Done.

Last night at 7pm sharp I walked out of the hospital in New Braunfels (for the last time) in my ugly, ugly student scrubs (for the last time). I had worked on Friday also, so all of my patients on Saturday remembered that it was my last day as a student. They gave me many congratulations and a lot of warm words for the road - one lady even gave me a big bag of BBQ (that I didn't eat, in the end, after finding out it had been offered to her husband - my patient - and he didn't want it. Food that's been in a patient's room? Can't do it). More than anything else during my last shift I was reveling in the fact that I'd never have to wear my student scrubs again. My preceptor brought up the good point that the next time I'm giving patient care, I'll be getting paid for it.

Oh, on that note, I accepted my offer from Brackenridge for the neuro/oncology unit on the 9th floor. I am really excited about it, which has almost surprised me considering the course of the semester. I started out wanting to do pediatrics and only pediatrics. When all the limited job availability (or lack of availability completely) in the children's hospitals got in my way, I decided adult nursing would be okay to start, but I wanted something like ICU or IMC (typical nursing grad answer, am I right?). Well, my ICU/IMC interview at Brack was cancelled a week before it happened - once again, budgets were cut and there were no spots for new grads. Okay, well now I guess I want the trauma floor at Brack, I'd decided, since I'd been there for clinical and knew nothing about the 9th floor. Well, as it turns out, that manager hired people before my interview day, and her budget was also cut. So while my interview went "very well," and she "would really love to offer me a job," her spots for GNs had already been filled.

In other words, had someone told me in January where I would be working in June, I wouldn't have believed them. But it's funny how your preferences will adapt to what's available, and I'm finding myself really incredibly excited at the opportunity I've got. I have a job at a great teaching hospital, a county (crazy) hospital at that, with a friendly manager, right in downtown Austin. Within the year I'll be certified to administer chemo. And, you know, there are the other truly important things like being located in the penthouse of the hospital - great views make for a therapeutic environment. I think Florence would approve ;)

I called my mom on my way out to my car last night to celebrate the moment of being done with college, and she asked me what I was going to do with all this free time between now and graduation. Relax? One would think. I've been up since 6:30 this (Sunday) morning. After crashing around 10 last night being used to waking up at 5 AM, there's no way I could have slept longer. Today I've been really aware of something I've always known about myself - days off, to me, mean days I can fill with all sorts of random activities. In the hours I've been awake today I've already decided I'd like to completely clean out my apartment for my future move into a new one, figure out some new recipes I want to try this week, read The Last Lecture, do more NCLEX review, go for a run, set up lunch/dinner/drink dates to celebrate my re-entrance into society after my weird capstone schedule, and maybe do some unnecessary shopping.

...Not all in the same day, of course. Why can't I just sit and not think about what I'm going to do next?

I think my constant desire to stay busy and inability to enjoy a day on the couch truly confuses people. I remember when Kori went off to college, she would complain when she came back home to visit because she felt so bored and useless. After four years of college, that feeling of uselessness when I'm not doing something with my day has been taken to the extreme. And I do just sit, I suppose, like I am right now. I like to eat breakfast/drink coffee in the morning while I stalk all of you on facebook, and then I like to do things. It doesn't matter what things in particular, just things. Nothing makes me grumpier at the end of the day than if I didn't do things during the day.

Well, I've reached that point of blogging where I have abruptly decided I'm done updating. This point in my other blog posts has resulted in a bulleted list of other updates I don't feel like expanding upon any further, but today I think I will just leave you with this. See you kids at graduation.