Sandwich Day: Partying with the Girls

I have two more days of epic hell this weekend before I go back to my normal schedule. So I'm enjoying my one day off with my girls.

I went for a run this morning, first I took Iris out, because Isabelle didn't want to go. We've figured out that she's not a morning person, she likes to go in the evening. Then I went out and got 10.6 miles in. No problem with the hamstring, again, slow, but not too slow. My legs felt pretty good. I slept well last night, got to bed early too.

I survived my first three days of work with the new charting system. It's extremely frustrating because there are so many kinks to be worked out, and what I want to do is get my patients in and out in a reasonable amount of time, and it just doesn't work that way. The charting part itself is easy. It's not a bad setup, it's just that between working with the lab and the blood bank and the pharmacy, everyone is trying to figure out how the new system works together with other departments, and it's been a big pain in the butt.

There's so much new information that it's easy to get overwhelmed and lost in what you're doing. There are twice as many people around because of all the helpers. Everyone is talking and asking questions and you're trying to get your work done and pay attention to your basic task you're doing at the moment, and there are so many interruptions, it's a nurse's worst nightmare. Fortunately we've had enough staff lately that we don't get overloaded with patients too, on top of everything else.

Whenever they decide to do things like this, it seems like they never consider what it actually does to the patient to caregiver interaction, where the most important work in health care is done. At least I think it's the most important work in health care. But we all know what the bottom line really is and who it benefits.

I know eventually we'll get to be as efficient with this system as we were with the old one, but until that happens, we're all going to be frustrated. And I feel bad for the patients because they are the ones who are being inconvenienced. Sometimes technology just sucks and that's all there is to it.

So other than my run, I'm not doing much except laundry, dishes, cooking, and other mindless stuff around the house. I'm close to brain dead and I need to save what's left of my brain to get through the next two days.

Isabelle, in addition to not being a morning person, doesn't enjoy cuddling and getting close as much as Iris does. Sometimes I can't help myself and I need to get some Bella kisses. But then I need to leave her alone. She likes to hang out, but at a distance.

What happens when you have enough raspberries from the garden to eat, but not enough to really do anything with them?

You turn an ordinary margarita into a raspberry margarita.

Then you share it with the girls.

At the woman cave, it's Friday Afternoon Club again.

Iris finishing up her margarita.

Our garden is doing well. We finally got some good rain yesterday, and the spaghetti squash I planted is turning out some monsters. They seem to be doubling in size every day. I'm sure I'll be coming up with some creative spaghetti squash recipes this fall.

Okay, just two more 12 hour days of this. Deep breath. I can do it. Psyching myself up. But I'd much rather spend those 24 hours running around in circles, anywhere, in any conditions, as long as it's outdoors in running gear instead of in our cramped little windowless dungeon in scrubs.