Well, as I told Christine this very morning, I feel a big change happening with me.

I know a lot of it must be that I've been getting a good healthy ego stroking the last three days that I've gone into the hospital. The boss-lady keeps telling me how great I'm doing. Today, she even suggested that I may get hired before the Hawaii anniversary trip sensation (just thought I'd give the idea that I'm STILL very excited and cannot WAIT to get on that plane and sip m'ai t'ais and watch the sunset and the sunrise and celebrate the last 10 years and the next 20 of the marriage I have with Corey) *GASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSP* Today one of the phlebs let me borrow her vein to contribute to my list of sticks. I figure that's a pretty good sign that everyone is feeling pretty confident in me. Also, I surpassed my goal today, and got 16 sticks, so I'm 2/3 of the way through my 100 now - I'm at #66! Two more days like today, and I'll be done. I'm taking a 3-day weekend, and I'll go back on Monday, a nice busy day. It seems like the reins get a little looser every day that I'm there, so maybe they'll let me do most of the outpatient sticks in the morning. If so, I may get 20 in a day, and that would be supremely fantastic.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I'm going to head over to Christine's, and hopefully I can drink a dozen cups of coffee and make up for the last WEEK that I've been doing without (except for the one night that Christine kidnapped me - talk about jitters and having a reserved toilet in the public restroom - weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!).

So anyhow, back to this transformation thing. It's very hard to describe, except I go to bed at night, and I feel good about how much I've accomplished. I wake up in the morning, and I feel good about what I'm ABOUT to accomplish. I feel myself becoming more confident as a person, not just more competent as a phlebotomist. I feel very proud of myself. I am happy that I can feel proud about what I do. I feel so great about the patients I see. Even the ones that I've missed draws on - I haven't felt horrible about the misses, I just apologize and, judging by their reactions, I can usually get them smiling (if not laughing) by the time we get the samples and leave the room. I consider that as important as getting the blood, and I've discovered I'm pretty good at it.

Hey! Arizona has a new anti-tobacco campaign..."Inhale Life"...I'm so glad they got away from the "Smelly puking habit" campaign. The billboards were just disgusting and made me angry. They made me want to blow my cigarette smoke into the moron's face that pulled that idea out of his ass. I kind of wonder if Corey was waiting for those billboards to come down to be willing to quit. I can't believe it's been almost 2 years already. Back then, it was so weird to think of Corey as a non-smoker. Now it's weird to imagine him smoking. Bizarre, huh?

the last trail...the next path