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!

"You Can't Win for Losing"

This past weekend, I had to participate in a health fair. My group's topic was bullying, so we made huge posters/flyers/etc. As the kids walked booth to booth, we would ask them if there was bullying at their school. I was amazed to how many children actually said yes! We asked them if they knew what to do when they witnessed it, which most said tell the teacher. Nobody wants to be a tattle tail, but this day and age, bullying leads to GUNS and DEATH. One boy came with his older brother. The older brother said under his breath, "Snitch". I said, "Now you know violence is not the answer." Way to be a good role model Big Bro. Then a lady came by and talked to us for a good bit. She stated that she did not have any of her own children, but she had 13 at home. Evidently, she has a foster care or at least a secure home for these troubled adolescents to come to. She was going on and on how the teachers/authoritative figures don't do anything, and what was she to do. I told her it is the teachers/principal's responsibility to take care of matters, and if they weren't, for her to go to the school board and superintendent. One of the problems is that these schools are lower privileged. She tells us that 3 of her 13 kids took pistols to school because they didn't know how to react to getting bullying. I said, "First of all, where are they getting the pistol?" She had 'no clue'. What in the world would possess a teenager to pick up a gun to take to school to resolve a conflict. Oh, he'll resolve a conflict all right, and end up in jail for a very long time. People like that are the reason that the 2nd amendment is being looked up to be taken away, and honestly, I can't blame the government for considering it. I know that may make a lot of people mad because a lot of smart/safe people have guns. As a girl, I should probably have one myself, but I don't like guns. In the small town which I'm from, everyone hunts, so there would be an uproar if fire arms were revoked. You can't win for losing. That seems to be the case for a lot of things.

My psychiatric nursing professor is a hoot! He's probably in his late 60's, smokes, drinks, cusses (or curses for you northerners)- basically all the things we nurses 'should not' do! Ha! I told my classmates that working on a Psych unit would drive me to smoke/drink all the time! We were discussing how to assess a patient- which is way different than a patient getting admitted for heart failure/broken bone. Circumstance is the key. He had one patient and was asking the similarities between an orange and banana. Well, as most, they would say they're both fruits, have peels, etc. I thought to myself similar in color, but that may make me crazy because no one else thought that! Ha. Anyway, this geriatric lady mumbled under her breath, "They're both high in potassium." Our teacher says, "I thought to myself: Where the hell did that come from?" Hahah...See everyone has a different perspective. Turns out, she was a retired nutritionist from Auburn University suffering from depression.

It is none of our business that Bristol Palin is pregnant. She may have made a mistake, and should have known better, but by no means, should she, nor her family be attacked for it. As I recall, Jamie Lyn Spears had a baby at 16 out of wedlock. Then she was praised on a Women's magazine for being an incredible mother (which she may be, but we should not condone it). Many young adults make mistakes, but it does not make them a bad person. I wish the US cared more about REAL issues instead of looking at Levi's Myspace and tearing them apart. Get over yourself! Sarah Palin may believe in abstinence, and that's fine. You cannot control your kids, as much as you think you can. Palin is not a hypocrite. She probably did preach abstinence to her children. People will do what they want to-that goes back all the way to Adam & Eve.

"Price check on Isle 6"

SARAH PALIN is a phenomenal woman & speaker! I do believe in the glass ceiling effect (also called escalator effect) in that it's hard for women to achieve, ans be promoted only to a certain level. I don't believe in affirmative action, though. I believe anyone hired should be the person w/ the best credentials. As most, I am a little skepital on a woman running office, but it is 2008. In addition, she has a rocking resume! I am extremely patriotic, and I feel that John McCain would do almost anything for his country. It is difficult though, in any election, because nominees always say, "I'll do this, I'll do that...I'll even cure this"...In the realistic world where I live, not everything can be fixed especially in 4 years, but look what Guiliani did. As mayor of NYC, he decreased the crime rate tremendously & stepped up to his plate- above & beyond during 9/11. I sure do wish my grandparents were alive to see this election. I get my patriotism from them. Then again, they may have a heart attack wondering how the world could be so corrupt.

The embarrassing story for this blog is...
I was at Target the other day. I'm a girl, so of course it took me a few hours in there. Taking my sweet time to just get a few things, I also picked up some earrings to treat myself. Well, when it came time to check out, there was only one isle opened in about a 15 mile radius with a male cashier. I wouldn't have minded but I had some "toiletries". So here I am with all of this female stuff with a guy about my age bagging all of my purchased items. Well my last item he picks up in his hands, holding it up high, and says are these yours too? No matter how old you are, as a female, you still get embarrassed about those monthly items you have to purchase. I don't even like going on the feminine product isle! WHY would that guy say that? OF COURSE THEY'RE MINE I wanted to yell. Being reserve, though, I held my head down and said yes, thanks. What a little punk! He might has well just got on the intercom announcing it! He should not have said that because I turned about beet red and skidattled right out of there! It's a funny story...but I would have rather it happen to someone else:)

Music is a priority in my life- not singing, playing, or writing as a career, but in general. If I didn't have an iPOD, I would be 300lbs because I would never exercise. With music, I can go on forever in the gym. It is so bad that if I forgot my iPOD at the gym, I would just have to leave & attempt crunches at my apt! Ha. Running on a treadmill can be awkward with people on each side of you. One could be running 8 miles while the other is not running at all. I guess it doesn't really matter, but it still makes me nervous. I'm am a fanatic with musical lyrics. I like to see how they apply to my own life. I find it perculiar how most of the greatest music has come from musicians that have overdosed or died at a young age from crashes/murders.

Drugs- Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis, Members of Sublime, Alice & Chains, Blind Melon, Smashing Pumpkins, Grateful Dead, Tempations, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Airplane/Car crashes- Led Zepplin, John Denver, Jim Croce, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Duane Allman. -Mudered- Sam Cooke & John Lennon. Suicide- Kurt Cobain, Richard Manuel from The Band...Galee, that's ridiculous and horrible...I even looked up a statistic:

Avg Death of Rock Stars- 36.39 yrs
Avg Death of Americans- 75.8 yrs
It is a shame that their lives were cut so short, or anyone's period.

One Mad Minivan

A couple years ago I was drving back to school. On a 5 hr ride, you can only imagine all the little bugs that smash into your windshield, and me having OCD, I cannot stand a dirty windshield. Plus, bird poo and bug remains take your mind off the road because you can't help but stare at the big splatter in front of your eyes. Like any other individual (or so I thought), I sprayed my windshield with the fluid and wipers. Well, just minding my business probably jamming out to Foreigner, a minivan speeds up and cuts me off. THEN, has the audacity to turn on his windshield wipers/fluid so it would spray me. This man was so outraged that I had unintentionally sprayed him with windshield wiper fluid- it's like Windex!! My gosh, what damage could I have done. To top things off, the van had a wiper on the back door, so it was like a double whammy!!! At first, I thought what an idiot. Here I am a girl driving back to school not trying to make anyone mad. Then I just laughed, I mean, I didn't mind if he wanted to help clean my windshield even more.

I am a huge fan of Intervention, the show that comes on A&E to help all kinds of addicts get help and recover. Addiction hits home in my family. Before choosing nursing, I was torn between psychology as well. This semester I am in my psych clinical though, so that is great! I really enjoy hearing people opening up to me and explaining what's going on in their head. Well, there were 2 people on the show- a crystal meth & heroin addict and a man with severe OCD. OCD can really ruin a person's life without intervening with medicine and therapy. After the show, my roommated and I started talking about all the quirky things we do. For instance, it's hard for me to leave my house without checking everything from my hair straightener to the toaster to make sure they're unplugged. I can't walk out of the bathroom w/out the shower curtain being shut. Actually, if I'm at someone else's house, I will shut the curtain. Oops, I cannot help it! haha. I can't go to sleep if I can see through the blinds. They must be closed all the way, however, in the day, they must be open. I shut every drawer when I'm done. Pictures must be hung straight. I always put the toilet seat down immediately after using it. Don't worry, my roommate had some pet peeves of hers too, so I wasn't the only crazy one! I like to believe that all of this stems from Freud/Erikson's theories of personality. Trust vs Mistrust, Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt, Initiative vs Guilt. (I told you I was in my psych rotation, ha)

Anyway, I'm off to work on some school work. ...'til again