Night Shifts, Jazz Dance, and Record Labels

I have officially worked as an RN for 2 months now and have transitioned into the night shift... ahem, well, sort-of.  At this time I am "in-training", which translates into this kind of week: Tuesday and Wednesday- didactic learning, Friday through Sunday- night shift on the unit.  I will not lie, it is a hairy schedule (for those owners of the Juno soundtrack, the Antsy Pants song "Vampire" now fosters personal meaning to me).  I am truly enjoying my work as an RN and love the pediatric school-age unit.  I have seen a variety of patients (motor vehicle accidents, traumatic brain injuries, appendicitis, eating disorders, suicide attempts, general surgeries, seizure disorders, and the list continues to grow).  I am now confident in putting in IVs, taking out central lines, cleaning wounds, putting in NG tubes, and of course- taking 4am vitals on sleeping children.  I love the challenges that working with concerned families/ vulnerable patients brings and am enjoying the psychosocial aspects most of all.  I am told that I have great bedside manner and am a good communicator with the patients/ families (I have had much training in this as the child whose desk was placed next to every elementary teacher I had due to classroom talking/disturbances- I liked to call it "active sharing and participation"; and the daughter who would disappear in restaurants to talk to other families about their food choices from the menu... yes, folks, the girl can talk).  My training officially ends the week of Thanksgiving, which will bring on two things: 1) much more to be thankful for, 2) the silver-lining that just working night shift will bring.

Now that I am once again a contributing member to society... and my bank account is growing, I have decided to start doing things again.  What a novel idea!  As a constant visitor/ "gold-club member" to the magical world of nostalgia, I have decided to start taking jazz dance lessons again (I use the term "again" loosely, as the last time I attended dance class was 1991, where one could argue that I did an amazing tap performance to Prince's Raspberry Beret~ "the kind you'd find in a second hand store").  So far I have attended two classes at the NW Dance Project and I must say, it is an absolute blast.  Our instructor is a little fire-cracker named Ching Ching, whose music preferences are much like my own and many times I feel I am just given the opportunity to rock out to my own IPod playlist.  I must also take a moment to comment on how sore I am... in many strange places... and will leave it at that.

Lastly, Peter and I are embracing the world of vinyl... and my, what a world it is!  We have had one record party thus far (Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, and Men At Work rose again) and plan to have many more in the future.  Last week, Pete purchased for me: Bon Iver's new album.  If this album could be turned into a blanket, I would wrap myself in it, sip scotch, write prose, attempting to feel like a piece to the larger puzzle of progress.  In other words, it is radiant and I am now addicted to the world of physical media again.  I have just ordered the new Feist album, Metals, on vinyl and am already enthusiastically anticipating its arrival.

~30's the new 20!