Adult(ish) Observations: Library cards and Holiday weekends

Library Cards: My brother flatly informed me the other day that libraries were basically dead when I mentioned I wanted to get a library card in my new town. I argued that libraries were still cool, and libraries are even starting to embrace electronic book borrowing which is hip and with the new times. We then were sidetracked in the conversation by this old song that we both magically remembered from a childhood TV show:

Anyway, that basically sums up my feelings about libraries. I owe a lot of my love of reading (and subsequently learning) to my teachers in elementary school and a certain librarian who said it was really cool that I read books from the non-fiction section, which inspired me to read even more and more non-fiction books. Long story short: I got a Monroe County library card today. Which involved the adult behavior of changing my address online with the DMV. I also felt grown up cause I felt somehow permanent in this new city.

Verdict: Libraries are cool and will forever have a special place in my heart.

Holiday Weekends: Yesterday was the first time I experienced the joys of being paid for a holiday without even showing up for work (Spoiler alert about the verdict: I'm a fan). What did I do with the first long weekend of my adult career? I did what Bethany's do best, which is a weekend hiking mountains in the Adirondacks. And on monday, as I threw on my pack and joked to my fellow hikers that Starbucks and showers were awaiting us out of the woods, I smiled because I was getting paid as I did it. 

Verdict: What can I say? Its a beautiful thing.  

The New Laboratory: A Slow Start

The kitchen is a whole new area of adventure for me. I'm not particularly gifted . I've never really done much experimenting with it. But I have spent a lot of time experimenting with things in science labs so I feel like as long as I got a good lab manual cook book (shout out to my big sis for providing just such a thing!) I would be fine.

It's been a slow start in this new adventure. I think the hardest part (more than the actual process of making the food) is the fact that I'm cooking and shopping for one person. It's hard to have the motivation to cook. Its also hard to have enough variety without things spoiling. And its hard to know how to shop and plan ahead.

Needless to say, it has been slow start. Lots of peanut butter sandwiches. I did have a few successes though: I made a lovely batch of chili. With the after math I learned a very important lesson of adulthood: I need to perfect the art of freezing left overs. Most sites I've read on cooking for one person agree that this is the way to go while cooking for one.

I had the erroneous thought that I would *totally* be able to eat all those left overs before they went bad.

This resulted in two things:
1. By the end of the week I got a little sick at the thought of eating another bowl of chili.
2. I may have actually gotten sick if I tried to eat the chili because it was a little past its prime

It was a good lesson to learn though. A very adult-ish lesson to learn if I don't say so myself. Mr. Freezer, get ready to meet my leftovers.

I also had my first opportunity to invite folks over to my house and exercise the old hospitality muscles. It was a beautiful time, and a sort of camp reunion for all of us Cherith folk who live in Rochester. Gotta love good food and good friends- especially when one brings a grill so you can eat grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.

I smiled inside and felt like a grown up every time I answered the doorbell and welcomed people inside.

Which gives me a little more food for thought: another solution to my cooking for one problem would be to invite more people over and plan more with my good old roomies... so much to ponder.

Notes on Nursing: HIPPA

Today was day two of orientation. It was a lot of time on HIPPA (healthcare privacy laws) and a lot about Strong's Mission Statement and Values. This might surprise you- but I loved today. I left feeling energized and part of a bigger picture. I'm a sucker for idealistic statements about what an organization exists for and how everyone works together to accomplish the goal. I know it doesn't always work out perfectly, but I love thinking about it and being a part of it and striving for it.

They also shared this video (not made by Strong) that really summed up why I am passionate about nursing. The video is a powerful reminder that every person has a story (get your tissue box ready).

Speaking of patient stories- you'll never read one on this blog. Here is why:

I love nursing. And I want to stay a nurse for a long time. The healthcare profession is serious about privacy, especially in the new area of social media. There are nursing blogs out there that are phenomenal reading. Some even have hilarious or inspiring patient anecdotes. During this new venture into adulthood I will no doubt write a lot about nursing, but I'm never gonna write about patient stories cause I don't ever want to even be in a gray area of privacy. You see- even if I take patient identifiers out (things like names) some people might try to guess the patient I am talking about from the unit I work on. Some bloggers get around this by saying things like "I once had a patient..." but that doesn't work for someone who has been a nurse for 2 days and counting. So you won't see anything even close to specific on this blog, but that doesn't mean I won't share thoughts, cause I'm sure I will. I will be putting these thoughts under the series of posts called "Notes on Nursing" (I stole the name from Florence Nightingale's Book in case anyone was thinking I coined the phrase)

Speaking of HIPPA, someone told me a great knock knock joke today:

Knock Knock
Who's There?
HIPPA
HIPPA who?
I Can't tell you

Phraseology: New Kids on the Block

As of today, I am proudly employed by Rochester's largest employer.

It was an interesting mixed bag of emotions. It started out with me feeling like Nemo on the first day of school. Then I arrived (half an hour early thanks to my Father's gift of a compulsive desire to be more than on time to everything).

That's when they handed out all this beautiful orientation material and we got our pictures taken for our new shiny ID badges. I then felt like the world was my oyster. A beautiful sense of possibility in the future and eagerness to get started.

And then came the presentations. Everything from diversity in the workplace to health insurance plans. Direct deposit to life insurance. Everything under the sun. And I lost focus a few times. And then I was a little bored. And then by the end of it I was exhausted even though all I had done all day was sit and listen.

Its a funny thing to end up being bored when you are taking part in something you have been looking forward to for months. I've been to job orientations before- so its not that I had unrealistic expectations for the flood of necessary information that was thrown at me. As far as orientations go- it was a solid foundation. Yet it is oh so easy to be disappointed when something is built up as a life landmark in your mind. It feels like some sort of false start when it doesn't quite live up. I feel like that's an important lesson. Sometimes you have to just let things be what they are... and fight against putting to many of your own expectations of what they should be.

Regardless, it's official. My first day of my first real job is over. And now I have many very adult(ish) things to think about and cross off my to-do list. Things like direct deposit, retirement plans, getting a new dentist, and mentally preparing for another full day of this stuff.

Adult(ish) Observations: On Shelves and Pillows

Here are my first set of Adult(ish) Observations. I envision these posts to be my thoughts on things that most adults around me are doing. It also will be my experiments in following these Adult-like behaviors and testing their relative merits. Without further adieu:

1) Pillows: It seems like a very adult-like thing to do to have lots of pillows on your bed that you dont actually use. I've noticed this for a while and have resisted conformity in this area. I can see that they serve a nice decorative purpose and when well chosen can bring a room together nicely. But then again- they are such a hassle cause you don't actually use that many pillows. I especially don't- sometimes I dont even use the two on my bed. I struggle already with the intentional habit of making my bed... and now it seems like I'm supposed to add another step to the process?
Verdict: No decision has been reached.

2) Following Directions: I'm sure everyone can remember a specific much anticipated toy that they received on Christmas day. The joy of opening it followed by the agony of waiting while your dad pieced through the directions trying to set it up. I've never been gifted with patience- so reading through directions to put things together is a struggle. Yesterday my friend Kari came over to Base Camp and we put together my new book shelf all by ourselves (three cheers for mastery of simple screw driver techniques). It seemed like every time we wanted to try to guess the next step without looking at the directions we guessed incorrectly (three cheers for humility and laughing at ourselves).
Verdict: Following Directions pays off, the book shelf is standing. Will require more practice though.

Oh the places you'll go: New Apartment

Welcome Home!

Yesterday I moved into my apartment... aka Base Camp for this first year of real adulthood. The day was largely uneventful thanks to the incredible help of my mom and Aunt (who owns a huge van and could transport big things like mattresses and desks and what not). They made the move super smooth (and despite my personal deficiencies in the area, organized). Both my roommates are already here and I have already had two lovely visits from Rochester friends- so I am not short of friendly faces to usher me into this new season.

Base Camp doesn't quite feel like home yet- it just feels like I am just visiting Christine and Amanda (and happened to bring a lot of stuff). I'm sure that will come with time. My mind is still in its usual nomadic mindset- so the idea of permanence... or even semi-permanence is new. I like it though. And I am feeling even more optimistic than normal.

Its also nice to have some forced quiet thinking time before I start work on monday. Generally speaking, I'm pretty bad at being still. So this week of calm is time well spent.

Baptism By Fire

I wanted to try something new for my feet. I was tired of hiking in boots just because everyone says I should. This may be a mistake- but if it is, it's one that I will be learning the hard way. After my last Adirondack hike I hated the way my feet were feeling so I decided it was time for a change. Instead of buying a new boot I decided to purchase these babies. Adidas AX1 Gore-Tex Hiking shoe, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my feet.

I recently heard the phrase Baptism by Fire and thought it was pretty applicable to my experience with these babies so far. The phrase has its origins in the bible- but is more commonly used to refer to a soldier's first experience in war or when someone tries something for the first time and it is a really difficult experience.

These shoes have experienced a baptism by fire in the past week and a half that I have owned them- and they have passed with flying colors so far. At camp we have a trail called Border Explorer and if you hike it you sign your name on a poster. If you are a staff person you end up hiking it so much that you put tally's next to your name for the number of times you have hiked it.

This past week I wanted to get ahead on the Border Explorer race. So I hiked it. A lot. So now my name has 20 tallies next to it and my shoes have been officially broken in. Baptism by Fire.

Of course, the fact that they were new did save them some of the more unpleasant experiences of the week at camp, namely walking into the bog and playing in the thick mud. That experience was reserved for my faithful (and abused) old sneakers.

Oh the Places You'll Go: Camp Cherith

Photo taken by Jessica Aiduk

This summer has sent me traveling to many different places. In fact, I've been quite the nomad. I haven't spent more than about a week in any one place all summer (except 3 weeks halfway around the world visiting my beautiful sister in Germany). This week and next week I find myself settling at Camp Cherith- tucked away in a small corner of Western NY near Letchworth State Park.

In a lot of ways, coming to camp is like coming home, and this summer especially, it feels really good to come home. Camp has been a staple in my life since I was about 3 years old. My sisters and I have come every summer growing up and all went through the leadership training program here and became staff members. Every year I would go about my life, I would change, I would grow, and then I would come back to camp. Its a place of reflection for me and it is a place of rest. It also happens to be where I have formed some of closest friendships of my life and have an absolute blast every year. So much of my leadership skills and lessons learned in teamwork I can trace back to this camp.

At this particular moment in time I'm excited because in about 3 hours I take a group of four high school girls into the woods for 2 days to camp out. My love of camping, hiking, fires, and nature is a gift largely fostered by my time growing up at camp- and I absolutely love paying it forward and sharing that love with the next generation. I think that the experience of good old fashioned camping is good for the soul. This trip into the woods is particularly exciting cause I will be teaching the counselors in training how to pass the experience along to all their future campers.

My role at this camp is slightly different than my role last at last weeks camp, but variety is the spice of life, right? Anyway, I'm off have some tent therapy and wonderful adventures!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir

Photo taken by Jessica Aiduk

Conversations over Coffee: Linda

Conversations over Coffee posts are meant to be about a person that I have recently chilled with and learned from. I'm really excited about doing these types of posts because I really love learning things from other people. I think that people one of the most important and most lasting thing we can invest our time and energy in. And I think that every person I meet represents something new I can learn, cause every new person has different gifts, passions, and experiences than me.

Recently I am on a Mr. Rogers kick, so here is a little morsel from him:

"There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person" Mr. Rogers

Today's person is Linda. Linda is the other nurse that I am working with at music camp this week. We are spending a lot of time together, and we share all of our meals together- so we have had a lot of time to chat. I have also gotten to see her interact with all the kids, so I've learned a lot from that too.

From the funny to the serious, here are some things I've learned from Linda:

1. When working with kids you have to find a balance between recognizing their concerns and letting them know that they are gonna be fine. Case in point: the kids who come in with small cuts and act like they are pretty sure they are gonna need an amputation. Linda has a way of setting their mind at ease.

2. Most of the time our problems can be solved by going back to the basics. Kid comes in with abdominal pain and thinks his world is ending- Linda asks when the last time he went poop was. He goes to the bathroom, comes out, and is feeling better. Simple as that.

3. The mind and the body are linked more than we think. This camp is really fun, but we also have some very high strung kids who get stressed by wanting to be the best they can be while here. Linda is great at getting kids talking and uncovering the mental stresses behind their physical complaints: especially headaches and neck pains. 

4. The importance of saying hello. Linda says hello to every person she meets on the path around the college. She really doesn't appreciate the aspect of our culture that has made it okay to pass by another human being without even acknowledging their presence with a smile. I think that's great. A good reminder for everyone. I know I can get numb to it. Just like hikers, Linda always gives a friendly face to the people she meets.

Oh the Places you'll Go: Band Camp

As I said in my last post, I'm at Band Camp this week. But this is not your average band camp. This is Ithaca College Summer Music Academy. These kids are all really good at what they do, and they pay a lot of money to come here and learn from world class musicians.

This, of course, is incredibly fun for me for a few reasons. Firstly, I get to listen to their music for free... no scratch that, I get PAID to listen to their music (and give them any medication they might need). A lot of being a summer camp nurse like this is being ready and available. That also means I have quite a bit of free time where I am ready... but not needed cause everyone is happy and healthy.

Which means I have gotten to do LOTS of reading.

Which is great cause I was recently introduced to this really cool site and while exploring found this really cool list on the blog, which is what made me want to start reading this really cool book... which I just finished. Also, I discovered said cool site from this cool site- and if you are ever looking to spend some cool minutes browsing the internet or need a DJ- go there.

But anyway, the book is called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller and its a great read. Its a patchwork narrative about the author's quest to live a better story and I really enjoyed it... here are a few of my favorite quotes:

“A story is based on what people think is important, so when we live a story, we are telling people around us what we think is important.”

“Here's the truth about telling stories with your life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you're going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it. It's like that with writing books, and it's like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain.”

Also: here is a taste of the caliber of kids I'm hanging out with this week. This is a flash mob they did last year in Ithaca Commons. Boom.

Life Lessons: Chilling with Child Prodigies

"You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are" 

Mr. Rogers

The current role that I am playing is that of a Music Camp Nurse. I'm surrounded by musicians, but I'm not particularly musical. Yesterday I sat and chatted with a young girl who plays so much cello that she has tendinitis in her wrist. In case you were wondering, that is a lot of cello playing. She is gifted and passionate about her music. In our conversation she asked me a simple question that I have been pondering ever since: "Are you sad you're not musical?"

I paused and thought.

No.  

There are times when I'm jealous of other people's gifts and life paths. I wish I could sing like that. I wish I could dance like that. I wish I speak like that. I wish I could run like that. On and on goes the discontented heart. 

 But in my small moment of clarity I knew that the things I fill my life with are truly and deeply fulfilling for me. My story doesn't happen to include perfect pitch or being a child prodigy. That doesn't stop me from enjoying what other people produce with their lives and that doesn't stop me from learning to play the ukulele.

 Its all a balance right? We produce and want to try hard to produce the best stuff we can. But we recognize that everyone is gifted differently and produces different things. Don't compare. I can't be everything... so I want to cultivate myself as a purposeful something. 

So I'm rededicating my blog to that.

"Decide what to be and go be it." 

The Avett Brothers