Gone Fishin'

I'm safe in the USA and now recertified in lifeguarding. I'll post sporadically over the summer but mostly I'll be away.

Feel free to e-mail me while I'm away 'cos I'll be behind in everyone's blogs when I come home.

Love

WardBunny

Unforeseen Idiocy Ahead

Right this going back to camp thing....
I love camp. I would live there if I could. A green card and a job and I'm yours for life.
Problem is when I was there the last time I managed to pass lifeguarding. Waaaaaay back in 2005 when I was younger, stupider and thinner. Well sort of, that would imply that I am now older, wiser and fatter...... 2 out of 3 isn't bad.
I can swim and I'm damn good at it. Just can't do that much. And I might have put some weight on since the start of the course. I've put on 3/4 tunic sizes since then. Course, our tunics were modelled on aliens from the planet Zog or somewhere because they really don't fit any human I've met.
So during the interview up crops the 'you were a lifeguard that last time' and 'you know snorkelling'. To which in my 'talking management / interview BS' mode I replied with "I would LOVE to do that again!". Complete with exclamation point and emphisis.

Idiot.

The fitness test before training?

• Swim 300 yards (essentially 300 meters! Although it's a little shorter than that.) continuously.
• Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7–10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute, 40 seconds.

Oh it gets worse.... That was just the basic pool qualification.

• Swim 550 yards (about 500 meters) continuously.
• Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7–10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute, 40 seconds.
• Swim 5 yards, submerge and retrieve three dive rings placed 5 yards apart in 4–7 feet of water, resurface and swim 5 yards to the side of the pool.

Welcome to the waterfront / pool test!
Time to get my lardy ass to the swimming pool. I could do the 300 meters (12 lengths of a 25m pool). It's the incredible 'Titanic can move faster' pace I swim at. I will not be last to finish this time around. Oh and I can't drag my body out of water to help myself.... well not yet.

I have 3 months and a new swim suit..... just where did I put the towel?

SNOW (Canadian not British)

Had to post this from the Canadian photos collection. I have huge feet! I'm a size (women/men, it's all the same at that size so long as they fit) 10/11 over here which makes me a US mens 11/12.

Busman's Holiday

Nothing like going somewhere and doing your day job.
We've already established that taking me hospital visiting is just an invite for me to read your file, comment on your meds and make your bed before we leave.
Yea well...... several thousand miles / 8 hour flight and I get told "Hey you know how to stick people with needles right?"
*smacks forehead with heel of hand* (nothing good can come of this) "Yes."
"Well you can help us vaccinate the goats!" (yep it was said with glee)
*once again smacks forehead*
What a busman's holiday this has turned out to be and there will be another round before I go!
People don't usually headbutt the person with the needle. Goats also have much thicker skin and fur which would explain the HUGE solid metal needles for a simple subcut injection.
So yes I can now add 'vaccinated goats' to my CV.

Other Places

Or messing with other peoples analytics.
Yep if you seen an unusual visitor it might be me. So I'm no longer in the UK with all its snow. I'm in Canada with all its snow instead. I didn't lie about the airport wifi I did try to connect but as per usual Vista stuffed it up.
I've not got all that much to say. I'll do a news post later, honest.

Flying Visit

Hi Guys
I'm in a hotel in Manchester.
It's a 70s time warp.
I'm stuck with my parents, who seriously don't get blogging / anything else in my life (ah independence how I miss you right now).
How much like a 15 year old girl with a LiveJournal / myspace account do I sound right now?
I'm leaving the country tomorrow. HUZZA!
Internet access here is £1 for 10 mins (total rip off) and the computer's slow.
I'll blog tomorrow properly from the airport (cos I'll get my laptop on the wifi there).
Love
WardBunny

P.S. no news on new placement :( (thought I'd keep going with the sounding like a 15 year old)

Hit the Ground Running

Back in placement after the holidays and I've missed the place (don't tell them that!). It is just as crazy busy as it was. Course it didn't help that towards the end of the shift when I should have been concentrating my mind was going fuzzy with the cold I've been fighting for the last week. Ever met an asthmatic with a cold? Bear with sore head doesn't cover it. I could still be coughing 2 weeks from now. Mostly I've been dodging colds, it works for the most part. There have been at least 3 go through the different areas where I spend time / work / etc. Most of the year my asthma is asymptomatic (to the point were I stop the meds), which might explain the sudden (and irrational, I will admit that) fear I have when ever I get a cold.
I've come across admissions for exacerbation of COPD (more common in the older generation than asthma) and personally I never wish to have to struggle to breathe like that day in day out. I told a friend of mine to shoot me if I get like that. I am enjoying it messing with people's heads when I give my deathly chest rattle. The fluid build up has moments where it sounds like a death rattle, just before I end up coughing. People just don't expect that of non-smoking young people. Hey I have to take my kicks where I get them.

On the other side I am now a year older! My birthday was yesterday! The birthday fairy brought me a digital photo frame to go with Santa's digital camera. SOOOO cool. Although I don't have them here with me because.....

IT'S NEARLY OVER!!!!!!! 2 weeks and a day!!!!!!!!!!!! that is all that's left of placement. I have huge, huge piles of writing to do for placement and feeling like cack for a week put a dent in my plans to have it all done already. Man, only 15 days to go. I'm scared witless.

First Foot!

I can't First Foot my own blog. It would be like trying to first foot your own hoose (well I can but it's a long and complicated process involving me leaving the hoose, missing the bells, and freezing my ass in our current sub zero temps) but take this as me first footing yours.
I should be a dark haired male but you know I can't really change that....
But I bring coal (For warmth in the coming year)And a wee dram (So you all will be fed and watered) (I was going to pour a dram but the bottle belongs to my father and he might kill me for opening it.)
See Good Luck for all blogs next year!

Happy 2009 everyone!

Hogmannay

I said I would be back before new year and I'm here. Well no I'm sitting with my parents having a 'q word' new year (I was on holiday this time last year).
I've scheduled a virtual first footing to appear for this little corner of the 'net just after midnight here... That will be fun cos I'll be off getting snozzled on overly expensive Scots beer.

So for those who fancy singing the whole thing...

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot,
Sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
And gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Or if you fancy slipping into a Scots accent a la Rab C Nesbitt...

Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an nivir brocht ti mynd?
Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an ald lang syn?

CHORUS:

Fir ald lang syn, ma deer,

fir ald lang syn,

Wil tak a cup o kyndnes yet,

fir ald lang syn.

An sheerly yil bee yur pynt-staup!
an sheerly al bee myn!
An will tak a cup o kyndnes yet,
fir ald lang syn.

CHORUS

We twa hay rin aboot the braes,
an pood the gowans fyn;
Bit weev wandert monae a weery fet,
sin ald lang syn.

CHORUS

We twa hay pedilt in the burn,
fray mornin sun til dyn;
But seas between us bred hay roard
sin ald lang syn.

CHORUS

An thers a han, my trustee feer!
an gees a han o thyn!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
fir ald lang syn.

CHORUS

Good luck I can only half pull this off on a good day!

Merry Christmas

Ah it's another year of bad telly, over eating and thinking people for presents that you didn't like ever.
Actually this year the beeb, ITV and the est of them have pulled their fingers out and provided something special. Oh if you live in the UK go watch Rab C Nesbitt on iPlayer. 10 years on and they've brought him back, course he's a new man now. (Here if you have no idea of what I'm talking about) Rab is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with Glasgow.

But at the same time he has a love of the city that some of the citizens have managed to forget.
The clip is taken from the first season (someone has been kind enough to put them up on youtube).
Ironically we were city of culture for 1990 and we're hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We don't have a mayor, instead there's a Lord Provost. The building they are standing in front of is the back door the the Kelvingrove art gallery (my mate Seggie hasn't a photo of that yet, wiki has a few though). It was built back to front for the garden party (not the 1988 one when I was 3 but the 1888 one which I surprisingly wasn't around for) and the pictures on wiki are of the back door AKA the non-fancy one.

Sorry went off on a tangent there... I should take you on a photo tour of Glasgow some time... Which is a not so subtle way of me saying I got a new digital camera for Christmas and want to play with it.
Enjoy the clip I'll be back before Hogmannay!

Oh and P.S. yes I do sound like that... sorry.

Merry Christmas in Advance

Placement finished this morning so I'm now off for 2 weeks. WOOHOO! Part of me would have wanted to be there for Christmas with our long term patients. I'll even be 1 year older by the time I get back.
So in case I don't get the time I want to pass on some of last year's cheer in the student nurse's edition of the Night Before Christmas.
I actually posted on Christmas day last year. Don't ask me how I had the time... between all the computer games I received. Tis the season to give yourself RSI playing the DS for hours on end. I averaged about 9 hours a day playing Zelda: Phantom Hourglass last year. No wonder I was baffled as to how I managed to find time to post; never mind talk to my family, or eat, sleep, got to the toilet. Oh now I think about it I didn't.....
Hope Santa is good to you!

What I Did On My Summer Holidays

So yes I have returned from the wilds of Auchterarder. (which is south of Perth... which still isn't helpful if you don't know Scotland well) Google maps are fantastic I've noticed.What did we do? Well we went white water rafting on the river Tay for one. This is actually us! I'm the yellow helmet on the far left.We went to Scone Palace, where Scotland's royalty are crowned.

We played a lot of poker.I lost mostly because I was rather drunk while I was learning. This lead to the nickname of Four-Sheets because I was four sheets to the wind (read drunk) and betting erratically.
One of the few times I did win I did it with out knowing. I thought I only had a pair but I had a flush. So no-one could tell if I was serious or kidding when I turned and said "What's a Flush?"

"All these chips... They be MINE!"

Other poker nicknames:
The Milkman - cos he milks you for your chips
Tex - cos she couldn't hold on to her chips
The Artful Hustler - cos she takes your chips without you realising it
Hollywood - cos his name is Frank (see like Frankie Goes To Hollywood... geddit?)

So yes we had a fun time and it's back to college in the morning. It's definitely a case of once more into the breach dear friends!

Holiday

I'm leaving tomorrow for a week with my mates so there might be rather be sporadic posting, if any. Well so much for my early night!
See ya
WardBunny

Shared Living NOT Sheltered

Mostly I spent today cooking... yea I know I'll make a lovely housewife someday, blah, blah, blah...
But with the flat in such a tip EVERYTHING had to be cleaned first. This includes my own pots. I have my own wok and used to have a load of cutlery too. But someone has been using my stuff.

I caught one of my flatmates weeks ago helping herself to my spices and sauces cupboard (It's how it worked out most of my dry foods are in the other tiny cupboard and that one has the soy sauce, herbs, oils, etc.). OK I don't go into someone else's stuff and help myself so get the heck out of mine. Rock salt doesn't cone cheap you know. Anyway back to today and I couldn't find the wok. When I find it it's in the cupboard under the sink (where the pots NO-ONE use live cos on-one else cooks). AND it wasn't flipping clean. It was covered in someone's tomato pasta sauce.

I love my flatmates (sometimes). But come on how hard is it to at least make it look like you aren't taking my stuff when I'm not around?

Well now the 2 lasagne are done and the shepherd's pie is out of the oven. All ready for next week when I'm off on holiday with my Uni mates (My 2 clans of friends fall into; Uni - the first course I was on and College - the nursing course). Which is why I talk about college so much, it's how I make the distinction although both times it's been universities I've attended.

WooHoo!

It is so very nearly the summer holidays. I have only one more day to go then freedom for ?3 weeks.

Today's training was insane. I mean how many hours can you spend on health and safety? Then we covered the management of aggression and violence. Every comment on patient restraint was followed by an innuendo. Usually involving pink fluffy handcuffs. Well makes a change to cot sides!

Popcorn

I can't juggle. For anyone that knows me it's not a surprise. I drop stuff and fall over and for some reason people still trust me to hold... my ticket, wallet, popcorn, hot dog, bag, drink.... Question: how do other people manage it?
Anyway, no I didn't drop it all before I got to my seat, however the problems started halfway through the movie.
We were watching Made of Honour.... Please, please, please don't assume all of Scotland looks and acts like that!!!!! I think that counts as a spoiler, maybe, ah sod it you need to be informed. They did have a nice little ad for the Clachaig Inn. I've stayed there, lovely part of Scotland. Actually, on a side note, there's a camp site 10min walk down the road called the Red Squirrel (stayed there too) and 10min further on is the Glencoe youth hostel. Just go to the pub, have a few beers and roll back down the hill to your tent. Still all this is against the point of the story.....
So some time after the Clachaig Inn sighting Bob reaches for the popcorn and I offer her the bag (yes a girl called Bob). Gracefully I tip the bag towards her hand and the sodding thing drops out of my grasp, dumping half the remaining contents on to her lap. Later she's convinced that I did it on purpose and I wondered if she was OK with eating the popcorn, literally, off her lap.

Slow Week

See this is what happens when you give me the week off.... nothing.
No internet either.
Bah Humbug!

MIA

Hope 'ya all enjoyed a little break over Easter bank holiday!
I've been away from the internet... so I've missed out on... well any interesting news.
I now own 2 goldfish (well I own the tank, I'm currently purifying the water for them). Vista Service Pack 1 has made ZERO difference to my laptop, unless you count Windows Explorer crashing less often. It only made me realise how much I missed the stability of XP. The Aero interface is only eye candy.
Anyway... I need to go pack up some stuff... Make room for the new fish bowl, that kind of thing.

Before the New Semester Starts

Well I have two weeks off before the new semester begins, so with all my essays and paperwork handed in I'm off to do a little drawing. I'll be dropping in and out so no one will notice, honest and I'll be back here getting things ready next week.
Interestingly enough I discovered that you can blog with Word 2007 to Blogger (and Wordpress). So I'll type some stuff up although it will appear retrospectively when I reconnect to the internet. Also (because I have very little life outside of the internet) I noticed that Windows Vista shows up as Windows NT on my SiteStats. I know this only because I made the mistake of deleting the cookies and not replacing the 'Don't show hits from the computer' before blogging. My commiserations to anyone that is suffering from Vista-itis. Now I know why Mac geeks have that knowing Mona Lisa smile thing going on. Should never have given up Windows XP.

Little Of This

I'm getting a little more drawing done now that the pressure is off me for the different essays. I guess I should have said but the third one passed with a B and the first redraft passed too. So one more essay and to finish the writing from placement then I can take a break till the start of the next semester in February.
I spent 13 minutes on the phone to my phone provider sorting out a new contract (they like repeat business so they'll hand over anything I want). WEEE my new handset arrives tomorrow!
So until Monday it's back to FBC, U+Es and why am I doing this again?