Giveaway!

I'm sure most of you know I'm not big into the giveaways.  However, I really like this one, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

Little Miss Can't Be Wrong at How I met your father is giving away an adorable Key to Your Heart necklace!

I get an extra entry for this post, & for each one of you lovely ladies that leaves Little Miss a comment saying I referred you to the post.

So, if you have a spare moment, I'd appreciate it...& I know you'll love her blog too!

Is it just me?

I think I finally figured out why I hate Christmas music so much.

Normally, when radio stations start to play Christmas songs in mid-November, I'm over it after the first three songs.  My mom says I'm a scrooge, but I always thought it has something to do with working in a retail Call Center.  My hours were horrendous, & the customers were worse at this time of year.  It was enough to make anyone a little bitter about the holidays.

So far this year I'm all about Christmas.  And, much to my own surprise, I've been enjoying Christmas music in the car on the way to work just about everyday.  Until yesterday...

That's when it hit me.  The reason I hate Christmas songs is all because of one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Christmas song; the cheesiest Christmas song of all time:  "Christmas Shoes."

Now, I know there are a lot of people who treasure that song for it's message.  Don't get me wrong, I understand the message of Christmas too...but that song is a steaming pile of crap.

From the overly dramatic poor-man's-Bruce-Springsteen narrating, all the way to the sad little boy's voice that comes in later, this song makes me crazy.

And as if it wasn't bad enough, THEY MADE A FREAKING HALLMARK MOVIE ABOUT IT!  Has anyone ever seen that?

I should let you know that I tend to cry at movies - all the time.  But that movie - that Hallmark made to tug at my hear strings movie starring Rob Lowe - didn't make me shed a single tear...because it's so ridiculous.

So for the last week or so I've done really well at avoiding this song.  Then, the other day when I wasn't paying attention, it crept up on me.  There I was, rocking out to my all time favorite Christmas song "Feliz Navidad" (don't hate), & before I had a chance to change the station it started.  And now, they've been playing it all day, everyday on every radio station.

Kill.Me.Now.

I know that this probably does make me kind of a Scrooge, and I'm ok with that.

I'm just wondering if it's just me, or if there's anyone else with me.  So if you're a "Christmas Shoes" hater, hit a sistah up!

Meet me on Monday

Meet me on Monday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.  It's a great way to meet new bloggers & get to know eachother a little better by answering a few questions.

Questions:



1. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?

I would have to say chicken parm with spaghetti...although there are a million other ways that chicken is declicious.

2. Have you decorated for Christmas yet?

I'm half-way there.  The tree is up, & I'm decorated inside.  I'm off on Wednesday, so I'm hoping to hang the outside lights then.

3. What is your favorite article of clothing?

I don't have just one, but I'd have to say my collection of sweaters.


4. Do you pay your bills online or write checks the old way?

For the most part, I pay online. Let's save some trees, people!


5. Do you make Christmas cookies?

When I was little my family used to get together to make cut out cookies, but we don't do that anymore.  I think this year I'm going to make some cookies for myself.  Not a whole lot, just a few batches of the kinds DJ & I like best.

Haute chocolate anyone?

I am now officially a Black Friday shopper - but only a half-assed one.

My cousin & I met at our grandparents house around noon-ish for pizza, so we didn't leave there until shortly after 1:00 to get started.

Our aunt & two other cousins (little ones, 7 & 4) were meeting us.  She didn't want to go to the mall with the kids, so we went to an up & coming neighborhood with lots of really great, privately owned shops.

Our first stop was a little cafe that specializes in very decadent, very fancy chocolate treats.  The store is called Haute Chocolate.  How freaking cute is that?  Anyway, they were having fee cupcakes for Black Friday.  The kids had their cupcakes, & I had a hot chocolate milkshake.  It was hot chocolate flavored ice cream, tons of whipped cream on top & chocolate shavings too.  Yum-to-the-O.

It was at this point that my littlest cousin became possessed by some sort of demon spirit, & my aunt had to make her exit from this shopping day.  I don't think it was too much chocolate, he just does that sometimes.  Fun!

We hit up some really interesting little stores after that, where I proceeded to shop for me instead of people on my Christmas list. 

After that we put on our brave faces & ventured to the mall.  It wasn't that bad actually.  We found some really interesting gag gifts in Five Below, were slightly disturbed by the adult section in Spencer's & all the people standing there with their small children  & contemplating whether $5 was too much to spend on Zombie Blood at Hot Topic.

It was a long day, but it was so much fun!  I think I like the buzz about Black Friday.

Let it stop. Let it stop. Let it stop.

I woke up this morning only to find it snowing sleeting weathering outside.

Umm...that seriously effs up the Turkey Day plans.

If it's slippery outside, DJ can't transfer in & out of the car because he can't keep his balance.

We're supposed to be going to his mom's house at noon to eat, but if the weathering continues we may be feasting on TV dinners & Chef Boyardee this year.

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's early, but...

 I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, however you choose to spend it!

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy kind of day.  We're eating at lunchtime because I have to be at work by 3, so there won't be time for blogging.

But I should have some good stories for Friday!  The women folk in my family are going to brave the Black Friday crowds for some silly reason.  I can't wait!

Put your big girl panties on & deal with it.

Last night my sister & I got our pictures taken for a Christmas present for our mother.  The photo place was not overly crowded, but it was filled with crazy people.

There were several families with young children.  And you know what?  All of them were really well behaved.
The kids couldn't have been better.

The parents - well now that's another story.

Let's start with the pregnant woman.  This woman was very, very pregnant.  And yet, there she was with her two little ones all dressed to the nines; hair done & everything.  They looked really nice.  By the time they got to selecting pictures, Mommy to Be was in tears.  One of her little ones didn't smile the way she wanted her to...but she was smiling, & the pictures were beautiful.  So suddenly, the not so crowded photo studio gets a half hour behind schedule because the walking hormone wants her children to perform on command.  You should have bought a dog.

Little sister & I had an appointment at 7.  We were there entirely too early, so we just waited.  At 7 on the dot the Khaki Family showed up.  Their appointment was also at 7 - & Mama Khaki expected to be taken back right away.  The poor woman working at the photo studio saw that they had a little one with them, & was up front about the 15-20 minute wait.  Maybe Baby Khaki would be happier walking around than she would sitting in the waiting room. 

Now, maybe it's just me, but I think when you have appointments like this there's a little bit of a wait to be expected.  No?  Wanna know what Mama Khaki said?  "Well it can't be too long because she gets tired at this time of night."

Why the fuck did you schedule your appointment for that time then?

While we were waiting to select our pictures, the Khaki Family came out of the photo room.  Rather than waiting 10 minutes, they rescheduled another appointment to come back & pick their pictures because they just couldn't wait anymore. It was too late, & the poor photo studio employee should have known that Mama Khaki was coming & scheduled more people to work that evening.

By the way, Baby Khaki (who was probably 2-years-old) couldn't have been more pleasant.  She & Daddy Khaki were amusing themselves while Mama Khaki was being a bitch rescheduling the appointment.

After all that, we finally picked our pictures out.  They looked great & were not nearly as expensive as I expected them to be.  Score!

I've got a confession to make.

I feel like this post may mean some of my followers go running for the hills.  I'll be sad to see you go, & I don't mean to offend anyone, but this is my blog & I'll always be honest & true to myself here.  So there's the disclaimer.

Most of you know that I work in a nursing home.  Not too long ago I was standing outside of one of the resident's rooms gathering supplies before I went in.  My linen cart was up against a wall, & I could not see into the room.  However, I suddenly knew there was a man in her room.  He was sitting in a chair that's there for visitors, & he was just watching her sleep.  I quickly went around the corner into her room, & of course no one was there.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened, & it's kind of hard to explain.  I typically do not see things that aren't there - which I guess is a good thing, because that would make my crazy.  What happens to me is that I "see" things in my mind - sometimes images, sometimes what I call "mini-movies."  Although there was no one physically sitting in that chair, I know he was there.


Ever since I was small I've had the feeling that there were spirits in this world.  I think everyone has had the sense that someone was watching them when they know they're alone or has believed that they've received a message from a loved one that's no longer living.  And that was pretty much the extent of my experiences with this sort of thing up until a few years ago.

In the last few years I've met some people that I've come to love & trust very deeply.  I've discovered that I have what I believe is a gift, & I'm beginning to nurture that more than I have in the past.

I talked about the man in the chair to one of the people who is closest to me.  The experience happened so fast & it kind of caught me off guard at the time.  It was a brief image, so I didn't have a lot of detail about how the man looked - but it was definitely a male, non-threatening presence.  Although it certainly could have been her husband, I didn't get the sense that this person was just visiting. 

The conclusion we came to is this:  since I am sensitive to other worldly things to begin with, working in a nursing home is certainly going to open some doors for experiences. 

I'm not saying that I can predict someone's death, & I don't want to.  There have been resident's who have passed away completely unexpectedly.  And yet, I feel I have gotten other "messages" in my time there that I wasn't fully able to understand at the time.

In the last few days I feel like I've gotten confirmation of what I experienced that night. 

The resident who was visited has cancer.  She can no longer walk, & so she is in bed all the time.  Her family lives out of state, so she doesn't get visitors very often.  It is obvious that she is not happy.

Her family came to visit a few days ago, & this resident told them that she is ready to die.  She has begun to refuse medication, & is eating less & less by the day.  She is now in what we call the terminal stage of her life, & we are instructed to do the best we can to keep her comfortable.  It is now only a matter of time.

This was not meant to be another of my sad stories about work.  I haven't mentioned this type of thing before because I wasn't really sure how to approach it.  But after this has unfolded, I felt compelled to get it off my chest.  It's something I do plan to continue to write about in the future, but it certainly won't be an everyday topic.  I'm not the the business of shoving my beliefs down someone else's throat.

That being said, I welcome your feedback - whether you agree or disagree.  The only thing I would ask is that you be kind.  You may not agree with the beliefs of me or someone else who comments about it, & that's fine.  But that doesn't warrant attacks on that person.

Who wants to play?

Brittany of Unexpected Surprises is hosting an ornament swap, which you can read about here.

Super fun, right?

The deadline to sign up is November 24th.  Just add a comment to her Ornament Swap post & include your email address.  Britt is going to work out all the swap partners after Turkey Day.

And so it begins.

Just when I thought my cats were turning over a new leaf, I realized these are my cats we're talking about.

The cats who eat lettuce.

The cats who cry when doors are closed, only to turn & walk away when the door is opened.

The cats who try to dig through my sliding glass door because there are leaves blowing around on the deck.

I went to bed thinking, "You know, they've been pretty good with the Christmas tree so far."

And then I woke up this morning, to the tree leaning against the front window & the tree skirt mangled into a pile of red fabric.

Apparently, Wrestlemania was located right under the tree sometime during the night.

Sigh.

On a completely unrelated note, one of my lovely cousins went to see the new Harry Potter movie last night, & this was her reaction:

Before -> :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
During -> :'( :) >:| :/ O.O D: :(
After -> :''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''(
Wow. Just wow.
Dobby ♥

 I love her.

 

Christmas with the weatherman.

After my busy thrift store adventures yesterday I came home & had a sudden burst of energy around 7:30.

I went grocery shopping, cleaned my house & then...I broke out the Christmas decorations.

Of course, I've got a story about the decorations.  It all started with my mom, who just can't accept the truth about her beloved front porch Santa decoration.  See, my mom's Santa is special.  By day he's one thing, & by night he's something different.  Allow me to demonstrate.

Day

Night

Anyone else notice anything?

Look, I'm not saying it's wrong for her to display the Santa.  And I'm not saying it's Santa's fault.  It's probably just the crappy paint used to manufacture him.  But the fact remains - she's got an ethnic Santa.

To this day my mother vehemently denies that there is anything out of the ordinary with her Santa.  While I know my mother is not a racist, this is not some abstract comment on how "color blind" she is.  She simply chooses not to accept the truth.

And of course, I find this to be hilarious (As do my bi-racial friend of 15 years & my gay bestie.  Please don't send me any hate mail.  I'm not a biggot, I'm just easily amused).

Anyway, after many years of my relentless jokes at her Santa's expense, my mom made her comeback last Christmas.  On Christmas Day she, my sister & my stepdad came over to our house to open presents.  After everything was opened my mom gave me my "special" present.

And yes, he is displayed as part of my holiday decor this year.

One person's trash.

Today was a beloved day off, which I welcomed with open arms after last night at work.  Super stressful!  But, I have a hilarious story about it to share quickly.

I'm getting a resident ready for bed.  I have my back to her because I'm setting up her bed.  As I turn back around to get her changed, she's dancing in her wheelchair; toes tapping, fingers waving.  It was the cutest thing ever!  And if that wasn't enough, she must have seen the surprised look on my face & asked, "Aren't you going to dance with me?"  So we did - we danced, right there in the middle of my jam-packed, stressful night.  And I'm so glad we did!

Ok, I'm done.  Now, back to my beloved day off...

I woke up early this morning, which was pretty terrible.  I hate waking up early.  (For those of you who get up at the ass crack of dawn on a daily basis for 1st shift, please know that these days "early" is classified as anything prior to 10:00 AM.  Today, "early" was 8:00.)

But, I woke up early with a purpose:  thrift store shopping!  And not just any old thrift store shopping - it was 50% off day!  On a side note, is it really sad that I go to the thrift store on a day when there's a sale?  It probably is, right?  I'm not poverty stricken like I might seem...I just like good deals!

MIL & Auntie-in-law came along for the ride.  Auntie & I shared a cart that wasn't nearly full, while MIL filled a separate cart...almost completely with turtlenecks.  She just kept saying, "I live in turtlenecks, you know."  She really does, too.

I was happy with my finds.  I got an adorable dress that I don't need but had to have because it was $3, a few sweaters/long sleeve shirts for the impending frigid PA winter, a bed skirt because we've needed one for the last 2 years but I've been too cheap to buy one (Again, I'm not struggling to survive.  What is my deal?) & the most adorable Christmas/winter snowman decoration.

It's hard to see in the picture, but he's glittery!  It's not really something I needed, but he was adorable (& only $4), so why not?

And you know, all my crap was only $25!!  So after that, I was in the shopping mood, & we just had to stop by another thrift store that we passed on the way home.  That was wasn't as successful, but it was a hilarious stop anyway.  MIL & auntie had an ugly coat & boot fashion show that, thankfully, didn't end in any purchases.

MIL also found a latch hook kit for $1.50.  Being a crafty lady, she couldn't pass it up.  Not to keep going on tangents, but do you know how expensive those things are?  I looked at them at Michael's once & they were like thirty freaking dollars!  What the hell is that about?

Anyway, since I expressed an interest I learned to do latch hook this afternoon.  It's a cute Christmas pattern, so I'm hoping to have it done in time to hang up this year.  It seems pretty easy, so I don't think that will be a problem....unless my ADD gets the best of me.

Rainy Tuesday

It's chilly & rainy here today, & I would love nothing more than to stay in bed all day watching movies with the boyfriend. 

Unfortunately, I have to work.

And I wouldn't mind so much, except I work on a floor that's overstaffed - which means that when other floors are short handed, I get pulled.  That was the case last night, & probably will be again tonight.

Getting pulled to another floor isn't really the problem either.  The disorganization of the supervisors & the fact that most of the nurses are inconsiderate is really the issue.

My shift starts at 3:00, but the supervisors are putting final touches on the staffing sometime around 3:10.  That's when I found out I had to go to another floor.  When I got to that floor, I had to make a linen cart for the night, which takes about 10 minutes.  After I did that, I walked out to the nurse's station, only to find out they were sending me somewhere else - & no one bothered to poke their head in the linen room & tell me.

A-holes.

That was quite a tangent from staying in bed & watching movies all day, wasn't it?

Anyway, wish me a speedy, easy night at work!

Meet me on Monday

I haven't done this one for a while, but it's always fun!  Meet me on Monday is a blog hop hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.  Just answer this weeks questions & link up.  It's a great way to meet new bloggers.

Here are this week's questions:


1.  Do you eat Sushi?

I only started in the last year & a half.  DJ is a sushi lover, & he's slowly getting me to try some things.  I love rolls that have avacado & salmon in them.  My absolute favorite is a Philly roll though.  You can't go wrong with cream cheese.  Mmm...




2.  What kind of bath soap do you use?

I like Dove for sensitive skin.  My skin is troublesome at times. I use that to wash my make-up off because it doesn't dry my skin out.



3.  How often do you talk to your Mom?

I'd say 3-5 times a week, mostly via email when she's bored at work.  That's a lot more often then we used to talk when I lived at home.  Our relationship is rocky, & my mom has her own set of issues.  But it's getting better as I'm getting older.



4.  What TV shows do you watch on a regular basis?

This is a long list, but here goes:  True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, Paranormal State, Psychic Kids, House, Raising Hope, Modern Family, Cougar Town & The Big Bang Theory.  I'm addicted to all of them.  If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend checking them out!




5.  Did you start Christmas shopping yet?

Yes!  I officially started the shopping part this past Saturday.  Prior to that,  I only ordered a gift for my MIL...but I guess that still counts, right?

They don't make them anymore because everyone who wanted one is dead now.

I went to an open house at the nursing school I'll be applying to.  I got some really good information to help  me along the application process. Then came the bad news.

The school accepts only 50 people into their part time program.  Fantastic! 

Not to mention, I'm not a math person.  I didn't do so well in math in high school.  I'm sure that I can do what I need to do to be a nurse.  But back then, that wasn't my life plan, & so I didn't care how I did.  I was too busy worrying about English & Art History & all the other stuff that was infinitely more fun.

Long story short:  I may not make the cut.  I may have to take a college Algebra course & defer my application until 2012. 

F. M. L.

After that, there was nothing to do but spend some money.  I went shopping with my cousin & aunt.  I got a super cute scarf, a puffy vest & a few Christmas presents.

We had yummy salads for lunch, met a fellow shopper who drinks shots of tequila & fish bowl size margaritas at noon, held lessons in using a debit card, searched high & low for a toaster cover & shared a million laughs.

It was just what I needed to decide that I can't give up.   I have to just try.

No time like the present

I'm getting up bright & early tomorrow to go to an open house at a nursing school in my area.  There's going to be presentations on admissions, financial aid & that sort of thing, followed by presentations in each of the areas of study offered at the school.

That'll be over at 1, & after that I plan on getting some serious shopping done this weekend.  I have exactly one Christmas present purchased.  One.  And I didn't even have to shop for that.  It's a present for my MIL, which I ordered out of a catalog.  She's gonna LOVE it though, so I'm really excited!!

However, that's one gift on a long list of people to buy for.  Ughh...

I do this every year, & yet I never seem to learn my lesson.  Why do I not just start Christmas shopping early?  Why must I wait until mid-November to start when I know I'm going to have to fight crowds to get anything done?

Although I will confess one thing I am pretty excited about:  Black Friday.  Never in my adult life have I been shopping on Black Friday.  I started working in a retail Call Center when I was 19, & so Black Friday was a mandatory 10 hour day every year.  When you work in retail, the holidays are nothing but a giant pain in the ass - & Black Friday was the worst day of the year.

But now things are different.  I have an opportunity to use Black Friday for it's intended purpose, & I'm finally going to.  Plus, my cousin will be home from college for Thanksgiving break & we're going to make a day of it.  We're rational people, so we're not going to line up at 3 AM to try to get the doorbuster deals.  We're going to start at lunchtime...with lunch.  Shopping is going to be secondary to our love of Mexican food.

Is anyone else a last minute shopper?

Kevin Smith, Grant from Ghost Hunters & some guy that looks like DJ's stepdad

So, like I mentioned yesterday, my favorite part of my weekend away was the "celebrity" stalking!  There were some look-alikes at the tournament, so I spent my weekend trying to take a good picture without being noticed.

Tell me what you think...

Kevin Smith?

Is there a ghost in the Grand Ballroom?

Then there was this random guy who looks like someone I know. 

Rewind

Hello, lovelies!  I've been gone for a while, but I have lots to tell you.  Let's work backwards.

Yesterday

The day started off with a rendezvous with my arch nemesis, 6:00 AM.  I had to be at the Red Cross at 8:30 to take my test for my CNA certificate.  I'm official now!  I passed on the first try, which is such a relief.  But, the day wasn't without drama...thankfully for us.

The letter I received said to be there at 8:30 for registration & the test would begin at 9:00.  It's a state run test, so they're not lenient about being absent or late.  Well, 9:00 rolled around & someone still wasn't there.  His coworkers were, & were in contact with him.  He was from a nursing home about an hour away & had gotten lost because Mapquest sucks ass.  The evaluator waited for a few extra minutes, but we had to get started to she shut the door & started passing out our test materials.

And that's when it happened - the lost guy arrived, & started pounding on the door.  When the evaluator opened the door he tried to push his way in, & the screaming match started.  Although he was late, he didn't accept her answer that these were the rules & she couldn't just let him in.  He assured her that the rules didn't matter & she could.  This escalated to the point where she threatened to call security, & he called her a horrible person before stomping away.

After the written exam I went back to the waiting room only to find irrational guy still there.  Turns out, he was still able to take the skills exam that day...and he was my partner.  FML.

But, in the end, it didn't matter.  I passed! 

The weekend

DJ & I were in West Chester this weekend for Mechanicon a dork tournament he was participating in.  Now that I have my jab in, I'll admit - it was a lot of fun.  It was a tournament for a tabletop game called Warhammer that DJ plays.  It's kind of like Risk, but not really.  The back story of the game is this:  it's 40,000 years in the future, & Earth is gone.  The universe is populated with what I can only describe as "leftovers," who all hate each other.

So, the boys all pick an army & then spend months (& sometimes years) collecting everything they need, assembling the models & painting them.  This is the result:

In addition to the armies themselves, the boys make intricate terrain to put on their play tables.  The game itself is all strategy.  They roll dice to move their armies & attack the other person's army until only one person is left.

There were 50 total people playing in the tournament.  DJ didn't win (nor did he expect to) but he had a great time with his friends & meeting new people.  However, the gaming club that he & his friends are a part of had a separate, smaller tournament during the weekend & DJ was the overall winner! 

I enjoyed  "celebrity" stalking, which I'll talk more about in a later post.

Friday

DJ left for Mechanicon Friday morning, & I met him there after work that night.  My Friday night at work is what there is to talk about it.  The day I have been dreading finally arrived.  One of the residents on my unit passed away during my shift.

This guy was, in no uncertain terms, a pain in the ass.  He usually wouldn't eat anything expect vanilla ice cream, or sometimes strawberry if he was slumming it.  There were behavior issues, & at times he was violent when a nurse or aide was giving care - so people started bribing him with ice cream, & he caught on pretty quickly to how things worked.  After they created the bad behavior, the nurses tried to correct it...which didn't go so well. 

After seeing that his ice cream was being limited, he would sit in his room for hours on end just saying, "Help," over & over & over & ov.....you get the picture.  This was mild, actually.  He used to throw himself out of bed, so he had bed alarms.  After that, he graduated to ripping the alarms out of the wall & throwing them out into the hallway.

But the point of my story was not to complain.  Sometimes working with him was so frustrating, but when he passed away the silence coming from his room was deafening.  In the instant he was gone, he was already missed. 

He has very little family, & they were not able to make it that evening.  There was so much going on that day that I didn't have time to go in & talk with him before he passed away, which I regret very much.

And so, I'm sharing this sad story with you ladies hoping that my words will find him wherever he is.  There's also some closure in saying the things that I didn't have a chance to that night.  Here goes:

Dear D,


You were loved.


xoxo

You have got to be kidding me.

So you know my weekend away I've been looking forward to for over a month?  You know, the one that I had to jump through hoops to get time off for?  Yeah, that one.  Well, it's this weekend.

...and I'm sick today.

I didn't fall asleep last night until sometime after 4:00, & then I woke up around 8:00 this morning.  I couldn't even keep my eyes open, so I just laid there until 9:30.  Then, I tried to get up & couldn't.  I just physically couldn't get up from the end of the bed.  I feel like I got hit by a bus.

I cannot breath out of my nose because I'm not congested.  My throat is a little scratchy.  I am just physically drained.  Crap.

This better be something that just passes by, or I am going to be very, very angry.  I'm so looking forward to this weekend, & I don't want to have to spend it in the hotel room.

In order to help this cold/plague/whatever the hell this is along, I took a sick day today.  I'm just going to relax & hopefully feel better tomorrow morning.

I'm not saying you're old, but you're not getting any younger.

I was doing some paperwork last night, & a resident wheeled up next to me to update me on the elections & ask for some hot tea.  All of a sudden, the conversation turns from absentee ballots to my future.

Let me give you some background...

She is very demanding.  When a new nurse or CNA comes onto the floor she likes to test the water.  Once she feels you out, she sees how far she can push your relationship.  Even though there are 59 other residents that all need to go to the bathroom & get their pajamas on, she believes her needs are top priority. 

She's also incredibly tortured, & it's very sad to watch.  So even when she's throwing a hissy fit, you've just got to grit your teeth & realize it's not her talking, it's the disease.  It's sad to someone laughing one minute & sobbing the next.

Despite all that, she's genuinely a good person & I love her.  So, to the funny part...

There we are, talking about the elections, how sad we are that the Phillies didn't win the World Series & what she wanted in her hot tea at 10 PM.  Then, out of nowhere, she say, "You know, you're 26 now.  If you want to be a nurse, you better go to school soon because it takes 3 years.  You'll be 30 when you're done...& then you need to get married & have a baby."

Ok then.

It's funny she mentioned the school part though, because I was thinking the same thing.  A few weeks ago I registered for a "discovery day" at a nursing school in the area.  It's on the 13th.  It'll be information about admissions, financial aid & the different programs they offer (paramedic, pharmacy, nursing, etc). 

I've got some questions, & this is the place for the answers.  After that, I'll be starting my application.  And I'll be honest, it scares the shit out of me. 

I'll keep you posted! 

I had my cake & (I'm ashamed to say) I ate it too.

I went to the grocery store yesterday for some last minute taco dip supplies, & happened upon the bakery section.  Well wouldn't you know, they have a freezer section in the bakery.  And there in the freezer, staring back at me, we ice cream cakes; cute, little baby ice cream cakes.  This is me we're talking about, so I couldn't resist.

When I got home from work last night the boyfriend & I watched the Paranormal State on the DVR & enjoyed some of the cute, little baby ice cream cake...at midnight.

And you know what?  We'll probably do the same thing again tonight.  We've still got Psychic Kids on the DVR!

Busy bee!

Despite having to work yesterday, all in all I had a good birthday.  The only thing missing was ice cream cake...but I'm sure my big, fat ass is glad I didn't have any.

The week ahead is jam packed.  I'm working today & tomorrow, & then I FINALLY have off on Wednesday.  Although I would love to relax on Wednesday, instead I have to:

• Go to the DMV & get a new picture for my license
• Wash the largest mound of laundry I've ever seen
• Take a trip to the laundromat to dry Mt. Dirty Clothes
• Clean my friggin' house.  It's bad - very, very bad - right now
• Start packing for this weekend!

Sometime today or tonight I need to try to find my voter registration card & my change of address card (because my license still has my old address) so I can be a responsible citizen & vote tomorrow morning.  I hope everyone else does the same!

Although, I can't make any promises about finding the things I need because I have to make 2 trays of taco dip when I'm done here.  Sigh.

Better get started.