My baby has finally arrived!

I've been in nesting mode since this day last week. Last Monday I purchased a cold brew iced coffee toddy on Ebay. Free shipping and some extra filters, saved a few bucks from the regular retailer's website. Score!

I usually ship items to my work address because for some reason, I've rationalized that commercial UPS/Fedex deliverers are cooler. I don't know.

I'm also partial to my delivery guys because I've known them for 6 years and the thought of some new delivery guy handling my packages (no pun intended) just doesn't mentally appeal to me.

Weird quirk, I guess.

So my favorite Fedex guy came in with a package and I almost thought to myself.. I don't remember ordering anything small? I didn't think we had any back shipments... SHIT! That's my iced coffee maker!!!!

And indeed it was! In all it's readiness to provide me with a surplus of iced coffee to feed my caffeine demands. Joy!

So the nesting mode part..

I've been looking for big containers to store the iced coffee in the refrigerator. I don't want to leave it in the decanter, those are expensive to replace.

And, I have to add water to the concentrate as to avoid a caffeine induced/stomach ulcer outbreak - the decanter does not provide this volume so we'll have to store it in another container. The problem with containers is that plastic containers absorb flavor, disturb flavor and emit cancer causing crap. (I went there) (Nevermind the fact that I am a Splenda user)

For the time being I'll store it in the decanter and just add some water and milk as we go.

Also considered where on the counter I want to store the toddy while the coffee grinds bathe in the water for the steeping process.. a bit neurotic, isn't it? Serious business here, we are talking about my life line to juggling work, school and maintaining an AAOx3 state of being.

And the waiting period. 7 days is a long wait for a package.

I completed my nesting mode tonight by making a last minute trip to my favorite coffee house for beans. Now you know, I could have done this step in advance but I so tactically knew I wanted my beans to be fresh for ultimate flavor!

Now.. the iced coffee is steeping away for 12 hours, then it drips.. and it drips.. and then we can enjoy a 2 week supply of delicious iced coffee.

And yes I did just do an entire blog post on my iced coffee maker. Coffee is that big of a part of my life.

Textbooks

This med-surg textbook costs us $200 and it has the nerve to remind me to encourage patients to eat when they are not nauseated. Thank you, thank you so much for that novel nugget of advice. So glad I spend hours upon hours preparing for class and tests and took out oodles of student loans to be reminded, that patients should eat. Thanks.

Besides the fact that the material on exam 3 does not maintain my interest, the textbook has to go and be so lame.

Anyway, I have another gripe. I went to a coffeeshop to study this evening, for one I was in need of change in scenary and two, I really did need coffee. I focus well in any environment and having people around me doesn't distract me from studying, except when people around me actually try to engage in a conversation with me.

I sit down with a huge med-surg textbook that glares it's title "MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING"

Person at table next to me visually examines the textbook as I proceed to sit down, yet they STILL go on to ask me "What ya studying?"

Nursing.

"Oh, sounds hard. That's a really big book"

Yeah, I have lots to study.

....And I added in a glare to suggest that I also don't need to be bothered with nonsense chit chat.

Person smiles and resumes their activity on their laptop.

And the world keeps spinning.

I get in the groove, got a flow to reading and highlighting some key points..

Person next to me starts laughing and mumbles something to them self about it being so funny..

I'm hoping this person keeps whatever is funny private, I suspect not.

"So, what's your name?"

Here is where I snap..

I'm sorry, I really do have a lot to study and can't afford to chat.

Didn't even offer to offer my name, just snapped.

Really dude. I came in here with a huge textbook that you visually studied, continued toremind me how big my book is and yet you still think I want to chat with you? What if I had sat in the other corner, would you have walked up and asked my name still? Do you do this regularly? Do chat with people at the gas pump and in the grocery line too? How about in the bathroom stalls? Probably all of the above.

I'm all for some chit chat but people sometimes just ask for it at the wrong times.

Worst part is, I knew the guy. He used to practice his chat chat at the other coffee house down the street. Two years ago or so he learned my name and apparently forgot it.

Even less of a reason for me to remind him!

Only time will tell

This semester is already a finished deal in my book. I'm looking forward and noting that I have spring semester - peds & mental health, summer break, fall semester - finishing up adult health, and then boards. In a little over a year I will be a graduate nurse eligible to sit for boards.

That's it? Does the buck stop there?

It's unnerving to think school is over with. I've been in school since I was 3 years old.

A friend I made three years ago when I was finishing up my nursing prerequisites, is now a practicing ob/gyn resident. She loves it. She still has five years of residency and then any fellowships.

I don't know if school is over for me after this program. I'm ruling out a BSN, it just seems a little limiting. I feel finishing a bachelors at UNO would broaden the career playing field a little bit more than a BSN. And I'm also really trying to do some soul searching to decide if medical school is in my future.

I don't know if nursing is the right career fit, the diagnostic appeal of medicine really attracts me. Sometime in the next year I need to go over to the medical school and talk to a counselor.

Only time will tell.

How about a blog?

I've tried before to maintain a blog but failed for two reasons. One, I am guilty of not finding time to make material and two, I get writer's block. Both of which I can work on.

Why blog? An avenue to vent, to keep record of experiences, to share experiences with someone interested in nursing school, and to keep people in my life aware of what is going on.

Nursing school, being a professional education, makes it incredibly hard to keep up with friends and family. We get a lot of "haven't heard from you" "are you alive?"

It could be helpful to maintain a blog so they can hear from me in detail and know that I haven't kicked the bucket or neglected them.

Now of course, HIPAA must be maintained if and when I share experiences. I claim to be a nursing student but for all you know I could be a peruvian coffee bean grower and my medical expertise ends at the care and development of my coffee beans.

What's going on these days? On this glorious Friday afternoon I plan to study at Starbucks (have to keep an eye on their coffee beans) and who knows what later.

My exam 2 of the second semester is Monday, so anxiety is peaking.

Next week I hope to post recollections on experiences past.