Sand in my ass and sun in my hair.....

So, i'm officially on vacation to Cuba as of tomorrow. Things have been hectic around here as I try to scramble to get everything done in time before I go. J and I decided it would be best to get in a vacation before I start school in January. Between working full time and going to school part time, I doubt there will be a lot of serious vacationing going on.

I'm usually more of an "adventure travel" person but J wanted to go on a more relaxing vacation this time so I gave in and we decided on Cuba. My grandmother is already shitting her pants thinking i'm going to join the communist regime and gave me a solid half hour lecture about how she can't understand how I would want to go someplace "like that". I told her she needs to start reading more newspapers and get in touch with the new millenium. I'm a total grandma's boy so I try not to rile her up too much.

I got a letter in the mail saying that my orientation for school was going to be on December 17th (after I had booked my non-refundable vacation package) so I'm already off to a bad start. Trying to get a hold of the correct department and speak to someone about my absence was a total pain in the ass. I think customer service doesn't seem to apply when you are dealing with school administrators. My application for the degree program was sent on December 1st and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to attend the RN program in the fall. I have completed all of my pre-requisites, I just hope that my GPA is going to be good enough. I really don't want to have to take any more upgrading courses.

Work has been a total nightmare. The mall has been quite busy with Christmas shoppers and the tenants are driving me mental. Being a property manager for a retail center during Christmas is not a lot of fun. I'm sure i'll be gray by New Years Eve. My vacation couldn't of come soon enough.

Anyway, i'm off to eat more vegetables. I still have one day to lose 40 pounds. :-) Looks like i'll be passing on the speedo's this vacation.

Merry Fatmas!!

Trying to lose weight during Christmas sucks.

Lets face it, i've always been tubby. I unfortunately was blessed with my dad's body and genetics. I know very few males who are diagnosed with hypothyroidism but in my family tree it is passed down the line from father to son. I think I will stick with only having cats and break the chain.

It's not that I can't lose weight, it just means that I have to be extremely regimented in my diet and excercise. Too bad I have the willpower of wet mop. To make matters worse, I'm dating the candyman.

Oh well, tis' the season to over indulge. Perhaps I can start wearing scrubs early. Do you think they have any that go with a suitjacket and tie???

A Clean Bill Of Health

Much to everyone's dissapointment at work, my arm bubble did not become inflamed or increase in size. I'm officially tuberculosis free.

Now I can go back to kissing boys and sitting on public toilet seats.

I put the "man" in Mantoux

I can't help but look at my forearm every five minutes and measure to see if the bubble has gotten any bigger. I'm trying not to be neurotic about the whole thing but i've been forced into close proximity with some very dodgy characters (special thanks to Calgary Transit) and have even woken up with some dodgy characters (special thanks to vodka). In all honesty, i'm not even sure how one gets TB but if you ask around, i'm sure it's from kissing boys and sitting on toilet seats in public restrooms.

This should be the last immunization requirement for my entry into the LPN program at my local community college. I was scared that I wouldn't get accepted into the RN program for Fall 2008 so I also applied for the LPN program (and was accepted) starting January 2008. I figured it is a good backup as I can't imagine waiting a whole other year and a half just to get back into school. I can't apply into the RN degree program until December 1st so I am eagerly watching the calendar (in between looking at my arm) and praying for the weekend to come so I can apply.

On a sadder note, it turns out that the Hep B vaccination I received three years ago didn't work. So, I took another punch to arm (or intramuscular injection whichever you prefer) and was told I require yet ANOTHER blood test on December 27th. Nurses really are the gifts that keep on giving......

Are You The One They Call Beowulf?

So, I finally broke down and went to watch the IMAX presentation of Beowulf in 3D last night. Very cool. The storyline wasn't stellar and personally I enjoyed "300" more then Beowulf but the 3D feature was pretty amazing. I almost shit my seat when an arrow came flying through the screen at me. I'll apologize now to the poor bloke who had to steam clean my seat.

The rest of my day today will be spent Christmas shopping. I'd rather eat glass then spend time in a crowded mall but unfortunately most of my family are those in the "hard to shop for" class and I can't order gifts sitting in my boxer briefs from the comfort of my own home. I think I'll just send everyone a card this year that says "in lieu of your Christmas present, i have donated money to a charity not of your choice. Thank you for supporting the male nurse education scholarship fund." Maybe i'll even throw in some McDonalds gift certificates.

Was I really that angry back then?

Apparently 2002 was not all that fun of a year for me.

I have recently been spending a lot of time reading through various blogs across the vast internet and thought it would be fun if I chronicled my "pre-mid life" crisis..... or, my decision to venture into the wonderful world of nursing. Upon entering in my email address to get started on the creation of my blog, I discovered that I already had a blog started. It had two posts. It was from five years ago. An entertaining read but I didn't realize what a potty mouth I was back then. Jobs in retail tend to do that to a person. Especially jobs in retail that involve shoes.

Let's skip back to about six years ago......

I was fed up of my work in the hotel industry and left a very prestigious downtown hotel to enter into the glamours world of big box retail. The individual who had hired me had promised me the stars and of course on my first day, delivered me a lower salary, a different schedule, and a new uniform policy. It was quite possibly the worst job i've ever had in my entire life. It was mandated that I wear all black (which was slimming however it looked like I was off to a funeral every day) and really never received a day off in the 8 months that I was there (hence my attitude in my first two posts).

I was quickly becoming broke and needed to vacate my downtown apartment fast. My BF at the time suggested I move in with him and his mother (which sounded like a good idea at the time). Thought #1 - Good ideas often come in bad packages. Anyway, it was a trying experience for all and I only experienced a minimal amount of hair loss.

Then I turned 30 and all hell broke loose.

When I was boy I often dreamed that when I was older I'd have a gigantic condo by the ocean with hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances. I'd sit with my husband Juan Carlos by the beach with the sun glistening off of our six pack abs. My pager would all of a sudden go off and I would be summoned to the hospital for a medical emergency. I'd speed to the ER in my BMW and dive into the blood and action in my scrubs. Ok, so I was a tad materialistic back then but as a trailer park child, I thrived off the dreams that one day, I would leave all of this behind and be successful and truly make a difference in peoples lives.

Fast forward to the big "29".......... I own a house but it is in a seedy area and get teased relentlessly from my work colleagues about "living in the hood". I drive a Saturn. A base model. No upgrades. I'm a glorified paper pusher who spends his day helping other people earn millions of dollars on investments. I love ice cream and have more stretch marks then my sister (who has had two kids). I haven't seen my abs since I was 12. I do have a man though whose name starts with J, but he hasn't seen his abs since he was 12 either. I don't live by the ocean but am surrounded by birds who periodically shit all over my car and house.

The fact of the matter is that as I got older, I cared less and less about the more material things. You learn that stainless steel appliances smear, scratches are a bitch to get out of hardwood floors, expensive houses come with expensive mortgages, love comes in unexpected packages, and weight loss requires hard work and hardly any ice cream. The one dream I could never let go though was the one of me working in the trenches in a hospital. No matter what happened in my life, that little seed kept sprouting and invading my brain with thoughts about nursing. I started watching documentary after documentary and ate my dinner in front of the TV while watching "Trauma: Life in the ER". I finally decided to take the plunge and finally take my chances on my childhood dream (well, at least one of them. I'm pretty sure i'm destined not to have a six pack).

From this point on, I'll do my best to share my quest from leaving the corporate jungle to becoming an RN. I'm sure it will be a ride to remember!!!