Weekend Update

In an attempt to avoid studying at any cost, let’s have a weekend update!

Last Friday I had the pleasure of being my cousin’s confirmation sponsor. It was really an honor, and the ceremony was very nice. My aunt (Cioci) hosted an awesome after-party with great food and fun- we had a bunch of sacrilegious but entertaining religious-related games. Honestly, my relatives are so creative: throwing coins into a poor box, bursting balloons with a flame pin to get out of “Hell”, rice bowl races, playing "Name That Hymn". Fun, relaxing, and nice to see family I haven’t seen in a while.

Just as nice was spending the day in Princeton showing MT around before the ceremony. I had forgotten what a connection I have to this other Ivy town. Not only do my parents still work and own land there, I went to grade school there for nine years.

Because MT still lives where he grew up, I think he takes for granted how familiar everything is to him. By showing him Princeton from my point of view (aka, all my childhood memories), it helps us understand each other better. Plus, as we talk about the future (the 5 years away future), it helps him realize what a sacrifice I’ll be making moving to a suburb near him (he needs a volunteer fire dept, but that means I have to leave my center city condo and will be taken out of the familiar -- again).

Saturday/Sunday was spent meandering around Center City. After a delicious breakfast in Fairmount (French Toast with nutella and bananas, almost orgasmic), we visited MT’s aunt and uncle who live near Rittenhouse. They’re very interesting, traveling people, and their stories were a riot. The night was capped off my a Korean place, which was honestly my first Korean food. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan- so to wipe that taste out, we got a Whole Foods cake. Amazing!

I’m getting really excited for the upcoming holidays. I can’t wait to see everyone I’ve been missing! And moreso, I can't wait for everyone to meet the love of my life, Sligo, at some point!

Winter Blues

Winter is here, and now, everything that comes with it. Ugh! I know that it's partially genetic and physiologic (and probably psychological, too) but every time it gets cold a couple things happen.

First, I start fuh-reeezing. Freezing leads to over eating. Over eating leads to getting fat. Getting fat gets me depressed and despondent. And that gets me no where, other than more of all those things.

Second, this is the first time that my hands have actually started to really, really hurt with the cold weather. It seems silly, but it's so true. The worst is when I have to bike to work... I keep hot packs in my gloves, but it really doesn't do that much. I'm starting to have trouble texting, typing, and piano-ing now- which really, really scares me.

Third, I start to spend crazy amounts of money that I don't have on useless things that I totally don't need. I blame it on being the Christmas promotions. I guess they work! Also on a money note, I have to turn my heat on to stop from shivering (honestly? my heat is on 68 degrees and I'm still wearing a coat, hat, and gloves).

But I am tired of always being a negative nellie. Seriously- please start calling me out on it! It has gotten out of hand! So here are some positive things about it being winter:

-I get to wear scarves again, and I love scarves!
-my cat is not shedding nearly as much
-getting dark earlier means I go to bed at a reasonable time
-cute hats (esp. my new kanga one- note above, spending money on things I don't need)
-good excuse to have more coffee/hot cocoa (delicious)
-winter means that the next season is spring!
-Christmas/New Years/MLK Jr. Day
-Speaking of Christmas, dressing my cat up in Santa hats

...and off to Target!

Halloween Weekend

Halloween was a complete disaster. I feel totally guilty for making my friends come downtown from the NE/DelCo/SoJo, but I thought it’d be worth it. I banked on them having a good time at the bar I went to the year for Halloween. Well, when we get to the bar, we’re not allowed in because it’s a private party. And this is after I called the day before and asked about their Halloween specials! Why didn’t they just tell me when I called?! Anyway, I did enjoy dressing up in my Amish bonnet and hanging out with the girls, but I do feel terribly guilty that the night ended up being so quiet. (Although I personally blame the Phillies Parade- it kind of wore everyone out, and most people were still in Phillies gear at the bar instead of costumes. But I guess I shouldn’t complain, the parade was awesome!)

The weekend got a little better after Friday, and I celebrated my anniversary. We went to a Moroccan restaurant and it was delicious- baba ganoush and all. Spent the night just walking around downtown with some gelato as a night-cap. All in all, a nice night.

It’s funny to me that one year later, sure, MT and I still go on dates, but the dates are so different. We used to go to movies, and now we go to Home Depot. We used to go out to nice restaurants, and now we get excited about Taco Bell (probably a little too excited… volcano taco, anyone?). But the nice thing is that I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Even though we won’t live together for another three years, it still feels like we’re a real, grown up couple.

In other news, I’m just hanging on in grad school. I need to get B’s for my job to pay for my classes, and for the first time ever, I am nervous about the rule. If I don’t get B’s, I will be out $8000 that I totally can’t afford/don’t even have/never planned for. I am also slightly nervous about my clinical sites. I find out the week before Christmas where I will have to go for the following nine months of my life- I just hope they are not to far away. I can’t imagine driving 2 hours three times a week for nine months!

Tampa! Awesome

YESS! TAMPA BAY! Now we might have a phighting chance! (Terrible joke, sorry...)

Wow, I totally haven’t updated in a long time. What a good time to update…such a good weekend, and now it is finally coming to a close!…tear.

Started off with celebrating Eliza’s birthday, at a trendy Mexican restaurant- after getting out of work 4 hours early!- with some delicious deserts and people.

Next day I get to actually see MT for the entire day! We go to a wedding for one of his friends, but luckily some of my friends are there too. The wedding was in the top five that I’ve ever been to: it was a big wedding, and by the end of the night, there was no one sitting down- and there was no room left on the dance floor! It was so classy, pretty, fun, yet relaxing and entertaining. Overall, just a great time. It was nice going out after the wedding, too. I have to admit- it was the most fun that I ever had as a designated driver, haha.

Sunday was also a good day. Even though MT and I were supposed to study for 50% of the day, we actually didn’t study at all…oops. But it was so nice out, and it was great to enjoy the nice weather before it gets too cold. Went to a new brick oven pizza place, and had delicious wings/pizza. Got to see my cutest-baby-ever nephew. Watched TV, played with the cat. Just a nice relaxing day overall. How often does this happen now?

And holy crap, when did it get so cold out?!

Priorities...

Since I have turned 25, I have had trouble getting my priorities straight. Before, priorities used to be easy. When I was little, my priority was getting home on time from school to watch TailSpin. When I was a teenager, my priority was avoiding my parents as much as possible. As a college student, I did work so I could eventually get a good job. Once I got a job, my priority was to enjoy myself as much as possible.

But now it is a different game. I am no longer in my early 20’s; I am now in my mid-20’s. And this leads to a whole new slew of possible priorities.

Should I put my job first? After all, it is my career. But school is also part of my career; should that go first? And what about my health? Shouldn't I be seeing the doctor, having lab tests, and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, 3-5 times a week?

And what about the rest of my life: shouldn’t my family, friends, and boyfriend have spots in there too? What about my new interest in yoga and cooking? What about blogging? What about those stacks of British chick lit I have to get through?!

Although it is impossible to accomplish everything, everything must be done- which makes prioritizing not as fun. The nature of prioritizing is realizing that something, something, will have to fall by the wayside. And now, at the young age of a mature 25, what will that be? I’m scared that life will always be this way from now on. I am scared that all those “I want to’s” will be replaced with “I should’s” and “I have to’s.”

But please life, give me a break! I really need to get to all that British chick lit!

Recent Obsessions

1.Yoga. So I went today for the first time to a yoga class, and oh my goodness! I totally got my butt kicked!! But in a good way. Even though my back is sore, I dripped about 4 liters of sweat, and I don’t think I can walk for three days, I’m still happy that I went. There was even an Olympian in my class! A woman’s rower that actually lives in my complex. Who knew? The other funny thing about yoga: some guy I briefly dated was there.

2. Touch-screen gym equipment. I just renewed my gym subscription to Penn (cough, haven’t been to the gym since February, cough), and I am totally amazed! All the machines are brand new touch-screens that let me plug in an ipod, use a usb drive to record all my workouts, and gives me a personal electronic coach to encourage me. It’s really awesome.

3. The color orange. It’s amazing- it looks good on scarves, Flyers’ jerseys, and pumpkins. It’s not really stuck to one season, and better yet: I think I look pretty darn good in it, too.

4. Scrubs, the TV show. I’ve started watching all the old seasons. Why didn’t someone get me into this hilariousness years ago? It’s so classic! I’ve totally been missing out!

5. T-shirts with funny sayings. Okay, maybe I should have outgrown funny shirts ten years ago in high school, but I think they’re just so cute! Especially with the change of season; I can totally layer them over long sleeves and add a scarf….

6. Fall. About damn time… I’m tired of sweating my non-existent balls off.

7. Keurig Coffee brewer. There is absolutely nothing as amazing at 6am: waking up, and having a beautiful cup of coffee, freshly brewed, two minutes later.

8. Saying “Dude.” I am not quite sure why I keep saying it, but I really need to stop… especially after I called my boss Dude last week. Not. Cool.

9. Sligo. Sorry to say it again, but I basically have the best cat in the world!

10. Wanting a house. So, even though I have a condo, I have recently been craving a house like candy. Suddenly I want a garage, a backyard, a dining room… at least I’m over the baby thing, haha. I probably should cut back on the search online though, because I keep getting emails from realtors. Oh boy.

Unit next time!

Moving on... Down?

That's not how the song goes. It should be moving on up. Unfortunately, that's not the situation with my boyfriend and me.

I recently asked the Martster to move in with me. Let me preface: MT is moving back home next June so that he can go to school full time for a year. At the same time, his grandmother and his sister are also moving back in with his parents. That means that there's not even a room for MT to live in except in the basement. Also, MT can't afford his car while in school, so he'll be taking the train from the NE to Center City every day.

What's that, you say? It'd make more sense for MT to live with his gf who actually lives in Center City? And it'd prevent him from living next to a washing machine? And his gf won't have to drive to the NE to see him- and hang out at his parents' house?

The funny part is, I brought this up to him again tonight, and he actually said, "You asked me to move in with you?" Oh boy...

In the end, his reasoning is that he'd feel like he's free-loading. Relationships are give and take, but I'll respect his reasoning. He's already brought up where he wants to live when we do move in together (independently and before I asked about this). That makes me think that I'm not getting played. We get along so easily and perfectly that I'm not going to let this one thing ruin our fun. I mean, I'd rather this than not be allowed to eat cheese*.


*BF's in the past have imposed this rule.

Career Questions

As it stands, I am a PACU nurse. That means that I recover patients from anesthesia after any sort of surgery (and I never knew there were so many!). It also stands that I should be graduating from Nurse Practitioner school August 2009. In fact, I only have pharm, technology, and three clinicals left!

So this is all well and good, but I still feel like I should have some ICU experience before I actually become an NP. If I never go to an ICU, I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life. The problem is that PACU offers me a sweet schedule and is not terribly stressful; the next three semesters are going to be super stressful to get through. Do I really want a tough job on top of a tough school semester? Do I really want to go back to working every third weekend, every other holiday, and night shift for half the year?

Maybe, if I want the experience. With ICU knowledge, it'd be easier to get an NP job. In fact, an NP with ICU experience will always get hired before me, with just my floor and recovery experience.

So I'm stuck. Right now, I figure I'll stay where I am, and then go to an ICU after I graduate next August. Besides, I have to stay at my hospital in order for them to pay back my last year of tuition. The only problem there is that an ICU may not hire me for just a year or two (it costs about $32,000 to train a new employee). Blimey.

At least I'm only 25. But holy crap, I'm 25 and old. Agh!

Baby Bug

If you ask me, I'll admit it: I have totally been bitten by the Baby Bug! Those wacky female hormones are kicking in and sending out smoke signals, begging for a baby of my own. Of course, being 25 and unmarried, I am totally, TOTALLY not ready to have kids yet.

In order to curb my Baby Bug then, I recently watched my godson Lukey Pants (at least, that's what I call him, and will call him till he's 16 and very embarrassed by it). Luke is absolutely a wonderful baby! He's cute, he doesn't cry too much, and he's very healthy and playful. Sure, he spits up and grabs my hair, but isn't that just adorable?

I took Luke out in one of those baby carrier things, where you strap the baby on the front of you like a papoose. Can I tell you? The people of Rittenhouse Square treated me entirely differently! Suddenly, cars were waiting for me to cross the street. Women wearing Jimmy Choo's were polite to me. The people sitting outside at Parc (Steven Starr's new restaurant on the square) cooed at this baby. How wonderful for society to act like this to a baby! Maybe there is still some good in the world...

So for now, my Baby Bug is at bay thanks to the cutest nephew ever. But I better get some buns in the oven within the next decade, or there'll be some words!



Also, on a complete side note, I enjoyed the looks from pregnant women I got. Clearly, they thought I was the mother, and clearly, they thought I looked good for just having a baby. Let's hope I get that look again some day, and next time when the baby's actually mine!

ps- please, no one mention this in front of marty, i don't need him thinking i'm desperate for a fetus!

Mind your own... bikini's wax?

Last week, I decided to add to my list of reasons that I am a woman. So far I have covered the whole ability to have children, lots of estrogen (even hcg in po form), and although tiny, boobs. I figured it's been a while since I've added anything to my female repoitoire, and went for the big guns. No, I'm not pregnant- but in case I was, at least now I'm prepared.

I gave myself a bikini wax at home.

I'm not quite sure that anyone could ever, ever, EVER prepare for the pain and suffering that is one with the wax job. In fact, on a scale of 1-10, it was the worst pain I could ever imagine and at least a 17. The bad part? You're inflicting the pain upon yourself. The worst part? Once you start, you really can't stop- unless you want your new nickname to be patches.

For everyone that has never done a wax at home or never plans to (my advice), there are two options. The directions tell me that a heart/triangle shape is the "american" and the landing strip is the "european" style of waxing. Who knew? We settle in a different country, and suddenly I need different pubic hair.

You heat up the wax in the microwave, apply it with a stick to a 2x2 area, and then immediate rip it off in the opposite direction of how you applied the wax. In one word: ow.

Another word of advice on the subject would be to follow all the directions. Apparently, you're supposed to use some kind of soothing oil, test the heat of the wax on your wrist, not let your cat stick his nose in the wax, and not ride your bike to work the next day (and not to work with underwear on at all for the next three days).

I have to say though, despite all the pain, I do feel more like a lady (although posting this blog entry probably deems otherwise) and the skin is silky smooth (ie, like a baby's bottom). In the future, I will be willing to pay the big bucks for some lady in some sketchy salon in the northeast to torture me. Bite block and wrist restraints included.

Facebook: Over It

Ah, Facebook, MySpace's little brother that ended up more successful and better looking. Since joining Facebook as a senior in college, it seems to have become a staple in my life, to the point where I try to check it at work, at home, and when I am on vacay at the shore. Almost obsessively.

Well, no more is this so. With the advent of "applications," I've really just become more annoyed than anything else. No, I don't want to be a Zombie, have a garden patch, or travel the Oregon Trail with you- especially if I haven't talked to you in >4 years. And no, I don't feel the need to a have a bumper sticker wall (although I admit, they are utterly entertaining), or a Super Wall where you can leave graffiti messages for me (I live in Philly, you can do that on my building).

Does anyone else remember a summer ago, before the change to the "News Feed"? Do you remember that when you logged on to Facebook, you just ended up on your home page? In a way, by adding the News Feed, it took away the fun that could go with facebook: seeing who could dig up the newest text-worthy gossip first.

So, I guess my hot-and-heavy relationship, that I gave up for 40 days back during Lent, has really cooled off. Don't get me wrong, I still check facebook every day- just not obsessively so.

And don't worry, if I find out something good, I'll be sure to still text you immediately.

Happenings

Recent happenings:

1. Had an embarrassing and total meltdown in work because I didn't get the day off that I wanted. Total mess: crying uncontrollably, eyes all puffy. Awesome. Good work julester.

2. I woke up a day ago, only to find three pairs of underwear and two bras in my cat's litter box. I don't remember putting them there, and I'm not sure what Sligo is trying to tell me by doing it.

3. Speaking of Sligo, I am still torn between whether or not to declaw him. Is it really that bad for the cat?

4. I went to a 13 hr. funeral celebration. I say celebration, because I have no other explanation for eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my boyfriend's extended family other than that. All I know is that they're upset that I'm not Irish. My, my- how the tables have turned.

5. My old purple bike got a flat tire, and I left it outside. It got stolen...

6. I bought a new bike! It's a hybrid, and although it's new, it was slightly discounted because it was slightly broken: I can't shift into 6th gear ever. You know what I say? 5th or 7th gear are really enough for me, thanks. 6th gear is overrated anyway.

7. I ran out of kitty litter, and I really should address this issue, but I'm hoping that it will sort itself out. (There were lots of double constants in that sentence, no?)

8. My hair has finally grown long enough again for me to put it in a ponytail. Yay!

That's all for now. Check ya later.

Swipe? My Ass!

The wonderful people who run HUP have decided on a novel new way to make nurses feel like professionals; they have now decided to make us swipe in and out on a time clock like the lowly shift workers that we are.

Now, I wouldn't be that upset about this, but there have been a few changes that have slowly been driving me crazy. First, they decided that we can no longer wear our own scrubs, we have to wear a solid blue uniform. Fine. Next, we can no longer wear sweaters (when it is absolutely freezing!) that are made out of fleece. Fine. Then, they up the price of our benefits, and we don't get any raises. The time clock then? Just the icing on the cake.

In a way, I agree with the time clock. It makes all of my co-workers stay the time that they are supposed to, and no one can sneak out early... thank goodness. But, in a way, I feel like it took away a part of my professional status. What did I go to school for? To wear a uniform and swipe in and out at a time clock? Clearly, that is the case. They cannot keep telling us that we are professionals, urging us to go to conferences/back to school/etc., and then infer that we can not be trusted to come and go as we please.

I heard today from one of my friends that other hospitals are beginning to give nurses salaries. Well, that doesn't really make much sense to me, and I would much rather go hourly. There is my conflict: I want to a stay an hourly employee, but I want the professional status of a salaried position. Can't I have my cake and eat it too?

I'll say one thing: I best be getting my two 15 minute breaks and 30 minute lunch if I'm not going to be paid for it. And I'll best be using up all my vacation time now... in a timely manner.

The Cat without a Meow

So, after weeks and weeks of looking, I came home today with my prize: my cat Sligo.

He's gorgeous! He is a 1-2 year old black and white tuxedo cat (he came from a shelter originally, so some details are a little fuzzy). It was so strange; as soon as I met him, I felt an instant connection with him. So in a way, I guess it's love at first sight.

After going to a christening and graduation party, I went out and bought cat stuff... I got the works: scratching post, litter box, etc. So what does he end up liking? String. And biting my toes, apparently. Strangest thing though? The cat has not meowed once. Ever!

Anyway, there is going to be a total learning curve here, or at least there better be. For lack of a better term, I am a total scaredy cat. The cat moves, and I'm jumping. And even though I am going to love him to death, I am pretty frightened by him making jumps for my head and the biting of my toes. I really like my toes, and honestly? I prefer to keep them. I also prefer that my nice leather couches not be completely torn up, but we'll see. Sligo and I have a few things to work out.

Marty and this cat are totally awesome together, may I add. Marty has a way with animals; who knew? Well, he can handle me, so I guess that has to say something, haha. But on the Marty note, this cat will totally distract me from the lack of Marty recently; ever since he started going back to school, we can barely see each other. Which is fine, but I got spoiled by seeing him every sunday. Now, I can totally replace Marty with a cat. Or at least in some ways (the cat'll probably smell much better).

Anyway, I'll let you know how my jumpiness goes, whether or not my cat has the HIV, and the Marty situation goes. Later.

Weddings, etc.

Okay, so, it seems as though ever since I turned 25, there has been one consistency in my life: weddings. Why does it seem like everyone and their mom is getting married? Oh wait, that's probably because evvvveryone is getting married!

At work, the chatter is all in the air: look at my ring! did you get order the flowers yet? where is your reception going to be at?... now, okay, this is fine for work-talk. It is generic and polite by taking an interest in a co-worker's life event.

However, it seems that this wedding-bug is even getting into my friends. I recently went to a wedding shower (for ha, a wedding), and everyone was talking about when they were going to get engaged (18 months in advance, because any sooner than then would be too long of a time period, and probably sooner than later because spring/summer 2010 is already being booked up quickly). What happened to the,"Hey, how's the career?" or the,"How is your sister/brother?" No, now it straight to wedding talk.

And another thing. It all feels like some silly kind of competition. "Did you see her dress? Def less than $5,000." "Those appetizers? Didn't cost over an extra $3,000." "She registered at Tiffany's!" Since when did a wedding stop being about a marriage and a commitment to someone you love, and start being about price tags?

Maybe I'm just bitter because everyone around me is getting married, and I'm not even close (and he doesn't have the Internet, and doesn't know about this blog, so it doesn't matter what I write). Or maybe it's the fact that I still feel like I am too young to get married, and want to accomplish more before I have a ring on my finger. Or maybe it's because I'm realistic and realize that so many people are forgetting that there is a MARRIAGE and LIFE-LONG relationship that should have attention paid to, rather than to how much a ring costs, what reception hall you booked, or the colors of bridesmaid dresses.

For my future MOH (Man of Honor) out there, know this: keep it simple. Don't spend a lot of money. I want the focus on my future marriage, not on my 6 hour party and 500-plus picture albums. I want the focus to be on emotions, not on cake decorations. I want the focus on love, family, and my favorite people, my friends.

You know you're getting old when...

I am at work, and I had to be in at 7am. Last night, I didn't get to bed until 1am because my boyfriend played with his band at the Khyber. And honestly? I am getting too old for this! The sad part is that I only had one drink, and I am STILL terribly under the weather this morning. Aw well.

On another note, another goal is that I am going to try to eat healthier- not to lose weight or diet, but just to feel better physically.

Okay that's all for now. Later.

25: the Birthday Dish

So that's it. I'm 25. In the words of the now terrible Grey's Anatomy, "When did this happen, and how can I make it stop?"

But it's true. It seems just like yesterday that I was sitting on a giant yellow moon chair (from Ikea) in my freshman year dorm room, eating animal crackers and marshmallows dipped in icing... even if I did just eat that yesterday. How could that moon chair moment be from 7 years ago? And more importantly, how am I really that old?

And now, I am in deep, folks- I am in my quarter life crisis. I am not finished my masters degree. My career is not perfect. I am not married/engaged/a mother (thank goodness). And I just cut off all of my hair. This isn't what I thought 25 would be like at all! Shouldn't I have discovered the cure for AIDS or saved a rain forest by now?

So, instead of waiting until January 2009 to issue a new set of resolutions, I am going to use the carpe diem approach, and start now. Right. Now. This blog is going to be dedicated to my epiphanies and realizations about what I want to/should accomplish within the next five years- before I hit the big 3-0, and things start to go really fast.

First things first, I want to get a list going. I'll add things as necessary, but for a start:
1. Volunteer more
2. Get a cat (you know, to start my crazy cat lady collection)
3. Learn yoga

Actually, those three things should keep me pretty busy until 26, at very least.