Post Plague update

I didn’t update last week because I woke up after a few night shifts in a row with what can only be described as the plague. It then proceeded to last for a week. I am actually still dealing with swollen lymph nodes and a lingering cough but at least I can function like a normal human being again!

Speaking of work. I just finished week three of this gig. I have reached the point where my anxiety is fairly minimal prior to going into work. So that’s nice. I realized there isn’t a whole lot I can do if I am placed somewhere I am uncomfortable. Which is basically everywhere. I knew this was going to be challenging since I chose a travel assignment where I am a float nurse for an entire hospital system. I have yet to be on the same floor more than once. It has definitely lived up to the expectations. I am kind of glad I decided to do this though because I definitely think it will make the rest of my travel assignments seem like a piece of cake.

Piggybacking on the float nurse deal. Since I am not assigned to one floor and this hospital is huge I haven’t had much of an opportunity to meet very many people nor other travel nurses. Which is kind of a bummer but oh well. Luckily I am still interested and hanging out with the guy I mentioned in the last post. Poor guy is going to be so tired of me dragging him all over the place by April. But for now! It’s awesome for me 🙂 He’s pretty much up for whatever and he is a lot of fun so I’m having a good time. Also, going forward I shall call him A.

Post plague, A and I spent a day together last week. He wanted to take me to the botanical gardens (major brownie points for that thought) but it was raining. So we ended up going bowling, which was so fun! Then we had dinner and went to a brewery. Yesterday, we went to a super cute winery about a half hour west of Greensboro called Westbend Winery. The space was really nice and they had a live folk band playing. The owners were working too which was fun, we got to chat with them for a bit. They were also handing out chocolate and macaroons with the wine. Not mad about it. The new owners had redone the tasting room and had an outside patio area with an overhang and two firepits. It was raining yesterday but it was 70 degrees so it was super awesome they had the overhang. We got to sit outside for a bit and enjoy a glass of wine after our tasting. We then went to dinner at this place called Crafted: the art of tacos. SO good! I got a po’ boy taco and a falafel taco. They had a half hour wait at 7:30pm on a Sunday. So, that’s always a good sign. The owner is local and uses local ingredients etc, which I’m all about so that made me happy.

Whenever I go somewhere new I google “locals guide to” fill in the blank. It hasn’t failed me yet and I’ve always ended up finding awesome suggestions and hole in the wall places veruse chain restaurants etc. So I did this with Charlotte, NC and decided to venture down there today. A taught me that Charlotte is called Queen City. I researched why and apparently it is named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. I guess she was Queen at the time of the city’s founding.

One of the locals suggested a spa in South Charlotte and that’s where I started my day. A lovely facial and massage later I headed downtown. I paid a visit to the Bechlter Museum of Modern Art. First of all, it only cost $8 for admission and there were two special exhibits going on and they didn’t cost extra. How exciting is that!? The two exhibits were really excellent. My favorite was an exhibit of Mexican photographers primarily from the 30s-40s who had captured life in various parts of Mexico. Super interesting. Also, I love photography in general so I was pretty into it.

After this I went to the 7th Street Public Market. I was a little surprised at how small it was. The website made it seem like it’d be the size of Milwaukee’s but it was about a third of that. Also, it was about 5pm and half the stores were closed already. I’m wondering if maybe it is more there to serve the business folks during the day. Regardless, it was cute and I ended up getting a dish from this italian place that was sooooo delicious. It was olives, onions, chick peas and peppers on top of a bed of pepper infused noodles. YUM! I sat in a park outside the market and ate for a bit. The whole city seemed really clean and I really dug the vibe. I am looking forward to going back when it is a nicer day to just wander around a little more as it was another rainy day. BUT! I did find flowering trees AND noticed that they already had their flowers planted along the streets for the year. I looked like an idiot photographing all that but whatever. I was too excited.

That’s pretty much it for the last few days since I was sick. But, I have a few other thoughts. First of all, I think a lot of you know but I’ve been trying to eat a primarily whole food plant based diet since November. Since doing this my eczema has vanished. It’s beyond exciting! I haven’t had to use my steroid cream once this winter! Even after working multiple shifts in a row which would usually trigger even worse onset of eczema. Also, I now have zero intestinal issues. The only time I have a problem is when I stray from the diet. My energy level is way up and my skin is looking the best it has in forever. It really is crazy. If anyone has any of these issues I highly recommend researching this! Not to mention that in general it’s just very healthy and helps with everything. I am so happy I started doing this!

That’s enough for now. It’s supposed to be 70s and not rainy later this week so I am hoping I will finally be able to go hiking. So, stay tuned for next week!