So for whatever reason I adore the name Clementine.
I am like every other girl I know in that ever since I was like 8 I've daydreamed details about my life in the future. And because I am a child of the 80s that future life always included a wedding, husband, and kids. I think my niece is going to grow up daydreaming about being a princess because of Disney's thorough marketing campaign, but that's a blog for another day. I have all these details I think would look fabulous in a wedding kind of setting and names I think would be fantastic for future kids of mine. To be clear, I'm not a crazy girl and I don't have anything decided in a set in stone kind of way because I hope to make those kinds of decisions with my someday husband and whatnot. The only thing I know for sure about my wedding is I have the father/daughter dance song picked out. I figure that's something I can definitely decide by myself.
Anyway.
A few years ago, I heard the name Clementine again and I just loved it. So it became my new favorite name for a baby girl but every time I mentioned it to anyone, they would grimace even after I said "Isn't Clementine Jane such a cute name? Because Jane is MY middle name?" My mom told me she'd buy me a dog so I could have my Clementine because no grandchild of hers would be a Clementine.
K and I have talked about baby names and stuff and ideas we've had before being together as a couple and we like some of each other's ideas and don't like others but I didn't even mention Clementine because it's been designated as a strange daydream in my little head. Except a week or so ago i was watching E! and one of those celebrity updates scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
Ethan Hawke and his wife had a baby girl and named her...CLEMENTINE JANE! What are the odds of that?! I called my mom and told her I was affirmed since a movie star had chosen my name for his daughter. Her immediate response was "Dear God. Please let Melissa and K have only boys. Amen."
The other night one of my all time favorite music artists, Tiffany Lee aka Plumb had a baby girl. What's her name? Clementine Fire.
Clementine is back baby! I think now my mom is praying that by the time I do have a baby girl that the name is so popular that I decide against it because I have said that any name on the past two years top ten lists is automatically disqualified.
By the way, I'm not pregnant or anything. Just a girl.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
sorry...
I just kind of haven't felt like writing lately. There's tons of stuff going on that is probably worth posting about, but for some reason I've had some writer's block. With pretty much everything. I start letters (mostly to you, Tina, sorry...), emails, surveys, everything and just not finishing them. I put a blog on my myspace because that's a theoretically safer spot to post things of a more sensitive nature since my profile is private.
But anyway...
Last night K and I went to one of his friend's birthday party. I'm not going to lie. I didn't want to go. I don't have a very good history with this particular person and even now that things are not as volitale as they once were, there's still a little tension. Or maybe just an uncomfortable feeling on both sides is more like it because we've been able to do some double dates without any major awfulness happening. My good friend Splenda came with us and through a combination of things, namely K making sure to include us both in conversation and the abundance of alcohol available even though the invitation totally said BYOB, I had a genuinely good time. I got to see some people I already knew and like hanging out with and then I got to meet some other people I've heard about here and there and some of them were super cool.
I was involved in an unoffical drinking contest. The thing about pina coladas is it is a little difficult to taste the alcohol so it kind of sneaks up on you. I have no idea how many I had. Too many to even bother trying to figure out Weight Watcher points for, heh. But I suddenly realized I was right at the line between having a good time and crossing over into what I like to call Puke City. So I notified the other participant I was done and he put up a good fight for why we should continue, but I noticed he stopped drinking too as I switched to water. He said today that we'll have to go again because the stipulation for last night was only one of us was walking away from the table and we both did.
The other thing that I really enjoyed was that all of K's friends know we moved in together and so that was a topic for discussion last night for a few minutes. Almost all of them seem genuinely happy and kind of excited even about this recent development. Someone asked us if we were getting married and when I said we were talking about it, but we're kind of at the very beginning of talking about it, they were really excited for us. It's really fun to be happy about something going on in your life and share it with someone else and have them be happy for you too, you know?
All in all, it was a good night. And kind of help make up for the fact that the new X-Files movie, the one I've been looking forward to seeing for roughly a year and got to see yesterday morning, was awful. Maybe they can make another one in a couple of years and redeem themselves. SATC can go ahead and make another one in a couple of years as well. Getting movies out of The West Wing and Friends might be a little too much though, but I will take continuing storylines from X-Files and Sex and the City as long as they churn them out. Unless the next X-Files movie is as rotten as this one was. David Duchovny is still yummy. Even with a crazy unabomber beard and everything. :)
I've got one more day off and then it'll be back to my typical somewhat stressful work week. In anticipation of which I plan to do not much of anything for most of the day tomorrow. Right after I clean the bathroom, take out all the trash, and maybe vaccuum.
But anyway...
Last night K and I went to one of his friend's birthday party. I'm not going to lie. I didn't want to go. I don't have a very good history with this particular person and even now that things are not as volitale as they once were, there's still a little tension. Or maybe just an uncomfortable feeling on both sides is more like it because we've been able to do some double dates without any major awfulness happening. My good friend Splenda came with us and through a combination of things, namely K making sure to include us both in conversation and the abundance of alcohol available even though the invitation totally said BYOB, I had a genuinely good time. I got to see some people I already knew and like hanging out with and then I got to meet some other people I've heard about here and there and some of them were super cool.
I was involved in an unoffical drinking contest. The thing about pina coladas is it is a little difficult to taste the alcohol so it kind of sneaks up on you. I have no idea how many I had. Too many to even bother trying to figure out Weight Watcher points for, heh. But I suddenly realized I was right at the line between having a good time and crossing over into what I like to call Puke City. So I notified the other participant I was done and he put up a good fight for why we should continue, but I noticed he stopped drinking too as I switched to water. He said today that we'll have to go again because the stipulation for last night was only one of us was walking away from the table and we both did.
The other thing that I really enjoyed was that all of K's friends know we moved in together and so that was a topic for discussion last night for a few minutes. Almost all of them seem genuinely happy and kind of excited even about this recent development. Someone asked us if we were getting married and when I said we were talking about it, but we're kind of at the very beginning of talking about it, they were really excited for us. It's really fun to be happy about something going on in your life and share it with someone else and have them be happy for you too, you know?
All in all, it was a good night. And kind of help make up for the fact that the new X-Files movie, the one I've been looking forward to seeing for roughly a year and got to see yesterday morning, was awful. Maybe they can make another one in a couple of years and redeem themselves. SATC can go ahead and make another one in a couple of years as well. Getting movies out of The West Wing and Friends might be a little too much though, but I will take continuing storylines from X-Files and Sex and the City as long as they churn them out. Unless the next X-Files movie is as rotten as this one was. David Duchovny is still yummy. Even with a crazy unabomber beard and everything. :)
I've got one more day off and then it'll be back to my typical somewhat stressful work week. In anticipation of which I plan to do not much of anything for most of the day tomorrow. Right after I clean the bathroom, take out all the trash, and maybe vaccuum.
Friday, July 4, 2008
hope floats makes me fall asleep every time i try to watch it
I have been thinking about hope a lot over the past few days. There's a movie preview where the tag line is something like hope didn't give up on (insert name). I don't think hope has given up on me either. I find myself hoping for a lot of things. Some of them are not very significant or important to other people like how I hope I can find whatever magical combination of ant sprays and apartment office intervention to avoid being bitten in places that are awkard to scratch in social situations. I hope that this weekend brings me enough time to clean up my living room in a way that when I open the door after a long day at work, I breathe a sigh of comfort. I hope my new birth control pills drastically change my menstrual experience in all ways and forms. And if they could clear up my face that'd be awesome as well. It's only been a week so there's definitely still hope on both counts of that one.
We'll see what happens!
We'll see what happens!
Monday, June 9, 2008
vodka tonics are my drink of choice at the moment
My dear friend Splenda is back in town and it is so incredibly nice to be able to just meet up with her for drinks any old time (practically anyway, we both do have moderately ridiculous schedules). Tonight was the first time in a long time that I had more than one or two drinks at a bar! It wasn't just Kate or anything. That's just where it started. My boyfriend met up with us and then some more people came too and all in all I have to say that Sunday night is definitely the best night to have some drinks. It's not all crazy karaoke loud and sometimes Sunday nights are just a good time to have some vodka and laugh at old memories.
Monday, June 2, 2008
fantastic recipe: easy homemade hummus
Hummus is a dip that is most often enjoyed with pita bread. It's also fantastic with veggies, crackers, or a toasted English muffin. It's a good way to get some extra fiber in and although I don't have a calorie breakdown for you, I do know it's a pretty healhty snack (depending on what you enjoy it with, of course).
I got this recipe off the back of a bottle of McCormick ground cumin.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Drain the can of chickpeas but reserve the liquid. Put all ingredients except the reserved liquid in a food processor or blender. Blend until it has a smooth consistancy, adding small amounts of liquid at a time. Serve with pita bread or pita chips!
Make sure you put any remaining hummus in the fridge. It will probably taste even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld.
I got this recipe off the back of a bottle of McCormick ground cumin.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Drain the can of chickpeas but reserve the liquid. Put all ingredients except the reserved liquid in a food processor or blender. Blend until it has a smooth consistancy, adding small amounts of liquid at a time. Serve with pita bread or pita chips!
Make sure you put any remaining hummus in the fridge. It will probably taste even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld.
fantastic recipe: proper cosmopolitan
2 oz vodka
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz cointreau (or other orange liquer)
Shake with ice, strain into a glass, and enjoy!
It will be a light pink color because vodka is the main ingredient, not cranberry juice. It will also be strong, as most martinis are.
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz cointreau (or other orange liquer)
Shake with ice, strain into a glass, and enjoy!
It will be a light pink color because vodka is the main ingredient, not cranberry juice. It will also be strong, as most martinis are.
movie review monday: sex and the city
SPOILERS AT THE BOTTOM. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND WANT TO, STOP READING AT "FAVORITES"
Ahhh, Sex and the City. I love it, I really do.
I worked at Blockbuster a few years ago and we got five free rentals a week which was definitely the best part of the job. I decided to get the first season of Sex and the City because there was still quite a buzz about it and I've never had HBO so I had no idea what it was all about. For whatever reason, the first season managed to completely hook me and I watched and eventually bought all the seasons. I have seen every single episode a multitude of times. I've had marathon viewings with friends, and just basically love the series. Yes, there's a lot of sex. But more than sex, I think the point of the series is relationships. The friendships between the women, and the dating (and later more serious) relationships they have with men and all the dynamics inbetween. I'm not super into fashion, shoes, makeup, or glamor so I think that's the best testament to what I'm saying about relationships being front and center in the series.
So, when the movie was announced as being back on and then when actual production started, I stayed on top of the information enough to find out when it was being released and then did my best to avoid any further information. I even managed to skip over commercials and previews! I got the day off from work and when I told my boyfriend's sister about it, she got half a day off from work and we bought tickets in advance for her, myself, and K. We made cosmopolitans at my apartment and then trekked over to the theater to wait in line.
I think there were about five guys in the full theater and most of the women were dressed up. I think a lot of them came from work, but a good portion of them definitely got dressed up just to see the movie. It was fun to be in an audience that applauded when the music started and understood some of the scenes that were only funny if you knew the characters.
I loved the movie. It wasn't particularly special or movie-esque though. It was kind of like watching half a season's worth of episodes all at once more than watching a movie. I hope that if they do make another one they go with more of a movie plot rather than a bunch of little plots that add up to two and a half hours. But I thought the story lines were great. It was like visiting with old friends.
I would love to go see it again, so anyone in the area who wants to go, just let me know! And now I'm going to list my favorite and least favorite parts so if you haven't seen the movie and still want to, STOP READING NOW.
Favorite parts:
-cameos from people I did not expect to be in the movie at all, like Enid
-the take/toss/store fashion show in Carrie's apartment
-the love letters
-Louise from St. Louis' renting habit
-acknowledging the women were older
-Charlotte's girls' names
-When Charlotte saw Big and actually used her opening line and added a hand motion. That scene, because the look of surprise and pride on her face after actually getting to do it was fantastic.
-Big's proposal
Thing that were lacking:
-more interaction between Charlotte and Harry. Cutest family ever
-it taking Miranda so long to come to her senses.
-Carrie's shoes. Or lack of them rather.
-More cameos from characters of seasons past would have been great. It wasn't absolutely necessary but could have been really cool if done right. And maybe that was the whole problem.
Overall, I loved it. I'll definitely buy it when it comes out and probably watch it five thousand times, just like the rest of the SATC dvds I've got. :)
Ahhh, Sex and the City. I love it, I really do.
I worked at Blockbuster a few years ago and we got five free rentals a week which was definitely the best part of the job. I decided to get the first season of Sex and the City because there was still quite a buzz about it and I've never had HBO so I had no idea what it was all about. For whatever reason, the first season managed to completely hook me and I watched and eventually bought all the seasons. I have seen every single episode a multitude of times. I've had marathon viewings with friends, and just basically love the series. Yes, there's a lot of sex. But more than sex, I think the point of the series is relationships. The friendships between the women, and the dating (and later more serious) relationships they have with men and all the dynamics inbetween. I'm not super into fashion, shoes, makeup, or glamor so I think that's the best testament to what I'm saying about relationships being front and center in the series.
So, when the movie was announced as being back on and then when actual production started, I stayed on top of the information enough to find out when it was being released and then did my best to avoid any further information. I even managed to skip over commercials and previews! I got the day off from work and when I told my boyfriend's sister about it, she got half a day off from work and we bought tickets in advance for her, myself, and K. We made cosmopolitans at my apartment and then trekked over to the theater to wait in line.
I think there were about five guys in the full theater and most of the women were dressed up. I think a lot of them came from work, but a good portion of them definitely got dressed up just to see the movie. It was fun to be in an audience that applauded when the music started and understood some of the scenes that were only funny if you knew the characters.
I loved the movie. It wasn't particularly special or movie-esque though. It was kind of like watching half a season's worth of episodes all at once more than watching a movie. I hope that if they do make another one they go with more of a movie plot rather than a bunch of little plots that add up to two and a half hours. But I thought the story lines were great. It was like visiting with old friends.
I would love to go see it again, so anyone in the area who wants to go, just let me know! And now I'm going to list my favorite and least favorite parts so if you haven't seen the movie and still want to, STOP READING NOW.
Favorite parts:
-cameos from people I did not expect to be in the movie at all, like Enid
-the take/toss/store fashion show in Carrie's apartment
-the love letters
-Louise from St. Louis' renting habit
-acknowledging the women were older
-Charlotte's girls' names
-When Charlotte saw Big and actually used her opening line and added a hand motion. That scene, because the look of surprise and pride on her face after actually getting to do it was fantastic.
-Big's proposal
Thing that were lacking:
-more interaction between Charlotte and Harry. Cutest family ever
-it taking Miranda so long to come to her senses.
-Carrie's shoes. Or lack of them rather.
-More cameos from characters of seasons past would have been great. It wasn't absolutely necessary but could have been really cool if done right. And maybe that was the whole problem.
Overall, I loved it. I'll definitely buy it when it comes out and probably watch it five thousand times, just like the rest of the SATC dvds I've got. :)
Monday, May 26, 2008
someday i want a wii of my very own
Today was pretty nice. I got to sleep in a little bit and then just as I was about to start leisurely getting ready for work, I got a phone call saying it was super slow so they were just going to put me on call. I have a feeling that I could have argued my way into going in but I think sometimes it's just better to go with the flow. Especially when it means an unexpected day off!
I unpacked some more stuff, organized things a little bit, did some laundry... K came over after he was done working for a little while which was definitely a nice and unexpected plus of the day. We went over to my parent's house and played with their new Wii and ate pizza and drank margaritas. It was a lot of fun having a nice low-key kind of evening.
The other day I went to Weight Watchers and while I was standing in line waiting for my turn to step on the scale, I got my little booklet and stuff out. Then I realized I hadn't been in a month. This bummed me out because I really had no idea that it had been an entire month. I gained three pounds, which by itself isn't a huge deal. I can work that right off my booty in a couple of weeks as long as I stay on top of everything again. I am more dissappointed by the fact that I let an entire month go by without counting points or weighing in without even realizing it. I feel like this is something I do to myself a lot and I have no idea how to break that pattern.
Yesterday was fun too though. Sushi for my dad's birthday celebration, playing Wii games, and running around with my niece and nephew making them laugh hysterically. I don't know what it is exactly, but I have ALWAYS been able to make my niece laugh harder for longer than I've seen others do. Not that I'm the only one she likes to play with, but it makes my heart so happy to run around with her and have her shrieking with laughter like that. It'll make me smile for a week just to remember it for a minute.
All in all, things are good albeit a tiny bit boring. Sometimes that's not really so bad though. :)
I unpacked some more stuff, organized things a little bit, did some laundry... K came over after he was done working for a little while which was definitely a nice and unexpected plus of the day. We went over to my parent's house and played with their new Wii and ate pizza and drank margaritas. It was a lot of fun having a nice low-key kind of evening.
The other day I went to Weight Watchers and while I was standing in line waiting for my turn to step on the scale, I got my little booklet and stuff out. Then I realized I hadn't been in a month. This bummed me out because I really had no idea that it had been an entire month. I gained three pounds, which by itself isn't a huge deal. I can work that right off my booty in a couple of weeks as long as I stay on top of everything again. I am more dissappointed by the fact that I let an entire month go by without counting points or weighing in without even realizing it. I feel like this is something I do to myself a lot and I have no idea how to break that pattern.
Yesterday was fun too though. Sushi for my dad's birthday celebration, playing Wii games, and running around with my niece and nephew making them laugh hysterically. I don't know what it is exactly, but I have ALWAYS been able to make my niece laugh harder for longer than I've seen others do. Not that I'm the only one she likes to play with, but it makes my heart so happy to run around with her and have her shrieking with laughter like that. It'll make me smile for a week just to remember it for a minute.
All in all, things are good albeit a tiny bit boring. Sometimes that's not really so bad though. :)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
i hate ants.
I grew up in California where the bugs are annoying but not malicious. Now I'm in Texas and I have to say that quite frankly it pisses me off that little teeny tiny ants bite. And it freaking hurts when they do! And what is the point of them biting me? All that happens is that I cuss at them and then totally squish them. And these are not even fire ants. These are a handful of black ants wandering around here and there in my apartment. They're all going to die next Tuesday though.
I only feel this violently towards ants, don't worry.
I only feel this violently towards ants, don't worry.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
a 10 hour saturday at work
Yesterday I worked a 10 hour shift. I don't know exactly how this happened or what I was thinking when I said it'd be fine because last night I was seriously exhausted. Luckily it wasn't a very busy day, just lots of cleaning and wiping people's butts because I was part secretary but mostly nurse's aide. I seriously love the two nurses that I worked with yesterday. I don't think I could work on a Saturday with the other set of nurses that work on the weekends together, but anytime these two needed me, I'd do it again. Even knowing how ridiculously tired I will be at the end of the night.
There was one patient who was this sweet old lady who was getting a blood transfusion. She was a little bit confused, but not completely out of it. Her brother actually brought her in for the transfusion and we got her all comfortable in a recliner with the tv on in a spot right by the nurse's station in case she got extra confused and needed a little more attention. I had to take vital signs every hour and every time she had something new to tell me that made giggle a little bit. One time I went to start getting her blood pressure and she said "Well, Kennedy is resting comfortably, let's hope the rest of us are." It was kind of an astute observation. Then the patient in the slot next to hers starting moaning again because he was in pain (and to be honest, a bit of a drama queen), and she frowned and then said "Well, Kennedy is resting comfortably, let's hope the rest of us are." This made me want to laugh like crazy, but I just smiled and asked her if I could get her anything at all.
Later on I went to take her vital signs and realized her pants were hanging over the little garbage can. I have no idea when exactly it happened, but she had an accident and just took her pants off and laid them in the trash can. She was still sitting in her recliner and had a towel daintly draped across her crossed legs. At first glance, it seemed like she had just gotten cold, but it was definitely her pants in the trash can. I got her some scrub pants and gathered some wipes and stuff and went into her room.
"Mrs. R, do you need some clean pants?"
She took a peek under the towel and said "Why, I don't have any on, so I guess I do!"
I cleaned her all up, got her in the scrub pants, cleaned up the recliner and got her a fresh sheet and pillow. I told her to just let me know if she needed anything at all and she put her little hand on my arm and said "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."
Seriously, it's things like this that make me want to stay in the medical field forever. Little touches of compassion and patience go such a long way and it just makes me feel good to do something nice for someone, even if I know they probably won't even remember it tomorrow.
I definitely like days like yesterday better than the ones spent answering the phone with rude doctors on the other end who would like to know why I haven't read their minds yet.
There was one patient who was this sweet old lady who was getting a blood transfusion. She was a little bit confused, but not completely out of it. Her brother actually brought her in for the transfusion and we got her all comfortable in a recliner with the tv on in a spot right by the nurse's station in case she got extra confused and needed a little more attention. I had to take vital signs every hour and every time she had something new to tell me that made giggle a little bit. One time I went to start getting her blood pressure and she said "Well, Kennedy is resting comfortably, let's hope the rest of us are." It was kind of an astute observation. Then the patient in the slot next to hers starting moaning again because he was in pain (and to be honest, a bit of a drama queen), and she frowned and then said "Well, Kennedy is resting comfortably, let's hope the rest of us are." This made me want to laugh like crazy, but I just smiled and asked her if I could get her anything at all.
Later on I went to take her vital signs and realized her pants were hanging over the little garbage can. I have no idea when exactly it happened, but she had an accident and just took her pants off and laid them in the trash can. She was still sitting in her recliner and had a towel daintly draped across her crossed legs. At first glance, it seemed like she had just gotten cold, but it was definitely her pants in the trash can. I got her some scrub pants and gathered some wipes and stuff and went into her room.
"Mrs. R, do you need some clean pants?"
She took a peek under the towel and said "Why, I don't have any on, so I guess I do!"
I cleaned her all up, got her in the scrub pants, cleaned up the recliner and got her a fresh sheet and pillow. I told her to just let me know if she needed anything at all and she put her little hand on my arm and said "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."
Seriously, it's things like this that make me want to stay in the medical field forever. Little touches of compassion and patience go such a long way and it just makes me feel good to do something nice for someone, even if I know they probably won't even remember it tomorrow.
I definitely like days like yesterday better than the ones spent answering the phone with rude doctors on the other end who would like to know why I haven't read their minds yet.
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