March book club / hard days

Today was a lovely rainy day perfect for staying at home and not doing much except a bit of wash, napping and reading; also a pleasant hour discussing Flowers for Algernon at book club. 

Flowers for Algernon

By Daniel Keyes

Science fiction 

☆☆☆☆

There were varied reviews on the book, and several said it made them cry. Others felt angry. One person was so mad at the ending she said she wanted to throw the book away. But she couldn't stop thinking about it, and to me, that's exactly why it's a good book! I've come to like the books that don't end happily-ever-after. They leave a deeper impression and seem more relatable. But there's a place for fairy tales, too. When real life is too heavy, a light, dreamy book is needed to counterbalance the weight. 

Laurie chose Roots of Wood and Stone for our next book. It's a new release, published in 2021, and has good reviews.

It was extra nice having a relaxing day at home after a rather stressful one yesterday. I was halfway to work when I got a message from Cliff asking if I didn't need my badge. I immediately knew I had a problem. In my four years at St. Joe's I don't remember ever forgetting my badge, but other people did and usually had to go back to get it. Not knowing what happens at LVHN when you forget your badge, I decided to turn around for it. I could have gotten inside the building without one, but couldn't clock in or enter the pharmacy. To make things worse, I was supposed to start earlier than usual since I was scheduled for the OR satellite pharmacy. Last week I trained there three days, and this was my first day on my own. The satellite is only staffed by 1 pharmacist and 1 technician, so I threw off the whole routine by being late. It was probably more in my head than reality, but it seemed like it messed up the whole day. Also, I don't exactly like the OR pharmacy because there's not much to do and I get bored. So I pretty much felt like crawling in a hole all day long. 

Even though I'm not too keen on the OR pharmacy, I do enjoy being around the activity and getting a glimpse of surgery as I walk past the operating rooms. I got more than a glimpse yesterday when I had to take meds in a room where they were doing a neck operation. After one look I knew I had to focus on what I was doing and block out that image because I would've soon felt light-headed. There's certain body parts that the idea of operating on is more terrifying than others, and I guess the neck is one that makes me cringe! Delivering meds to the children's OR recovery area where several patients were crying made me feel like crying too. It's the same when I go to PICU (pediatric ICU). So much pain and sadness.

I don't want to finish on that note, but like those books I mentioned, there isn't always a happy ending. So I'll conclude with a favorite quote about endings.