Interview!

just arrived after driving home for 3.5 hours without heat :( to a pleasant phone call from human resources at work to schedule an interview for a NURSING position on the transplant unit :)  wahoo!!  appt. set for january 13th @ 10:30am.  

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

I am so thankful for all my wonderful friends and family.

Thank You Everyone!

...for the well-wishes and support.  I am FINALLY done with school and so far loving it.  I have a busy holiday season ahead of me with work and travel and then it is on to studying for my boards.

So Excited!

Enough Said

MoTiVaTioNaL CRiSiS

Everyone has heard of seNIOriTIs (not to be confused with seNOriTAs) but it was not until recently that I have had first hand experience with it. I have never been one to jump on homework too early but this past couple quarters have been TeRRiBLe! I am currently working on my LaST PaPeR of my undergrad right now to be turned in ToMoRRoW complete with 10 minute PReSeNTaTioN on dengue fever. The end is so close it just doesn't seem like I should have to do anymore of this crap! Despite this, I am neck deep in World Health Organization articles on this resurgent disease and just hoping the words come easily.

On a more pleasant note...
Countdown [3rd edition]:

10 more hours of work on 6B
1 big paper to compose
1 10-20 minute presentation to write and give
8 thank you cards to write
1 card to send
3 gifts to buy (1 birthday, 2 xmas)
1 exit interview to attend
1 gown to pick up
4 nights to sleep
2 celebrations to partake in
1 big messy room to clean

...all in the next 103 hours until graduation!

tis the season...

for cards and singing and celebrating and spreading christmas cheer! therefore i shall make a quick list to share ways in which i have experience such seasonal fun this week:

1. wednesday i recieved my first graduation card from my uncle mark and cousin ann! woot woot!
2. i've been listening to christmas music every chance i get


3. i read an ancient print of Dickens' Christmas Carol (circa 1925) that i checked out from the downtown library with my new library card in preparation for...


4. the Christmas Carol at the Guthrie thursday night with ryan


5. made beef and ale stew over mashed potatoes, with Newcastle, rye bread and figgy newton pudding parfaits for dessert to get down with our English selves before the play


6. saw (not really but i know lots of people who did and was just one floor above) Will Smith yesterday when he came to visit the sick kids at the University Hospital and gave them autographed DVDs to spread some seasonal cheer

making a list for one of my final assignments...

um why didn't more of college consist of making lists and calendars for grades?  I (and I believe Nikki) would have graduated with SUPER honors if this was indeed the case.

For all of those interested (read NO ONE but I don't care) here is the aforementioned assignment:

Six Week NCLEX Prep Plan!

following Graduation and Celebrations

Week One: Dec 22-28th

• work: Thurs & Friday days
• Christmas shopping
• go to YMCA
• acquire study texts
• clean out old papers and organize notes
• CELEBRATE Christmas at lake Sat-next Tues

Week Two: Dec 29-Jan 4th

• work: Wed & Thurs eves, Fri-Sunday days
• yoga with Kelli Monday
• play with nieces at lake
• make normal value flashcards
• begin individual review

Week Three: Jan 5-11th

• work: Friday days
• group study: Mon 5-8p, Wed 11a-3p
• go to YMCA
• individual study: Tues, Thurs, Sunday
• play/relax Saturday

Week Four: Jan 12-18th

• work: Fri-Sunday days
• group study: Mon 10a-3p, Thurs 1130a-330p
• go to YMCA (Andover on Monday & Elk River cardio kickbox Thurs)
• individual study: Tues & Wed
• reassess areas of need/take predictor test
• Dad's birthday

Week Five: Jan 19-25th

• work: Friday days
• group study: Mon 11a-3p & Thurs 630p-?
• individual study: Tues & Wed
• go to lake Sat-Sunday for Ice Fishing EXTRAVAGANZA
• quiz time with family

Week Six: Jan 26-February

• practice drive to testing center
• hardcore/"last chance" workout
• final review
• relaxation and sleep
• NCLEX!!!

Note:

Kelli- I am hoping you want to do yoga with me and will let me play with your kids

Mom- I hope it is okay that Kelli and I can come up for ice fishing again with our fishing friends and family

Mom & Kelli- Will you please quiz me out of my NCLEX books fishing weekend?  We can make a game out of it.

Everyone- Nikki is now a blogger too!  see Nikkita RN on my blog list

I almost forgot...

ALMOST!

Since I didn't work or have class in which I needed to write the date on anything it wasn't until this morning that I realized that yesterday was December 7th AKA Pearl Harbor Day AKA the day that Grandpa passed away. Despite my forgetting until today I think I would have done gramps proud.

Sunday Dec 7, 2009

• Woke up (slightly hungover) and watched the sun rise on Sugar Lake
• Watched as 3 ice houses were put up in the following 3 hrs and snow began to steadily fall
• Helped make a hearty breakfast for 10 with my cousin
• Made 3 beds and cleaned all the surfaces in the garage/bar area
• Gave 8 hugs goodbye
• Drove home through the woods in the beautiful snow listening to the Vikings game on the radio
• Commented on numerous ice homes, fish statues and smoke houses
• Went home and changed into my snow stuff
• Drove out to a tree farm, helped pick out a decent 9-footer fir and watched Ryan chop it down and tie it to the roof of the car with his dad
• Had some meat and twice baked potatoes for dinner
• Watched the Albert Lea episode of Extreme Home Makeover
• Took a shower and went to bed early

A decent day to remember if you ask me!

countdown [2nd edition]

as of this moment...

2 days of class to attend

1 big paper to write

1 ten minute presentation to give

1 journal to submit

1 NCLEX prep plan to prepare

12 hours of clinical to experience

4 days of work to show up for

1 belated halloween party to attend

7 thank you cards to write

16 nights to sleep

...until graduation day

Movie Time!

My DVD/VCR was discovered to be possessed by some unknown demon and only spits out DVDs since a little before Halloween.  Spooky?  I know, right.  Luckily this weekend I inherited Ryan's old DVD player that he no longer uses.  So in order to celebrate the new DVD player, the fact that I turned in my second to last big undergraduate paper today and that there is 1-2 inches of snow on the ground, I am watching Love Actually in my sweats and LOVING IT!  Jealous?  I know, right.

it's been a while...

i started a thanksgiving rhyme to go along with my mom and sister's but decided i didn't have time to be creative.  since my last post several things have happened but are mostly unimportant.  thanksgiving went well...it is really neat to feel like an adult contributer to family events even if that just means helping make lists and keeping the kiddies out of the kitchen.  :)  there are only 17 (my favorite #) full days left until graduation day.  very exciting!  clinicals are going well and make me feel like a "real nurse" coming into my own.  that is all for now.

countdown

as of this moment...

4 days of class to attend

2 big papers to write

2 journals to submit

1 NCLEX prep plan to prepare

36 hours of clinical to experience

1 thanksgiving extravaganza to attend

75 holiday cards/invites to send

25 nights to sleep

... until graduation day

To-Do List

So I got up this morning bright (read DARK-it's November in MN) and early to go to my clinical to find out that my preceptor called in sick which means I have a full day ahead of me with no particular plans.  Since I have a bit of a passion for list making (I believe this may be a genetic trait) this calls for a TO DO list.  So without further ado, here is my task list for today (in no particular order):

1. Watch last night's Private Practice (check)
2. Read Pathologies of Power for class Monday
3. Start my capstone paper
4. Read for fun
5. Continue filling out applications for RN jobs
6. Run on treadmill (or outside if I feel extra motivated)
7. Address grad ceremony invites
8. Finish dishes
9. Call Amy back
10. Call Steve from work to find out if he thinks I am at risk of being laid off since the U is cutting 30 NA/HUCs
11. Check my bank balance (check)
12. Make sure I'm caught up on my bills
13. Watch Thursday night TV
14. Go to bed early

Time to start checking more off my list!  Good day to all.

Blogging in Class

Yeah that's right! I'm pretty bad-ass. What can I say? It's my birthday and I'll blog if I want to.

best damn birthday present yet!

two words: nintendo wii! my friend jayme was genius enough to realize that i am a huge dork and all she had to do to make my birthday dreams come true was to award me free access to her nintendo wii for the weekend. she brought it over friday night and it went home with her this morning (single tear). we played hours of "party games" and i did a little solo tennis yesterday afternoon while nikki showered and such. it was a blast! some day i hope to have a wii of my own but until then i will just continue to schedule wii dates with jayme as often as possible :)

Happy Armistice Day!

Little known to many, I am a big Kurt Vonnegut fan. He is cynical, bright, blunt and entirely random in much of his writing, which I apparently enjoy. On this Veteran's Day I recall an excerpt from "Breakfast of Champions":

"I will come to a time in my backwards trip when November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was a boy all the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice Day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the Voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind.

Armistice Day has become Veterans' Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans' Day is not.

So I will throw Veterans' Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don't want to throw away any sacred things (Vonnegut, 1973)."

Given this book is circa 1973 the aforementioned men who heard the voice of God are probably with God now but are remembered still today with all the other men and women who have served in battles and wars in some way shape or form throughout history.

Happy Armistice Day everyone!

KiCKiN' aSS & TaKiNG NaMeS!

So I'm not actually kicking anyone's aSS or taking any names but that is going to be my MaNTRa for the week. I have been SiCK for a week now and working my aSS off throughout and must continue at this pace until next WeeKeND. This calls for some KiCK aSS positive mental attitude!

HaLLoWeeN FuN!

It was nice to have a weekend off to play for a change. Conveniently that weekend fell on HaLLoWeeN which is always a fun time to dress up and pretend that I don't have to go back to class and clinicals all week. Lots of laughing, dancing and consumptions of adult beverages were had. Here are the pics that I deemed blog worthy.

out with the old and in with the new...

After 11 days I finally had to part with my new best friend for a while.  Over the course of the past couple weeks I have spent at least a couple hours of quality time (sometimes even the entire day) with my friend.  My friend was here for me in good times and bad through the ugly cries in my room, laughs on the couch and walks along the river.  Sadly last night I had to finally call it quits with my besty for a while and toss them in the wash with the rest of my laundry.  Time to move on and trade them in for my scrubs and stethoscope. Some day I shall write a clever poem as an ode to my favorite sweats, a limerick maybe. 

My second day of my internship went very well.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.  In my 12 hours I went from 4 patients on the floor to 1 at the end of the shift.  Highlights of the day include being told "I know I'm being a bitch but I can't help it...I have like a hundred broken bones in my feet" from the 28 year old female that jumped 30 feet down from the HCMC parking ramp and sending a 61 year old man back to the OR because his wound dehisced and I could see a little bit of intestine poking out.

NKOTB and Halloween shopping

First- NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) rocked! Thank you very much Mom and Kelli for the early birthday present. See Kelli's blog for more pics of the exciting event. I would like to note that I never thought that I would be slightly hungover following a New Kids concert but I was.

Second- At exactly what age did all female Halloween costumes become either slutty or frumpy? I like Halloween quite a bit but also pride myself on covering my booty in public. Apparently this is no longer possible when dressed up on October 31st unless I want to where something labeled "one size fits most." In such a dilemma I have compromised by choosing the following Harry Potter get up (it came with the glasses and wand!) with gym shorts and leggings underneath to cover my behind.


I believe it will look significantly less slutty and more dorky on me given that I will probably have a couple beers and start reciting actual spells from Harry Potter.

THE notorious pudding bars!

Skill 2: Recipe sharing

This skill might be more appealing if I had actually tried this recipe but alas I have not yet had the chance. Despite this I am hoping that the results will be good enough that we not longer have to but the bars in bulk (see below) to keep Dad happy. On a similar note, if Gram and Auntie do perfect this recipe to his liking they could start a small business endeavor out of their kitchens. :)

1st layer:

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups peanut butter

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 package (4 serving pack) instant vanilla pudding

4 cups rice krispies

Over low heat melt brown sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup and pudding until melted.

Mix with rice krispies and put in pan. Cool.

2nd layer:

1 stick margarine melted

1/2 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

remaining pudding mix

Mix and spread over cooled 1st layer. Chill again.

Frosting:

3/4 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Melt and spread over 2nd layer. Cool some more.

ENJOY!

Personal commentary:

I noticed there is a lot of "chilling" involved; sounds very relaxing. There is also a lot of "mixing" involved which Molly will enjoy OR for a good laugh you can label yourself "Mix Master (fill your name in here) " and act like that is a totally legitimate name for a pudding bar baker extraordinaire!

Keep tuned for more updates on my sweet skills (and the New Kids concert).

quiz taking skills

seeing that i am now single i think it is time for me to start showing off some of my lesser known skills.

skill 1: test/quiz taking skills

100%ALCOHOLIC

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

that is right ladies and gents! 100% i know it is a quiz on booze but i would argue that my score correlates little with alcohol consumption (since i've drank less than half of the featured bevs in my lifetime) and more with the extent of my trivial knowledge and keen test taking skills.

i can apparently also pass 8th grade science which is great since i've already done it once before.

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

breakups suck!

i'm not ready to talk about it so please consider this the official update.  my heart is broken but at least we tried.  right?

on a more pleasant note... it is exactly two months until graduation day.  

off with the training wheels

First day of the internship today at HCMC's Surgical-Trauma-Neuroscience unit. 7 hours down-107 to go! Think I'm going to start feeling like a "real" nurse in no time.

Note to Kelli- no GSWs today

Mic Check 1-2, 1-2-3

By popular demand (AKA Grandma told me to) I am going to attempt to start a blog.  No promises on frequency of updates but this one's for you Gram!