Another Day, Another Dollar

After much hounding from friends and family about not posting, I suppose I'll give a quick update.

Really not a whole lot of new and/or exciting things having been going on in this neck of the woods. Alex's house is coming along very slowly, to say the least. And I must say, Hannah, the repairs that you guys are doing to your new abode is nothin compared to Alex's house. Not that this a contest or anything, but just in case I've never filled you in on the list of needed repairs, here it is:

-New wiring throughout the house
-In need of garbage disposal and dishwasher (including the wiring as well)
-No air ducts/vents to the bedrooms
-All walls need painted (Can't do that until the wiring is done)
-Wood paneling needs "work" to say the least
-Nasty, awful carpet in kitchen needs pulled up and replaced with tile, or something of the sort
-Front living room has no molding around windows, doors, etc
-Need new kitchen countertops
-All doors need to be sanded down to fit door jams
-2 car-garage; one opener needs replaced
-Bathroom needs completely re-done
-At least 2 windows need replaced due to some rottage

And this is only a general list. I guess the thought of a nice, big fenced backyard and a lovely 2-car garage was overwhelmingly appealing at the time of deciding to buy the house. And yes, all of the above repairs are very fixable and Alex has many friends that are very willing and able to help out, but one must have 2 things: 1. Time and 2. Money. Neither of which Alex has. So needless to say, the house is coming along very slowly.

In other news, the hospital I work at has seen some tough days lately with the closing of 2 units and a total of 68 people being laid off within the hospital system due to budget cuts. Sadly, one of those laid off was one of our full-time social workers who was very good and always busy. I guess you just never know who really has job security in times like this.

Work has been same-ole same ole, with one exception to my normal routine last week. (Wait, is my work ever a normal routine?) Last Friday, I had a patient of mine pass away about 3/4 of the way through my shift. She was a "do not resuscitate" and "do not intubate" (DNI/DNI) patient and was refusing to take any of her meds or eat, so it was something that was bound to happen in her situation. There was nothing I could do for her and was only able to make her as comfortable as possible. Oh and by the way, it was also my 4th day of work and I was already exhausted. So needless to say a death was the last thing that I really wanted to handle, but in my profession, it's something that unfortunately was going to happen eventually. So anyway I learned the death process, including paperwork and preparing the body, so I guess all in all it was a good learning experience.

It's cold here, and obviously it will only get colder. I think a little bit of the traditional winter depression has already set in on my body. It's so easy to tell how much my body appreciates sunglight when I don't get it. I bought some stronger light bulbs for the lamps, though, in hopes to make my days a little brighter :)

Well, must go. Appointments to go to and errands to run. Hope all is well! And yes, I'll be home for the holidays-I'm working Thanksgiving day but am thankful to be able to return home either that evening or the next morning and be able to spend the rest of the weekend with family. Can't wait to see everyone!