Deckofficer - I know what you mean about going back to school later in life. I was 37 when I graduated from Nursing school 11 years ago. My mom too never made it to my graduation as she had died from cancer 4 years earlier. Funny enough I was a marine biologist and a first mate in former careers, and miss the Sea. Working in a hospital has it's ups and downs, including idiots in manangement just like everywhere else in life. I guess it's a matter of furrowing your sails, or heading directly into the storm sometimes.