On my rest day today, I headed over to REI to go gel shopping! When I was in college and preparing for my first marathon, the closest place I could find with energy food was REI, and I remembered that they had a large selection...or at least larger than the mini-kiosk that Dick's has. So to REI it was. I don't purchase anything without thinking about it for at least half an hour (the reason why I only go shopping with my mom...I feel bad taking up so much of my friends' time!), so I stood in the gel aisle pondering flavors and brands for quite awhile. Here's what I made out with in the end:
I got one PowerBar Gel in Strawberry Banana (my boyfriend's favorite), one Hammer Gel in Raspberry, and one Gu in Tri-Berry. The Gu brand has caffeine added...not sure what effect that will have since I've never used any energy foods with caffeine, but it can't hurt, especially since I consume a fair amount of caffeine anyway (Diet Pepsi addict...admittedly). I also picked up a LUNAbar, which I've had previously, and I thought might make for a good snack while serving. Sometimes it's tough to get food in while working, especially since we get busy during prime eating hours!
In other news, I've been on the job search like mad, and I've come up with nothing. I've applied to sixteen jobs since I started keeping track, and at least ten prior to that. I've had one interview, and I'm supposed to do another phone interview with them, but they have been impossible to reach and haven't returned my messages. I'm applying in both Philadelphia and New Jersey, but I would rather be in the city. Pennsylvania allows you to work as a nurse with a temporary permit, which I recently obtained, but most places would prefer an actual license. I'm taking the NCLEX (nursing board exam) soon so hopefully that will help with the job hunt, but the other obstacle is that 99% of the job postings want nurses with experience, which I don't have since I just graduated! It's one of those you-need-experience-but-no-one-will-give-it-to-you situations, which is rough. I'm not jealous of anyone hunting for a job right now!
Time to make some dinner...I'm trying out this tangy pineapple chicken recipe, but I'm adding some peppers and onions to it. Hope everyone has a great weekend and some great weekend runs!
Be sure to look for my report on the gels this weekend!
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13 years ago
i'm surprised so many hospitals want experience ... are you applying to places with New Grad programs?
ReplyDeletei guess i got pretty lucky too ... my employer was fine with me only having an IP (although it was super stressful starting working AND having to study for the NCLEX). good luck with the job search ... i know it is a huge pain in the butt.
and good luck with the gels! can't wait to hear how they work out for you.
Watch the caffeine. I drink more than my fair share of coffee and I still can't handle the gels with caffeine. I've been really happy with the cliff shots, non caffeine...and they are more organic than some of the others.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the job search. It's really tough out there these days. But nursing is suppose to be one of the better fields. What's happening to our economy??
hope the gels worked out! i like the gu tri berry one.
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