DAY IN, DAY OUT

It's been a hectic week. Non-stop since the last week. I have overextended myself and I'm paying for it. My back hurts. My contacts are itchy. And I was awakened from a very sound sleep howling in pain from a leg cramp. I nearly scared my kid half to death, screaming in pain. 24 hours later, I'm still sore. And not a heating patch in sight.....

Spent the weekend sitting in class doing the CEN review. I got some perspective as to what I need to review for the test. I'm pretty prepared for it, now I just need to fine-tune the knowledge. You really don't know how much you know until someone points it out to you! Anyway, we had a good time doing it. My co-worker and I even managed to get in a little SHOPPING TIME and try out some restaurants which we don't have here in the Keys. But in the end, we were dying to get back to the islands and see some blue seas and endless water.

The ER has been slow lately. Not as slow as we would like. A lot of locals, since it's off-season. Some really sick people have been coming through. And for some reason, we're having a lot of patients going through DT's. I know that this is a drinking town with a fishing problem, but the staff is taking a beating with the alcohol issue. EVERYBODY is tired of wrestling drunks! And it's an equal opportunity drinking village, too---men, women, young and old. AA needs a bigger chapter here.

Hurricane season has officially started. Now in addition to knowing when the tides are coming in, we're all watching rainy spots and depression formations on the weather maps. They say Floridians are all amateur meteorologists. They're not kidding. Down here, we watch storm formation and start plotting paths before NOAA does. I'm just hoping it's an uneventful hurricane season. Not only do I have to worry about the house I'm in right now, but I have the house in Volusia County to worry about. That one is sitting up there unprotected. And after being hit with three sequential hurricanes in 2004, I know we can easily be in the line of fire at any moment--and I'm 7 hours away.

School is out. Nobody got hurt. The kid's ordeal is over. Onward to better things. I want to take this opportunity to thank one of her teachers, Ms. A., for all her support and understanding. You were a shining light in this little hellhole of a school. Both Dani and I appreciate you lending your moral support and your patience toward her. She told me you read the blog. I hope this message goes out loud and clear: her school year would have been absolutely intolerable without you. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!! MANY THANKS!!

The sun is up. It's time to sleep. Then I wake up and get to do it all over again.