2 weeks!

Christmas break is so close, I can taste it.

2 weeks.

2 weeks until maybe I can actually see my best friend.
2 weeks until I can work and actually make some money to save.
2 weeks until I am just that much closer to graduation.
2 weeks until I can sleep in as late as I want to.
2 weeks until I am going to beg my fiance to go to IHOP at 2am in the morning just so we can drink crappy coffee and talk.
2 weeks until I can bake as many cookies and blackberry chocolate chip pies as my heart desires. I totally plan on making Tamra's chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies.
2 weeks until I don't have to study for a whole month.
2 weeks until I can actually get into the Christmas spirit.
2 weeks until I can volunteer at the Salvation Army.
2 weeks until I can be crafty and scrapbook, make cards, crochet, and sew.
2 weeks until I can see my fiance every day if he's not to busy for me (it's not his fault- he works so much and so hard to save for our future.)
2 weeks until I can sit on the couch with my mom and watch cheesy Hallmark movies all weekend long.
2 weeks until I can spend time with my "nephdog" (puppy nephew- Google it! It really exists.)

2 weeks!

Things are looking up

Life is been particularly, er... not good lately, but things are starting to get better!

I am done with clinical for the semester, so now my Monday evenings are free. Tonight is my first free Monday since August, and I am very excited about it! I plan to spend this beautiful rainy Monday evening writing a history paper and then reading a book I got for my mom for Christmas (just testing it out ;))

I got a lot of my Christmas shopping done this past weekend, and I am super excited about that because it was really stressing me out. I love Christmas shopping, but it seems like I never have time to get the perfect gifts for everyone while I am busy with school. Mom and I went Black Friday shopping and got to Walmart at 3 am. I almost got mugged and/or killed by crazy laptop buyers. Thank God there were 2 police there, or I might not have made it out alive.

I think I briefly mention it in one of my previous posts, but we had to put the family dog of 13 years to sleep last week. I didn't really like the dog per se, but my heart broke because my family was so upset. This old pup and I had a bit of a rivalry, you see. When I would go home for the weekend, sometimes the dog would get more attention than I would. I think he was kind of stinky and he had a skin condition that made the hair on his butt fall out and it just kind of weirded me out. Also, for some reason my mom thought the dog needed 20 billion blankets in order to sleep at night. I would come home on the weekends and the dog would have 3 blankets, and I would have none, so I would have to sleep with my mom so I didn't freeze. I still felt a little sad because even though I wasn't in love with that dog, he did make sure we were all safe and sound. He was a good protector.

My brother ended up adopting a sweet and loveably hyper pup from the SPCA this weekend. He wanted a dog to pow around with him, to take hunting and hiking and whatever else mountain boys do. I am totally in love with this dog; it's hard not to be, even if you aren't a dog lover. He is a year old black lab with the sweetest face. There isn't a mean bone in his body, and when he wags his tail, his whole btt convulses. It really is just adorable. And he likes Mountain Dew, which is especially important to my brother since he lives off of Mountain Dew and ice cream. I feel like our family is complete again, and I don't have to worry about getting my blankets taken when I am not home because the dear dog is staying downstairs with my brother.

I have an appointment with my doctor on Friday to talk about the dreams I've been having and maybe discuss a medication change, which I really don't want to do. Getting adjusted to this medication was enough for me; I hated it. I take it at night, so maybe he will just suggest taking it in the morning or something. I'll blog after my appointment. Why can't I just be not crazy without meds? Hm?

Anyway, life is getting happier :)

What does your latte say about you?

I found this cute quiz online. I think it's pretty true. What does your latte say about you? Please share!

Your Latte Says You Are Very Serious

You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are a child at heart, and you don't ever miss the opportunity to do something playful. You are complex and philosophical, but you are never arrogant.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Parents using Facebook

Both of my parents got a Facebook a few weeks ago. I was pretty surprised when they told me, just because they are not very... technologically literate? It's actually kind of cute.

Until they start talking about FB all the time. I think they spend more time on there than I do (not that it's very much because I'm busy with school all the time). It gets kind of awkward sometimes though.

Like last night:

Dad (excitedly talking to my mom): Honey, did you see what I posted on Jamie's wall?
Mom (laughing): Yeah! Did you see my status?

WEIRD.

Yay for cute blogs

It snowed (well, flurried) for the first time this winter yesterday, so I thought it was perfectly appropriate to change my layout to something more Christmas-y.

I love Christmas!

If you like my blog, visit Cristi's Creations. She has tons of really nice layouts, and they are so easy to use.

I saw this quiz on a fellow blogger, Nobody's Nothings, and thought it was pretty cool. Click here to find out what religion you most identify with.

Here are my results:

1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)



2. Orthodox Judaism (95%)


3. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (94%)


4. Islam (92%)


5. Jehovah's Witness (85%)


6. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (81%)


7. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (81%)


8. Eastern Orthodox (76%)


9. Roman Catholic (76%)


10. Seventh Day Adventist (76%)


11. Jainism (73%)


12. Baha'i Faith (73%)


13. Reform Judaism (70%)


14. Sikhism (70%)


15. Hinduism (69%)


16. Unitarian Universalism (69%)


17. Liberal Quakers (66%)


18. Mahayana Buddhism (56%)


19. Scientology (54%)


20. Theravada Buddhism (54%)


21. New Age (53%)


22. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (49%)


23. Neo-Pagan (49%)


24. Secular Humanism (46%)


25. New Thought (45%)


26. Taoism (38%)


27. Nontheist (31%)

My dad is a mortician

I had a dream the other night that my dad was a mortician. We had a "workshop" (I'm not sure what it's called) in our house, and my family would get upset at him because he wouldn't ever wash his hands after playing with the dead people.

I'm going nuts, yo.

Christmas break in 14 days!

I think I can, I think I can...

PS. Why is it that my crazy cat won't drink milk but will eat pumpkin pie?

Dear Universe

Life has been ultra strange lately. It seems like bad things keep happening, so I decided to write a letter to the Universe in hopes that maybe, just maybe, things will start to get better.

Dear Universe,

Please stop making my life difficult. I will not be phased by you, because, see, here's the thing. Yes, my cousin found out she is pregnant and she is distraught, and yes, my fiance's uncle committed suicide, and yes, we had to bury him today, and yes, my fiance's computer died yesterday, and yes, his truck and broken and we also owe the vet $400 because the cat ripped out her stitches (darnit, Keiko!), and yes, I am going slightly crazy and may need a medication adjustment, and yes, finals are coming up in 2 weeks, and yes, we had to put the family dog of 13 years to sleep last night, but I refuse to get down about everything.

Because, here's the thing. Bad things keep happening, but at the same time, good things are too, and I have decided that the good things will outweight the bad things, so you may as well stop trying to get me down.

Thanks!

crazynursingstudent

What's real?

Ever since I started taking happy pills, I have really vivid dreams. Sometimes, I even confuse them with reality, and it's really weird/annoying. I can sympathize with schizophrenics even more now cause I know what it's like trying to differentiate reality from your mind. Lol.

My sister has been missing her favorite shirt since we went to see my cousin graduate from the Marine Corps bootcamp. It's green with a cartoon zebra on it. She thinks she left it at the hotal and we haven't been able to find it since then. I (think?) I had a dream that I was folding laundry on my bed and I came across a green shirt that was inside out, and it was the zebra shirt. I was so excited that it randomly turned up, and I left it on the bed.

When my sister got home later, I told her I found the zebra shirt, and she was so excited. I told her I would go get it, and it wasn't on the bed. I turned our room upside down looking for that darn thing, TWICE, and I never found it. If it was a dream, it was so real that I couldn't tell it was a dream.

Another instance happened this weekend.

My mom despises Rachel Ray. I kind of love her, but my mom cringes every time she comes on the Food Network. She's just so perky. Anyway, my aunt gives me her Rachel Ray magazines after she is done with them because she knows I like to cook. She gave me the newest one the other day. I apparently had a dream that my mom was looking through a Rachel Ray magazine at Walmart while we were checking out (nothing unusual about this. My mom always looks at magazines while we are in line to check out). She said to me, "I know I don't like her on TV, but I actually really like her magazines". I swear it was real!

This weekend, I was talking to my mom, and I saw a Rachel Ray magazine on my bedroom floor. I said to her, "Hey, there's the new magazine if you want to look at it". She replied with a quizzical look on her face and wrinkled her nose, "You know I don't like Rachel Ray".

I was baffled. I told her that I was with her in Walmart the other day and she told me she liked the magazines. It kind of upset me that this dream I had was so real that I think it really happened. Later my mom told me that before I told her about my dreams being so real, she didn't understand why I was so upset, and she thought I got her a magazine subscription for Christmas or something.

I think the next time I go to my doctor, I am going to ask if this is normal or not. It's kind of amazing, but mostly really annoying.

I'm a bright side kind of girl

On the bright side, my dad has the back-door trots along with his vomit. My brother sprayed Febreeze as well as Lysol, so now it smells like someone crapped in a flower bed while the clean breeze blows.

I am trying to relax and drink a cup of homemade hot cocoa and lots of real whipped cream. Keyword: trying.

The reason behind my zits

I never get zits.

I currently have 3. Let's just say this weekend has pretty much done me in.

I an pretty sure I didn't blog about it then, as I wasn't blogging as often as I do now, but a about this time last year, my cousin had an affair. She cheated on her husband of 4 years with some dude she met on the internet. I caught her naked in my aunt and uncle's bedroom, on webcam with him. They met up at a hotel and did the deed a few weeks later. Since then, she has gotten divorced, left the dude she cheated with, and hooked up and is living with another guy who lives a few hours away. She seems happy, and I am happy for her. She deserves a fresh start in her life. I was with my grandmother this weekend and she informs me that my cousin is pregnant by the guy she is living with. I know this is life-altering for everyone who has ever been in that situation, but for her, I know it's going to be hell. My aunt and uncle and all of the people they associate with are super conservative Christian we-don't-associate-with-anything-ungodly holier than though kind of people. My heart goes out to her. She hasn't told them yet.

That wasn't too bad though.

Yesterday was my fiance's family's big Thanksgiving get-together. One of his uncles was missing for a few hours after an arguement with his wife. Everyone could tell there was some unspoken tension going on the whole time, but it came to a head when my fiance's aunt and her son left to go see if they could find his uncle. My fiance's uncle committed suicide, and his aunt found him in the garage, already dead. My fiance was one of the first to arrive, and had no clue what was going on until his aunt broke down. I ended up watching my fiance's cousins; 3 beautiful little granddaughters of the man who killed himself. They were his only grandkids and they adored him. It was chaos; I don't think my fiance and I finally fell in bed until 2 am.

I don't understand people's reactions sometimes. Everyone talks, "oh, I don't know how he could have done that, how selfish, blah blah blah". I am not saying suicide is okay, at all. I am just saying that I can identify with what he felt at the moment he decided to commit suicide. When you want to die, it doesn't feel selfish. I remember feeling like if I wasn't alive, people would be relieved because they wouldn't have to worry about me, and I would be out of their way. I felt like I was a bother to everyone, and I was in so much pain that it hurt from the inside out. Like a huge ache that takes your breath away, and dying would just feel so good. (Don't take this wrong, I am not suicidal in the least, I just remember feeling this very vividly, as it is part of my past and has made me who I am today). I feel super bad for my fiance's family (who I love as my very own). There's really no preparation for this kind of tragedy.

(Please don't take any of ^that^ as complaining. There's no where else in the world I would rather be than with my fiance's family during this time.)

Today has been a vast improvement from yesterday, though. I've spent the last 3 hours cleaning up my dad's vomit. Flossing puke chunks out of the cracks in the toilet is really theraputic, and I'm proud to say the toilet is now so clean you could eat of it (if you dare).

Because of this disastrous weekend, I am hours behind in my studying for a big exam on Tuesday, as well as my presentation tomorrow. I am utterly thrilled about the possibility of pulling an all nighter tomorrow night.

So there, my friends, is the reason behind my zits.

So guess who my next paid photography client is?

Makeup girl and her family.

Bahaha.

Karma.

Dear migrane, please go away. love, me.

Ugh.

I think I have a migraine. Earlier today I was seeing floaters, which sometimes happens if I sit up too quickly, so I didn't think much of it. Sometimes it means that a bad headache is on it's way. Which is currently the case. I feel lightheaded, nauseas, and my head is throbbing. It only stresses me out more knowing that I have a big practical exam tomorrow, and I need my brain to work. I took some Tylenol and peppermint oil capulses, so hopefully it will take the edge off and curb the nausea so I can get some sleep. I hope I do okay tomorrow :(

To do

-Study for Medsurg (yay, urine) for Tuesday
-Go to bed at a decent hour (aka-stop crocheting)
-Prepare presentation for next Monday
-Class evaluations
-Extra credit for Medsurg
-History paper
-Spirituality journal
-Practice tomorrow for practical exam (ugh)
-Fiance's family Thanksgiving dinner Saturday (MAKE PIE)
-Take Christmas pictures on Sunday
-Meet dad for lunch on Monday
-Stop procrastinating...

Dear Blogger friends,

What are you thankful for?

Happy (Almost!) Thanksgiving!

crazynursingstudent

Breeding swans

Is it really normal to have origami swans all over your house, even if you do live with an Asian?

I find these everywhere, like on top of the lamps in the living room, and on the chandelier in the dining room, in our bedroom on the dresser and hanging from little strings from the ceiling. It's like they.. breed. Can origami swans breed? I didn't think so, but I am thinking maybe they need to have "the talk" and invest in some birth control or something.

Confessions

-I stay way too late crocheting, because I'm addicted.
-I can't brush my teeth without the water on.
-I knocked over a camera tripod the other day at school because I didn't realize how large my bookbag was, and I broke it.
-I hate wearing pants. Actually, I hate wearing clothes in general.
-I never clean the panini maker. I just wipe the crumbs out. My family would be horrified if they knew I did this.
-Everyone in my family assumes I'll be a virgin on my wedding night. (sorry!)
-I am a huge procrastinator. Like right now, I have a paper due at 6pm, and I'm about halfway done. (oops).
-Sometimes I forget to eat breakfast. And lunch.
-I always feel guilty for having a take a little white pill to make me not crazy when I go to the pharmacy to pick it up every month because kids I went to highschool with work there.
-Sometimes my friends annoy me and I wish they would go away.
-I hand out money to the sketchy people on the side of the road who hold the buckets to "help the mentally challenged people" even though my mother tells me not to cause, they're really sketchy.

Incontinent chickens

In lecture today we were talking about urinary incontinence, and on the Powerpoint my professor was lecturing from was a picture of a dog wearing a diaper, and everyone in the class was, like, errrrr, why is that dog wearing a diaper?

This lead to a discussion about an Animal Planet special that talked about a pet chicken whose owner let it live inside with the family and the owner made it diapers to wear. All the while I am thinking, this is what me and my parents spend $25,000 on a year... To hear about incontinent chickens?

Professor: "Don't you all ever watch Animal Planet?"
Class: "No..."
Professor: "Oh, I forgot. Nursing students don't have lives."

Thankful Tuesday

Today, I am thankful for:

-The people outside of Walmart ringing the bell for the Salvation Army kettles
-My wonderful, unconditionally loving fiance
-The few people who know how to make the perfect mocha
-Moms
-Gingerbread pancakes from IHOP!
-That I'm emotionally stable enough to reciprocate the love I feel from others
-Knowing someone who makes the best cake in the world

H1N1 vaccine

We just got a shipment of H1N1 vaccines in at school and they are reserved for students who are at high risk for contracting H1N1, like immunocompressed, asthma, ect, but they are also reserved for people who are involved in direct patient care, such as yours truely. I am trying to decide whether or not I want the vaccine. It's just so new, and that makes me nervous. I am not sure what to do. I really wanted to get it before, but after thinking about it, I am just not sure.

Karma

Makeup girl finally got what she deserved had a frustrating patient who tried to rip out his IV every 5 minutes, so she had to continuously stay in the room. After about 5 hours into clinical, I passed by her room and she whispered loudly, "Hey! Can I, like, go to the bathroom? Can you sit with him?" I felt kind of bad for her so I sat with her patient while she went to the bathroom and took a quick break. I talked with her patient, who was kind of creepy and you could just tell he was not right in the head or something. I asked him why he kept trying to pull out his IV, and he said, "I just want to go home." I tried to be understanding because usually if someone is that persistant at trying to get their IV out to go home, usually there is a reason. I asked him if he had any kids at home, and he said, "Yes." I tried explaining to him that the IV was giving him food he needed so that he could get better and go home ASAP. He quit picking at it after that. I asked Makeup girl if she knew why he kept trying to pull out his IV. Shrugged and said, "No. I don't know. I didn't talk to him." Um, what? You spent 5 hours in your patient's room and you didn't talk to them. It made me a bit irritated. Just because you don't want to be a sitter for your patient, doesn't mean that they should have to suffer because of your attitude. You should always give the best care to your patients and treat them like you want to be there and listen, no matter how annoying or creepy they are.

She did tell me a funny story though.

Patient: Looking up and down Makeup girl. I have to admit, other than the excess of caked on  makeup, she is a pretty girl. Actually she is a pageant queen, and I'm not kidding. He chuckles and says, "You gotta cold look about you."
Makeup girl: "Is that so? Why?"
Patient: "I unno. You just look kind of...evil. Like yer gunna keel someone."

Yeah, he really talked that like.

My new style

You know you're overly tired when you put your shirt on backwards in broad daylight and don't notice until nearly half of the way is gone, and you only realize your shirt has been on backwards all day because the tag has begun to scrap the fragile skin off your chest. As if wearing your shirt backwards wasn't embarrassing enough, you now have a red splotch and scratches on your once nearly perfect bosom. I hope I don't make a habit of this.

Bahaha.

Love him

Apparently my mom knew how to crochet from the "olden days" when she was a SAHM, and gave me a quick lesson. I've been addicted since Friday and have started 2 scarves. I watched a tutorial on YouTube on making crocheted flowers, and after 2 hours and redoing it about 10918343 times, I finished one. I sent a picture on my phone to my fiance with the title being "So my flower looks more like a blob, but I'll get better."

He replies, "It's the most beautiful flower in the world."

Love him.

World's worst neighbor

One of my neighbors is a 60something, single old man. He's a super nice guy; I even have him on speed dial in case or a fire or if someone breaks in. I don't deserve this though, because I am world's worst neighbor.

Our kitchen window looks into his dining room window, and often his blind is closed or he is at work in the middle of the day. It never ceases to fail that he is for some reason, home and working  outside or his blind just happens to be open the days when I am running around late for clinical in my underwear or dancing provacatively in my kitchen while making lunch. The poor man probably sees my panties more than my fiance.

I am world's worst neighbor. Maybe we should get our window covering fixed? Hm.

Today is a good day

You know it's a good day when:
-you remember you need to wash your clinical uniform an hour and a half before clinical starts, and you find -that your little sister already did laundry and it's clean.
-you realize you get to see your fiance tomorrow.
-you realize today is the last clinical of the semester.
-you see the light of that really long tunnel.
-you remember to refill your happy pill prescription before you run out.
-you made time for a nap.
-you forgot to read for your history homework and still ace a pop quiz.
-you look up and see blue skies, falling leaves, and hope for tomorrow.

Blogger is making me mad :(

Christmas presents/cards

Because I'm naturally, an old lady (hey, my fiance thinks it's hot!), I love to be creative. Lately, I've been helping my aunt make cards because she sells handmade things as a side business. This past weekend we made Christmas cards for a bazaar she's going to later this month. I think they turned out pretty cute!

I did some Christmas shopping online today. I was looking on half.com and I just so happened to find the perfect present for my mom. She loves to read and she loves the beach, so I ordered Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover's Soul for $2.54 (yesssssssss). I actually ordered 2. I am thinking about giving one to future MIL or my brother's girlfriend for Christmas. It depends on if I have time to make the lap quilt for the MIL before Christmas or not.

I also ordered a cutesy gift for my little sister. She loves food, especially sweets, so I thought this was adorable. It's little soaps in gummi bear shapes. They look so real! I am thinking about getting her a cookbook to go with the soaps and necklace I got her from Esty.

I still have no clue what I am going to get for my brother or dad. They are so difficult to shop for. Plus, my dad's birthday was a few days ago, and it's going to be pretty hard to top the Mustang mouse I got him for his laptop... I love finding the perfect gifts for people :)

Keiko the freako

I never understood how people can love their animals like other people until my fiance and I adopted this cat together. She makes me laugh so much! Yesterday I set a Walmart bag on the bench in my fiance's dining room and I look down and Keiko, our cat, has her head through the handle on the bag. As if that wasn't funny enough, she started running around the house, with the handle of the bag around her neck and the bag flapping around her. It was so funny! The things she does are priceless.

Insomnia

My dear, sweet boy is sleeping soundly above me, and has been for hours. I'm so entirely jealous. Why am I still awake when I know I have to be up in a few hours?

At least I got some homework done. Right?

Lord's prayer, holiday edition

Dear Father who are in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name
Thank you for giving me off work for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Thank you for Christmas break, so that my poor, friend brain can defragment itself and compact everything I've learned this semester like a trash compactor
Give us this day
Some money so that we can buy Christmas presents, and pay our bills
And please forgive me for making fun of people
You can put me on the naughty list, if You want to
In the name of the Father, Son, and baby Jesus
AMEN.

My favorite nursing words

One of the fun things about nursing, is that you get to use and describe people and things with cool/gross words. Some of my favorites are:

-Purulent
-Peyronie's
-Erythematous
-"Beefy red"
-Penile
-Pus
-Pharyngolaryngooesphogectomy (try saying that)

And you get to ask people questions like, "Have you been moving your bowels regularly?" and, "So how has this effected your sex life?", and it's not really awkward at all!

One of the 2394819823 reasons why I love nursing.

Beautiful stoma ya got there ;)

Today in skills lab, we learned about ostomys. I think this is the most fun we've had in lab all year. We made stomas out of Playdoh, and used a table for the patient's belly. We attached the ostomy bags to the table over the Playdoh stoma, and it was fun!

One of our assignments is to put chocolate pudding in the ostomy bag and wear it around at home. Nursing school is so gross.

What I hope I always remember

Growing up I wanted to be a baby doctor. I carried this dream around with me until I was was 15, and started working in a hopsital coffee shop. It changed my mind, as I saw hurried doctors, hardly looking at me and taking notice that I was a person. I supposed they can't help it because the majority of them look at everyone this way; seeing their patients as merely scientific beings. I know very few doctors that see their patients as holistic, spiritual beings, who have needs outside of a physical cure. I didn't want to become that kind of person, and it changed my heart and mind about being a doctor. I care too much about people to ever stop caring. It's my talent and it's what brings me satisfaction at the day's end and it's what brings me the most joy.

I purchased this painting this summer because I fell in love with it. I love mermaids and pregnant women, so it was pretty perfect. I plan to hang it in my office when I become a midwife, to remind me of what I hope I always remember, and that is that people are not just scientific and metabolic beings. They have hopes, dreams, feelings, and meeting those needs are sometimes more important than giving them a cure to their physical ailments. I hope I can be the kind of midwife that treats the "whole person" and nurtures their body, mind, and soul. I hope I can always remember how to do this.

My favorite Google searches

I always wonder what people were trying to find when they Google something and click on a link to my blog. Here are some of my favorites:

"i hate nursing school" (me too!)
"peed my pants" (hahahaha)
"nursing student underwear" (wth?)
"nursing school is crazy"
"nursing school is insane" (right on!)
" i love nursing school" (me too! It's really a love/hate relationship.)
"nursing student is crazy" <--- That's so me! Except I wouldn't Google my own blog.

My pt the other day was amazingly sweet. He let me try all kinds of things on him. Wait... I didn't mean that in a perverted way. Anyway, He was scheduled to have an upper endoscopy, which is where the doctor will take a tube with a camera on the tip of it and he/she looks down your mouth at your guts. It was pretty cool seeing it for the first time, but I think it would become really boring unless someone was bleeding internally or something. Anyway, it was pretty cool when my patient woke up and I got to tell him I saw his guts (he asked what it looked like). He just laughed. He was pretty funny. I was talking to him before his endoscopy and I told him that his wife seemed like a really sweet lady, and he mumbled on about "yeah, you don't really know her" blah blah blah, and then after the endoscopy he was talking about his wife again and said the sweetest things about her, like, "My wife, she is the most beautiful person I know. She's a much better person than me; she will do anything for anyone, no matter what they have ever done to her." It was the total opposite of what he said about her earlier, maybe it was the drugs? Maybe we should give drugs to every man who things his wife is such a nag.

Anyway, after his endoscopy he decided he wanted the Pneumovax, which is the pneumonia vaccine, so I gave it to him. I've never given an IM injection, only subcutaneous, and man that needle was huge! I was drawing up the medication, shaking, and I kept picking up things and putting them down because I couldn't get my brain to work because all I could think about was that needle is so big, and it's going to go in his arm and wow, that needle is really big. Then, the nurse I was working with says to the patient, "She's done a million of these things. No really, actually it's her first." All I could think was, "Thanks, a billion, for making me more nervous than I already was. If I put this really big needle in crooked or hit his bone, it's your fault!" But I did it, and I did it well. It was actually really easy, and my patient said it barely hurt. He couldn't tell it  was my first time doing it. It didn't even bleed! (Which is a lot more than I could say about my TDAP injection I got a few months back...) My patient was being discharged after his endoscopy, so I got to take out his IV even though I've never been taught how to do it. It's pretty self-explanatory. I felt bad though because he was trying to get dressed and packed, but it kept bleeding everywhere. My nurse kept looking at me like, "What the freak did you do to his hand?". It eventually stopped. I think it was one of the best clinical days I've had because I got to try and see new things. I love learning.

Why my school e-mail WILL NOT WORK

I am OCD about checking my school e-mail. I check it morning, noon, and night, and everywhere in between. I probably check it 30 times a day, and I'm not kidding.

Our school e-mail has not worked all day, and it's driving me insane. I am always afraid I am going to miss something, like maybe finding out class is cancelled tomorrow (ha, yeah. I'm not that lucky), or what to bring, or that the carpet is being replaced (yeah, seriously. we get e-mails about junk like that).

Wanna know why our e-mail isn't working?

Because our professors are arguing over e-mail about the death penalty. Seriously? Satisfying my OCD tendancies is more important than your immaturity. Grow up and give us a reason to respect you.

More thoughts from the little girl

My Little Sister is babysitting the same girl again. She says the randomest things.

Her: "I think anyone who eats tuna is CRAZY."

Why are children so darn annoying and cute at the same time?

Tooma

Studying is much more fun if you write "tooma" in place of "tumor".

It makes me giggle atleast!

Kimchi

I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food, but once in a blue moon I will try something new. I ate fermented vegetables! And I liked it!

My Korean Little Sister got some kimchi (fermented vegetables) fried rice and I tried it. It is so good! It is super smelly (duh! fermented vegetables...). It has a smell and taste all it's own, and it's super spicy but it's really good.

Maybe I will get a recipie from my little sister and post it later for those adventurous cooks out there.

Coffee :(

I need coffee! Stat!

But I've been so good. I haven't had coffee in about a week.

But I really want coffee!

Candy candy candy candy

Brach's Caramel Apple Candy Corn

Whyyyyy is this stuff so good? I don't even like candy corn!

Kids say funny things

Little Sister is babysitting a little girl today; I think she is about 6 years old. She was talking about not liking Obama being the President earlier.

Me: Why don't you like Obama being the President?
Her: I don't like him because, um, I forgot. *pauses* Oh yeah, mommy said he is giving away free airplanes and that's why I don't like him.

Errrr, makes sense... huh?

I peed in my shoe.

I stayed with my fiance Saturaday night because my parents were out of town. At about 10:00 Saturday night, we walked out to my car to get my happy pills out of my purse so I could take them before bed. The day before, I spilled milk in my car and I left the windows down because to air out my car from the horrid smell (and I mean, horrid).

Anyway.

We walked out out to the car and my fiance was standing on the passenger side of the car, and me on the driver's side. I leaned over in the back seat to grab my purse and all of a sudden I see something furry smack the rear window. I jumped back and muttered an obsene word, while my fiance laughed his butt off. One of the outside cats had jumped in the window and was chillin' in my back seat. When he heard us, he tried to jump out of the car, only to smack the rear window.

As my closest friends and family know, I have a weak bladder. It's not the first time it's ever happened, and it won't be the last, but it certainly makes for some interesting stories. After I realized what happened, I started laughing hysterically, like on the ground laughing. Before I knew it there was a tinkle-ing sound on the ground and my pants were wet. So was my shoe. My favorite pair of brown old man shoes.

I peed in my shoe :(

PACU, balls, and schedule

Today I got to shadow a nurse in PACU (it's the place you go right after surgery). Even though it's not really my type of thing, I had fun and found it really interesting. I like how busy it is, and everyone there just seemed to have an overall good attitude, which is a great step above many nurses on the floor.

I got my schedule mostly figured out. Since I had to be at the PACU this morning, I didn't get to register before everyone else, so one of the classes I need to take is filled up. I am going to talk to the professor this afternoon before class, and I am sure she will let me in so I can stay on track. Next semester is going to suck balls. Speaking of balls...

One of the patients I saw today was a young guy who had an orchiectomy. Basically, he got on of his balls chopped off (poor guy). He was so funny though! It cracks me up to see the things people do under the influence of narcotics. He woke up, looked around, peeked under the blankets down there, and said, "Hrmph!", and promptly when back to sleep. I was cracking up on the inside. I guess he was pleased to see he stil had one left. I'm not really sure.

Things to do

To do:

-Not go crazy
-Register after PACU tomorrow
-Study for exam on Tuesday
-Send love notes
-Study for NG tube quiz tomorrow
-Visit new gym
-Send a Christmas angel letter
-Do extra credit for Med/surg
-Do laundry before it eats your little sister
-Shower (it's sad when you have to include showering on your to-do list)
-Run with scissors

Pissy

It's that time of year again. No, not Thanksgiving and Christmas; the other that time. Registering for classes. Now I'm not sure how many other college students have a difficult time with registering for classes the next semester, but I have great diffculties every year.

This semester I had an appointment with my advisor. She never showed up, as usual. I had to wait 3 and a half hours to meet with someone else, who couldn't even approve me, but just looked at my schedule and said, "Okay, looks good. I will tell your advisor to approve this." Gee, thanks.

For our lovely university, we have to do online registration. Usually it decides to glitch the exact day we are allowed to register. All of us psychotic nursing students stay up or set our alarms for 12am on the dot to register the day we are allowed. Hence, I set my alarm to get up and register. "You are not approved to register at this time."

My question is: Why are my parents and I paying thousands of dollars for this again?

SO sweeeeeeeet

I swear I have the sweetest sister ever.

We were Skype-ing yesterday, and say said to me, "I pray every day that God makes me have a heart like yours".

I think that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to/about me, ever. I'm so lucky to have her.

Hint hint

If you are, or ever have been in college, I am sure you've had to create a reference page for a presentation or a paper. If you are, or ever have been in college, I am sure you know just how big of a pain in the butt it is to do so.

http://www.bibme.org/

This website allows you to plug in all your info from websites, journals, books, etc, and does some sort of magic and VOILA! You're reference is done for you, in APA, MLA, whatever. No more missing points because of periods and spaces and things in the wrong place.

I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!

Why am I still awake?

I want to learn how to do this! I was a barista in my former life...

My Favorite Herbal-y Things

I really like studying alternative medicine. Sometimes I think herbals and other types of healing practices like hypnosis, massage, accupuncture, etc, can be just as, if not more effective than Western medicine. I wish more people knew and/or embraced this kind of stuff because it opens up many more possibilities for the best quality of life.

My favorite herbals/home remedies:

-Peppermint oil: Can be used for nausea/upset stomach. It's also an antispasmotic for people with IBS.
-Omega-3 Fish Oil: This is awesome for cardiac support, like cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Also helps improve concentration and memory. Sometimes used for constipation (be careful how much you take or you may end up with diarrhea).
-Kelp: Great for a needed boost of energy because it promotes optimal thyroid function. Also can aid in weight loss.
-Mayonaise: Use it on your hair for dry hair as a conditioner. Let it stay of your hair for a while and shampoo really well.
-Hot water with lemon juice: Good for constipation. Drink about 2 cups before bed.
-Vitamin E oil: I love this stuff for minor cuts, bruises, mouth sores, pretty much everything! It also helps with pain from cuts and other skin problems.
-Bromelain: I recently discovered this when I was sick a few weeks ago. My aunt gave me some and told me to talk some every day while I was sick for sinus congestion, and by golly, it worked! My sinus congestion was better 2 days after I started taking it.
-Olive oil: Great as a skin moisturizer. A little goes a long way.
-Witch hazel: I like to use this for a skin astringent, but I also give it to my dad for hemorhoids. It's supposed to help with pain if you pat your butt with it. (TMI, I know. LOL)

If you have any to add, feel free to comment.

Crazy, Eclectic, Me

-I love the simple things in life, like gingerbread tea by the fireplace, and basking in the warmth and feeling the wrinkles on my lover's hand.
-I am caught somewhere between 50's housewife and modern and independant women. Until I met my fiance, I swore I was going to be single for the rest of my life. I don't need a man in my life to make me happy. At the same time, I love pleasing my man. I am happy spending hours "barefoot in the kitchen", and I want to be a stay at home mum one day. I like to quilt and scrapbook like an old lady.
-On of my biggest regrets is not getting to know my great-grandmother before she passed away, although this was not all my doing. My mom sheltered us from certain situations, and I am grateful for that, but there's so much I want to ask her.
-I'm a germophobe.
-I like gross things, like popping pimples, and watching surgery. Taking rectal temperatures and cleaning up other people's poop doesn't even phase me.
-I rarely wear makeup anymore. I am pretty without it.
-I have to sleep with my feet uncovered or it drives me crazy.
-My brother is hot. We look nothing alike.
-I fall in love with everyone, even people I've never met. I can love someone 2 seconds after meeting them. Sometimes I think caring and loving other is the only thing I'm good at.
-Sometimes the things people say or do bother me, but I don't let them get me down. If someone says "you can't do that", I just want to do it more and prove to them that, yes, I can.
-I never had a favorite color until I was 20, when my fiance finally convinced me that it was okay to have a favorite. I felt bad being partial to all the other colors out there. I like blue :)
-I still don't have a favorite food.
-I hate spending money.
-I am thankful for everything.
-When you do something for me or give me something, no matter how small, I will thank you 20 times, or until you politely ask me to stop. I'm ridiculous. I just try to be grateful for people's kindness.
-I don't like mashed potatoes.
-I sleep nekkid
-I got engaged 6 months ago and I still haven't started wedding planning. I am excited to get married and finally live and be with my other half for eternity, but I just dont' want to plan a wedding. It's too easy to get caught up in the "stuff". Plus it's expensive!
-I'm shy and opinionated at the same time. I rarely have anything to say to people I don't know well, but when I do, I call things like they are.
-I love women. Skinny women, fat women, short women, tall women, mean women, nice women, white women, purple women. I don't care. Women are amazing, and beautiful. It's so amazing how a creature so delicate can be so incredible strong at the same time. I think it's part of the future midwife in me.
-My best friend and I are polar opposites. I'm not even sure why we are friends, other than we complete each other because we are so different. She's the missing puzzle to me.
-I never had a relationship with my dad until this year. I grew up always wishing I could be "daddy's little girl", fantasizing about being told, "I love you" and "I'm proud of you" and being spoiled. Instead, (pardon my language) I got a dickhead of a father. Then things changed, mostly me. I forgave him and started holding no expectations, good or bad. Things got better, and now I am happy to say that I love my father, good and bad.

Good day

Today is a great day because:
-I slept, alot!
-I aced the big huge exam that determined whether or not I pass a class
-I am finally caught up on my make-up work
-I stepped on a crunchy leaf (it's the little things!)
-Martin's finally got gingerbread tea (I got 6 boxes!)
-This week is cake compared to last week
-I am voting and I am blessed to have this right
-I got to Skype with my parents
-It's my dad's birthday
-It's the famous "pizza night" with my fiance