Delirium

It has been an exciting week around here.

Monday I returned to work after 2 weeks off, between Thanksgiving and measles.

I worked a 10 hour day and came home to find supper started and my niece Sarah, who was staying with us for a few weeks, had ran and emptied the dishwasher! Little things make me happy.

Tuesday I worked another 10 hour day, and returned home to find supper made again.

Amen.

Wednesday was my day off, and I told you all about that roller coaster ride of emotions.

Thursday was a "work" day. However, my hospital has 2 days of employee appreciation every year. They rent a theater in the Harkins downtown, give us breakfast in the form of snack bars and nasty coffee that they fool us into thinking will be great by handing it out in Starbucks cups, and hand out tons of awards. They show a video telling us how awesome Saint Anthony is, (click to view one of our commercials about believing in the power of prayer) and have a motivational speaker that is very entertaining.

Then they give us a ten dollar gift certificate to eat anywhere downtown we want. And we get an hour and a half to eat. After working most shifts with only 10 minutes to scarf down something quick, I love this part. We walked along the river, and had a great Mexican food lunch.

In the afternoon they give out more awards, hand out soda and candy, and show a movie. This year we got to see "Morning Glory." I highly recommend it. I laughed, got teary, and left totally relaxed.

And, get this. I got paid for an 8 hour shift to do all of that!

AND IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Side note: It is a bit touchy for a slightly hyperactive person to be offered free coffee and sodas, and sit still in a movie theater for 6 hours. It was not very pretty at times.

Friday I went to work, and the staff who had been unable to attend Spirit Day on Thursday went. This left us with a whopping 2 nurses and 2 techs and our supervisor to do what we normally do with 4 to 5 additional staff.

Good times. Good times. I got to work at 6:45 am, and clocked out at 6:45 pm. The group that had covered for us the day before had finished up by 1pm. And they got lunch. I had a banana, two tablespoons of peanut butter, a package of crackers, and a half cup of black coffee to get me through the day. At about 5pm, I was delirious and hungry. I was standing at the desk filling out paperwork, and listening to my patient and his family chat. I got so tickled at something he said, that I collapsed against the counter, head in my arms laughing hysterically.

And I couldn't even say why, or what was funny. But tears were streaming down my face and I was absolutely rolling.

Don't you wish I was your nurse in that state?

I went and brewed a strong cup of coffee, and came to my senses enough to sedate my patient and not endanger any lives.

As I pulled out of the parking garage to come home, I called my hubby to tell him I was finally getting off of work. "What's for dinner?"

"I didn't know what you would want. I figured after such a long day you would be hungry and vicious, so I thought I'd see what you want."

Wow. He knows me well. However, he was skating on thin ice, since he had no idea or plans on what to feed the ravenous beast...

"At this point I'm so hungry, I would eat whatever you put in front of me. And, I'm punchy instead of cranky. However, I will definitely be ready for food when I walk in the door."

He had an egg sandwich ready for me when I walked in and collapsed onto a bar stool.

I finished my evening off with my new Christmas treat:

Eggnog with a dash of ground allspice and a very generous splash of spiced rum.

It is almost certain to make everything right with my world.

Oh, and just to share my good news, I got a Nook for my birthday. I'm loving it, and so is my husband. He is reading the first book he's read since we got married. He is reading "Dracula." This has always been his favorite book, and it seems he is inspired to read now, and I fear we may come to blows over who's turn it is to use the Nook.

Not really.

But we may definitely exchange some words.

Just bein' real here.

Now, I shall end this long, boring post. Thank you for bearing with me.