they really do play EVERYTHING on the current (including Run DMC's "It's Tricky")

Yesterday:
-I had 3 patients (woah)
-I gave 2mg of Dilaudid precisely every 2 hours
-I failed to begin charting at a decent hour
-I found my patient with PICC removed, lying in a pool of her own blood

Today:
-I had 3 patients (day 2. meh)
-I actually started my charting at a decent hour
-I gave 2mg of Dilaudid precisely every 2 hours (day 2)
-I inserted my first Foley cath.

My job is pretty neato so far.

PAUPER

That's me. PAUPER. I haven't been this poor in a long long time. Fortunately, I get my first nurse paycheck on Friday, just in time for me to visit Winona AGAIN! Good times were had this past weekend down there and more good times shall come, I'm sure. Today I had a little mishap with my checking account but it cleared up within the day, which I'm incredibly grateful for because this morning I was just a worried wreck and I totally didn't bring my A-game to work with me. Tomorrow shall be different. Also tomorrow, mommy and I are going to look at a 1-bedroom on Cathedral Hill. It's in a building full of yuppies and law school students around my age in a very wealthy [thus assumingly safe] neighborhood. AND it's approximately 5 minutes away from St. Joe's! AND it has hardwood floors! AND they allow kitties! I would likely move in at the end of September and soon after get a KITTY. KITTIES. KITTIES. Kitty.

5 days down, 13,995 to go.....

That is if I retire at the age of 65. Orientation this week can be described by a word that I have not used since the very first week of college: BORIENTATION. Nice to know all the policies and procedures, but when the room is cold and there is no candy, things get a little tough to handle and I become ADD. Yesterday I went scrub shopping with TLewer, RN and for the next four days I intend on being a big bum. I do really want to go to the art fair though, maybe tomorrow. On Wednesday I went to see Yeasayer at the Uptown Urban Outfitters with Lafans which was pretty much awesome and I would see them again in an instant---with some earplugs. On the way back to my car I found some pretty damn adorable apartments on Lagoon but was quickly disappointed when I later looked online and found they were around $850 a month. I don't need to spend that much on a 1 bedroom....
Convenient free concert located in one of my favorite shopping areas.





On Thursday (after work) I trekked it through afternoon rush hour to north Minneap for a political candidate screening for Take Action Minnesota. Very informative and the snacks were yummy. Oh yeah, Al Franken was there too.



In other news, I'm very excited not to work for the next three days, but also pumped to start being a real nurse! My first rotation is on the Oncology floor so we'll see how that goes. In my downtime, I will also be checking Craigslist every day for new apartment openings and periodically delving into the Twilight series, my new literary obsession.

speaking of epic...

It's the final countdown...before my big girl life/job start. While I'm uber excited, I'm bummed because I'm not at the cabin anymore and that was one of the best times I've had in a very long while. Poopers. Now I am all tanned full of food for the next two months or so, I think I should start working on some self-improvement. I want to start doing some yoga (as inspired by the cabin trip) and I have decided to adopt some changes in my eating habits....but anyway, I hope this new lifestyle sticks around. Oh, and I swear I'm going to start running sometime soon. I'm also bummed because my future living arrangement plans are no longer in effect. My roomie needs another year or so to financially prepare. I'm totally cool with that; we have all the time in the world pretty much. So thus begins the working and the hunt for a 1-bedroom, cat-friendly, hardwood floored, off-street parking apartment. With character.

vacation on a vacation

I really think the weather people hype up thunderstorms wayyyy too much. Yesterday was a very productive day in my opinion; I found album art for most of the albums on my iTunes and reloaded my iPod complete with some photos and GARDEN STATE. Yes, I can now watch my favorite movie any time I want, as if I don't watch it enough (I don't think I do). Also yesterday, Katie and I started apartment searching. Many of the places we looked for were busts and we got extremely depressed/felt really dumb at one point because we were looking at the wrong address. However, we made our way around the Minneap and came across some places around 26th and Fremont. Hopefully they'll be adequately priced and offer a two bedroom because then we found out rather stupidly that we were a block away from Hennepin and within a two block radius of Uncommon Grounds AND Plan B....pretty neato discovery.

Today I am off to WINONA for KATE and TASHA's BIRTHDAYS. Then Saturday begins a vacation within a vacation as I trek it up to northwestern Whisk-HON-son for some cabin time with the birthday girls. I'm way super excited for some outdoorsy stuff. Haven't really done that all summer! However, if I do not return in one piece or at all, one should just assume that I either got devoured by a Muskie or a Muskie scared the living shit out of me and I died of a heart attack.

Speaking of heart attacks, I really should start running again.....

meet me in outer space

I have finished my copper tube candelabra. It's pretty rad if I do say so myself.

I also have an observation that I did not state in the previous entry. I observed on my walk to Primo Cafe earlier this week that neighborhood cul-de-sacs strongly resemble brain aneurysms. Really, they do. They stick out like raw arteries, ready to burst and give the whole neighborhood a stroke.

Lastly, I've decided that I want a Nintendo DS, so I think that is what I shall be purchasing when I receive my final Mayo paycheck. With this new endeavor, I'll also be wanting Sudoku, Tetris, and GUITAR HERO ON TOUR. Incredibly pumped for that! Maybe I can find a sweet deal somewhere.

That is all. Here we end week one of Lara's three-week freedom/vacation.

may lara's special vaca commence!!

Well, as of two days ago my three weeks of planned vacation have commenced. I haven't felt this free since high school summer vacations! The past week and a half or so have been eventful to say the least. I was down in Winona celebrating the 140th anniversary of the first dog show in Newcastle, England (and my new RN-ness and Becca's birthday) when Barry, Tim and I drunkenly decided that we wanted to see O.A.R. at Summerfest. This is one of the few drunken plans that have actually followed through for me, I'm glad to say. So, last Tuesday Barry and I trekked it across the great plains of Wisconsin. 5 1/2 loooooong hours later we were in Waukesha and exhausted. My confession for this little road trip is this: My perception of where Madison is in Wisconsin has been completely SKEWED for my entire life until our drive across the state. For some reason, I have had the delusion that Madison is in the very middle of the state, but noooo it's definitely in the SOUTH. Because of this misguided delusion of mine, the drive to Waukesha was painstakingly long. Nevertheless, good times were had in southeastern Wisconsin, O.A.R. was awesome, and the drive back didn't feel quite as long as the drive to. This past weekend was my last weekend as a PCA at Mayo. That being said it was very bittersweet and I almost got misty once or twice, just because I LOVE that floor. Never thought I would like Neurology, but I LOVE neurology and I'm going to miss everyone on 8 Mary Brigh.

Cut to today, Wednesday, day three of my vacation. I'm currently obsessed with searching for new music and whether I'm on top of the latest songs or not it makes no difference to me. My three faves right now are as follows:
1) Camper Van Beethoven "That Gum You Like is Back in Style"
2) Yeasayer "2080"
3) Iron & Wine "Boy with a Coin"

Today I woke up "early"--9:45... and I took a walk to the independent coffee shop at the edge of my neighborhood to finish re-reading Ishmael. If that book isn't amazing and awe-inspiring the first time around it surely is that and more the second time. It's not even enough for me to say that everyone in the world should be informed of the ideas in this book. I'm now excited that I have the time to read The Story of B and My Ishmael. I also have every intention on reading the follow-up to Dharma Punx (highly recommended) called Against the Stream and eventually on to The Tao of Pooh, because I hear it's neato. Woo!