Day 1

Well guys, here it is... a blog for you all to read about my daily adventures.
Today started a new chapter in my career as a travel nurse... you won't believe where it takes me.

Tuesday night I didn't sleep at all. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling wondering if I had packed enough underwear, did I remember a toothbrush... you know... the important stuff. haha. So 0330 came and Marty and I got up, got ready, and got on the road. All by 0400. Anyone who knows us, knows we are one time... and we are today, no exceptions.

The 401 is a lovely drive, no matter what time of day. And until we hit a lovely detour just outside of London, everything was going just peachy. So we took a scenic countryside tour all the way to London International Airport. Now, for you folks just clueing in, I should point out two things. (1) NOTHING is scenic at 5am in the countryside. Its pitch black and if you're me, you're paranoid there are deer. and (2) Who knew London was an INTERNATIONAL airport. Certainly not I.

We arrived at London airport just after 0600. Said quick goodbyes because we all know, Lora does not cry in crowds.... and off I went into the terminal. Registered... and waited.

When I saw my "plane" arrive, I thought.. yep this is it, im gonna die. This "plane" appears to be started normally by someone with a rubber band and a string you see. It is a dual prop engine that is loud and obnoxious. So bad infact my sinuses hurt when I got off it in Toronto. Luckily the guy sitting beside me said nothing the entire flight, or should I say glide. Whatever..at least it only took 30min

So here we are in Toronto now, and again I sit. I pull out the trusty new laptop and check in back home to the poor husband who got up to drive me 2hrs to the airport. We are both tired...and thats an understatement. As I patiently wait for my REAL plane to show up, I contemplate a Starbucks. But I am on a very scarce budget for this trip and $5 for a coffee is unacceptable. So I'll sniff the old bird's coffee beside me. Oh... and for you Marty... I saw the shortest... FATTEST midget ever. She truly was a fire hydrant...as tall as she was wide... with her gut hanging over her pants, and her blue g-string showing.... wooohoo... did I mention she had blonde and pink dyed hair... hahaha....

So off to Thunder Bay we go...in the REAL plane. Just like the ones they have on TV! I sit down, after moving the immigrant who has taken my window seat... Move it or lose it sweetheart, thats my seat... and I conveyed my disappointment to her only by facial expression lol. I sat down, fastened my seatbelt and stowed my napsack under the seat infront of me... just like a good little passenger. Just then I heard it... from behind.... "I got sick the last time I flew...I had to take gravol...this time I didn't take any" Oh FFS...are you all growed up now??? So help me if you spew on me. GRR... (insert angry mental waves to the girl behind me)
2 cute kids sat infront of me watching movies on the headrests. See I told you it was a real plane! It was TORONTO real! Complete with $3 headsets to listen to said movies. I have already mentioned the budget, so I opted not to have the headset and watch 30min of The Blind Side and try to read lips... looks like a good movie!!! About halfway through the flight, the stewartess comes along in some weird accent and asks the little girl infront of me if she is ok. Then gives her some BS story about needing to eat while flying, and hands out some corn chips. Oh my favorite (blech) but I'm hungry, and gave up the Starbucks... so free corn chips and tomato juice it is. A lunch for a queen....

As we are landing... into beautiful Thunder Bay Ontario... I hear it... the unmistakeable, unimaginable sound... of.... a 7 yr old girl upchucking her entire corn chips infront of me. UGHHHH. Gross kid, get a nappy. And before you all start moaning about "Lora, you're a nurse" "Lora, you should have helped her"... here's what I did. I calmly sat my seat upright, and yanked my napsack from under her seat so none of her insides got on my outside. Thats right folks, until I make it to the clinic... I'm a damn plumber. Here ya go dad... here's another puke bag for your kid. The funniest part is when the little girls younger brother yells out for the whole plane "EWWWWW she touched me with her BARF hand!!!!" hahahah... I chuckled quietly as I moved past the three of them on the plane...the girl with a washcloth on her face, the brother disgusted, and the father holding 2 fresh puke bags. Mmmm Mmmm Good.

So here I am in Thunder Bay... I have a 4hr layover... and some of you talked to me.. yay! Thanks for keeping me company. The rest of you know my damn laptop battery died, I had to check my napsack because I'm going on another "Elastic band flight, and carryon's are not permitted ma'am" So I carry around a dead laptop and my stupid coat. As I am trying to get the puke smell out of my nose, I decide its lunch time. And what better way then Tim Hortons and a chili combo? (I did win another coffee!)

Finally, elastic band flight 1 boards... I won't bore you with the details of... its so small they don't even list it on the departures board so you have to rely on other people and their text messages to guide you around the airport. And we get on the plane... 9 seats folks. 2 pilots. You do the math. SQUIIIIISH

So here we go... its 410pm... off we go... into the wild blue yonder... off we go....
Have you flown on a plane that small? Let me tell ya, if you dont like roller coasters, don't get on those planes. The first stop about 30min in (oh yea, this is called a milk run flight guys... so there are multiple stops) I need to get out and walk around. There is snow, its cold... and turbulance that throws you out of your seat. Oh please Meester Pilot, tell me where Pickle Lake is.. (cuz thats my stop and I want off). It's the third stop.

The first stop -- Round Lake... 3 people get off...
The second stop -- Lakehead house -- 2 people get on...
Yay my stop.... wait... i said my stop... stop the plane!!!!!

Nope we are in a freak snowstorm, can't land. Oh FML. Turbulance gets worse... and 45min later we land in Sioux Lookout. Its like Cottam, only way smaller. We disembark... and I think... ok... its 7pm... I'm getting a hotel here, I can figure this out tomorrow... only to be greeted by some lady with another boarding pass. Sorry folks, you're going back to Thunder Bay!

Another 45min of turbulance, some phone calls, here I sit at the Best Western in Thunder Bay. About 3min away from where I was beginning at 1pm today. Seriously.... is this a joke?
It is snowing, it is cold... wanna know the kicker??

Thunder Bay had so many planes divert today, that tomorrow I am only on STANDBY! Thats right... I may not even go anywhere... but I have to pack and be at the airport just in case!

There is one seat left on a plane going to Sioux Lookout at 11am... lets see if I make that...however, it means a 3hr taxi ride after a 1hr plane ride. Oh joy.... lol.... My standby flight? Boards at 4pm... UGHHHHHHHH

Well folks, I hope you like day 1... I'm going to shower, and go to bed... hopefully tomorrow is better.