Even though I've done it a million times, I hate moving

And I now realize that moving during Finals, during the very first quarter of nursing school, in the dark and pouring rain, was probably the.worst.idea.ever.

There are few people who give me Tonya Harding fantasies

--aka, I'm tempted to give them a swift kick in the ass if not to the kneecaps.  Sadly, sometimes one of those people is my mom.

DEE:  Is everything OK?  What was she calling about?

ME:  The usual.  Mom wants to move into an apartment already.  She's tired of being at [treatment facility].  She's also complaining that Philip [lawyer and family friend] charged too much for her case.

DEE:  Did you remind her that your uncle's divorce lawyer quoted 20K to handle all the medical and legal stuff?

ME: I tried to talk about everything that she has going for her.

DEE:  What'd she say?

ME: She told me, "Well, I guess I can be thankful that I wasn't run over by a car today."

DEE: You should have told her that the day ain't over, and she's lucky she's not standing in front of your car right now.

ME:  Ha.  Right, merry thanksgiving to everybody.

When the time for a haircut sneaks up on you

I agree, Dee needs a haircut.  Me too, although I think the resemblance to musical sensation MacKenzie (on The Voice) is cute on her.

Hear, hear! Harumph.

I wasn't kidding when I complained the other day after clinical about hearing loss (something I've worried about for awhile). Now I'm concerned that I'm missing out--on murmurs, bruits, rhonchi, the list goes on. Someone suggested an upgrade to a Cardio II or III stethoscope.  Both are pricey, but I may just have to suck it up; kind of like investing in an extra strong pair of designer glasses.  Either that or shell out money for a hearing test.

In other news, I've been active about expanding my cooking repertoire (working my way up to actual Filipino dishes).  Baby Bro and I always had fun making dinner for the family back in the day, and I feel like getting back into the swing of things in the kitchen.  Tonight, I used my handy dandy crockpot to braise some Country-Style Pork Ribs in Ginger Ale & Hoisin Sauce:

http://thekeenancookbook.com/dinner/braised-country-style-pork-ribs-in-ginger-ale-hoisin-sauce

I changed the ginger ale to ginger beer (because, big surprise, we had a bottle on hand in the fridge) and also substituted pearl onions for scallions (the scallions at the island grocery store were looking a little sad).  The ribs still have a few more hours to slow cook, but they're producing beaucoup yummy smells throughout the house.

Tis the season for...death by pumpkin?

OK, I think I need to cut back on the pumpkin treats (except maybe for pumpkin ale, it's not technically a sweet).  All that spiced sugar must be going to my head because I suffered a lovely case of stupid this week and ended up studying the WRONG FRIGGIN'  SECTION for the exam.

Uh huh, instead of studying abnormal sleep patterns, I somehow decided to study tube feedings (which won't be tested until the mid-term).  Needless to say I panicked when my classmate started quizzing me about sleep disorders on the morning of the exam, and I realized that I had completely forgotten to review the notes from that particular chapter.  Thank goodness my classmate was kind enough to go over the the outline with me (and that I had at least attended and supposedly paid attention during the Sleep Lecture).  I owe said classmate lunch--but am electing for running to the convenient store for a hasty Amazon card while I focus on getting my shit together.

Visiting ghosts and ancestors, if you're listening, I didn't think this was going to be a cake walk.  If it's alright, I don't need any more April-Fool-ishy scares over the next 24 or so months.  Thanks and happy halloween!

Bruno Mars channeling Sting and MJ's lovechild!

Dee "just wasn't thrilled".  Don't ask me why, smh.

One down, one nurse to go plz

Four weeks into the quarter and I have to say, I kind of like it.  I haven't forgotten that my Fundamentals instructor (who's also the director of the program) mentioned at orientation that first term is the easiest and that most people quit next term (when we have our Med-Surg rotation).  Still, considering how long it's taken me to get here (friend Amy, who sat next to me in General Statistics class, is finishing up her last year of Pharmacy graduate school; oh yeah, she also says she's "super proud" of me), it's a relief that I haven't felt an urge to run for the hills.

Last Friday was my first day of clinicals.  I didn't cry or get the giggles, I didn't make the patient cry, all in all it was a huge success.  Dee's confided that the first time she met with a patient during nursing school, she sort of "blacked out" and afterwards couldn't remember anything they'd talked about.  I did manage to bump my head on the arm of the Hoyer lift while I was making up my patient's bed, which fortunately only resulted in minor embarrassment on my part (versus frank bruising, loss of consciousness, etc.).

While I realize that it's not all about the school supplies, I *heart* my stethoscope.  Dee gifted me with an engraved Littman in VIBRANT pumpkin.  The tubing's a "loud" enough shade that I shouldn't lose track of it; plus Seventies Retro Orange always reminds me of my alma mater (woo hoo, Longhorns).  Now I'm contemplating a penlight to match my new school colors: