Sandy

Sandy. Sandy. Sandy. When I think of the name Sandy, I can only think of one person: Sandy Olsen from Grease. Growing up, Grease and The Parent Trap were my two favorite movies, and I decided Grease was superior mainly because of Sandy. Not only did I name every Barbie and doll I owned after her, I’m a champ at karaoking to “Look at me, I’m Sandra Dee.” My infatuation with Sandy continued to my young adult years when I bought a pair of shiny black leggings in hope to be her one day for Halloween or Purim (watch out boys, that's my next costume). I simply just love her.

And then I heard the latest. This meteorological imperialistic world we live in, named a potential natural disaster after a woman who can do no wrong in my eyes or to the eyes of every little girl out there.  Seriously, what was the World Meteorological Organization thinking naming this hurricane, Sandy? Shameless.

I’m not sure if I’m in denial with Hurricane Sandy because of her forename or because every single person in Manhattan is treating it as if we’re going to lose power for the next month. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t, I don’t know, but the likelihood of losing power for that long is quite impossible. So, please, stop stocking up your refrigerators and freezers in preparation for December 21^st, 2012 (the year the Mayan calendar says the world is going to end).  Also, here’s a friendly reminder: if we do loose power, than all that food you bought is going to rot anyways, so stop buying food and clear out those dramatic lines.

In prep for my friend’s birthday tomorrow, I was going to the store to buy ice cream and cupcakes for her when I noticed how ridiculous everyone in NYC looked today. People were parked in line around the block of every single bodega, makolet and supermarket. What would usually take you 10 minutes to buy in a store, took the average person 45 minutes. I was astounded by all the empty shelves and drastic lines. And then it hit me, I wonder which day made a larger revenue in the greater NY area: the eve of Thanksgiving or Sandy? Hands down, every store in the Upper West Side (UWS) made hefty earnings this weekend in prep for Sandy. People shopped their bank accounts out and stocked up on food which will probably turn out to be another Irene sort of deal. So stop bugging out and relax; the world's not going to end this week!

Here are a few pictures of how ridiculous everyone in the UWS looked today:

Whole Foods line all the way down Columbus Ave 

Getting their West Side Market salads

Even Jorge, the fruit man, was sold out and closing down for the next 24 hours...

Viva's Pizza: Rightfully so.

 Crumbs, the most amazing cupcake store nationwide was sold out of their delicacies. Seriously, who stocks up on 600-calorie cupcakes especially when NYSC is most likely closed tonight and tomorrow? I envy those brave people who are pigging out on heavy cream and sugar. Let's goooo! 

Nail Salon: One word: Classic.

Bank of America: why are people taking money out? Every store is closed for the next 24 hours....

Gristedes: This view made my day. I’m the queen of boycotting Gristedes because they rape everyone of their money. I’m so happy there was no line!

And most importantly, the liquor store. What’s the best way to keep warm or busy in a hurricane? Some hearty alcohol…

All I can say is everyone needs to chill out; however, it'll be interesting to see how the next 24 hours in NYC will carry on…

I love what I do!

I’m three semesters into school and I finally like, no, actually LOVE, nursing. School not so much, but the field- very much! Yes, it took a while, 9 months to be exact, for me to like it, but I’m sticking through it and LOVING it! I remember my sister kept asking me, “Are you sure you want to do this? You seem like you don’t love it.” And I never wanted to admit it; but yeah, I never loved it till this semester. Who loves their profession? What a gift! 

This semester I’m doing all my clinicals in Magnet hospitals which is phenomenal. It’s the little things in nursing that I love. For instance, my obese patient the other day couldn’t move in her bed and asked for a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I had to remind her she’s a diabetic and that would harm her immensely. She sighed and asked for an ice cold cup of water. Haha, trust me, she had a lot of excess “meat” on her, so refusing to give her the ice cream was to her benefit. I brought her the water she asked for, and she couldn’t thank me enough.  She was so grateful, it was as if I performed surgery on her.  Again, it’s the little things in life that counts.

Then today in my labor and delivery clinical, I was assigned to a Puerto Rican 19 year old girl who was 34-36 weeks pregnant.  Before her C-Section, I adjusted her IV’s, performed a full head-toe assessment, and prepped her for her delivery. The look in this teenager’s eyes was frightening. She didn’t have to verbalize how scared she was, it was painted all over her face. It was clear she had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen. 

She had no one with her. No mother, no father, no best friend, and most importantly the father of the baby was absent. Can you imagine that- giving birth at 19 without anyone to share in this happiness of life with? It was startling for me. 

She was transferred to the operating room where the c-section was going to take place. The walk from her room to the OR seemed like forever but in reality it was 30 seconds. The tears accumulated in my patient's eyes was devastating. Once she saw the OR, her eyes erupted with tears. Heavy tears to be exact. And harsh cries escaped from her soft mouth. It was terrible. We transferred her to the operating bed and the anesthesiologist began the epidural. I had to stand back because watching this teen cry made me cry and shakey. I actually almost threw up because I was so sad for her. How could this happen? She’s 19 with no one to support her? Her body was stiff and tense, and she grasped the nurse for support and held my hand. Finally she calmed down a little bit and the surgery began. Minutes later a beautiful baby boy was born. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. I JUST SAW A LIVE BIRTH! I saw a human-being being brought to this world, and instantaneously the Mom was happy and everyone was clapping and smiling. (Ugh, I want to go into detail about the surgery, but I don’t want to gross anyone out!)

It was pretty neat, there was a 4^th year med-school student observing the c-section with me. He asked if this was my first time and I said, “yes, you?” “Nope, I’ve seen a bunch of them and it gets me every time!” HAHA, so cute! It was nice that he was there because he explained every step of the surgery- I LOVE DOCTORS! 

Then, the preemie was announced to be a healthy 5.2 lb. baby! I walked over to the warming bed where the baby was receiving vaccines and ointments to prevent diseases. Words can’t express how precious this moment was. I’ll carry it forever. I can’t begin to describe how happy and honorable I feel to be in the field of nursing. Helping others for a living? It doesn’t get better than that! Corny, I know! But, it’s true!!