February 17-March 9th

Friday, March 09, 2007

You've Got...to get a life...I mean Mail.

I have lived a pretty sheltered life, in case you hadn't already gathered that from my Godfather post. I was thinking about that today while watching You've Got Mail. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is simple, funny, and very very charming. It is responsible for my love of Pride and Prejudice. I had never heard of it or Jane Austen before this movie. I know, "What is wrong with you?!" My love for movies and less than healthy appetite for reading I fear are to blame. You must also consider my borderline antisocial behavior. Had I been more outgoing there would have been no need for a movie to educate me. Anyway, the movie sparked my interest in the book and I am a better person for it. I have seen almost every version made I believe. I am not a fan of the big screen version however. The writing seemed forced. It didn't flow. There were many times where the language didn't fit what I know from the book. Another observation that I could not ignore was that Jane Austen was not a sappy author like Charolette Bronte and yet the newest version was Bronte-esque. I'll stick with the A&E version with Colin Firth and the loosely based You've Got Mail. They capture the spirit of the author quite well.





Saturday, March 03, 2007

internet butterfly

This blog is for me. I cannot sleep. I was reading the blog of a friend of a friend and thought I would go from there. I am not an outgoing person. I have always been shy. Well, not always. When I was in kindergarten I was very chatty. I don't know if time or experience changed me, but in the end I like to keep to myself for the most part. I am completely different with my patients though. I don't know why. There is something about being of service to them that brings out the best in me. Outside of that I am socially inept. Fortunately for me Al Gore created the internet for me to pretend I am a social butterfly.
This is my creative outlet. I used to keep diaries as a child, but as an adult I had a hard time keeping up with it. Another problem was that I would be overly critical of what I had written and tear pages out. So far I think I have only deleted one post. That's not to say I haven't been tempted to delete more, I just haven't been so hard on myself this time around. It helps that I can edit the posts any time I want.
My favorite thing about blogging is that my memories are here for me to reread and relive as often as I like. At the same time, I get to share my life with my friends and family who I don't get to see everyday.
Who knows. Maybe someday this internet butterfly will find it's way out of the web and into the sun.



Let's waste time...throwing rocks

My cat Clara likes the string to my pajamas. My boys dislike them because of the print. They say,"Boys are stupid. Throw rocks at them." Now before you judge me too harshly, there is a story behind why I bought them. When my friend Connie and I were in middle school, a long long time ago, we had nothing to do at recess. There was a track and gravel and bleachers and that's it. So we had to make our own fun. There were two boys we liked and whether they would admit it now or not liked us back, Brian and Joe. Boys and girls that age show their affection in the oddest ways sometimes. I remember my bra being snapped, my books being tossed, being pinched, and being punched in the arm. But with B&J it was throwing gravel. Not the most productive or even the most amusing use of time, but we were young and the rocks were pretty. Anyway, they were not defenseless. They threw their share. It was the only time I had ever been in trouble in school (except for Mr. Winney's detentions, writing 111 times I will not talk in class). So when I saw the pajama bottoms I had to have them. I don't wear them anymore since I found my red snowboarding monkey pants, but they are still around to remind me of the people I used to know.


Friday, March 02, 2007

2012

David informed me that the world will be ending December 21, 2012. The Maya's were apparently geniuses when it came to time. They predicted to the date when they would encounter the white man, etc...It has something to do with the alignment of the the planets, milky way, and sun and how it will change the earth's axis. Nobody knows for sure what this will do to our home plant, but the Maya's were convinced (and scientists agree in theory) that the magnetic field change could/would kill us all.
It made me think of Lost. If you don't type in the numbers, the magnetic field will end the world. Save the cheerleader, save the world. Oh wait, that's Heros. No cheerleaders on the island, only those airplane people, The Others, and the Harlem Globe Trotters. I'm telling you, they are on the other side with the Swedish Bikini Team. Let it go Kim. Nobody finds this funny but you.
Anyway, I figure why waste time precious time in nursing school. I'm going to catch the next plane back to Cancun and spend the rest of my time drinking silly fruity drinks and playing in the sand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar


Monday, February 26, 2007

Teacher Teacher Teacher

It occurred to me the other day that most of my friends (from my youth and who I enjoy communicating with in adulthood) are teachers. Very interesting. There was a point where I considered being a teacher if you remember from my earlier blogging. My dad tried to convince me to become a teacher instead of a nurse not long ago.
If I look closely enough, I notice that there are only three actual professions in my family on both sides. The men are working class, mostly in construction. The woman are either teachers (aunt, cousin, cousin, cousin) or nurses (aunt, cousin, cousin, cousin). I consider a nanny to be a combination of both (sister). Truthfully, nurses perform medical procedures, care for the infirmed, and do an inordinate amount of teaching. So that should make my dad happy. Have I mentioned that before my father became a concrete finisher, he was a medic in Vietnam? Maybe that is why he didn't want me to go into nursing.
Anyway, my friend Foo is a teacher. We have known each other since the 5th grade. Jividen is a prof. We met on the speech and debate team at ONU. Clark went to school to be a teacher. We met in Springfield, MO at a debate tournament. Truly interesting and quality people. I don't say that much about people, so those words are worth their weight in gold or pepperoni. I like pepperoni more than gold. [slap on hand] "Bad nurse. Promote healthy eating habits, not your ridiculously bad ones."


Colic and shedded carrots

Today I had a presentation on Colic. Very interesting topic. I have some experience with the infant diurnal rhythm that all babies have in the first 3 months of life, but I have never had to deal with colic. The most important thing I learned is that mothers and fathers should be taught what to expect, how to cope with stress, how to prevent severe colic, how to help soothe an inconsolable baby, and what to do if nothing works ( prior to leaving the hospital). Colic can start within the first two weeks of life, peaks at the 6th week, and resolves by the 3 month when their nervous system is mature enough for them to control their crying.
I won't get into the whole presentation right here, but if anyone has a baby with colic at anytime, I am here to get you through it.
On to my lunch....I stopped for lunch at Wendy's this afternoon between my Peds class and a hair appointment (I've been cutting my own hair for a couple years now and it showed). I am partial to the Big Bacon Classic there. It reminds me of the burgers they used to serve at the Woolworths lunch counter when I was a kid. This time I opted for a salad rather than fries. I'm trying to cut down on starches. The only problem is that those little shedded carrots get stuck in my teeth. So here I am driving to my appointment with my fingers digging at the wretched orange veggie wedged deep between my teeth. Very attractive. I need to start carrying floss with me. I can see it now. "I'm sorry officer. I didn't see that stop sign because I was flossing my teeth."


Friday, February 23, 2007

I made it there and back

I drove down to Rainbows today by myself for clinicals. For those of you who haven't driven with me or seen me drive over small boulders, this is a big deal. I don't like driving outside of Lake County, but my clinical rotations have forced me to face my fear head on. I now know how to get to Rainbows and Metro without ending up in the "scary" places where you roll up your windows, lock the doors, and don't stop until you hit the freeway (not even for stop signs). David was convinced I would never make it there by myself. That I would still be wandering around Cleveland praying not run out of gas until I found my way. HA! I am Super Navigator Woman! Hear my engine roar. Okay, I am a little loopy from dehydration. I was at clinicals all day with only my beloved sugary beverage in the blue can to drink. Ah...Pepsi. Does the body good.
Special thanks to Renee for driving me down there last night for a trial run.
***Today was my first experience working with children who have cancer and I didn't fall apart.


Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Holy Cow I'm White and Nerdy

I have enjoyed Weird Al's music for some time now. He is a cool cat. A hip and happenin dude. So I was thrilled when Devin showed interest in his unique stylins. White and Nerdy our current favorite. It should disturb you all (all who have seen the video) just how much I can relate to it... Star Ward..I mean Wars, Star Trek, myspace, bowling, Donnie Osmond ( I saw him and his equally pretty perky sib in concert once and have him in barbie doll form), and my "grill" in my youth. Oh yes, so many things in common.
Anyway, I actually cooked tonight. I made meatloaf and breading patties. For dessert I made brownies! One side of the pan is fudge brownies and others side traditional. Big hit with the boys. Mental note: make brownies instead of cookies, often.
Enough ramblings for today. Have a good night everyone.



Saturday, February 17, 2007

Sled riding yippie!

We just returned from sled riding a few minutes ago. I like snow. I like snow ball fights, snow angels, buiding snow forts and snowmen, and especially sled riding. The snow today was kind of powdery so it wasn't the good old fashioned packing snow I remember from childhood, but it worked. We took the kids up to the Presbyterian Church because that hill rocks. It's not too steep or tall (old people like myself are winded even half way up a small hill). Didn't see the jump at first eventhough it is traditionally in the same spot. So we hit a few times before marking it with a bottle. Then we hit it again over and over again for fun.
Now my hind quarters as well as the inside of my nose is frozen. Just the inside of my nose, really. I tried using my tourmaline 5000 to warm up, but sadly it wasn't up to the challange. I have decided I must have snow pants for next winter. Not sure what to do about the inside of my nose though. I'm sure some pharmaceutical company has a remedy for that. Nasal spray that keeps my nose nice and toasty, however I would then lose all the hair on my head, grow hair on every other part of my body, develop a pungent body odor, and cluck like a chicken everytime someone said, "Spoon".
While I enjoy snow, one snow related activity I do not enjoy is skiing. Believe it or not, I belonged to the ski club in high school. Fortunately there are few witnesses. Renee is the laughing right now because she remembers it well. Let's just say that some people are not meant to slide down big hills at excessive speed on two legs. The Red Cross came to my rescue my last time out. The biggest injury I suffered was a bruised ego. I hit hard and slid face down for 50-100 feet with one leg twisted (one ski ended up stuck vertically in snow with me still attached). Not pretty I assure you. And so I hung up my snow bunny tail and have settled for slidding down small hills on a little blue plastic disc.