One instance that sticks out in my mind was the evening that we were in the midst of performing a cardiac procedure on a patient and were notified that the hospital was on lock down because of a tornado sighting. No one was allowed in or out until the hospital was given the all clear. As we were working, the wind and rain outside were beating down on the hospital. The rest of the hospital’s patients were being evacuated to the floor hallways to avoid being in the hospital rooms with glass windows. Shit just got real. Or rather, I should say that I was scared shitless. Growing up in Florida I was used to being prepared for hurricanes as you usually had days to prepare and to escape if necessary. Living on the west coast I had endured my fair share of earth trimmers and was always mentally prepared for a big quake to happen. But, this was an entirely different animal. I had no idea what to do. Actually, I thought about clicking my heels together 3 times chanting there’s no place like home. I mean it worked for Dorothy and Toto, why not me?
Fortunately, nothing bad or tragic occurred. The worst that happen was the small tree that I had parked next to had been hit by lightning and a huge branch had fallen and was blocking the driver’s door when I was finally able to go home. I had to crawl in through the front passenger side. This coupled with the insanely long hours and amount of call I took at this job, made me ready for this contract assignment to end. It ended about 6 weeks later and I packed up and went to my next assignment in Englewood, NJ.
Englewood is where I spent the remainder of my summer. This was a great location for me as Englewood was just across the George Washington Bridge from NYC. Again, I met some really cool people as this hospital location. The hours and amount of work there wasn’t bad either. All in all not a bad place to work. I also have to say that New Jersey gets a bad rap. In particular, I mean the men of New Jersey. I couldn’t go anywhere there without being amazed at just how many really good looking men there were in Jersey. There were all types: short, tall, thin, and thick. They were Italian, Latin, Asian, Black, White and any combination of them all. Throw in the men of NYC and I was in heaven. It was AWESOME!! I was able to reconnect with quite a number of friends that I haven’t seen in a while and had moved to NYC. Plus, I fulfilled one portion of a dream of mine. I have a bucket list/dream to attend all four Tennis Major Tournaments. One of these is the US Open, held in Queens, NY. One of my best friends came out over Labor Day and we both attended. I got to see some of my favorite tennis stars play up close. It was sensational!
This turned out to be one of the best summers I’ve had in a while. J But, alas, this assignment has come to an end and I am ready for the next adventure. In the meantime, I’m taking some time to myself to prepare and celebrate my 40th birthday. I promise not to be such a stranger. Until the next time…
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