On The Road

We went on a trip out west to a small town called Hythe. If you thought Grande Prairie is a small town (which it isn't) you haven't seen nothing until you drive to Hythe, or any of the other surrounding towns. It was a 45 minute drive to Hythe and the drive was pretty good. I thought the roads were going to be in terrible condition but turned out to be pretty good road conditions. I guess the snow plows were on their A game and go the highways cleared first. Good on ya! So I drove to one of the continuing care facility in Hythe and the drive reminded me of the drive I did so many times from home to Waterloo and back... but with more flat land, as far as the eye can see.

The show we went to see was this guy named Ed Popovich. He is an entertainer who sings and plays the guitar while adding humour and jokes with the songs (mainly oldies) and gets the crowd involved. It was pretty good, I guess, but I wouldn't see him more than once to be honest. I think the residents that we took enjoyed it and they knew the songs so they were singing along with him. He liked to pick on people in the crowd and as soon as he walked in to setup, he has my number from the get-go. As soon as he asked what my name was, I knew he'd pick on me. It wasn't bad and they residents enjoyed how he picked on me, I think the recreation assistants liked it too.

So my day was pretty was that. The morning was crazy, as I was running from unit to unit, trying to get last minute things done for our trip. Getting medications sorted out, bag lunches sorted out, getting the right people ready to go and just a lot of running around. I guess it was good cause for the first time I felt like I was being productive, running around doing work for the residents and for a program. I'm definitely hot a pencil pusher and can't stand being in the office for a long period of time cause I feel like I'm wasting time and doing nothing. I have to be out and about getting my hands dirty and being involved in the programs... but the recreation assistants do most of that.

It's only Tuesday and I wish the weekend was here already... terrible.

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Winter Wonderland Part 2

- UPDATE -

So here is some pictures I took today.

What I saw this morning from my window.

My dinner... steak and veggies. I was too lazy to make rice.

So I wake up this morning at 5AM with a terrible stomach ache... it didn't end well. Damn that instant noodle! Anyways, I get ready for work and to my surprise everything is covered in white snow. I swear the first day of Spring was Sunday... guess I'll have to wait a little longer for Spring/Summer. It didn't stop there... it kept snowing the whole day. I honestly felt like January again. It looks nice, I do love how the snow covers everything and makes things so clean and pure looking but the week... 2 weeks of sunlight and warm weather we had few weeks ago was just so nice and refreshing.

I guess my bike riding will have to be put on the back burner. I was really looking forward to riding my bikes around the city on all the trails that interconnects throughout the city. I can't wait!

Work is ok... it was pretty fast today. Went out for breakfast with few patients and in the afternoon played bingo for 2 hours. I know 2 hours! Time flies when you have fun. Tomorrow is another long day... going to Hythe, which is 45mins from Grande Prairie but with the weather and the road conditions... it'll probably take an hour. Hope the roads will be cleared and things go smoothly tomorrow.

Well gotta go and do dishes and clean up the kitchen. I like a clean kitchen... can't wait to design my own kitchen when I buy my own place (that was really random). Until tomorrow? Or next time... don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

Weekend, You Came and You Left... Come Back

So the weekend is coming to an end and I have to wait another 5 days for the next. Hope work goes by fast this week but I have a feeling it will be another long and tiring one. I have my CPR on the 25th for the whole morning... I'll take any kind of break from work. But I'm glad I'm working and it's for my own good. I'm learning a lot and gaining a lot of experience I wouldn't have if I didn't make the move out east.

I didn't do much this weekend but went to this beer tasting fundraiser on Saturday. It was pretty fun, even though I sat at my table alone when I was eating but that's ok. I tasted a lot of good beer from around the world... too bad it was 2 ounces at a time. I should have bought more tickets, although everyone started off with a lot of tickets. Ok I lied about being alone at the table... I guess I bought my tickets late so my table was pretty bare, just me and these two girls. I didn't get to talk to them much. They went afterward and I couldn't find them again. We did exchange numbers but they both have boyfriends so... I'll leave it to them to call me... or do I do the calling? Crap, I've never been in this situation before.

So it's snowing here. I thought it was suppose to the start of Spring this weekend... guess I shouldn't be surprised. I am living up north. I'm a little jealous of the 18 degrees weather back home but snow always looks good and I can't get tired of it, even though it makes it tough for me to walk to the grocery store or go anywhere. I just can't wait until the sun starts setting later and later. Can't have to have a full days worth of daylight AFTER I get off work.

So that was my weekend. Had good beer, got numbers (hahaha) and didn't do much other than that. It was pretty much a lazy weekend besides Saturday night.

I've been lazy with my blog updates... I'll try to update more often.

Photo Blog... Kinda

I tried to do a complete blog of photos but I can only do 5 pictures at a time. Kind of weird... I'll have to figure it out but in the meantime, here's the link to my online album.

I got a new bike and a new camera so I was just fooling taking random pictures so there is a lot to look through. Some are boring and I took the same picture more than once. When the weather gets better I'll definitely have to take my bike and camera on the trail here and take some scenic pictures and hopefully of some wildlife... like a bear!

Hope you guys enjoy! Don't be a stranger and leave a comment.

What A Way To Start A Week

Today started off pretty well. Went out for breakfast with some of the pt. to see how they do in the community and how they act around other people. Make sure they can handle different situations that they would encounter if they were by themselves. It was good to see everyone ordering their foods and the whole morning was pretty good.

But later I find out that one of my residents on my other unit passed away over the weekend. I swear I saw her last week with a smile and didn't look sick enough to go to ICU. I guess it hit me that some of the people that I interact with on a daily basis might not be there the next day and that I should give my 110%, even though my heart is in mental health. I think that news woke me up and it made me work a little bit harder today.

I was reading over her charts and bio before putting them through the shredder and just to read what kind of lives they lived amazes me and wish I could listen to all the different life stories of each resident on my unit. I was talking to one the wife of a resident and she loves to talk and talk about the past. How her and her husband used to work together on the farm, building and repairing their home and all the struggles and hard work they faced together. I told her she should write a book about her life (I would read it) and she said she thought about it but she isn't a good writer. It'd be nice if I could live a life half that interesting and wrote about it. It'd be pretty cool to leave something like that to my kids and grandkids.

That's it for today I guess. Don't be a stranger and leave a comment!

Well Hello There Miss Weekend

I can't think of a better way to start the weekend by relaxing at home, enjoying a nice glass of rum and ginger and listening to good lounge music. Can't go wrong.

So I've been thinking about getting a DSLR instead of getting a PS3 and a LCD tv... I figured the huge mother of a tv I brought from home is doing it's job and I can't complain. I don't have a camera here to take pictures of Grande Prairie and I wanted to buy a simple point and shoot one but why not get a DSLR instead. So I've been looking at Canon... more specifically the Canon EOS Rebel SXi or the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I'm just an amateur photographer so I don't know. I think the Rebel SXi will do but I am a tech/gadget junkie that want the best for the amount of money I want to spend. I'm leaning more towards the SXi but I want the T1i... but I know I should get the SXi. Oh man I'm in a pickle! Will my urge to get a better model win or will my reasonable side win and get the lesser model with more than enough options for my own good? I'm not sure who wins yet... it's a tough decision for sure!

Well I'm gonna enjoy my rum and ginger while getting myself lost in the music.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend! I miss you all back home... it's just not the same without you guys.

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Long Time No Blog

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog. I've just been busy with work and trying to be the therapist that I know I can be. I know I have all the tools to be a good therapist but it is just so hard when deep inside you know you don't want to be at work cause you're not having fun. I know I tell everyone that my heart is in mental health and I think it's still true. I fell in love with mental health when I did my first placement at CAMH and it just opened my eyes. I never knew I could fall in love with mental health cause people associate mental health patients with crazy people who do crazy things (i.e. serial killers, psychopaths and just plain old nut cases). But after working with schizophrenic, all those stereotypes were broken and I got to really relate to them. Maybe it was because the patients I was working with were around my age but just to see them on a weekly basis and to know their history, their struggles and victories... blew my mind.

I know I should be grateful for having found a job soon after I graduated but geriatrics never sparked anything inside of me. Maybe it's because I don't and can't relate to them or maybe it's because the nursing staff that I've worked with and working with right now are just plain odd rude. It was never my first choice, in fact it is my last choice. At one hand I am having fun and proud of the work that I am doing because I know I'm playing a part in each resident's lives. And to see a smile or to hear that their day is a little bit better because of being part of a program makes me want to continue to give my all when I go to work. But it's when nurses who work and are suppose to prove them with care do minimal and sometimes seems like they are ignoring the residents because they have had enough without even talking to them to find out what the problem really is. I know being a nurse is a tough job and they go through a lot of crap during their shifts... but c'mon their pay checks reflect their hard work but their efforts sure don't reflect it.

I think that's the main reason why geriatrics is my last choice, not because of the seniors but because of the nurses and other managers and so on who seem like they are just there for the money and can care less about the quality of care they provide. It just frustrates me! Let's see how they feel when they get treated like crap and with minimal care when they end up in LTC facilities.

Well I guess today's update is a little vent from what I've had to deal with this week. And the bottom line is... I don't hate geriatrics, I just hate the nurses and other staff members who don't give 100%. ( I know there will be issues with nurses in mental health facilities but.... they aren't as bad from what I've seen and dealt with. Maybe it's because nurses who work with geriatrics think that seniors are seniors and they don't have a voice or don't have feelings.)