Cable Cave

I finally caved and had cable and internet installed at the apartment. I was kind of hoping that if I held out, the agency would have moved me, and installing cable and internet here would be moot. Oh well. I'm still stuck in suburban hell, but now I have Law & Order: SVU to keep me company.

If the hospital offers to extend my contract, I think I'll say yes. I have to get out of this shitty apartment and boring area, though.

Be Prepared

Apparently, that's not just a motto for Boy Scouts. Travel nurses need to be prepared, too...financially, that it. Before I hit the road, even before I began talking with travel company recruiters, I researched. I read travel RN message boards and one book that most people seemed to agree is the "definitive" traveling book. They all reiterated the same message: have some money saved before you leave for any assignment. You don't know what issues will crop up along the way.

So, I embarked on my journey with a cushion of cash. The trip out to Washington came in under budget. Everything was fine, right? Well...

Upon our arrival to my apartment, my three-year-old laptop crapped out. I took it to the local office-supply superstore, and they just took 3+ weeks repairing it. Having the money to fix the issues wasn't the problem; I just didn't anticipate the time it would take. Luckily, my smart phone stepped in for all of my internet needs. Writing short stories and blog posts on the iPhone leaves something to be desired, though. I'm glad to have a computer with a keyboard back again.

Is this post just an excuse/explanation for my lack of updates recently? Yes. But it's also a reminder that no matter how prepared you might feel, something is bound to come crashing into to your life to shake things up. It's how we stay flexible.

Well, Zooey is doing a bang up job of clawing the rented furniture in the less-than-savory suburban apartment my travel company has housed me in. Fantastic. I may need to revisit my "declawing cats is cruel" stance.