"As my Great Aunt Gert used to say, 'This smells funny. And I'm not going to eat it.'"

So here's a first for me: my power went out in the middle of the night and my alarm didn't go off. I took it as a sign and called work to say I wouldn't be in today. Thank goodness I'm still in orientation and my not being there doesn't matter a hill of beans to anybody.

Life in the ER has been pretty interesting. I am slowly understanding how things work down there and what my role is. My brain has been on overdrive lately, though. I find myself asking questions all the time. So much so that I haven't felt comfortable making a decision on my own, even outside the hospital. For instance:

-Should I pay $4 and rent a video at this place, or drive a little farther and pay $1?

-Do I have to eat this yogurt by the 'Use By' date and will I get sick if I eat it 2 weeks later?

-Is it ok to crank my heat up to 68 degrees when I'm not home just so it will be warm when I get home?

All those petty little questions that pop up seem really important until I snap out of it and see how ridiculous I am.

I've been running a bit. Not frequently. It's been a little chilly, but the real problem has been the lack of plowing/shoveling. My streets are still snow-covered 2 days after the last snow, and West St. Paul has a serious lack of sidewalks. This is about the time of year I toss around the idea of joining a gym. But then I come to my senses and remember that I cannot stand driving over to a gym, the fees, the pressure to do more than just run, etc.

Donna and I did do the 5K Reindeer Run around Lake Harriet last weekend. It was snowy and freezing cold, but very fun! (I realize this picture is silly, but I didn't have my camera on the actual run, and when we got back to our cars it was too darn cold and snowy to worry about the background of the picture.)

Just about all of my Christmas shopping is done! Yesterday, the UPS man delivered the last of the stuff I ordered online. What a relief! I'm always worried it won't get here on time.

That's all for now. I'll try to go to work tomorrow!