2-something-13

Yup.  I don't actually know the date.  It seems less important and I could easily look it up if needed.  It is nice.  This is my vacation.

We play the waiting game now.  Awaiting the start of the real adventure.

I was thinking today about the benefits of travel.  I think perspective is right there at the top.  It is easy to begin to believe that only the things that are important to you are important.  Especially when your sphere of interaction is small.  When all you know is your neighborhood, that big house on the end of the block is a mansion.

I grew up largely in Oklahoma.  The only mountains I could ever remember were the 'Arbuckle mountains'.  There is a reason I put that in quotes.  They are former mountains that I now know barely qualify as mountains.  I believe a 1000 foot elevation rise is required.  It doesn't count as a mountain when you have seen MT. Hood.

And your own problems can seem small when you get a glimpse of the troubles of the rest of the world.

Everyone needs to get out more.  If you can.

A few thoughts while we wait.

2/3/13

Super Bowl Sunday. 

Or packing day as the case may be.  Today we pack up the suitcases and get ready to leave.  Tomorrow we head to Houston for some family visiting time before we turn back East and head for Fort Lauderdale. 

I have no idea how all this stuff is going to fit in the car. 

I have had a great time hanging out with my sister and the kids have loved her and her animals.  Last night we let Cracker the conure out of his cage and he romped about the kitchen.  It was fun.  One of the downsides has been the lack of cell phone reception.  People call and I don't get it and I try to call to no avail. 

Busy day.  Better stop writing and start packing. 

Oh yeah, I changed the writing forums a little bit.  Check it out.  And... I posted my challenge entry for the month.

2/1/13

Gradually getting things done around here.

Nothing too urgent now.  I finished everything they asked for to get my Oklahoma nursing license.  We got a few chores around the old RV done.  Now we start packing and getting ready to head out to Houston.  It's almost time for the full family adventure.

The calm before the storm so to speak. 

So, not a whole lot to report around here today.  I just wanted to poke my nose in and say hi to no one thinks I left.

Oh yeah, I think the AFO forums are dead.  That's OK though.  I won't put them out of their misery just yet. 

I think they still have a purpose.  I just don't know what it is yet. 

1/28/13

Not too much to report today.  Just falling back into my family.  Good times.  Running errands and get this...I drove a car!  First time in three weeks.  Tomorrow I start working in earnest to get my OK nursing license.  That way I will be able to work and hopefully support us while we are between conracts.

So, instead of filling the page with the pleasantly mundane details of my day.  I will put up a few pictures of Sarah and the boys at the museum of osteology.  They went while I was away. 

Oh yeah.  I updated the website with some pictures of the first cruise.  adventurenickel.com

Then there were the new temporary tattoos.  It fit Michael perfectly.

 And of course, Max too.

1-26-13 Homecoming day

OK, last night.

The phone rang at 0330.  I checked.  It was the front desk stating that the Mrs from cabin 7146 needed medical assistance.  My first thought is that anyone calling at this hour must really need help.  So I was tempted, in my sleep deprived haze, to collect the cabin bag and head up.  Then sanity made a brief appearance and I instead called the room.  I identified myself and used a wonderful phrase taught to me by Kelly.  "This is the emergency on call nurse, what is the nature of your emergency?"

Well, Mrs. 7146 said, "A few weeks ago I was sitting on my sofa and I started sliding off, because of the plastic.  I was going real slow and my friend asked me what's happening and I told to help me because I was falling.  And I kept falling because I had a car accident a few years ago and went to see the doctor.  My urine was really dark, almost brown.  I think it was cystitis or something, but my doctor gave me some pills that made it better, but made me pee red.  I can't see my doctor until (pause) 4 this afternoon which is (pause) almost 12 hours from now.  Can you get me those pills?"

As you can imagine, it took me a while to parse this narrative.  I asked her how long this had been going on and she said a few days.  So, she waited until 3:30 in the morning on the day before we get back to call and seek medical attention.  I mentioned that it would be $150 just for me to go down and open the clinic, not to mention the doctor's fee and any media cines on top of that.  She sounded offended that I would presume to charge a fee for this.  So, I told her that she could stop by the clinic when it opened at 0800 and see the doctor before boarding.

"Will the still be a charge?"

"Yes, but it will be less."

"Well, never mind then."

Back to sleep.  Eventually.  It took some time as my mind tried to process who would make that call. I did manage to fall back asleep though.  Just in time for...

The phone rings.

It is the front desk.  Mr. 5056 is standing there and he needs medical attention.  I ask them to put Mr. 5056 on the phone.  It is now 0500.

Good Morning Mr. 5056, this is Eric, the emergency on call nurse.  What is the nature of your emergency?

Well, I think I have a bug bit.  It's raised and kind of pinkish.  I have, maybe a few red areas on my stomach and around to my back.

How long have you had this?

Oh 2-3 days.

Well, sir, I can save you considerable expense by suggesting that you come by during normal clinic hours at 0800 this morning.

But it hurts.

I understand sir, there is a $150 dollar charge just to open the clinic outside of normal hours.  The doctor's visit and any medicines or treatments would be on top of that.

Don't you care that you might have an outbreak of bedbugs or spiders on your ship?

I would never suggest that sir, we would be very concerned about that.

Well, I have insurance.

Of course sir, we would present an itemized bill you could use to send them a claim.

Well never mind then.

So, now I am really tired and I get to sit in the Ft. Lauderdale airport for 6 hours waiting for my flight.

It will be good to get home.

01/25/13

What a day.

I keep trying to escape, but I just can't manage it. 

Started out OK.  It was a Half Moon Cay day and I was 1st call.  This means that two nurses go to the island and two stay on board.  I was scheduled to stay on board.  All started innocently enough.  Slow clinic day with a few minor things.  Then things started happening in rapid succession.  We had a 911 call for shortness of breath.  We get her down into the infirmary and are pretty sure right off the bat that we would have to send her off the ship.  The passenger doctor and the LMO are on Half Moon Cay along with one other nurse.  So, the crew doctor, the other nurse and I worked it up. 

As the new guy, the decision was way out of my hands, but I agreed with it.  In the end, the Captain was mad about it.  Not sure why, but it is what it is.  While we are getting all of the many things done with this patient, we get a call about an accident on shore.  Somebody was thrown from a horse.  We need to get them off of the tender and get them x-rayed.  So now we are into that.  And....it is crew doctor hours, so the waiting room is filling up with crew that need to see the doctor.

The decision is made, unbeknownst to me, that the other nurse on shore will have to accompany the disembarking patient on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale.  And in order to maintain staffing, they want me to go ashore now.  So, I hurry and eat lunch, all of this happened about thirty minutes before we close up for lunch, and change to go to the island.  Half an hour to get there and half an hour to get back only leaves an hour or two on the island, but at least that was somewhat relaxing.  I passed out a few bandaids.  Then I helped get the patient from our tender to another ferry which would take them to another island which would take them on a flight to Ft. Lauderdale. 

Then I went back to the ship.  I arrived in the clinic, told them I was back onboard and went to my room to change. 

I didn't make it. 

Before I could get the door closed, the phone rang with another 911.  Someone fell down the steps in the main showroom.  So, still dressed in the island clothes, I ran back to the clinic, grabbed the medical bag and went running to the showroom. 

In the end it was time consuming, but luckily no one was seriously hurt.  By this time it was well into the afternoon clinic time, which is not the responsibility of the 1st call.  So, I took a break for an hour and went to pack. 

In through the evening, the phone has continued to ring.  Nothing serious, just little things that require 15 minutes of time.  Oh well. 

I get to go home tomorrow. 

I plan on updating some more pictures and perhaps even a video or two onto the website or Youtube or something. 

Sitting here at 10:30 boat time, I am still getting regular phone calls. It could be a long night, but it is only one night....

right?

1/24/13

Today I was nominated for table hosting duty.  What that means is that, at certain meals, an officer is assigned to a table and asked to 'host'.  Schmooze, entertain, whatever. 

I made sure that I asked everyone else if they wanted to do it.  I didn't want to step on anyone's toes.  I think I might have even offered to do someone's laundry for a month or something, but no...the honor was all mine. 

So I get dressed up in the uniform and head up to an early lunch in the passenger dining area.  Fine table settings, china, fancy napkins, the whole bit.  Now many of you who have worked with me in the past know, I usually try to skip out and eat my turkey sandwich lunch as far from other people as possible.  So this is not really my comfort zone. 

That's OK, I am somewhat used to being outside of my comfort zone.  It's kind of my comfort zone. 

I get there early, as directed, and sit.  I rise when woman arrive and sit when they are seated.  You know, sometimes the world throws you a sign.  Literally.  The placard in front of my read, 'Medical Officer'.  The placard to my left read, 'Dorothy Dull'. I was to be seated next to Mrs. Dull.  I am not afraid that she will read this, she didn't speak English.  She was a lovely, if quiet Japanese lady.  Her husband was sitting next to her.  Somehow it came up that this was only my third week on board (one of the men mentioned something to the effect of that was probably the reason I got stuck coming to the lunch.), so I mentioned that I had been in the Navy before, so ship life wasn't new to me.  Mr. Dull took the opportunity to say that he had been in the Navy too.  In WWII. 

Yeah, the Japanese Navy.  Awkward. 

He was apparently a weather forecaster for the ship based aircraft.  I didn't press for more information as another one of the table guests was of the age that, had he been close enough to hear, might have taken offense. 

So, where have your cruises taken you before? 

The husband of one fo the couples was on his first cruise.  His wife and her friends had taken several.  He wasn't too keen on it though, he said, "too many people on here."  They were from the Black Hills in the Dakota's.  I mentioned that was one of the reasons my family and I had left Houston, too many people.  We gave up the city life for a life of travel. The older gentleman across the table asked if I had heard about the sailor that decided to give up his life at sea. 

"He picks up an anchor and walks off the boat.  A  guy asks him what's he going to do with that anchor.  The sailor replies, 'I'm going to carry it until somebody asks me, "What is that thing?" and then I'm going to stay there.'"  How is that for screwing up nested quotation marks?  The Chicago Manual of Style would shake itself in shame at that demonstration I'm sure. 

Only two more days and I head home.  I need that.