Nursing in Barrow

Ahhh...it feels wonderful to have pushed the last "submit" button on my last assignment of my last RN-BSN class this afternoon. I've been preoccupied for the past two and a half years with finishing this nursing degree that I knew was required at some point after finishing my ADN program and passing my RN licensure exam in 2011. What a gift it's been to have had an opportunity while living here in Barrow to work online through the University of Texas at Arlington and to have completed my BSN degree now. My class graduates next Saturday...well, I do too, but will be happily enjoying time with my family in Washington instead and will attend ceremonies by way of imagining being there, maybe. I've never met any of my instructors or classmates, but feel as though I know them very well. We've worked together on projects, discussed many topics related to nursing at length and some have also traversed US history, political science and American literature courses along

I'm trying to decide whether to ride my bike or to walk to work today. One morning last week the weather report looked incredibly grim with visibility at less than 1/2 mile, high winds and a subzero temperature. I hadn't opened my blinds before leaving, so was pleasantly surprised that the sun was shining and the winds hadn't picked up yet...a glorious morn and an enjoyable walk on the still frozen lagoon. On the bike ride home from work yesterday, the strong, cold winds and I fought it out...I think it just wanted someone to toss around like a lion does its cub. It had almost lifted and definitely propelled me towards work earlier in the day. This morning NOAA, a reliable source of weather conditions most days, reports a wind chill of -11 F with winds out of the east. Here's a peek of our weather here. To bike or not to bike...that is the question... Detailed forecast for Northern Arctic Coast Today Partly sunny. Flurries. Areas of blo

I'm feeling very rich tonight. My serial visits to Anchorage and multiple orders though Amazon Prime have resulted in my cupboards completely reaching their saturation points. I have eight liters of olive oil, bags (and bags) of dried figs, Goji berries, nuts, quinoa, flax, chia, sesame, sunflower seeds, 10 tins of sardines, pounds of frozen fruit and salmon, bottles of sesame oil, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. I am stocked for a good, long time with all of these wonderful commodities. The drive to have an abundance of supplies on hand came from the almost tiresome routine of ordering food staples every two weeks. Not meaning to take this for granted or to be ungrateful in the least, but along with doing the wash by hand most weeks, it has become a bit of a chore and all without the enjoyable experience of bumping into friends while shopping. Another dynamic of the online shopping experience is the multiple trips to the post office that are required to pick up one's trea