I know I'm rare, You stop & stare.

Finished with classes, off work for a day, & finally able to blog. Here I am with my pumpkin flavored coffee & coffee creamer. My obsession is getting a little ridiculous. I had to stock up on pumpkin things since they're are only seasonal. I've been thinking about how I have abandoned you all; not sure how you function properly without my blog:) Believe you me (what does that even mean?), there is so much I've wanted to share. However, I've been a little Van Gough, Picasso, DaVinci, if I may, these past few weeks! Ha. Getting ready for Christmas time & presents! It seems as if I am still in the 3rd grade homemaking gifts. Hah. One problem is that I paint a canvas, then I grow to it, and don't want to give them up! In addition, I've been a working machine with all the beautiful babies & tots! OMG, I love them so much. Someone left a newborn, barely a wk old, in a bag on the street. Thank the Lord up above, someone found it, & took it to the hospital. It just so happened to be on our unit!! Yayay! A horrible situation, but a beautiful baby boy, who a week later, is already in loving, adoring hands of a foster family. It's shocking how many patients we have with broken homes, or not even having a home. There's no doubt that they get enough love on our unit. All the nurses, doctors, assistants I work with are AMAZING.

MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 14dys!!! Yipppee dooo dahhh day!

Grades should be released today. Hmm. I'm no shining star this time- B's & a C that I "earned". My classes weren't even really hard, but there was ZERO effective communication throughout the whole semester. My old people class, whom the Geriatric, herself, teaches was beyond ridic. I read all the chapters, PowerPoint's, & kind of went to class. You're thinking- there's your problem. No sir. She scurries along like a little mouse with a low voice. She makes no sense, & probably could be diagnosed with dementia. Aw, JK. These teachers are stuck in 1989. They probably still use an ENIAC, nah, that was invented in 1946. They at least use a:

Hahhahahahha. Well the last class I missed, they put on gloves & glasses with yellow lenses to see what it's like to be an elder. Really? I pay my own $tuition$ for that? Peace out. See ya old lady! (Sorry for being insensitive to the elder population, it's just her that I don't like). I went to the next class in which we watched "A Trip to Bountiful", a movie we could all go on living a wonderful life without ever seeing. 25Q's on our final came from those 2 classes. Ug. In the middle of the movie, she puts out 50 study guides for the final. I sit in the middle & never saw her lay them down. I checked when I walked in for notes, but there weren't any. She doesn't post them on the net like every other professor. I asked her about them at the end of the class. She informs me that only 50ppl come to class every Mon., so that's all she brought. Also, she would not be posting it on the net. I send her a respectful email letting her know in no way is it fair to only pass out 50 guides when an easy 80 people were at class, and then not post it? No ma'am. She replies find one & make a copy. Puhhhhhhh.

As a child, my sister Ry, taught me the necessities...how to tie my shoes, ride a bike, braid hair (hahahha, braid!). Before you read this story, keep in mind that I was premature, in which I like to blame for all my ill-logicalness (not a word, I know) & slow to catch on jokes. Hey, it can impair your cognitive ability. I was a good 9yrs old when I learned how to ride a 2wheel bike. I didn't even have stinking training wheels- it was straight up red tricycle. Spring break 1994ish, my older sister is babysitting Ry & I. By that I mean, letting us do anything we want. Until age 12, we were only allowed to ride our bikes in the yard...OH HOW FUN, Dad! The little devils we were, we're cruising up & down Snow Dr. Alriggggggggght! Then............see a blinker, a car, oh a car we recognize, oh no, it 's Dad & my 2 uncles arriving WAY early from work. We have done it now! I'm in the middle of road pedaling my chipped red tricycle like a son of a gun! Ry's on some Huffy 12 or something, haha. "Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go to your room. CLEAN IT! I'll be in there in five." One huge hand print later on the bum, I am crying my eyes out. "Stop crying. I'll do it again." Hahhaha. Dang, Dad. You weren't in the military, eh? That was the only time we really couldn't sit down after a spanking. He used to threaten it, & I tell you what, OUCH!

'Tis the season...for nosebleeds. This stupid hot/cold/humid/dry weather has me all out of wack. Nosebleed here, nosebleed there, nosebleed everywhere! Man o man. Hope no one thinks I have a recreational drug problem. Hah. Yes, I would be worried about that. My recycling habit has become a little obsessive. It consumes my life. I've got to stop. "My name is Megan, & I'm addicted to recycling."

I hit a car last Friday. No biggie. Around 612a, I defrosting my car for work. After it all clears up, I reverse. Pladunk (that's the sound of me hitting a truck). The little punk made his own parking space. I'm not sure if I couldn't see it b/c it was navy or if I just wasn't paying attention. Ha. He already had a dent, I think, so I drove away. Now my car...another 'ole bumper mark! Dang it!

Last story, promise....This past summer I was at a coffee shop doing a little studying, just enjoying my scone & amaretto expresso something. I walk out, hop in the car. As a buckle, I see a note on my windshield. That's really the most embarrassing part. I hate having to get things off the windshield after I've already hopped in. It's a little note explaining that someone side swiped my car!!! Embarrassing moment #2- having to look at my car in front of everyone. Well, you sure did, missy. Really, I think the only reason she even left a note is b/c she saw my lab coat for nursing school, which resembles the med students, & she herself was a med student. Leaves a number for me to call. 4 anxiety attacks later, I muster up the courage to call her. 'Hey, this is Megan. I think you hit my car?!" hahha. She doesn't want to claim it on her insurance; she'll just pay out of pocket. I have it appraised. With $798 worth of damage, I'm too embarrassed to ask someone for that kind of mulah, so I never called back. Six months later, I'm thinking that was a dumb decision. It's my car with red scratches. My freaking car is white!!! Just pray Little Honda makes it another yr or so! I'll still get out of her with my head held high with scratches, dents, scrapes from buggies. hhahahah.

Okay, I'm done! Be back soon!

Do's & Don'ts

Oh my word, all the things I need to share with you! It has been quite the adventure, my life. Don't act surprised.

My 18hr ride with Mom, Grandma, & Aunt to TX went surprisingly great! (I didn't doubt it would, but you never know.) It was the complete Adventures of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood! Fun, drinking, feuding, old ladies, ..haha. Seven long yrs have passed since my last road trip to the cowboy state, but I remembered everything like it was yesterday. The 25 mile bridge with swampy, alligator infested waters, the city of Houston with it's roller coaster of freeways, overpasses, & interstate, the outrageous #s of Whataburger's. As an 'adult', I'm still just as scared as I was as a tot of the architecture in Houston. Agoraphobic, that's me. Just another noun to add to my labels.

Scared and excited at the same time, I was anxious about joining in with the cousins, worrying about if I would fit in and such.My sister backed out at the last minute. Hey, what are they for? They took me in as if I were their own & as if we had hung out last wk. We surely missed out during our childhood/teenage yrs. We could have caused some damage! Rockport, TX is a gorgeous place! It's a small town like my own hometown, but there is so much to offer. The water & views are priceless. Tourism is a big hit, but they still keep their small town mentality. One grocery store & a Wal-Mart with lots of condos!!! Kind of peculiar.

You should recall how wonderful my Grandma is. She comes into town, and it's amazing just to see how much love she has for everyone. Cousins, neices, nephews, siblings all come together. Mind you Grandma is 74, kicking it like she's 34. I learned more about family history on the road. She worked in a burn unit for 7yrs! I just can't help but admire her more & more everyday. A burn unit? I'm afraid my Special Care Unit will be the highest acuity in which I'll attempt to work. It takes a certain personality to be able to work in a burn unit, especially in a huge hospital in Galveston. All of my life she has worked in the OR and L&D, which is also highly respectable. I feel like we have our special bond since I will, hopefully, follow in her footsteps with our careers. I've been aware of her humongous, extremely forgiving, family-bound heart for yrs, but her work on a burn unit just opened a whole new doorway. Seems silly, but since she is older (sorry!), it's easy to forget that she too once was young bouncing around a hospital, elbow deep in IVs, meds, poop. (hah, it's true.)

Off track, surprise. The wedding was absolutely stunning! Beautiful bride, handsome groom, great wedding party! I looked at my grandma in the food line, dancing already! The champagne effects didn't take too long to kick in. Of course, I don't think it took too long for any of us. We were all Dancing in the Moonlight before long. My cousin sang "Ava Maria" & "At Last" Yes, she's phenomenal. American Idol, can I get a vote?

Basically, my family is beautiful and always has the best time. Duh! If you couldn't tell that by now, you need not read any further! JK!

Time to depart came all too soon :( 18hrs away back to Alabama, we go. This was the turning point-where we all kind of stopped liking each other. Mom was being unpleasant. We got lost. My iPOD had low battery. Grandma wanted kid's meal from Krystals, after I proceeded to tell her they do not sell those, but that I would get exactly what she wanted. "Just get me a kid's meal", she would say. Finally, I said, "OKAY Grandma." We had to stop at every specialy meat place there was. Gurosss! I don't even like jerky, weird sausage, dried up meat products. Aggravated just a little, I say just take me to McDonald's, one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Not a fan. Never really have been, and DEFINITELY never will be. 24hrs later, somebody' got a case of freaking Shigella. Not really, but some severe food poisoning.

Very unpleasant. I couldn't even keep ice chips down. We made the wise decision to admit me into the hospital...ON THANKSGIVING! It's my favorite holiday! Are you kidding me? Please, say you're kidding. It's even worse being in nursing school because I'm watching everyone like a hawk, every move, every breath. Hah..stalker. I had to give every kind of 'sample' in the book. "OH, you are sick..I've never seen this before...I showed it to the other nurses...They've never seen it either...blah blah." Please, spare my dignity. A girl I graduated with had to wheel me down to XRay. I'm pretty stubborn too, so that was the last on my To-Do List. Mom & Dad saw each other. AWKWARD. My sister & ex-boyfriend had to be cordial. You could smell the awkwardness. The whole family visited, which was very nice!!..even though they had just stuffed their faces with turkey dinner while I forced jello down my throat. Bitterness? Nah. I shed a few lbs. over this, & that's enough to satisfy me.

Bed time. "I'll take the Phenergan, now." Knock, knock, the nurse enters, walks closer & closer, reaches for my IV. "Oh, I forgot to dilute it. I'll be right back." WHAT!!! Great, send me into a code and burn all my veins out; I don't need them. Then, of course, story of my life, I have an adverse reaction- dystonia movements. It's kind of like dyskinesia, uncontrolled moving of the muscles, especially in the limbs. Patients with Parkinson's experience this or it's caused by antipsychotics. For an hour, I looked like I was doing the Thriller dance. It was one of the most horrible times of my life. The phenergan was trying to knock me out, but the muscle contracting wouldn't let me. One of the nurses says it's probably your potassium. Had I been in my right mind, I would have said, no, you're wrong. I just took a medicine that causes extreme drowsiness, but all of a sudden, my muscles are contracting from low K+? Who are these people taking care of me? Eventually, I passed out. My doc said I should have asked for an order of Benadryl to immediately reverse those effects. Dang! I feel like the nurse should have used her critical thinking skills to solve the problem. 4 cans of chicken broth later, here I am, wondering how to make a pumpkin pie! Ha. I am grateful for the 5 bags of Lactated Ringer's within 24hrs, & the nurses really did do a good job in aiding with my recovery.

I must warn you: I've only had 2 cases of food poisoning, which were both severe enough to be hospitalized, and both were from MCDONALD's. Yeah, think twice about driving in for that $1 menu at Mickey D's. Two different states, two different items in two years. DONE! I'm done. No mas para mí. Nunca!

I hope I didn't overwhelm you all! I'll be back soon!
Love!

Somebody's Got a Case of the Monnnndays!

Thanksgiving is almost here! Yippee do da day! Everyone tends to forget about this glorious holiday! They go from Oct 31 to Dec 25 in one day. Give it a rest. Let's enjoy turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce before we start jingling bells. I'm enjoying my Pumpkin Spice coffee right now from Starbucks. Yum! My fav. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie coffee creamer, egg nog, etc. I love it all, even pumpkin seeds.

Last week, I put in a good 56 hours of work, clinical, & school-estimating, of course. What will I ever do as a nurse? Either 3 12s or 7 8s. So I could work 3 days and be off for 4 or work 7, off 7. Both have their pros/cons. I'm still loving my job- probably attaching myself too much to the children, especially the ones that have been there for a long time.

Clinical last Friday consisted of little 'ole me in the back of a rescue truck for the fire department. The first call we received ended up being a code!!! I actually assisted in saving a life, which is rewarding! I was in control of the ambu bag for 20+ minutes! (Silly that I'm so excited!) I was so scared, but couldn't really show my nerves in front all these medics/firemen. It was an intense moment, I tell you. I accidentally let the four letter s word slip! It was under my breath, but the ambu bag came unhooked from the tube! I freaked out for a mini-second...then had to freak out that my language was inappropriate. Only one guy heard me, and he was a Donny Wahlberg look-a-like (meaning I didn't feel too bad b/c I just thought of New Kids on the Block!) He laughed as I apologized 32x, telling him not to tell anyone I said that! Hahha. The patient revived, thank goodness!

Pun Pun Pun. Oh, how I love thee. I thrive off of getting a pun in whenever I can during conversation. It's so gratifying that my brain can think of things so fast because I've never been that girl with the good comebacks. Growing up, I was probably more like the 'sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me ...blah blah"- knowing I over analyzed anything that could be the least bit critical! We were talking about 'boils' the other day. In the medical setting, mind you, no dignity, pride, shame is allowed. Words that would humiliate you to say become frequent vocabulary. Well, questions were being asked about the 'boil', so I spat off with, "Well, what it all boils down to..." Hahahahhahahah. Please laugh because that pun, my dear, is HILARIOUS!

GRACE is a word never used to describe me. No one has ever said I was graceful, nor have I ever thought of myself as graceful. You know, you dress all up, look like the classy lady you are, and then...you get toothpaste on your dress or deodorant on the side of your sweater. However, I will say that I never get spinach in my teeth, which is the 'ideal' embarrassment, right? Garbage sometimes flows from my mouth, and I want to shove it all back in instantly. Foot in mouth is a big problem of mine. Here goes:

In the wonderful world of Facebook, we all become a little overzealous, I shall say. We start finalizing relationships by our relationship status, comparing pictures from the weekend, and find out the latest gossip. I can recall a time of not knowing a girl that well, but we were looking at some Facebook pictures. There were a few of us joining in. She wants to show me the guy she likes and his new 'girl'. She shows me a picture, and I reassure her not to worry, that she's way prettier. Before I can get a full respiration in, she says, "That is me. I've just dyed my hair." Perfect, just perfect. Really, Megan? I was just playing by the rules. # 1- always make the girl feel better about herself! I try to say "OHHH, yeah, sorry, I couldn't really see the picture that well! You look good with brown hair."!!!! Hahah.

My roommate and I are going GREEN! Yay! We recycle all cardboard! (And I do mean all cardboard!) Some examples of boxes we recycle come from: Dt. Coke, Hot pockets, Dove bar soap, crackers, shoe boxes, cereal, Velveeta cheese, paper towel rolls an occasional brand of beer:), etc. MG even put a Milk Dud from our Halloween candy box in the pile! Hahah. We're a little overboard, but that's basically how I am in everything. We tried cans and plastic, but that's just kind of gross to have sitting in your apt. We'll try though. I hope all you guys are trying to recycle too!

I'm off to the state where everything is bigger! Texas here I come for 5 days! I cannot wait! I'm going for a wedding with my mom and grandma. Thank goodness I just updated my iPOD because 18hrs is a looooooong ride with the relatives! JK, but really. My grandma refuses to fly, which I respect because I'm not a huge fan either.

Did I ever tell you guys about the time I left my keys in ATL, and they had to be FedExed to me? It took 5 days, when it should have only taken 2. I noticed half way through our ride home. For some quirky reason, I took them out of my purse because we were going to a concert, and put them in a drawer. First of all, my car wasn't even there. Second, why would someone want to steal my keys? Third, of course, I forgot them. One time, I ordered some clothes from Forever21, my beloved. Being the bargain shopper that I am, I ended up w/ 5 dresses, sunglasses, & a cute shirt for $70!! Tell me that's not a deal! So much of a deal that the package never made it into my hands!! I waited on this package a.m. & p.m. so thrilled of my deal and all the weddings/showers/graduations coming up! Two wks after it's supposed to be arrival date, I track it with UPS. Oh, it's arrived at my apartment, and ended in some one's hands. You recall the roommate disaster, I hope. Needless to say, I never saw the dresses, and it took 2 months to get the money back. Some person or people are walking around in my clothes! AH! What thieves! I was devastated because I looking so forward to my purchase! Another hideous mail story: when I began my job, my first pay check was supposed to be a live check, meaning it was not direct deposit. Well, somehow, I get thrown in the handful of checks that get mailed out for some odd reason that month. A week later, no check, no mulah for me. I call pay roll, they tell me they can't cut me a check because it's a off week. Off week? Cut me a check-I'm in college!! The check was never received in the mail! Does the US Postal Service have it out for me or what?!?! To top it off, I had actually already received my 2nd check by the time they gave me my 1st check!!! I had to become a little testy with the pay roll lady. It being the 5th of the month, and my rent was due! I'm working on being more assertive though because that kind of stuff does not need to happen!


I need to hit the sack! Night!

Somebody

Is it 855 or Is it 955?

This whole time change has got me all messed up! I can't decide what time it is or what time I want it to be. I feel really bad for people with seasonal depression or Sundowner's Syndrome. I don't like for it to be dark and gloomy; I can only imagine how they feel. Fall is a time in which I wish I lived in Maine or Massachusetts or Maryland...well, just any M-state in the northeast because of the leaf changing. North Alabama is a pretty ride, but I want to visit wherever they filmed Stepmom with Julia Roberts & Susan Sarandon. Wow...beautiful scenery. I sure bet Arizona feels out not gaining an extra hour of sleep for Daylight savings. Even more so because McCain isn't president. Ha. Dang! I keep trying to forget about it!

I'm in love with the kids I work with. If I wasn't so germophobic-obsessive-compulsive, I could start up a home for these little sick kids. I love them! I may be a little too attached, but that's better than being detached, you know? I'm learning/seeing a lot. I got excited today about moving a patient in a neck brace. I know it's silly and simple, but doing something in lab is so different than the real thing, especially when it's such a little human being.

Naturally we all have a soft spot for sick children. Most would say you need that special touch. Call me ethnocentric, but battling cancer from age 10-16ish, myself, shows me that kids are way more resilient. Preparing a 10 year old for surgery can go over much better than a 45yr old man stuck in his ways. I survived because I rolled with the punches and did what I was told. I would have taken the pain in my family's eyes in a heartbeat because their expressions were far worse than mine. I see that in so many of the brave little soldiers at the hospital. We know no different as children. I had experienced 8 years of life. I wasn't looking back saying, "I remember when..." As far as I knew, this was normal. By no means am I dusting off a child's illness. Just don't forget that they are resilient, much more than I could ever be now.

Fears. Phobias. Some genetic. Some acquired. My fear of vampires=acquired. I caught the scary parts of Interview with the Vampire, and that was all she wrote. Even Buffy and the Vampire did me in. AH! I slept on my back for three years in the middle of my twin bed with the covers wrapped as snugly as possible around my neck. Those vampires weren't getting me! I can remember even considering snatching up my Grandma's garlic gloves from her carport to hang on my bedpost. That's severe! Werewolves...even worse! Don't ever let your children watch Silver Bullet. A Priest at day, werewolf by night. Who thinks of these sick things?! I would watch my blinds at night praying that the werewolf would not jump through. What would praying do? The werewolf was a Priest!! hahah! Just kidding!!!!

I'll have nightmares tonight from reliving these horrid memories via my blog.

You know, when I don't look at the keyboard, I can type like a maniac. My GWAM is like 652 wpm (words per minute!!) However, as soon I even glance at my fingers I hit the backspace 112x out of that 652. Curazzzzzzzzy.

I'm tired. I'm living the life as a real adult this week...pulling 8 hour shifts all week between work, clinical, and class. Please, don't applaud.

The Lamp of Learning...

Hello again.
Here I am, my first Friday off in a while. I attempted sleeping in, but my circadian rhythm is set at about 522-636a.m., so I woke up at 723a. I haven't really been sleeping well, though. The other night I woke up at 1159p in a frantic thinking I was late, then again at 155a and 400a. I will admit my bed feels more comfortable than it ever has before! OMG- I crawled in on Sunday night after a long week, and the comfortableness was so surreal. It's not like I haven't been sleeping on this bed for months now, but I've grown a new appreciation for it this week!

Politics-Smolitics. Yeah, yeah. Barack Obama is our President. Okay. May the 361+/- Electoral College votes prove me wrong. As we all know, politics is a sensitive subject, and it's iffy to bring it up. Well, if someone else brings it up to me, I will rebuttal, exercising my 1st Amendment. You know why? ...because I have not been given one legitimate reason for voting for Obama. All I've heard is, "It's time for a change." HELLO-any new president will be a change.

I went home to vote because I was worried my absentee ballot wouldn't come in time. Plus, I hadn't been home in 2+ months and was missing my roots. It was my first go at this voting thing since I was a month shy of 18 for Bush-Kerry, and the whole mix up of being registered in 2 places at once. I went in there, standing tall, praying everyone was voting for McCain. We have the paper ballots where you complete the arrow. (If you watched the news, you saw that West Palm Beach were having discrepancies with those arrows. They weren't sure how to feel them out. IDIOTS. There's an example at the top!! Go FL!!) Anyway, I stared at my ballot for which seemed like eternity, just frightened that my hand would somehow fill in the arrow for Obama-Biden, and that they wouldn't give me another ballot! After rechecking it 47 times, I completed my first ballot!!!!!!

Then, I run to Verizon to pick up a car charger. I run into the biggest jock football player from high school. Small talk...blah blah. Then, he asks who I voted for. Why dude? It was none of his business, but spreading my McCain-Palin love, I told him.

"McCain!?" (as if in shock) "Why not Barack Obama?"
"Because I'm not a democrat."
"OH, you must have that money, then?"
"No, that's a common misconception."
"Look at you writing that check."
Really, guy? I'm writing a check because I don't even have 20 bucks in cash. That doesn't indicate wealth.
"Actually, I just don't want to live in a socialist country."
"Aw naw, I'm not mad at you."

I'm thinking I don't care what you think. You're ignorant. Republicans are not full of all this money. Like we're running down the street throwing it in the air yelling "I've got money!!" We believe in working hard to get where we do, and come by it honestly.

This is why I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. People are SOOO mislead. I'm doing my part by trying to teach/advocate/persuade (hah...jk!)

At clinical the other day, I had a man who was a combat medic. He was laughing at us for using gloves for cholesterol checks because they never used them in Iraq. Granted, he was in the heat of the moment and didn't have time to don gloves, but I'm watching out for me! You would amazed at the grown men who were afraid of lancets. "I hate needles. Please don't hurt me." (I'm not mocking them, just surprised.) Needless to say, most of them told me they couldn't even feel it! Yeauh! Anyway, I thanked this militant for serving for our country. He asked if I vote yesterday. "Yes, of course, but it didn't do me that good." (Sorry, I was a little bitter!)

He comments back, "At least you're exercising the right that I fight to give you." Aw, it gives me chills thinking about it. That's what people forget. Thanks to these men & women of all ages that fight for us and the good of humankind. We look after another because we care, as we should. I thanked him again.

I would like for you guys to always thank anyone in uniform or who serves our country.

The time I learned to take the initiative:

One weekend as a little squirt, my dad decided to teach my sister and I initiative. That, or he was just too lazy to pick up the garbage! Jk Dad.

In the living room, there was a piece of garbage on the floor. I'm wondering where my mom was because she would not have allowed it to sit there. I'm pretty positive it sat there from Saturday to Sunday. We all walked past it a million times. Who finally picked it up?! Me. Duh. So then dad goes off on this tangent on how he was testing us to take the initiative. Whether he really was or not, I've always picked garbage off the floor from then on. At work, I constantly pick up things to throw away. I would be fantastic at community service! Hahha...let's hope that never happens!

Last Friday was not my night...as if any night is.
I wasn't completely dressed in my Halloween costume, so I asked my friend to run in the gas station for me. After about 2.6 minutes, my credit card is lost. Oh great! We search high and low. I have to rush home, cancel my card. ...And if you've ever tried to report a card/cancel one, they always ask for the card #! Really?! How can I give you the card # w/out the card! After 40+ minutes, I cancel it. We drive to my friends house for a Halloween party. I lock my keys, purse, cell phone in my car. Luckily she had Triple A. 2 hrs later, we go downtown. My friend says we don't have to pay to park because it's night time even though we see people paying. A few hours later, we return to the car with a BOOT on it! AH! Somebody break a piece off the Kit Kat bar! Cut me a break! They didn't take checks, so my friend had to pay. Actually, he kind of deserved to pay because he lost my card! Hahha..

Anyway, I should end this novel. I have much more to say! I'll try to write some more this week!
Love!

Like an Elephant, eh?

I have so much to say!

My blogs have become too far and few between! The PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION is 1 week away! OH NO! Pray, cross your fingers, whatever that McCain-Palin win!

It's also Halloween this week! Yay! I finally figured out what I'm going to be, or who I'm going to be, rather. Olivia Newton John from "Let's get Physical!" I'm going to do the leggings, leotard, cut off T, and EVEN the bangs! I'm going to pull out the big curling iron and the AquaNet hairspray. Hah.

My Philly friend and I were laughing about being little squirts. How/when we learned how to ride a bike, wanting to fit in and NEEDING our parents to buy us this and that. I must say my parents did bend over backwards to give us what we wanted. I should probably thank them...

However, not for this:
My first memory ever...you may not even believe me, but I can see this so vividly. As a little kid, my mom would always say I have the memory of an elephant. How anyone has accurately measured the memory of an elephant, I do not know.

Anyway, I remebmer standing in my crib. I could not have been over 2 or so. I can see it now. Crying, bawling my eyes out, yelling for "Dada, Mama, Baba, anything!!" I figure my parents were trying to wing me off the bottle- AKA baba. Or, in an unfortunate case, they were too lazy to get up! JK! It felt like eternity, but 20+ years later, it may have only been a few minutes. I was hysterical. THEN, sweet father of mine begins to walk down the hall towards my room! ALLELUIAH! Thank you Daddy! Saved..he's bringing me a baba!! Slam..there goes my bedroom door! What! Seriously Pops? Do you know what that does to a little child? Thank you Erik Erickson and your stages because my parents just ruined my identity vs autonomy vs initiative, whatev! Hahahhaha...the first memory I have is of my parents shunning me!

Now, birthdays were always superb. My mom did a great job with making us feel number one! Except, when they would go spend the weekend at the Hilton to celebrate New Year's Eve. My bday is Dec 30. I remember going bowling one time with a pink sweater on. This woman walks up to me complementing my dimples and how cute they were! I freaked out and ran to Mom! Hahah! I always been a messed up kid! Jk! One year, my mom made a snowman cake with 2 round cakes, cupcakes as the scarf, and candy for the facial features! I loved it! Everyone always asks if it sucks having a birthday so close to Christmas. Actually, no, because it's after Christmas. Every thing's on sale. Now, if my birthday was before Christmas, it's likely I may have gotten shafted. Hahh..

Got to run! I'll be back!

I'll be Grace, You be Will.

I've been meaning to call the court house for a long time just to double check that I am registered to vote. What would I be if I talked all this smack and wasn't even registered to vote!?! While in Mobile, I somehow registered there, even though I was already registered back home, so it messed everything up. Yesterday, the system was down, and they told me to try again. I called this a.m, and the same man answered, then transferred me to someone else. Two or three minutes into the conversation, the receptionist asks me a question. "Yes sir", I answer. "I'm a ma'am." "Okay, yes, that's my middle name." Hahah. I could not even retract my statement or say I'm sorry. I was so caught off guard because I was sure I was speaking to a male. I hung up, sat there for a minute, collected my thoughts, and finally, broke into laughter! How horrible do I feel, especially since she has my full name, home address, etc. Hahahah. This isn't my first rodeo with confusing girls for guys. Maybe I should stop being polite. Jk!

I never went into detail about my roommates last year. Let's just say it started like this:

I didn't look for an apartment until June-July, and I needed to move by August!! I know, not responsible, but I was scared since I was moving to a new place. I worked with a girl at this restaurant who was about to move to go to Culinary School. She asked about rooming together. She found a place and was most economical. I signed my lease before looking at the actual apartment. Not smart. Turns out I would be moving in a few months before her because her classes didn't start until October. Tyler helped me move in and as we walked in, we see a gallon of milk on the counter. OH NO! Who is here? Apparently the girl living there before us hadn't moved out yet and didn't tell the office. I go to the office and say, "Hey, there's someone in my room." Well, this girl was supposed to move downstairs because she was about to pop with 9months on her. Tyler helped her move all of her heavy stuff and then my belongings! It was a crazy day. Being OCD, I had to set up my whole room before we made our way to the kitchen. Surprise, surprise: the cabinets were full of food, junk, garbage, etc. There was a economy size hamburger patty box in the freezer! I was so repulsed! Bless our hearts, we didn't have any cable or anything, so we just drank beer and hooked up the iPOD! Hah.

To be frank, I didn't live in the best area. The apartments were so cute from the outside- pastel little townhouses. Don't judge a book by its cover. I spent a good month with a hammer right beside me.

Well, my roommate finally moves in, and I begin to feel a little safer/homier. There were 3 bedrooms, so there was a possibility we could get another roommate; it was rent by room and everything was included. Luck was actually on my side, until March. 'Knock, knock'. New roommate. After about a week, she moves her boyfriend in. No ma'am! Not allowed! We had to have an intervention. We go back and forth for an hour about why her boyfriend should be able to stay, while my roommate and I are like, "He's gotta go." ...DUN DUN DUN...The new edition to our 'home' says, "Well, I'm not racist or anything, but I didn't want to move in with y'all." OH NO. "RACE has nothing to do with this!!! You are being disrespectful by moving your boyfriend in here. You didn't ask us if he could visit, much less shack here everyday." Blah Blah. Needless to say, nothing changed because the office went through new managers monthly. I stayed cooped up in my room pretty much the whole time. Around May, my original roommate says she's moving to Mobile to do an internship, and that she has subleased her room to the other roommate's friend. Gureeeeeeeat!

I try to be civil, friendly, put myself out there, until it all hits the fan. They use my food, don't contribute to the cable, put pans full of macaroni in the dishwasher, etc. I'm woken up @ 3am three nights in a row. These people are night owls! (No alcohol was even involved!) I would wake up to intense yelling, cussing, laughing. I wasn't sure if they were fighting or not! It was crazy! A few times, I'd muster up the courage to tell them to quieten down. It was sweet relief to get out of that place!

Point is, my new best roommate ever, pulled a 'Will & Grace' last night. We heard yelling below us, very similar to the yelling I had once experienced. So, we get on my bathroom floor, put our ears to the ground, and listen to the altercation. You're thinking- this OCD freak put her face on the floor? I washed my face afterwards, and MG had just cleaned our floors! Plus, we were curious---or just nosy! This couple was fed up with one another going on and on. We even got our stethoscopes out to enhance the sounds. (We cleaned those too.) It was one of those arguments, like most, that could have done without the swearing, high pitch, nonsense.

It's amazing how a better living arrangement can change EVERYTHING! I sleep now. I eat now in the kitchen, instead of hiding everything under my bed. I can enjoy my couch and TV. Speaking of television, I watched way too much of it this weekend. My freshman year of college I didn't have a TV, and my 2nd year, I never watched it. I just listened to music and Facebooked it. Now, I realize just what I've been missing- HOUSE, LIPSTICK JUNGLE, SNAPPED. It's great! My favorite commercial is that Hillshire Farms bratwurst or something. All of the neighbors are grilling out. They all chime in to a chant about meat. Hahhaha. I laugh every time, and of course, sing along.

My roommate and I made quite the feast the other night. We looked into our cupboard (Ha.), and discovered we had limited ingredients. We come up with a vegetable medley, tuna salad, and 3-cheese biscuits. Random, yes, but we ate it all! Mmm Mmm.

Google, my love. Google is probably the best thing ever. I google everything and everybody. Ha. Kind of freaky, yes, but it tells you anything you need to know!

I have just been Chatty Cathy lately! Have a good one!

10 Days!

10 days between blogs is UNACCEPTABLE! The audacity. Ha.

Yes, I am being very lame tonight...a Friday night, and I've already accomplished 2 episodes of House, copying down an artichoke casserole recipe, and taking the dog out. The dog? Correct; we're dogsitting. She's a Welsh corgi, which basically means she has no legs. She's got a beautiful coat and cute little body with the shortest legs I've ever seen. It's actually disturbing. I told MG that I would let her sleep in my bed if she had longer legs, ha. Her name is CJ. CJ has a new found love for the bathroom floor. She loves me, which comes as no surprise :). She's actually my roommate's mom's dog. We've had her for 2 wks. CJ doesn't do much to annoy you, except she suffers from halitosis. Being an overweight, almost legless creature, she takes meds, but she will only take them in these little 'pill pocket' things. Any time MG and I leave together, we come back to see CJ has broken into the pill pocket (they look like huge black olives. Guross!) bag, and poof, no more! She's eaten two bags worth and a box of treats. MG was livid to say the least. Believing in harsh punishment, I say to CJ in a soft little puppy voice, "CJ, you want a treat?!" No matter what, a dog knows the word treat. Her ears perked up very fast. So I say, "NO! YOU ATE THEM ALL!!" hahahhahahahahahah. Is that wrong? She is cute, really, and I will miss her.

I've begun orienting/training at my new job! I worked 3 dys this week. My title is CA- Clinical Assistant, which is basically the equivalent of a PCT or CNA. I work on a special care unit, and I'm in love already! It just feels like I'm at clinicals. I am honestly surprised at my love for the children. I always wondered how I would interact/react with working with them. I still don't know what I want to specialize in or even where I'll work come August. My 3 favorites- Psych, OR, Peds. Guess we'll see.

Once again, I spoke up. I just had to straighten out a colleague about Obama. UG. Will it ever end? This all falls back to this damn Community health class I'm taking. If you remember from my very first blogs, we had the controversy with the Preacher and 200+ students discussing homelessness. We had another seminar with all types of speakers- Hospice workers, Chaplains, School Nurses, and a very Eco-friendly Nurse. Her specialty-global issues. "I do not call them developing countries-we're all developing. I don't call them 3rd world countries- we're all one world," she said. Hopefully some of you have heard of Healthy People 2010. It was apart of the Clinton administration in decreasing health problems, especially the ones that can be avoided- OBESITY, DIABETES TYPE 2, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE & CHOLESTEROL! Indeed, some of these conditions are inevitable,but for the most part, they can be highly prevented. So, obviously there is some Millennium Project 2015. There were 8 objectives- maternal health care, gender inequalities, nutrition, education, etc. At the end of the presentation, the speaker went around seeing what propositions we had to help these topics.

Surprise, surprise, someone speaks out before thinking. I really looked into how we could increase gender empowerment awareness. I've taken Gender & Society, and I have a love for it. I'm thinking, 'Okay, we could have Palin, Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, any other woman of high stance visit these 'Limited Resource' countries to say, 'Hey this can be done. We are proof.'

The speaker decides to call out on random people in the crowd. WHY? What possesses teachers/speakers to call on people in a room of 200+! I'm going to make a statistic, and say 1/2 of them have anxiety or don't have answer. I'm keeping my head down too because I not dare make eye contact and her call on me! Three rows above me, a lady who appears around 30ish, raises her hand. Keep in mind, we're discussing how we can teach countries across the world how to diminish gender inequalities. This imbecile says, "This may be controversial, but we could all vote for BARACK OBAMA" OH NO, did she really? You know that I was ready to jump out of my seat. Some one yells, "Wrong place!" Some people boo; some applaud. I just cannot resist, so I speak very loudly and say "OR we could elect a female politician to speak to those countries." Just to let you know the power of my voice at that time: during lunch, 3 people came up to me who were sitting 7 rows in front of me, say "OH, Megan, I heard you!...You were mad...I knew I should look to see how you would react..." Ha. Maybe, I'm a little too much, but if other people are going to make stupid comments, I can't look any worse with a rebuttal. The woman who said that was only 3 rows in head of me. If she was so certain in her feelings, she should have turned around. I wanted to discuss matters with her after class, but I couldn't get to her. No biggie. It's just ignorant to make a political statement in a huge room of diverse people, especially when it doesn't pertain whatsoever to the question!

I see that Obama has some good points, and it's likely he could be our next president. I'll respect him because that's what you do as an American. I can only pray that the best candidate wins, and if it's Obama, then everyone can tell me I was wrong. One thing I do guarantee, he will not go to other countries to speak about gender inequalities. I haven't heard anything in any platform from either candidate about women empowerment. BUT...if anything, picking Sarah Palin as the VP nominee is pretty high up there in saying who cares about gender. That would make much more sense than that lady saying vote for Obama...the one who has a male VP nominee.

It's official- I'm a heartbreaker. The first heart I broke, I didn't consider it a label for myself. Well a few hearts later, here I am...a heartbreaker. Nothing to be proud of by no means. It doesn't make it any easier on me. I have to be stern in my actions though because you can only stretch Gumby out for so long. After a while, nothing budges. It's a vicious cycle. I'm trying to do the right thing and cut off all ties. It's the mature thing, I think. It has to be because if there is such the uncertainty that there is, than it's right. The biggest fear is never talking to him again or seeing him or laughing. Too too much for me. Another way I know it's right is that I'm perfectly content with not having anyone to call/answer on this lazy Friday night of mine. Usually, I would prefer calling to chit chat, probably because I was bored. Love doesn't happen just when you're bored. The past is another obstacle. "Oh, remember that time we....Oh, he used to always do that...Yeah, he's said that before...Yeah, he bought this for me...Yeah, he put this dresser together...We used to laugh so hard...This one time..." When will those thoughts stop their daily occurrence?

On a brighter note, I'm very excited to make this artichoke casserole..you use spinach, rice, cheese, tomatoes, onions, etc. You're supposed to use Mortadella ham, but I'm not a big fan of ham or substitute. My roommate and I had turkey burgers the other night...Mmm, Mmm. I would take a turkey burger over 'angus' any day. I also made sweet potato "papas". We sliced them up, used olive oil, cinnamon and threw them in the skillet.

It smells like Fall outside! Yes! I love this weather!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I guess I should end this entry- it's a little long winded.

MMR

Procrastination should be the name of this blog because I'm not doing anyyyyyything! I tried to read an article on Global Warming (Blah), caught the end of the debate, & raided the kitchen (ending up with Pringles. I'm not even hungry-just bored). When I go to school from 8-5, I'm worthless afterwards. Sad, eh? By the time I check my personal & school email, my online classes, and Facebook, I'm ready to hit the sack. I would be more productive had my computer not crashed a month ago. Now, all of the Microsoft Office programs are gone, and I cannot find the codes for them since I've moved. This cuts out 3/4 of the work I should be doing. I'm getting up early and heading to the computer lab tomorrow to get busy!

For my new job, I've had to do the typical protocols- TB skin tests and titers to see if your antibodies are still immune to Hep B, MMR, Varicella zoster (chkn pox), etc. Well, having started nursing school last January, I've already had all of this blood work done, in which, I did need a Hepatitis B booster. I received that series of shots over 10yrs ago. I figured this was probably normal. Also, with all of the hospitalizations I've had with thyroid complications, I figured it probably took a toll on my immune system. The results came in, and my Rubella needs boosting!! AH!

I wouldn't be alarmed, but MMR (Measles, Mumps, & Rubella) are back on the rise. Why? Primarily because of parents who do not agree or are too scared to get their children vaccinated. This may be just my crazy brain coming up with some concoction, but that is very idiotic to me! Why not prevent something before it happens?! It's called Primary Prevention and can be utilized for so many great things. I guess it upsets me because I would be livid had I gotten Rubella from some little kid. I did my part by getting my vaccine, and I expect everyone else should too. Another topic- Gardasil. EVERY YOUNG GIRL NEEDS IT! In no way does this promote sexual behavior. If anything, it should make these little girls afraid! As scary as the world is, give your contribution by trying to save it; even if it's just a little bit. If there was a vaccine for lung cancer, everyone would get it. The top risk factor for lung cancer- smoking -. Would these parents who don't want to vaccinate their children to prevent cervical cancer willingly receive the lung cancer vaccine? It's all about perspective. Step out of the box, so that you can peep back in. It's a whole new ball field looking in. It wouldn't hurt for me to do the same.

I know I come across as hot headed and opinionated, which I can be sometimes. However, I really am a happy go lucky, upbeat person. I enjoy smiling at people and saying, "Hello, how are you?". (depending on the situation...remember the anxiety!). I love to laugh and spend 88% of my day doing so. Just wanted to apologize if I seem kind of mean! -It's just a little edge I have about myself! Ha:)

Germans, Love, and Purses

Many thoughts have passed my mind within the past few days. My brain is like the energizer bunny...just keeeeeeps going. Sometimes I wish it would stop to let me at least rest!

I visited an old friend this weekend. It was fantastic to see her and definitely filled that void that had been empty for a while. We go out on the town for a little bit, and of course, I get myself caught up in talking to someone. I must just have a friendly face . I am usually all smiles, so that probably doesn't help! I don't mind because I will talk to a wall, but sometimes too much is toooo much. It appears this man in German- I couldn't understand everything he said. He sat up at the bar all night, so I ran into him a few times. He begins to talk about the US and give his 2 cents. He chimes in on Alabama, describing how it's different than the other states. NEWS FLASH- duh! He couldn't have been talking about the typical 'Deliverance' type people or the rednecks that are portrayed on the news or any documentary A&E chooses to play. (Thanks a lot A&E!) We were in Tuscaloosa, so at least it is a city with a big university. Plus, all of the students come from all over to praise Lord Bear Bryant..or now Nick Saben, you would think! That's another soap box...He says the people are different. Agree, we are. We usually a lot more nice with that Southern Hospitality we thrive off. He kind of strikes me as insulting the US- Alabama a little, so I tell him"We are a unique country, and if you think Alabama is different, maybe you should try Utah, Nevada, New Jersey. We're all different, and that's what makes this free country of ours so marvelous." He reassures me that he is not being cross about the US, but that the country may fail within November's election. Being the opinionated woman that I am, I agree...under the ruling of Obama. This man expresses he doesn't like any of the candidates and cannot stand Palin. OHHH, he's done it now! I say, "I love Palin!!!!!"He gives me a look as if I'm crazy. "YOU DOOOOO?" By this point, I am done with this foreigner who cannot vote anyway. "Yes, I am a BIG Palin fan. What's it to you anyway, sir? You cannot vote in this country...so maybe you should return to your homeland in which you can vote."...Stomp, stomp, stomp as I walk away.

Love. OH love. I need advice. I receive it, then don't know what to do with it. As a young adult, I'm unsure, no doubt. I am very fickle (not as in a promiscuous fickle, but long term fickle) You date someone for so long, invest so much time...and then SPLAT...it's over. You decide to move on, and you're okay as long as you're busy. You listen to the radio, a song comes on, reminds you of him, you see a shirt that he owns, smell his cologne, you don't have the guts to take his pictures down in your room. You feel like you can identify with any other girl who is struggling with a breakup. The question arises: When is enough, enough? When do you stop forgiving for the bad things he does? When do the hurtful words stop causing pain? ...I'll tell you when- when your heart becomes cold and mean. Then, what are you left with? Resentment. I'm so torn. Do I miss him because I truly want to be with him? OR do I miss him because I miss the security and the good times we have together. Should you open your heart back up for him, even though no one thinks you should?! Your mother knows best, unfortunately when it comes to this. Some days, I yearn to be back together, then when we talk everyday, I pull back. Is this a result of lack of age? I'll figure it out one day...hopefully, it won't be too late.

You all know I have to share my political opinion per blog, so here goes:

The economy needs improvement, yes. If it didn't, then we would all have good jobs with adequate insurance, and proper taxes. I don't want to hear people going on and on about the economy. It makes me sick. If our economy was soooo bad- people would not be able to buy $899 purses, live lavish lifestyles, or travel to & fro. Being a college student, I'm poor. It's all apart of the experience. I work and go to class...and low and behold--pay my bills! We are all getting by for the most part. Granted, a lot needs to change, but everything can always be bigger and better. We'll see!

Text messages.

As if we haven't made our world convenient enough, we add txting. It really is quite intriguing-being able to communicate via text messages. You don't even have to call people anymore. You can arrange your plans, find out when to meet, say you're running late, save me a seat all without TALKING! You can send pic messages of what you're wearing to see if it looks okay. Definitely Makes life a lot easier; a little more impersonal though. Relationships nowadays are based on txt messages. There are pros & cons to this. First off, as a girl, you're like, "Um, excuse me, you can't even CALL me!?" Secondly, you think, "Phew. It's so much easier not really having to talk to him." I consider the ability of being able to text, kind of like a savior. Having OCD and anxiety (Thanks, Dad & Grandma Peg!), I get nervous being early or waiting on people to arrive. I don't even like for people to see me waiting in my car because I feel like it's awkward when I see someone just sitting in their car. Naturally, I expect them to react the same way. Txt messages take my mind off being nervous because I look like I'm doing something. I'm not the only one; my cousin is a freshman in college, and she txts me all the time on her way to class. Seeing the homestretch of my college career, you'd think I wouldn't care what these little 'kids' thought about me. Oops. I haven't jumped that hurdle yet.

You know, even my Grandma Dora and I txt (the Hispanic one), so we communicate using my second language-Spanish. I'm not really sure how old she is because she's been 65 for about 8 years now. Ha. She is in her 70s, working 40+ hrs a week in the hospital. She's transferred from her scrub nurse position to central sterile (where the autoclaves are to clean instruments). To this day, she is getting phone calls every week with job offers as an interpreter. AMAZING- the one word I use to describe her. I do joke a lot about the Mexican thing and us always eating tortillas and papas, but she sincerely is the best woman I know. A little bit of an enabler, but she means well. She made her way through nursing school in TX with six children and a husband who was a no call, no show a lot of the time. Working keeps her sane. She's feisty, no doubt. I remember doing rotations during school at the hospital in the OR and spending time with her. One of the doctors commented on how she used to be the most beautiful woman around (HELLO, a señorita!) She fires back with, "I still am!!"

I helped some Hispanics translate in line at Wal-Mart today. It wasn't much, but still made me excited. Actually, no, the cashier was just being lazy. They were buying a big bag of limes, in which the cashier could have easily opened the bag to look. Instead, she tries to speak English to this couple who obviously does not comprehend. After the 5 semesters of Spanish, I only get to say ¿Limones, no?...As expected, there were limes in the bag. So, I didn't save the world or anything, but I'm working on it:)

A Lot of Garb

Hello again. I have a bit of information to share with you today, so just bear with me. It's Friday, such a beautiful Friday, it is. Fall weather is slowly moving in, and I want to spend every waking second outside. My week has been eventful, like every other week.

I went to a total body conditioning class twice this week and a reps and sets once. Well having been a runner most of my life and coming from good genes, I keep my leg muscle pretty well. Almost too well- like I'm close to looking like an American Gladiator minus the manly haircut. Haha, Jk. At any rate, my calf muscles are insanely tight (not in a cocky way, rather painful)...I've had RLS (restless leg syndrome) all week. It hurts to walk, sleep, sit in a chair, etc. Having the nursing frame of mind, I begin to think I probably have compartment syndrome, resulting from lack of arterial perfusion, ischemia (tissue that is dying from lack of O2), and muscle tightness. This can kill you, indeed. Most think 'what a hypochondriac'. My theory on this is not that I'm a hypochondriac, rather I'm just an inquisitive nursing student. I know more about more diseases and how they develop as opposed to the Average Jane. I don't really think I have compartment syndrome, but I do in fact feel that at any minute, my calves will spontaneously combust. Is that a little out of line?!

This semester I do not have to wear my scrubs, partly because it stresses out the psych patients, and my other clinicals are around the community. I do wear my lab coat, however. Quite the professional, I look. If you've ever worn a white lab coat with name tags and university emblems, you may have the same problem I do- everyone automatically assumes I know directions. Walking through the hospital or getting stopped at crosswalks, people ask everything! Sometimes I try to give directions, which anyone who knows me knows not trust my directional skills. I think I'm going to either start speaking Spanish or say I work in the primate lab as a researcher, so I don't get out much.

If I had a GPS (They didn't really make those in 1999, the yr of Honda I sport), I would program it to always say, "Megan, don't forget to get your keys out of the ignition." As you should know from previous blogs, I seem to lock my keys in my car & get a flat tire once a month. It will be a good day when I get on the interstate & don't have to think, "Oh no, is my tire going flat?" I have this fear for 2 reasons- I'm prone to flat tires, & the interstate sucks. You constantly hear 'thump, bump, lump, hump'. Twice this week while driving on the interstate with my windows down, something has flown in my window & hit me in the face!!!!! What? Does that really happen?! Yes.

Breaking up is full of many steps and milestones. When you break up, it's not really finished. Emotions go array, and you need answers, want closure. Is it for better or worse? Should we live by the lyrics from the Tonic song, "You gotta take a little dirt to keep what you love"?? Are you making a mistake? Is he making a mistake? Will he ever grow up? Will you ever stop resenting him and forget about the past? When you continue to talk after a break up, you're just creating more baggage. I may be young, but I have been screwed over a time or two. Who am I kidding? Almost every time! Jk. From my family/friend experiences, it seems to be the someone is always getting hurt. I wish we could go back to my grandparent's day, and be married for 50+ yrs in complete, true love. As you can probably tell, I am very opinionated and want to get my point across into that thick skull. Argument=immaturity in my life, it seems to be. I would never make up something to hurt someone in the heat of the moment. Why would you feel the need to hurt the person even more by lying and making things worse. Don't say "It's over. I've already found someone else. I'm done with you" IF don't MEAN it. Why? Because minutes/hours/a day later, they're calling back with "I can't live without you. I'll never do it again. I promise". Well, I'm hear to say: NEVER MAKE PROMISES. I owe it to my mom for letting me realize promises are rarely kept. (I made a positive from a negative!!) When will couples (guys/girls) reach the maturity level to where they don't say hateful things just to spite you? GROW UP!!! I've heard it all before, and quite frankly, I'm done.

It's an invigorating feeling to be single again. The WORLD is at my hands. As much as breakups hurt and keep you down in the dumps, I will prevail. If it's meant to be, it will. I cannot decide my fate at this age. I can't even come to the conclusion of what type of bread to buy, much less, pick out my husband. Ha. My dad should have just arranged me a marriage. Yeah right. I think as a young adult you become overwhelmed to the fact of growing up, paying mortgage, investing, dating, etc. I mean graduation is near, and marriage is supposed to be next. Is that true in 2008, though? I want to travel with my career, which I could not do with a boyfriend from my hometown questioning/accusing me every day & night.

Tough love, huh?

Zodiac or Superstition?!

Every time I get a hair cut (well I get them all cut, not just one!), it always grows back super fast. As a girl, you know that your hair reaches a certain spot and then stops growing, or so it seems. You repeat the cycle: cutting it so it will grow, then you're stumped again. I like to cut my own hair. I'm no cosmetologist, but I've been getting rid of those split ends and cutting bangs for a long time. There's one minor problem, I can't see the back of my head, so I just guesstimate. Words of the wise-don't ever cut the back of your hair when you can't see it. Six years later, and I'm still doing it! I tell my roommate I'm going to make a hair appointment since I look like Edward Scissor Hands came in my room while I was sleeping. After procrastinating like always, I ran out of time to call the lady who cuts my hair. Later that envening, MG and I are looking at horoscopes. We were talking about how we don't know if we really believe the day to day horoscopes, but how our zodiac signs fit us to a "T". She fit mostly everything under the Taurus, and if you read my blog, you can tell I'm a Capricorn. Capricorns are realistic Diligent, conscientious, hardworking, ambitious, cautious, etc.

As usual, I'm off track. Okay, so we wanted to see what our horoscopes said for the day. I start to read mine, and it's all about paying bills, blah blah. At the end, it says, "so dodge that salon trip this week". OMG! I call my sister because she's a little more rational than me when it comes to this stuff. I didn't know if this was just superstition or a sign. She even says she wouldn't get her hair cut if it was her. Great! I really want a hair cut. I share my experience with a few other friends, and they laugh it off. Now, I'm stuck in between a rock and hard place. This may seem a little overdramatic, but you guys know how my life is-Murphy's Law- and I don't want to chance anything!

Picture time!

One of my close friends in nursing school is from Philly! Yeah! That's really cool because I loveeeeeee Philly Cheese Steaks. Did you know, though, that you do not call them Philly Cheese Steaks when you live there? You just ask for a Cheese Steak...I don't really like that because it takes away the full affect. Then again, if you were raised in Philly, I guess you would always know them as cheese steaks. She went to Temple, which is also really cool because Bill Cosby and Hall & Oats went there. Oh, and my psych clinical instructor is a Temple alumni. What a small world because as ignorant as it sounds, I had never heard of Temple before. I've done my research now though. Well, in our near past, Jackie and I were walking to meet up with some friends and listen to a band. (They were great, may I add.) With my phenomenal directional skills, I tell her I know where it's at and we walk way out of our way. We turn around a few times, but both of us are too embarrassed to ask anyone. By this time, we're needing to use the restroom, so we're desperate to find this place. I ask an employee from another place, which made me feel awkward because I didn't want it to be a slap in the face that we weren't going to that place. Actually, that girl probably didn't care that we weren't going to spend our money at her workplace. She probably just wanted to go home. Anyway, man, this story is dragging out! Ha. My point...we approach the parking lot with many people and cars. (Speaks volume) Well, I see Jackie through through my peripheral vision slowly falling to the ground. She was moving so slow that this fall could have been way prevented. As she falls to her knees, she face plants in slow motion, and does a 007 roll landing on her back. If you recall from previous blogs, I love when people fall. Don't worry, she wasn't hurt!. She fell so slow that she could pick and choose how she wanted this fall to end. She yells, "Help me up!" likes she's an old lady off the commercials- "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" (Not funny, I know, but kind of!) Well, needless to say, we're still laughing our butts off. Hahhahahahahah. I decided to draw a picture just to depict this hilarious, oh so dramatic fall.

Matt Damon needs to keep his mouth about Sarah Palin. Celebrities really don't have any room to talk about these platforms. These guys have more money than they know what to do with. They spend thousands of $dollars$ for a a golf club or purse. Their houses are outrageous along with the rest of their lavish lifestyles. They may have forgotten where their roots are, back in the day when they were the average Joe. I sincerely believe Palin wants to help the blue collar workers. Damon made a comment that he wanted to know if she believed in dinosaurs and how scared he was have a 'hockey mom' in Office. Is it really so bad? What's so wrong with having a mother of 5 who grew up with a father who was a teacher and track coach? So what she didn't attend Yale, Colombia, blah blah. She knows what it's like to be a REAL American. Matt Damon doesn't live a REAL life. You know what a real life is? Working your ass to make it through college, working a peon job, balancing your check book and budgeting.

Another thing for Mr. Biden. I am very patriotic, but I do not feel raising my taxes for the RED WHITE & BLUE will make me a better citizen. I would just love and dance for joy to pay more taxes just to be patriotic. He definitely didn't rehearse that line because it's completely idiotic. ..and for his charity donations!? Pah! In the past year, I have donated half of what he has. I believe he gave $200-300 to charitable causes. I'm in college and worked at a restaurant all last year. I was still able to donate to American Cancer Society and other programs. If he wants to be patriotic, he may need consider how helping the 3yr olds who are dying of cancer, and their parents can't afford to foot the bills. Pay it forward. It's patriotic to have men & women voluntarily fight for this country. Many people think we should pull out of Iraq. I do think we're dragging out our welcome, but Al Qaeda still hates us. They wil still do what they can to hurt our country.

The end.

7 O'clock Already?!

After my previous blog today, I dozed off for about an hour. I crashed on my bed sideways just hoping for at least a 20 minute power nap. At 7 o'clock, I woke up, looked at my watch, and panicked. I ran into my roommate's room and said, "Oh no! I have to be at school at 730!" I ran into the bathroom turned on the shower and a thought hit my brain like a lightening strike- it's 7 pm!!! Ha. I guess that power nap really did me some good! When I was making dinner (a can of green beans and wheat thins), I started to think...I wasn't even under my covers, my blinds were open, and my roommate was up on her computer with the overhead light. All of these things would not be occurring at 7am. Ha.

To get to this next funny story, I have to fill you in on some background information. Like every family, mine has it's fair share x5 of problems. Growing up, this can be something you resent. It's very easy to become angry at the unknown and 'abnormal'. My mom has bipolar disorder. It is a difficult illness, but can be treated with medicine for you to carry on a 'normal' life. The biggest problem with bipolar's is medication compliance. It's really not a funny situation, but it's takes me to my next topic. Last night, my roommate and I went for some Mexican. Typical. Remember, I'm Hispanic:) Like always, we were sharing everything that had happened that day. My mom and I didn't see eye to eye last week and had a heated discussion which I had already told MG about. Well, yesterday, she was totally on my side. She did a 180. MG begins to chime in. She says, "I'm not calling her bipolar, but why/how did she change her mind so quickly?" I laugh, and say "well she is bipolar, but...." MG expresses that she didn't mean it like that, she was just using the expression very loosely. I didn't mind at all, but it was funny and kind of befitting!!

What is normal? In the medical setting, the word normal should never be used. Within normal limits (WNL) is acceptable, but good and normal are just words you don't use to describe a patient. The definition of normal is- conforming to a certain type or standard, regular, average (Thank you Webster). There are many different types/standards in the world. I don't really like the word normal. Scenario- I'm the grocery store line in between 2 people. I'm wearing a bubble dress, flats, dangly earrings, and makeup. The girl behind me is wearing khakis, tennis shoes, a cardigan with a cross necklace. The girl in front of me has dyed black hair, black nails, fish net on her arms, black pants, and a pink shirt. I'm buying avocados, wine, deodorant. The girl behind me is purchasing a cookbook, socks, envelopes. As for the girl in front of me, she has beer, a fishing rod, sleeping bag. Which of us is the normal? We all are. We're all buying normal things and wearing normal clothes. What I'm getting at is that the definition of normal is way too broad. You can buy fish net in stores, so does that make it normal!? Just some food for thought.

Thursday

Today, being my graceful self, I ran into a huge sign in the middle of the hallway. I was at the hospital and had just finished lunch. I was talking to a friend looking to the left. I hear "Watch out!"...then I feel "BAM!" Yes, that was me: the girl who ran into a huge 6 ft sign in the hallway with tons of people walking by. It was just ever so nice to be embarrassed once again.


Casey Anthony needs to be put on death row. How on Earth can a MOTHER not know where her daughter is for a month and not report it!?! That poor, poor child. I read in PEOPLE magazine that Casey was afraid to tell her parents and policemen because of "FEAR". What ever happened to the fear of never seeing her beautiful daughter again? Is that fear not a little greater than being afraid of the police...if you're innocent? GUILTY is written all over this more so than OJ Simpson. Neglect, pure neglect. Not mentioning, "Oh, I haven't seen my child in a month. She's three years old and can't survive without a mother, but I'll wait until someone finds out." I'm sick to my stomach with this so called parent. I want to see her in prison with a death sentence. I do believe in the death sentence; sorry if that upsets anyone. The point is that if someone truly kidnapped little Caylee, her life more than likely could have been spared from the help of Police/FBI/the public. No, she's to damn selfish. The US is crowded enough and paying too many taxes with all of the inmates to be taking up space. There were 2 million prisoners in 2003. Not everyone deserves to be on death row, but really, why is Charles Manson still alive?! ...because he technically didn't kill anyone himself? Can we as people let a horrible, ruthless, heartless man kill several people and think it's okay. His life compared to all the innocent lives lost doesn't matter to me. It's not a religious issue, it's justice. The bad thing is we're too worried about people not wearing their seatbelts or smoking marijuana. Those are against the law, but I find it a lot more imperative to find a 3yr old girl and sentence the mother. She probably won't have a full blown trial for months, if ever.

I had more to say, but I've forgotten. Casey Anthony got me all torn up. Ug. I'll be back.

No Sleeping Tonight

This Monday has been an eventful evening, but it didn't start out that way. After being in class/taking tests/doing the school thing 'til 5pm, I came home to relax. For dinner, I prepared some Spanish rice in the microwave and as a snack, I fixed a can of tuna. How appetizing. After watching 3 shows of Intervention and attempting to read about schizophrenia & hemorrhagic strokes, I got a wild hair and rearranged my shoes in my closet. Do not be jealous. I realize this a Monday night dream every girl has. As I'm trying to figure out which shoes should go on which shelf and how to place them strategically, my roommate runs out of her bathroom into my room, jumps on my bed with a toothbrush in hand an toothpaste flooding from her mouth. She is hysterical and yelling like crazy. Then I get scared, hop up, and freak out. THERE'S A ROACH IN THE BATHROOM, which just happens to be her phobia...roachaphobia! (Ha) Well, I'm not keen on any little arthropod or large brown bullet look-a-like w/ wings! I grab my flip flops and some Lysol. (We don't have any Raid.) Well, this happy-go-lucky insect is having the time of it's life- crawling all over the lotion bottles, make up bags, in and out of the sink like at a water amusement park. I'm too scared to look at it, thinking that if it sees me, it's definitely coming for me. An hour passes, and I have managed to lose the cockroach to under the sink. We have a Jack & Jill bathroom so I'm standing at my door on my vanity stool aiming the Lysol like I'm Clint Eastwood in the cowboy movie. My roommate is standing on the other side in the hallway with a Bissel portable trying to hit the countertops to rid ourselves of this infested animal. We live on the 3rd floor, so how the hell did this thing get in here?! To my knowledge about plumbing/ventilation connections, I'm wondering if he could have crawled under the sink back down to the 2nd floor. At least, that's what I told myself. Needless to say, I'm sitting here in my computer chair knees to my chin, praying the roach left our apartment. You would think after all of the screaming, jumping up and down, convulsing we did that someone would have called the cops. I wish they would have...they would have gotten the roach.

I just realized that there is SPELLCHECK on here! Ha. Disregard my blog earlier about if you happened to see any errors! I guess I'm just too excited to get everything out that I have to say that I haven't noticed all the applications when you're posting.

I lost my car the other day. Indeed, I did. Debating all day if I should go to the mall, I finally got up enough nerve to go by myself. My friends had been shopping the day before in ATL, but I didn't get to go because my computer crashed- different story, different day. Bad idea-Saturday afternoon, you can only imagine all the teeny-boppers and love birds. I'm not too familiar with this particular mall, which only increased my anxiety, but it has the one store that I wanted to go to. Around 4:46pm, I began to head back to my car. One minor problem- I can't remember which door I came in. You're thinking, "Why would you not note your surroundings?". Oh, I did. I just couldn't find that certain surrounding. I see Belk which I know my little Honda is near. Walking outside, I see the Interstate. That's not where I parked. I travel the sidewalk trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I see a parking garage. That's not where I parked. After aimlessly walking around in the mall for about 25 minutes trying to find the dang Ruby Tuesday that I know I walked in beside, I look at a directory. No help. If you can't read a map, than what good does it do you!!? Hahah JK, sort of. I walk to where I believe is my parking lot for real this time...WRONG AGAIN! By this time, I'm sweating. Sorry, girls, I know we glisten, not sweat, but I was! Then, all of a sudden, a light shines like St. Peter waiting for me, and there is the Ruby Tuesday! At 5:12, I arrived at my car!

I really wonder how I get by sometimes. If you would like for me to go in great detail on how to test each cranial nerve or the scientific in depth process of a baby being born, go ahead- shoot. BUT if you need me to drive you from point A to B or logically put together a book case, you're probably better off not asking me. They're is a positive side to this, you see, everyday becomes another funny story for me to share:)

Seven

Being Catholic, I attend confession twice a year...probably should more, but it's really only an obligation before Christmas/Easter. Expressing your sins and faults is very difficult, especially when you're telling them to a Priest who typically doesn't do anything wrong. Some people find that confessing your sins is silly and stupid. Well, my view is that God sees/knows when you commit a sin. There's just something different about actually admitting it out loud for someone else to hear. No one wants to tell another person the things they do wrong. Before confession, I am almost a basket case- scared half to death, even though my sins are probably along the lines of the everyday Jane Doe. One time, I walked in, kneeled down, and proceeded to list my sins. Running short on things to say since my memory was so jumbled, I say, "and I've committed gluttony". You learn of gluttony from the 7 Deadly Sins (Lust, Vanity, Jealousy??, etc). You all remember the movie with Brad Pitt and Gwenyth Paltrow. The following morning when I was eating with my mom and grandma, they began poking fun since I always eat so much. First off, I can't resist homemade tortillas, rice, etc from my grandma. I fire back, "Just so you know, I confessed gluttony last night." They look at each other and break into laughter. I guess I really shouldn't have confessed that because my BMI is appropriate, and I exercise often. To be gluttonous, I probably would need to be around 450lbs and feel no guilt about the things I eat. Then, I became pretty embarrassed thinking about what the Priest thought when I said I had committed gluttony. Hahahha. Sometimes my thoughts are way illogical.

Many people think that every sin is equal. I do not believe that. I do believe in Purgatory ( where you go when you die to make your way up to Heaven). I don't feel that I have earned the right to go straight to Heaven. I'm sorry I just don't see how using the Lord's name in vein or yelling at your parents is the same as being Ted Bundy. Missing church is not a mortal sin, in my opinion. There are a lot worse things that people do. Think about it: if you went into confession and said you cussed a lot, had a negative attitude, and missed church a few Sundays, as opposed to I have had thoughts about killing someone, I committed adultery, and I stole lots of money from my sister- the penance would be different.

The first time I ever got pulled over was the end of my freshmen year at college in the dorm parking lot!!! (Knock on wood, it's my only time to be pulled over too...I'll probably get a ticket on my way home for saying that). Anyway, I lived in the freshmen dorms and was headed to the sorority house on a Thursday night. I like to act like Jeff Gordon sometimes, so I'll probably was a little speedy gonzalez. As soon as I pull in, I see blue lights! In a huge panic, I unbuckle my seat belt off (Why you ask? I DON'T KNOW!) My next ridiculous thought was, "He'll think I wasn't wearing my seat belt", so I hop out of the car!! Over the microphone or whatever that thing is, the policeman says "Get back in the car!!" HAHAH...He walks up to my car saying I was driving too fast. (I had barely even driven a mile!) He says he's surprised I haven't been pulled over before. As natural protocol, he checks my VIN #. Upon his return, he says your car is not showing up. Did you get a paint job? JUST GREAT-I'm about to get falsely charged with grand auto theft. "No sir, my car has been white since I bought it"...he goes back to the car...by this time, another officer has arrived and his shining that huge magnum light in my backseat! WHAT! Turns out, my car used to be black, but I didn't know that. (I should have used CAR FAX!) He lets me go with a warning, and drives on. To top that, the fraternity house right beside my sorority house is having a huge party. When I finally get out of my car, everyone yells "MEGAN! What happened?!" Hahah....OH LIFE!

Foot in mouth x 3

Several years back, I was living with my aunt & uncle. I believe it was around my birthday, so we were having the family over. I called my younger cousin to talk to her about that night. To my surprise, someone answered trying to play a joke on me. Her voice was distorted and sounded pretty comical. I begin laughing, "Saying who is this? Stop playing a joke on me, Tess!" She then says, "I'm not. You have the wrong number." Thanks to handy dandy screens on the phone, I look at the number I dialed, which indeed was Tess's. I said "Oh okay, sure, I'm sorry" in a jokingly manner thinking to myself, they're not getting me this time. So, I took matters into my own hands and kept calling until I reached Tess. There was no telling who was over there trying to pull my leg. Finally, the person on the other end says, "This is Margaret". Trying to be coy, I say "Why, Margaret, you sure have a manly voice." CLICK is the response I received. I was in the room with my aunt, and she says, "Megan, Margaret is Tess's neighbor. Yes, I recall Margaret- she smokes about 6 packs a day...and oh noooooooooo! It was the neighbor!!! Tess calls later saying, "Hey, our phone lines have been switched. We've been getting the neighbor's calls." Foot in mouth, yes, that was me making fun of a lady who probably is emphysematic!! I avoided Tess's house for a few months after that encounter!!!!

I transferred schools last year, so I'm a little closer to home. I was near the beach and as far as I could get away from my family. I was in heaven, at least for two years. Suddenly, I realized I miss home, the mountains, the lake, my family! A few months ago my car was getting fixed (you remember my luck with automobiles), so another cousin of mine let me borrow hers. Murphy's Law struck once again; she left her books in her car. We made an arrangement where we could meet each other half way. Like the illogical person I am, I never put her spare key on my key chain, even though I would be driving her car for a few days. Knowing my luck with losing stuff, I should have thought more. I was walking to the parking deck telling her I was about to be to the car and on my way. I unlocked the doors, threw my books in, got in, and proceeded to turn on the car...but OH NO- Where is the key!? In a mini frantic, I hop out of the car seeing if I left the key in the door or if it had fallen underneath the car. Five minutes pass, and I notice some university workers talking near my car. My first irrational thought is, "What if they think I'm stealing this car because I've been standing here for 8 minutes walking all around, throwing things back and forth?" I even checked the trunk, even though I never opened it!! HAHAH! I call my cousin and say, "Oh I'll be there in a few, traffic is bad!" I couldn't tell her I lost her key!!! Twenty minutes later, the two men come over to help me. Ten more minutes pass. They search the car like a policeman with a warrant helping me find this stupid key. A friend comes over, asking if maybe I could have dropped it. I look down and see something shiny in my pants cuff- THE KEY!!!!! I had rolled my jeans up like the 50's Greaser style, and low and behold, that damn key fell in there!!! How much of a peon do I feel like, saying, "Thank you gentlemen for your help. It appears I have dropped my key in my pants cuff. Sorry to have taken 30 worthless minutes from your lives." With the little bit of pride that I have left, I shake their hands. One of the men reaches into his pockets, pulls out a business card, hands it to me. He was the director of transportation, and told me to call if I ever needed help again! Oh me.

Spelling is very important to me, so if you see any errors, it's because my mind is racing so fast. It's like an ocean. I have one idea building up more and more, and then near the end, here comes another wave of information trying to be bigger and better than the one before!