I have to take a moment to rant about the Monroe County sheriff's office. I understand that fingerprinting is not the only thing that police officers do, however, as they are the ONLY game in town for fingerprinting here in Rochester, one would assume a degree of proficiency. I was, after all, not paying them $25 for a dram of ink and the 3 minutes of their precious time (they don't even supply the fingerprinting forms for that fee). You know what they say about assuming though.
Yesterday I get a letter in the mail from Oregon stating that the fingerprint job they did here in Rochester did not yield enough valid prints to run my background check. Which means they cannot release my information to the testing center. Which means my NCLEX test date will be pushed back. Which means I am quite pissed off. I now have to find my way back to the sheriff's office during their inconveniently scheduled allotment of two hours daily and have my fingerprints redone in the hopes that lightning cannot strike twice.
What the hell am I saying. I neglected to mention that I already had to go back a second time (my fault) to have a paper filled out and, at that time, the officer on duty redid a few prints on the back because he felt the originals were errant. Meaning that even the second run of prints was no good! So, lets go with third times the charm instead of the lightening striking reference. They can't possibly mess it up a third time. Right? Right?!?
Monday, May 26, 2008
I sold my car............er, maybe (waxing poetic about my cars)
In our efforts to sell everything we collectively own, we have done spectacularly well. We have only failed to sell a scant few items, of which none are overly bulky and will hopefully pay for their freight in a quick sale out West (though most of the money will go to pay for said move). In the selling frenzy, I thought it would be convenient to also post my car.
I won't wax overly sentimental about my car (my wife would argue that I don't have the ability to be sentimental anyway), but it is the best car I have ever owned. I have, to this point, owned quite a few. I began my automotive journeys with a gray Chevy Chevette that, after attempting to wash it the first time, lost a good deal of its original paint when I turned the hose on it (anything with more pressure than an afternoon rain shower would have yielded a similar result). That plus the accompanying bird dropping that was fused with the paint on the hood resulted in my delusional 16 year old brain to pick out a bright blue paint job in south Florida (the only possible worse color would be a shade of black) and to find a place to have it done for under $100. It now had everyone's attention when I drove, not necessarily a good thing. On top of that obvious attribute, it also backfired loudly (though consistently), had air conditioning that did not work while the car was at an idle or you risked the engine shutting off, and had the combined horsepower of 3 children's birthday ponies.
I moved from that car to a brief dalliance with a a Chevrolet Baretta (it would prove to me my last American car foray). The car itself may have once been a good one, but the sellers were quite disreputable. It needed a lot of work on areas unseen by the naked eye (and unknown to someone who had barely learned how to check an oil level). The car also lacked ac altogether (something you can only truly appreciate while living in a place like south Florida. I still remember driving to work with just an undershirt (a wifebeater) and athletic shorts because I knew I would sweat through my uniform by the time I traversed the 10 miles or so to get to work. It didn't last long after I had an unfortunate accident on a rainy day my senior year of high school on the way to work. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for burgundy interiors.
I spent the next year and a half without a vehicle. Upon deciding that owning one was no longer a viable option, I decided a motorcycle would be a cheaper alternative. Once again, my fantastical brain thought the idea of not needing to insure it whatsoever (you did not have to if the motorcycle was paid off) was a stellar way to save some money. Being in my late teens and still immortal, it seemed a reasonable idea at the time. Thankfully my parents were more sensible and rushed to the rescue, finding me a cheap, and somewhat safer, alternative: a Toyota Tercel.
The Toyota was not a thing of beauty in its seafoam green tones with splitting Naugahyde interior, but it appealed to me in ways no other car has if only because I had gone so long without one. It did not have a lot of the refinements one would expect from an early 90s car (like power steering, a passenger side mirror, or a working ac) but it went when you pushed the gas pedal and it had a radio. It also had a manual transmission, a concept I was heretofore unfamiliar with. The fact that the clutch did not need to be replaced in the years that I owned it speaks more to the quality of the clutch than any innate ability on my part.
The Tercel era ended when, after nearly a decade of driving, I decided that i would have a car with working ac in south Florida. I had big dreams back then! I traded in my Tercel for what amounted to just about 2 monthly payments on my Honda Civic. In efforts to save money, I had to forgo some things that I wanted such as an automatic transmission and 4 doors, but I finally had a car that had all of its faculties intact. I had ac, power steering, and a cd player. It did not backfire or resist mightily when more than two people were transported. It even had safety features that went beyond a safety belt and hope. It also came with another new twist: 60 months worth of payments.
After some years spent tolling around in my little, yet very lovely Honda Civic, I decided a few things after arriving in Portland. First and foremost, I decided that there are distinct limitations to owning a stick shift in a city. In covering the 6 odd miles it took me to get to work, I would spend nearly 30 minutes shifting back and forth from first to second gear (and third if things were moving briskly). The cumulative effect was akin to having jogged to work. Additionally, I would watch jealously as many of my fellow commuters sipped their morning lattes whereas I could not without the risk of either scalding myself or stalling out my car. The second limitation came when the decision was made that I would be moving to even colder climes. All wheel drive danced through my head. I soon found myself at a Subaru dealership and shortly thereafter with a new car.
Now I bid farewell to my Forester. The deal itself is a strange one. A cash purchase made by people who declined to so much as test drive the vehicle. I will have fond (and not so fond) memories of taking it across the country to pursue my new career. It will always be the car I had when I went through my first real winter (and hopefully my last). It will be the car I most identify with my wife.
Of course.........being the unsentimental guy I am, my mind is mostly focused on what car I will get next.
Back to packing.
PS: Thanks for the 2 pennies on Salem Kelly. I appreciate it.
I won't wax overly sentimental about my car (my wife would argue that I don't have the ability to be sentimental anyway), but it is the best car I have ever owned. I have, to this point, owned quite a few. I began my automotive journeys with a gray Chevy Chevette that, after attempting to wash it the first time, lost a good deal of its original paint when I turned the hose on it (anything with more pressure than an afternoon rain shower would have yielded a similar result). That plus the accompanying bird dropping that was fused with the paint on the hood resulted in my delusional 16 year old brain to pick out a bright blue paint job in south Florida (the only possible worse color would be a shade of black) and to find a place to have it done for under $100. It now had everyone's attention when I drove, not necessarily a good thing. On top of that obvious attribute, it also backfired loudly (though consistently), had air conditioning that did not work while the car was at an idle or you risked the engine shutting off, and had the combined horsepower of 3 children's birthday ponies.
I moved from that car to a brief dalliance with a a Chevrolet Baretta (it would prove to me my last American car foray). The car itself may have once been a good one, but the sellers were quite disreputable. It needed a lot of work on areas unseen by the naked eye (and unknown to someone who had barely learned how to check an oil level). The car also lacked ac altogether (something you can only truly appreciate while living in a place like south Florida. I still remember driving to work with just an undershirt (a wifebeater) and athletic shorts because I knew I would sweat through my uniform by the time I traversed the 10 miles or so to get to work. It didn't last long after I had an unfortunate accident on a rainy day my senior year of high school on the way to work. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for burgundy interiors.
I spent the next year and a half without a vehicle. Upon deciding that owning one was no longer a viable option, I decided a motorcycle would be a cheaper alternative. Once again, my fantastical brain thought the idea of not needing to insure it whatsoever (you did not have to if the motorcycle was paid off) was a stellar way to save some money. Being in my late teens and still immortal, it seemed a reasonable idea at the time. Thankfully my parents were more sensible and rushed to the rescue, finding me a cheap, and somewhat safer, alternative: a Toyota Tercel.
The Toyota was not a thing of beauty in its seafoam green tones with splitting Naugahyde interior, but it appealed to me in ways no other car has if only because I had gone so long without one. It did not have a lot of the refinements one would expect from an early 90s car (like power steering, a passenger side mirror, or a working ac) but it went when you pushed the gas pedal and it had a radio. It also had a manual transmission, a concept I was heretofore unfamiliar with. The fact that the clutch did not need to be replaced in the years that I owned it speaks more to the quality of the clutch than any innate ability on my part.
The Tercel era ended when, after nearly a decade of driving, I decided that i would have a car with working ac in south Florida. I had big dreams back then! I traded in my Tercel for what amounted to just about 2 monthly payments on my Honda Civic. In efforts to save money, I had to forgo some things that I wanted such as an automatic transmission and 4 doors, but I finally had a car that had all of its faculties intact. I had ac, power steering, and a cd player. It did not backfire or resist mightily when more than two people were transported. It even had safety features that went beyond a safety belt and hope. It also came with another new twist: 60 months worth of payments.
After some years spent tolling around in my little, yet very lovely Honda Civic, I decided a few things after arriving in Portland. First and foremost, I decided that there are distinct limitations to owning a stick shift in a city. In covering the 6 odd miles it took me to get to work, I would spend nearly 30 minutes shifting back and forth from first to second gear (and third if things were moving briskly). The cumulative effect was akin to having jogged to work. Additionally, I would watch jealously as many of my fellow commuters sipped their morning lattes whereas I could not without the risk of either scalding myself or stalling out my car. The second limitation came when the decision was made that I would be moving to even colder climes. All wheel drive danced through my head. I soon found myself at a Subaru dealership and shortly thereafter with a new car.
Now I bid farewell to my Forester. The deal itself is a strange one. A cash purchase made by people who declined to so much as test drive the vehicle. I will have fond (and not so fond) memories of taking it across the country to pursue my new career. It will always be the car I had when I went through my first real winter (and hopefully my last). It will be the car I most identify with my wife.
Of course.........being the unsentimental guy I am, my mind is mostly focused on what car I will get next.
Back to packing.
PS: Thanks for the 2 pennies on Salem Kelly. I appreciate it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Silverton interview
Just completed my interview with Silverton for their internship program. Here is a copy of their description of the position which largely encompasses what I know about the program: New registered nurse residency program, 9 months of clinical and classroom training in Mother-Baby care, Medical Surgical, Same Day Surgery, and outpatient clinic nursing in preparation for selection of a primary work setting. Great opportunity for new graduates interested in joining our innovative nursing team. BSN preferred.
The interview actually went quite well (from my perspective). I was asked questions ranging from "Where do you see yourself in five years?" to "Tell us about a situation when you had conflict with another person in the workplace and how did you handle it?" Very textbook interview questions from a panel of four nurse managers. I was told they will have some answer for me by Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. I have no idea how many people were interviewed or how many people will ultimately be hired, and even if I am among that group I don't know if I would be interested. All interviews are good practice though. The experience was a lot less stressful since I have a position lined up elsewhere.
It is difficult to compare the two positions though should I be offered the one with Silverton. Salem offers specialization and a broader spectrum of opportunities to advance. Silverton provides an incredible breadth of experience, but without the same depth. Also, I have NO idea how much the Silverton position even pays which, as a rural hospital, could prove significantly less. However, money only means so much if you find a good fit, an impossible thing to evaluate since I know nothing more than the websites provide having no personal experience with either locale. Questions, questions. Anyone have a thought?
The interview actually went quite well (from my perspective). I was asked questions ranging from "Where do you see yourself in five years?" to "Tell us about a situation when you had conflict with another person in the workplace and how did you handle it?" Very textbook interview questions from a panel of four nurse managers. I was told they will have some answer for me by Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. I have no idea how many people were interviewed or how many people will ultimately be hired, and even if I am among that group I don't know if I would be interested. All interviews are good practice though. The experience was a lot less stressful since I have a position lined up elsewhere.
It is difficult to compare the two positions though should I be offered the one with Silverton. Salem offers specialization and a broader spectrum of opportunities to advance. Silverton provides an incredible breadth of experience, but without the same depth. Also, I have NO idea how much the Silverton position even pays which, as a rural hospital, could prove significantly less. However, money only means so much if you find a good fit, an impossible thing to evaluate since I know nothing more than the websites provide having no personal experience with either locale. Questions, questions. Anyone have a thought?
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The return of the great white dope
I am back from the Florida wedding and the Caribbean vacation. 10 days of 90 degrees spent basking (intermittently) in the sun's rays. Then, the shocking return to the arctic tundra that is Rochester. High 40s and rainy. Its May 20th! From the place where summer never stops to the place where summer never begins. I knew we should have gotten off the plane for good in Charlotte where it was mid-70s and sunny.
Wedding went off without much of a hitch. Only two minor issues occurred: the losing and subsequent retrieval of Tia's veil (it apparently got cold feet and tried to take off through the parking lot. Thankfully a handicapped sign dissuaded it from leaving entirely) and the high winds that made Tia's hair and veil swirl violently about her face (but strangely did not disturb my coif whatsoever). We were badly in need of some Aquanet and DEP, but sadly for us, we didn't get married in 1987 where such things would be readily available.
The cruise was really enjoyable except for the excruciating times spent embarking and debarking. Why all cruise ships insist upon making the experiences that bookend your trip as horrible as possible still evades me. The only other major complaint I have was that the loudspeakers on the ship were all cranked up so loud as to distort most everything that was screamed through them. So, all cruisers got the dual benefit of a splitting headache and no discernible information. Add to that the fact the same process was then repeated for 4 additional languages and you have a replication of what I imagine the announcements in hell must sound like. The food was good, if not a little repetitive. The activities were quite varied (I mad it up the rock wall, but fell promptly on my backside on both attempts at surfing) and the promenade always offered good snacks and beverages. The ship itself was beautiful and immaculately maintained.
Things still remain somewhat foggy and mentally I am still rocking side-to-side a bit. There is a lot to deal with in the next week+. Selling whatever else isn't nailed down. Packing. Re-packing. The dreaded drive. Applying for more jobs. An interview with Silverton. And, of course, studying and more studying for the omnipresent specter that hover about all nursing students like paparazzi hover around Britney on a Marbolo run, the dreaded NCLEX. It is hard to even type the acronym what with the shivers crawling up my spine. At least I have a few months if need be to study. I just recently discovered, through a practice test, that I am at risk for the area of therapeutic communication. Apparently sprinkling in the occasional profanity is not considered therapeutic. Well, f**k that! :)
I promise a return to more frequent updates, especially as there will likely be much to update about in the coming weeks and months between. In the meantime, I have many more areas to prove myself at risk for on practice tests.
9 days til departure.
Wedding went off without much of a hitch. Only two minor issues occurred: the losing and subsequent retrieval of Tia's veil (it apparently got cold feet and tried to take off through the parking lot. Thankfully a handicapped sign dissuaded it from leaving entirely) and the high winds that made Tia's hair and veil swirl violently about her face (but strangely did not disturb my coif whatsoever). We were badly in need of some Aquanet and DEP, but sadly for us, we didn't get married in 1987 where such things would be readily available.
The cruise was really enjoyable except for the excruciating times spent embarking and debarking. Why all cruise ships insist upon making the experiences that bookend your trip as horrible as possible still evades me. The only other major complaint I have was that the loudspeakers on the ship were all cranked up so loud as to distort most everything that was screamed through them. So, all cruisers got the dual benefit of a splitting headache and no discernible information. Add to that the fact the same process was then repeated for 4 additional languages and you have a replication of what I imagine the announcements in hell must sound like. The food was good, if not a little repetitive. The activities were quite varied (I mad it up the rock wall, but fell promptly on my backside on both attempts at surfing) and the promenade always offered good snacks and beverages. The ship itself was beautiful and immaculately maintained.
Things still remain somewhat foggy and mentally I am still rocking side-to-side a bit. There is a lot to deal with in the next week+. Selling whatever else isn't nailed down. Packing. Re-packing. The dreaded drive. Applying for more jobs. An interview with Silverton. And, of course, studying and more studying for the omnipresent specter that hover about all nursing students like paparazzi hover around Britney on a Marbolo run, the dreaded NCLEX. It is hard to even type the acronym what with the shivers crawling up my spine. At least I have a few months if need be to study. I just recently discovered, through a practice test, that I am at risk for the area of therapeutic communication. Apparently sprinkling in the occasional profanity is not considered therapeutic. Well, f**k that! :)
I promise a return to more frequent updates, especially as there will likely be much to update about in the coming weeks and months between. In the meantime, I have many more areas to prove myself at risk for on practice tests.
9 days til departure.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Today and tomorrow
Another VERY brief blurb. I will re-commit myself to the task after things simmer down. Tomorrow is the wedding. It should be really interesting. Haven't seen the location. Haven't met the person performing the ceremony. Haven't met the photographer. A lot of surprises ahead.
In nursing news: I GOT A JOB!!! Crazy as it sounds. I had an interview on Wednesday morning for about 30 minutes. They asked me a number of clinical questions and, though I stumbled through it, they must have heard something that led them to believe I wouldn't kill the patients. Starts on the 21st of July. Up next, passing the NCLEX. The only downside is that the job is in Salem, not Portland. I was contacted by another hospital as well. Will see what that leads to. It is nice to have something locked down.....helps de-emphasize the stench of desperation.
Back in a week.
In nursing news: I GOT A JOB!!! Crazy as it sounds. I had an interview on Wednesday morning for about 30 minutes. They asked me a number of clinical questions and, though I stumbled through it, they must have heard something that led them to believe I wouldn't kill the patients. Starts on the 21st of July. Up next, passing the NCLEX. The only downside is that the job is in Salem, not Portland. I was contacted by another hospital as well. Will see what that leads to. It is nice to have something locked down.....helps de-emphasize the stench of desperation.
Back in a week.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Interview (another brief post)
I have my first nursing interview on Wednesday (My first out of Rochester interview anyway) for a hospital in Salem, OR. Obviously, this will be a phone interview which affords me the added benefit of not having to dress up. Hell, I don't even have to comb my hair. Not sure how to prepare though. Preparing for interviews for Rochester area hospitals seems to consist of showing up roughly on time and having a list of questions for them. It will be interesting to compare.
Grades are finally in. I did far better than I thought on my final paper. Go figure.
I will try to post after the interview. Keep em crossed. It isn't Portland, but it is a damn sight closer than Western NY.
Grades are finally in. I did far better than I thought on my final paper. Go figure.
I will try to post after the interview. Keep em crossed. It isn't Portland, but it is a damn sight closer than Western NY.
Friday, May 02, 2008
(Deep Exhalation)
It is officially over!!!!! I have completed the program and, as a sidebar, I still have most of my sanity intact (given that there wasn't much to start with).
I am still awaiting the final numbers for Ethics, but even if I had failed to turn in the final paper I would have passed the course. So, no worries there. (As a sidebar: I wrote said paper with such minimal effort and in such a hurry that I didn't bother to even proofread it. It may well be the biggest piece of typed trash since Paris Hilton's book came out). I managed to squeak by with the bare-minimum I needed to get an 'A' in Management, which was a nice bonus for a class I scarcely attended and only lightly reviewed for (I say this not as a testament to my own intellectual acumen, but rather as an indictment of the course and the instructor). Management remains among the most superfluous courses I have ever taken. What little I gleaned was mostly related to the capstone project, and that bared so little relation to the coursework and the teachings that it could have stood apart from it completely.
The biggest piece of good news is that I succeeded in passing the dreaded exit assessment. I improved markedly from my initial performance (by 10 points). The bad news is that more people than usual will be retaking the examination. In the past 3 years 6 people had to retake the examination COMBINED. This year, two dozen (over 20%) will be retaking it. According to our resident test guru, it is due largely to the fact that the test was much more difficult than in years past. Whatever the cause, I still feel terrible for everyone who has to retake it. I am sure they will all pass it the second time, and there is no penalty to retaking it multiple times if need be, but still it would be quite debilitating to anyone's confidence. I wish them all luck the second time through.
Now to get my Oregon state license application together. I think I am finished with two of the 67 steps needed to complete it. I got the fingerprints and the physical application, but I still need a passport photo, official transcripts, a videotape of me breaking the all-time scoring record for Donkey Kong, a signed copy of the New Testament, and about $400 odd dollars in cash. I think that covers it.
Off to celebrate.
I am still awaiting the final numbers for Ethics, but even if I had failed to turn in the final paper I would have passed the course. So, no worries there. (As a sidebar: I wrote said paper with such minimal effort and in such a hurry that I didn't bother to even proofread it. It may well be the biggest piece of typed trash since Paris Hilton's book came out). I managed to squeak by with the bare-minimum I needed to get an 'A' in Management, which was a nice bonus for a class I scarcely attended and only lightly reviewed for (I say this not as a testament to my own intellectual acumen, but rather as an indictment of the course and the instructor). Management remains among the most superfluous courses I have ever taken. What little I gleaned was mostly related to the capstone project, and that bared so little relation to the coursework and the teachings that it could have stood apart from it completely.
The biggest piece of good news is that I succeeded in passing the dreaded exit assessment. I improved markedly from my initial performance (by 10 points). The bad news is that more people than usual will be retaking the examination. In the past 3 years 6 people had to retake the examination COMBINED. This year, two dozen (over 20%) will be retaking it. According to our resident test guru, it is due largely to the fact that the test was much more difficult than in years past. Whatever the cause, I still feel terrible for everyone who has to retake it. I am sure they will all pass it the second time, and there is no penalty to retaking it multiple times if need be, but still it would be quite debilitating to anyone's confidence. I wish them all luck the second time through.
Now to get my Oregon state license application together. I think I am finished with two of the 67 steps needed to complete it. I got the fingerprints and the physical application, but I still need a passport photo, official transcripts, a videotape of me breaking the all-time scoring record for Donkey Kong, a signed copy of the New Testament, and about $400 odd dollars in cash. I think that covers it.
Off to celebrate.
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