A Collection Of Random Thoughts

*I have had the NICEST patients lately.  Seriously.  So nice that I hardly believe that anyone like that exists in real life.  Except that they not only exist, but they have ALL been my patients.  It's stunning.  And also awesome.  And reminds me that my job rocks...even on the nights that it's rough.  It also makes me slightly afraid that I am due for an absolute nut case of a patient...  Not to mention that I have the world's most fantastic coworkers.  Hands down, the best.

*Why does my house ALWAYS feel dirty?  I swear I feel like I clean ALL. THE. TIME.  And then I blink and it's a disaster area.  Again.  Where does the mess come from...I hardly feel like I am home at all, let alone home enough to make a mess!  I told my coworkers last week that if I had to call 911 for something that I would have to throw myself in the neighbor's front yard, because I wouldn't want the paramedics to see my house.  That might be a little bit dramatic, but it's not completely false...

*My insomnia has been absolutely awful lately.  I'm not sure if it's stress related or just bad luck or what, but it's really annoying.  And when I say insomnia, I don't mean poor sleep...I mean no sleep.  Example?  Yesterday finally fell asleep at 10.  IN THE MORNING.  Given that I am usually required to be places all day, this is quite inconvenient. 

*The weather here has been absolutely AMAZING.  Sorry East Coast dwellers!  For almost a week straight it has been almost fall-like weather -- windows down, sun shining, put you in a great mood, amazing weather.  It makes me remember how much I love living in the midwest -- I'm not sure I could appreciate this quite the same way if it hadn't been almost 100 degrees and humid 8 days ago!

*I adore where I live.  Every time I drive down the street I look around and remember just how much I love the area I live in.  It's an older part of town, and so there are HUGE trees that line most of the streets.  I think that it's absolutely lovely, and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

*I can't seem to quit adding things to my "crafty things to make" list.  It's not all written down, which is probably a good thing...it would be a mile long!  There are just so many things I want to make -- and finding so many great ideas on Pinterest really doesn't help!  (this is to say nothing about the length of my to do list in general, but I am sure that goes without saying...)

Image Credit

Random Friday Fun

*This is the official start of spring break from graduate school. Yay for spring break.

*The two ways that I will be spending my spring break are: 1. at work 2. studying for (and taking) a biochem test.

*Tonight is med school prom. I am both embarrassed and excited about this.

*I got a Wii Fit. I love it. But my Wii Fit age is significantly higher than my actual age.

*Having a Wii has confirmed that I am just as uncoordinated as I thought I was.

*I am scheduled to work tonight, which means that I will get to spend approximately 30 minutes at my med school prom. I have asked to stay home on call -- I do not, however, expect this to actually happen.

*The first thing I did last night to kick of spring break was clean and do laundry. Sometimes I am amazed at the good times I know how to have. Seriously.

Middle Name Meme

I got tagged for the middle name meme by Brittany, so here we go. I am sure that your Friday will be much more complete once you know not only my middle name, but more random things about me.

So here are the rules for this MEME:


1) You must post these rules on your blog before you answer the questions.


2) You need to list one fact about yourself using each letter of your MIDDLE name. If you don’t have a middle name use your maiden name instead.


3) When you are finished with your answers, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name.





My Middle Name: Elizabeth





E: Every time I get stressed or nervous, I start fiddling with my fingers. I used to bite my nails (and don't anymore) but the habit of messing with my hands is still there. I tap them like crazy - which is a horribly annoying habit.





L: Lies are probably my biggest pet peeve ever. It makes me absolutely crazy when people lie. And although I am almost completely unable to tell a lie that anyone will believe, I almost always know when someone else is lying.





I: I wear sunscreen every day. In the spring/summer/fall when it's warm outside, I wear sunscreen in addition to the face lotion that has sunscreen in it. If I don't, I will burn. And even when I do, I have been known to get a bit crispy. To make my point, I got a sunburn on Tuesday. Apparently it's time to start slathering on the sunscreen again...





Z: Zoos. I love going to the zoo (although not the one here - I am less than impressed with it, to be honest). And I love taking pictures at the zoo. Shocking I know....you probably never would have guessed if I hadn't told you!





A: All of my movies are alphabetized. Shut up.





B: Baseball is one of my very favorite sports to watch. Go Cardinals!





E: Early. I am early to everything almost everything, because I can't stand to be late. But I know that sometimes being early is just as annoying as being late.





T: Tivo. I adore my tivo. If it weren't for that delightful little box, I would never get to see anything!





H: House. House the TV show - which I am obsessed with. I just discovered it recently, and am thrilled that I can see all of the previous episodes mailed to my house courtesy of Blockbuster. And Courtney also pointed out to me that it plays on the weekends on USA and FOX, which means that there is even more for me to see....hooray! That's right, I'm cheering for reruns of a TV show. I really am THAT easy to please.







So, here's where I break the rules. I am supposed to tag 9 people. That seems like a lot. And it's Friday, so my brain (which has been functioning at fractional capacity) is now on the verge of total shut down. So there will be no tagging. But if you are anxious to share your middle name with the internet, then please let me know! I am always up for finding out more random information about people. Like which is longer - your big toe or the one next to it?

GIfts To Leave Off Your Lists

*King Edward VII had a golf bag that was given to him that was made out of an elephant's penis. Something tells me this is not the ideal gift for the golfer in your life.

*Pills made from the toxic metal antimony were highly esteemed in medieval times as bowl regulators. The pills irritated the intestinal tract, causing diarrhea, and would pass through the body unharmed, so they could be handed down from father to son and mother to daughter as precious family heirlooms. Ew! Ew ew ew ew!

*Pope Pius IX gave Queen Isabel of Spain the embalmed corpse of St. Felix for her birthday. Nothing says Happy Birthday - here's to another great year! quite like the embalmed corpse of a saint.

*The 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Company mail-order catalog offered a selection of hypodermic syringe kits for shooting up heroin. Well it is always nice to give people something that they have a use for...

*Moulay Ismael, the sultan of Morocco, gave samples of his bowel movements to ladies to the court as a mark of special favor. I'm not sure what 'special favor' it was supposed to mark, but I would be fine just being a plain old lady of the court if I could avoid that gift!


So, what was the worst gift you ever received?!

*From 5 People Who Died During Sex by Karl Shaw.

Sunday List #31 - The Return

It's back, another list of five things about me - completely random and in no particular order, as always...

1. I actually slept in until 8:00 this morning! I know, it must be a sign of the apocolypse or something...

2. I've made a serious dent in my Christmas shopping. I would be happier if I were already done, but let's not get crazy.

3. Having head congestion makes it extremely difficult to work out. Not only difficult, but not very enjoyable either.

4. My sister is coming today - which marks the second time that she has been here in the 8 years that I have lived here. The first was when I graduated from college. Don't worry, she isn't doing anything crazy, like coming to see me - she's coming with a friend to go to a concert. But she said she would have dinner - if, you know, she can fit that into her schedule.

5. I'm watching "There's Something About Mary" which I haven't seen in years. It's still funny, although I don't think it's quite as funny as I remembered...

Meme Madness

Someone sent this to me a long while ago, but it's not too unusual for me to average two weeks to return something (oops!). But here it is - my four things meme:

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1 OB RN
2. Student
3. Nanny
4. Little Gym Instructor/Director

Four places I have lived:
1. Overland Park, KS
2. Kansas City, MO
3. St. Louis, MO
4. Arnold, MO

Four places I have been on Vacation:
1. Rivera Maya, Mexico
2. Chicago, IL
3. San Diego, CA
4. Las Vegas, NV

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Italian
2. Mexican
3. Peanut Butter
4. Sweets
*I realize that this is more like 400 foods than four foods, but I was having trouble narrowing it down*

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Out to breakfast - I'm hungry.
2. In an already clean house (instead of the one waiting for me to do the cleaning)
3. Shopping!
4. Ummmm - I don't know that I would rather be, but I probably should be at the gym right now...

And there was also the 'tag four people' portion, but I got rid of that...if you want to play, then join in and consider yourself tagged!

Contrary to Popular Belief

...I have not, in fact, dropped off the face of the earth. But, several days late, here is my Sunday List of reasons why I did appear to have dropped off the face of the earth.

1. I am taking 18 hours of upper level courses. All science and math. Clearly I am out of my mind.

2. On Thursday a friend of mine informed me that she was moving to California and putting her things in storage. This weekend. Luckily, I am the master of packing. But sheesh - it was hard work! Not to mention time consuming.

3. My feeble attempts to spend time with or converse with anyone who is over the age of 3.

4. Wine.

5. Going to the gym. Hey, exercise is important - and I can actually do push ups now, aren't you impressed?!

Two For One

First: Best Shot Monday

Wine...yummy!

Second: Sunday List #24 (Since I never got to it yesterday)

Five Things I Say Way Too Much:

1. Seriously

2. Are you kidding me?!

3. You're making my brain ache.

4. Stop pushing my buttons - you're making me crazy.

5. And singing the theme song to any variety of preschool show here - insert Dora, Diego, Wonderpets, Backyardigans, Little Einsteins, Yo Gabba Gabba!, or another favorite. Or the Hokey Pokey...the boys LOVE the hokey pokey...

Sunday List #23

Since I am currently out of town, this can be the out of town edition of my Sunday List. I'm sure you're all just thrilled to hear it, aren't you?

1. For 40 miles there were signs on the interstate warning of an accident ahead and to expect delays. I'm not sure what type of accident warrents a 40 mile warning, but I was not super excited to find out. So I got off at the last exit before the accident at had the GPS route me a detour....which ended up taking me a completely different way than I have ever been. Which is saying a lot, since I've made the drive between KC and STL approximately 9,634 times. But I took state highways and things for the last 1/3 - and it was beautiful! Not a way I would take every time, but well worth the time I would have spent sitting in interstate traffic.

2. I attended a wedding of a girl I used to be good friends with in high school and college, but who I haven't gotten to see much of in the last few years. Her wedding had everything she always said it would, which I thought was hilarious. And many congrats to her and her new hubby!

3. Being at my parents house causes my dog to glue herself to me at all possible times, afraid that I am going to leave her. While I have never left her here for longer than a few hours, she apparently still has an overwhelming fear that I am going to do so. You would think that my parents and sisters did something other than hold her and feed her treats. But even as I sit and type, she has glued herself to my lap, and only moves her head enough to glare at me if I have the nerve to shift my legs. I do like having a lap dog (most of the time) but this might be pushing it a bit...

4. It is finally not hotter than Hades. I enjoy warm weather as much as the next girl, but it is nice to to feel that I might be able to walk out and fry and egg on the sidewalk. I like my eggs much better when fried in pans anyway.

5. Is anyone else super excited for all the Fall shows to start? Only a few more weeks...

Thursdays Theme - Pretty

Once again, it seems like Thursday is well on its way to being over before I can get my post up. Oh well. This Thursday's theme is pretty...so here's my pretty girl...




And in other news, the brief updates from this neck of the woods:

*The boys are off visiting their grandparents in Michigan. I hardly know what to do since I can do crazy things like go to the bathroom without an audience. Luckily they'll be back soon.

*I've spent HOURS on Organic Chemistry. It all sounds suspiciously like blah, blah, blah - reaction - blah, blah, blah. Two weeks of the semester down, only 18 more to go.

*I'm going out of town for the weekend to a wedding and I have done approximately nothing to prepare for the impending departure. Way to plan, I say, way to plan.

Sunday List #21

1. School started again this week. I almost didn't make it to any of my classes, since I thought I had class on completely the wrong days. Just in case you wondered, this is NOT the best way to start off the semester. But after that things were a little better.

2. I went to the eyeball doctor because I needed more contacts and I thought that my vision was getting worse. On the list of things that you don't want to hear when the doctor walks in is "WHAT is wrong with your eyes?!" This is a sign that things are not so good. And what is wrong with my eyes, you ask? They are warped and I have severe corneal edema. In case you were not clear...this is not good. But with any luck it will get better if I keep my contacts out for a month. Hopefully...

3. One of my classes is a Calculus class. I have previously taken calculus, so I was feeling alright about it. Until I read the syllabus that said they recommend taking all calculus classes consecutively if possible, with no more than a semester or so off in between. So I'm thinking that the 17 semesters or so in between my calculus classes might be a problem...ya think?!

4. Starting a new semester is one of my very favorite things to do. Namely because it involves school supplies and organization -- two of my FAVORITE things. That's right, I'm that nerdy. But you already knew that, didn't you...

5. The movie I am currently watching? My Super Ex-Girlfriend. In case you wondered, it's not that great. But it's dumb enough to be a little chuckle worthy, at least for five or ten minutes.

Randomness Part 3

For your Friday pleasure, a complete random assortment of things...

*For all of you who have not yet finished your back-to-school shopping, fear not. You can order a bullet-proof backpack online. That's right -- little Jimmy can head off to the first day of school with his very own version of kevlar. For all of you who can't wait to get your hands on one of these, check here. (And as a side note, I fault no one for wanting to protect their child(ren), I just happen to find the idea a little shocking)

*I realized at 2:00 am that I had class later that day instead of next week. Perhaps because it was 2 in the morning, this caused me to have a major spaz attack. The middle of the night is not the best time to discover important information - just in case you wondered.

*Victoria's Secret is having a major sale. I love Victoria Secret almost as much as I love sales. So I got all kinds of great stuff...on SALE. How can you not love that?!

*I can't believe that summer is over. Not because it isn't still hotter than #($*&$& blazes, but because school is once again in session. Which, let's face it, is a pretty definitive end to summer.

Sunday List #20 - The Late Edition

1. I am aware that this is the first post in an enture week, and thus this means that I suck. But I have a good excuse...ok, well I really don't have an excuse, but I have been crazy busy the last week.

2. My parents and youngest sister came to visit over the weekend. This was somewhat monumental, as I have lived here for 8 years and my family has been here to see me on less than ten occassions. Included in that count was taking me to school for the first time and graduation. Also included was my emergency surgery.

What never merited an occassion was visiting me on ANY major holiday over the four years that I had to work and was thus not able to travel to St. Louis. So I have spent many Christmas and Thanksgivings by myself...don't you know that they couldn't come here...there are LOTS of people to see then. Apparently I am somewhat akin to chopped liver. Not that I am bitter or anything...

3. Since my parents haven't been to see where I live in a while (and my sister had never been) I spent about a gazillion hours last week cleaning and doing all of the little household projects that I had meant to do at some point but hadn't gotten around to. The first thing that my mom said when she walked in? "Hey, nice cob web up in that one corner" Yep, that's right - I could have saved myself hours and hours of work. I would invite you over for a drink to console me, but now I can't have anyone over - for fear of another cobweb showing up.

4. It is August in the midwest and therefore HOTTER than HELL. Not to mention humid. Although I will be the first to admit that it has not been terribly humid the last few days and that no matter what it feels like anywhere else, I am quite sure that St. Louis in August is the most humid place on earth. And everyone knows "it's not the heat, it IS the humidity".

5. I take the MCAT on Tuesday. I haven't studied even a fraction as much as I know I should have. So in addtion to getting nervous about the test, I am a little angry at myself. Not the make-up for a productive study senario. I would be excited for it to be over, to provide a respite for beating myself up about studying more, but my fall classes start on Thursday, so I'm only going to have a day to recover. But I'm trying not to complain...I could have to go to class the day after, after all!

Sunday List #18 - Accomplishments

I like to think of myself as fairly productive and organized. Maybe I just do that to make myself feel better... But here is a list of things I managed to get done this week!

1. I submitted my AMCAS and AACOMAS applications (the MD and DO school application services). I even got my first secondary from KU!

2. I signed up for the MCAT a second time. In two weeks. In St. Joseph, MO. But hey, it could be worse -- I can raise my score in two weeks....right?!

3. I unearthed my dining room table - my favorite place to put things down when I walk into the door. I was pleased to discover that under all the crap, I actually did still have a table under there.

4. I FINALLY got over my cold. After three weeks. Who is sick for three weeks in July?! I still sound a little horse and I cough at night...but I still see it as a HUGE improvement over the no voice-hacking my brains out-feeling like crap phase that lasted severeal weeks.

5. I renewed my lease. Not super exciting, but at least now I won't be homeless. Not for a year anyway.

Miss me?

I really don't mean to disappear for days on end. I mean obviously hearing about the boring details of my mundane life is at the top of your list of thing you enjoy. And who can blame you?

And so, without further delay, the list of recent hairbrained activities I have been a part of. Enjoy.

*Last night I went to see Wizard of Oz with the boys, Shirley, Erica, and Bryce. Given that the show started at 8:30 pm (and the boys are generally asleep at that point), the potential for disaster was somewhat high. But I am pleased to report that THE BIG SHOW (as Garrett calls it) was a HUGE hit. The show was 3 hours long, and Garrett watched every minute of it. Bennett watched almost all of it before he fell asleep. I love the Wizard of Oz. But watching it with the boys...live on a stage...for the first time ever...was even better.

*Another reason I'm retarded: I made an appointment for 8 am to drop off my car to have it fixed (some little blonde darling happened to put Chuck E Cheese coins in the CD player). This would mean that in addition to getting the boys up and dressed early in the morning, it was the morning after we had all had a late night. Great planning, no? But AFTER we dropped off my car, we had to get a rental car. Now THAT was fun...moving two toddlers, the stroller, the diaper bag, the DVD player, and both car seats - while making sure that Garrett didn't wander out into traffic...what could possibly be more fun that that?!

*Well, what was almost more fun than that was when Garrett ran straight into the open car door. With his forehead. Which caused an instant purple bruise. Not to mention the screaming. LOTS of screaming.

*My LAST physics class was tonight. HOORAY!!! In case anyone has forgotten, physics is a subject that I am totally NOT in love with.

*I think that I am finally not sick anymore. After almost three weeks...I was beginning to think that I was going to be sick FOREVER!

*I returned the response card to a friend's wedding -- and I was super proud of myself for making sure that I got it in the mail. I was so busy being proud of myself that I forgot to put on the response card whether or not I would be attending the wedding. Oops!

Sunday List #17 - Things I Don't Understand

1. How do firetrucks get gas? I never see them filling up at the gas stations...do they have their own pumps at the fire house?

2. Why do movie stars make crappy movies? I mean I can see where some of them sound pretty good in writing and then just turn out differently. But there are some of them that couldn't have possibly sounded less retarded than they appear on screen (ala Nicholas Cage in Ghost Rider perhaps) and get made anyway. I just don't understand.

3. Why people do not keep a calendar. I understand why most people are not as obsessive as I am, but I can't for the life of me understand why you wouldn't keep one at all. Everyone has SOMETHING that they need to remember...or am I just dumber than other people because I have to write things down?

4. How anyone can not like wine. Because wine is seriously yum.

5. Physics. I only have four classes left, but I still don't understand physics. Or maybe it's just that I still don't like it. Either way, I still only have four classes left -- HOORAY!!

Sunday List #16 - The Movie Edition

Everyone has movies that they simply MUST watch if they run acorss them on TV. And don't say you don't, because I know you do.

And my list of 5 that I can never pass up:

1. Adventures In Babysitting (ok, so I have never run across this on tv, but if I did I would have to drop everything and watch it.)

2. Dirty Dancing

3. Volcano (There is no good reason for this, I admit that this is a terrible movie. But I have to watch it anyway...yet another of my very strange compulsions)

4. 10 Things I Hate About You (Because who doesn't love modernized Shakespeare?!)

5. Wide Awake (One of my very favorite movies ever, even though almost no one has ever seen it and it's almost never on tv.)

And what are the movies that you can't pass up?!

Sunday List #15

1. I love to watch crime shows like CSI, CSI:NY, and Medium. Usually they're on right before I go to bed. Which, without fail, will scare the bejeezus out of me and make it impossible to go to sleep, since I'm sure someone is going to jump out and get me when I close my eyes. Gee, with a relaxing bedtime routine like that, it's hard to believe that I have the worst insomnia ever, isn't it?

2. I am a fantastic cook. Seriously. If you don't believe me, I will dazzle you with my culinary abilities. But I've never baked a pie ~ anyone want to teach me how?!

3. Tivo is one of my favorite inventions -- I don't know what I ever did without it! Although I have a feeling that I probably watched a lot less TV...

4. I spent 10 hours yesterday sitting at my desk in front of the computer. On a beautiful, sunny Saturday. But I finished writing everything for my med school applications. Including my personal statement. Finally. After 3 months of working on it. Now I just have to hope that it doesn't totally suck...I don't have another 3 months to rewrite that sucker!

5. Christine is going to join Lifetime Fitness, so now I have a gym buddy! I'm totally excited. Anyone think this is going to get me to the gym more often?! It just might...

Sunday List #14

Things that make me crazy

1. People who blame 'being busy' as the reason that they don't do things. Sorry, but everyone is busy, and everyone has the same amount of time in their day. If it is something important to you, you will make time for it. And if it isn't important, then don't blame being busy, just shut your yap about it. Being busy won't keep you from doing something that you want to do, it's just a convenient excuse to keep you from having to do something you don't want to.

2. People who act like morons. An example: a few nights ago, as I am getting ready for bed (or, getting ready to lay in bed and not sleep, since I have the worst insomnia EVER) the dog starts barking like crazy. Because there are people screaming their fool heads off right outside my apartment. About how they are going to beat each other to a pulp. Lovely, not to mention classy. Seriously. Take your white trash show on the road please, I don't want to hear about it.

3. Filling out my AMCAS application is also making me crazy. I keep track of things fairly well (or so I like to think) and it is still taking me forever to come up with the specific dates and contact people for some of these things. 8 years of activities is a lot to cover.

4. Physics class. It is now half over, meaning that in another 4 weeks I will no longer have to endure another physics class ever. Or at least probably not - I believe I said I would never go back to school when I graduated the first time, and we all see how far that got me...

5. Um, believe it or not, I can't come up with a fifth thing that makes me crazy. At least not one that I haven't whined about before. So instead I will tell you that for the umpteenth time I am watching Murder at 1600. Why are there some movies that get played on tv over and over and over again? Who picks those movies? Because there are some that I think should be added into the rotation...

Sunday List #13

1. As the release of my MCAT scores loom overhead, I know that I can't put it off anymore, and I need to finish writing my personal statement. Which is where the problem comes in. I knew exactly what I wanted to say at the beginning, and I think that it turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. The problem is that now I don't know what to write -- I'm halfway done and totally stuck. I sat for four hours trying to finish it, and only succeeded in writing two sentences and deleting them because they were all wrong. I repeated this process about 250 times in a row before giving up and deciding that perhaps yesterday was not the day to finish after all. Which brings me to today...perhaps I will be struck with some type of inspiration to finish. But just in case I'm not - I'm open to suggestions.

2. Bennett has finally started talking! Not in the actual conversation way, but more in the muttering and grunting way. But in a way that people (ok, most people) can understand. His current list includes bubble, book, and Mimi. Bubble and book are self explanatory. And Mimi? That's me. Where did it come from? Not a clue...but I'm not complaining, it's kinda cute, after all.

3. I adore reading books. I've read two in the last two days which have actually turned out to be pretty good. You would think that I would be studying every spare minute, but even I am not that masochistic.

4. The beauty of an eight week summer class is that eight weeks goes by pretty quickly. The unfortunate part is that we have a test every week. It makes it really hard to put things off. Grrr.

5. I'm more than thrilled to report that, even after repeated trips to the pool, I still have managed to maintain a color that is NOT red. Hooray! Of course I think that this is due in large part to the fact that I don't leave the house without a nice, thick layer of SPF 50, but even still. No sunburn and it's almost July -- I'm thrilled!