31 December 2009

cookies, diamonds, and fireworks


Taking these to Missy's New Years shindig tonight. There are plenty of big parties happening, but I'm more in the mood for a mellow time- just chillen and setting off fireworks without a lot of driving involved.

Been spending a lot of time with Chris this week- mostly packing and helping him move out of his apartment. Oy, so many boxes, cleaning supplies, packing tape, mopping floors, organizing, loading, and trips back-and-forth. Of course he drives the U-haul like he drives anything else- like a race car. Even in the rain. I'd be scared for my life if I didn't have faith that he's a professional driver. We stopped at this cool farmer's roadside stand on the way back Tuesday and got some fruits & veggies. I love those roadside stands. So, it's been a really tiring week but it's also been fun because we get along so well. I'm going to miss hanging out with him!

I'm so bummed that school starts in 4 days. I just got used to being on vacation and now I have to be at school at 7am every day for 2 months. Nooooo. That's freaking early. I don't know how it's going to go- I don't know if I will love it or hate it. I don't know if I will be busier or less busy than last semester. I guess I'll just have to find out.

Oh, check out the diamond earrings Chris got me for Christmas. Pretty sparkly, huh? I pretty much love them and I'm afraid I'll lose them!

Man, another year is gone. It was certainly an interesting one. Hope you guys have/had a great New Year's Eve!

P.S. I ordered a pizza online at Domino's and it's so cool that you get to watch the progress- you know when it's being made, baked, and delivered. Neat!

26 December 2009

work it babayyy

I would just like the record to show that my lazy ass worked out today. I will be SORE tomorrow. Most of the treats are gone, too, so I guess it's time to (really) start eating healthy.

Then Pumpkin got all hyper and decided to mess with my mp3 player. It's so random that she'll ignore me until I get down on the floor to do crunches, then she wants to snuggle and play.


Carrying her prey off in her mouth




Well, she needs to work out too. When I took her to the vet, he said she was overweight. She doesn't look overweight, but I should keep her healthy- less vet bills down the line. No more wet food! I guess we both will be eating healthier.

25 December 2009

Happy Happy

Happy Christmas!
Drinking my green tea and lazing around.

Frankish woke us up at 6am, as usual. It was fun opening gifts. My "big gift" this year:


So when Lappy dies I can get one that's not 6 years old. Yay! I love my mom's drawings. I was lucky enough to get a lot of great gifts- not necessarily expensive, but things that really were perfect.

Wednesday Chris and I drove up to Lufkin to visit his family, and I drove back by myself yesterday. After a long, tiring 2-hour drive back, I got home ready to chill and maybe have a drink- too bad the power was out! I guess the wind was so bad that it knocked like half of Sugar Land's power. I was soooo annoyed!

I ended up calling Jen, who came to the rescue and fed me. We played scrabble and some card games and had a good time, and when I came back home the power was back on- thank goodness.

I think I'm almost ready to start being healthy again. I borrowed the Black Eyed Peas CD from Chris' sister and I think I have some fresh work-out music.

My aunt was cleaning out some stuff and sent some pictures from when I was a kid. Here's two of me and my mom. I think it was around Christmas time, and they say 1986 on the back so I was 2 years old, but I think I look older than a 2-year-old. Check out my mom's big 80's hair, haha.


Hope everyone had a great holiday!

22 December 2009

a little bit of magic

Drinking green tea. Just finished off two pecan nut cups- they're a holiday treat at our house.


Scalloped potatoes w/ cheese in the oven. Our lives revolve around food. Yum. I've decided life's too short to diet around Christmas time.

My dad was pouting this year because the neighborhood decided that you can't win the same award for Christmas lights two years in a row, so he cut back on the lights. Too bad he still won Best Lighting! Just imagine if he'd actually tried...



I'm kinda disappointed that a lot of houses this year didn't put lights up. The economy? Bah humbugs? Dunno. They used to have a group award, and entire cul-de-sacs used to go crazy with lights, with every house going all out.

It was magical as a kid to turn down the street full of shiny, blinking lights and a santa, sleigh, and reindeer strung across the streetlamps across the street. Dayna- remember Fair Acres? That was so awesome. I think you could see that stuff from space, haha.

Our entire street used to put up lights along the sidewalk and lit-up arches at every walkway, and it looked so amazing. I think a lot of people stopped putting lights up because before they didn't want to let the street down in the competition, but now there's no incentive. It's like a little of that Christmas magic is gone this year.

Last night when we were in the mall shopping for mom's gifts (which was totally fun and we were way too loud in every store, haha) we came across the Santa and all the cute little kids were lined up to sit on his knee. The only thing was, people had brought their dogs to see Santa... like a lot of people. We all kinda thought that was strange, but we're really not "those" kind of pet people to begin with. The Santa looked good, too. Real happy and rosy-cheeked and all that.

I can hear my dad snoring on the couch and mom singing carols in the kitchen. We always joke that no one in our family can sleep during the daytime... a nap sounds really good right now. Happy night before the night before the night before Christmas!

21 December 2009

Tradition

Today was supposed to be the day that I started exercising again and eating healthy. Too bad I lounged around and snacked all day. The thing is, I feel absolutely no motivation. I know I might have gained some LBs, but I don't really feel it. In my head I know it's better for me, but I don't really care enough to get up and go. I'm so content with being lazy. I know I won't be ready till I'm ready, but then again I know if I force myself to do it, I'll have it done.

Tonight: mom's gifts. In my family we have a tradition, A few days before Christmas, everyone but mom goes out and shops for mom's gifts. We all have already bought her something separate, but we get her gifts from all of us. Mom usually has a glass of wine and soaks in the tub while we're out. I think it originated when we were little kids and she needed some time to chill out and get Santa's gifts wrapped, but we still do it.

We all go together, and she always gets: Calgon bath salts, some kind of gardenia bath stuff, socks, and slippers. Every year. She loves it. Then we decide what else to get her and we all go to pick out that gift. When you get six people coordinated and hyper, it's like too many cooks in the kitchen. Especially if we have to go to the mall because crowds never make a situation better. It's pretty much a recipe for someone's temper to flare, and there's usually at least one argument. But, it's tradition and we wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, my family gets over things pretty quick.

Then we come home, pile out of the vehicles (this was much cuter when we were little. Now that we're big it's much more like a stampede of grown people who are all hyped up and happy to be done with shopping) and make a big deal out of mom having to stay in her room while we wrap. Correction: While I wrap. Then when the gifts are under the tree she comes out and pokes arounnd a little bit, shakes a few, then we tell her to keep her snout out, we laugh, then we all go back to what we'd normally do.

I made it sound chaotic and annoying, and it kind of is, but it's usually a lot of fun too.

18 December 2009

Happy Joy

Things that are making me happy right now:

The best part of the cinnamon roll- the middle.

This stack of magazines that Jen brought over (THANK YOU)

Finishing up Christmas gifts (although Walgreens is taking wayyy too long to print three 4x6 photos that I need to finish & mail two of the gifts)

Vicky's graduation tonight. An excuse to wear my newest plain little black dress?

The Christmas party and game night/ toys for tots Saturday

San Antonio Sunday!!

The weather right now- cool & sunny

A worm-less cat

17 December 2009

animals are nasty

How appropriate that I just finished Parasitology.

Yesterday I happened to notice something stuck to Pumpkin's tail that looked like a grain of rice. A big red flag went up and the name Diphyllobothrium immediately came to mind. Ugh. Tapeworm.

I picked it off her tail with the tip of my pen, and looked at it closely. Sure enough, it was moving and having a great old time. I gave her the Revolution that keeps away fleas and roundworm and such, then didn't think much of it.

Then, this morning I thought to check the label and make sure it gets rid of tapeworm. Of course it wasn't listed. So, I called the vet and made an appointment. They asked if I could get a sample... Hm. She rarely poops in the litter box; she goes outside most of the time. How was I going to get a fecal/ worm sample?

So I've been following her around with a flashlight trying to lift her tail and find another stray piece, and of course there's nothing there. She hasn't been very happy with me and I'm sure she's wondering when I turned into a pervert, lifting her tail and checking out her asshole. After parasitology lab poop doesn't really bother me anymore. Good thing.

One other thing: and this is really gross. The way the life cycle works is the cat eats an infected flea, and the tapeworm grows in their intestine. It's segmented, and the segments break off and make their way to the poop or the booty hole. That's what I picked off her tail yesterday. When the segments break off and dry, they look like hard yellow seeds.
This past summer, I noticed hard yellow seeds on the windowsill where she hangs out and assumed that they were just seeds from rolling around in the dirt or something. I now know that Miss "Typhoid Pumpkin" over here has been shedding tapeworm segments all over the freaking place, at least since summer. GROSS!! The good thing is, if you eat them they won't hurt you- you have to eat the infected flea to become infected. Still. That's pretty freaking disgusting.

I'm so glad I don't let her on the tables or counters. My bedsheets and blankets are all going through a very soapy, hot wash right now, and her windowsill & amazon box has been thoroughly cleaned.

Another good thing is that tapeworms aren't the worst worm a cat can get. The symptoms are pretty mild compared to others. I wonder how much this little tapeworm episode is going to cost me at the vet.

16 December 2009

some doctors suck

Hm, Frankish is starting to have the same tummy symptoms that I had at about his age. The doctors tell him it's stress and refuse to test him for Celiac because his symptoms aren't textbook. Neither were mine! It's very frustrating and I know how it feels to -know- something is wrong, yet doctors think it's all in your head. You don't feel sick every single day no matter what you eat or do- for no reason. I feel for the poor guy.

I told him to go to the doctor and don't take "it's stress" for an answer without any further investigation. The doctor he went to at the quack shack at school performed no tests. I mean, how can you possibly know something's not wrong without at least checking for H. pylori, an ulcer, parasites, or any of the bajillion reasons your stomach could hurt? I just don't understand. Yes, doctors are busy, but if you don't investigate a patient properly, what is the goddamn point? Just rattle off the most common diagnosis and prescribe some pills- it's a disgrace.

I also told him to demand a celiac test- if at the very least to rule it out.

I'm glad my mom is going with him and she usually gets her way.

Ugh, I'm so frustrated at the lack of good doctors out there. Most of the ones that I've been to seem to not even listen or care about what you tell them. I once had a doctor stop me in the middle of describing my symptoms and prescribe me an allergy pill. I hadn't even told her what was hurting where, and she was already writing it off based on the first thing I said. Didn't even look at my nose with the little light-up thing. I was more than a little irked.

I don't know if doctors start out trying to help and just become bogged down by the system, or if they start out corrupted by the pharmaceutical companies, or what, but it's so disheartening to not be able to trust the "care" you're getting.

Anyway, I really hope Frank doesn't have celiac. That would suck for him.

15 December 2009

shopping

What have I been doing?

Laying around, sleeping all weekend. I was so beat.

Monday I got up and decided to do my Christmas shopping. I went to 6 stores in 2 hours, including some at the mall. Yes, I am a badass.

I got most of the shopping done, and I was so excited about all the gifts I got for everyone. I also made a few gifts, and they turned out pretty cute. I wish I could tell you all, but then I'd give suprises away.

I did get something for myself- a plant that was on sale. I need a houseplant. Good fung shui and all that. I actually had a book about fung shui once and it was kinda neat but there's no way I could ever accomplish it with the weird layout I have.


I have just a few more gifts to assemble, then I'm done for the season. I'm having so much fun with it this year- it's not a chore and it's not rushed or stressful. Once the gifts are done- then I get to start baking!

11 December 2009

Freeee



*one big huge sigh*

Done.

What a semester. Seriously the hardest EVER. And to end it all with a 4.0 GPA? Damn it feels good to be a gangster. (A dorky gangster is still a gangster) I woke up at 3am to pee and couldn't get back to sleep. I figured I might as well get up and study, and I'm feeling it now.

I have been in suprisingly good spirits, and I think it's because of my mini tree and other festive decorations. I've made a point to light the tree every day, and the sparkly garland just kinda lifts a bad mood.


We all got gifts from our teachers: these cute ornaments.


lab rat, te hee


I shall be spending the afternoon cozied up with some homemade hot cocoa, and if I make it out, a magazine.

I am ready to spend the holidays doing holiday-type stuff. I certainly have earned it.

10 December 2009

ONE MORE!

My brain is SO FULL! One more exam tomorrow, the most anticipated one: Chemistry. DUN DUN DUNNNN.

We get to wear real clothes to school tomorrow instead of scrubs. That might be a problem- I guess I've gained a little weight but that's the thing with wearing scrubs: you don't notice because they always fit. I couldn't button my jeans the other day, so I just wore a long shirt and hoped it didn't ride up, lol.

Buttoned pants or not, I'm kinda interested to see what people wear. You don't really get a sense of someone's style when they wear basically pjs every day. I'll probably put way too much thought into what I wear tomorrow.

Got a cheesecake in the oven for the potluck lunch tomorrow. It looks so pretty and I can't wait to just CHILL. I usually over-bake cheesecake so I'm keeping an eye on it. Look at the potential deliciousness!



I've also been dying to go Christmas shopping. I have all these ideas but I've had to quench the excitement and put studying first. Majorly looking forward to that.

08 December 2009

T-minus three...

I want to be here with a magazine:


Not here with Quizlet and body fluid notes:


So far, I'm not failing. There was a heart-pounding moment this morning when I was about to submit the hemostasis final, but I got by.

Three more days!!!

07 December 2009

tummy troubles

Blah.
Woke up last night at 2am with a hurty tummy. Took meds, curled up with a heating pad, and got back to sleep within an hour. Ate a small amount of oatmeal this morning with a sip of coffee, and headed to school. I started to feel better so I ate a banana and a bag of those baked cheetos. Bad idea- just as lab started my stomach started to feel hurty. I took a pepto that did nothing, and I felt light-headed and dizzy, and I broke out in one of those cold sweats again.

I was all in my PPE, and when I took off one of my gloves it was covered with sweat. I started to feel sick like I might gag or throw up, so I took off my lab coat and other glove and walked outside, even while the teacher was explaining everything for the practical. I got to the bathroom and, [this will tell how how bad I felt] I sat on the filthy floor by the door and brought my knees up to my chest, and just sat there. I felt so terrible that I couldn't even move.

For probably 5 minutes I was debating going in there and telling the teacher I felt too bad to do the practical, but I really didn't want to have to make it up, especially during finals week. So I forced myself off the floor and went back in the lab. It took so much effort to get up to do anything. As long as I was sitting and perfectly still, I felt ok. Once I stood up or tried to move, my stomach felt horrible. Several times I had to leave the lab and go sit on that nasty bathroom floor for a few minutes and stabalize.

I got through the practical, although I don't think I did very well. I don't know what the culprit is (gluten? stress? bad food?) but I'm feeling a little better now. I'm pretty scared to eat anything but some white rice, slowly. I hope I feel better soon because this shit had better not happen all week.

04 December 2009

snowww

I got up early and drove up to school to take an exam that I didn't feel prepared for, in a very sleep-deprived state. Fortunately, I did well on it and the afternoon's lab was cancelled because of the weather. Halfway during the exam, someone happened to look up out the window and said, "It's snowing!" So we all looked up and sure enough, it was coming down pretty good.

I was going to come home and sleep, but mom wanted to go Christmas shopping. By that time the snow had turned to rain so I figured the novelty was over. Halfway during shopping (and finding some GREAT deals and gifts), we looked outside and it was snowing really hard, and it was even sticking. It wasn't the usual 5-minute pussy snow that we usually see in Houston; it was like real snow! It was piled up on cars, the grass, rooftops, all over the place! People were outside taking pictures, all excited. I don't know if it was the shopping or the Christmas music or the snow, or a combination, but it put me in a really great mood. It was awesome.

It snowed for the better part of the day, and I got a few pics:



Suzy got some better ones:

Now it's really cold and I'm about ready to snuggle into a warm bed and get some much-needed rest. I'm in for a doozy of a week, and then I get a vacation!!!!

03 December 2009

insomnia

I had a headache that didn't go away till about 30 minutes ago, and even now it's still lingering. I think the pseudoephedrine in the pills I took is keeping me up because I still can't sleep.

Every time I can't sleep, Pumpkin gets up with me and moves to wherever I am. If I go to the computer, she moves to her box. If I sit on the couch, she crams up next to me. If I'm in bed, she's sitting on my feet. Such loyalty for a cat. She's probably wondering what the hell I'm doing up when I'm supposed to be asleep.

Man, tomorrow should be interesting- I have to stay awake long enough to study for Friday's exam. Speaking of Friday, the forecast says snow!! Let's hope.

01 December 2009

happenings

Man I wanted to write about all this stuff going on and elaborate on how great Thanksgiving was and how I passed my 2-year GF anniversary and how freaking awesome my birthday was and how I finished my sticks and all kinds of random stuff, but I'm so tired.

Just finished a 2-hour long quiz that was bullshit!! Please tell me why we started Parisitology in the last two weeks of the semester and added on 4 ridiculous quizzes right at the end of labs, right when Phlebotomy is due, right when we have our most difficult Chem exam coming up, right when Hematology coag case studies are due, right before finals? Because they're trying to kill us. It's a social experiment to see how much we can take before we CRACK! So, in the interest of staying whole, you get bullets.

-2 years! Yay! I feel like I should be doing more cooking at this point. New Years resolution in the making? Possibly.

-Birthday: the day at school sucked but dinner was GREAT. I haven't seen most of my friends in a while and it felt so great to hang out and chill. My mom worked really hard on dinner and on the cake (see GF blog) just so I could have a stress-free, fun birthday. She really is awesome and the day would not have been as good without her, or my awesome friends. I really am loved, and I don't know what I did to deserve it! I'll take it, though. :o)

-I feel strange being 25. When I was a kid and I imagined being 25, it seemed so much more adult-like than I feel now. I feel like I'm letting my kid-expectations down because I don't feel like a grown up. I think once I graduate, get a job, and move out I'll feel like a real grown up. For now, I just feel like a lame 25-year old. It's really strange that for some reason being 24 was ok, but once I hit 25 some line was crossed.

-Finished my sticks today!! It was uneventful except for some old guy who couldn't really speak. It was difficult because it's required that we get them to say their name and medical record number. I had him write down his name but then he kept writing his birthday instead of his medical record number. He didn't seem to understand, but I eventually got him to take out a card with the number on it and we communicated by pointing. I think he knew english because every once in a while he said a word that I understood, but most of it was like he didn't have a tongue or something. Really strange. Sweet guy though and an easy stick.
I felt extra proud of myself because I got one guy and I missed his vein at first, but instead of having someone else get it, I fished around and got it myself, and he said it didn't even hurt. Score for me.

-I'm actually doing okay and I'm on top of all the massive piles of assignments that have been due lately, all at once. Don't ask me how I'm doing it; I don't know! I just hope I can keep it up. For the most part I've been getting As, with the exception of the leukemia test yesterday that I got a 78 on- at this point I don't care. Fuck it, I just want to pass!

-Holy crap I'm tired and I have a cramp in my neck. Bedtime.