I am now officially a nurse. I promise. I worked my first day today. I even had patient contact, although they swore the first day is spent doing paperwork. They lied.

I should tell you about the shoe shopping trip though. So the dress code for my new job requires white nurses shoes. I ordered some online, but they hadn't even been shipped yet on saturday so it was pretty clear that I needed to come up with some shoes and quick. Because, you see, I haven't bought a pair of white shoes with or without irony in the past five million years or so. I needed shoes. I ordered danskos but they hadn't come in yet, so I was stuck. I went to the giant discount shoe warehouse on the strip in connecticut where they keep all the giant discount chain stores. This shoe store had every shoe ever made. two of every shoe ever made, in every size known to woman. My assignment: find a pair of decent white sneakers. get in, get out. let's get crackin', McCrackin.

There was a WALL of white sneakers. Every style imaginable. Fifteen different canvas shoes alone. They were crazy about white shoes. who knew? I thought I would go in, find the one pair of white shoes they had in my size and leave. no decisions or anything. After a great deal of wandering and trying on shoes, I narrowed it down to three different pairs. I tried each pair on. I walked with great intention around the store, as I imagined I would be walking while at my new job. Nurses walk with great intention. I tried to make them uncomfortable. I looked at them in the mirror, against another all black outfit, and I didn't recognize my toes. I am not a girl who wears white shoes, I'll tell you that. I just couldn't decide. I tried to think of who would be able to help me with this decision. My school friends would tell me to just get the cheapest pair and get out of there. My San Francisco friends would give me style points and go from there. I was torn.

So I did what any white sneaker shopper would do. I asked these two 'tween girls their opinion. They were about twelve, eleven years old, shopping with their mom but wandering around the store poking about.

"Excuse me, girls?" I said. they stopped and looked at me like I was going to give them detention or whatever it is that they punish middle school kids with these days. "I need your help." They nodded, big eyes and everything. "I need your opinion. Which pair is better?"

In unison they pointed at the nice chunky big sketchers with the missing heel thing. slip on sketchers. no laces. useless elastic. just right for those in the 'tween set.

perfect. That was just what I needed. If I was going to buy white sneakers, I might as well do it right. I purchased those shoes and wore them to work today.

They are great shoes, by the way.

Anyway, I worked my first day and it was great. I really enjoyed everything but having to get up at five thirty this morning. That wasn't so nice. But other than that it was good. My one patient was a guy in his fifties who decided that he was done with treatment for his prostate cancer and was being admitted for "terminal care." He was a nice enough guy, although his brain tumors were giving a little trouble what with the seizures and all. But nice. It was a good day.