I wonder if I can go through my whole nursing career without having to insert a urinary catheter. In fact, it would be pretty cool if you were allowed to declare one task that you would never have to do, no matter what, and it would be against the law for someone to make you do it.

I decided to start a diet this coming week, so hopefully this will be the last picture of delicious food for a while.

This is the Kiwi Burger from Ginger's Ale House, a delicious New Zealand import that I would put on any Best Burger list. A list of vegan unfriendly components, from top to bottom:
Bun
Cheese
Fried egg
Bacon
Pickled beets
Pineapple ring
Burger
Bun

Lettuce, tomato, and onion optional. No condiments necessary, perfect as is.

It was good to see the manikins on Tuesday. Apparently they have become friends during their long months in the waiting room.

One thing that I have learned in my experience as a student is that basements of university buildings are often home to large cockroaches. This guy was hanging out in a corner of the College of Nursing, and was about as big as my thumb.

Julie and I went to see a disappointing Cubs loss on Tuesday. As much as I love having my own seat, standing room is kind of a fun way to see the game; every pop-up looks like a home run until it comes back into view.

This game included the three worst at-bats I have ever witnessed. I hope Cedeno and Fukudome were at least a little ashamed of themsleves. Blanco, you got put in a tight spot, so I can't really hold it against you.

We took a tour of Mt. Sinai today, our new clinical home for the next 5 weeks. I read in the paper a few weeks ago that local residents call it Mt. Die-nai, but I think that has more to do with the violent nature of many of the injuries treated there, and not the quality of care patients receive. I was told gunshot and stab wounds are quite common.

Other clinical groups have had rotations at Sinai, and they say that the nurses there are wonderful, and very excited to teach students. From what I could tell, it had a good vibe; I think we're going to get a good experience.

We were back in the lab today to learn some new skills and review some old ones. They taught us ostomy care, urinary catheterization, drawing blood, and starting an IV. Drawing blood was exciting and terrifying because we were practicing on each other. We used the manikins for the IVs.

I partnered up with Mike. I had it easy because his veins were a beautiful fluorescent blue; it would have been hard to miss. I think I did a pretty good job. He was nervous about drawing blood from me because I have considerably more subcutaneous tissue, rendering my veins mostly invisible. He did great, though. I didn't feel a thing.

I got reprimanded for taking this picture on CTA property, but I wanted to share how happy I am with the improvements at Howard.

Smirking CTA employee: You can't take pictures on CTA property without a permit.
Me, confused by the smirk: Are you serious?
CTA employee: Yes.
Me: I'm just impressed with the work, and wanted to put it on my blog.
CTA employee: [smirk]

I half expected him to smash my camera, or at least watch me erase the picture from the memory card. He just waited for me to put the camera away, then brought his permanent half-smile back to the turnstile.

This afternoon was the biggest storm I remember in a while. There was so much hail the ground looked like it was covered with snow. I was tempted to run over and play in the stream of water coming off the Dominick's roof, but went back to studying for the stupid quizzes and test we have tomorrow.

I stuffed my schnauze with schnitzel and rouladen at Chicago Brauhaus in celebration of Kellina's birthday, then stopped by Leadway to say goodbye to Diandra, a teacher friend. As much as I like to think that she stands a full head taller than Mario, they are about the same height.

Last summer Diandra volunteered in Ghana at the Sankofa Center, an organization that teaches about HIV/AIDS through art. She fell in love with a Ghanaian man and they were married in December. She is moving there on Tuesday, and is very excited to get back and live with him in their little house on the coast and run the business they started, African Motorbike Ltd.

She has tried to talk me into visiting or living there once I am a nurse. The idea is intriguing, for sure. At the very least I might stop by and wreck one of their motorcycles.

My cousin, Kevin, called me yesterday and invited me to today's Cubs game, tickets courtesy of Steve Alf and St. Charles Toyota.

It was an amazing game (Cubs 4, White Sox 3, courtesy of a 9th inning Ramirez walk-off bomb), and we had a marvelous time.

Kevin: I'm making it my goal for this game to not high five a Castaneda.

He achieved this goal, which made for some awkard moments in which the grinning Castaneda man would turn around and I would have to bite the bullet and give him the five; this seemed to satisfy his need to share celebration with like-minded fans.

Today was the last day of the Community Health rotation. We presented our education projects to the rest of the group, then met upstairs to talk about our experiences. We discussed what clinical sites we liked and didn't like, and then Gerry, our instructor, said very nice things about us. She is an amazing teacher, truly inspiring. She makes me want to get off my lazy ass and change the world.

Then we watched a documentary about Pete Seeger, which reignited my secret desire of learning to play the banjo.

Our clinical group visited the Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture. They provide healthcare and support services for refugees and asylees.

A local beekeeper has a bunch of hives on the roof, so we got to go up and see some bees. I was totally into entomology at one time, and would like to raise bees someday. He said that it is expensive and time consuming, which is exactly how I prefer my hobbies.

A few weeks ago Justin discovered that Champions Pub on Clark and Granville has free Golden Tee. Tonight we had some beers and played 54 holes of simulated golf.

Golden Tee is the best of the trackball games, but it is currently being supplanted in many bars by stupid bowling and bags machines. It makes me kind of sad.

Figure 17-5: Coital positions for older adults with cardiovascular disease

Studying for the Older Adult test last night, I came across this shocking visual aid. No warning at all, just turned the page and there were creepily drawn pictures of old people doing it. And don't get me wrong, I fully support sex in the older adult population. I was just terrified by these two pages, and suddenly faced with my own mortality.

Kristie and I went to St. Paul's by the Lake this afternoon to teach oral care and hand hygiene to Burmese refugee children. After filling two cavities yesterday and causing horrible pain, my dentist donated a bunch of goodie bags with brushes, floss, and toothpaste. We also gave them hand sanitizer and their choice of a toy prize for their participation.

The presentation went well, and the kids were great. Not that I have much time to donate, but I wouldn't mind going back another Sunday and helping out.

I went to Northtown's graduation this morning at North Park University. I didn't teach that many kids in the Class of 2008, just about 50 in two lower level chemistry classes. One of those, 8th period, was a major precipitating factor for my exit from education. They were the worst class one could ever have to teach.

Individually, though, they were good kids, and I wanted to see them graduate.

Had some time to kill before an improv show, so I had dinner with my sister. We mostly talked about nursing. Every time we get together, she says something like "Do you still like it?", which translates to "Do you hate me for talking you into switching careers and doing something completely foreign and often difficult?" As of this time, yes, I still like it.

Also, Katie is one of the few people I can stand next to and look tan.

Today Gerry, our clinical instructor, wanted to show us a different sort of community. The Friendly Towers is a commune run by Jesus People USA, where approximately 500 people live and share their skills, goods, and wealth. They also offer services and housing for elderly residents. In my mind, commune has always been synonymous with Branch Davidians and fundamentalist polygamist sects, but Friendly Towers seemed like a pretty neat place, and relatively weirdo free.

I was at University Health Services today for a clinical experience in Occupational Health. It was kind of a boring day, as we mostly dealt with employees getting cleared to go back to work, or getting ducumentation as to why they missed work. I gave my first immunization (Measles, Mumps, Rubella). There were also a few health care workers getting their blood tested because of accidental needle sticks in the clinical setting, which was sort of interesting. The RN told me that they have never had a needle stick injury lead to HIV positive status at that clinic, which is reassuring. I am certain that one of my sausage fingers will get stuck eventually.

Most of the clinical group went to the Inspiration Cafe in Uptown. One of the caseworkers gave us the history of the place, and we took a tour. It seems like a well-run, effective social service agency. It had a good vibe.

It was started by a Chicago police officer who wanted to provide a sense of community by providing food and coffee to the homeless population of Uptown. She did this out of a red Radio Flyer wagon. Now the organization provides restaurant style breakfast and dinner at the cafe, along with providing housing services, job training, and all kinds of support for the homeless.

After the tour, we did blood pressure screenings for guests and employees. Then some of us went to Cafe Too, the restaurant run by Inspiration, which employs formerly homeless graduates of the culinary training program. I had a delicious smoked salmon wrap and sweet potato fries, and felt good eating it knowing that any profit goes toward Inspiration's programs.

When I found out that Jane lived near the Holiday Club, I recommended their chicken wings. Then she recommended that we go there for dinner and beers.

After dinner, me and Sara went to her place to take our online quiz for Gerontological Nursing, and then had a glass of wine on the balcony. We enjoyed it immensely, but recognized the fact that drinking more would be dangerous and irresponsible, so we left. I caught the summertime outside drinking bug in the last couple weeks. Beer garden season is here.

Negativity is the crutch of small minds.
-Matt Meador

Here it is. My completed Community Area Assessment Paper for West Ridge. This assignment kept me from doing a lot of fun things over the last couple weeks, including brunch with friends, going to Arlington Park with my family, hanging with Julie, playing pool on Thursday, two barbecues, and two improv shows. It also kept me from doing all the other work for school. Maybe it's my fault for leaving so much until the end, but it took FOREVER.

I usually have a positive attitude, especially concerning school and the program I am in, but this is one of the worst assignments I have ever had to complete. I don't want to get into the details; I hated every minute of it, and am relieved that it is done.

The paper on which I am working is due Sunday at 5pm. After getting knocked out in the first round of the APA 8-ball tournament, I got home at about 2pm. I worked on the assignment until 2am, with a brief nap.

At the BBQ yesterday, Kristin and Kathryn complained that they haven't made the blog. Here you go, jerks.

I took a very short break from paper writing to attend a teacher BBQ at Jim and Mike's. It was an official FAC event (Friday After Class).

I guess there are some big changes occurring at Northtown, and it sounds like all of them are bad. A couple people have remarked that I got out at the right time, like I escaped from prison before the new, hardass warden showed up.

Liz: Do you miss it?
Me: No.

Mike and I got to work with the Department of Senior Services today. We went on three home visits with a nurse and project coordinator, who along with another nurse, make up the Crisis Team on Aging. They get phone calls from neighbors, family members, and city employees who are concerned for the health and safety of elderly residents.

The first call involved a very paranoid woman who thought that enemies from her past (which, when described, were just people she didn't like) were spraying a chemical into her apartment. She called it terrorism, and she was very irritated that the FBI hadn't done anything yet.

The second call was a 90 year old woman who was living in horrible conditions. The nurse we were with gave us Vick's VapoRub to put under our noses, but this did nothing to ward off the unbelievable feces smell that pervaded the entire apartment. The woman refused to leave her home, but because her son was there, she was experiencing dementia, and her legs were swelled up to twice what they should have been, they called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

The third case, pictured above, was a woman who was sleeping in her car at night. She was sitting in the car when we arrived, wearing a coat despite the hot day. She told us that the neighbors were stealing her social security check, and that they take blood from her eyes at night. Two police officers entered the dark house, and feeling adventurous, I followed them in. I felt like I was in Silence of the Lambs. We also found out that she is the wife of a prominent Chicago bluesman, which I think is true because she had photos, had the same last name, and there was music equipment in the house. An ambulance came for her, and our day of fascinating old people adventure was done.

"The stones in this jar represent each patient who died on the IPU in 2008. Stones will be added after the IDT."

I was in the Inpatient Unit of Midwest Hospice today. During the morning report, someone remarked that there were a lot of patients that were imminent. That is the word they use to describe someone who is going to die very soon.

I knew it would be an intense, emotional experience, but I did not expect the very first patient I saw to die. I went into the room with Marianne, the RN I was shadowing, and she began listening to his heart. Her eyes got big, and she told me to count respirations and try to find an apical pulse while she went and called his wife. I saw him take a breath, but when I listened to his heart, there was nothing. And then he didn't take any more breaths. Marianne came back, listened, and confirmed that he had died. She closed his eyes, and we arranged his body and cleaned up the room. When she saw me tear up, she told me that I got a good experience that day, and that she always considers it an honor when she gets to be there for the end of a life. We also found out that his son was planning on getting married that day in the hospice unit chapel so that his dad could be there. During the Interdisciplinary Team meeting, they said his name and added a stone to the jar. There were about 10 stones added for the week.

I have been keeping an open mind to the various work settings that interest me. I think I would be a good hospice nurse, despite the reservations I displayed yesterday.

Today I shadowed a Home Hospice nurse from Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care. We visited a woman in her 80s who had had two liver transplants, and was probably going to die very soon. She had so much fluid in her lungs that she sounded like a percolating coffee pot. The family made the difficult decision for her to go back to the inpatient unit where she would receive better care. Her daughter is a nurse, so she understood just how bad it can get in the end for someone with her condition.

Then we visited a man with malignant tumors all over his body, and a large bedsore on his sacrum. The nurse treated the wound, and discussed pain management with the man and his wife. Even though he was in pain and very sick, he was charming and funny. As we were leaving, his wife told us that she wished we could know him as he used to be, because we would have really liked him.

It was a great experience, but I think I'm too much of a baby to be a hospice nurse.

My Ten Cat 9-ball team, Running Balls, started playing pool at 9am Sunday. Almost 17 hours later, we emerged triumphant, and now get a free trip to Las Vegas in August for a shot at the national title. It was an awesome day, and I am very proud of my teammates.

Coincidentally, Running Balls was my Indian Guides name.

Today we had the Citywide tournament for my pool league. The winner of this tournament gets to compete in the APA National Championship in Las Vegas. There are a lot of strong teams in our region, so it will be a tough road.

These tournaments are always exhausting, day long affairs. Claire and Debbie decided to get a little nap during our second round bye. I spent my downtime reading for school and taking an online quiz. I love the fact that many bars now have wireless internet.