Hi Y'all

How are you?  This was my second day at work and it was pretty good.  The people are mostly my age and are very helpful.  My schedule looks good- I have four days off next week so I think Eric and I are going to San Diego.  He wants to go to Mexico so I'm sure we will go to Tijuana too.  What else.  I think I'll write more later b/c I am exhausted from work and I can't think!

Cali is Cool

Hey y'all!  I have not written in a while b/c a lot has been going on.  I thought that it would take a while for me to feel lonely out here, but after beginning to work nights it happened almost immediately.  Sure I was meeting people at work, but there are other things I want to do during the day besides sleep, and I never saw Eric.  So I have been busy quitting my job and looking for another one, plus getting involved in stuff out here.

I got a day job at Desert Regional Medical Center, which is the biggest hospital in the valley.  It is a trauma center so I figure I'll learn a lot.  The unit I will be working on is a new Telemetry and Med-Surg unit with a new supervisor and all new people, which is good b/c no one has seniority.  It used to be open only during season (Oct-May), but since people are moving to the valley and staying, they decided to keep it open and get some full time people.  I saw an ad for it before I left, actually.  This is the 4th job offer I've had, which is crazy!  All I have to do is walk in and say I want to work and that's it!  I was talking to a nurse today who is a traveler (she gets paid to move every 13 weeks), and she was telling me that the nursing strikes are all over, even in Southern CA.  I guess I just haven't seen anything here.  She was signed up to fly to Northern CA to work during a strike.  I'm not sure I could do that with a clear conscience.

Anyway, Eric and I saw our first sandstorm last week.  It was so weird.  There is this drainage canal that runs through the city (dry of course), and some streets go down so they are level with it, then come back up.  We were driving down one of these streets and it looked like fog ahead.  It was actually sand from the canal.  We didn't know what it was until we were in the middle of it, so we kept going and came out with a dirty car!  It was quite surreal.  What else.  We went hiking two days this week in the mountains and at Joshua Tree National Park.  The mountains were pretty and cool (for a change!).  The desert was beautiful, and it was quite relaxing to drive through the park.  It is so quiet in the desert... it was nice to get away from the noise.  A joshua tree looks like a big spiny cactus posing as a tree.  They grow every which way and are actually pretty.

Tom (the chef) and Naomi got married Saturday and Eric cooked for the reception, which was nice.  I enjoyed eating what he cooked, but was lacking a date, so one of Naomi's friends said he would be my date.  He was really the only person I had met before, but it was cool to have someone to dance with.  Then Eric came out and danced with me a couple times until Tom made some crack about the chef being "on the clock".  They are in St. Thomas for 15 days... must be nice and wish I was on the beach!  You know the desert is like the beach, lots of sand, but no water!!

We found a bar we liked (this is of utmost importance, of course).  The people are young, which is rare in this town, and the bartender knows how to pour a flaming Dr. Pepper, which of course Eric loved.  The only problem is that they close promptly at 2am, whether you are finished your pool game or not!  They actually turn the lights on and kick everyone out!  It reminds me of going out in Fort Worth.  It also served as a reminder that there really is nothing to do here at night, which was another good reason for quitting my job, besides that it made me depressed.  So anyway, that is what is going on!  I hope you all are well and I will try to keep you posted more often!

Hallo to all!

Hi peoples!  Just wanted to let you know that I am thoroughly enjoying my new job.  Everyone there is friendly and seems happy, and people tend to work together.  The doctors are very nice and go out of their way to say hello, which I am definitely not used to.  The hospital is very small, so it is easy to get to know people too.  I start on night shift Sunday so wish me luck!

Other than that, things are good.  Tom and Naomi (Eric's boss and his fiance) are getting married in a week at the hotel.  There are little boats that take you to the restaurants, and the boat will take her out to the point next to Tuscany's (Eric's restaurant).  Then Eric gets to cook for the reception.  Fun huh?

The weather has been nice here, in the upper 60s at night.  It still gets up to 98 during the day but that will go away soon.  Can you believe that the YMCA doesn't have a pool?  I have had no luck finding one yet.  They looked at me like I was nuts for wanting to join and told me that most of their programs are for kids.  So Eric and I are going hiking on Monday afternoon.  I guess that will have to be our new exercise plan!

Anyhoo, Eric and I are going to San Diego soon so we will let you know how it is.  We will also probably go to TJ (Tijuana).  He is just nuts about Mexico and can't stay away from it!  Well, we miss you all and hope to see you soon!

Hallo to all!

Hey guys!  I realized today that I haven't written an email in about a week so I thought I would update y'all.  I am not working yet... I have my physical to do this week and then orientation is Monday.  It is starting to grate on my nerves (after 6 weeks!).  I do have to say, though, it has been a nice vacation.  We finally got our furniture on Tuesday of last week so our time has been spent unpacking and getting things in order.  Of course this includes almost daily trips to Home Depot or Target!  Everything arrived in pretty much good condition and Tiger was happy to have us there.  Alas, I have not been in the pool yet, but have been walking in Civic Center Park.  It is a little place in the middle of town with a walking trail, date groves (oh I didn't tell you but dates and figs are big here), skating ramps, and a dog walking park where you can take your pet off his leash.  Can you believe the cheapest pool towels I have found were $20?  Are these people nuts?

Anyway, our friend chef Mike came to see us Wed. and Thurs. which was cool (he lives in L.A.).  We bought some Mexican heather from Home Depot to plant in window boxes that could border our patio/deck thing.  Well we killed them.  Home Depot took them back, but apparently we used too much manure in the soil mix and burned the roots!  Goes to show you who does not have a green thumb (yours truly)!!  So we bought some more and some herbs and they are growing nicely.  The cactus we got is nice and fuzzy, but please don't touch it... it bites!  Tiger loves the cat grass we got for him, and so far it has not made him loopy.  I think catnip is the only thing that does that, and cat grass is supposed to help with hairballs and soothe his stomach.  Or something like that.

Ah yes.  We passed our DMV tests.  I missed two and Eric missed four.  We also didn't have to wait in line b/c they take appointments there.  Who knew?  So today we went to get our emissions tests done at the gas station and my car almost didn't pass.  Do any of you know anything about these tests?  I know I've been putting cheap gas in the car but it also has 70,000 miles on it.  Any info would be appreciated.  Did you know also that AAA will get your registration certificate for you?  They even gave us our plates so we don't have to go back to the DMV!  Yeehah!  Well I am going to go try out the pool.  I may have to join the Y b/c it is too small for laps.  Anyway, have a good night and I will write more soon when I have an update!

Hello to All!

I just wanted to give you guys (hee hee) and update!  It has been 110 to 112 degrees here lately.  They do this weird thing in the summer where they spray polyurethane foam on the roof of their houses.  I guess it keeps the heat out in 125 degree weather, which is apparently commonplace in late July and August.  I was looking through the phone book and saw a picture of this woman in a bathing suit on top of her house with a guy in the background spraying white foam on the roof.  I felt like I was in the twilight zone!

In other news of the weird... we are going to take our driver's license test tomorrow.  It is a law here that if you take a job or establish residence that you have to get a new license and plates.  You also have to get your vehicle registered based on its age and blue book value, which could cost as much as $500!!  The freakiest thing was that I was advised to study for the written test.  Eric's boss failed it when he moved here from Nola.  So I actually had to drive to the DMV just to get the book to study from!!

Cali Update

Hi guys.  We are still in the hotel.  Our furniture was supposed to be here last Friday but now it won't be here until Sunday.  It got bumped off the moving van b/c it was too full.  Yet another challenge we have to face.  Moving is never easy, is it?  I do have to say, Tiger is enjoying having the place to himself.  The complex has three pools, a spa, and tennis and basketball courts.  Y'all would be so proud of me... I am up to 25 laps in the pool.  I have been going every other day but I'm trying to work up to every day.  It was 95 here today and I thought it felt nice!  It has been 102-105 lately.  Eric and I had the last few days off so we drove up to the Santa Rosa mountains and took the highway through them.  It was a little scary but fun!  Palm Desert is between the little San Bernadino and Santa Rosa mountains.  We were 2000 feet up!  We are planning to go that way when we drive to see San Diego.

I got another job.  Eisenhower was not what I thought it would be.  The staff there didn't seem happy and the supervisor that interviewed me was disorganized.  She had a few projects in the works but seemed unable to follow through on them.  Anyway, I took a night job at JFK Memorial Hospital, 3 12's, and they offered me $2000 for relocation.  It is a Tenet hospital but they don't do those retarded rotating day and night shifts, and the lady that interviewed me seemed very much on the ball.  She has worked with Tenet for 15 years so she knows how to milk the system!  The hospital also seemed much less political and more pro-nursing.  They used to be the public hospital like Charity, and they still operate that way, so it will be a good chance for me to use my Spanish.  The hospital is in Indio where most of the Hispanic population lives.  Ah... plus the staff is a lot younger and more open to new people.  They seemed happy to be there.

Enough about that.  Eric is liking his job and his boss is very nice... about a month younger than him so they are on the same plane.  His fiance is nice and has invited me to hang out a few times.  I am anxious for visitors, though!  I want y'all to see this beautiful place.  I will write more later!

Hello!!

Hey y'all.  You would not believe this.  It actually rained today!  Poured!  I felt like I was home.  I saw a couple of rainbows up in the mountains on the way back to the hotel.  It was cool.

I didn't tell you about the ride here.  Texas took forever.  San Antonio was pretty, very hot even at night.  We went to dinner on the Riverwalk downtown and saw this huge hotel called El Maison that looked like a Spanish hacienda.  The only nice thing about El Paso was the mountains.  'Nuff said.  Phoenix was great.  The weather is dry and hot and there are these misters on the patios outside of every restaurant to keep it cool.  We ate at a great place called Roxsand.  The food was so good and I got a wine glass as a souvenir!  It took 4 hours to get here from Phoenix and the drive was pretty.  We went through Texas Canyon and I felt like the Roadrunner driving through cartoon rocks.  There actually is a huge boulder perched on top of a 4 foot wide rock.  You cross the Colorado River to get to Cali and it is nice and blue, but skinny.  Nothing like the Mississippi.  Palm Desert is about 1 1/2 hours past the border.  The valley gets its water from an underground lake and there are palm trees everywhere.  We are pretty much smack dab in the middle of the valley.  Palm Springs is Northwest of here and Indio is Southeast.  All the towns are next to each other, seven in all.  You can drive down Monterey Ave, and to the left you are in Palm Desert and to the right you are in Rancho Mirage (which is where the hospital is).  Tiger did fine, he whined the first hour every day but slept the rest of the way.

Anyway, we got our apartment keys today and it is nice!  Bigger than I thought but I don't think all the furniture will fit, we'll see.  We don't get the furniture until Monday.  It is a pain in the butt waiting.  We'll have to stay in the hotel a few more days.  Darn.  Well I will write more later!  Take care!