Eritrea is a cool word to say! and folks there use bread for forks!

On my second day of spring break:

1. The campus bus drivers, as a group, were the most talkative that I've ever experienced. Usually, the drivers that serve my route are pleasant, but in a sharing-an-elevator way, with a nod and smile and sliding eye contact that doesn't demand anything else. I feel comfortable NOT making small talk with someone who is responsible for mine and many other lives. But today, they were all about the weather, and initiating the Have a great day! and Thanks, folks! and The S bus is broken down, so we'll be making one stop at Lennox and then resume our express service this afternoon. I wonder if there was some sort of in-service, or if spring break makes them sprightly.
2. The director of the LGBTQ office on campus is absolutely on point! I made an appointment to talk with her about ideas for a project that I could submit for the SON's multicultural award (read: $1000 scholarship). I had some really vague stuff about men in nursing carrying a gay stereotype, and tracing the roots of that deeper. She started talking about best practices, and how in one study of very out college students, 46% of them stated they were not out to their health care provider. Which is huge! How can I provide adequate health care to a person when I don't know what sorts of things to be on the lookout for? And the curriculum, as I've seen it thus far, doesn't necessarily include those things to be watching for (one of which is apparently an almost 50% chance that you won't know the patient is queer, transgendered, etc.). There's a line in a textbook that up to 10% of my patients could be gay, and so don't ask questions like Are you married? that assume heterosexuality, but nothing beyond that. I'm excited. and she said that I have to watch a video called XXXY about two intersex people.
   
3. I did about four hours of not very much in the library today. organized my pens. made a list of what I should do for each class in each week of the remaining semester. Did half of the two remaining homework assignments for my online Nutrition class. Found my Health Assessment textbook - which was a blast of good luck, since I didn't know I had lost it, and I have a test in there on the Thursday we get back. I also signed up for two shifts this week, which means that today was my only day to do all the catching up I thought I might do over spring break. Well, my prof did say to relax, right?!
4. Had the most loverly evening with the kid. We went to Whole Foods and made big salads and had interesting conversations about the Red Sea and the Mediterrean and the Caspian and what countries border those. Is it normal for a first grader to have this kind of grasp of world geography? Do I need to get this kid tested or something? He hand-jives a lot, does that indicate that he's gifted? We picked out cupcakes from the dessert case, and pastries for breakfast, and just had a wonderful time in each other's company. We ate on a blanket out in the front yard, because it was stunningly beautiful outside, and the house is an utter shithole at the moment. He put together our new spinning rainbow flower thingy, and I laid on the grass and was happy and still.
   
5. Got my second disk of the Facts of Life season one in the mailbox. Oh Blaire. Don't spend your time with those ridiculous boys, Jo will be along in a few short episodes for torrid sexual tension! I swear, this show is stupider than I remember, but I'm loving Ms. Garret more and more.
6. Fart. Fart. Fart.