"My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and, at least once a day, retiring to the men’s room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn’t so closely resemble Hell.”

Inland Empire. David Lynch’s use of digital cameras is jarring, with prominent noise in shots, and the narrative is very convoluted. It feels like a low-budget film in a lot of ways. Is it good? I liked it. But I would not recommend it except to a Lynch completionist.

I generally assume these days it’s AI-reliant/adjacent and remain in my Luddite cave.

A crossing guard.

This is a really difficult question because so much of it depends on your family dynamics plus a lot of legal stuff that I wouldn’t take internet advice on. It basically comes down to this: “do you want your wishes respected if, god forbid, you were in some way incapacitated.” And that now, while they’re still doing good, is the time to set it up. Really wish you the best on this.

I read the manual for my washer and have followed that. It “prefers” liquid but can take powder. That being said, I have a few items of clothing that explicitly say powdered detergent only (water repellent material). I’ve found overall that the less liquid detergent I put in, the better it cleans stuff.

Every 20 cycles (my machine tells me) or 1 month, throw in a cleaning powder with either the clean cycle or a heavy hot wash. It’ll help keep it fresh. Also keep the door open when you’re not using the washer to air it out, same reason.

A thin layer on new car battery posts when you put a new one in to help protect from corrosion. Cheaper than the anti-corrosion spray and you probably have some lying around.

Pepper spray notes here: they usually come in a few types. There’s stream, fog, and gel. Gel can be pulled off and flung back at you, fog just hangs in the air and you’ll probably breathe it in, so I suggest a stream. Also there’s water based and oil based. Oil based is much harder to get off. There’s also peppermace, which combines both (though some people have a tolerance to mace and it may be considered a chemical weapon in your area).

Tl;dr oil-based stream pepper spray is the way to go. Practice with it.

Ride some kickass roller coasters.

This is more of a tool, but I have a set of 4” knipex cobra pliers that are perfect for around the house. Just small enough to fit into about any space, super grippy, and you can easily make minute adjustments to the plier spacing. I’ve used them more than any other tool I own.

Oh, and noise-canceling headphones (ideally over-the-ear). Instant quality of life upgrade.

It sounds like you are possibly in an ambulatory role (maybe?) with patient education. My spouse has bounced between a few different floor positions, including ICU, then went to ambulatory, and now does outpatient chemo infusion as sort of a compromise. Each move corresponded with burnout. The floor became too rough, ambulatory became too boring and bureaucratic (but learned a LOT from providers), but the outpatient infusion setting seems to strike a good balance, at least for now. She heavily considered a NP/PA route, but it’s more school, money, and you’re on salary with long hours (no overtime!). Sufficed to say, there’s probably a niche for you too!

“25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago. He’s a band geek at heart, so the horn section is a must.

Gassin up the bois at the urinal

“You took the box! Let’s see what’s in the box! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! STUPID! You so STU-PIIIIIIIIIIID!”

Whatever Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was.

Always follow the instructions on the label in case it’s hang-dry only, dry everything on low, turn your jeans inside-out, and never use fabric sheets (wool dryer balls work almost as well without the chemicals).

Leaving without saying a word is the best thing you can do. This will be far from the last time. It’s stupid how much abuse nurses take, and are expected to take. Sadly, the hospital is not there for you, they are there for the paying “customers” no matter how much they say abuse isn’t tolerated.

Also know if someone yells that they’re going to sue, they’re more than likely bluffing — the real lawsuits happen quietly and without announcement. Make sure you always document everything, no matter how trivial, and cover your ass. The chart is where management will go first.

Source: spouse worked in an ICU during Covid.

Just a wild guess, the one with all the freedom

I threw up every morning from anxiety.