If you follow my tweets you probably saw that I decided to do a little overtime the other day…
If you know my normal work hours (7 am – 7 pm) you may be wondering if I am an overachiever crazy…
(Yes, is the short answer) But because two night nurses called in sick, there were minimal options, and ultimately I decided to stay at the hospital until midnight (when a replacement could arrive). Class, pull out your calculators.
If you don’t have a calculator I’ll help you out, that makes 17 hours of fun ICU chaos…
If you think that’s the worst part, just wait…
After the clock struck 12 I made my way home to shower, prep the next day’s lunch and sneak in a quick 3 hours of sleep before my alarm went off at 5 am to do it all over again.
If you are wondering if 3 hours is enough to function on back to back shifts, it’s not…
If you think I remembered to photograph my lunch at 2 am, you have definitely overestimated how Type-A I actually am…
If you know how good I am at striking a deal, then you’d be pleased to know that in exchange for my 30 hours of work (in 48 hours), I got my Friday shift off! Totally worth it.
If you think I would do a post without any pictures, think again…here’s my lunch from the first shift.
If you think my salads are getting bigger and bigger and bigger, you may be onto something as this took my entire lunch break to eat…
If you are wondering what the ingredients are, it had spinach, steamed kale, steamed cabbage, raw bell peppers, steamed carrots, steamed asparagus, and raisins…
If you are staring at my horribly dry skin (stop!!) and then send me hand cream recommendations that can survive a day of 602,417 hand washes…
I have gone through pounds and pounds of moisturizer at work, but the fact of the matter is that the combination of (a) the winter weather, (b) the hospital’s dry environment, (c) having 3 patients ALL on contact precautions for different infections, and (d) my already abnormal OCD hand washing tendencies, there is just no amount of lotion that can keep my fingers free of chaffing. 🙁
If you are contemplating buying the new Luna protein bar, do it, here’s why…
PRO: It tasted like cookie dough (as advertised), but was chewier (like taffy) with little chocolate cookie nougat thingies, too. It held me over for a few hours, which is virtually unheard of with my voracious appetite.
CON: The ingredients aren’t stellar. However, although they are not exactly as pure and wholesome as Larabars, sometimes a girl needs a little candy bar dessert (disguised as a protein bar).
If you are wondering what I threw together while operating with 4% of my brain function…
If you have read my blog before, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that dinner revolved around hummus and peanut butter…
If you haven’t tried meatless meatballs with hummus, you are missing out…
If you haven’t tried carrots with peanut butter, you are probably normal…
If you are glad that this post is over, you are not alone…
I’m loving the huge salad! I make them in tupperwares, too…then I add the dressing and shake them up to cover the salad in it!
My dad is a surgeon and swears by AmLactin…the nurses at his hospital actually give it to him. Just a word of precaution- it BURNS when you put it on the first few times, because it goes into the cracked skin, but after a few times, your hands get so smooth. It’s a miracle, I swear!
PS- I agree with you on the Luna proteins, they’re a perfect healthy “candy bar!”
wow! that’s seriously crazy. you so deserve friday off and i hope you spend much of it sleeping and eating copious amounts of hummus and PB.
oh and i like avoplex high intensity hand & nail cream myself! or anything curel.
I love those cookie dough Lunas! Seriously, cannot get enough. Cracked up when I read “little chocolate cookie nougat thingies”…that’s the best part!!! 🙂
Hopefully you are enjoying your Friday OFF!! Eat a few pounds of apples and love every minute of it 🙂
I love carrots and PB! I guess that makes me not normal…
And Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion for your hands! Cheap and it works. Smells nommy too, which is always a plus.
Have you tried using coconut oil for mositurizer? I haven’t but have heard it works wonders. I’ve also heard of people using olive oil as a moisturizer.
Have no fear.. my hands are a freaking mess, too. AHHH. I work with kids so I wash them approx 10000 times a minute. My mom works at a dr’s and ordered me a medicated lotion with olivamine and it works wonders!
You are a trooper.. glad you had today off!! Enjoy it 🙂
I love Arbonne’s hand cream…it is light on the fragrance (I’m sensitive, what can I say), just enough moisture to keep my hands soft, and not super thick or oily. Perfect after all that handwashing at work!
girl whats your twitter? i wana follow you!
thats the kind i have!!! hahaha
edieden
You are BRILLIANT! I hope you’re getting your much deserve rest in, moisturizing them manos and I will send you a little something in the mail. I think it may be called “shower time” or something of that suggestive nature. p.s. It’s the first “Thursday night” dinner tonight and I will have a glass of vino for you. 😉
p.s…you are also MAGNIFENT, WONDERFUL, CARING, THOUGHTFUL, and all of the above…
oh and btw, youre DEF normal – carrots and PB is great…hummus is just usually my coating of choice 🙂
oh I totally feel you on the hand situation – they literally crack and bleed from all the hand washing at work. I’m embarrassed! I love Kiehl’s lotions (I love all their products, actually) but like you said, there is little that can be done about having multiple contact precaution patients on top of winter weather and OCD tendencies. You are a superwoman for 17 hours – I think my max at this point has been 15 and I felt like a train hit me. Hope you have a super relaxing weekend!
Can you prehaps tell me where you found the luna protein bars? I’ve been looking everywhere for them with no luck. lol Thanks!
“perhaps” per peeve
whole foods
OMG that is a whole lot of work there! I cannot believe that you actually did that! Yay for you having some time off today! Use it to rest, recuperate and do something fun for yourself!
ha this post cracked me up!
thanks for the food reviews. have a fabulous friday!
you are SUCH a trooper! gold star for best employee ever. dang.. that is a lot of hand washes 😉 xoxo
Dude, 30/48 hours on your feet… Impressive. Unfortunately i am quite the obsessed, compulsive, hand-washer and i work with many teenagers whom i have no clue where there hands have been, so i use Aquaphor! It is the freaking best for healing your hands, not just moisturizing them! Except i can’t stand having any type of lotion on my hands during the day, so i just put it on before i hit the pillow and like magic; my hands are healed in the morning!
IF…you’re happy and you know it clap your hands 😉
Meatless meatballs are also fan-freaking-tastic with mesquite seasonings as well. Thanks for making me crave ze balls. Hope you enjoyed your day off, pumpkin!!
go rest nowwwwwwwww. poor thing 🙁
very cute post 🙂 you need some sleeeep!!
xoxo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
IF you’re doubting whether or not you’re awesome well you should stop because you are.
IF you didn’t spend all today doing nothing then I officially think you’re a loon.
IF you don’t think the jets are gonna win on Sat then we’re not friends anymore.
Luna protein bar–I bought the one in PB but then K’s Good Eats and another blogger, cant remember said it wasnt as good as the cookie dough. So i havent cracked into it yet. THEN I got a rude anon comment yesterday from someone re a Luna bar i put on my blog that i bought for Skylar or Scott’s lunch and got my ass handed to me about not being vegan and that i shouldnt call myself vegan. Nice. So I am kinda scared of luna bars these days BUT secretly covet the cookie dough one. Thx for the review and making me want it even more 🙂
And all that work. As is the case with truckers or airline pilots, I cant believe they let you guys work so much. I mean sleep is a basic human need…girl, you’re an animal! Who just made doubletime probably $ enjoy it 🙂
I love Luna bars, but I’ve never seen Luna protein bars. I’ll have to watch for them.
As for hand cream, I really love the hemp line from The Body Shop.
cute entry, loved it.
Are carrots w/PB good? 😛
Holy Cow. I cannot even believe you worked for 17 hours and then did it again with minimal sleep – you are unbelievable! I would be the grumpiest person ALIVE by the end of that 2nd day…and definitely not able to write a post as creative as this. 😉
My hands are like that too – working with 8 year olds is just disgusting. They are sticky and boogery all the time and it makes me gaggy, so I wash my hands often. If you find some miracle lotion – send some my way.
Wow, you’re crazy! Very impressive though. I guess adrenaline kicks in and there’s always caffeine… I used Liz Earle’s natural products (she’s based in the UK but they sell online in the US also) for my hands. Weirdly I have tried peanut butter and carrots, but it’s always a last measure when I’ve run out of hummus (I share your hummus love). Hope you enjoyed your well-deserved friday off. x
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a while and just wanted to finally leave a comment! What a hard worker you are. I’m glad you got Friday off though. Thanks for your great blog and food pics, I always enjoy your sense of humor!
Great post! Wow you worked a lot!!
This is why you deserve respect Elise! All the great work you do for others! I’d be crawling without my nightly 8 hrs of shut-eye.
Again, as a student who is nearing to go into studying nursing you are truly an inspiration!
Next time you have those longggg shifts or simply feel down, know that you are a motivation to girl who wants to be a nurse that puts herself forward just like you!
You rock!
p.s. I love the randomness of your dinner LOL carrots and PB …hm… I should give that a try 😉
oh dearie you have been working a lot! hang in their girl, at least you have yummy food to keep you going :). not to mention if you like pb and carrots, you will adore them with ab (or at least i do). try roasting the carrots that you use, that way the ab melts on them. yum yum yumm!
have a lovely day!
that salad looks delish! i’m a big fan of raw bell peppers (or slightly cooked). they’re so yum! i finally got “eat to live” by dr. joel fuhrman and i’m hoping that it’ll help me further my whole foods diet goal.
Wow, I admire you so much for working your tail off! And having Friday’s off is definitley worth some exhaustion!
haha and I would definitely take a pic of my lunch at 2am, no shame 🙂
I’ve got to try some meatless meatballs…I bought some but could think of a fun way to serve them (other than the obvious)..hummus would be divine!
AmLactin huh? thanks for the rec, Ill def look into it!
That is some insane work schedule you have! Glad you got Friday off though.
I definitely have to try meatless meatballs with some hummus..sounds rather interesting. As for the carrots, I guess I’m normal there.
Love your blog..and your humour!
hahaha…I love you Elise!! And you poor thing–17 hours of work straight?!?!? You are a saint!
Courtney
thanks courtney!!
I’m impressed! You’ve managed the almost impossible.