About Me:
Real name: Tina
Age: 30
Home: St. Louis, MO
Occupation: Full-time Mom, Full-time Nurse, and every-now-&-then Webdesigner.
Favorite Things in Life: Spending quality time w/ the kiddos, 80's music, Cooking/Baking... followed closely by eating, sappy-assed chick movies OR any cheesy teen movie from the 80's, muscle cars - preferrably flamed, The History Channel OR those period mini-series kinda flicks on PBS like on Masterpiece Theatre (yeah, I'm a nerd), working with/for the elderly, anything involving the Victorian era - especially the study of society and the period clothing, driving - I love to just DRIVE...radio blaring... car karaoke, wasting time online.
As stated previously, I'm a nurse... which I LOVE. L.P.N. to be exact. I always knew I'd be a nurse. Although, while growing up I never really knew any nurses. I was never sick, I've just always known it would be my thing. During high school I became a Nurse Assistant... HATED IT. Went on to college anyway just to make sure that I hated it, LOVED IT. My first job after graduating college was at a nursing home. It was the hardest job I've ever had, but walking in to those little, wrinkled, smiling faces every morning was the best feeling on earth. Every morning at breakfast, I'd scurry to get all the meds passed so I could hang out with my favorite old gals for coffee, grub, and quality nursing home gossip. The people running the place were jerks, and the business side of things always seemed a bit shady there. If it weren't for all the bullshit, I'd probably still be there, wiping asses and loving every minute of it. But alas... all good things must end. Things kept getting worse, people were quitting right and left, but I couldn't stand the thought of someone else taking care of MY residents, OR WORSE YET... what if NO ONE took care of them like I did. So, the day that I resolved that I would never leave, God had me fired. I still don't know what really happened. Their reasons were shit, the write up on me was shit, their entire story was shit. I guess it was just TIME.
SO... I went to work in a Walk-in/Urgent Care/Family Practice medical office, where I started as a staff nurse and somehow ended up running the in-house pharmacy, did about a gazillion other things, and tried to remain sane. I eventually became their Patient Care Coordinator which translated into... Random employee: "What the hell do we do with THIS?" Other Random Employee: "I don't know. Give it to Tina." I spent so much time at my little desk in the pharmacy, that for shits and giggles I enjoyed referring to myself as the Director of Pharmaceutical Services. (Once again, yeah... I'm a nerd.)
Since moving to St. Louis, I'm back to the nursing home gig. I'm still the new girl there and haven't decided yet if it's still "my thing." It's a steady paycheck, that's all that matters at this point.
A few years ago, by a weird twist of fate during a call to the local rock radio station, I become an honorary member of my (now) friend, Kirby's, band Emaciation. I'm about as far as one could possibly get from musically inclined so I don't play an instrument, and you sure as hell won't catch me singing. I'm kinda the... stage show, and prefer the term "alter ego" as opposed to "stage name." I'm a metal mascot of sorts, and go by the name of Sophia Siren. I've always had a freakish, little rock chick in me, so this is the perfect opportunity to let her out every now and then. If you're in the Southeast Missouri area, and are into metal (ie: leather, a little screaming, loud guitars, and some corpse paint) check us out sometime.
Aside from the above mentioned metal chick, most of the time I'm a HUGE sap. You know, one of those mushy-assed, girly girls that can cry during a long distance telephone commercial, any random "Story" on TLC (A Baby Story, A Wedding Story, etc...) or even during a particularly touching "Emergency Vets" on Animal Planet. (Yep, that's me. Queen Nerd.)
I have two wonderful sons, kinda strange kids (I've been told that they take after their mother), but they grow on you. They're 12 and 13. For your sake, I won't go all MOM and go on and on. Between my job and playing taxi, I have to make sure that the younger one turns off the Game Cube long enough to partake in proper nutrition at least a couple of times per day, while at the same time attempting to convince him that the dispersement of "farticles" throughout the home ISN'T as fun for the rest of the family as it is for him. I've also been busy picking out just the right stick to beat the girls off of the watch-wearing, wallet-carrying, deodorant-scented, older one. G.I.R.L.S... little squealy GIRLS have been calling my house. I was kinda hoping to keep the girl cooties off of them for a couple more years, but I think I'm out numbered.
