21 February 2014

Seaside, Oregon

The first day at Seaside... Awful, but not bad enough to
keep me away from the beach!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to join my godmother and her friend for a trip to Seaside. The mini-vacation was much looked forward to as it fell the weekend after the first week back to nursing school. Though I had to prepare for the trip by studying additional material for the following week, it soon felt worth the extra efforts.

The drive over was long, to say the least - at one point we were stuck in the same spot for an hour. It was ample time to get on good terms with my godmother's friend who had known me since I was little, but with whom I had never really had a conversation. We discussed many things, ranging from books we loved to pet peeves. As strange as it sounds, I felt like an adult. Not a student, not a youngin', but a proper adult.
Of course I ordered pancakes! Pecan pancakes, to be precise.

When we arrived, a full-on storm was raging and we hastily rushed to our room for cover. Though it was late, none of us had eaten in a while so we arranged a motley dinner for ourselves. Unbeknownst to us, such diverse dinners would be our specialty for the weekend.

The next morning I arose early enough to read a book, watch the news, study a little, and make breakfast for myself. The weather had not much improved from the night before, but I ventured out for a run - and came straight back to a hot shower. Eventually we dragged ourselves back into the outside world for dinner and a shopping trip (it did not last long).

One of the things I was most grateful for was the easy-going spirit of my godmother and her friend. For instance, when trying to decide where to eat dinner, I half-heartedly suggested Pig'N'Pancake, a restaurant I remember going to with my family. I figured the women would want to try something a little more upscale and would not go for something more... traditional. To my surprise and delight, they both agreed to indulge me. One may imagine how thrilled I was.
My excitement could not be contained... for long.

Our dinner that night, however, was a little more low-key. It was Mediterranean-themed with and abundance of grapes, hummus, bread, hazelnuts... and triple chocolate chip cookies. What can I say? I do not mind being healthy once and a while. Honestly, it was a fun, chill night. We sat in the warmth of inside, listening to the storm while we watched This Is 40. Although I enjoyed it, neither my godmother nor her friend liked it so we immediately moved on to Kate and Leopold, a film we all knew we liked.

A beautiful last morning of vacation.
Sunday was a wonderful day. I had a proper sleep-in, rising after three snoozed alarms and reading in bed for half an hour. The morning was bright and sunny, perfect for a walk to a coffee shop with the anticipation of a beautiful, steaming cup of espresso (as well as fast wifi). Mass was relaxing and put me in a great mood to go for a long run. My run was only shortened a few minutes by the appearance of clouds on the horizon and forceful gusts of wind, swelling the sand around my feet, foretelling the inevitable return of Our Great Hydration.

With the decline in forecast and my early-evening departure by bus, we decided to make our way over to Astoria in the afternoon to do a little sight-seeing. In actuality, we made it to one pier, took some pictures, sat and drank some coffee, and shopped for antiques.

I cannot express enough how pleasant and refreshing the weekend was after the shock of returning to nursing school. Although nothing terribly difficult or horrible occurred during the week, my mindset was a little boggled and I needed the extra time away from campus to settle myself back into the groove of studying, critically thinking, and caring. The weekend allowed me to catch my breath before diving back in to the chaos that is nursing school.


20 February 2014

Nursing School - Semester Two

As I type this, I am lying on my bed contemplating whether I want to start writing this or whether I want to sleep instead. The thing is, if I went to sleep right now, it would be the earliest I have been to sleep since returning to school. This is not to say that we have been deluged with homework (though we have) but we have been given copious amounts of reading to accomplish and study from.

Not to mention, this weekend will be the second weekend in a row I have left campus for other plans. This means that I have had to complete three extra days worth of studying to prepare for a lack of studying part of tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday. The point being that I have been pretty busy lately. 

If I am not asleep, in the library, or in class one can assume I am most certainly dead. 

That being said, I am enjoying my mental health and pharmacology courses immensely. I also happen to be taking a course on medical anthropology which is fascinating and a course on Spanish healthcare terminology which is very useful. My chronic conditions course is alright so far and I have no complaints about labs. 

As much as I complain about not having a social life because of all the studying I have been doing, I am really having a good time. I love taking the streetcar to the library and reading before bed again. I am looking forward to more family time this weekend, this time to celebrate my cousins' confirmation and my birthday. Following along with my sea side metaphor, the waves of joy and gratitude have increased in frequency as of late and I welcome them with bated breath. 

18 February 2014

Caught in a Wave

Well, as you may have noticed, I have not been blogging recently. Heck, I have not been blogging consistently since last year! What can I say? I have returned to nursing school in Portland and am busy making preparations for opportunities I can add to my resumé.

I promise I will share all... eventually. I just wanted to express my sentiments about returning to nursing school. It is similar to being caught in a wave while body surfing. Feeling like I am tumbling about, enjoying being completely encompassed by water, but also annoyed about the salty sting the water causes - all the while struggling to keep my eyes open to not lose sight of the surface. I may be caught in another wave once I surface, but fortunately, this is where my allegory ends. I have no chance of drowning nor will I panic and retreat to the shore, giving up on an exciting venture.

Anyway, I just thought I would inform everyone that I am looking forward to several parts of my future including providing more consistent blogposts, making more YouTube videos, traveling... and celebrating my birthday this Saturday of course! In the meantime, I am currently very active on Twitter and Instagram (my information is in the Contact page).

03 February 2014

Coco Avant Chanel

This post is a brief reflection on the movie Coco Avant Chanel, a movie I recently watched about the early life of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. Before watching it, all I knew about Coco Chanel was that she had something to do with perfume and fashion.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I now know that Gabrielle was raised in a French orphanage. She and her sister were performers and part-time seamstresses. In the movie, Gabrielle moved in with a gentleman who grew to love her. She instead fell in love with another young gentleman (although it turns out he was engaged to an Englishwoman).

I could not help being astounded by her blatancy and her biting sarcasm. What with the times, it seemed as if she might be a feminist, however, as her story enfolded I doubted that was her solitary aim. Gabrielle seemed to me more like a woman who wanted the world to leave her alone and let her do what she wanted. I thought of how she and her sister were dropped off at the orphanage by their father and not given any explanation why, how she and her sister made a living doing what they could to survive, and how her sister fell in love with a baron who never married her.

What struck me the most about Gabrielle was that she did not accept what could be changed. It was not necessarily her courage or her rebelliousness that supported her defiance (if one can even call it defiance) - it was her decisiveness and cunning. Gabrielle was not ruthless nor proud nor naïve. She just figured out what she wanted, went, and got it. As simple as that.

I looked up some of her earlier designs and compared them to the Spring-Summer 2014 Haute Couture looks. Although it may be said Chanel's designs are classic, I might go above and beyond and say they are elegant and evoked the same response Gabrielle did: striking, yet effortless.

02 February 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII

At the moment I am watching Super Bowl XLVIII with my family at home. There happens to be lots of yelling and munching on snacks. My feet are freezing, but I refuse to move from my position on the recliner in front of the television - not because someone might steal it, but because I do not want to miss the game.

I am live-tweeting the game and as I do, my pride in the Seahawks grows. I am what one might call a "bandwagonner." I did not follow the beginning of the season, mostly because I had just started nursing school. Reading about sports is more complicated that watching sports, so I simply did not keep up.

Watching the 12th Man from my seat, however, I wish I had kept up. The intensity of the fans and their uninhibited joy whenever fortune is in the Seahawks' favor is contagious. I imagine myself a true fan for the next few hours.

I think being part of the 12th Man is like being a member of the Church. It does not truly matter when people join in the celebration, what matters is when and what they celebrate. For instance, coming together for mass every Sunday for the Word and the Eucharist is similar to gathering for games and eating Skittles (ahem, thank you, Richard Sherman) or Rally Fries (different sport, but still).

Earlier this morning at mass, Father had stated that although he knew we were all fairly preoccupied with the Big Game this afternoon, he wanted us to turn our focus to the real reason we were gathered. Of course, my mind then wandered to the game and whether anyone would accost me about my recent public support. Then, as the RCIA members gathered after the Liturgy of the Word, the thought struck me.

No one should give anyone a hard time about supporting a good cause. And with that I say proudly:

GO HAWKS!


01 February 2014

Taking Care of Sore Muscles the Easy Way

My muscles have been feeling a little sore from yoga strengthening sessions, especially my legs. Despite all the stretching I have been doing, my legs are still fairly stiff, so I decided to try an Epsom salt soaking solution. I found the Dr. Teal's brand at my local pharmacy and decided on the Relax & Relief solution with Eucalyptus and Spearmint. 

As I ran the bath with the Epsom salt, I smelled the glorious, refreshing scent of the herbs and knew I would be soaking for a while. I grabbed a book from my currently reading pile, played the jazz mix my sister compiled for me, and settled in.

The bath left me feeling rejuvenated and my legs felt like new! I am so grateful for the soaking solution. The scent lingered in the bathroom for a few hours, but as it smelled so good it was a welcome guest. Also, there was plenty left for future baths which was nice - a great value!