like a black hole

I swear, I have been trying to get out of the C pod for a solid month! It’s loaded with chronic patients and I am slowly dying a bit more each day just being over there…so today I successfully made the transition.

Here’s how it works. Both pods (B and C) are part of the cardiac critical care unit, but pod C has 9 rooms and B only has 8. So, since there are 2 nurses per side splitting the patient load, if you are stuck in hell (aka pod C) you may have 5 patients, but if you are in B you are guaranteed NO MORE THAN 4 patients. Saaweeeet! The difference may not sound significant, but trust me 4 vs 5 is HUGE in the CPCU. I mean come on, an ICU setting is no place to compromise patients’ lives by overloading nurses with such acutely ill post-op fresh hearts. Here’s how you get sucked into a black hole: by being a nice, flexible person (simple, right?). Since we encourage continuity of patient care, once you get a patient, you basically keep the same patient every day you are working…not so great if the patient is there, oh, say, post op day 96 (room 8). Fo real!

Pod B – finally! SO EXCITED! Here’s how you know you’ve been somewhere too long: random doctors who hardly even know your name comment on how rare it is that you’re in pod B. Um, since when do random GI consults know that I’ve been sucked into the black hole that is pod C….oh right, since I’ve been there a month.

Ok, enough.

Food-ing. Check out my latest shopping trip. I’m set for the next few shifts at least.

Todays lunch: smart deli sando

PLUS Brunos’ vegan soup of the day (carrot ginger)

Warmth all through my body…also, the snow subsided by 11, so it wasn’t too bad by the time I made it out for lunch (2:30 pm). I was good busy, not crazy chaotic annoying busy.

Sando ZOOMed in 🙂

On the way home I sat next to a crazy person on the subway (throwing his bags and chicken bones all over and under the seat), never a dull commute in NYC.

Started grilling within 10 minutes of walking in the door. Hungry, yes ma’am.

For some reason the eggs were sticking to the pan, so I burned them a bit. I also heated up half of the remaining tofu from last night (bbq, sweet and sour, and baked)…like I said before, eggs and tofu = winning combo (especially warm tofu).

The chunks of tofu should have been smaller, when they are so big, I don’t realize how much I am eating. That’s really a massive plate ‘o FU (yep, that’s short for tofu, hehe).

I tried to guzzle water to fill me up so I wouldn’t have seconds…but the problem is, I knew there was more…so I wanted it. BTW, don’t freak out thinking I’m drinking a new smartwater each time I mention it or show a pic of my bottle (I am just refilling the same bottle). I’m a hippie remember?! Reduce, reuse recycle. Same ziplock baggies for lunch, same tin foil for lunch, and everything else that I can possibly use more than once. The Earth is in nobody else’s hands but ours!!!

See my name written on it, so it doesn’t get thrown out at work 🙂

Ok, here’s my second helping. This time I was successful in keeping the egg beater in one big piece (my fave self made top chef quick challenge). I’m a dork, love it.

The big (fake) eggy slab with the rest of the tofu.

Killer TOFU!!!

(Did I just quote Doug?!?)

I’m getting punchy, time for bed!

Yup, polished the plate!