Earth Week

I know this video seems long at first glance, but before you know it, you're already six minutes and then... it's over! I would like to post some more articles/pictures for Earth Week, but we'll see what how my procrastination abilities pan out.


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My Simple Mind

I don't really get many opportunities to watch television. The only time that is pretty consistent for me is in the afternoon - when seemingly nothing is on. The afternoon is too late (and too early) for all of the good Food Network shows, and it is too early to watch classic reruns of CSI (the original in Las Vegas) on Spike. This lack of options has made me search out for something new. I found several wastes of my time such as Extreme Dating on Fox Reality (on a side note, how can there be an entire channel dedicated to reality TV?). However, I have found several shows that I actually like: The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Scrubs, DogTown (animal rescue), and Code Blue (or some other form of reality show that is situated in the ER). Yesterday I saw the funniest episode of Scrubs. Today I saw a very surprising thing on the Colbert Report. Who ever knew Stephen Colbert could sing like this! Wow. Well, I'll leave you with this video of Stephen singing and now, onto the mound of dishes! :p  

Renewed Invigoration

After my last stressed out post, I found some ways to help cope. First, I decided to buy a subscription to Bead Style magazine. I rationalized this with my resolution to make more jewelry this summer. In buying the magazines, I'll hopefully be more inspired and my inspiration will grow and I'll be able to create my own works of wearable art. 

Second, I'm finally going to commit to changing my position to one that isn't as demanding in the amount of hours that I'm required to work. I know people can work 20+ hours a week and they are just fine. For me, it is mostly brutal. (Warning rant coming!) In working so much, I'm not able to spend as much time doing stuff that is good for me. I miss not being able to go out with Nate or my close friends on a whim. I miss not being able to cook dinner whenever I want (as opposed to 3 nights a week - usually I'm too exhausted anyways). And I miss being able to go to cultural things - even if I can't drag anyone along. 

What cemented my plan to switch positions was an email from Mason Jennings regarding his summer shows. He and Jack Johnson are playing at River's Edge in Somerset, WI on June 22. I think the last (and first) outdoor music festival I was able to dance freely at was the Green Man Festival outside of Duluth in the summer of 2002. I guess there were sporadic trips to Duluth to dance outside of Pizza Luce to WookieFoot and high school dances where people asked if my friends and I were on drugs (because we took up the unoccupied back half of the cafeteria to have room)! Anyways, rambling aside, I need to be in an unrestricted atmosphere and dance my little heart out to music that I like to dance to. If I were to keep my position, I would not be able to live as recklessly as I would like (take a week off here, week off there, etc). 

In addition to the above mentioned stress relievers, I also found a couple websites that I'm really enjoying right now. Baking Bites and Not Martha are my favorites so far.

Me

I don't like who I am. My less than ideal personality quirks have made things - life - more difficult. The latest confrontation I had about me made me feel so awful. Why do I do this? Why don't I do that? More often than not it seems that I could be more ideal if I just shut-up and didn't say anything to anyone. I have gotten better at moderating my comments and anything that comes out of my mouth, but I still am less than ideal. (I'm refraining from the word "perfect" because I am realistic.) 

When I was younger (throughout grade/middle/high school) I wanted to be other people because it seemed like they had everything - the nice clothes, caring parents, lots of friends. Now, I wish I had other people's personality traits. (On a positive note, I'm grateful because I recognize traits that I'm glad that I don't have.) It seems to me that if I were less of a "know-it-all" and more of a _____ (I don't even know what it is trait these people have), my life would be easier. How do I do this? How do I become a better person? I am trying but what if there's a key part that I'm missing because I can't see it and others can? Oh and on top of this - I don't want to be a nurse this week. Hopefully next week my perspective will change. 

Newly discovered oddities

At times, I am strange. Some may already know this to be true, but I am finally admitting it. Recently, I've found that I like to read obituaries. I'm not sure what started this fixation, but I enjoy reading about people's lives - some being very impressive! 

Another oddity is that I dislike when people ask how you are, and since I only use proper grammar when I have to, I say "good." When I return the question, they say "well". What are they trying to prove? Well you, sir, are working at a grocery store. I suppose that I annoy these people just as much because I am not using proper grammar, and am therefore, uneducated. 

During my spring break, my imagination is running wild. I have really odd dreams, and very odd daydreams. (Watching the Travel channel's lists of Best Beaches in Florida, the Caribbean, the United States, Hawaii, and the Sexiest Beaches of the World, only increases my daydreaming capabilities). One dream that I had, I was crawling in three feet of fluffy snow with a machete. 

This is all I can think of for now.

Quick Post

While perusing for some clips to add to our group project, I came across this YouTuber. When I watched the first video, "Grief is Like Racing," I wasn't sure if he was mocking grief or if this guy was for real. Some of the things he touched on were right on the money and sensitive, but Nascar racing??? Honestly, how can anyone take that seriously! 

Further investigation on my part would show me that this guy actually knows what he is talking about! He is a Master's prepared licensed counselor! I can't believe he has only been on YouTube for 2 months and doesn't have a huge fan base yet. Count me in! I think what I like best about him is that he is making light of serious situations and is discreetly offering serious advice. 

Here is one of his videos and a link to his YouTube profile with the complete list of his videos.

BubbaCounselor

I found some new shoes!

While this one isn't exactly like the ones I found, it is still very similar. They are little jewelry boxes that look like flip flops! Very, very cute! And, amazingly inexpensive at $6.50 per shoe. I bought three of them from the Garden of Beadin' to use as gift boxes for some hand made jewelry. 

But I still love 'em

My Danskos have molded to become my most favorite pair of shoes. However, they have one eensy weensy problem - they have put a damper on my love of shoe shopping. Granted, they cost around $100 and that alone would be enough to make some people quit buying shoes. These shoes are so perfect that other shoes can't live up to the standard that my Danskos have set. Even my other "almost every dayers" get jealous because I don't take them out as often as my Danskos. My Danskos fit like warm fuzzy slippers on a cold winter's day. My foot is ying and my Dansko, yang. 

New "do"

I thought it would be fun to spice up the layout of my blog. I found this great website, Pyzam, from browsing another blog. I was overwhelmed by how many different layouts they had. I wanted to do a Valentine's Day theme without it being too corny, and this is what I found! I think it is beautiful, but I can't add sidebar links the same way that I could so nicely with blogger's layouts. They will have to do, though. I have several things that I want to post, so stay tuned!

Nothing is more disappointing

... than a dirty bathroom. My critique of bathrooms started when I was in about the third grade and I hated using a certain bathroom at a well known big box store. I hated it because it was disgusting. It always smelled of cigarette smoke or a stuffy combination of fake flowers and cigarette smoke. It was never clean, and it was always dark and dingy. 

Nate and I had dinner at a well known chain restaurant. A typical plate at this place costs anywhere from $15 - $26. I used the restroom, and it made me completely disappointed with the place. The bathroom was poorly laid out, had strange smell, had a dark, dingy look, and dealing with the faucets was a nightmare! Nothing can ruin a first impression faster than a dirty bathroom. It is one thing if you're a busy nursing student with a part-time job and you only get around to cleaning the bathroom every other week. But a nationally known chain restaurant (and I'm not talking about a fast food restaurant- one expects their bathrooms to be disgusting) should have clean bathrooms. (Not to mention, if you follow a particular "theme", why would you not include it in your bathrooms). I guess what really makes me upset about this is that a dirty bathroom makes one wonder what else is dirty that the paying customer doesn't see in a restaurant. 

Wait for it!

This video is hilarious, you just have to wait until the end! When Kashmira was in Montana, she would get snow stuck in her paws so I bought her a similar pair of booties and she did the same exact walk! Very, very comical to me. (Probably not to Kashmira).

$200...not bad!

I purchased my school books and was surprised to see that I barely spent $200; a definite improvement from the $500 I paid last year! It is still hard to believe that I'm finally, FINALLY, a senior! Usually by four and a half years into college, most people are graduated with real jobs and real lives. Not this cool cat. I have less debt, so I'm fine with the time extension.

However, with this new 'seniority', I'm being forced into giving up this familiar life that I've actually grown accustomed to. School life is kind of convenient in an odd way: all of my loans stay in deferment, someone else picks my life's schedule, holidays and vacations are guaranteed off, and the end is always somewhere in the distance. That distance, however, is extremely illusive - until now. Job searches have been a way to day dream life as a real nurse. Deadlines for said 'real jobs' were always stress free because that wouldn't be me for another year or two. (I've been daydreaming for a while now!) But now I have to remember when hospitals are accepting applications for new grads. I have to decide on an internship that might give me an edge for a job. I have to decide where my life is going. 

Blog turns 2

Upon waking, I experienced a revelation. Not only did I remember that my blog was now two, but I realized why I have failed in the past. I have been extremely negative, and about what I don't know (actually it was probably about everything). It makes me wonder where I'd be if I just lightened up more often. However, there's no sense in regretting my behavior because it will only continue to make me bitter and I'll miss out on what I have.

On that note, Nate and I went snowboarding twice so far this season. That is two times as much as we went last season!! The first time we went up to Snowbowl which is not very far from Missoula. This past time we went to Lookout Pass which is on the Idaho side of I-90. I couldn't believe how much snow they had! In one spot, the snow was up to my mid thigh! Thankfully I was blowing through it on my snowboard and not trying to hike in it! They were also very cheap and on Pacific Standard Time!! I was pretty bummed because I thought we got a late start and the roads were crappy, but when we got there we saw the Pacific Time sign and everything seemed better. We plan on making a trip to Schweitzer, but Nate has to get on that so I am able to take the time off.

Hopefully we'll be able to make a trip down to Big Sky at least once this season. I love the feeling that Big Sky gives me. I love riding their awesome snow, and it is so huge that you can explore a new trail every time you're there. To top it off, sitting in the Carabiner lounge drinking a Salmon Fly Honey Ale, spiced Apple Cider, or delicious hot chocolate completes the day and melts all of your sore muscles away.

Lately, Nate and I have been discussing living life in a ski town. It really sounds fantastic because we'll be able to keep doing the things that we love to do. However, ski towns usually don't have the good paying jobs, even for us 'professionals'! And we'll both have loans that need to be paid. I guess we'll just see where life takes us!

27 days & 20 hours

of freedom from papers, tests, and 6:30 labs! Nate and I went snowboarding to celebrate. I did good enough in my classes, and I'm fine with that.

I began my first book to read for fun over the break. It is called "The Significance of Children and Animals." I picked it up when I was looking for references for a paper. I'll probably also find an easy to read Nicholas Sparks novel. I love to read cheesy romance novels, and he's the best I've found.

As one might assume, I think my brain has shut off. I wanted to write, but now that I'm here nothing makes sense.

The end is very near

We have class tomorrow, one final Monday, and the last final on Tuesday. Very very exciting, but I feel as if I've already taken my finals and have nothing else to do with my time! Huge mistake on my part! I've barely studied, and I know I need to. But, I can't really find a place that is conducive to studying. I'll probably rotate around town visiting the places that sometimes work, but only during their quiet times.

It is frustrating. On a much better note, though, I had a great experience at work the other night. A lady with a chronic debilitating disease joined us. I was honored to have enough time to sit with her and listen. It is experiences like this, that remind me why I am doing what I do. This lady almost had me in tears several times, and I'm not entirely sure why right now. It is just that I really felt like that is where I was supposed to be, and that is where she needed to be. It is interesting how lives intertwine at the most critical moments and something remarkable and beautiful happens because of it.

Enlightenment aside, it still won't help me prove the mindless knowledge I learned from my books and classes. I know it is very important to have a strong understanding of the pathophysiology of disease and dis-ease, but how can they test you on the things that really matter? Okay, I'll leave until after finals to write a hallelujah piece.