oro en paz, fierro en guerra

I found out the other day San Francisco city's motto.  Gold in peace and iron in war.  I am still contemplating that one.  I jumped on Muni 49 down to the City hall and went on a tour.  Of course, I will pull out the ole Cliff Clavin on you and give you some nerdy facts.  First of all, our dome is the 5th largest in the world.  so there you go.  It was raining so forgive some umbrella shots.  I also enjoyed a moment at a cafe outside of the City hall and drank some fab Ritual coffee and fed a cute little bird some of my Vietnamese sandwich.  Always nice to have a friend dine with you.

That is real 23.5 karat gold leafing on the dome.

The Christmas tree looks like it has snow on it.  But really it is thousands of these white  paper cranes with wishes written on the.  And there are always wedding taking place here.  I cannot wait until all couples will be allowed to wed here again and then that will be truly beautiful
The lamps are gorgeous in person.  They are from France and SF gets the light bulbs to this day from France.  Aren't we so fancy.  Love!

I went to Saigon sandwich on Larkin for the best Vietnamese sandwich and a scrumptious banana and jackfruit roll  I shared it with my fair weathered and feathered friend.

Black heart tattoo

I cannot believe I did it.  I got my first tattoo yesterday.  And boy did I go to the best.  I was so lucky to get in with Scott Sylvia.  Total luck and fluke he had a cancellation.  I loved the experience and was so impressed with the shop and my tattoo artist.  My shoulder is killing right now and that is why I am up writing on my blog instead of sleeping.  Also there is a gnarly storm outside right now.  Oh and dad don't freak out.  It is not like I am 16.

On a mission

I explored the mission today.  I stumbled on some amazing graffiti and murals.
This great little Sparrow alley off of Valencia had some great stuff.  I walked the mission and the castro in the rain today and it was glorious.  I leave the city on Thursday with a heavy heart but I know I will be back.  This city is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

These last few are on Laguna and Haight.

Pulled pork torta phenom and a hot cookie in the castro for desert.  

I have to say what I love about traveling is that I really see a city.  I have done it all here.  

I am mildly obsessed with cable cars

So I went to the museum today.  Super neat !  I love the smell of grease and the sound of the cables constantly moving.  There are 4 cable car lines(Powell-Hyde-Mason-California) still running and I try to ride them as often as possible.
I love everything about them.  The sound of the bell ringing and watching the gripman run the cable car and the scenery and the fresh SF air blowing on my face.  I love them !!!!!!
Cliff Clavin fact, the cables are constantly at 9.5 mph and the gripman controls the speed with the hold on the cable.  The cables last anywhere from 70-200 days and then have to be replaced.  They replace them between the hours of 0100-0600 when the cable cars are not running.  I could go on and on but I think I may have already lost some of you.  I think I lost Curtis at "So"

These are the sheaths under the streets.

Oaktown

I went to the Raiders game with my darling Baileys.  It rained on my nachos and we sat on garbage bags in our rain panchos but hey the Raiders won !   

Apple "sigh"der

My computer is cheyne stoke breathing.  Poor thing.  The Apple nerds says there is not much more they can do for it.  So tomorrow I am getting a new Macbook.  And a new iphone since it is agonal breathing.
When it rains, it pours.  Since it has been doing both lately, seems apropos.

Therapy dog

I am such a sap for kids and dogs.  So therapy dogs at the hospital are major heartwarmers.
Because of HIPPA, I cannot show one of my favorite patients face but if you can imagine cuteness
wrapped up in a sweet little boy who cried when I had to say goodbye to him.  I took care of him for 2 months and he finally got to go home.  Christmas miracle.
But here is a picture of my sweet patient and Nalani . the most mellow, lovable, angelic  lab.

not so merry hipsmas

I had tickets to see one of my favorite bands on Friday, December 17th
and 18th.  They have their annual holiday shows at the GAMH.  I was so looking forward to this.  The first night I couldn't rally.  I had a brutal day at work, mentally and physically drained, and didn't get home until 2115 that night and could barely muster up the energy to breath in and out.  The next night, Saturday. I got my unwrapped toy and my rain gear on and hailed a cab.  I am not going to go into detail on the blog but a series of mini nightmares started and I ended up back home soaked in rain and my own tears and blood by 0200.  I did however love the music as I always do.

Tim Bluhm , doggone fantastic !

Great venue

Cubicle ?

Day of beauties today. I found this little nail salon that I really like  Two Vietnamese women run it.  They are so good , the real deal.  Good price. great massage and great at cuticles.  They are total perfectionists and I usually get there on a weekday at 10 and get the place to myself.  But today was different.  Let me state how kind these ladies are.  So today there was an elderly lady there before me getting a manicure and another lady came in after me.  The old lady kept saying her nails didn't look right and yada yada and was so rude.  She kept saying "I cant understand you "  I cant understand your English"  And talking down and demeaning to the manicurist.  You know you old bag, context.  When you are in a nail salon and if it sounds like cuticle it just might be that.  Read between the broken sentences.  These women are such hard workers and actually speak quite well but sometimes I have to guess a little.  Context people. And you only need a couple of words to get the gist.  Then she continued to berate them and I finally had to say something.  I was painted ,pun intended, into a corner.  I couldn't really yell at the lady, it tis the season dont you know but I couldn't tolerate her behavior.  So I spoke up and she looked at me like I was crazy but oh well.  And then the other lady (who was a regular at the salon) forgot her wallet.  So she was like I will just pay you next week.  What the heck.  Who does that.  These women are living hand to mouth.  You get a service , uh you pay then.  Good luck trying to use that excuse at the gas station.  Let me know how that works out.  I could go on and on but I wont.  It just embarrasses me how we Americans have such a sense of entitlement.  Here are these women busting their chops, decorating their little salon with a Christmas tree and all and we walk on them like they are beneath us.  Sux.

C U UCSF :(

Only 6 more shifts left .  I have loved working at this hospital.  It has its good and bad like every place.
I wager that I will float at least 3 of those shifts but oh well.  I have been able to live in this wonderful city and live in a cool neighborhood. 2000 Broadway.
I know I will be back.

Eat Pizza Pray

My aunt and uncle and I went to Glide's Sunday service.  It was fantastic.  The singing talent is incredible.  Such a neat experience . And we were lucky to have the founding minister Cecil Williams talk today. He was awesome, he talked about Facebook.  Classic.  so topical and so right on.  It is such a great mixture of people.  Very inspirational and a nice reminder to do good and be good and we are all human and deserve to be treated as such.




Next , we went to North Beach.  North Beach is pretty touristy and not really known for its good Italian food.  The better Italian places are in the Mission or downtown like Farina,  Delfina, Flour and Water and I just heard about a great one in Jackson Square called Cotagna.  I heard the egg ravioli is insane.
But we heard about this great pizzeria called Tony's.  It is in Washington Square across the park from Mamas.  (Sare bear :)    We ordered their award winning Napoliatano margherita pizza. In Cred Ible 1

Mexican coke and Italian beer,

                                                   

rats

As I'm filing up with gas on my way to work I feel something on my calf in my scrubs. Thinking it was a dryer sheet that got stuck, I casually kick my leg to get it out & out comes flying a f*%#ing mouse! He must have crawled up my scrubs as I was waiting! SO grossed out right now!!!!

That was my friend Courtney's status update from last night. Yuck and double yuck.
My friends that live in Alberta say they literally have a Rat Squad there and that they take it very seriously and there are no rats in Calgary or Edmonton. I think SF might need to consult them.
Besides me and the taxis out on the streets of San Francisco at 0555, there also rats and garbage trucks . At first I thought it was odd that the garbage trucks are out every morning on Fillmore but then when I see the rats, I realize why.

Another disturbing thing is how many ill homeless people there are out on the streets. It is quite sad and really gets to me. I see on a weekly basis a mentally disturbed individual riding the Muni and most of the time they still have their hospital id band on and more than once a restraint. Yep, you read it , bet your bottom blogger. They have an ankle or wrist restraint still on. Do we just dump them out into the streets. that is not good.

Okay, wanted to reiterate that I dont really expect anyone of you to really read this but I like to blog aimlessly and I just like knowing you are all out there if I need you. xxo boo

San Francisco days twindling

I will be so sad to leave this city but am definitely ready for a new hospital. I realized how attached to everything I get. I even get attached to the daddy long legs in my apt and the pigeons that are my neighbors on the roof top next to me.
I love my neighborhood and walking home from the bus stop at night and looking down Webster, my favorite view from my area.
I love my Muni drivers and my coffee baristas , I am close to a few patients and families but I realized this is why it is good that I am a traveler. Because it is always time to move on . until I guess one day it isnt.
So I am going to take advantage of every day until I leave.

Tomorrow I am going to Sausalito to watch the boat light parade and Sunday I am going to Glide memorial church for a good ole Baptist service with singing and all.

I hope my crazy 8's (that is you guys) have a great weekend. xxo boo

Wet bus

The smell of wet bus might trump wet dog smell. Just coming off 3 day shifts. It rained each day ,so a wet commute. Morning commute is easy because it is just me and the taxis out on the street and the same motley crue on my bus ride. But evening wet commute, no me gusta. Friday nights are the worst. So crowded on the 22. BTW, just got home and turned on the TV for background noise and really? , did we really need to give that obnoxious Guy Fierri another show.
Another tangent. I now see I have ocho followers , good evening ! nice to have you . but made me think that I made promises to make you laugh or cry. I think I want to renege, I think I might just make myself laugh or cry.

I floated to the intensive care nursery again. I really don't like it there. They literally cannot think outside the isolette. So I dont know in the morning that I am floating there until I get to my unit. so my standard is to wear long sleeve tee under my scrubs because uhh , hmm , why . oh yeah because it is freakin winter. And the ICN go into a neonatal tailspin if you have long sleeves. everything has to be above your elbows. The thing that irks me , is that they are OBSESSED with this. So while they leave me, an untrained NICU nurse with no orientation or training to the unit with 6 babies that have A & B's alone while my baymate is on break or while they cram in a isolette to a space that has no O2 or suction, they have issues with my standard issue Jcrew shirt. and everyone walks by me and reminds me to scrunch up my shirt. argh

BTW, 600 volts run through the Muni wires so don't jump on top of the bus like some lamos do.

flowers and candles

So I was way more motivated today. Cleaned the apartment and did laundry. And as always my motivation to clean, is a reward of fresh flowers and lighting a yummy candle. Today's feature are spray roses and Seda France holiday candle. I am like a kid, or a dog. I work on a reward system.
Walked the hills of pacific heights and tried to volunteer but sometimes they make it so hard.
I signed up to help move patients in wheelchairs to the new Laguna Honda rehab facility and signed up for SF food bank shift and neither called or emailed me back.
I went to dinner with Curtis to a veggie Japanese place in the Mission and then we went to Bi-Rite creamery. I got malted vanilla with peanut brittle and chocolate and he got persimmon and snickerdoodle. Both super good.
Tomorrow my gay husband and I are having dim sum at 45th and Balboa and he speaks Chinese so we get the yummiest food.
BTW, this blog which I shall call Le Blog, is more of a diary without the private stuff, when you live alone you have a lot to say at the end of the day and sometimes it is funny and interesting and sometimes not but it is nice to have someone to tell.
BTW, Curtis and i also went to the Mission Dolores Basilca to see a co workers musical show but we were late and it was too expensive so we bailed. I hope Santa isn't mad. or our coworker Lana.
Now I am going to watch the show Hoarders in my clean apt and feel superior for a little bit.

Breaking the girl

a favorite song of mine and how I feel. Rough few days at work. Some really sad cases coupled with some really touching moments. Just taxed physically and emotionally. Took care of a kid with a disease that only approx 120 people in the world have. And he has this kinda "locked in"syndrome which is heart wrenching but I am telling you he had a smile that could launch a 1000 ships. I floated to the PCRC for the first time. It is a research unit. Pretty cool.
Today I had the best intentions but petered out hence I will be sleeping on the couch since I stripped my bed but didn't follow through with the actual washing. Started a really interesting but heavy book about Pat Tillman, a hero of mine.
I had a freakin fantastic El Salvadorian dinner in the mission with my SF bff Curtis. Such good food. Holy smokes !
Tomorrow cable car museum and dinner and music with my pal Curtis.

Have you ever noticed

that mostly the thought of sleeping in is better than the actual sleeping in. Wide awake after working 3 day shifts. drat.and have you ever noticed that some things you never improve on. for example. in all my years of cracking eggshells, I have made no progress. I still get egg shell fragments and that runny white goop all over. and then you try to get the egg shell pieces out of your mixture and you get your finger on the piece and then spend the next 5 minutes trying to slide it up the side of the bowl and the stars align when you finally succeed.

Limo ride

So I got the Muni 6 all to myself tonight from Parnassus to Haight. that is how I roll . I bonded with my private driver Calvin.

Crazy busy day at work today. Highlights of my day were drawing a Prometheus panel, I love a good greek mythology reference in medicine. Do you know the story of Prometheus. I think his liver was forever to picked at by a crow. I will have to regoogle but that is what the doc told me.

And at the end of a super busy, non lunch break and woofing down my Lean Cuisine at 1700, my flat affect patient asked me if I was going to be his nurse again tomorrow. awww, it was sweet.

I really do love my job.

Then while waiting for the 22 on Haight and Fillmore , I got to enjoy the street art fair and chat with a nice guy named Jim. he asked for my number but I refrained because he was slight special needs but super sweet.

One more thing before I shower and self medicate with Tylenol and a Kombucha, I love my walk home from the bus stop at Broadway and Fillmore. This neighborhood is so fancy and I walk by two richy rich schools and some beautiful buildings ( I am going to take some daytime pics of the amazing architecture). I love looking down the steep hills at the bay. This city is the most beautiful, fabulous city. I feel lucky to live here and am going to savor every minute.

shout out

just wanted to say hi to my 3 followers. hey auntie, hey Sare bear, hey Andria!

love !

Muni is the SF bus system. It is one of the oldest public trans in the country and it provides a steady stream of entertainment for me. Although sometimes after working a 12 hour shift, I have no patience for the tweakers,but I do enjoy helping out the tourists or talking with the nutters.
So I solved the mystery of the Chinese octogenarian recycling gang and am now working on a new puzzle.
There is a man that gets on the 22 in the morning and

National Lampoon Nursing School

I wish I kept a diary in nursing school It was the absolute hardest time of my life but also the most comical. Those poor patients of Kern Medical Center. The stories will come out over time on this blog because they are too priceless not to share. A lot of you guys know them.

This blog will mostly be light and funny but it no way minimizes the fact that I take care of sick kids and that is very, very serious to me. But I do believe in gallows humor, it keeps us afloat (pun intended)

As I carried the amputed leg wrapped in sterile towels from the OR to pathology through the bowels of KMC. I thought , hmm should have stuck with hotel management.

Writer's block