"Arctic Blast"

"Arctic Blast" is the term coined for this year's pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm by our local newscasters. My area is used to snow, and inch or two at a time, in January & February. This storm started off mildly on Sunday night, let up for the am commute on Monday, but by lunch time was in full force. My area saw 3 inches in 2 hours, unheard of around here.

This storm has wreaked havoc on our area. Schools have been shut down for 2.5 days (Happy earl Thanksgiving break. Teachers and students, don't complain in July when you're still in session!) Monday evening, commutes that normally are an hour or two were taking 8-13 hours. People abandoning cars and even buses, or running out of gas because the freeway hadn't moved for hours. Buses simply not showing up, the transit centers so overwhelmed that they could no longer track them.

Other than my husband's hellish trek home on Monday night, we've had a great time because I didn't have work and school was cancelled for J! We pulled out our snow clothes and did some playing.

It wasn't quite cold enough to drag around my bulky winter coat, puffer vests and fleeces are amazing!

My first attempt at artistic photography in the falling snow...it's really hard!

Yes, my town still has some of the original hitching posts around.

I love the juxtaposition of fall and winter here.

Snow and Christmas

The first urban snowfall of the year happened yesterday in my neck of the woods, there is still snow on the ground this morning. Friday, I was able to bust out my skis and hit the slopes with my Daddy.

Snow makes me happy. LOVE IT. And it puts me in a festive mood. J too, he wanted to go up to the mountains yesterday and cut down our Christmas tree. I had to squash that one, it's still a tad bit too early.

In the spirit of the snow, J and I decided to make use of our free Sunday afternoon and get cracking on some early Christmas shopping. We made our list, everyone is accounted for except for 2 people (and they are TOUGH!)

Out we go to accomplish mass shopping for others, and didn't spend a dime. Oh yes, and we each picked out things that we need/want. Christmas Shopping FAIL. We did some great research on a few gifts, but weren't quite able to pull the trigger as we want to see a few more options.

Want to see what we picked out for ourselves? Yeah, I know you do!

Columbia Alpine Alliance Jacket

I have about 7 different jackets and am sick of having to store all of them and that they don't all have the features I want. For example, my rain jacket doesn't have a hood. My ski jacket is so old and heavy that my shoulders hurt after a full day of playing in the snow.

The Alpine is a 3-in-1 jacket. A windproof, waterproof, hooded shell with a zip-in faux-down liner that can be worn alone (it's cute and has pockets of it's own). The jacket also has an elasticized snow guard at the waist and the sleeves include liners that cover your hands, complete with thumb holes, so that when you wear gloves, there is no skin-gap at your wrists. I HATE that skin gap, makes me whole hands seem cold.

The above color is called "Tidewater." I also like the color "Tarte." My favorite color is purple, but tarte is almost too pink/wine. My skiing helmet, goggles, and skis are a similar color of blue, so I want the jacket to match. Gotta be coordinated!

Apple's Magic Trackpad

J and I had to purchase a new computer a few months ago so that he could finish up grad school after our laptops decided to get sick/die. We chose to buy the iMac for a myriad of reasons even though we were both used to having laptops. J had asked if they sold anything like a laptop's touchpad instead of a mouse because we really like them. 6 months ago, the saleslady looked at us like we had 3 heads. Well, apparently Apple heard our wishes and has now released one...after we've both become accustomed to our mouse. At only $69, this just may appear under our Christmas tree this year.

Aside from the Christmas shopping, my next project is Christmas cards. After looking at so many different companies which I love: Tiny Prints, Shutterfly, Snapfish, See Here (whom we used last year), and more, I've actually decided to use Costco. Costco has some awesome designs this year, you cannot beat the price (seriously!), they are large cards, and they include matching envelopes. Now, I just have to figure out which picture to use. 

Changes

Sorry for the brief hiatus. My world has been in a topspin of late and everything is off-kilter.

2 weeks ago today, a vicious rumor came out at work that lay-offs were coming. Mandatory staff meetings were already scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, where my boss completely blind-sided (despite the rumors) the entire staff with a complete re-bid for our positions as RNs in my unit. Oh, and they are taking away 8-hour shifts. Which doesn't bother me, but we have a lot of nurses who prefer 8's and some who can't work 12-hour shifts due to medical reasons.

This re-bid has spun out of control and a black cloud has settled over my workplace. Which, despite being NICU, is usually a happy place. And it is bringing out the best and the worst in people. Many nurses are banding together, and trying to have good attitudes, the doctors are bringing treats to us, etc; but others are so upset that they are acting like 3rd graders: only wearing black scrubs, wearing witch hats into work, dropping by my boss's office just to let her know how they feel, inappropriately.

My husband pretty much had to talk me into going to work all week long because I was having a really hard time handling all of the negativity. I am generally a happy person, but negativity effects me greatly and really drags me down.

Things are a bit better now, the shock has worn off, and management has heard our concerns and has agreed to compromise on a few things.

The process: A full re-bid essentially entails that a seniority roster and list of available positions is given to everyone. Management is offering fewer positions than we currently have people on the roster. The positions are nearly all 12-hour shifts, and the number of hours per week being offered may cause some financial strains for many of our staff, myself included. All part-time positions (anything less than 60% of full time) are being eliminated.

So, number 1 on the roster chooses her position, gets it, and it goes on to number 2, and so on and so forth until all positions are filled. Some people are choosing to leave, this will result in fewer lay-offs. I am safe from being laid-off based upon seniority alone, but I am pretty far down the list, so the positions that are left and available to me may not be enough hours or might be a terrible schedule.

I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE A JOB. Hear me on this. I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE A JOB.

I just had a higher sense of security because healthcare is generally a safe field to be in, especially as a nurse.

My heart goes out to my co-workers who will not have a job at the end of this, and to those who this change is putting a huge strain on their families.