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.

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