Restive State

This sign always cracks me up. Considering I had to send my taxes in today, that was a very good thing!

"Tax collectors warn that on April 17, Americans had better fess up to what taxes they've avoided through Internet shopping--or else."

Yeah, so what's new. They all want their tax money.

I still believe that it is crock to have both a sales tax and an income tax. Give me one or the other, but not both. It's like having a double income tax, one pre, the post. In some places, like where I live, the internet is the only way to get some things. They're just not carried in town (or they are, but only at one place, where anyone driving by can see you go in...and know you've been a dirty person). So now in addition to the pain in the ass it is to get some things, now I'm going to get taxed on it. Great. More issues. The tax rate here, thanks to the bloody tourists is over 8%. The town believes it can make its money off the tourists and screw the locals in the same fell swoop. And they do. While this year I owe the state nearly $400, I've spent thousands in sales tax, from gas to food and everything in between, so it makes it doubly hard to shell out the cash to the government.

'Til later...

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So here it is, the end is near.

Nursing school, that is. Now I have to try to find a job. Right. Simple. There's a nursing shortage right?

Mainly due to my lack of self-confidence, I'm having a hard time feeling that anything will generate out of the applications I've already submitted and hence a further feeling of futility to submit more. To make matters worse, the rest of the family is hoping, no, depending on me getting a job in the NW so we all can escape exile in this state. It freaks me out. Then to think about moving, getting a new place, shipping the Bug, moving, packing, graduating, turning 30, moving, getting a new job, going somewhere new...it all makes me a bit, well, insomic (is that even a word?).

So I stay up, until I can't keep my eyes open, watching TV, palying Fable, stumbling over the Web, all in a desperate attempt to somehow subvert my fears and calm my anxious brain. Only problem is that it makes me tired and grumpy the next day.
Bitching about it only clears my mind for a moment, so I'll stop now and enjoy the clarity.

'Til later...

Oh yeah, time flies where you're crazy busy. Lessee, according to the listing it's been a month?! Ok, time tocatch back up.

1. Capstone
Awesome, frickin' awesome. The chance to be totally immersed in a professional area was unbelievable. (see here and here for background). Because I live in small town, and word travels, I can't say too much about it, for respect of HIPPA and patient rights,but I will break it down a little for y'all.

While I didn't get a chance to intubate (kind of outside my scope of practice...) I saw several. Saw a couple of ODs, one real bad one with tricyclic antidepressants...very bad mojo. GCS went from 15 at the scene to below 9 on arrival and was dropping even faster until they got a tube in a sedation on-board. Had a guy come in with a stab wound and part of his omentum hanging out. Lucky for me, I knew the OR nurse that night and followed the patient to surgery to watch. It was crazy watching the surgeon stick most of his forearm inside the guy's belly. Knife wounds are "not a good thing", he bought himself a splenectomy and chest tube, but survived. There were sad moments, where patients didn't make it. There were happy moments, like when I started my first real IV successfully (note key term here: successfully).

I put nearly every facet of my education to use during this rotation, from kiddos to the elderly, IVs to chest compressions in CPR (extremely tiring!). So many interesting things happened that one of the charge nurses dubbed me a "bad luck charm" as whenever I was there, bad cases seemed to come in. I think it was just her. But as I was telling one of the nurses, they may have created a monster. I had originally wanted to go into emergency medicine, but lost interest. But now it was back, with a vengance. We'll see how things pan out.

2. Spring Break
Spring break? What Spring Break? Never had one, never will again.

3. School
At this point, 37 days left 'til graduation. It doesn't seem possible, that the end is almost here. It freaks me out, but exciting as well. We'll see how the next month goes.

4. Jobs
I have an interview next week already. Other apps are out and in process. While the interview I have isn't my dream facility, if nothing else comes through, I will be happy there. My wife may not be however. I hate how it is a waiting game. I moved once without a job, and will never do it again. No job, no move. Simple as that.

Well that's the update. 'Till later...

Oh yeah, it's April 5th and it is snowing outside my window...