Palm Reading at Starbucks

The first time my sister and aunt met my best friend was at a weekend getaway to my grandparent's beach cabin. Ever since then, the four of us have been as thick as thieves. Fortunately, today we were able to hang out (without the rest of the family around) at Starbucks and spend some... quality time together. 

Among the many topics of discussion arose a new palm-reading application my sister downloaded. I thought I'd share a portion of my results for your enjoyment:

1) Your hand indicates that you like to laugh.
2) Saturn (middle finger) shows that you focus on real world items; usually in an overall manner.
3) Your Mount of Pluto shows that you are highly adept at giving advice to others.
4) Your finger leaning indicates that you make sure to take enough time to seriously think through your decisions.
5) Your thumb shape indicates that you can be very emotional.
6) Your relationship lines suggest that you will have a strong and happy relationship with your partner.
7) Your finger spacing indicates that you will gain authority and rank through your own goals and dreams.
8) Your line of fate shows that you will be successful in whatever you pursue, because you are a very determined person.
9) Your mount of Luna shows that you are slightly egocentric.
10) Your mount of lower Mars shows that you have the ability to over come a large amount of pain.
11) Your Jupiter (index finger) indicates that you are flexible and multi-talented, and who tends to go along with the crowd.
12) Your mount of Venus shows that you have lots of energy and warmth.
13) The second phalange on your thumb indicates that you love pleasurable things like food and drinks. 

Twas the Day After Christmas...

'Twas the day after Christmas and throughout the upstairs, not a person slept in, despite the previous day's affairs.

The wrapping paper, still strewn across the living room floor, made a mess that lead right to the front door. 

The Fragoso's were preparing for a full day ahead while Echo, their dog, was nestled sleepily in his bed. 

With Toya in her scarf and I in my hat, we got in the car for a nice, lengthy chat -
when out on the street we noted no traffic, we looked at each other as if telepathic.

Away to Seattle we drove like a flash, parked in the parking lot, and thanked God we didn't crash.

The sun arose steadily beneath the Northwest fog, which gave luster to everything just like a short jog. 

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature mermaid with two tiny fish tails. 

With big wooden doors, so warm and homey,
I knew in a moment it must be the one, the only.

More rapid than eagles my sister and I came, entered, and shouted, and call'd out by name:

"Now latte! Now mocha! Now macchiato and drip! On frappe! On hot tea! On dry cappuccino!"

"Order one of each! Order one not on the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

A wink from a barista's eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the coffee cups; then turn'd with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, above the counter he rose.

He sprung to his feet, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he vanished out of sight —
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 

The End. 

Christmas Reflections

This past month has been a whirlwind of struggles and tasks accomplished - mainly to do with school and academics. The first week was finishing up projects for three of my classes and preparing for my one and only final the week after. The second week was mostly spend stressing over finals, stressing over a regional club meeting for M.E.Ch.A., saying goodbye to friends as they left for the holidays, and feeling homesick. The meeting went as well as could be expected during a college break. 

Once home, I was able to reconnect with friends and spend plenty of time with my family. We furtively shopped and wrapped around each other as Christmas drew nearer and even got to play in the snow! One evening, my godmother took me to see It's A Wonderful Life performed by the local theater. Eventually my sister arrived and my brother and I embarked on what ended up being a 2.5 hour adventure around SeaTac in the late evening. 

Christmas was well spent with my family, including my grandparents, great-aunts, aunts, parents, and siblings. The food was delicious! I'm a sucker for ambrosia. 

Now that Christmas Day is here, the Christmas season may begin. Merry Christmas!

The Aftermath of an Awesome Weekend.

This weekend was fantastic. There was so much I had planned to do and not only did I accomplish most of it, I had a fun time doing so!

First up on my list was my first ever 5K - The Mustache Dash! It was in support of prostate cancer research and survivors. I just thought it would be a fun run to start with - a sort of trial before the big thing in June. With this in mind, I figured I would aim for a time between 35 and 40 minutes. The course was much hillier than I anticipated, but I took the hills slow in order to spare my knees the pain and after a while I got in the zone. I brought my iPod along to keep me motivated, but honestly I could have done it without the music. The people around me were enough to keep me going! I found myself keeping track of certain people and pacing myself with them.

Anyway, I finished with a time of 36:33 - not bad for my first 5K, I think. Feeling that last burst of energy and sprinting the remainder of the course was exhilarating and something I will never forget!



Next on the docket was Ajax in Iraq. I believe I have already blogged about the play itself, so I will not go into further detail. I just want to comment on the fact that although I was only ushering this time instead of simply being a part of the audience, I felt like I was back home. It seemed that people were genuinely happy to see me and I, them. I even met some of the freshmen interested in theatre!

Immediately after closing was strike. Strike consists of deconstructing the set, rearranging the theatre, packing up the seating, putting away most of the lights, and cleaning. It can be a long process depending on how much help there is. I specifically came to closing night to help with strike, knowing that the reward of eating at Shari's was worthy of a late night. Sure enough, we arrived at Shari's around midnight and left about two hours later completely satiated and exhausted. Good times were had by all.

I crashed (literally - I was exhausted after such a long day!) on the couch at my friend Rhianna's apartment for the night. Several hours later, I awoke to a complete arrangement of breakfast items prepared by Rhianna before she left for rehearsal. The darling! I am not ashamed to say I started bawling. The thoughtfulness, generosity, and overall kindness I had experienced (especially from Rhianna) in the last twelve hours was overwhelming.



It may be needless to say, but I will say it anyway - friendship is a powerful thing.

Now I am left to my studies, but with the anticipation of seeing my family next week, I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed this week.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo
I made this with every intention of eating it with tortilla chips, but ended up using this for breakfast and various other meals throughout the day. Needless to say, it didn't last long. This is a simple, homemade recipe for pico de gallo, easy enough for a college student to replicate.

2 large tomatoes
1 jalapeño
1 small onion
Cilantro
Lemon juice to taste

Dice the tomatoes, jalapeño, and small onion and combine. Chop the cilantro and add to the mixture, with lemon juice, to taste. Eso es!

Lofting

It finally hit me. I have only two and a half more weeks of my first semester of nursing school. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!

I have four papers to complete and one project to present before I have to execute my final performance evaluation in high fidelity simulation and take the HESI (Health Education System Inc.) exam - all before Finals Week. 

That being said, I apologize for any late blogposts or poorly written/edited blogposts. I am doing some major self-care this weekend and I hope to have the energy to blog about it all, but I am also going to be very, very, very busy. Evidence A: my bed right now.

#nursingschoolproblems

Confirmation Class

I may have mentioned before that I am a confirmation sponsor for one of my cousins. Part of the responsibility of a sponsor is to attend as many confirmation classes with my candidate as possible. Being a short while away from Vancouver, one would think it would be easy enough for me to travel from Portland to attend all of the classes. Unfortunately, I am still a college student without a car and have had to resort to public transportation.

Fortunately, Portland to Vancouver transportation is easily maneuvered and I finally made it to mass and confirmation class with my cousins. It was great! I enjoyed spending time with my family and experiencing confirmation class with my cousins.

The class focused on human dignity - a topic I constantly think about in nursing school. It was refreshing to not only be able to talk about it openly from a religious standpoint, but also hear the thoughts of the candidates on the topic. The coordinator had prepared an activity to stimulate our interpretation of human dignity. The exercise consisted of a number of hypothetical situations with the option to make the information about the situations public or private with subsequent reasoning. Ultimately it came down to the individual's perceptions of publicity, privacy, and human dignity.

Dealing with the hypothetical is never easy for me, because I consider several possibilities at once which eventually results in indecisiveness. The candidates, on the other hand, seemed to have specific situations in mind and acted in response to them. I found it interesting from an anthropological perspective that their lived experiences varied little from each other and greatly from mine. For instance, there was a situation about a friend having a same-sex significant other. Some of the candidates thought it should be made public because they wanted to show their support. The phrase "be proud of who you are" was thrown around frequently in the discussion.

As much as I was trying to hang back and not become too involved in the discussion (in order to let the candidates flourish on their own), I spoke up on this particular occasion to play the devil's advocate. I spoke to homophoebia and bullying because I thought it was important to remind the candidates that realistically it is not quite as simple as "being proud of who you are." I am grateful no one seemed to take offense to my input as the candidates continued their discussion.

I truly enjoyed the experience of talking with young adults and sharing our faith. Confirmation class was similar to a refresher course for me and I find I cannot wait until next week!

Ajax in Iraq

The show Ajax in Iraq goes along with the college's theme, "Legacies of War." Not only does Ajax provide a modern adaptation of the Greek story of Ajax, it also presents testimonials from real-life veterans of the Iraqi war. Although I was interested in the subject matter, I mainly went to see it in support of several friends who are in it. I loved the show - the cast members were well chosen, the sound and lighting designs were fantastic, and the costumes and staging were great. It was definitely thought-provoking. Slightly depressing, but thought-provoking.

In Greek mythology, Ajax and Odysseus were two warriors among many other Grecian soldiers who fought in the Trojan War. Odysseus was given the armor of Achilles as a reward for his efforts, despite Ajax having more substantial contributions to the war. The goddess Athena drove Ajax mad, leading him to slaughter an entire flock of sheep. Teclemessa, a Trojan offered to Ajax for a wife, was distraught and prayed for protection for her son while Ajax was on the war path. Ajax eventually kills himself, though Teclemessa pleads him not to.

Throughout the show, the audience also follows the story of A.J., an American female lieutenant in the Iraqi War. The fact that A.J. is being raped by her superior officer does not manifest itself immediately, though when it is indicated, members of her troop do not confront the situation. Once the despair and hopelessness of the situation sink in, it is too late - A.J. has already gone mad and killed an Iraqi shepherd's flock. Before she is arrested, she gives a picture of her son to a friend and tells her friend to tell her son that his picture was the only thing she valued. Eventually A.J. escapes and commits suicide. 

At her funeral, her comrades comment on various aspects of her death and it is revealed that A.J. only had a couple weeks left on her tour. The gravity of the undisclosed events leading up to her suicide weighs heavily on the audience as the troop exits offstage and Athena reappears, surrounding the gravesite. 

I am grateful I was able to see it before Veterans' day, because it gave me a better perspective on veterans. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a popular topic associated with veterans, but what about joblessness or homelessness? There are things that we as fellow citizens and compassionate people can do for the veterans that have put themselves in harm's way for us whether or not they "needed" to. Society can discuss war in the realm of politics all it wants, but the fact of the matter is, soldiers are people that are placed in a range of dangerous situations for one reason or another. Without them, others could/would be drafted and placed there against their will. The least I can do is thank them for their service, whether or not it is their designated day.

Corrido Calavera

Tonight I went to a show put on by Teatro Milagro of Portland called Corrido Calavera. It is about a young married couple, Amanda and Manuel, who die in a car accident and are sent to the world of the dead. There, they meet a cast of characters who try to help them reconcile their deteriorating marriage (pun intended).

It was a great show. It even had musical numbers! The lighting, the costumes, and the characters were all fantastic. I just wish I could have taken more pictures!


It was a black box theater, meaning the entire room was painted black and the audience was seated in the same place as the staging area. I was lucky enough to be seated in the front row, toward the center of the theater, so I had pretty great view of everything.

The main characters hid in coffins on display when the house opened and emerged when called upon by the rest of the cast members to rise again. The cast members all wore black jumpsuits with hoods, gloves, and shoes with bones painted on with various distinguishing costume pieces. Although there were only eight or so cast members, each person played more than one character. It was so amusing to see how their costume changed with their character's voice and mannerisms!

Anyway, I laughed, I cried, I mourned... It was a great night.

The altar in the foyer with pictures of honored deceased.

My New Best Friend

I made a friend today at clinical! Unfortunately my friend suffers from severe dementia.

Many of my interactions with my friend prior to today were brief and tense. I had heard that my friend liked to twist arms, bite, and lick and the thought of a person like that kind of made me nervous. Today however, I was in a strange mood because of the death of a patient I had worked with and my friend must have picked up on that. My friend clung to me all night and kept telling me that I was loved and how special I was.

Although my friend's speech pattern was very strange, I immediately picked up on things by the way it was said. Our communication kind of reminded me of how I interpreted my brother's speech when we were younger. I know that seems awful comparing my brother to a person with dementia, but bear with me.



Saul, my brother, used to talk in a roundabout way. Getting from one point to the next was a journey, but not always a linear one. To get from A to B, he might skip to H or P before implying B. He did not speak in word salad (unintelligible mixture of words and phrases) like my friend, but it was sometimes hard to tell what Saul was actually talking about.

Over the years, Saul has developed in so many ways and I have honed my skill of interpretation. It may be the fact that I am his sister, but most often I know exactly what he means when he says something unclear to others. Whatever the case may be, my friend today reminded me of one of the many reasons I love and miss my brother. I am now going to try and get over my homesickness with - you guessed it - sleep.

Grey's Anatomy: An Overanalysis

Despite feeling weary of my workload, I am grateful for one thing - Netflix.

Now hear me out. I love watching movies, but I honestly do not have the capacity for sitting through an hour and a half or longer film that I would not be able to remember even if I did sit through it. Netflix offers a variety of television shows that I can put on as background noise or watch on a short break. I have no qualms about pausing the show because I know it will still be there when I am ready to continue it. It is better than DVR because I do not necessarily have to share what I am watching with others!

Anyway, recently I have been watching Grey's Anatomy. As if I could not get enough healthcare culture in my life, I like watching the show about surgical intern doctors living in Seattle. There is medicine, healthcare providers, and drama! Although I do not consider it a realistic representation of the healthcare industry, I have picked out several instances where my education has already helped me feel prepared for my future career.

Grey's Anatomy has also taught me a few things - and I am only in the midst of season 2! One episode struck me as particularly important to remember when interacting with other healthcare providers. The episode in which the nurses are on strike reminded me of the fact that all of our responsibility is to our patients. A few nurses are providing specific information about patients they would like an intern to check on and when the intern protests their requests, one nurse replies, "They're our patients too."


The succinctness of the nurse's reply in that particular episode was remarkable. The implication that the doctors were not the only ones responsible for their patients was very clear. Coincidentally, I read about the national standards of interpreters in healthcare for next week's communication class which outlined the practices of interpreters in the the medical process. Although interpreters' role is refined compared to nurses' roles, the common ground is the dedication to the patient.

Why is it then, that the relationships between different healthcare providers can be so tense? I do not mean simply the primary care provider and nursing staff, I mean the shaman, priest, and psychiatrist too. Should patients be metaphorically "claimed" by departments? Holistic care can offer so much more to patients - particularly through utilizing the multitude of resources available in the healthcare industry these days.

November Updates

First of all, there are several exciting opportunities that I have taken advantage of that I thought I would share:

1. I will be participating in the 5K Mustache Dash in Portland in a couple weeks. If you have any ideas for how to make the best mustache or the best costume, please comment below!
2. I will be officially volunteering for the American Red Cross as a blood drive ambassador.
3. I will be attending the show Ajax in Iraq which my dear friends are performing in.

Those are the only events I have allowed myself, despite my efforts, with the next few busy weeks of the term. In the meantime, I will be performing several momentous lab evaluations and completing four critical papers and two crucial exams. Oh, and writing a novel. No big deal.

Why is Monday Nicknamed John?

Because Monday was long.

I am not sure where that cheesiness came from, although today was indeed long. I was determined to get as much done as possible, but the more I progressed, the more unnecessary distractions and obstacles arose. Long story short, today was not my finest day.

I lost my patience and a bit of my compassion. As much as I would like to simplify it to my frustration getting the best of me, I feel slightly ashamed that one "bad" day caused me to react so poorly. I could blame it on stress or lack of sleep, but in all honestly, I could have kept my calm.

I cannot help worrying about how my future career and how I still have so much yet to learn. Late-night shifts, long shifts, and troublesome patients are still in my future and I need to be able to regulate my emotions better in order to provide the best care for my patients.

With all that has occurred today, the most embarrassing part is the fact that I actually feel ashamed of my emotions. Should I really have to "battle" with my emotions as a nurse? If I do, I wonder if it will always be this way...

Daylight Savings Time? More Like Daylight Time.

Well today was slow-going... I was very grateful for the added hour of sleep, because otherwise I would have been in sleep debt an hour. It is interesting that one of the most associated topics with Daylight Savings Time is sleep. Coincidentally, sleep and rest are topics we will be covering this week in our Foundations course.

I am not quite sure I remember the actual purpose of Daylight Savings Time and I would not think of boring anyone with a history lesson, however I am concerned with the thought of the consequences of Daylight Savings Time. I understand enough about sleep to discern that a change in perception of time can disturb sleeping patterns. As a person that typically experiences difficulty falling asleep, I wonder if it will make it easier to fall asleep.

I am also one of those people that gets drowsy as the lights fade into darkness. Will I hibernate this year? Only time will tell... For now, I will advise everyone not to rue the Pacific Northwest winter weather because of the related sluggishness and depression it causes. Definitely take it into account and combat it with an increasing use of lights and an appropriate amount of caffeine, just as I will.

Resourcefulness + Creativity = Surprise!

Don't judge me. I've never been very creative.
Plus, I didn't have any poster paper. Or many markers.
Or someplace completely dry to shelter it from the rain.

Today my aunt returned from a very long, arduous business trip. Having been away from home quite awhile, my aunt deserved a proper homecoming.  With the skills resulting from many years of procrastination and mischief, I made it my mission to provide a nice, if not amusing, reception.

It was surprising how easy it was to track her flight information down without her knowing. Long story short, I utilized her check-ins on Facebook and crossed the information with flight details from the departing and arriving airports.

Once I had her flight information, I sent her a few text messages to throw her off my scent. (Not really, I just figured I would check up on her while I could without seeming conspicuous.) Then I looked up streetcar and Max line schedules and formulated a plan to get to the airport at the appropriate time. After constructing my plans and setting the necessary timers, I proceeded to design a beautiful poster to present to my aunt upon arrival (or wave fanatically as I ran toward the escalator my aunt was descending, squealing). It turned out better than I expected. I even gathered a supply of Halloween candy for her, complete with a festive decorative bag!

My plan was foolproof! Despite the drizzle, I made it to the airport with just enough time to settle in at the designated baggage claim carousel for her flight. Instead of waiting to see her, I texted her to come to the carousel. Honestly, it would have been better if I had not texted her, but I was so afraid I had missed her arrival despite having check the arrivals compulsively on my journey to the airport.

Sesame bananas are ridiculously satisfying with tea...

Anyway, my aunt was pleasantly surprised by my presence and I was satisfied with her reaction - and with having her home, of course! Getting to walk around Portland in search of coffee and ending up at a Chinese restaurant at 10pm, catching up with my aunt over tea and fried bananas made all my efforts worth it.

Also, we both got the same fortune from the fortune cookies we gave each other... Coincidence? I think not.

Sleepovers in College?

In college, there's not really much thought given to "sleepovers," unless it's with a member of the opposite sex. I did not have many sleepovers when I was younger, but the ones I did have were not always pleasant. As a result, I appreciate the classic girls' night sleepovers; the ones with gossip sessions and lots of ridiculousness and giggling.

Now, my friends, God love them (because I sure do!), sometimes oblige my random whims. Like, for instance, having a sleepover in their room, despite having my own room and bed just across the way.

Anyway, it was a nice change from normal. We do frequently eat together, study together, and see each other outside of class, but it was fun to spend quality time together. We talked about things other than school and nursing - such a relief!

The communal self-care did wonders. For one, we reaffirmed our lunacy when together. We got a decent amount of sleep too!

Champurrado

Ingredients:
2 packets Coconut Maizepena (usually found in a Mexican tienda)
1 packet Chocolate Maizepena
1 gallon milk
1 disk Mexican chocolate (I used the brand Abuelita)
1 cinnamon stick
Brown sugar to taste

First, bring the majority of the gallon of milk to boil with the cinnamon stick. Break the chocolate disk into smaller pieces and set aside until the milk has begun to boil. Add in the chocolate pieces. While the chocolate is dissolving, mix the Maizepena into the remainder of the milk. It will be hard to mix as the Maizepena will thicken the solution, but once it is thoroughly dissolved add it into the boiled mixture. Add brown sugar to taste.

The mixture will need to be mixed occasionally to keep from congealing. Serve warm with pan dulce, as pictured below.

A Tasty Halloween

Halloween this year was rather eventful - but not in the orthodox sense. I had been scheduled to man the Dia de Los Muertos corner from 10am until I left for clinical at 2pm. Typically clinical ends at 9:30pm. With such a long day before me, I did the one thing that could immediately make it better - I dressed up!

My costume this year was Snow White. I have always been keen on the Disney princess and after watching the television show Once Upon a Time I have become more and more attached to her. I made myself as pale as I could look without looking dead, and wore a bright shade of lipstick to complete the look.

My friend dressed up as Red Riding Hood, who, in Once Upon a Time is best friends with Snow White. It was a perfect match! We hung out pretty much all day just for effect. (Not really, we just like hanging out together - plus we are in the same clinical group). I even had the honor of curling her luscious blond hair! I think I had far too much fun helping her with her costume.

In fact, I helped put together costumes for several of my friends! If there's one thing I truly appreciate about Halloween, it's the opportunity to show off a great costume. Maybe it's from theatre withdrawals...

Anyway, one of my first tasks of the day included whipping up a batch of champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate) for our Dia de Los Muertos celebration. It was so easy to make and delicious! I decided not to post my own photos with the recipe because the ones I took did not do it justice.

As I mentioned, I was scheduled for the M.E.Ch.A. corner all morning, but some replacements came in time for me to complete a festive scavenger hunt around school. Of course, Red was my hunting companion. Scuttling around campus, we saw all sorts of costumes! The faculty and staff had some of the best costumes.

Unfortunately my day was cut short by clinical. Although I did end up throwing some swimming goggles around my neck to participate in the sports-themed festivities at the care facility, I did not feel quite so enthused about the holiday. Fortunately, we did get off early (by 15 minutes, but still).

As soon as I returned, I gathered my friends and we ventured out to 23rd to hit up Little Big Burger before it closed to get our beloved truffle fries. After satisfying our salty cravings, we then satisfied our sweet cravings through Salt'N'Straw. The icing on the cake was that Salt'N'Straw - pause for effect - did not have a line. The day could not have gotten any better.

From left: Tinkerbell (Milly), Esmeralda (Amanda),
Snow White (Me), and Red Riding Hood (Emily).

...And that was the extent of my Halloween festivities. I returned from the outing exhausted and heading towards a food coma, or as I recently learned, a postprandial somnolence. (What can I say? I'm still a nursing student.)

Pan Dulce y Champurrado

Did I previously mention my involvement with the latin@ group on campus called Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.)? Whether or not I did, I am a co-president of the group and helped put on today's celebration of a Mexican holiday, El Dia de Los Muertos. It is not technically a two-day celebration, but our group wanted to include as many people that attend classes at this campus, especially those that commute, in our celebration. Our first day was a success! There was a great turnout and the pan dulce and champurrado we provided were a hit!!

Our set-up in the common area, complete with an altar with decorations and a list of the deceased we are honoring as well as a bit of history behind the cultural event.

As much as I enjoyed receiving compliments on our display and the food and drinks, I hope that tomorrow we can provide more cultural background to the festivities - it being Halloween and all. I will be making the champurrado tomorrow morning which I will, of course, document and post about tomorrow. I will also provide the recipe for champurrado on the Recipes page.

On a side note: I am very excited for Halloween tomorrow...

Treat Yo Self

Good, better, best,

Never stop to rest,

Until the good is better

and the better, best.

Out of all the things from the Stevens Family show on Disney Channel I remember, I remember Ren Stevens sing-songingly recite this. It is almost poetical how simplistic the rhyme is - especially with its depth. Now, this may be me over-analyzing things again, but I have found myself repeating this to myself every day and wonder if it is damaging my idea of a successful day.

I always wonder right before bed if there are a few more things I can do before ending my day. Whether that be writing a blogpost or reading one more section of a textbook, I always think of one or two more things that I can do to make my day seem more fulfilled. Silly, no? 

With the fast pace of nursing school, I constantly wonder if I am missing out on things. For instance, today I had an episode of New Girl playing on my computer as I took notes for a class. (SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON 2) It got to the episode in which Nick kisses Jess (finally!) and I had to take a moment to recover my thoughts. It was such an expected thing, based on the way the season was going, but it took me completely by surprise. 

Or take, for a simpler example, looking at my cousin's senior soccer photos. I could not believe how grown-up my cousin looked! I still cannot believe time flies the way it does. 

What if I am missing out on things? I do not want to miss out on my loved ones' lives! I do not want to do poorly in school either! I want to keep up with everything all at once! WHAT TO DO?!?!

It occurred to me when I went to get bubble tea and fries (do not judge me - truffle fries and guava bubble tea with tapioca hit the spot after an exam) - that all I need to do is use my rewards wisely. Instead of napping when I do not necessarily need the sleep or watching a movie on my own I could be cooking in the kitchen with friends or enjoying someone's company while waiting in line to devour a delicious dessert (cough*Salt'N'Straw*cough). However pressed for time I may be, spending time with friends and accomplishing other tasks all amount to productivity in my book.

NaNoWriMo

My darling sister reminded me yesterday that National Novel Writing Month (November) is coming up and she is already preparing herself for her fifth year. I, of course, accepted the implied challenge. For more information on NaNoWriMo, check out nanowrimo.org.

ADDED TO THE LIST!

Contemplation

I apologize for the lack of postings the last few days. It is becoming needless to say I was drained from the preceding week's events and needed a break from obligations. This break included my weekly trip to the farmers' market where I purchased pear butter (delicious, try it if the opportunity arises), a trip to see my cousins, and a necessary trip to Anna Bannanas to try a new beverage and study.

Among the hot topics worthy of pondering, the three most popular at the moment are:

1. The list
2. Christmas gifts
3. Jobs

I continually think of good ideas to add to the list but eventually come up with a reason not to add them. For instance, I was thinking of adding a silent retreat to the list, but then I thought it would almost be the same as a day of silence. I could use a few creative minds' suggestions as I am getting restless and want more challenges. Hint, hint. Where should I take this project?

I know I really should not even be thinking about Christmas gifts as it is not yet even Halloween, yet I find myself trying to think of creative gifts rather than strictly material ones. I have one idea for my close friends, but I would also like to do something festive. Any ideas?

I am so grateful for the job I currently have, but I have been thinking about where I want to work in the future. Not the long-term future, the short-term. What I mean is, I will hopefully be getting my CNA license in December and I would like to have a job for January, but I do not know where I want to direct my application efforts. Should I apply for a job at a long-term care facility? Should I apply for a job at a clinic? Should I apply for a job at a hospital? Should I continue to work in food services until I am ready to work in the healthcare field?

Thoughts like these rotate around in my head, sharing equal time bothering my sanity. The weather is not helping either - it puts me in such a contemplative mood! 

Thankful Thursday

It seems as though I have spent far too much time complaining/discussing things I do not like and not appreciating/endorsing things I do like. So, without further ado, I introduce the first Thankful Thursday! ("A month before Thanksgiving? She's crazy." you say? BA HUMBUG.) I will simply write a list of little things that I am especially thankful for.

• sleeping in a whopping 25 minutes
• finding/playing the fishing game on the rowing machine at the gym
• taking a 20 minute nap
• having a nice, warm cup of coffee
• seeing the gorgeous weather and colors of nature outside
• getting my prescription refilled within less than 10 minutes
• being complimented for my shirt
• running late without causing any trouble
• eating a fresh carrot and tomato spinach salad with a slice of bread and an apple for dinner
• figuring out why my resident was anxious around me
• (subsequently) putting my resident to bed
• receiving support from the CNAs and LPN at clinical
• finding out an assignment is due later than I thought

Some of them are not very exciting, but each event made me happy today and I thought I would share some of my happiness. That is all.

The Difficulty of Speaking with Children

I am very uncomfortable around children that are not related to me. I am always afraid I will overstep some social/personal boundary that will make parents and kids alike disapprove of me. I am all too aware of the phrase "stranger danger" and my consistent over-analytical perspective, however, I cannot help feeling tongue-tied whenever I am around a child.

Today we were able to speak with two seasoned pediatric nurses about their experiences in communicating with children. I was in awe of their demeanor and of their attitude toward their patients. I commented on my lack of ease around children and asked them whether it was possible to overcome my boundary fear. They responded warmly that in peds (short for pediatrics), boundaries cease to exist as one gets to know one's patient and patient's family. The nurses spoke about desensitizing the patient to their role through simple measures such as prolonged presence, fleeting touch, and speech pattern.

Part of treating a peds patient is acknowledging their needs based on their age group as well as their individual needs. For instance, if a school-aged peds patient is undergoing surgery one might try to explain the procedure based on the patient's interest in learning and give them some sort of responsibility used toward the burgeoning sense of competence. One might also encourage the patient to then explain the procedure to his or her family.

I do not want to make it seem as though I can now be the child whisperer (that is creepy and should probably not even be uttered facetiously), but by keeping those concepts and tips in the back of my mind, I hope I can now make positive contact with a child unrelated to me. (I have tried re-writing the previous sentence to make it sound less creepy, but let's be honest, a post talking about talking to children is already walking a fine line.)

Disturbed Sleep Pattern Related to Anxiety, Secondary to Nursing School

The title of this post is in the format of a Nursing Diagnosis. A nursing diagnosis is sort of like a medical diagnosis in that it identifies a particular aspect of a patient to treat, however, it is has more to do with the individual, family, or community experience/response to the medical diagnosis or life processes than the medical diagnosis itself. It is basically distinguishing things that nurses can do to affect a patient's treatment experience. I am going to take you through my nursing diagnosis step-by-step, partially because it is an educational experience for me and partially because it is a de-stressing activity.

Nursing school has so many side effects on nursing students. There are obvious ones like increased critical thinking and communication skills, decreased gag-reflex, and impaired writing skills. One major one for me is increased anxiety levels. Up until now, I have dealt with the anxiety-inducing events with ease, following the thought process that the event is going to happen anyway so I might as well prepare as best as I can for it while I can instead of stressing about it. Now, with a completed medication administration performance evaluation under my belt (as of this afternoon) and a major exam coming up tomorrow, my mindset is a bit less accepting. This afternoon, immediately before my performance evaluation, I felt the first symptoms of my anxiety. They diminished slightly after running at the gym, but resumed at a greater intensity after I returned to campus and studied with peers. My anxiety, as it is due to more than one factor of nursing school, is secondary to nursing school.

Although my heightened anxiety is of reasonable concern, it is not my major concern at the moment - my lack of sleep is. A "disturbed sleep pattern" is a nurse's way of saying I am not getting enough sleep for some reason. Despite having the right environment to sleep (a quiet, warm, dark room), an adequate amount of time to sleep, and providing myself with an almost excessive level of comfort (body pillow, three blankets, and a stuffed cat to cuddle - DO NOT JUDGE ME) I am consistently unable to fall asleep. Whenever I try to sleep, my brain will not "power down" and I continue thinking about the same things that are causing me stress, further amplifying my anxiety.

As I write, I realize that the explanation of my anxiety is not complete; I have not spoken to what anxiety is and how I experience anxiety (such as the physical response). I will not go into detail in this post about it as I do want to try to get some rest in preparation for my exam tomorrow, but I will emphasize that everyone experiences and expresses anxiety differently and that some forms of anxiety relief are not as effective for some as others.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my brief explanation of nursing diagnoses! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Why I Like Working.

I sheepishly checked in with my "boss" this morning, a nursing professor, wondering if I had missed anything while I was sick. I had not received any emails nor had there been anything left for me in my box. She says to me, "Oh, no, I just didn't want to give you things to do while you were sick and getting through midterms." WHAT. A. SWEETHEART.

First of all, Linfield professors are the best. Secondly, people like her are why I like working.

I do not know if it is my sparkling personality (wink), but the people I have worked for have not been especially disagreeable. So far. (Knock on wood.) In fact, most of my bosses I have gotten on well with. My grandfather, Guello, used to tell me to make the most of whatever job I get and always strive to do the best job I can. The best-foot-forward attitude was emphasized by my Jesuit-Catholic education in which we were encouraged by the motto ad majoram dei gloriam, meaning, "for the greater glory of God."

As far as making the most of my current job, I am very pleased with how flexible it is with my busy schedule. Knowing that my professor will adjust my workload based on my schedule is a huge relief! Now that I am healthy again and past a couple midterms, I am back to a full workload including researching books and articles on various topics related to nursing.

Researching is fun! I am enjoying the challenge of finding the most relevant and contemporary studies. I actually read through them too - partially to see how best my professor may use them in her course and partially because I become curious about the study.

This job may prove the best yet - I have learned so much already from flipping through packets for class I copied! It may be nerdy, but I really like academic work.

SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED

I am finally getting over this awful cold though at this point, it does not sound like it. I can tell because my aches, sneezes, headaches, and lethargy are gone and have been replaced with renewed energy and determination to study for the upcoming exams.

We have been focusing on cardiovascular (heart, blood, and lungs) function, including tissue perfusion (spreading blood to the body) and related issues as well as medications. We had an interesting lecture by a substitute professor on pharmacodynamics, which is basically what drugs do in the body and how they do it. We do not fully study pharmacology until second semester, but it fit in with medication administration section.

Anyway, once I began studying I felt oddly at ease - comfortable, even. I do not know if it is mostly because my lifestyle very much resembles that of a student - sitting for long periods of time, rarely eating, drinking lots of caffeine - or if I enjoy studying that much. I mean, I do truly enjoy studying, but I wonder if my normal academically-oriented routine has become a sort of relationship.

There are often jokes shared about having a relationship with one's job, but I am starting to worry that I have a relationship with academia. Here are my top 10 reasons:

1. Most of my time is spent with it
2. I talk about it constantly with my friends
3. I can only take minimal breaks from it before feeling slightly guilty
4. I drink far too much with it (caffeine)
5. Sometimes I sleep with it
6. I can look/feel terrible and it does not mind
7. I spend quite a bit of money on it
8. It keeps me awake at night
9. My friends all know it and some even despise it
10. No matter how upset I get with it, I keep coming back

Disclaimer: This might be residual brain-scrambling from being sick.

Television, Movies, and... Dating Advice.

The show Catfish on MTV makes me very uncomfortable. It is about people that have online relationships, that for some reason or another have not met in person. Most people on the show are not who they say they are, which leads to the misconception that all online dating is deceitful. I have never tried online dating, but having known people who have met their significant other through online dating, I have some respect for the process.

Interestingly enough, I started watching the show after I finished watching the movie From Up on Poppy Hill for the second time. The contrast in dating between the show and the movie was striking! Granted, they are not only represent two different cultures, they represent two different time periods. From Up on Poppy Hill is based in post-Korean War Japan, focusing on two students who fall in love unexpectedly. I encourage everyone to see the movie - it is funny and cute and has a great soundtrack and, of course, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.

Catfish shows that a relationship takes time to develop and does not necessarily rely on physical closeness. From Up on Poppy Hill shows that a relationship can occur in an instant and can last. What does this mean for contemporary adults and young adults? Which dating style should we put our trust in? Is love-at-first-sight real?

*CUE ELLEN-STYLE DANCING*

Keep it cool. What's the name of this post? I can't remember, but it's alright, a-alright. JUST DATE. It's gonna be okay. Da-da doo-doo-doo. JUST DATE. You've got a message bud. Da-da doo-doo-doo. Just date. Gonna be okay. D-d-d-date. Date, date, just j-j-just date.

It's Been a Rough Week.

This week has challenged me more mentally and physically than any other week of nursing school. Returning from my relaxing week back home, I literally hit the ground running - I was going to miss the streetcar and have to wait another twenty-something minutes for the next one. I had several meetings scheduled and events to arrange as well as homework and working out. Yet with all that I am doing, I could not outrun the cold that is going around campus. I am currently fighting, tooth-and-nail to get over it, but for some reason, I cannot shake it! I need not tell you how FRUSTRATING IT IS.

With all that is going on, I am more frustrated with the sources of my friends' worries. One of the biggest concerns has been clinical sites that lack concern for residents to the extent that the residents are not receiving adequate care. Another concern has been our research course, which does not seem to satisfactorily prepare nursing students for the papers assigned. The last major concern has been keeping track of all the assignments due for each class. Although it does not seem like a significant concern, the Linfield nursing curriculum is linked with four classes a semester that must be taken concurrently and sometimes course assignments seem to run into each other because they are similar in topic.

 It is unfortunate that some clinical sites do not provide adequate care for its residents, however, as nursing students we should take that upon ourselves to make a good example. This is what we are taught to do - to develop our critical thinking skills and make the healthcare community better as best as we can! It seems daunting for a first semester nursing student, but we are also adults with two years of education behind us.

As far as our research course goes, I applaud students' efforts to go above and beyond realistic expectations of educational standards of nurses. Not many nursing students will go into research, but they still feel the need to learn the material. The students are struggling to write a literature review. Not only have we had very little experience with APA formatting, we do not understand the structure of a literature review. It is one thing to have very little instruction but plenty of resources and it is another thing to have very little instructions and very little resources. Fortunately, students have bonded together and commiserated over the lack of collective knowledge.

The last concern my friends' had was over the seemingly haphazard scheduling of assignments. One piece of advice given to us at orientation was to write all the assignments and projects out in our planners so we would always have a complete reference. The unfortunate part of this, is that professors often rearrange schedules and accommodate to the learning styles of each class. This can form a jumble of problems for those nursing students who like to have clearly defined schedules.

I apologize for my rant, I just want people to realize that nursing students are humans too. My friends and I are all compassionate people that want to be the best nurses, and people, we can be. Nursing school is challenging me in ways I had not even imagined - and it is only the first semester! If all weeks are like this, I may need more support, but I refuse to give in and fall into the monotonous stereotype of a nurse. I am not going to college, putting in this much work, and drinking this much caffeine to end up like that.

#Late

Today's Photo-a-day challenge hashtag is, coincidentally, "late" and so is this blogpost. I meant to write this last night, but I was terribly exhausted after a long, difficult day as well as battling a cold.

My powerful thought for the day came after the aforementioned day and receiving a text from a friend from the McMinnville campus about being in Portland for a show at a theater nearby. I was initially crestfallen, thinking I would not be able to meet up because I was heading to clinical at the time. It was only later that night that I realized I might have the chance to meet up afterward. Three guesses what I did after clinical!

Clarification: the thought itself was not powerful, but the meaning behind it was.

The thought was simply, "Man, I really missed Rhianna." I have not seen my friend in about 6 months and I was overwhelmingly glad to see her. Rhianna's presence has the effect one would think most friends would have - immediate and simultaneous inner calm and abounding joy. Needless to say, I was genuinely happy to be reunited.

My reaction made me think of missing people. I may be the only one that thinks about it this way, but when I miss people, I am either consciously or unconsciously doing so. When I consciously miss someone, I think about them often enough that I feel disheartened that they are not present or gleeful when I can communicate with them. It is more of a physical feeling than a mental thought. When I unconsciously miss someone, I may have a memory replay about the last time I saw them or a prominent characteristic of theirs, but there is no physical response.

Neither is worse nor better than the other - I am still thinking of the person fondly. I just thought it was interesting the different ways I miss people and thought I would share in case others felt the same way.

In Honor of Guello's Birthday: an Appreciation Post

Today is my grandfather's 80th birthday. Now, I don't have many photos of solely him, and the ones I do have are not very good. I think it is kind of a metaphor for his life though... He has always worked for others, whether that be his family, his friends, or the Church. My grandpa, Guello, is who I think of when I think of hard-work, service, and humility.

Guello used to regale me with stories of his youth, particularly of jobs that he worked, conversations that he had, and people he met. He has worked most of his life and has met so many people it is hard to believe he also spent much of his time with his family. Guello is my inspiration for when I do not think I can handle the long, sleepless nights or the rushing days. He never seems to complain about anything, especially working so much. He is always finding ways to help out in some way at church or in the family. Guello's involvement in his parish makes me want to be more involved in mine.

In honor of Guello's birthday, I want to recognize those that humbly serve the community in which they live and/or reach out to other communities in need. Thank you. There are few others like you and I, along with many others that cannot verbalize it enough, appreciate that. Your actions not only physically aid others, they emphasize the inherent goodness in people and give hope to a struggling society and world in constant turmoil. Service truly does make the world go round!

My family celebrating my grandparents' birthdays this past weekend.
As you can probably tell, it was a full house!

Close Your Eyes

As I was walking to the grocery store this morning, I realized how much I love Fall. The beauty that surrounds us in nature this time of year is abounding! I could not help but stare at all the buildings and trees and smile. NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL!

Later on in the day I was administering medications via intramuscular injections (I was giving shots) to the manikins in lab and noticed across the lab that people were self-administering capillary blood glucose (CBG) tests. What was interesting about these people was not the fact that they were voluntarily "sticking" themselves, but that they were not even looking at what they were doing. I understand that for some, needles and probes are scary and feel the need to avert their eyes while experiencing a procedure using them. I, however, feel quite the opposite - I get scared when I cannot watch! My imagination goes wild with all the things that are going on just out of eyesight; it is why I have such a hard time watching horror movies. My paranoia is not unjustified - the vulnerability I experience is discernible.

Much of healthcare relies on actions done out of the presence of patients. Take for example, medication administration. We are taught as nurses to do three checks: one before removing medications, one immediately before dispensing medication to take to the patient, and one at the patient's bedside. Each check assesses the six rights of medication administration: (1) right patient, (2) right medication, (3) right dosage, (4) right route, (5) right time, and (6) right documentation. The checks are in place to prevent medication errors which can possibly lead to harmful effects on the patient. As nurses, we prepare the medications out of sight of our patients and they rely on us to administer them correctly.

After considering the perceived vulnerability during lab, I reflected on my walk earlier today and realized that I could have experienced Fall in the briskness of the air or the sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet. Not being able to observe life makes me uncomfortable, so I wonder why I feel differently toward healthcare. Both closing my eyes and relying on healthcare providers exhibit a sense of trust in the environment or world order. Could it be that human interaction means more to me than interaction with life in general? What does that mean with regards to my life, my character, me as a person? Is this the precursor to an existential crisis or am I just tired?

Heurme- What? Mixing Anthropologic and Nursing Research

Today in my scholarship of nursing class we discussed at length the different types of qualitative research and some of their methods. It was exhaustive - and I am still get confused on what the difference between interpretive, heuristic, and heurmenuitics is! What was most annoying was my professor continually interjecting that we do not necessarily need to know further detail into the area we were studying or confused about unless we go into research.

Anyway, it reminded me of anthropological studies and how anthropologists conduct ethnographic research. It makes so much more sense to me from an anthropological perspective than from a nursing perspective! Nursing research makes me wonder whether I would have been better off as an anthropologist. I enjoy the idea of research, but the thought of obtaining a statistician simply because I cannot understand the reasoning behind the math irritates me. I would rather just do it myself instead of having someone tell me what to do.

The fact that (1) I could not grasp all of the concepts based on what my professor was lecturing and (2) my professor refused to answer questions that lead to a more in-depth explanation of the concepts that I did grasp initially discouraged me from wanting to pursue more information about nursing research. Then it occurred to me that my understanding of anthropological research might actually help me understand nursing research more than I thought. I have scheduled a meeting with my professor so I can express my confusion and interest in learning more about research. I am sure my professor will be confused by my persistence of the topics we were discussing in class today and will dissuade me from questioning the concepts we "do not necessarily need to know," but I hope he will dismiss my inquisitiveness as characteristic of a proper college student.

Who knows? Maybe in the future I will conduct research and implement both anthropological and nursing processes in my studies.

Interview with the Pope: Part One

I finally finished reading the interview with the pope published a few weeks ago! There are many things I want to write about regarding his interview, but I thought I would segment my reflection based on sections of the interview which I thought was very well structured. I appreciated Fr. Spadero's comment about Pope Francis thinking carefully rather than giving quick responses.

One of the first things that struck me was his comment about not being used to talking to masses. He says, "I manage to look at individual persons, one at a time, to enter into personal contact with whomever I have in front of me."It reminded me of a scene in Lord of the Rings where Galadriel, the Queen of the Elves, is talking to the Fellowship and makes eye contact with Frodo and speaks to him while simultaneously continuing her speech to the group. Obviously, Pope Francis is not creepy like Galadriel is and is much more well-intentioned than Galadriel. His statement also reminds me that he wants individual contact with everyone just as God does.

One of the first questions of the interview was about himself. Pope Francis spoke about himself saying, "I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance." What a sense of humility! I often feel what is commonly known as "Catholic guilt" and when I do I am suckered into feeling unworthy of God's love and mercy. As a fellow sinner, I appreciate Pope Francis' trust in the Lord knowing what He is doing because it is hard sometimes (understatement of the year).

I learned a lot about the Jesuits during high school and spent quite a bit of time getting to know St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, so I immediately felt a connection with Pope Francis because of his Jesuit affiliation. When he was speaking about becoming a Jesuit, Pope Francis said he was struck by his constant search for community - something I, too, also look for. Community just so happens to be one of the characteristics I found most attractive about Linfield and am I so grateful for it now that I am here. He also talked about the missionary spirit and discipline characteristic of the Society of Jesus. I wonder now that I am separated from a more direct connection with the Church (being off at an religiously unaffiliated college), how much my education in high school had to do with my positive feelings and responses toward missionary spirit and discipline.

In the interview, Pope Francis says that discernment is something from Ignatian spirituality that helps hi live his ministry. Discernment has something I have always struggled with, so it was interesting to hear what he had to say about and his experience with discernment. Pope Francis spoke so succinctly that I will not summarize what he had to say on the subject:

This discernment takes time. For example, many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time. I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. And this is the time of discernment. Sometimes discernment instead urges us to do precisely what you had at first thought you would do later... My choices, including those related to the day-to-day aspects of life, like the use of a modest car, are related to a spiritual discernment that responds to a need that arises from looking at things, at people and from reading the stage of the times... The wisdom of discernment redeems the necessary ambiguity of life and helps us find the most appropriate means, which do not always coincide with what looks great and strong.

As Fr. Spadero cleverly noticed, discernment is an important part of Pope Francis' spirituality and emphasizes his Jesuit identity. Pope Francis commented on the Society of Jesus, saying, "[it] looks to a center outside itself; its center is Christ and his church. So if the Society centers itself in Christ and the church it has two fundamental points of reference for its balance..." I appreciate the fact that Pope Frances recognizes the tension of an institution in its strive to maintain balance. It is not as simple as "focusing enough" on the "right things." Everything in the preceding sentence seems vague, doesn't it? The same goes for a spiritual life. There must be a dynamic tension keeping one's spiritual life in check - for example, making sure one is neither unconsciously nor consciously selfish. If one is consciously selfish, one will forgo opportunities of generosity, but if one is unconsciously selfish, one will take all opportunities to show generosity simply because one wants to be recognized as being generous.

Anyway, I may not be making much sense, but these are some of the things I thought about while reading about Pope Francis' thoughts about the Society of Jesus and being a Jesuit.

Oh My.

It is definitely getting busier and busier here in nursing school - we are past the introductory stage and into the learn-what-you-want-to stage. As stressed as I may feel, I know it is only because I am pushing myself to get things done ahead of time so I have time to catch up if I have questions or if I want to look up other related things. For instance, the other day in class we watched part of a YouTube video on congestive heart failure (CHF). Our professor showed it to us because of its relation to ineffective tissue perfusion (oxygen not getting to the body parts that need it), but I was really interested in it because I know someone who suffers from CHF so I "wasted" 10 minutes watching the rest of the video after class.

Even today at clinical I felt like I was bustling about the entire time - because I was! I had the opportunity to speak with the physical therapist, occupational therapist, and each of the nurses and CNAs. I also was able to help with perineal care, wound care, physical therapy, toileting, showering, feeding, and drug administration. I even had time to conduct a full health assessment (including vital signs; listening to bowel, lung, and heart sounds; and skin assessment) and work on paperwork on my resident for IEL!

I kept myself as busy as I could (1) because everything is still pretty new to me and (2) I wanted to have as many experiences as I could within the few weeks we have left. Needless to say, I am exhausted and it FEELS SO GOOD!

Nursing Diagnosis

Earlier this morning my friend and I were discussing other majors we would be if we could be more than one major. The self-imposed limit was four, so I chose five:

1. Athletic training
2. Anthropology
3. Psychology
4. Creative Writing
5. Microbiology

Sitting in the fading light of the afternoon helped me contemplate why I was not a double major. There were the obvious reasons (financial, temporal, etc.), but I kept returning to a thought I have had more and more frequently - there is too much to know. With whatever subject topic, there is literally too much to know. 

For instance, before I reflected on the previously mentioned conversation I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to accomplish before the weekend. Added to the stress, I also felt the pressure of having to complete a major health requirement for clinical when I did not have the adequate level of health literacy to do so. (I'll talk about health literacy tomorrow. Point being, my anxiety level was high.) I could not imagine completing and being able to properly understand it all. There was too much to learn! 

My dilemma reminded me of a book I read over the summer called Too Big To Know which discussed the difficult topic of knowledge. It was a bit of a tough read conceptually, but it flowed well. I definitely recommend it for intellectual stimulation. Anyway, it talked about how knowledge has more depth now than ever before because of the increasing amount of knowledge available world-wide. It is actually rather mind-blowing. The book made it a point to reassure its readers that no matter how many books, articles, webpages, so on and so forth one reads, one will never be a know-it-all. As weird as it sounds, thinking about the book and all that it had to say calmed me and helped me focus on the tasks at hand. 

Oh the strange things I think about...

October Photo-a-day Challenge!

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to mention the obvious - October is here! The time has come for me to attempt my photo-a-day challenge again, this time with about a half a month of experience under my belt.

The challenge is to Instagram one photo a day based on the parameters written for the day. I got the list from The Idea Room - a website by Amy Huntley, the owner and author of The Idea Room and mother of five.

I will be using the hashtags #foolishinthecrowd, #theidearoom, #photoaday, #instagramchallenge, etc. I know it all seems slightly redundant, but there's social media for you! I will also be tweeting them. My links are all in the contact page, so please feel free to check them out.

Without any further ado, here's the list!

Activism in the Form of Love

Today I began writing a letter to the store manager of a Starbucks near Linfield. Why? Well, because I love my friends.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet my friend Millygoat.
She's a sweetheart in every sense of the word.
She loves nature and being active.
She's crazy... adorable.
She's also small.
Imp-like.
Little.
AND I LOVE HER!

My friend Milly is an impish young woman I met briefly at a pre-college gathering in Seattle. A year or so later, Milly and I reconnected on a whole other level. One of the many special things about Milly is that she is extremely allergic to several things. She is especially allergic to dairy.

Long story short, the aforementioned Starbucks served Milly milk instead of soy, not once, but on three separate occasions. Milly knows how to handle these kinds of situations - she simply popped some Benadryl and explained to the baristas the mishap. The baristas only offered to make her a new drink. The serious harm that could have come to my friend due to the mishap is primarily the reason I am writing the letter.

I do not want to immediately assume the mishaps were due to carelessness. I know mistakes happen - it is a fact of life. I also understand that some people simply like the taste of soy and do not have dietary restrictions like Milly's, however, I am outraged that the baristas treated it with nonchalance. I had hoped they would realize the seriousness of the situation and offer assistance of some kind, not simply another beverage. The fact that this particular location was the site of the other two mishaps alarmed me. I wonder if the baristas realized the gravity of the situation - Milly's health and safety was compromised due to simply using the wrong substance.

I find it unacceptable as a business to have such poor service. I know there are others like Milly that are lactose intolerant and suffer from mistakes baristas make and I say enough is enough. People need to know that food allergies are important and need to be treated as such. No one's loved ones should not have to be subjected to more discomfort than they have to, especially with something as basic as food.

I am following Milly's lead and avoiding the Starbucks, but I did not think that was enough. I thought the store manager ought to know the reason it lost our business. I hope that in writing to the store manager about my disappointment and concerns, the location will change its practices or at least be more aware the next time a customer with a severe food allergy appears. One can only hope!

In Honor of Guella's Birthday: An Appreciation Post

I would like to try something new... An appreciation post. I want to appreciate all the people that foster the good in someone of a younger generation, whether it be a parent, mentor, sibling, or friend. It is people like you that make such an impact on the youngin's life. You do not necessarily have to put extra effort into taking them to all their sports matches or make them dinner or anything, but that too is appreciated. Simply showing that you are listening to them and taking them seriously or willing to spend some time with them is enough to show them that you care.

My grandmother's birthday is today. She was a huge part of my life growing up and taught me many things, especially things about myself. My grandmother made me feel worthy of being loved and believed in me when I felt no one did. She taught me compassion and how to rely on God, not just through words, but through action. Guella (pronounced Way-ah) continues to be a huge part of my life and helps me be a better person and live a better life. Guella has done so much for me in my lifetime and I don't think I will ever tire of telling everyone.

I know there are people similar to her in the world and I hope they realize they are extremely appreciated, whether the person they have affected is able to tell them that or not. These are the people in society that deserve to be recognized but most often are not because of their humility.

Time has become precious and relationships, complicated. With multi-tasking being "all the rage" and pure relationships like a unicorn, simply showing an interest in what a person has to say and spending quality time with them can foster goodness inside them, goodness that might otherwise be suppressed or neglected.

With that being said, thank you. If you are a person who has ever spent time with a younger person or offered positive advice, thank you. If you have ever put someone younger before yourself, thank you. If you have ever thought about being a mentor, it is never too late.

Portland Marathon Volunteering!

The event of the day was the Portland Marathon - people gathered from all over to complete the 26.2 mile marathon covering an expanse of Portland and crossing the Steel Bridge twice. It was a memorable day for friends of mine who were attempting the marathon and it was memorable for me to be at a race of that caliber for the first time. Although I was only a volunteer, I was qualified enough to be placed at a medic site.

I was initially peeved about my placement - the volunteer coordinator had placed me downtown in a shift that would have allowed me to participate in the weekly book club session with my mother and sister, but changed the mile marker and times last minute. According to the updated placement, I was to be across the bridge in an area of Portland I was not familiar with at a time directly interceding with the book club session. The volunteer coordinator failed to alert my other team members about the placement change and had some scrambling to get to the right location. Anyway, I underestimated how long it would take to get to the new location and arrived late. The remainder of the time was spent mostly treating blisters and administering water and trail mix to the walkers.

Although I had been in a poor mindset at the beginning of the day, I watched the marathoners with increasing admiration. The realization that walking 26.2 miles straight during the hottest part of the day on sometimes rough terrain was no small feat inspired me. I cheered on, congratulated, and encouraged the marathoners as they passed, acknowledging their strength in having made it that far in the marathon and even attempting the marathon.

Despite the lacking communication skills of the administration running (no pun intended) the marathon, the actual participants were a major part of my first marathon experience and for that I am extremely grateful. My experience today made me more determined to accomplish my goal of achieving a 30-minute 5k next June.