How To Justify Your Existence

Today the DNS offered me the new, revamped charge nurse position, which I cheerfully accepted. Someone at work mentioned that this practice has become common; of requiring people to reapply for positions when the terms are changed. I guess I should have been more confident about the process.

Isaac Asimov wrote stories about a men's club called the Black Widowers which had periodic dinners. New prospective members were always put on the spot and required to speak on one specific topic: "How do you justify your existence?" Now I know how they felt, or would have felt had they been actual people instead of fictional characters.

I'd like to go back and reread those stories. I might get some new ideas.

The new staffing schedule won't start until about October. In the meantime I am allowing my native early morning waking pattern to gradually reassert itself. I'm also planning to spend some time getting organized so my extensive cooking is done on days off and I won't need to cook at night or go out to eat too much. I might use the slow cooker over night and make items that freeze well.

Today I carried out my plan to try making "Mushrooms and Dumplings" in lieu of "Chicken and Dumplings," which I miss. The mushrooms were good, and the vegetables and broth were good. I used miso as the main broth ingredient, and lots of garlic and onions, as well as sauteed mushrooms, and the dumplings were good. But [as meat-lovers would predict] it just wasn't the same. Score one for chicken afficionados. Score zero for the chickens.

I haven't yet thrown in the towel. I doubt that would add the right flavor. I'm just going to have to let my ideas simmer for awhile.