This week is 'Fall Break' from classes. And thank God for that! I finally had a day where I can sleep late and tackle some household duties. The bathroom light is now repaired, the floors swept and laundry is caught up. I haven't cracked a book in two days. Today will be a slow migrate back to the books since we have an assignment due Friday. However, I am relishing the fact that I have some down time to catch up on my studies.
So Amanda Knox has been freed and is now back in the States. Good for her. I don't think she was guilty in the first place and I can't imagine what the last four years have been for her. What a nightmare. But we all know that it won't be long until Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will be knocking on her door. I say leave her alone so she can regroup. She's got a lot of healing to do. Nuff said.
There were two scuba divers left behind in Florida on a tourist dive. Apparently when the two had resurfaced the boat had left. What the hell? Whatever happened to doing a head count? Luckily they were found by a private yacht after clinging to a bouy after a couple of hours. Can you say refund?
There is a woman in California that is seeking parole for the murder of her husband back in the early 90s. She had killed her husband within the first month of marriage, chopped up his body via garbage disposal and mixed some other parts in with leftovers and there are claims that she even 'barbequed' other bits and proceeded to eat him. Now she wants to be free. I guess she's getting tired of jail food and is in need of something more sinister. I wonder if she likes Chianti.
Another boy has taken his own life due to bullying because he's different. My heart goes out to his family. He was 14 years old. There is no reason that a child should take their own life because of the hatefulness of others. I really wish more was done about bullying. It's so mean and is clearly becoming an epidemic. And yet, very little is done to the guilty parties who make another's life miserable. This is just wrong in many aspects. I saw that Lady Gaga is taking this bullying matter to the White House. Hooray for her! I hope that we have a multitude of parents following in her footsteps to make some changes. I guess this is this generation's equivalent to what racism was back in the 60s. What do you think?
Fall is descending upon us nice & easily. We've had a few chilly nights already and I have turned the heat on a couple of times. It's been a nice change, calms my soul in a way. Other tasks to complete during my fall break is to bust out my fall to winter wear and put my summertime wear into hibernation. New, cozy sheets for the bed and a heavy comforter for good sleep. Gearing up for making some soup and freezing leftovers for a quick meal when I need it. With med calculations peppered betwixed said household duties. Sounds exciting, eh?
I have been having some food issues with my cat. He prefers the canned stuff now and getting him to eat more of his dry food is becoming a meowing pain in my ass. I have ruled out any mouth issues via a trip to the vet but he is getting older and has had some intestinal problems in the recent past. I still can't figure it out why he's gotten so spoiled over this but it's all a part of being a pet owner. And now that is has gotten chillier at night he's back in my personal space at night while I try to sleep with his head resting on my cheek and paws up in the pillows and in my hair to keep warm. Yes, his whiskers tickle me awake sometimes but I really don't mind so much. He's been the best boyfriend I've ever had the last 15 years and that's a good thing. And like myself, he's a big fan of my flannel sheets. Purrrfect sleeping gear. elizinashe
I think by brain has reached capacity for the evening. I am just plain pooped out. School is going well and I am enjoying the challenge so far but that's exactly what it is-a challenge. Every class day is a different topic and everyday there is new material loaded up on our school website. I feel like I am continuously behind. I've totally lost the math skills that I was doing just 3 nights ago. No more med calculations tonight. I've lost it. However, tomorrow is another day. My house is an absolute wreck. I haven't vacuumed since school started. Good thing I live alone. We have a fall break coming up which is my main focus. Can't wait! Although my time will be dedicated to more med calculations since that test is fast looming as well as other studies, I have already decided that a good day of sleep and fall cleaning will be in order and a leisurely lunch with long, lost friends. Maybe some good picture taking if the weather permits. I forget that I have a camera these days. I have no idea of what's really going on in the world since I have little time to watch the news or any tv at all for that matter. My favorite show was cancelled last year so at least I'm not missing it this year. Other than that, I really don't miss tv at all. My peepers are tired of staring at the computer all the time loading & typing up notes. Sheesh! College is so much different these days. It's all on a small white screen. Crazy. It drives me a bit nuts. I don't know how I managed college the first time around. I don't know how I'm managing it right now. It's such a blur that it just leave my head spinning. Yeah, my brain is on a shut down. I am done for the night. Time to stretch out on my little couch and catch up on some Glee. It's a new season I hear. elizinashe
I often say 'things happen for a reason' and I truly believe that. I have also heard that things 'happen in threes'. I believe that as well and yesterday was a perfect and perhaps a strangely explainable example.
My good friend Bob passed away this past December. I do not know how or why he had died but he died nonetheless which made me very sad. He was a retired physician who was insanely smart, was rather quirky bordering on the eccentric and loads of fun. There have been many times when I think out loud to myself and wish that my Bob was still around. Now that I have embarked on my nursing school career I really wish he was still around so that he could give me some guidance on my educational endeavors especially when it comes to the oncology unit that we will be studying later on down the road, which was his specialty. As I was going to bed Wednesday night I had said aloud, as if he could hear me, ( and sometimes I do believe the dead can hear us) that I had missed him and that I wish he were here to guide me with all this nursing crap. I know for certain that I miss our ridiculous moments of silliness and his stories of 'Wallers' which is a whole other topic that is too much to explain.
I had stopped yesterday after class to get some gas before it got too low. I had gone inside to prepay since I had some cash and ran into a mutual friend on my way out. Mark knew Bob through mutual friends and through the local restaurant that we all had frequented. Mark really dug Bob, as we all did and enjoyed having unique conversations with him. Mark had mentioned that it was strange that he ran into me at that moment. Mark had said that I appeared in his dream the night before and that Bob was also sandwiched in that dream somehow. He then proceeded to ask me how Bob was since he hadn't seen or heard from Bob or about Bob in forever. Now, I was taken back a bit because I thought for certain that Mark had already knew about Bob's demise. I was 98% sure that Mark & I had already had this conversation back in the winter. So I had told him what had happened of course but I was still in disbelief that he truly was not aware. I tell myself that Mark had just forgot or something like that.
As I proceeded to return to my car to gas it up I noticed a leak near the front of my engine coming from underneath and I knew it wasn't from my air conditioner. I saw a small puddle of water with some striking green liquid in the mix and as I looked underneath I saw a small drip of antifreeze coming from the general radiator area. Crap! This was the very last thing I had wanted or needed in my first three weeks of nursing school. Luckily my mechanic's garage was right down the street which I promptly drove to. I was pretty frustrated that this had happened when I just had my car serviced before school had started. However, I was able to leave my car for repair ( a new radiator no doubt) which meant at that time I didn't have a ride back home nor did I have a ride to school in the morning. Ugh! I was told that I wouldn't be able to pick my car back up until sometime Friday afternoon and with the holiday weekend approaching that would have been lucky.
I must have been uber fortunate yesterday and believe you me I thanked God and sent out my blessings. I was able to score a ride for class through a classmate that lives nearby, which I had just gotten his number that day in class. I kind stranger who was also a customer at my mechanic's offered to give me a ride home which I humbly and gratefully accepted. I could have walked home since I was close but that meant lugging a backpack, a nursing kit, a lab coat and my purse in the heat of the day. Not quite how I wanted to spend my Thursday afternoon. After I had unloaded myself once I got home and began to settle I started to dig into my homework. It was early evening when I get that call that my car was fixed and ready. Woo hoo!!! So happy I was! I had wheels again and was no longer in danger of being without a car for the whole weekend nor did I have to be dependent on anyone for transportation. What a relief!
So what's my point? If I had not stopped for gas I would not have run into Mark and had our conversation about Bob. It bought enough time for my car to pee out the antifreeze so I could take notice, otherwise I would have driven my car until God knows what could or would have happened. I find it strange that both Mark & I had thought about Bob the night before we saw each other. The trio of Mark, myself and Bob helped complete a series of 'threes', I guess you could say, with the trio of my car problems that I've recently had which started with a window switch being replaced and a dead battery at school. (thankful for the jump from campus police. yes, you may snicker at that implication.)
So I guess in a very, roundabout and strange sort of way, Bob is helping me with school and is still involved in my life. Being that Mark & I are connected through Bob he brought us together so I could discover a major vehicle impairment which could have kept me from arriving to my nursing classes. And having good luck on my side and good samaritans around, I was able to score a ride for class if I had needed it, was able to have a ride home while my car was being repaired and my car was finished before the big holiday weekend. Now that's what I call a Waller! elizinashe
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ell shake me like a monkey. I've been dancing like the nancies, trippin' with the billies, oh sweet seven I think I'm turning into a spaceman drinking big whiskey with the groo grux king. ee-hee what fun!
August 31, 2009
So on occasion there will be a sidebar window pop up on my facebook stating what I had said on a particular day in a particular year. Today I came across a quote that brought back some fond memories and when I had read the very first line I knew exactly where I had been and who I was with. Such a lovely trip it was. I wish I could relive that trip but in reading my quoted experience it gives me the feeling as if I had just typed it out for the very first time. I can't wait for other quotes that I have written to pop up and take me back down to memory lane. elizinashe
So it's back to school time for me. Yes, I'm in the big pond now with the other fish who have been accepted into the nursing program here at the local community college. Woo hoo! My summer has been filled with many trips to the school for financial aid, unanswered questions, delayed email replies, tuition to pay for, books to buy and prepayments for other items that have yet to be received. Backpack upgraded, uniforms bought, patches to be sewn, lab kits purchased with all it's treasures and a sea green stethoscope lying in its box waiting to be plugged into my stuffy ears. Struggles with the on-line tutorial info website that was posted two days prior to our first class,(which is tomorrow) and an ink depletion snafu during the big print off for said tutorial info. Class info in upgraded backpack along with syllabus and monthly schedule as well as 'contracts' for agreeable student behavior & expectations. Snacks prepared, water bottle chilling and an abundance of pens. Self made notecards to guide me to the correct classroom at the right time in the right room at various days. No locker combination to memorize, just three different passwords for three different school related websites that is now a requirement for all college students. Excitement and first class anxiety fills my head, along with a new pimple emerging at the dimple of my smile and I have now learned from my dentist appointment from earlier this morning that I now need a mouth guard to wear at night because I clench my teeth so badly. Yeah, I totally feel like I'm that nerdy kid entering high school again. If I have those 'showing up for class naked' dreams then I'm totally doomed. Good thing I'm old enough to buy alcohol this time. elizinashe
I have never been one to follow a diet. It's not the willpower, it's the following the diet rules and sticking to it. I've never been one to eat a lot of junk either. I've always liked fruits & vegetables and I've let go many moons ago the daily dose of diet coke. I do indulge in the occasional pizza and a big fat burger but for the most part junky food like that has never been a part of my daily or even weekly diet. That's a good thing. I thank my parents for instilling good eating habits at a young age. I've struggled with keeping an exercise routine the last few years mainly due to the fact that I no longer have a gym membership. Yes, I know that I can exercise at home or go run around the local track around the VA Hospital but I just don't have the motivation. Home is my quiet place and walking an outdoor track when it's miserably hot is not my idea of a good workout. I want to sweat in an air conditioned room. In short, I like having a reason & a purpose to go somewhere to workout. I miss the gym that was on my end of town. It closed down many years ago and the other gyms that are in town are seemingly too far for me to drive. Lame excuse I know....However I have been inspired to try something different through a couple of my coworkers. One of the girls I work with has been doing the Zumba videos on her break at work for some quick and intensive cardio. This girl comes out red faced and breaking a good sweat. It makes me jealous. She's also been doing Weight Watchers to change her eating habits and get back on a healthy track. She's not overweight by any means but she does look good. So it got me to thinking.....I tried the Zumba myself one afternoon with some of our kids. Yes, you get a good workout but I couldn't stay coordinated enough to keep up the dance steps. I did more laughing than jumping around. It would take a lot of practice for me to really get it all down. However, we have a Wi gaming set for our kids. We use it for special groups as well as a reward for good behavior. We tested the new Dance Wi and the Michael Jackson's Experience. Oh boy! I think I found my thang! I've never been big on video games but this Wi stuff is pretty damn cool. I could care less about the bowling or the shoot 'em up blow 'em up games. I want to dance! I was surprised how quickly my heart rate jumped after doing a couple of Wi dances. I even broke out a little sweat! So much more fun than walking up several flights of stairs on your break. I see more Proud Mary in my future. If I can move around like Tina Turner then I will certainly be burning up some calories and looking good once again. I give the Wi a two thumbs up. I am looking forward to testing out some more dances. Can't wait to take that trip to Funkytown. elizinashe
It's been really hot here lately. I know that my side of the fence can't compare to the extreme heat felt in Texas, Arkansas and Arizona, just to name a few other yards, but it's still hot for our fair mountains. Ugh! It just makes me all kinds of cranky. I don't even want to cook nor do I have much of an appetite. I struggle with coming up with something for a meal because it's too hot to think. I'm ready for some cooler weather, a nice long fall I say! The last couple of weeks have been super busy for me mostly in a good way. I had a friend in town for a couple of days which gave me a good excuse to host an epic hike among some waterfalls and a tailgate picnic followed by an evening of recovery and other libations. Then it was back to the grindstone and back to work. Yuk. However, I did have a girlfriend pop into town for some training with her new job so in between working shifts we were able to catch up and have some quality girl time! One of the few things I miss having with her. Hopefully we will have many more of those nights to come in the future now that she & her husband have moved from the Bay area and back closer to Asheville. Woo hoo!I have a girlfriend here that drives me nuts. Don't get me wrong, I do value our friendship but she is one of those people who does not shut up. She just goes on and on and on and on......and on and on and on and on......and on and on and on and...well you get the picture. I've gotten to the point where I just really tune her out a lot b/c it's all the same old stuff which becomes really draining. I know I probably sound like a horrible friend but truly I am not. I'm just becoming more detached from this relationship due to the fact that I don't feel supported in this friendship nor do I feel nourished. I'm just tired of feeling mentally drained after talking with her, or shall I say after listening to her. I had an aunt pass away towards the end of June after a long battle with cancer. She was my dad's sister, the oldest of three. I only saw her about three times in my life, twice that I can remember. She lived most of her adult life in Arizona where she was a professor at Arizona State University. There was never frequent phone calls for family chats as I was growing up. Maybe a letter or two and always a holiday card but that was about the extent of our family communication. I knew she was a smart woman and had a great job but I knew very little of her or about her. Her oldest daughter Julie wrote a wonderful memorial of her life which my dad had sent me. I never really knew that she led such an interesting life. She was apparently very smart and savvy with a great sense of style and humor. Why that part of her life was never shared while I was growing up I will never know. According to the memorial, she and her husband traveled quite a bit. Why they never traveled to Arkansas for a family visit is beyond me. She didn't even come out for my brother's funeral when he had died unexpectedly many, many years ago. At that time she had said that she & her husband were too busy with their jobs or had too many ties and were unable to get away. Or something like that. All I know that is was just a weird excuse and a really crappy way of supporting my dad aka her brother. I truly have no ill will toward her and I am glad that her suffering is over. I am very grateful that she & my dad became closer over the last couple of years as she became a comfort and counselor for my dad during the divorce crap between my parents. I just wish that she could have been a more active family member within our family unit despite the hundreds of miles that kept us apart. There is no telling what kind of impact she would have made in our corner of the world. elizinashe
