The Whimsical Wandering Nurse

This week I had to renew my clipper card for the subway and buses, which means we have been here for over a month now.  That seems impossible!  The past month has been so much fun, and the weather has actually been beautiful.  I was expecting much more fog and rain, but the sun has been shining brightly most days.  Aaron and I should probably make a list of all the things we want to do around the area so that we don't miss anything before we leave.

I recently found a 'meetup' group in the area for women who enjoy eating and traveling.  This past Saturday the group hosted an event that included brunch, sharing travel experiences, and then a stroll over to the local flowermart.  I always get nervous entering a room of people that I don't know, but it turned out to be well worth it.  The women were lovely and had some amazing travel stories to tell over a fantastic breakfast of pancakes and coffee.  Most of them were in their 40's-50's, but age really doesn't matter.  I heard tales about excursions through China, India, Europe and South America.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by strong independent well traveled women, and this was a perfect way to start off the weekend. The remainder of Saturday was rather quiet taking walks in the park with Zuri, and then Sunday we ventured out to catch The Black Swan before it leaves the theater.  We met up with another traveler and then went for beer and dinner afterwards.  I enjoyed this movie and think that Natalie Portman is an amazing actress.  I still believe The King's Speech deserves the Oscar though.  I so loved this movie and thought Colin Firth was amazing.  I cried through the entire film because it was truly beautiful, so it was a good thing I went solo.

I worked on Monday and Tuesday, and work is starting to get better with every shift.  At the beginning of each travel assignment I forget how difficult it is to adjust, and it usually takes me a couple of weeks to feel content.  Even though this is our sixth travel gig, my nerves still take over and I feel sick the first several shifts.   Luckily the nursing staff is warm and welcoming, and the managers seem pleasant, so it will be okay.  I really miss the Stanford travel group that I met last fall as we all got along marvelously well and went out all of the time.   This Sunday I am taking a little road trip to Mountain View to catch up with some of them and watch the Super Bowl.  It should be good fun.  Tonight Aaron and I are going on a date to the Academy of Sciences for their social hour!  Every Thursday the museum hosts an evening of music, drinks and displays, so tonight they're having an open exhibit on the Darwin Awards and on orchids.  Good times will be had!

This is how Zuri looks whenever we leave the house.  Pitiful!