Killer Flamingos

Happy Monday Folks!!

Back to Being a Productive Member of Society

After six weeks of funemployment, I dusted off my scrubs and clogs and got ready for my first week at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.  This week will be filled with your general orientation things: big welcome, get your ID picture taken, listen to HR tell you about the ins and outs of benefits.  Unlike my introduction to Maryland, this time there was a three day orientation for nurses and next week we will have a day of PICU orientation and a day on the electronic medical record system.  On day six, the two other PICU nurses and I will hit the floor and start interacting with patients and their families.

Here are a couple of fun facts about Children's:

• 296 bed hospital with nearly 80,000 ED visits annually; 36 bed PICU (that's where I will be)
• One of the first LEED certified pediatric hospitals in the US
• The only children's hospital in Southwestern PA
• Ranked as a top 10 pediatric hospital for the last six years by US News
• Named the 7th most beautiful hospital in the US by Soliant Health in 2010 and the 10th most beautiful hospital in the world by HealthExecNews in 2012.

Nothing Like the Smell of Sweat and Sunscreen on a Saturday Afternoon

Three Rivers Heritage Trail & Great Allegheny Passage 
Today's Mileage: 65 miles
Total Training Mileage: 383 miles

In addition to raising money and completing sweat equity hours, riders are  required to bank a certain number of hours (including a 65 mile ride) on the bike they will be riding for their trip.  We have had very few sunny days since I moved to town, so I took advantage of today's sunny weather and decided to get in my long ride.  I have definitely weekend warrior-ed longer rides, but a promise is a promise and I wanted to make sure I my new bike needed no further adjustments.

After the first ten miles I stopped to take a quick photo with Mr. Rogers.  Fred Rogers, most famous for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, lived and worked most of his life in Pittsburgh.  After 895 episodes, the show wrapped, but his legacy lives on here and in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.   

From the statue it was back around the trail, over the bridge to Point State Park and then over another bridge to pick up the rest of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.  Cruising along through the South Side I came across these great sculptures made from old steel mill materials.  Poe (the bike) posed for a picture to prove we were actually there and didn't just steal it from the interwebs. 

Lunch, in true B&B fashion, was half way (around mile 35) and under a shady tree.  Sadly I did not have the usual spread of left overs, peanut butter and jelly and gatorade stirred by my teammates.  After a couple handfuls of trail mix, a gatorade and some stretches I turned around and headed back to the city. 

After 4.5 podcasts I ended where I started the day.  It was perfect timing as I had no water and no snacks left in the old hydration pack.  Poe went back in the car and I headed off to eat a very large sandwich.  Thankfully the next long ride will be with some new friends and and terrain; while I don't mind longer rides it is always nicer to have company.  Twenty days until I Drift West!! 

Back to the Old Line State

The 4th of July, my second favorite holiday, has finally arrived and I headed out to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to see Dan.  The weekend can easily be wrapped up with a few simple pictures and assume bikes are always involved when the two of us are together.