Measuring - in mandi units.

measuring - in mandi units
Originally uploaded by mandapanda191

(Or International Mandi Units, as Luis calls it.)

I needed to see how wide this space was, but I didn't have a tape meausure. HOWever - I know that I'm 64," so that works in a pinch.

They call me MacGyver.

(Actually, no - no one calls me MacGyver. I wish they would though. I'm resourceful, good at fixing things, and when I wake up in the morning my hair sometimes looks a little bit like his...)

Welcome sunshine!

It is fantastically beautiful outdoors, and either no one is sick or no one is willing to come indoors out of the sunshine to see a doctor - things are slow at the office tonight. Fine by me, I can happily sit and stare off into space for another three hours (seeing as how I don’t have any homework to do… I love summer). In a little bit maybe I’ll put The Little Mermaid in on the waiting room television - you know, in case a kid comes in. *wink, wink*

This morning Luis and I downtown went for bagels, and as we left I decided that today was a good day to play in the dirt. I went to The Pink Grizzly, a local nursery, and picked out flowers for my container garden. I spent the afternoon puttering around on the porch, smudged with dirt, singing along to Dave Matthews, and happy as a clam.

Wanna know a secret?

When I was sick I bought myself a loaf of mushy, nutrient-free white bread, figuring it would be easier on an ailing tummy than would my usual high-fiber, no high-fructose-corn-syrup whole grain wheat. After I felt better I kept right on eating the white, under the guise that I didn't want to be wasteful. But I have to be honest - I effing love white bread. I eat almost strictly whole wheat, because it has nutritional value and fiber and all sorts of good things, but I secretly pine for the white every time I walk down the bakery aisle.

Three months.

Wedding. Three months from today. Eeek!

Graduation.

This afternoon I'm headed to Bozeman, Montana for the MSU College of Nursing graduation and recognition ceremony. The whole thing is sort of anticlimactic, seeing as how I still have another semester of classes to complete - but it seemed better to walk now rather than the May following my graduation. (I suppose I don't have to walk at all, but after nearly a decade in college it seems like a nice way mark the end of this chapter in my life.) My graduating class will have a pinning ceremony in December when we finish, and that will be a much more significant event to me than the official ceremony. Our class has become a tight knit group over the past couple of years. After our last final the other day we went outside to break a pinãta somebody brought (long story), and since everyone was out there I was able to get a group photo:

Yesterday morning I woke up at 7:00 (sad, considering that we were out celebrating the end of finals until 3:00 that morning). I wandered around the apartment, feeling a little lost. I've been so busy for so long, I just wasn't sure to do with myself. I didn't have anywhere to be, no homework to do - it was a strange sensation. I finally made a list of odds and ends I needed to do - phone calls and things - that way I felt like I had some something to accomplish. Guess I need to practice relaxing!

Cachexia is so hot these days...

...I must be close to burning up.

I'm finally well enough to sit up for more than five minutes together, which is a welcome relief. I've been miserable sick the past few days - I'll spare details, but it suffices to say that I've lost four or five pounds. (Sadly, I know enough now to realize that it's water loss, probably most of my glycogen stores, and perhaps a little lean muscle mass if I'm really unlucky. It was not likely to be any fat tissue.) It's amazing, though, how flat my abs look when I haven't eaten in several days...

With luck, I will be well enough to go back to work tomorrow, and then cram for finals tomorrow night. One final Monday, one Tuesday, and a presentation Tuesday afternoon. Then a bit of relaxation!

Riverbank Run 2008

Photo from www.missoulian.com

I finished the Trifecta. It hurt. :) I don't know my exact finish times, but I know that I ran the one mile race (which is the last of the races) in nine and some change. And that was after two other races totaling 9.3 miles. Nine minute miles may be slow to some people, but it makes me feel like a rock star.

More soon, gotta write a paper now...

It's a two shirt weekend.

I have the Relay for Life Friday night, then the Riverbank Run on Saturday. I'm not sure where I'm going to stash all of my tees...

Last year I ran the 10k at the Riverbank Run. It was my first road race - the one that got me hooked. This year I am doing the same event as Luis, the Trifecta. At the Riverbank they have three races - a 10k, a 5k, and a one mile fun run. The Trifecta is when you run them all.
Awesome.

(For those not familiar with kilometers - a 10k is 6.2 miles; 5k is 3.1.)

On Sunday MSNA is holding a Kiss the Pig party. We have a voting box set up in our student lounge, and our professors graciously agreed to let us vote on which of them should kiss a pig. MSNA did this fundraiser a couple of years ago, and it went over well. I decided we should do it again this spring, mostly because it sounded like fun. :)
This will be the last event I coordinate as president of MSNA. I'm a little sad to see the end, but I'll be glad to be free of one of my obligations. I anticipate more free time after this week...

Okay, it's late and 5:00 comes pretty danged early... off to bed!

Tomorrow...

...is my last day of clinicals for the semester. Hallelujah!


I'm in the emergency department this week. It kind of rocks. Not particularly what I want to do once I graduate, but it's a great learning experience.

Burrrrrrr....