I've avoided posting lately, because I know I promised you a big announcement. This "news" is preoccupying our life right now, so it's hard to update without talking about it; but unfortunately, I still can't break the news yet. It is still coming though, so hang in there with me!
Other than that, things are delightfully boring. St. Louis has been a very easy adjustment. We've been surprised by how friendly everyone is here (with the exception of our cable guy, obviously), and by how easy it has been to adjust to the city.
This is our first close to home assignment, and we've already made it home for a weekend. It's great to be able to just drive home without major planning. Since we're camping on an air mattress, we really need those trips home!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
World's Worst Cable Guy
We set up an appointment for a guy to install cable/internet at our St. Louis apartment. After speaking with the guy a few times, Brandon warned me that he was a bit strange. Still, I was not prepared for this man at all.
"Larry" arrived over an hour late, cursing about what a horrible day he had, how awful all of his clients were, how much he hated his job, and how he couldn't wait to quit. That was the most appropriate part of the entire visit.
The dogs were going crazy, so I sat down in their exercise pen with them to keep them calm. This got Larry's attention. "Wow, you are the cutest dog I've ever seen!" he exclaimed with a grin. I simply laughed, not thinking much of it. But a few minutes later, he brought it up again. "You are just so cute sitting in that cage. It reminds me of some, ahem, movies I've watched," he said, winking at me and letting out a throaty laugh.
I suddenly became very aware of my tight yoga pants and tank top.
Larry noticed the dog's smaller kennel in the corner, and commented, "Wow, you guys have cages everywhere. People sure are going to be talking about you!" With that, he excused himself and hung out in his van for awhile.
From that point on, I hid out in the kitchen, totally creeped out by this pervert. But he chased me down, and hollered at me "Get back in your cage girl!" He's lucky that my bear spray was in the other room, because I was ready to inflict some serious pain on him.
Unfortunately, his visit lasted for quite some time, because he couldn't figure out how to get our cable set up. During this time, he continually scratched a giant, bleeding sore on his leg, and touched everything in my house with his bloody fingers. And I do mean everything-- he grabbed my bottled water, sat in my chair, typed on our computer, opened kitchen cabinets, pet the dogs, and sat on our brand new white carpet. I was cringing the whole time. If you know me, you know that I carry multiple bottles of hand sanitizer with me, and that I have a serious germ phobia. I was furious that this man was spreading his germs around my house. I warned Brandon to not touch anything, but Larry kept grabbing him by the hand, and poor Brandon had to use Larry's dirty cell phone to finish setting up the service.
Once the cable was working, Larry plopped down in my chair and began watching tv, while telling us rather inappropriate stories. We finally pushed him out the door, and I immediately bleached everything in the house. It couldn't erase the creep factor though, and I will never again look at the dog kennels in the same way.
"Larry" arrived over an hour late, cursing about what a horrible day he had, how awful all of his clients were, how much he hated his job, and how he couldn't wait to quit. That was the most appropriate part of the entire visit.
The dogs were going crazy, so I sat down in their exercise pen with them to keep them calm. This got Larry's attention. "Wow, you are the cutest dog I've ever seen!" he exclaimed with a grin. I simply laughed, not thinking much of it. But a few minutes later, he brought it up again. "You are just so cute sitting in that cage. It reminds me of some, ahem, movies I've watched," he said, winking at me and letting out a throaty laugh.
I suddenly became very aware of my tight yoga pants and tank top.
Larry noticed the dog's smaller kennel in the corner, and commented, "Wow, you guys have cages everywhere. People sure are going to be talking about you!" With that, he excused himself and hung out in his van for awhile.
From that point on, I hid out in the kitchen, totally creeped out by this pervert. But he chased me down, and hollered at me "Get back in your cage girl!" He's lucky that my bear spray was in the other room, because I was ready to inflict some serious pain on him.
Unfortunately, his visit lasted for quite some time, because he couldn't figure out how to get our cable set up. During this time, he continually scratched a giant, bleeding sore on his leg, and touched everything in my house with his bloody fingers. And I do mean everything-- he grabbed my bottled water, sat in my chair, typed on our computer, opened kitchen cabinets, pet the dogs, and sat on our brand new white carpet. I was cringing the whole time. If you know me, you know that I carry multiple bottles of hand sanitizer with me, and that I have a serious germ phobia. I was furious that this man was spreading his germs around my house. I warned Brandon to not touch anything, but Larry kept grabbing him by the hand, and poor Brandon had to use Larry's dirty cell phone to finish setting up the service.
Once the cable was working, Larry plopped down in my chair and began watching tv, while telling us rather inappropriate stories. We finally pushed him out the door, and I immediately bleached everything in the house. It couldn't erase the creep factor though, and I will never again look at the dog kennels in the same way.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Worst Thing about St. Louis
The worst thing about St. Louis?
Walking the dogs by myself, at night. I swear, I would much rather walk them through bear country in Montana than walk them by myself at night here. The parking lot of our apartment building is often filled with drunken partiers, who, in my opinion, are much more irritating than a black bear or two.
But since Brandon is working the night shift, I suppose I will have to get used to it. I'll let you in on a little secret though- I carry my bear spray every time. I figure if it'll work on a grizzly, it'll knock the socks off of anyone who tries to get too friendly.
Walking the dogs by myself, at night. I swear, I would much rather walk them through bear country in Montana than walk them by myself at night here. The parking lot of our apartment building is often filled with drunken partiers, who, in my opinion, are much more irritating than a black bear or two.
But since Brandon is working the night shift, I suppose I will have to get used to it. I'll let you in on a little secret though- I carry my bear spray every time. I figure if it'll work on a grizzly, it'll knock the socks off of anyone who tries to get too friendly.
Monday, September 14, 2009
A Nasty Surprise
I spend a lot of time researching hotels before booking them. I read reviews on hotels.com, tripadviser.com, and travelocity.com. I look for pet friendly, super clean hotels in safe locations.
So when we decided to spend a night in Omaha on the drive home, I read the reviews on over sixty hotels in the area. I chose one of the top rated hotels, primarily because it was in an incredibly safe neighborhood, and was reported to be very clean. The hotel was about thirty minutes out of our way, but seemed to live up to all of our expectations when we arrived.
Imagine our surprise when we awoke to find that our hotel room had developed a strong stench. We turned on the fans, but it just kept getting worse. The smell was unlike anything I had ever smelled before. It was so overpowering that neither of us could finish our breakfast.
We checked out as quickly as possible, and headed outside. Parked in front of the hotel were several police cars, the Omaha crime lab, the medical examiner's bus, and a luxury town car with a chauffeur that looked as if he had just stepped out of The Sopranos. Suddenly, we realized what we had been smelling.
I guess there are some things you just can't plan for.
So when we decided to spend a night in Omaha on the drive home, I read the reviews on over sixty hotels in the area. I chose one of the top rated hotels, primarily because it was in an incredibly safe neighborhood, and was reported to be very clean. The hotel was about thirty minutes out of our way, but seemed to live up to all of our expectations when we arrived.
Imagine our surprise when we awoke to find that our hotel room had developed a strong stench. We turned on the fans, but it just kept getting worse. The smell was unlike anything I had ever smelled before. It was so overpowering that neither of us could finish our breakfast.
We checked out as quickly as possible, and headed outside. Parked in front of the hotel were several police cars, the Omaha crime lab, the medical examiner's bus, and a luxury town car with a chauffeur that looked as if he had just stepped out of The Sopranos. Suddenly, we realized what we had been smelling.
I guess there are some things you just can't plan for.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Just to Clarify
Now that I'm settled in St. Louis, we have a lot to catch up on! But first things first.
After chatting with friends in Arkansas, I realized that I may have given the wrong impression about our time in Montana. Quite a few people read the blog and thought we were having a horrible time. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Montana was our favorite travel nursing destination, by far. Yes, Brandon had some issues with the hospital, and no, we didn't enjoy living on the reservation. But Montana as a whole was a great experience. Glacier National Park is the most incredible, awe-inspiring, ruggedly beautiful place we have ever seen. Living next door to it was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. We loved Montana so much that we actually looked for permanent jobs there, and have already planned a return visit.
Oftentimes, I do focus on the negative or crazy experiences here on the blog. I do this for two reasons. One, the blog is kind of like free therapy for us. Two, I like to make people laugh, and I personally think the crazy stories are a heck of a lot funnier than the delightful ones. I mean, wouldn't you rather read about a Canadian woman hitting me with a shoe than about how great the laundromat was? Or about the time Brandon and I got separated in a blizzard instead of the time we sat on our front porch and enjoyed a great cup of coffee? Let's face it, our bad experiences are a lot more interesting than the hundreds of great experiences we have everywhere we go.
Coming soon... a few more crazy ER stories from Montana, stories from the road trip to Arkansas, life in St. Louis, and the most inappropriate cable guy EVER.
After chatting with friends in Arkansas, I realized that I may have given the wrong impression about our time in Montana. Quite a few people read the blog and thought we were having a horrible time. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Montana was our favorite travel nursing destination, by far. Yes, Brandon had some issues with the hospital, and no, we didn't enjoy living on the reservation. But Montana as a whole was a great experience. Glacier National Park is the most incredible, awe-inspiring, ruggedly beautiful place we have ever seen. Living next door to it was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. We loved Montana so much that we actually looked for permanent jobs there, and have already planned a return visit.
Oftentimes, I do focus on the negative or crazy experiences here on the blog. I do this for two reasons. One, the blog is kind of like free therapy for us. Two, I like to make people laugh, and I personally think the crazy stories are a heck of a lot funnier than the delightful ones. I mean, wouldn't you rather read about a Canadian woman hitting me with a shoe than about how great the laundromat was? Or about the time Brandon and I got separated in a blizzard instead of the time we sat on our front porch and enjoyed a great cup of coffee? Let's face it, our bad experiences are a lot more interesting than the hundreds of great experiences we have everywhere we go.
Coming soon... a few more crazy ER stories from Montana, stories from the road trip to Arkansas, life in St. Louis, and the most inappropriate cable guy EVER.
Meet me in St. Louis
Well, we completed a marathon tour in Arkansas. Each day, we rose at 6:00 am and ran until midnight; squeezing in paperwork, recertification classes, family visits, dinners with friends, doctor visits, vet visits, car tuneups, home remodeling, cleaning, laundry, unpacking, repacking, apartment searching, and a well deserved shopping day. It was by far the busiest home visit we've had-- too busy to really be fun-- and we were thrilled when it was over.
We are now settled in St. Louis, Missouri for the next four months. Talk about culture shock! After living in Montana for nearly six months, the city is a little overwhelming. But we found an apartment in a great neighborhood, with everything we need contained in a three mile radius. Normally, the congestion would drive us crazy, but right now it is an exciting change.
I already have a ton of crazy stories for you, as well as some big (seriously, BIG) announcements. So stay tuned, because it's all coming shortly-- right after I finish up this pile of paperwork calling my name.
We are now settled in St. Louis, Missouri for the next four months. Talk about culture shock! After living in Montana for nearly six months, the city is a little overwhelming. But we found an apartment in a great neighborhood, with everything we need contained in a three mile radius. Normally, the congestion would drive us crazy, but right now it is an exciting change.
I already have a ton of crazy stories for you, as well as some big (seriously, BIG) announcements. So stay tuned, because it's all coming shortly-- right after I finish up this pile of paperwork calling my name.
Monday, September 7, 2009
An Even Briefer Update
Once again, no time to write... just wanted to let everyone know that we have our next job lined up. We are heading to St. Louis on Thursday!
This one should be an adventure- the job pays less than we are used to, so to save money, we are renting an unfurnished apartment and are going to "camp out" with our air mattress and camping chairs.
Anyone want to donate some furniture? :)
This one should be an adventure- the job pays less than we are used to, so to save money, we are renting an unfurnished apartment and are going to "camp out" with our air mattress and camping chairs.
Anyone want to donate some furniture? :)
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