monday things that made me happy

1. Turkey soup courtesy of my mom, the best soup maker ever.
2. Hydrocortizone cream for my itchy itchy itchy eczema.
3. Making an appointment with a doctor about my itchy itchy itchy eczema.
4. Getting a different birth control pill prescription called into a pharmacy after knowing after two weeks that this new one was not a good fit.
5. A cold beer after a long shift courtesy of my boyfriend (buying a six pack and leaving it at my apartment).
6. Chatting all day with one of my fantastic coworkers, JW. Sometimes I want to kick her, but most of the time I really like working with her. And I love swapping stories with her. But she cannot remember K's name for the life of her. It's cool though, it is a very unusual name.
7. Knowing that K might come over tonight even though it's already late and he has to open.
8. My flowers are still pretty almost two weeks later.
9. Low blood pressure.
10. Winter-like weather! Finally!

stomp stomp stomp

You know, I was pretty stoked about living in a first floor apartment. It was really easy to move into and there's no stairs to go up and down every time I go to the grocery store. My upstairs neighbors have a weird bed or something that is insanely creeky and loud but it hasn't ever been a big deal. I used to make up stories about what the bed looks like or something.

Until the past few days. I don't know if it was Thanksgiving or that I've been home at times I'm not usually home or what but they are driving me crazy. No one needs to walk around that much in a one bedroom apartment. No one.

I guess next time I need to not live on the first floor. Blech.

happy day turkey!

So I haven't done very well with the whole a blog post a day. But at least I started posting again!

I've had the last several days off from work. Apparently people don't like to come to the hospital just before Thanksgiving. It was nice to have some time to catch my breath, but it got to the point where it was too much time to just do nothing. I don't have money or patience to go shopping right now. I did some little projects around my apartment, but the stuff I did isn't anything you can really tell by looking at my place. I got rid of a bunch of stuff in my closet and reorganized some stuff on those shelves, so it was good and worthwhile. Just not anything fancy I suppose.

Thanksgiving was fantastic. I went to my parent's house with a pumpkin pie (from scratch, including the crust) and some of my extra special salad ingredients and after K was off from work, he joined all of us. My niece insisted on helping us cook and did a pretty good job with the tasks we gave her. She's almost four and refuses to be patronized. My nephew made me laugh a lot. He told me he wants to make cupcakes too. I said we could definitely do that but I was also thinking about us going to the movies. He said he already did that before. Cupcakes it is! My niece told my mom that my nephew bit another kid at school. My mom said that it was okay because it wouldn't happen again. My nephew said "It could happen." But my very favorite thing that he did was actually to K. He was wiped. He had a full shift at work and it was insanely busy and a bunch of things did not go as smoothly as they should have. After we ate, K sat in one of the ridiculously comfortable chairs my parents have and dozed off a little. My nephew gave him the stuffed animal my niece used to go to naptime with. He is a very sweet little boy.

After pie and coffee time, K and I went to his sister's house where we ended up eating another round of turkey and the fixings. I love how no one makes stuffing the same as anyone else. It's just very cool how such a "standard" dish can be interpreted so many ways. I had a great time sitting and talking with his mom and sister especially and it was just a nice evening. It's still a little new to me to be around K's family and this was one of those magic times where everything seemed very relaxed and enjoyable and I just got to be myself and enjoy being a part of the crowd.

I took a little break from strictly eating healthy foods, but I don't think I went completely overboard. Tomorrow starts back up with the veggies and heart healthy items (I baked some muffins this weekend especially for eating this week), and also with working out on a regular basis. I need an hour a day of exercise, but it's okay if it isn't continuous. I'm going to start small with some walking and my yoga dvd. Any extra activity is good at this point and I am more focused on it becoming a daily habit than I am it being a strenuous workout. With that said though, if anyone has any ideas on fun ways to keep moving, send them my way!

I hope everyone else also had a fantastic Thanksgiving and some time to take a break from the routine activities. This is my favorite time of year. I absolutely love that the weather is cooperating and it is currently freezing outside. Maybe even literally at the moment. I'm going to go back to bed and snuggle down into my blankets.

wednesday wonders!

A list of things making me happy:

...I got K some flowers (they were red, so they were manly) yesterday somewhat hesitantly but because I know it makes me happy to look at flowers, especially when I don't feel good or am having a bad day. I think it might have made him happier than it even makes me. I have the cutest boyfriend in the world.
...The Office even though we're now going to be in reruns. I really love that show and that's the big reason I hope the strike resolves soon, so it in particular can continue.
...a lovely set of Thanksgiving plans tomorrow.
...my mom asked my niece if she was going to school the next day. My niece replied "Yeah, because if I don't go, my teachers worry about me." Where does she get this stuff?!
...my mom and sister were talking about my grandmother coming to visit. My niece started saying we should have a party and my nephew waited for a pause in the hubub to say "Can I come?" Where else would he go? He's two and a half.
...ice water from Starbucks on my way to work which means a quick kiss from my man and a handy cup to refill with ice from the emergency room and water from our med room.
...my blood pressure is under control so now we are just working on figuring out why it was so high with me being so young to have such issues.
...the best motivation I will ever have to lose weight and get in shape.
...a fantastic cardiologist.
...vitamin water. I accidently discovered it while gathering groceries for my sick boyfriend and it is fantastic. A little expensive, but a nice every so often or sick treat for sure.
...my new favorite snack: a banana and about 5 nilla wafers. It might remind you of the 5th grade, but it's still awesome.
...Weight Watchers frozen meals. Delicious, satisfying, not that many calories etc. It's a nice kickstart into cutting calories without starving myself. I suck at starving myself. Obviously.
...The Real Housewives of Orange County being my favorite trainwreck to watch. Although I randomly really love Simmons Family Jewels too. I know nothing about KISS, but that family is pretty fun and surprisingly normal.
...free birth control pill samples. I have seven months worth of free medicine. That is a fantastic amount of savings!
...shredded wheat in the morning time.
...text messages. They never get old!
...books and magazines.
...the amazing amount of love in my life. :)

just random stuff, the thanksgiving version

I got my bloodwork results today. Everything is fine except my cholesterol. She said it's supposed to be 150 and mine is 177. So a lowfat diet will take care of that, and I already started that so I'm good. My blood pressure is much lower which is also very nice. I got copies of my test results and the weird EKG. I'm going to a cardiologist tomorrow.

My boyfriend is sick. I feel so bad for him but there really isn't a lot I can do. I'd go over to his house and just curl up with him if he had a bigger bed, wouldn't be annoyed, and there was some guarantee I wouldn't also get sick. I figure at this point in the game I'm pretty safe and I also got a flu shot a few weeks ago.

I'm baking a pumpkin pie and making a salad to take to my parents' house on Thursday and trying to think up something to make to K's sister's house. My sister has my other pie pan, so I was thinking a loaf of some sort would be nice and then it wouldn't step on anything that's already there. K and I are at a strange junction where our families assume we will be including each other in the big celebrations but it doesn't seem like we're expected to bring stuff yet. Or maybe it's just that my mom knows I will ask what I should bring or suggest something for me to add and K's family knows I will at least bring a bottle of wine so there's no real discussion needed.

It was super slow at work and one of us needed to go home and I was the least attached to staying there today. So I'm at home. I think I'm going to go and do something productive so it looks like it was worth it to be hanging out at home. :)

so this is what happened

A couple of weeks ago I was talking about how I don't know anything about vital signs and we decided to take my blood pressure so they could explain it to me. It was ridiculously high. So then the next day we took it again just to see and it wasn't as high but it was still higher than it should be. I had someone take it every day and I wrote it down and made an appointment with a general practitioner that was on Thursday morning.

I stayed up too late Wednesday night on accident and then didn't sleep well anyway. So I was exhausted when I got up to go to the doctor. I got there on time and then had to wait literally an hour before I got to go back for anything at all. I liked the doctor but she just kind of freaked me out. I guess it all sunk in. High blood pressure can mean a heart attack or a stroke. Those are really bad. She asked me to come back today for blood work and said I needed to fast for twelve hours. As she wrote out all the labs she wanted, I realized it was kind of the standard set of things I enter in for patients plus a few extras. She even ordered an EKG.

All the people I see come into my unit of the hospital are sick. I know that's a really obvious thing to point out, but sometimes I don't think about it so much because I don't have a lot of interaction with patients. But they come in to be admitted to the hospital to try to fix something that is serious and the doctors need some centralized time to figure out. The tests they use to help figure out what is wrong, as the patients are being admitted, were what was ordered for me. My doctor gave me samples of four different drugs and I had visions of the people that come in with bags of medicine and it just freaked me out. I don't want to be sick. I want to be healthy. I called in and I think my boss was actually expecting it a little because I barely even had to explain why I felt like I couldn't go in to work.

I fasted and yesterday morning I went to get blood drawn and the EKG. I'm a hard stick which means it is difficult for people to find a vein to draw blood from. The nurse ended up taking three vials of blood from the back of my right hand. But at least she only stuck me once! The worst is when someone sticks the needle in and then digs around for a vein. Then it was time for the EKG. I've never had one before so it was kind of cool and weird. Until the doctor looked at the printout and said it wasn't what she had expected at all and there were abnomalities she didn't understand and I needed to go to a cardiologist. She's asking for another EKG, an echo which is like an ultrasound of the heart, and a holter monitor which I think means I'll be hooked up to a monitor for a day or two but I'm not positive on that one.

It's just kind of scary. I feel a lot better now after spending some time online researching ways to lower blood pressure and talking to the nurses. We also did an impromptu EKG while I was at work. One of the techs taught me where all the electrodes go and had me put them on myself. Then I laid down and one of the nurses took a look at the monitor and told us what she saw. There are a few spots that are probably slightly elevated but she said usually it's not a cause for alarm unless it's a full box on the graph paper that it prints out on, and it was 1/4 to 1/2 of a box. I'm still going to the cardiologist, but that makes me feel better.

The weirdest thing is that as upset as I was on Thursday and Friday, a lot of people figured it would be comforting to me to know they were having medical issues in their life. Now it's different when my dad talks to me because he had high blood pressure and got it under control and is still monitoring himself. It's the same exact issue. I know it's rude, but I don't particularly care about anyone else's asthma or allergy problems at the moment. We're talking about my heart and we're talking about the possibility of heart attack and stroke. Yes, breathing is important, but it's not the silent killer high blood pressure is touted as. I don't want to be hurtful or rude, but it just isn't the same at all. If anything, it just makes me feel bad that this other person is having health issues too.

Last night I went grocery shopping and got a lot of heart healthy items and things to cook to make fantastic meals to take to work with me. This morning I had some shredded wheat with a banana in it and I did a little yoga. I think it's going to be okay, but sometimes it is hard to just take deep breaths and understand that I have to take a gazillion baby steps to make it all be okay. No one wants to hear their doctor say "Wow, I really wasn't expecting that. This is a very abnormal test result." I will know more on Tuesday after the bloodwork comes back and then after whenever my cardiologist appointment is too.

So that's what happened to me this week. K brought me flowers on Wednesday night though, before the doctors appointments and all the tears. And that's how I know I've got me a good one. :) It's also nice that I live in the same city as my parents and my sister and her family. I know I can go to either of their houses any time and just hang out. That's nice. Everyone should have some point of retreat that they can rely on. I'm a really blessed girl to have three spots I can go and just sit and be loved all within 20 minutes of driving.

wednesday wonders!

Things that have made me happy this week...

...dinner with K, my mom, and my dad. It was a great pizza place and it was great conversation.
...Lions for Lambs. I was angry at one of the characters like he was a real person who had personally done me wrong.
...a surprise visit from K yesterday. He made a big deal about how we wouldn't see eachother much this week because he has to get up earlier than he's used to and work long shifts and on and on and it wasn't a huge deal. And then he came over anyway.
...making holiday plans.
...my yoga for beginners dvd.
...being good at my job and basically liking it. I don't wake up overjoyed to go to work, but I certainly don't dread it. It's kind of nice to feel that way.
...one doctor appointment today and one tomorrow. I'm going to get fixed up one of these days.
...being able to swap tapes of tv shows with my boyfriend's sister when one of us misses one because we enjoy the same Thursday night programming.
...cooking a big ol delicious breakfast the other day
...washing my comforter, even though it took four dryer cycles to get it all the way dry.
...low electricity and water bills.
...making decisions about school.
...being able to find scholarships that I qualify for and still having time to apply and whatnot.
...hot showers.
...I got an A on my last government test!
...blogging on a fairly regular basis again.
...Robert Redford.
...my neighbors across from me don't keep piles of trash outside their door anymore.
...no more ants.
...Weight Watchers frozen meals being delicious and filling and not a gazillion calories.
...cranberry juice.
...having gotten my boyfriend addicted to cranberry juice (luckily though, when he drinks it all, he buys me more).
...how wearing a small amount of makeup can make such a huge difference.
...emails.
,,,soft undershirts for my not so soft scrub tops.
...clean clothes in general.
...hummus with a toasted english muffin to dip into it.
...extra sleep.

and on friday i wasn't even wearing makeup

I work in a kind of holding area of the hospital. People go to the doctor and their doctor tells them they need to go to the hospital for labwork, a blood or platelet transfusion, or to be admitted. Sometimes when they get to the hospital a bed (room) is ready for them, but most of the time they have to wait a little bit. They come to my area to start treatment and be a little more comfortable. We have 9 stretchers (that look like beds) and they are seperated from eachother by partitions and the famous huge hospital curtains. My desk is right by the door. There are two stretchers right across from me.

And this is all I want to say: What is the deal with putting patients in stretchers 1 and 2 that would rather stare at me than watch their little tvs or sleep or talk on the phone or do anything besides creep me out for hours at a time? One on Friday and one today (technically yesterday I guess). Not. Cool.

yoga

I remember when I was in youth group in about junior high and my youth pastor showed us a video on why yoga is demonic. Today, as I did my beginner's dvd, I thought about that. I guess a determined teacher could kind of bring a class into a trance and plant things in everyone's mind. But I think it's just become a lot more mainstream than that these days. My dvd is a little hokey sometimes, talking about how doing yoga will affect everything including the planet, but the stretching and the breathing and the focusing exercises far outweigh the few instances of giggle-worthy narration.

I have a lot of things on my mind these days and all of them by themselves are fairly stress worthy so combined it is getting a little ridiculous. Taking the time to do something calming and quiet but still active helped me to calm my thoughts tremendously. Nothing is resolved and I have a list of things to do tomorrow in addition to my normal class and work routine, but I feel a little better.

Now, because I was belching like a mofo while doing yoga, I'm going to eat a little something and go to bed.

a rare ridiculously lengthy offering

This weekend has been lovely.

Saturday actually started off pretty rotten. K had a class to go to and I took him there. We went to Burger King for some breakfast on the way. I don't completely love Burger King, but it had been ages and ages since I'd eaten there before this one by my apartment opened up. K and I were really excited to go there when it first opened a few months ago. I don't eat there much, but the quality of service has gone steadily downhill. Half the time we've ordered and paid for cheeseburgers but gotten home to realize there's no cheese. Or there's fries instead of onion rings. But it was on the way this weekend, so we went. And when the drive-thru person asked me to pull up to wait for the food, I was just kind of exasperated. They make EVERYONE pull forward. It's not like the person behind you's food is ready because that person will be asked to pull forward and park too. It's obnoxious. So I asked how long it was going to be and she said about thirty seconds. When I asked, as unsnottily as possible, if it was going to be thirty seconds why I needed to pull forward, I could feel K cringing. There was one car behind me and I just stayed at the window. They handed me a bag and I handed it to K and off we went. It was not the right order. It did have some french toast sticks which is what K ordered, but only 3 and not the 5 he had ordered. No hashbrowns or whatever, but three ham and cheese sandwiches.

Then, about halfway to the store where the class was, my truck freaked out. It started to overheat which was super weird because I had literally filled up the resevoir just before we left. I turned the heater on full blast and I guess that helped to remind the truck it could draw from the resevoir and it seemed to be okay after that. We got to the store before his class started, but not as early as he wanted to be there. It was alright, just not great. I felt awful about everything. I messed up the breakfast, my truck was being retarded, and now he wasn't set up to have a good class.

I went back to Burger King and couldn't get a refund because K had paid on his card, but they gave me the food I had actually ordered. I ate my breakfast and then decided to just get back into bed. I had intended to start on all the little things I had thought of during the week that needed to be done but left for the weekend but I just went back to sleep. K's class was going to be over at 4 so I got in the shower at about 2:45 pm to get ready and then be able to leave to be there early. When I got out of the shower, I had two missed calls and a text message from my boyfriend. As I was listening to the voicemail saying they got out early, he called again. I threw on some clothes, combed my hair, and left.

As I was driving there, I was thinking about the huge list of things I needed to do. Some cleaning, some organizing, putting a few items on eBay to keep the clutter down and get some extra cash, homework, figure out how to make the food I have stretch into meals for next week, clip coupons, read the newspaper, and catch up on emails and phone calls. Also, trying to know what to do about my truck. I don't have any extra money at all so if it breaks down, I'm screwed. I'm worried about my blood pressure and worrying doesn't help it and the stress I was feeling from listing all of this in my head was making me feel a little sick. By the time I picked K up, I just wanted to sit there and cry for a few minutes. I kept it together though. Crying in front of boys never really goes well.

We napped a little more when we got back to my place. And after talking a little and taking some extra time getting ready and actually putting styling product in my hair and makeup on, we left to go have dinner with my parents. We went to this fantastic pizza place. They have all the normal kinds of pizza, but they also have a bunch of crazy ones. You can get lamb or arugala or pine nuts on your pizza. There's five sauces to choose from I think. We got a sampler pizza that was double cut so we got to try a bunch of the different pizzas they offer. It was delicious. The conversation was fantastic and I had a really good time. I'm so glad I have a boyfriend that I can bring around my family and it be really enjoyable for everyone.

After dinner K and I went to the movies. It was my turn to pick (this is not a firm and fast rule, but we do generally take turns when there's a bunch of stuff out there that we both want to see) and although I'm really interested in seeing American Gangster and Dan in Real Live, I decided on Lions for Lambs. I am so glad I did. It gave me quite a bit to think about and I would love to see it again. I'm glad we saw it at that particular theater because the sound was amazing. It's been a long time since I've been to a GOOD theater and the seats shook with the sound of the helicopter and whatnot. Lions for Lambs was amazing, but not in the sense of going to the movies to be entertained. The movie was heartbreaking and intense and thoughtful. Most of all though, it was thought provoking. I want to own it later on so I can watch it when I need a boost of passion and drive. It was written by the same guy who wrote The Kingdom, which I also completely loved, but I don't think I can really handle watching again. I would love for my government teacher to see either one or both movies and then sit and talk with him.

Today was just very kick-back. I did some of my cleaning and organizing and feel much better about the state of my apartment. It isn't a pigsty, but I feel as though I could and should be a much better housekeeper. As it stands now, I feel as though I need to apologize to anyone who comes over. I would like to not feel like I need to explain or apologize. It seems like it should be easier to just keep things neat than it actually is. In any case though, things are looking better.

I cooked a fantastic breakfast at 2:30 pm or so and K and I caught up on taped tv shows and just enjoyed each other's company until he had to go to work. Now I'm writing this blog while I'm waiting for my comforter to dry. It's been through one dryer cycle and I think it might take two more. It's just difficult to launder a queen size comforter. I bought a yoga dvd today and since it reccommends watching it once all the way through before doing it, that's what is left on the agenda for today.

The blood pressure and stress seem much more manageable after some calm quality time with my family and my boyfriend. That's really why it was a lovely weekend.

five reasons why i need to find a primary care physician

1. It's just good to have one.
2. I have high blood pressure, as discovered on a slow evening at work.
3. My back and neck get achey an awful lot.
4. I should know how much weight to lose and what the right way to do it is as told by a physician.
5. I'm just going to say high blood pressure again. I think everyone in my unit is concerned about me actually. We (they) decided tonight that I should have someone take it every day next week and me write it down and take that to the doctor.

california dreamin'

Today I was discussing Christmas plans with my mom and I realized it's been a year since I was last in California. My mom and I flew out so she could help my grandmother get ready for and then recover from her surgery and I flew out just as a surprise. We whisked Grandmommie off to San Francisco for the day and it was just all a really great trip.

When the semester was about to start, I realized that I had never been to college not in Riverside and it made me miss the landmarks I know there. I miss my friends, but over the years I have come to realize long distance friendships work as long as you keep in touch. It was more the donut place open 24 hours and the perfect spot to get hot and sour soup. The drive I could take up Central that would make me feel better because it was all wind-y and had lots of palm trees and I could take Victoria back to my apartment with the window down and inhale all the blossom scented air.

Next month marks my second year of living in San Antonio and I'm mildly surprised (although pleasantly) that it feels so thoroughly like home. I know short cuts to places and have even introduced others to cool restaurants. My family is here and that's why I came in the first place, but I've somehow managed to put roots down in a place I swore I'd never live and am enjoying my attachment. Part of it is K, but that's not all of it. I like the place I work and I think my apartment is fantastic.

Sometimes I am very frustrated about college and finishing my degree and finding money and time for it and wish I had just been able to motor through and finish my degree when I first started it. But the journey has been good despite all the roadblocks I basically set up for myself. It's led me to San Antonio and things are pretty good here.

Who would've thunk it?

wednesday wonders!

Oh, the old list of things making me happy. Sorry it's been gone for so long!

...my belly button BARELY itches today!
...me and the other secretary decided on a color and I wear the same color scrubs every day. I like it because I don't have to decide what to wear. I just have to find the clean ones.
...my hair is growing out. I liked the cut I got but have started to miss it being longer.
...it's actually kind of cold outside! All day long!
...pumpkin spice lattes.
...Miller Lite Genuine Draft in a bottle.
...Friends reruns.
...someone gave me a coupon for a discount on a massage today. I've never had one before and when I get some extra cash I'm totally using it.
...salads. I've been buying bowls that have the veggies and then dressing and a few extras like eggs and what have you in them. They are cheap and delicious.
...hummus and toasted English muffins cut into pieces.
...K being completely sweet, especially the past week and a half or so.
...the new season of House.
...the writers strike. It doesn't make me happy that tv is going to be changing and whatnot, but it makes me happy that they are standing up for themselves. I'm totally on the side of the writers and glad that the actors on my favorite shows are supporting the writers too. But you know what sucks? The Office only has two more taped episodes.
...making Thanksgiving food plans with my mom.
...thinking about day after Thanksgiving sandwiches. Mmmm...
...the Spurs are doing well!
...having an embarassing endearing nickname for my boyfriend that he secretly likes but would be mortified by if made public. It's not for adults only, it's just embarassing.
...good grades in my classes.
...last week my vcr messed up but my boyfriend's sister had a tape of Grey's Anatomy she let me borrow.
...cupcakes.
...encouragment from random places.
...npr
...actually knowing what's going on around the world.
...the movie The Kingdom STILL making me think. It was even better than Syriana, which I literally saw at least three times in the theater.
...The Real Housewives of Orange County. I can't help it. I just can't look away.
...snuggling down in my bed with all the covers pulled up over me. Fall is my favorite until winter comes and than that's definitely my favorite.
...still laughing over things my niece told me while we were making cupcakes.
...the bowl of ramen I'm about to eat. :)

it makes me a little sad

A guy in the department I used to work in died two days ago. He was kind of older and probably not in the best shape of his life so a heart attack is maybe not completely unexpected, but it's sad anyway. I think a lot of people didn't like him that much because he was always very gruff, but he brightened my day on more than one occassion. Getting Norm to laugh was a special treat because it would come out of seemingly nowhere and be accompanied by a fantastic smile.

I guess that's all I really have to say about that.

belly button update

Okay, so no one really cares. But I missed out on sleep last night because of this, so I definitely care.

The gist of it is I had my belly button pierced ages ago and took the jewelery out to let it close up months ago. Last week the hole got a little infected. I attacked it with a vengenace using alcohol, triple antibiotic ointment, and covering it up with bandaids. I'm either allergic to the adhesive in the bandaids or all the activity just irritated my skin and in any case I have a miserable rash. It looks like the eczema I used to get. I looked it up on webmed.com and I've just been cleaning it with gentle soap and using hydrocortisone cream on it to alleviate the itching. It looks AWFUL. It is bright pink and bumpy and disgusting. It's not infected, it seems to be getting better, but it is ITCHY. And also gross. I don't want to scratch it because that will make it worse and I do pretty well with that.

Except for last night while I could have been sleeping. I was constantly waking up because I was scratching and didn't want to be. And then around 5 am I just started crying because I was so itchy and so tired. Imagine my delight at having class and work today.

movie review monday: 30 days of night

30 Days of Night

Hard Candy director David Slade took the helm for this adaptation of Steve Niles' terrifying comic-book series of the same name. In Barrow, AK, one night can last an eternity. One month every year, this town is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to its location on the far north of the Arctic Circle. While extended periods of darkness are something that the locals have become accustomed to, this year something sinister is about to emerge from the long and unforgiving night. As a maniacal horde of vampires assume control of the city streets and commence to freely feasting on the terrified citizens, the local sheriff (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George), and a small but resilient band of survivors will be forced to choose between saving themselves or helping the few remaining members of their community survive the blood-soaked siege. Original comic creator Niles collaborated with screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson to pen a film produced under Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures banner. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

I chose the last movie, The Kingdom (which I'll probably review soon too because it was FANTASTIC and everyone should see it) so it was K's turn to pick. It was actually between We Own the Night, American Gangster, and Dan in Real Life until we realized it was an hour wait for those and 30 Days of Night was starting in a minute. So off we went. I kind of think we should have just waited for any of the other three.

I'm not a big fan of scary movies because I tend to think they are ridiculous and then they still startle me and I can't get the images out of my head right away. I love psychological thrillers which I admit is odd because those probably stay with you a lot longer than the slasher flicks but whatever, it's how it is. Scary movies in the theater are even less of a favorite thing for me but as long as I can grip K's hand and arm excessively, it's alright.

The premise was actually pretty decent. The sun sets for 30 days a year in Barrow, Alaska and about two-thirds of the town leaves for that month because of the lack of sunlight. The airport closes after the last sunset preceding the thirty days. It's winter and in Alaska, so blizzards abound and communication isn't so hot anyway. So when a pack of vampires descend on the town and start eating everyone, there's not a lot they can really do about it. There's a group of people that manage to survive and sneak around and try to figure out a way to survive the entire month and be able to warn other town in Alaska before next year.

With that said, it was lame. And ridiculously bloody. And creepy. The end wasn't that great and I was just kind of disappointed. Yet still a little skittish about the whole ordeal. There were some plot points brought up and then ignored which I super hate. One of the characters had an inhaler, which never became a problem. They mentioned living in Barrow for a reason, and that they knew the town and the cold so of course they could wait it all out but then never went back to the whole cold thing. It was super bloody and gruesome, as one would probably expect. Basically, I am glad the tickets were free, but there are several other movies I still want to see.

Final verdict? It's not a COMPLETE waste of time, but just rent it rather than going to see it in the theater.

okay so i already messed the post a day thing up

I didn't actually really do anything I had meant to this weekend. I didn't study, clean up very much, take care of some things for K, or finish traffic school online. I did sleep, be very itchy because my stupid bandaid rash isn't gone yet, and spend excessive time with K which included going to the movies and watching Grey's Anatomy. It wasn't a bad weekend by any means, but it wasn't as productive as I meant it to be.

I got a price list in the mail from the college I was thinking of going to next semester and I simply do not know how to do this. There's so many things that I will have to fight through to go to school next semester and it makes my stomach hurt. I will owe a tremendous amount of money by the time I graduate. I guess that's just true for everyone, but it's rotten. I don't think there's any other way to really do it. I'm doing scholarship searches and there are some feasible options there, but everything I have found is a few hundred dollars. I don't mean it's not worth it, because it really is, but it's still kind of a drop in a giant bucket.

I have to keep working full-time to be able to live on my own. I'm taking two classes right now that aren't especially involved and it's really hard. I can't keep taking two classes at a time because it will become even more ridiculously expensive and irritating that way. But, how am I going to do with four classes while working at least 40 hours a week? I think the degree is worth it because although I like my current job, it's not going to be something I can happily do in the longterm. There's not enough personal fullfilment in being a secretary and it's not enough money to support my hope of having kids and them knowing what the beach is like. More than the money though, I want a job that I am excited to have, not just a job that is tolerable and has moments of enjoyment in it. A degree doesn't guarantee that, but it opens up a lot more possibilities at least.

I'm going to figure out how to make it all happen, but I'm just not sure exactly how today. So I guess I'll just go to work, study a little, and clean my apartment for reals when I get home because for whatever reason it really makes me feel better to walk into a clean living room.

ah, the weekend

Saturdays are always a dilemia for me. I have the whole day off from work and I feel as though I should use it to catch up on everything I let slide during the week. The dishes, laundry, various other things I meant to be taking care of but that got lost in the midst of work and school and K. But then there are Saturdays like today when what I really do is something small with K and then nap and then watch some tv and then at the last part of the day go grocery shopping and do the dishes.

That is why it is so lovely that I get TWO days off in a row every week.

friday five

1. They say elephants never forget. Would you compare your memory to that of an elephant or gnat?
I have a pretty good memory.

2. What kinds of things do you find it easy to remember?
Anything I've written about someplace. Phone numbers aren't too hard usually.

3. What kinds of things do you find it difficult to remember?
Sometimes names, news facts. I remember the gist of the story but not dates and names and everything. Which sucks. It'd be so much more impressive if I REALLY knew everything going on in the world. Or state.

4. How does your short-term memory compare to your long-term memory?
About the same I suppose.

5. How do you commit things to memory? Do you use tricks, songs, images, word associations, or other little mnemonics?
I like flash cards. I don't have a photographic memory but sometimes if I picture the last place I saw a fact or name or something I can remember it.

fringe benefits

I work in a hospital.

This isn't new, but the unit where I work is slightly new. I have a lot more interaction with doctors and patients. The patients actually is still pretty low on the interaction list, but I answer the call lights, so there is that. Sometimes I whip up some broth or something too. But the doctors, I talk to them a lot. I get them order sheets and progress note sheets and page people and on and on. Some of them are hardcore jerks, most are pretty neutral, and some are hardcore cool.

Yesterday I noticed my old belly button ring hole was kind of infected. I now know about a bunch of infections and bacterias and complications so I was more concerned than I would have been say a few months ago. I asked one of the nurses when I should worry about the small little bump that was draining a little bit and then one of the techs was asking me questions. They finally said I should just show them and the doctor who had been sitting nearby going over a patient's chart said she wanted to see too.

I got a free little exam at work! Simple instructions: peroxide or alcohol, triple antibiotic cream, bandaids, and go to the doctor if it changes in size at all. I followed the directions and today my belly button looked MUCH better. I am, however, allergic to the adhesive in the bandaids from work because I have a lovely little rash right around my belly button, but I'll take that over cellulitis or MRSA any day.

Yay for a job with good insurance and yay for fringe benefits. :)

NaBloPoMo

National Blog Posting Month!

Every November there's this thing called NaNoWriMo where you're supposed to write every single day and crank out a 175 page novel at the end of the month. The main purpose to make writing a part of your every day routine and be able to glean some piece of all those words and turn it into something later. Of course, if you can just write a novel in a month, November is a handy enough month to do it in. NaBloPoMo is basically posting a new blog every day. There's no particular rule about what you have to post and quite frankly I couldn't even find an official site to sign up on, but I decided this evening that I would like to try to jumpstart my blog by participating.

I've been thinking about a lot of stuff to write about but not actually taking the time to do so these days. You probably already noticed that... Instead of planning out posts in my head for so long that they never actually make it up on the screen, I'm just going to write and see how the words flow this month. It might be great, it might be crap, but at least you've got something to check out every day for a month on the web!