Book reviews by me

I've been reading (fun books!) like crazy since school got out. It's so nice to have time! Although I really should be spending more time studying for my board exams, I feel like I need to catch up on my books!

Connie introduced me to Jodi Picoult who I have found to be an amazing author. The first book of hers I read was My Sister's Keeper and it was beyond words. The writing, the story, incredible. I HIGHLY suggest this book to anyone. It's about a young girl who's older sister is sick and needs various transplants...from her. It's a very interesting and thought-provoking read.

Then I read Nineteen Minutes. Still very good, but not as good My Sister's Keeper. It involves a school shooting by a boy who's bullied throughout most of his life.

I decided to take a bit of a break and read Memory Keeper's Daughter. A woman has twins and the girl baby has Downs Syndrome. The father sends the nurse away with the baby girl which she ends up raising as her own in a time where most children with Downs' didn't survive. The father tells the mother that the baby girl died in child birth and the book revolves around these lies. I thought it was a very well-written book, but the topic was so depressing. Don't read it if you need a pick me up!

Then I read James Patterson's new one, Sundays at Tiffany's. It was GREAT! If you're familiar with Patterson, toss everything you think you know about his writing out the window. It's completely un-Patterson and a great read. I finished it in 2 nights :-) It's the story of a girl's childhood imaginary friend reappearing in her life. Like I said, you have to just go with the story and not think too much about it, just enjoy it.

Finally, I just finished Change of Heart. Had to go back to Picoult! This is her new one in which a terrible crime happens. The story is years later and how one man on death row can make everyone question their faith and beliefs. Again, took me 2 nights :-) I think I have a problem!

Tonight I'm going to try to get to bed at a decent time and not stay up reading till midnight! Good night!

Worldy updates

Well, maybe not "worldly" updates...but Shan updates!!!

I took my CRT (certified Respiratory Therapy) exam last Monday and passed! Very exciting because then I was able to officially start work this week. Yay for being paid!

I still need to take both parts of the RRT (registered RT) exam. I'm signed up to take the written registry portion on Friday, June 13th in the a.m. Then I'll take the clinical simulations on Wednesday, June 18th. The clinical simulations are when they give you a situation and you have to pick answers based on decision making and information gathering. I think there's 10 of them and it's very long!

So I started working this week at Clarian's Indiana University Hospital in downtown Indianapolis. It's where I've worked for the last year as a student RT. I even got my one year anniversary key chain the other day! Tuesday was rather exhausting, it was Clarian orientation. The same EXACT seminar I had to sit through last summer. But, I got paid well AND I signed up for my health insurance and all of that. It will all go into affect on June 1st. Yay!

I had yesterday off and then today I went in the morning for some computer training. While working as a student I wasn't able to check off meds on the computer or write orders so I had to learn how to do that stuff. Tomorrow I go in for 8 hours for department and general care orientation. Next week I'll get into the 12 hour shifts I need to get accustomed to!

I went and looked at some houses with Mom today. There are a lot of cute ones out there but that might be making it a harder decision. Tomorrow night we're going over to Lyndsay's to play (or in my case, try to play) poker. Nothing but yoga planned for Saturday and Sunday is church and a bridal show.

Off to bed. I do have to work tomorrow!

Getting settled

I continue to be amazed as to how well this kitten is adjusting! Boo is now it's idol. He's getting a little better with Kodi, but there's still hissing and spitting if Kodi gets too close. Every night Scout asks for milk so we had to run out tonight and get him some more of the kitty milk. I figure he probably didn't get as much as he should of from his mom so he deserves a little treat! Here are a few pictures I took tonight of Scout and Boo playing around. Above Scout is trying to play in Boo's big girl litter box.

Boo and Scout playing around the door.

Scout playing acrobatics on the bookshelf.

Drinking some milk and Boo watching over.

If you want to see more pics, visit my Picasa page.

It's a boy!

I was able to cut out of my board review early yesterday afternoon and take Scout to my vet in Fishers. Turns out it's a boy...1 pound 0 ounces. They treated him for fleas and worms just to be on the safe side. He tested negative for the feline leukemia which was great because now there are no worries of him being around Boo.
My most exciting news was yesterday morning. It was his first night and when I went to check on him in the morning I opened the door and was hit by the smell letting me know he finally went potty. But guess where he went?!? His litter box! He's such a great little guy.
He has also become the sweetest kitten. He didn't even make a noise when they took blood from him for the tests! In the car he laid on his back in the cat carrier and sunbathed the whole long trip. Boo and him are getting a little better acquainted...she's still a little rough with him but he's dealing with it. Kodi came home today and they met. There's a lot of hissing but Kodi's a good boy and isn't aggressive, he just sits there and watches Scout. By the time I put all the kids to bed Scout was ok with Kodi being in the room.
Now it's time for me to go to bed!

Making some progress

Scout has let me pick her/him up!!! Mom came over to check her out and we both just sat in the bathroom here she/he had made a nest out of a towel. He/she looked really sleepy and to be honest, I was getting worried that it wasn't making it. We cleaned out the extra bedroom closet and made a whole nest area for her/him in there and I picked up the towel with Scout in it and was able to set it down in the closet. I even picked her/him up and put it in the litter box and tried to explain what you do in that...Mom even made peeing noises. I'm not sure if he/she caught on though. JM and I bought some puppy training pads and lined the closet with them, so even if she doesn't use the litter box right away it's ok. He's eaten about 2 small containers of food...totally famished. And now he's back to hissing a bit and a little more active. He seems to like the light off in the closet, I figure that's because it lived under the ramp with no light. But she let me comb her with a flea comb and JM's even allowed to pet her now. Here are some pics from after the move to the closet.

Oh, and to make her a little more lovable...she has a lazy eye.

Notice the tiny head in the middle of the towel bundle?

Mom petting her to show how little she is. Her head's about twice the size of her body.

Close up

Scout is finally caught

After 3 days (which seemed like much longer), we caught the kitten! For those of you I didn't ramble to, here's the story. I was driving into the apartment complex on Saturday morning and I happened to see a tiny head poking out from under the wheelchair ramp leading to our clubhouse. I walked back and sure enough, it's a kitten. And a VERY wild kitten! After many cans of food, coaxing, and sitting out in the rain, JM and I finally caught it today. We found out that it is the last of 5 kittens to have been caught from under there in the last week or so. Not sure where the mom went, but they were all very hungry, scared and lonely.

I'm not sure how I thought the encounter would go, but so far it's been a bit of an exhaustion. It flipped out when JM picked it up and has just finally stopped meowing (it's now been almost three hours). We put it in the cat carrier in the bathroom and left it with food, water, a make-shift litter box and a blanket with a hot water bottle inside of it. We go in periodically to try to talk to it and get it a little more used to us. It doesn't spit at me anymore at least! I am desperately hoping it won't be too long of an adjustment period.


I'm hoping to foster her (or him...not sure yet) until it's more well-adjusted and then try to find a home for it. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please forward this on!!!

This is where she has been living...

Now here she is scared and mad in our bathroom!