Settling In

It's been six months since an update -- too long, but indicative of how settled in we are in Austin. We've been here almost a year. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will ever leave here, it just feels like me. I'm as funky and freaky as Austin (yes, you can't tell when you first meet me, but it's there).

I bought a new car, it was past time when I needed the mom-mobile and time to return to my sports car roots. I got an Infiniti G37S with a stick shift. It is so much fun to drive, it's genuinely mood-altering, especially with the sunroof open and the new Cars CD playing. After a long 12 hour shift, I so enjoy driving that baby home along Bee Caves Road into the sunset.

Dani and I went to Houston and stayed with Ken. We went to the butterfly exhibit at the museum and it reminded me so much of the rain forest exhibit at the New Orleans aquarium. Of course, everything there died during Katrina (terrible). I've never seen so many butterflies in one place, and of so many different types too. I'm going back to Houston this summer for a "grown-up" trip. And Ken and I are going to see both Better Than Ezra (in Tulsa) and Death Cab (in Dallas). We have serious fun planned for this summer.

Some big things are coming up/happening now. My sister Holly has moved back to Austin. We're so happy she's here. She's a serious Austin-fun maven and I am so looking forward to getting the 411 from her and going out with her. We are 20 years apart and I never lived in the same house with her -- and we're the most alike of the kids (go figure). So this is a great opportunity. Here's a picture of us on the bat cruise on Town Lake (yes, I know the correct term is Lady Bird Lake). We look like mother & daughter, don't we? But we're the oldest and youngest of five.

The other thing is that I'm applying to graduate school at UT to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Normally I would've had to wait until December to apply to get in the following fall but they extended the deadline. The school received some special funding for psychiatric training (there's a crying need for it in Texas) and they also needed more applicants. So I'm going to go for it. No idea what my chances are, but I am going to take the plunge. I took the GRE a few weeks ago & did good enough. Now I'm collecting materials to send it (writing an essay, getting recommendations, transcripts). If I get in, I'll start school in late August.

Oh, and I lasted exactly 3 days at my new PRN job at (ahem) a competing private psych hospital. My god, those fools were so disorganized and they were pressuring me to work like a fricking dog. I'm sorry, but I am NOT willing to work 6 days a week! And they are (in my opinion) over-controlling and don't trust professional nurses to behave as such. Every single order a nurse takes off has to be checked and counter-signed by another nurse -- is that ridiculous or what? I would spend all my time running down a nurse to sign my damn papers. OK, guess it shows how exasperated I was with them -- enough said. I completely appreciate my present job now. I got to take a full load of PICU patients Tuesday because Kathy was on vacation and it was challenging and interesting. Too many wild young guys (as usual, think it's because ASH is on diversion), but we cracked the nursing whip and handled them. As Gilbert used to say, I'm not a nurse sometimes, I'm a zookeeper. It was like that. But in a good way (ha).

So life in Austin rolls along. Oh, did I mention the pool? Sigh......99 degrees....I'm in love. That's all I need to say.