Monday, September 24, 2007

Miss Sassy Pants Scowl




I stole these pics from my sister's blog. They are too funny and really capture her new favorite scowl that lets you know she does NOT like what you are saying. Sometimes it gets even more dramatic than this one! Ha! What a turd! (but such a cute one! hee hee!)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

oh no....




so, it seems the one thing (ok, one of two things) that i feared most going through nursing school that i managed to graduate without having to do is now going to be happening---well, it turns out we will be doing it at work...sticking each other for IVs. shit! while i guess i'm glad we will get some practice, i am NOT glad that some student/stranger will be practicing on me! ha! owell. i guess i am getting use to getting stuck with needles after being pregnant and getting physicals for work and updating boosters. i will keep you all posted. I think it will be quite interesting. and i'm scared shitless!






oh, and that second thing---practicing catheters on each other. lets just say that if that happens---well, i will be retiring early.

on a happier note, work is going well so far. I met a friend on my unit and she is really awesome. her name is alyssa jo which is sort of ironic considering my name is melissa jo! ha! and our birthdays are 7 days apart! hee hee! anyway, going well so far. will make an update later when more exciting things are going on.




Friday, September 14, 2007

A lesson to be learned....

Well, after a relaxing day and preparing a yummy dinner, I made myself a birthday cake. A yellow cake half frosted with cherry icing and the other with milk chocolate (I couldn't decide at the store which I wanted). Well, it should be said that egg beaters don't work well for cakes. I knew it might affect the rising aspect, but it turned out to be a consistancy of cornbread...very dense...but alas, i have still eaten two pieces ;)

Thursday, September 13, 2007

alex at the lake swimming and bubble fun


Ms. Sassy pants






Cleanning out Dad-dy's ear!













Favorite game of "Boo!"







Weeeee!

Will Ferrell as Bush

President funny speeches

President funny speeches

Because if there was no tv, we'd miss amazing moments like these.

A quick Thursday thought...To read or not to read and watch tv

So, I was just reading my sister's blog and she mentioned not being able to see her tv shows, then made a side note about her friends and family not "watching tv". It really reminded me how much I can't stand when you are telling someone about a great show on tv and they wait patiently and pretend to not be interested then say, "oh, i really don't watch tv. we usually are so busy or we read." Well excuse me! I read books, too, but I certaintly am not too good for television. For every horribly trashy show there are two good ones that make up for it. And for you freaks who think admitting to like tv makes you less intellectual there are many educational and intellectual shows on (i.e. CNN, Discovery Health, Discovery, TLC, etc). I could spend an entire day LEARNING by watching tv (I guess this requires cable, however, or a dvd player). I could also spend an entire evening escaping imaginatively into a great show. Ever heard of cinema therapy? hello! And for those of you still not convinced (or I should say, still not ready to admit to watching tv), tv allows those of us who are even smarter than you "books only" type folk to multi task and hear/watch a great story or learn something new. That's right! When I watch tv my hands are not confined to holding a book and turning page after page. I don't have to sit where there is light. I am able to sew, eat, do a crossword, READ, catch up on my manis and pedis, work out, pet my coopy dog, and the list goes on. Sometimes I can do more than one of those things while I watch a fabulous show. Of course there are nights where nothing good is on or I feel the need to do absolutely nothing and then I know it is a good reading night.
I love it when you catch someone who says they don't watch much tv (with that subtle feel of "i'm smarter and better than you") engaging in tv talk. Of course they usually follow it up with, "but i really don't get to see it much...usually too busy or I read." And if you are really too busy to watch tv I feel sorry for you. It's a nice break from the real world. And if you really do just prefer to read that's fine, too. I get it. But please don't judge those of us tv enthusiasts.

So to all you tv haters out there, I'm going to go ahead and speak for the rest of us that are smart enough to realize a great thing we've got going on with tv and say, "It's ok to watch tv! It can be a learning experience and can allow you to get other things done at the same time. Plus it's very enjoyable!"

It's like those people who insist on natural childbirth. WHY!? We have come a long way and they have these great things called epidurals! They make delivery much smoother and you can ENJOY the process...and your babies come out the same either way! THere's no trophy at the end, but hey, if you want to do it just cause you think it makes you a "smarter" mommy then go for it! (ok, off on a tangent). Sorry to all you natural CB lovers. I just don't get it. But who am I to judge? I watch tv, for God's sake!
Well, I guess that's all. Maybe I'll go read.

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I find television very education. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977) [A vocal tv hater---wait, wasn't he ON tv? buh!]
Sex on television can't hurt you unless you fall off.
~Author Unknown (hee hee!)
Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it.
~Alfred Hitchcock (how true!)
I'm not saying tv is perfect, I'm just saying it's a hell of a lot of fun!
Melissa Receveur (right on, sista!)
It's the menace that everyone loves to hate but can't seem to live without. ~Paddy Chayevsky
(I agree with Paddy)







Tuesday, September 11, 2007

It's been awhile...

Friends, it's been awhile, and I must warn you--I really don't have much to say. However, ther is one thing I'd like to talk to about---Target. I know, you're shocked. "She wants to talk about target?" you're thinking...well, yes. Yes, I do. I want to talk about Target Cart Art.


Though I haven't been able to frequent Target as much as I would like due to the prolonging of my work start date (ergo, a paycheck) I do still go....Even if I leave empty handed, or with at least a diet coke and a trash magazine in hand. No matter the reason for the trip to Target (to celebrate a new job, or quitting a new job to accept a different new job, or a favorite show that is tv that is on night...or a beautiful fall day...or...well there are so many beautiful reasons that are Target celebration worthy) I do enjoy sneaking a peak into other women's shopping carts. And let's face it people, it IS mostly women.


The last time I was at Target (five days ago) in one cart I noted:

A lamp,

stationary,

bleach,

a miniature shovel--child size,

frozen dinners,

a pair of red patent leather shoes,

and toilet paper


Now, I'm willing to bet the reason she went to Target was ONLY for toilet paper...and look at

the goods, excuse me, the gems she is leaving with! Things I'm sure her husband will be elated to find magically appearing around the house--things that are so meant to be there, he doesn't even notice them---like the items had finally found their home! (Men just love Target surprises!) .

In another cart I noticed

chocolate candy,

sheets,

diapers,

a patio umbrella,

and tampons


With each and every treasure I spied in her cart, I understand her need for them and felt a little closer to her as a woman....as a Target guest, as a lover of the finer things in life.


While I'm sure if you spoke with a marketing guru they would tell you the manipulative ways that Target seeks out women's impulses and begs them to BUY! Convince them they NEED NEED these wonders! (For example, have you noticed the lack of music playing in the background...obviously they are aware of the many chaotic lives the women lead and that they seek solice at Target--that is perhaps one of my favorite parts of Target excursions.)


Okay, so I urge you, on your next Target visit to nosey into someone else's cart art. See the many splendid random trinkets and treasures that fill their void.



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Not much new here in Great Guilford. I do believe that FALL is finally here! It has crept upon us. It's as though I went to bed, woke up, and I'd missed half the leaves on the trees changing colors. I'm convinced it happened overnight. It is the season to end all seasons! I love love love it! As one of my friends would say, "I heart fall." I plan on being outdoors as much as possible, as I usually am in the fall. How one can stay inside when there are great breezes to feel, beautiful trees to see, leaves to crunch, and fall smells to smell? Tim and I have a fall date mountain biking on Saturday and then eating dinner at the winery up the road. I can only hope that it is cool enough to wear jeans AND a long sleeve shirt! I can hardly stand my excitement!


I decided to accept the position in the Hematology/Oncology unit. I shadowed both the Hem/Onc and the BMT and without a doubt, Hemonc is the place for me. I really liked it. I will be posting stories as they happen so stay tuned for them.


I'm hoping to get to Indy for a birthday celebration this weekend. We'll see. If not this weekend, maybe the next. I will take pics and post whenever I go.


Alex is getting really good at putting two words together. I can hardly stand it! It is so freak'n cute! She is also becoming so silly! She does things that only she would do...like her little personality is really shining through. She really loves to be silly on purpose, which is priceless. I had no idea a little preson could crack me up so much! And she knows it, too! She lives for it! I love every second of every minute of it. She is also becoming a little bit more of the mush pot that I was when I was little. She says hi to EVERYONE and relishes in their reactions. She is her mother's daughter! What a flirt!


My sis got me a new sleep mask for my birthday and I'm loving it. It has lavender scented what-nots in it that are really quite soothing while I sleep. My other mask had bit the dust...it was hole-y and the stuffing would creep out and tickle my nose, which would inevitably lead to me thinking there was a bug on my nose. There never was.


[I have to apologize to you Enlish major folk out there...yes, I'm comma-happy. I can't help it. I always have been. They are a true passion for me. I heart commas a lot.]


Is anyone else excited about the new fall line up of shows? Holy SHit! There are tons I want to see. I have programmed reminders in my phone. Speaking of reminders, I had a thought that I wanted to start a website that you could go to to put in important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, events, etc) and it would send you reminders via email or phone. I'm freak'n brilliant. Tim did a quick search...turns out there is someone more brilliant than I...there is alread a site. Damn. Really missed my ticket there.


Well, that's about it, folks.,,,,,,,,,,,.,.,.,,,,,,,


It's getting late. I need sleep. And so it is...good night.

Please stay tuned for birthday celebration pics from this weekend!


My November Guest

MY Sorrow, when she’s here with me,

Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.

She talks and I am fain to list:

She’s glad the birds are gone away,

She’s glad her simple worsted gray

Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,

The faded earth, the heavy sky,

The beauties she so truly sees,

She thinks I have no eye for these,

And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vain to tell her so,

And they are better for her praise.
---Robert Frost
" I've never known anyone yet who doesn't suffer a certain restlessness when autumn rolls around... We're all eight years old again and anything is possible. "
--Sue Grafton
(I don't know who sue grafton is, and this quote isn't that great, but I do agree, and she said it first)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

A slight change in plans...

So, for those of you that don't know, tomorrow I am accepting a new position with a new hospital. I, by sheer luck, had to postpone my start date at one hospital due to my license not transferring. I got a very unexpected call for a position at Children's Hospital in Cinci for a position with the Bone Marrow Transplant/Hemotology/Oncology units. I interviewed last week and got a verbal offer today. I plan on accepting tomorrow, and shadowing on Monday or Tuesday to decide which unit, though I can always move around, I was told. The unit is one of the top five in the nation and the Hospital is nationally recognized for their cutting edge research and service. The hospital is HUMONGOUS and very beautiful, a bit intimidating, but also very full of posibilities! I will be trained in different types of treatments, chemo, and rare diseases that kids from all around the world come to be treated at this hospital! I am very excited about it! I will keep you posted! Just thought I'd post the update! I know it is going to be very challenging, but I also feel like my prayers brought me to this hospital and this position. I feel very blessed about the time and the difference I will get to make in these children's and families' lives. I will start on my birthday! Even more ironic!