Photograph by Mother Jones, RN

Those are my tootsies sticking out from the bubbles. I’m not in a good mood. In fact, I would rate my mood as a 9.5 on the “Cranky Old Nurse Scale.” My entire body hurts. Why? Because one of my patients went ballistic and repeatedly slammed me into a wall this weekend when I was at work. Then I had to tackle my patient in the hallway with the help of another nurse while security raced to our unit. I know what’s going to happen next. My boss is going to call me up on the phone and ask, “What are you going to do to keep this situation from happening again?” Here’s a thought. LEAVE NURSING! We were understaffed, and we didn’t receive any support when we told administration something very bad was going to happen if we didn’t get extra help. But everyone knows that it’s always the nurse’s fault when something goes wrong on his or her unit.

I’ve unplugged the phone, popped some Tylenol, and I’m taking a long hot bubble bath while sipping on a few Margaritas. Oh yeah, and I’m also taking pictures of myself getting drunk in the bathtub. Thank God for quiet Monday afternoons.