I'm a nurse, what's your superpower?

Otherwise, the hospital would be in pretty sad shape -- and any time I've ever had to go there, you guys seem to really care about that place and each other and the patients, which is a good sign! Dude, yeah, I am not even going to pretend to understand soccer, but I'm learning a little bit about the sport and a lot about the drunk men who watch it! I'm half afraid they were going to wreck the bar after the loss the other night.

We’d be running on fumes! And that’s not exactly how we want to be running the place. I’m happy we have some kind of order and less chaos. I just let other people be happy and enjoy it. If they will let me share in that joy, then cool. Uh, if not then I’ll just continue to admire. Have you had any wild and crazy parties just happen? I know the U.S. team is out (I follow that much) but I’m sure people are still thinking pretty passionate about it!

If you ever need a running pal, let me know, I'm always on board to go on a jog with anyone. I do have to ask the forbidden question... do you see a lot of emergencies on the fourth of July, when people grab fireworks and do things that they shouldn't?

For sure! I’ll let you know! Ha, well I can tell you that every year we have at least one. Mostly people being a bit too ambitious. Nothing too serious has happened, thank goodness. Just minor things. And then the week after too with the leftover fireworks if they don’t use them all.

It didn't sound close enough to her, but she'd let him have it. Both were fried dough and that was enough for some people. All that mattered was enjoying yourself and having fun. "Sweets are the way to go." She agreed and laughed. "Oh, I think you're required to treat yourself at the carnival. Where else are we going to be able to get these kinds of treats?"

Jamie grinned. “I’ll tell you, every time there was a street festival when I was still in school, I’d always be there. My friends and I would line up for all the sweet treats and fried food. Have you ever had fried ice cream? Then dipped in chocolate. Yum. We’ll probably find something similar. It’s a summer carnival! Best excuse!”

"We're lucky? Speak for yourself," was Tae's quite quick response, his brows quirking in sheer amusement. He was pretty sure, in that moment, that he couldn't actually think of anything worse than Gushers coated in batter. Watching as Jamie sealed his fate, he was pretty sure that his expression said just how disgusted he was by the idea of it all. "Good luck," he offered with a laugh.

“Okay, I’m lucky I guess,” Jamie snickered in response. He grinned. He looked at the colorful, strange concoction in front of him. He didn’t know what to expect. He knew what fried gummy worms tasted like, and he knew what normal gushers tasted like. Placing one gingerly in his mouth, he nodded slowly. “Slimy, but satisfying?” He gave an awkward laugh.

"It was a long time ago, but some hard-earned lessons just stay with you no matter what." Erin let out a soft laugh before shaking her head. "I think I'm going to go with the mango green tea, actually. With popping boba instead of the pearls. I'm not a big fan of the chewy texture." She nodded and stepped forward to place the order, glancing over her shoulder. "Do you want anything else, Jamie? It's on me."

"You are not wrong about that. I still remember things I learned a long time ago... that I now question myself and wonder 'what was I thinking?' because it was just such a choice and something I wouldn't do today," Jamie nodded. "I think I'm pretty good for now," he said, glancing at her again. "Okay, then next one is my turn."

"Yeah, I don't think I liked picking up the overnight shifts back then. But I definitely did it for the pay," JJ admitted with a laugh before he shook his head. Listening to Jamie speak about how he had convinced the new nursing staff to pick up those shifts, he could not help the smile that crept upon his lips in response. "Training them early on to pick up the night shifts, huh? That's actually quite smart," JJ noted, nodding understandingly. "Even if the pay was worth it, you're letting them get a taste of the hours. That just shows how good you are at training them, you know? That and the way you're handling the scheduling, I'd say those are definitely the qualities of someone who should be working in a leadership role," he added with a smile. "You're welcome, Jamie. Just give me a call if you need anything. This is the least I could do after all of the help you've given me over the years, especially since Mia." JJ tried not to think about those early days with Mia, when she was still in the NICU, and he would sit by her through the night, hoping and praying that she would keep fighting. Caught between being her doctor and wanting to be something more to her, he had ultimately come to the decision to foster and adopt her. Jamie was one of the few people from his time working at the hospital who had been there, and JJ would always be grateful.

"Me too. I wanted a life at night, to hang out with my friends. It was worth it get the extra money though, especially paying off my student debts and all that," Jamie agreed. "But we manage to pull through." It didn't always help that sometimes his extra shifts clashed with his personal life, but what job didn't? "I do my best to keep things manageable for them, because they have a lot to learn! Once they get more experience, they'll understand what is happening and why. We've all been through it. The only big difference is that they tend to get picky some days. They're just starting out. We all have been there, when you're new you rarely get first pick on anything, and you're at the mercy of who's in charge. In their case it's me, but I tend to be a little more lenient," Jamie laughed softly. "Still..." he shook his head with a smile. "Of course! You know I will. And you know where I am most days too, so if you ever need an extra set of hands," he grinned.

It's a good place to run, that's for sure. I pass a lot of joggers or those hardcore runners who don't care how much they're sweating whenever I'm out patrolling, so that says something. I love a good cold breeze in the summertime. It hasn't gotten too hot here yet, which is nice, but I feel like I'm always waiting for it.

It is! I may need to get on that soon. In any case, people love being outside this time of day. And we see it too--plenty or little things like sprained ankles or something like that. I feel like the heat tends to hit when we think we're in the clear.

Definitely helps when you've got a good team around you -- that's why they say team work makes the dream work, right? And clearly, the dream is working! So far, so good, I've mostly been busy at the bar with all the World Cup stuff going on, and then the Benefactor mess keeps me hopping with the Times, photographing meetings and keeping tabs on the site.

Absolutely! And yeah, it totally makes the dream work because everyone's dream at work is to get the work done. So not wrong at all. Ooh, I bet you've got a lot of thirsty and bloodthirsty customers... you know. It's quite the sport. I know only very little about soccer because it wasn't big back home but I did go to a few of my friends' games in college! Sounds like you've been keeping extra busy though, always a good thing!

"For fun. For science. Whatever you want to call it," responded Tae with a playful smirk. "I'm willing to bet the people who come up with these things don't actually try them... ever. They just subject everyone else to them instead." As Jamie continued, concluding that he was going for it, Tae's nose wrinkled up for a moment and he laughed. "You're on your own," he admitted.

"Yeah, science." Jamie nodded slowly. "They probably don't, or they will probably never ever see the light of day. We're just lucky that somehow someone decided to make their weirdest kitchen dreams come true." He looked at the plate. "Okay. I'll take one for the team, then," he said, giving his order. Once it was in his hands, he turned to Tae. "Cheers..."

She sighed and smiled as she felt her shoulders relax. "Oh good." She didn't mind the wait, but she wanted to be waiting in the correct spot. There was still too much she wanted to do at the carnival to waste all of her time in the wrong line. "Close enough?" She laughed. "When you want something sweet, it's one of the last things you want. Or that I do." She looked in the direction of the tent and shook her head. "They did look good, but I'm not in the mood for one right now. I need some powdered sugar."

"Close enough!" Jamie said with a nod. He loved these events, because they were a whole lot of fun and there wasn't much pressure to do anything. One could just hang around and eat snacks, enjoy the music and games. "Hmm. I could go for something sweet, actually," he said. "Got to love fried dough and powdered sugar. Nothing wrong with treating yourself, right?"

Tae's face said it all really. It shouldn't have even been a question posed to him. "I don't think I'm brave enough. It's one step too far if you ask me," he said with a laugh. "Deep-fried Milky Way? Sure. But Gushers? That's all kinds of wrong, man, all kinds of wrong." He shrugged. "But if you want to, you know, you go right ahead."

"I just wonder who has the time to come up with these or the patience and gut to try them," Jamie said. "I know I'll probably regret it in the end, but what the heck, this will be for fun... right?" he scratched his head. "The deep-fried Milky Way I can actually vouch for," he said, a slight frown on his lips as he looked at the menu, seeing one of the attendants hand over a paper boat of deep-fried Gushers. "Yeah, I'll give it a shot?"

For: Jamie @jmiemagvans Location: Summer Carnival

Jamie had spent the morning trying his luck at the games and not doing all that well. So instead, he decided to look for a snack. He decided funnel cakes were the way to go. Perhaps with some fruit and Nutella. That was creative enough, he supposed. “Yep, funnel cakes are this way,” Jamie grinned. “Although I suppose corn dogs are close enough,” he chuckled. “Might have to grab one later.”

"Yeah, I'm very picky about my sushi because I had a bad experience when I was in college," Erin admitted, shrugging before she perked up at the mention of the teriyaki noodles. "Ooh, that does sound really. I think I'll get the teriyaki noodles with chicken and veggies. I'll add some tempura veggies to the side as well." She wondered if that might be too much food. Or maybe it was just enough food since she rarely ate when she was working late. She knew that she was going to be working late that night, so she might as well get on with the contracts that she needed to draft with a full stomach for once. "Oh, yes. Give in, Jamie. Get yourself a boba. God knows you need to keep yourself hydrated in this heat."

"That is.... fair," Jamie nodded. He could relate. Sometimes one just had to take those extra cautions. He knew from experience that there were some dishes that one needed to avoid, especially at certain hours of the day. But he hadn't had any bad luck in Merrock. "Okay, I think you've twisted my arm. What are you getting? I might go with the peach green tea with pearls. That sounds quite tasty for this weather."

"Understandable. I'm not going to lie. I don't miss the night shifts at all," JJ admitted. "These days, I work eight-hour shifts at the Medical Complex and make it home to my little girl while the sun's still up. We get to have dinner together. I get to do bathtime and bedtime. I get to have a few hours every night, just to myself, and I can just do whatever I want to unwind. I get to sleep without being interrupted by a page. It's like I'm living on another planet," he explained, laughing softly. "The paperwork is never fun, no matter how experienced you are on the job. At least they're all eager to get the hands-on experience." JJ knew that Jamie was the kind of nurse that every nursing student looked up to, and there was a good reason for that. So, it did not come as a surprise that he was being urged to apply for the program. "You know, I would offer you a job in my office if I could, but I feel like you'd be much happier working at the hospital. You can complain and tell me that you're jealous all you want, but someone with the kind of passion you have for taking care of tiny humans... The hospital's where you belong, Jamie. Plus, I already have a pediatric nurse who runs my office like a well-oiled machine." While JJ understood Jamie's hesitance, he also believed that he would find a way. "If you change your mind, and I hope you do, let me know if you need a recommendation letter. I'll be more than happy to write one for you."

"Those overnight shifts are the ones that no one wants to pick up. I've talked some of the newbies into picking up one or two a month and rotating, and things have gone well so far," Jamie said. "Then they realize they get a little perked up bonus because of the differential and then some overtime and I've got a stable schedule that's ready to go." He chuckled a bit. "They're quick to get their hands on whatever extra shifts come available. And then I can move assignments around to other wards and floors if needed." Jamie smiled again. "Well, thank you. I'm glad I have your vote of confidence when it all comes down to it. That's kind of where I plan to stay. I like being in this sort of environment." He looked at JJ again and thought about the offer, as well as the opportunity that had been placed in front of him. There was still time for him to think about it long and hard, but the good thing is that remote graduate programs were more flexible than traditional programs. "I'll let you know how things go with my research," he said. "You know what they say after all... who's to say where the wind will take you."