suck-my-big.org

8/19/08
I will be so glad when today is over, and I have tomorrow off. I worked double shifts on Saturday and Sunday (it was the only overtime available - am doing the same thing next weekend) and pretty much sleepwalked through Monday. I made the bold decision to shower when I got home Monday morning from the double, because I knew if I went right to bed, I wouldn't want to do it when I woke up at 2.30pm.

I haven't gotten the WiFi on the iPod to work yet. I have to find somewhere that's wired, (er, wireless) so I can futz around with it. But I did put some of my CD's on it, and was playing with it during the second double shift. It passed the time.

The apocalypse is in sight, and the Yankees are obviously giving up on getting to the postseason. They're saying Carl Pavano might pitch in Baltimore on Saturday! Bleh.

We're going to Bawlmer tomorrow (to cheer for the Orioles, since they're playing Boston). Bring on the crabcakes.

8/16/08
On this date in history: Babe Ruth (1948) and Elvis Presley (1977) both died.

later on 8/15/08
So with the rain delay and the game not starting til almost 9pm, I decided to come home from the city, and will do drinks another time. Can't stomach Mariano blowing another save, anyway. And I can't get over the Yankees sending Melky to the minors. It's ridiculous, the way this season is ending up.

Anyway.

While I was at Dad's, I was ogling his iPod Touch, and it's the coolest thing ever. I'm not a big tech-toy person, but I had to have one. So we went to J&R and I bought one. With my unexpected evening free, I'm going to try and get it all set up.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. I must make these.

And I still can't get over the demise of the Mike and the Mad Dog show. I listened to them (or watched on YES) all the time.

The Dodgers called up Tanyon! Welcome back!

8/15/08
We got back very late last night. Because instead of just coming home from Pittsburgh as planned, we decided to detour through DC and catch the Mets/Nationals game at Nationals Park, the newest of the new ballparks.

The drive out to Pittsburgh was completely uneventful. Driving through PA is a beautiful trip, and it's so easy to get there. The directions are pretty much, "get on this highway, head west, and go 300 miles." Our hotel was literally spitting distance from PNC Park, on the north side of town. Since we got there early, we walked over to the National Aviary (which I am ashamed to admit, I had no idea existed), and walked around looking at birds. My favorite bit was the giant cage full of Lorikeets, which you can go inside. And they come over and sit on you if you hold your hands out. They're adorable little things.

And then, since there was still time before the game, we relaxed in the hotel pool. Ahh.

I had bought tix for the game on StubHub, down in the Lexus Club seats. Third row behind home plate - and I got them for pretty much face value, which is a steal to begin with. First off, the Pirates hardly ever sell out - there were only 15,000 people at the game. And trust me, it's perhaps the most beautiful ballpark there is, with an incredible view of the city skyline and the rivers. Go, if you can. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, so, along with the tickets, you get access to the Lexus Club, which you enter from behind the stadium, private entrance. And you get free dinner at their buffet, which is gourmet quality. And use of the club until 8pm, when it closes. Access to the private bathrooms for ticketholders. The entire indoors of the club is so swanky. And you have an entrance right from the club into the luxury seating area, so you don't have to mingle with the common folk. You also have access to the private club areas up on the higher levels of the stadium, but we stayed down near our seats. We were right next to the Pirates dugout, and the on-deck circle was about 10 feet in front of us. I must say, Brandon Moss has some killer biceps. The distance from the front row of that section is closer to home plate than the pitcher's mound is, so the view of the players was amazing. During the game, you also get free water, soda, snacks, hot dogs etc.

The face value of the tickets? $160 apiece.

Go for it.

I did not take advantage of Dollar Dog night, since the food was included in our tickets.

The Pirates beat the Reds, so it was enjoyable. Since we only had to walk across the street, we stayed for the entire game - mascot pierogi race and all. And after the game, the hotel pool was still open, so Mom and I ducked back in. I said, on a whim, that I wondered if the Nationals were at home this week, since DC is (sort of) on the way home. We checked the computer in the lobby, and they were, so we bought tickets for last night's game.

Yesterday, we went at 10am to do the tour of PNC Park. It was us and two other people, smallest tour I've ever been on. They take you down the hallway where the clubhouse is, into the batting cages, to the dugout, on the field, up to the press box and into the club areas and luxury suites. Also into the dining room of the Lexus Club, where we ate dinner before Wednesday's game. Excellent tour, I mean, I love ballpark tours anyway, but this was a lot of fun.

After the tour, we hopped in the car and drove to DC. Probably would have gotten there sooner if this torrential downpour hadn't started, and we had to pull over for a bit. And of course, there was a traffic detour once we hit DC, which threw off the directions I had printed out Wednesday night. So once we got into Georgetown, I called Tesse and asked her to look up Metro directions to the park, just in case. In any event, we didn't need them, because once we got downtown, we just parked at L'Enfant Plaza (in the same parking deck - the only one downtown, I believe - that Tesse and I had parked in when we were in DC a few months ago), and took a cab to the park and back.

I was disappointed with Nationals Park. For one of the new ballparks, it looks kind of dumpy and too industrial. But the food was delicious, and there were more Mets fans than Nationals fans (I don't think the Nationals actually have any fans). We left after the sixth inning, so we wouldn't be driving all night, and listened to the Mets win the game on the radio. Didn't seem to make a difference that we left early, since there was a nasty accident near the DelMemBr, which had us sitting in traffic, not moving, for a good half hour. Passed the time by listening to the Phillies lose their game out in LA.

Made it home by 2am, tho, and I'm still catching up. Heading to the city tonight. I sold my tickets for the game to my boss, so I won't be going, but I'm going to meet up with a friend for drinks.

And crap, I can't find my white All Star Game hoodie, which I took with me on our trip. Which means some housekeeper in Pittsburgh has herself a nice new sweater.

Congratulations to half-man, half-fish Michael Phelps on all his gold medals! I have not watched a single moment of the Olympics, but hey, a girl can watch ESPN and get all the news she needs.

8/12/08
Things were going swimmingly at work til about 7pm. I was helping the CNA with one of our more colorful patients (the one who kicked me last week, and has the most profane vocabulary of anyone I've ever met), and he grabbed my left wrist and twisted it, hard. This same guy nearly broke another nurse's wrist two weeks ago. I managed to get my hand out of his grasp, winced, and wrapped it right up in an ace bandage. I filled out the incident report, and went to get it checked at the ER after work. Nothing broken, just a sprain, and after taking some Tylenol it already feels fine. No swelling or anything.

Ouch, tho.

Big Yankees win tonight - after Mariano blew the save, they came back in the 12th inning to beat the Twins. And apparently it was the home run derby up in Boston, where the Sox won 19-17. Good lord.

Off to Pittsburgh in the AM. It's Dollar Dog night at PNC Park, and Josh Fogg (who I loved when he was with the Rockies) and Paul Maholm are pitching. The two worst teams in the NL Central but whatever. It's a beautiful park, and did I mention Dollar Dog night?

8/11/08
Jay tells me that Cafe Mozart is closing! Yes, I know, it's sad that I have to learn this from someone who moved to Atlanta. But I love that place. I've been there with practically everyone I know, before and after things at Lincoln Center. Their dessert selection is astounding, and I love the baked brie with fruit. Oh, I will miss it.

And Dip, the fondue place that Jay and I went to with our gang once, is closing, too. They messed up our order, so we got a free round of martinis. Love the fondue.

Could the Yankees please start winning? Could Mariano please stop giving up runs in tied games? It's starting to get down to the wire, and we're 9 games in back of Tampa. TAMPA.

Went out for drinks (and delicious potatoes with cheese and bacon on top) with some of my coworkers after work tonight. We'd been threatening to do so for some time now, and we were all finally working the same day. It was nice to hang out outside of work, and bitch about the crazy weekend. Today was full of kicking, hitting, shouts of "No, YOU shut the fuck up!" (not by the staff) and whining. Lots of whining. Followed by lots of "I am NOT whining." Oh yes, she was. The beer was necessary.

But apart from all the craziness, I'm pretty darn happy right now.

8/10/08
Boy am I glad the weekend is over. In the past 24 hours, I've been kicked, threatened with assault charges, and told just where I can stick my pills. And to top it off, I somehow managed to lock the supervisor key ring (you know, the one with all the important keys) in the nursing office at 11pm tonight. Whoops.

In good news, it was appliance-fixing weekend. We bought a new washer on Friday, and they delivered it yesterday and hooked it up. No more rust spots on my whites! Hopefully it's easy to use - not one of those ones with 400 options and settings. We went for something basic. And the guy came to look at the freezer, which was dripping water all into the fridge. I think in my next life, I will be an appliance-fixing girl. They came, looked at the fridge, spent a whole 10 minutes here, and charged nearly $200. It's highway robbery.

I'm going to curl up with the kitties now.

8/9/08
So I had the worst traffic ever getting into the city last night. The plan was to meet Tesse at 5.30pm to do the ticket lottery for Rent, since we both wanted to see it before it closes next month. Well, I left at 4pm. I didn't get to the city til nearly 6.30pm. And let me tell you, my bladder is the size of a walnut. I practically ran from the parking garage to Ollie's restaurant to pee when I got there. Tesse made it to the lotto, but didn't win. There were no standing room left, either, so we met up at TKTS and just bought half-price tickets.

Dinner was the Ho Ed, for cheap burgers.

It was great to see the show (and see Will) for one last time. It's really held up well, even if they've now got the amplification cranked up to 11. I wasn't as moved as I thought I would be, but there were still bits that made me tear up. After the show, we went backstage to wait for Will, who berated me for not leaving a note or something that I was coming, but what can you do?

And then we mortgaged the car out of the garage and went down to Marie's for a bit. I was hoping to run into my friend Kevin, who's down from Boston for a bit (ugh, can't believe he moved there), but we had already missed him.

And that was the exciting night - I dropped Tesse off in Inwood and was home by 3am.

Forgot to pick up my check from the per diem - have to do that on my way to work today.

8/8/08
Steinbrenner obviously has no idea the minor leagues exist. Where else could you pay $10 for a ticket, $2 for parking, and see Carl Pavano? Honestly. Someone should clue him in.

Trenton is a great place to see baseball (not to mention a quick hour away in perfect weather). Carl was his charming self - didn't stop to acknowledge the fans (granted, it was far from a sellout, not like when Roger was there), didn't sign any autographs, and left the game after 3 2/3 innings. He pitched well tho. But would it have hurt him to smile? Actually, it probably would have.

I left after his stint was over, so I could get home to go to work.

Oh and the catcher was Cervelli - who had his wrist broken by Tampa Bay back in Spring Training - he looked good.

later on 8/6/08
Oh, Joba. And now Pudge. They should just issue a card when you join the team: "Dear so-and-so, welcome to the Yankees! Here is your locker room key, a jar of Ben-Gay, and a free pass to Club DL."

You know, Scranton is still a dump, and it's two and a half hours away, but it's such a pretty drive, and the baseball is good. Plus, the cheap food makes up for the expensive gas. I had a great time.

And Carl Pavano is pitching in Trenton tomorrow night. Maybe I can go down and catch the beginning of the game before I have to come back for the overnight shift. Completely do-able if I get enough sleep tonight. I should make a "Don't blink, you might strain an eyelash" sign to hold up. Phil Hughes is in Scranton tomorrow, shame it wasn't tonight - it would have been nice to have good pitching.

I'm feeling a bit Pavano-ish myself. I managed to walk into the nurses' station desk not once, but twice this week. So I have two nice purplish bruises on my thigh to show for it. I should miss 2-3 days with a sore muscle, but will be fine for the Angels series this weekend.

8/6/08
And then I thought to myself - self, there is no way I am going to sit through a doubleheader on Friday - not in August, not in AA Trenton. I'll probably make my way into the city to meet Tesse for drinks somewhere, which is a much more summer-like activity. The pina coladas at Dallas BBQ are calling my name.

My thoughts go out to my good friend C. (brother of one of my younger residents), whose wife was in a car accident last night, details unknown.

Here you go - a good article showing why I don't work in Psych. Altho it feels like I do, sometimes.

OK, Off to Scranton.

8/4/08
At least it wasn't Mariano who blew the game tonight. The Rangers won with a bottom-of-the-ninth, two-out, walk-off grand slam. Uncle Bobby was at the game (or said he was - heat wave pending) down in Texas. I hope he stayed til the bitter, bitter end.

And no, Joba, you cannot be injured. No no no no no.

But speaking of injuries, Shelley Duncan is back on the Scranton team (get to see him on Wednesday, yay) and immediately hit a home run to put Scranton back in first place (over the AAA Red Sox team). Sweet. And speaking of minor league games, there's going to be a doubleheader on Friday (two 7-inning games) in Trenton. I'm working overnight on Thurday, but should be awake in time to drive down for the games. That'd be fun.

It was a better day at work. I was on the subacute side, and managed to escape without being kicked, beaten or having any bones broken. Much less stressful than yesterday. Tomorrow I'm back in the land of the whining, we'll see how that goes. I know I seem awfully cranky about it, but I take everything there with a grain of salt.

On an upbeat note, it has been perfect convertible weather all week long. I can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.

8/3/08
There are times when I wish we could have cocktail hour at work. This weekend was one of those times. We have two new residents who just WHINED the entire weekend. One in one ear, the other in the other ear, and my head was splitting all weekend long.

8/2/08
I've gotten about six "missed calls" on my phone, all from the same 215 area code. I think that's PA. So anyway, I called it to try and find out who wants me (because they never leave a message), and when it connects, it says something like, "this is a reminder from whatever insurance company about screenings and preventative medicine. If you no longer wish to receive these messages, please leave your name, number and a detailed message after the beep." I would, except the mailbox after the beep is full. I think my insurance company is based in Philly (is that 215?), but I have never, ever gotten a call from them before, so this is really odd. I'll have to wait and try to catch the phone when it vibrates, or maybe try and call back on Monday.

Happy Old Timers Day! It's great - but kind of distressing - to see old, paunchy players in pinstripes. Al Leiter still looks good.

And now I've got to go and spend 16 hours with my own Old Timers at work.

later on 8/1/08
Except for the fact that we lost, 1-0, it was an excellent game. Sidney Ponson - of all people - only gave up two hits. A guy behind us on the street had the best comment of the night. He said he hoped that Ponson didn't pitch a no-hitter, because then he'd have to jump into Pudge's arms, and Sidney being a large man would probably injure Pudge and then where would we be? So it didn't come to that. But it was a great game, until Mariano blew it in the ninth with no score.

Brian, who sits behind me, surprised me with a beer (and I surprised him by attempting to lend him a book that I loved, that he already has), and we toasted Manny going to the NL.

8/1/08
I didn't have high hopes for the Mamma Mia movie, and all of my expectations were met! I never saw the Broadway show (and never will), but this movie was just everything that's wrong with movie musicals. I laughed inappropriately through the entire thing. Meryl Streep tho, she was radiant! Other than that, it was just so, so bad.

But I did tap my toes through all of the songs.

Oh oh oh, the RSC is doing Hamlet - with Patrick Stewart as Claudius - in Stratford. I want to go.

-catherine