And it’s not even good art. Even if I was given one that was a genuine original done 100% by Kinkade himself I wouldn’t hang it on my wall.

Wait. Where are all the valuable “rare” Thomas Kinkade paintings? You know those things are worth REAL money.

It came out when I was 8, but I didn’t get to watch it for the first time until I was in my 20s because we were that damn poor.

I remember visiting my cousins who had all the coolest Star Wars toys and action figures, and having no damn clue who they were or what their names were.

I once lived with a guy who was cleaning a gun he was sure was unloaded when it went off. Fortunately he was following the rule about being careful where it pointed, and the only thing that died that day was one of the books in our bookcase.

I keep a jar of no sugar added peanut butter in my refrigerator, and a bag of no sugar chocolate chips in my pantry. When that craving hits where I NEED something sweet, I will just pour a tablespoon or two of the chocolate chips into the PB jar and scoop out the chips and PB with a spoon. It’s so rich and sweet that I’m satisfied after just that small amount.

For the first time in many years I’ve had to in the past year due to medication shortages, and the only version of the medication available at the time came in a damn ampoule.

Luckily our med room is still (for some reason) stocked with filter needles.

Patients who’ve had organ transplants can’t have grapefruit or it interferes with their anti-rejection meds. This is definitely a thing you have to be aware of in certain units.

Imagine all the people with food allergies dying, or just going without. I can’t eat gluten and whenever there’s a potluck at work I just don’t participate.

The Amazon brand tshirts are of surprisingly good quality. I’ve wound up buying almost all of the colors, and of course they go on sale regularly.

In the NICU, burping a baby after bottle feeding causes “vfib”.

My daughter graduated high school in 2016 and was never taught about 9/11. I had to teach her myself (on the 10th anniversary). She literally had no idea what I was talking about.

In a union hospital the pay differences are minimal. On the other hand, it is easier to get a job with a BSN if you have no experience.

If you can get a BSN nearly as easily as an ADN, go for it. If you can get an ADN but a BSN would be a hardship, the differences aren’t worth it. You can always get a BSN in an online program later.

ETA I have an ADN in CA and made well over $133k last year.

I’m a nurse so we have a lot of potlucks, plus patients/parents frequently bring in sweets for the nurses to share, and it used to really bum me out when I had to watch my coworkers enjoy while I missed out.

Then I lost 50+ pounds and have been on maintenance for about two years now, and I’m so grateful to have lost the weight that I am no longer even tempted to partake. I got used to the restrictions and now my diet is so much healthier because I skip all the donuts, cookies, bagels, etc. I can watch them enjoying that stuff (let’s face it, that CRAP) and feel no deprivation whatsoever.

Being fat sucked far more than missing out on sweets.

I was about to say I wish I had known what a waste of time and effort learning and writing out nursing care plans was, but on second thought if I had known how useless and worthless that information was I would have hated it even more than I already did.

Forget you read this!

I once had a “special” cat, too. I once heard her screaming for help, and found her standing with her front paws on the coffee table and her rear paws on the sofa. She was trapped there, less than 2 feet off the ground, and couldn’t figure out a way to get down.

Mind you she was fully grown at this point!

Working in the PICU really killed the idea of the power of prayer for me. I spent years watching untold numbers of children and their parents suffer through months or even years of protracted illness ending in a horrible death, and you’re going to believe that if you pray hard enough God will intervene and your sports team will win the game? F*ck you.

Protein shakes also saved me so many times when I was working a job where we were so busy we rarely got breaks. A few good swallows takes only seconds, but gives enough nutrition that it can keep you going for quite a while.

Don’t tell them. It’s your personal medical information. (HIPAA!) Wait until it’s so obvious that someone asks, and then just let it casually drop. Until then, small snacks in the pockets, e.g. gummy bears, or sips of protein shakes whenever you can slip away, or in your water tumbler or whatever.

No. I was also strict keto for a long time except for daily drinks of vodka with calorie free mixers and lost almost no weight. I stopped drinking, no other changes, and lost more than 50 pounds in a few months. (Sorry, I no longer remember how many, exactly.)

My last husband was exactly like you described. Do NOT marry this man, do not let him be a part of your child’s life. Get as far away as possible, do not share bills, credit cards, banking accounts. I assure you that once he is secure in his “ownership” of you, it will get even worse. It will not ever get better. He will have no compunction about making your life a living hell if you do not devote every hour of every day to making him happy.

I wish I was exaggerating.

I got into the career purely for the pay and job security. ( I grew up in poverty.) Then I realized I loved being a nurse and 25+ years later still can’t imagine doing anything else.

Oh god, yes. I’m just sorry it took me so long to figure this out.

Don’t bother with trying to “get back” at him just get TF out of that relationship as quickly as possible and cut all ties and never respond to any further communications from him. Anyone in your life who is also actively in his needs to go. I can tell you from personal experience that someone who would do something like this is capable of literally anything, and would never feel the least bit of guilt or remorse. This is more than a red flag.

Living alone is awesome! Best four years of my life (so far!!!). Of course, I live with two cats so I’m never alone, and despite the unfair reputation that cats have, I get plenty of cuddle time every day. The only messes are the ones I make. I always get the best seat in the house. I sleep when I want, go out when I want, and don’t ever have to live up to anyone’s unrealistic expectations. I get plenty of human interaction at work, and even if I didn’t I would be fine with it.

Even if I ever decided to start dating again, which I currently have absolutely no desire to do, I would not only never even consider having him move in, it’s unlikely I would ever even invite him into my home. It’s MINE.

Furnishedfinder.com rents out short term to travel nurses if that’s something you might be interested in.