Well, looks like I'm dropping out of school

www.joyofbaking.com

www.tastespotting.com

Upon careful consideration of our true calling in life, Lora and I have decided to drop out of nursing to pursue a Bake-and-Blog Blog. I capitalize it as if the term actually exists, but that's debatable (but if it doesn't, it should). My dad has a giant sweet tooth and loves to bake, which has resulted in birthdays and Christmases of Kitchenaid mixers, blenders, rolling pins, and other random kitchen-y things most people don't want until they're wandering lost through bill-sonoma registering for their wedding. Once someone pointed to my canisters on my kitchen counter and said "I think my grandmother has those."

She must have fantastic taste.

I digress.

In the kitchen, I am my father's daughter. I love to bake, I want it to be perfect, and I'm kind of impatient. Not as impatient as he is. Last summer his impatience messed up the final step of my first tuxedo cake - see how allllll the ganache dripped all the way down to the plate? Thin and stringy? Let it cool ten minutes, no more no less, and pour. TEN minutes and pour. Around 8 minutes --> "Eh that seems good enough," and look what happened. Left to my own devices a few months later, I waited the full ten minutes. 

(But it was difficult)

Basically what I'm trying to say is that I own a really precious yellow Kitchenaid mixer, so I'm well-equipped to pursue this new career if the NCLEX doesn't work out in May. Stay tuned.

We've been given our parts in the nativity play, and I'm the lobster.

Thank God this movie is on TV right now. I've been stuck in clinical case study hell since 10 this morning, and I'm still not finished. I'm really just trying to get done with it so it won't continue to ruin my weekend, but the ol' attention span has checked out for the night. Anyone want to hear about blood glucose control with low glycemic index formulas vs. high glycemic index formulas for tube feedings in patients with diabetes?!?! Me neither.

Me. Neither.

On my flight back from Florida this past Thanksgiving break, after I finished watching this movie (Love Actually, if the title of this blog and giant picture mean nothing to you) on my laptop I decided to click on the director's commentary in the special features to kill time. (I'm aware that that sounds like a weird thing to do. I didn't even know director's commentary existed until we had to watch it for A Beautiful Mind in my freshman seminar. Don't knock it til you've tried it) Truly, I recommend it for anyone else who loves this movie as much as I do. All the actors are involved in the commentary and talk about the movie as it plays through. Did you know that Hugh Grant is wearing two different ties in the scene that he first meets his new staff because of a wardrobe mistake after he took a nap? Or that the original scene with that little kid running to the airport gate involved him doing ridiculous flips and gymnastics to get there? Yup. I'm full of useful information.

Oh, I tried McDonald's coffee today because I was walking over on that part of the drag this morning. Tasted like coffee. Not sure what all the hype is about. I also bought a Powerade for the bum who asked me for one on my way in. Consider it my Valentine's Day good deed. He told me to have a blessed day, and I then dropped my coffee and spilled at least half of it. I'm blaming that (and the fact that I've been typing this effing case study all day long) on Friday the 13th.

Happy Valentine's Day, whether you're celebrating or not. Get in the spirit - watch some Love Actually, eat something dark chocolate-y, give a bum a Powerade ;)

Benadryl. Getting me through nursing school 25 mg at a time.

It's sort of ironic that I have technically mis-used medication the night before every. single. clinical day since the start of nursing school. What started as a way to help me fall asleep early enough to make 5:30 seem a little less like the middle of the night has turned into some weird superstition. Benadryl before bed, scrubs out of the closet, stethoscope in my bag, penlight/scissors/what-have-you already in the pockets, oatmeal in the morning, the Bobby Bones Show for the drive over, and at least 5 or 10 minutes to spare so I can sit in my car long enough to convince myself to get out. If my morning is thrown off before I even walk in the door it's hard to get back on track. OCD much? Most parts of most clinical days don't ever go according to plan, so the first 45 minutes belong to me. Bitch.

...That being said, you can imagine my mental state last week when I realized my alarm went off at 6:15, not 5:15.

Prescriptions for benzos should be attached to UTSON acceptance letters.

Dear Diary?

I stalked some random blogs people have posted on facebook and got inspired.

At the start of the year I took Emily's suggestion and started a "senior notebook" - I had big plans to write at least something every day - things people said, something I enjoyed, something I hated, whatever - and print out pictures when I had them. I did well for a while, and I liked going back and reading random details about days I'd forgotten to remember. My ACL wristband is in there along with some birthday cards, pictures from weekends downtown, and some random write-ups I had to do for pedi clinical from days or patients I wanted to remember. Unfortunately it was a little ambitious of me to expect to keep up with that thing for more than a few months. Enter: Blog. Maybe this will be a little easier. I hate to forget the little things, and I love having them written down, but damn. Printing and cutting out pictures is irritating - I hate the little scraps left over. Enter: Blog again. 

I've had a wonderful weekend. Sleepless in Seattle, long run through downtown and campus, new clothes, new hair (well, not new, but trimmed), Master Pancake Theater mocks the Matrix, too much fun downtown, too much drink downtown, a wicked hangover this morning that resolved itself after a latte and a manicure, Town Lake jog, smoothies, a little productivity, and absolutely not watching or caring about the super bowl. 

By the way, I've never been a big nail polish person, but I think it's weird that I'm never going to be able to have polished nails as long as I'm working in the hospital. How opposite-of-fun is that? Anyway, now that I'm back in clinical I can't keep something on them to keep me from biting them. Thus I'm forcing myself to get manicures sans polish so my nails won't look horrible. If they look nice, I (hopefully) won't bite them. It's my new year's resolution.

Want people to stop reading your blog? Start talking about your nails. 

I've really, really enjoyed reading all those "25 Things" notes that are spamming around facebook. I like knowing new things about people I don't know very well, and I've actually learned a lot of new things about people I do know well - my own brother, for goodness sake. I know some really interesting people, but I guess I already knew that. I'm having one of those weeks where I'm really aware of how many special people are in my life - sweet ain't it? And true.

How many times can one person use "really" in one paragraph? Mrs. Gafford would slap me.

I'm not sure I'll keep the dots as my blog background - I prefer stripes - particularly on my dish towels. And for wild dance parties on Carnival Ecstasy. STRIIIIIIPES! Conquest's dance club didn't do it for me - Henri's? Please. "Let's go to Henry's. Yall."

Time to go get organized before saving the world tomorrow, one asthma-action-plan-for-Pflugerville-school-nurses manual at a time. Most dry public health clinical assignment.. ever..? Yep.