Mmmm coffee

So I'm sitting here with my nice warm yummy cup (number 1 out of 3) of coffee. Ever since I quit smoking, I transferred my dependence to this little cup. It's also during this nice spring weather that I want to smoke more than ever. I didn't like smoking in the summer, but the spring was my favorite. I'm glad I quit when I did, but feel like I could start back up at any minute. I still think there's something sexy about it. But realistically, I couldn't imagine smoking during nursing school. Your classmates/professors harp on you enough without you doing the #1 preventable risk factor for an abundance of medical conditions. It would be more than I could stand.

I slept pretty well. Went to bed around 3ish after working out and showering. I don't know why I like to work out at 1 or 2am. It really calms me down and gets me ready for sleep. Plus, there's no one in my apartment's little gym. On Thursday, I broke out my Total Gym and had a pretty decent upper body workout. I'm still sore. Yesterday, I was especially girly. I painted my toenails and primped for awhile. I also had some yummy beer. Some restaurant's special brew. Yum.

The plan for today is work at 7p. I have to be really good about being on time since I was late last time. Boo. We have no "grace" period for when we clock in. And without a doubt the most annoying thing is someone who stands at the clock, swiping their decrepit badge that won't scan, as other (on time) employees pile up in line behind the dumbass as the precious minutes tick away. I mean cmon ... you know your badge doesn't work well, so please GET OUT OF THE WAY! It's super annoying and happens pretty much every time I go to work. I need to pick up a few shifts so I can have some extra cash. I just don't feel like working any more than I already do.

So as far a job concerns go, I am more than likely staying at my hospital after I graduate. They have said (unofficially) that I can stay on after graduation and continue to work, getting paid RN salary for doing the job I currently do now. SWEET! Then once, I pass boards, I will take their intern class. The official party line is that the next class isn't until September, but I'm not sure if I will want to wait that long. So the plan is to stay on as a tech, get paid RN salary, and I'm under no obligation to wait around until the intern class starts. Then, if I don't want to stay, I will already have my license and I can look for work elsewhere. But the job market (even healthcare) sucks right now. Only 10 or so of my 95 classmates have jobs after they graduate. Pretty much by this time last year, most of the graduating class had positions. Nowhere is hiring -- most hospitals are on a hiring freeze. My hospital is only offering positions in-house to people who already work there. And I will have been with them a year in June. Although Mother-Baby isn't my ideal, I will take just about anything now.

As far as graduation, it's fast approaching. Since I'm in the segue program, I am not "officially" graduating but I am still participating in the activities. It was really hard to get this degree (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). And I'm pretty proud of myself. I think getting here will be the most difficult part of my program. I took my exit exam and it predicted that I will 99.9% pass my NCLEX the first time I take it. So I'm just going to keep reviewing but not go overboard. Our pinning ceremony is May 9th. This is probably the biggest deal. Graduation is May 11th with us participating in the school-wide commencement, then having our own nursing school ceremony. My dad is supposed to be down for that weekend but he has yet to purchase a plane ticket. I think I'm going to end up just buying it and he can pay me back. He's the worst at making arrangements like this. My stepmom is still on the fence about coming because it's Mother's Day weekend. With all of the recent familial turmoil, she thinks she wants to spend it with her mom. And plus, I'll have another graduation May 2011. You can't be too picky when you've already had a graduation or two. By the time I'm finished, it will have been three! I need to stop with the higher education. Another good friend has a cousin who is graduating from Emory too, so he's thinking about coming down.

I need to figure out my summer agenda. I want to go home sometime for awhile. But I'm not sure how my schedule is going to be at work. I'm just kinda waiting it out. I know I want to go like June/July, perhaps even take my NCLEX in VA. August is going to be a challenge to go anywhere. We're not renewing our lease here, so we'll be moving Aug 1. We haven't found a place but I'm sick of living here. With the real estate situation as it is, I think we'd be able to easily find a cute little house for rent in one of our favorite neighborhoods for what we pay here in rent. Plus, I want a yard so the dogs can go outside and play. We'll see how it all works out.

I really haven't had a lot of VA people come to visit, but a few of them have mentioned coming down here to hang out. over the summer I think it would be pretty fun. Although, I have one really good friend here, there are a lot of friends that I have in VA that can't be replaced. Plus I miss my good friends. It's hard to appreciate living in the same place for pretty much your entire life, how everyone knows everyone, until you move to a completely different place. You forget how much you rely on personal connections and networking for all sorts of things (such as getting an appointment with so-and-so's hairstylist). I do like this area, but am unsure I will want to stay here after I'm finished.