Things found in my laundry money bowl...

We don't have washer/dryer hookups in our apartment, so we are still laundering in the world of coin-op. On our entry way table is a little clay bowl whose sole purpose is to collect quarters for laundry, but over time it has collected a myriad of other small items as well:

• two spare keys to my car, and one to Luis's
• €10 bill. Also €2.32 in change
• three identification badges bearing my name and photo: one for a hospice agency where I used to volunteer, one for my work, one for the hospital where I have clinicals
• two red plastic tokens, each good for a free taco at Taco Johns
• three rubber bands
• rusted fork divot repair tool
• several keys of unknown origin
• small green bouncy ball
• two zinc lozenges
• Red Cross blood donor pin
• poker chip from a casino in Vancouver, BC
• tiny safety pin
• cheap ring from when Sammy and I got married at the Foresters' Ball
• swipe cards to various grocers and video rental stores - the little ones that are hole punched, because these merchants are under the impression that I desire half a dozen tiny barcoded plastic bits on my key ring
• valve stem from a river tube

...and finally, down at the very bottom, $8.25 in quarters. Time to do some laundry.

randomandi.

Tonight there are lots of Halloween parties. Sadly, I'm not going to any. I didn't realize until today that this weekend would be the weekend for going out in costume, because I've been super busy lately and I just completely spaced it. It's a bummer, because I love Halloween... I suppose I still could have gone out, but after working eleven hours today the thought of putting on anything besides my jammies was just too much.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly indulgent, I'll sprinkle my pasta liberally with parmesan cheese, eat the cheesy top layer of noodles, coat the next level with more cheese, and eat that too. I continue the process clear down to the bottom of my bowl. Mmm.

I have two tests next week. Ick.

The Jane Austen Book Club. Becoming Jane. They think they've got us all figured out... and yeah, they probably do. Although personally, I'm inclined to wait for video, as neither has gotten great reviews. I'm rereading Sense and Sensibility right now, and once we get a break from school, I think we're going to do a girls' night and watch all six hours of Pride and Prejudice. Sigh.

Go Sox!

I cannot believe that this is the last week of October. I'm still confused about where September went, and now it's practically November. Holy hell.

My bangs are really long. I'd cut them myself, but then my hairdresser would yell at me. I'll have to remember to make an appointment for next week.

I don't know if I'll do a bouquet toss at my wedding. I only have a handful of unmarried girlfriends coming, and I always found the tradition highly embarrassing as a singleton.

Okay, time for more homework. If I can force another forty-five minutes of concentration out of myself tonight, tomorrow's cram session will be that much easier.

Excitement, etc.

Much of this week I've had a giddy excitement bouncing around inside my tummy. No particular reason, other than life is good.

I got to see a good friend the other night. She was in town due to very sad circumstances, but it was wonderful to see her nonetheless.

My friend Nicole offered the other day to help me with wedding stuff. She's uber creative, funky and unique - I bet she'll have some amazing ideas. I'm also glad to have more help, as most of my bridesmaids and all of my family live so far away.

Speaking of nuptial ceremonies... gentle readers, I apologize in advance for writing what I'm quite sure will be more than you ever cared to read about the planning of weddings. Thus far, I've been able to keep my mind on my studies. But now, as the semester is more than half gone and the wedding is drawing rapidly nearer, I will have to shift gears somewhat and manage both. (A difficult task, because wedding stuff is so much more fun than paper writing.) But seeing as the wedding is less than ten months away, I'd better get a move on. And, if something is on my mind, it usually finds it's way onto my blog.

Two beautiful days and a school update.

For two days the sky has been a dazzling electric blue, and the mercury rose clear into the upper sixties. The crisp, spicy scent of fallen leaves is dense in the air.

Lovely.

__________________________________________________________

Today was my last day of inpatient clinicals for the semester. Pediatrics was a good learning experience, but I'm pretty sure it isn't the specialty for me. However, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed obstetrics - specifically the postpartum unit. I really like doing patient education, and there's a lot of teaching we can do with new moms. I also liked getting to know the families. It was nice to be a part of such a happy time in patient's lives.
Next up is two weeks of outpatient OB clinicals, followed by two weeks of outpatient pediatrics. I can't believe how fast this semester is flying by!

Two weeks in a row I had both a paper and a care plan* due. It made for a lot of writing and some pretty stress-filled days. As I turned in my second paper, I felt immediately lighter and more carefree. I have one more big paper due this semester, and two presentations to give - but everything from here on out is more evenly spaced out, and with my hospital clinicals being over I'll have more time to get everything done. Perhaps now I can start planning a wedding...


*Care plans are huge write ups about the patient care we provide in the hospital. We write about the patient's medical history, the pathophysiology of their illness, list the tests and procedures they've had done, and document findings from our own assessments of the patient. We then come up with possible nursing diagnoses and interventions we can do while caring for the patient. In the hospital they're mostly a generic form included in the chart, and you only need to select which diagnoses apply to your specific patient. In school, however, they're a pretty involved project.They're a great tool for learning the material and understanding how the pieces fit together, but they're also a total pain in the butt.

Wishes.

Everyone seems stressed or gloomy lately.

I wish I could hug you all.

I wish I were a little kid again, so that a cool sunny autumn afternoon would last for ages like it did back then.

I wish I had a cat to snuggle with.

I wish my apartment was clean.

I wish I had time to clean my apartment.

I wish Montana was exactly the same, only warmer.

I wish they made band-aids for souls.

I wish I could help.

A little right-wing bashing...

I should preface this entry with a disclaimer - It's really not that I dislike Republicans. Some of my favorite people vote GOP. What I dislike are hateful, corrupt, and/or agenda-pushing politicians (which, sadly, includes most of them - democrat and republican alike). That being said, here's a few public figures who really make my blood boil...

Sam Brownback. Today he announced his withdrawal from the 2008 presidential race. Good. Last I checked, we had constitutional separation of church and state. Somebody should fill Sam in, because I think he missed the memo...

Ann Coulter is the spawn of Satan. She is vile and hateful. She's on record with vicious comments about Jews, gays, women, and Muslims, among others. And personally, I'm all for a woman's right to vote.

Bill OReilly. He's full of himself. And hot air. And something that a lady like myself would never mention on her blog, but that rhymes with twit...

Dubya. Only 458 more days.

These people all use fear as a tactic to exert control over people, and that's a terrible thing.

That's all I have to say about that.

Old man winter.

The wind tonight smells like snow.

It won't be long now...

Good news abounds...

Last week in class I noticed a crowd of girls gathered around Melissa, one of our classmates. When I saw the glimmer of something shiny on her left hand, and I made a beeline to join the crowd and hear the news. "Me too!" she giggled as I gave her a giant hug... She and her fiance are avid outdoorsfolk, and he proposed to her on a camping trip in the mountains. Her ring is a beautiful sapphire, and her fiance got it from a company called greenKarat. They're a very green, organic couple, and I love that he found a jeweler to match their values.

Today in class we found out that Dan and his wife are expecting their first baby. The news earned a loud round of whistles and applause from the room. Following that good news with more good news, Adam mentioned that he and his wife are expecting kiddo number three around the same time. These kids will have a lot of surrogate aunts and uncles. :)

I'm in love with my classmates - all of them. They are twenty-three of the kindest and most amazing people I've ever met. We spend so much time together that it really feels like an extension of family, and during stressful times in school we have a built-in support group. They make school fun.

Real quick-like...

I finished my 5k this morning in :30:14. That made me happy. The 10k last weekend took me 1:07:34 (although I heard that they mismeasured the course, and it was a little longer than 6.2. I'm sticking to that story...) I've been getting down on myself lately about my race times - I've definitely lost some speed since the summer, and I wasn't fast to begin with. I have to keep reminding myself that I do it for fun, and that plenty of people never sign up for a race at all, so I should still be proud of my accomplishments.
That being said, Luis and I are going to start doing some speed work this week. I want to run my next 10k in under an hour, dammit. :)

It was lovely being off work today - I got a lot done. I ran a race, washed seven loads of laundry, did the dishes, washed my car, went to the store, and I'm just getting ready to finish up my care plan for obstetrics. I've been super busy the past few weeks, and sleep deprived to boot. Last weekend I worked all weekend, and also wrote two papers. I was up until about 3:30 on Sunday night finishing up, then I had class on Monday, and clinicals on Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 6:30 am. There just hasn't been any time to catch up on sleep. However, I'm off tomorrow, and I can finally sleep in! (If you call my house before 9 am tomorrow, I will hunt you down where you live.) Of course, when I do get up, I have another paper to write. Oh, well. Can't win 'em all...

All things miscellany...

Due to the large number of projects I've taken on for this year, I figured that I might be a little more stressed than normal.
Yep.
There's this constant low-level stress humming in the background of my head almost all the time lately. I feel like I'm managing okay, and I think that I'll get everything done that needs to be done. Sadly, when I get busy, the first thing to go is my social life. The second thing to go is my skin. So basically, this fall I've become a recluse with acne.

Missoula is so beautiful in the fall - the neighborhood near campus is a riot of reds and oranges. I love the cool, crisp smell of the autumn leaves.

I'm a feminist and a cynic, so I have a tough time with some of the wedding crowd. For example, I like the idea of do-it-yourself wedding projects, but I have a hard time not poking fun at some of the women on the wedding websites. They all have screen names and graphics that say things like "257 days until I get MARRIED!!!" or "future Mrs. Peterson!" Seriously, gag me with a cake topper. I understand the excitement of getting married, and I understand being excited about having a wedding. I know that these girls are probably just giddy in love, and that I shouldn't be so judgemental. But, I hate the idea of a woman basing her sense of self worth solely on her marital status, and I sincerely hope that they realize how wonderful and important they are all by themselves, whether a Mrs. or not...

Last week was my first week of ob clinicals, and I got to watch a young woman give birth. It was the first birth I've ever been present for, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The joy in that room was so tangible it made my heart swell. It was human nature at its' best, its' most pure. It makes me excited about starting my own family someday...

I came to work this evening, and there was a huge jar of candy setting on the counter next to my computer. I, being the good girl, relocated it to the break room. However... I, also being the hormonal one, have been back to visit the break room three times since. :)

Tomorrow I'm running a 5k in the 2007 Pumpkin Run. I've never done a 5k before, and I'm hoping that I can push myself to go a little faster than my usual pace, since it's only 3.1 miles. Proceeds from the event go to the Missoula Food Bank. Should be a good time.

Just try not to smile...

Learning to cope.

This article, A Nation of Wimps, from Psychology Today, addresses a real problem with today's children and young adults. The ability to cope is a learned skill, and many of today's parents go out of their way to eliminate discomfort from the lives of their children. It might be an honorable intention, but without experiencing some of life's discomforts and downers, the child has little hope of constructing healthy coping strategies for him or herself. The end result? A young adult who has no idea how to function independently in society.


(And coming soon (as soon as I can find it again), an article attributing maladaptation in teens and young adults to cell phone use. Never alone, never uncomfortable...)

I'm a runner.

"The difference between a jogger and a runner is the entry blank."

~ Dr. George Sheehan

Tomorrow I'm running a 10k at the Blue Mountain Clinic All Women's Run. This will be my fourth road race, and my second 10k (6.2 miles). I signed up with the same long-legged friend with whom I did the Roots Run, but this time with the good sense to start farther back in the pack than her and a plan to meet up at the finish line.

It's supposed to be cloudy and 37° at race time. Here's hoping for a little sun...

Vote for Monte.

Monte is a two-time winner of the Capital One Mascot bowl - let's help him secure another title!

2007 Capital One Mascot Open