing her work for her; it's not as easy to do nothing as it would seem! I felt very guilty. But at least she has a bit of confidence that she can handle a full patient-load on her own. She'll be fine.

Anyway, on Friday I started my holidays: 19 days off! I have done very little!!!! I've weeded most of my tiny hexagon garden, the one with herbs and strawberries. I've read 2 of the "Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan (about 8 to go). I've done another level in my single-player Halo 2 mission. (I'm playing on Heroic instead of Legendary. Heroic is hard enough for me, but I think Nathan is ashamed of me - he he!) I've played on the internet, played with my new overlocker, played with my guinea-pigs. I've shopped, watched movies, cleaned the house. I'm bludging 95% of the time! It's great!

Tomorrow after church Nathan and I pick up our oldest niece and nephew to stay at our house overnight. Aparently they are very excited! We're going to make pizza, watch cartoons and look for shooting stars. Don't know what else. Tim will want to play "Crash Bandicoot" on Nathan's x-box. He's actually better at it than Abby.

Well, I have to get on with my bludging (so much of it still to do!). I tell you, much as I love work, I am aching to cut my hours back! But a lot more has to be slashed from the mortgage yet...

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Work work work

Yesterday work was horrible. Just busy, but I'd only managed 3 hours of sleep the night before, and I had four patients with much to do, and a student to 'babysit', for want of a better word! Where did my patience go? I used to love having students, but lately I have been finding them such a trial! I'm getting old and grumpy, I suppose. I did turn 29 the other day...

I am longing for the end of the year, when it might be possible for me to cut back my hours. I have been full-time for most of the last six years, and nursing is not an easy job. It is a tennuous "might" because it largely depends on what can be subtracted from the mortgage this year. Not much has been subtracted so far this year, as we have been saving for necessities such as the long driveway and fences. Hopefully we will be able to start taking chunks of the M this month!

At the end of the year I hope to slash my hours to 4 days a fortnight! Just imagine... weekends on and the week off! Nate would be happy for me to quit, I think, but I want to keep my registration and my friends. Two days a week! I can hardly imagine it.

Gran and Jason gave me money for my birthday, and so I'm starting on the "Wheel of Time" series, which contains 10 books so far. Perhaps they will keep me amused until June or July. Then I'll read the Harry Potter books again and Number 6. I'm looking forward to reading "The Half-Blood Prince" but at the same time it will be frustrating to finish it and know I have a 2-year wait for the conclusion!! I'm just finishing "Emma" now, and then I'll have four of this new series... I wonder if book 10 is the last one?

My birthday went quietly. The highlight of my day was going to an old favorite restaurant in Geelong called Jokers. It was busier and noisier than I remember, being a Saturday night in which Geelong was playing the Eagles on the big TV behind me! I felt a bit sorry for all the families and couples I saw, of whom almost every male was watching TV instead of talking to their wives! But the food was fantastic, and it was great to go out with Nathan. I caught up with my family last night, and they gave me some very nice presents.

Well, today I face a late shift, which is not normally so busy, and tomorrow an early, which is the last of the week. I think I'll survive...