Ahh, the life of an adult...

Today's the first day I feel like I've had off in a while, since I spent the last cluster of off-days worrying about and studying for that dang NCLEX. I decided to spend it not in bed, surprisingly enough! Yesterday was my 25th birthday, so I decided to pretend it was today instead (though it's notable to include that my family surprised me with dinner and cake and gifts when I got home last night, and it was totally awesome...so I guess I'll consider that a kickoff.)

ANYway, I followed Justin to Johnson City, and while he's taking his CPR class, I'm going to troll this fine city and do some hardcore window shopping to find a small birthday splurge (which I will purchase with my long-awaited first big girl paycheck!).

I think teenage EmilySarah would see me and want to be me one day--sundress-clad and tucked into an armchair at Starbucks, cooly typing on her boyfriend's iPad and mulling over what in the world to do with the whole free day ahead of her, intermittently distracted by tramp stamps and someone's half-finished, botched sudoku, Damien Rice playing in the background... That's certainly a sign that stuff's going the way it should. I'm SO going to get used to this.

Me, RN

I can't actually believe I did it. This is so cool.

Cake Balls

One of my school friends had a rather huge party to finish off nursing school. We're talking 10 pulled boston butts, a live band in the barn and beers as far as they eye could see! All we had to do was bring a side item and party on down. I decided to try my hand at cake pops, sans "pop." Drunk people roaming a farm leaving little white sticks everywhere? Nah. ...So this way they're eco friendly.

I hardly feel like this is a recipe...more of a how-to. BUT it's super easy and messy and can be done in spurts!

The Goods

1 cake mix (I did funfetti and red velvet)

1 tub of whatever frosting goes with the cake mix (funfetti and cream cheese, respectively)

melting chocolate (or white chocolate)

decorations (sprinkles! drizzle! icing!)

How-To

1) Make sheet cake. I guess you don't have to, but it cooks faster and cools faster, so...

2) COMPLETELY cool your cake and break it into chunks. Put it in a bowl.

3) Dump frosting into the bowl too! I added sprinkles for the funfetii, just 'cause.

4) Don gloves (you don't have to, but I wanted to not be sticky). Mush contents of bowl to a paste-type consistency. Mmm...

5) Form the cake paste into balls! Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. They're starting to to look like the real thing! Cover and refrigerate for several hours. I left them in there overnight, because I was tired of looking at them by this point. 

6) Melt your chocolate according to its directions. Coat the balls and let them set. 

7) Decorate liberally! Ta-da!

Change!

Hello! I'm happy to announce that for the next month or so I'll be posting not merely as EmilySarah but as EmilySarah Phillips, Registered Nurse Applicant (that's RNA for short, thanks)!

As if a new degree, a new job and a new dwelling place (soonish!) wasn't enough to wrap my head around right now, I decided to do something I never EVER do--I got my hair did (I think the last time I set foot in a hair place was in early 2008...yikes.). It's not like my hair's down to my knees or anything, I just learned, over time, to cut it myself. Why pay someone to do something I can easily do myself, right?

Because I was tired of my flat, almost wavy hair, and I can't do this without the help of a pro:

I think I like it. I'll know for sure when I wash it and style it myself. And since I took this photo after a windy evening of bonfire/cookout/barn party merriment and a toss-and-turn slumber, so it has to get better.

What I like almost as much as the curl itself is the surprise that the salon used an organic perm. It doesn't have the usual chemicals, so it's less harsh on my hair, and--the best part--there's no skunky nastiness following me for the next few days. Sweeeet.

Holy Crap!

My nursing final is on Tuesday. Pinning is on Wednesday.

...how did this happen? And where was I?

I swear, yesterday it was snowing, and we were putting up Christmas decorations...and now I never have to go to a nursing lecture again? And my job pre-screening is TOMORROW?!?!

I don't believe it. Not one bit.

...And oh my god, I have so much to study.

My Family FTW!!!

My mother went back to school when I was 14. She had always dreamed of being a teacher, and I like to think that I set that plan into motion when I was conceived. She was shortly thereafter ordered to bedrest and ended up quitting her accounting job to stay home and manage me. Just kidding...you know, mostly.

Long story short, she's now the most motivated, hardworking and inspiring teacher I've ever met. She alway goes to work early, stays late most days, adjuncts at our alma mater, tutors and teaches homebound students. We usually can't go grocery shopping without a student or parent hugging her and telling her what a difference she's made in their/their child's life.

For these and many, many more reasons, I'm so proud for her that her hard work has paid off in a way she hoped for but never expected: last Tuesday, my mother (and another lady) won the 2011 McGlothlan Award for Teaching Excellence.

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I wasn't at the ceremony. I was at a graduation party that one of the healthcare corporations planned for the area's nursing students. They had casino games for us to play with fake money, and at the end of the night there was a blind auction. It just so happens that Justin is very good at black jack and won quite a bit of fake money.

As the auction started, a handful of people form our school gave him their money so someone we know would have a chance at winning something. Justin bid and won whatever prise was in envelope #5. He's now the happy owner of...an ipad.

With all the calling and texting back and forth about the good fortune of my family, I learned that my sister was at a concert that she'd won tickets to.

Good luck evidently really does come in threes!

On the transition from person to healthcare professional

I started watching Grey’s Anatomy on my sister’s DVDs when I came home from college one summer. I remember being interested in how intelligent and collected the characters seemed as medical professionals, and I enjoyed the blend of awkward and steamy personal interactions.

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I stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy…I don’t know, at some point. I got bored with how complicated the personal stuff got and how outrageous the medical situations were becoming. When I started nursing school, I’d make sure to catch an episode here and there so I’d have something to talk about with students, with clients. I caught the season finale with the shooter at the recommendation of Justin’s family. And I am in the process of catching the most recent episode right now. It popped up on hulu with the word “musical.” Ooooh!

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You don’t understand how into musicals I was in college. And I think that’s the best way I can express that. Immediately, I thought back to the first time I watched the show.

But as I’m watching it, I find myself feeling really differently. I knew, when I saw the word, “musical,” it would be a neuro (or psych) show, which also peaked my interest. I watched, though, as the doctors did their assessment and rushed Callie to surgery. I wasn’t concerned for the character; I was thinking, “yep, that’s a neuro assessment.” And when the musical left Callie’s field of vision, I couldn’t help but be irritated. Why? Musicals, though I hate to admit it, aren’t realistic. If musical hallucinations happening, you have a lesion on your brain stem (usually from a stroke, abscess, trauma or a tumor) or you’re really old with hearing loss. And your friends aren’t going to sing this week’s Top 40. You’re probably going to hear a really familiar tune from your childhood or think that someone’s cell phone is ringing.

The way I think has changed dramatically in these two years, and that's an excellent thing most of the time. I hope, though, that I’ll eventually develop a sense of separation. I hope to find a way to regain at least part of the automatic nerdy excitement I would have gotten when I was 20 and The Chick From Spamalot was singing in some TV show.  ...Here's hopin'!

Cup Talk

So, I know that what I’m about to write may strike some readers strangely. Not that I have, or aspire to have, a large readership, but Google is a very powerful tool, and I am about to begin applying for jobs later this month (Hello, internet-savvy prospective employers! Please take this opportunity to notice my exemplar written communication skills as well as my inclinations toward health education, environmental and cost efficiency, and advocacy of options. ). I know that posting about *lady things* is kind of gross—you should have seen my mom’s face when I told her about my new toy. Priceless. Still, I have chosen to proceed, as I do believe I have become a part of something life changing and revolutionary.

A few years ago, one of my college friends was given a menstrual cup for her birthday, and while my initial thoughts weren’t the most open minded, I’ve since warmed up to the idea and bought one for myself. The cups are squishy silicone. You fold it and slip it up in there, then it pops open and collects your flow. Let me (...er...someone else) paint you a picture:

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I read somewhere that it can make things easier during that time of the month, and I’m very, very open to that. There are lots of reasons this is a great product. Let me outline them for you:

Cost Efficacy

In the past, I’ve spent about $12 per month on my hygiene products. My cup cost $34, which means that it will have paid for itself by only the third use. Seeing as how I can use this thing for up to 15 years (read: until 40), I’m saving up to $2,160. Boyfriend has bet me $5 that I’ll lose it by then (and, let’s be honest, I’m sure I will), but as long as I have it until June, I’ll still save money. 

Environmental Impact

The average “menstrual lifespan” is 41 years. I don’t know about anyone else (except my suitemates from my dormitory days), but over the course of one cycle, I usually fill a small trashcan with the discarded bits and the toilet tissue it takes to properly cover them. In that same 41-year timespan, a woman could use (and throw away) as few as three menstrual cups. Given that they fit in the palm of your hand and have discreet, minimalist packaging (the one I bought did, anyway—just a bag, a few staples and a sheet of instructions), that’s SO much less trash that’s going to accumulate somewhere.

Health Benefits

Most pads and tampons contain bleaches to make them pretty and white. Others contain perfumes or blood-absorbing chemicals. These things can irritate your skin and lead to UTIs. Cups are made of medical grade silicone (or sometimes latex). Your body doesn’t break it down or absorb it. Every box of tampons comes with a TSS warning…my cup didn’t, because it doesn’t carry those risks. My favorite health benefit, though has to be that, unlike with tampons, which can scratch and dry out the delicate vaginal lining and leave behind fragments, the cup is removed smoothly with nothing left in there that nature didn’t intend.

Comfort
I’m not going into details about the ups and downs of my usual cycle, but I never thought I’d say these words: I forgot I was on my period. Don’t get me wrong—this gadget definitely has a learning curve, and it felt a little funny for the first hour or so…but after that? Smooth sailing. I slept through the night, was in a car for several hours, and practiced yoga and zumba without feeling weird or icky. Honestly, I've thought about wearing my cup on the days leading up to my period just to see if magically takes care of my PMS. Wouldn't that just be idyllic?

Pi Day

Found this the other day on TBT and meant to repost it. Goal totally accomplished.
How neat is this?!

Little Kitty Hysterectomy

Ratchet had her lady bits out on Thursday morning. It's been little more than 48 hours since we brought her home, and she's totally fine. She's doing stuff she always does:

eating granola

plotting the death of a bug

She's doing all sorts of other jumpy, pouncy kitty activities, too, but these were the only two she did long or still enough for me to document. And her tummy is only a little inflamed:

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm kind of amazed by how good of a healer she is. People just do not bounce back like this, especially from abdominal surgery. Nice job, kitties!

Blog Hiatus: Broken!

Jeez, I guess I could try to come up with excuses as to why I haven't been keeping up with my online business, but...   no.

What makes me come out of my blogging coma is that last night I was wasting a bunch of time on stumbleupon, when I came upon a random fact generator at mentalfloss that told me that one-fourth of the homeless population in the US is made up of veterans, and the National Coalition for the Homeless site confirms it (though the more accurate figure is 23%).

And I'm not one to wave an American flag or necessarily even give a crap about the Fourth of July. Regardless--how awful is that? Hundreds of thousands of old dudes who, voluntarily or otherwise, could have died because of whatever reason are sleeping in shelters every night and being ignored by passers-by all day? Wrong. Especially since the military takes such good care of others. How is it okay that a twenty-two year-old without a college education or work history can afford the all-American house/wife/baby/new car scenario, but someone who did the same job forty years ago is standing in line at a soup kitchen somewhere?

What can we do about this?
Where the heck is that "raise hell, raise hell" attitude that so much of America's past and present are based on?

Pay it Forward: Anne's Slouchy Hat

Part I in the Pay it Forward 2011 Craft-O-Rama...

For some reason, I knew my friend Anne needed one of those slouchy hats that are trending right now. I knew it needed to be green and bulky, and I knew it needed a button (All pictures are my own).

So during the first day back at school, I formulated this hat for her. Here's the pattern in plain language...not that fancy crochet language I can't seem to wrap my head around:

You need 1 skein of super bulky yarn and a size N crochet hook. I used Lyon's Brand Hometown USA in Green Bay.

Row 1: Chain the circumference of your (or whomever's) head plus about 2 inches.
Row 2: Single crochet the whole row, turn the piece, chain 1 stitch.
Row 3: Single crochet on other side of row 1 (Row 1 is in the middle...you're kind of making an elongated spiral, here...it makes for a neat effect on the band.). Overlap those two extra inches you chained and weave them together until they're secure (it doesn't take much). Now start rounding.
Rows 4 - 9: Double crochet in the back loop
Rows 10: Decrease one stitch, double crochet one stitch.
Row 11 - ?!: I got excited and stopped counting rows...sorry. But from here on out, you fall into a pattern of decreasing two stitches and double crocheting one. The front loop in each stitch will be pushed up, and it ends up making a neat little spiral.

After all the loose ends are tucked away, you can sew any number of decorative things onto the overlapping area. I chose a button.

And it's as simple as that!

Pay it Forward 2011

Let me not be the first to say it: Crafts. Are. Awesome.
Seriously. I would be someone else entirely if it were not for my distinct love of making stuff.
Hats, scarves, jewelry, foods, decorations, paper products--
Oh, I could go on.

But by the third hat of the season, things start to get a little excessive.
That's why I jumped on the facebook bandwagon when I saw this post come across my newsfeed:

"Pay it Forward in 2011: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must in turn post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. "The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011. EEE!!! CRAFTS!!!"

And now I have six (I bent the rules a little...shh...) things to make for some very dear friends.

I'll post an entry with pictures and a how-to for each of these gifts. The first was sent off earlier this week and should be arriving to her soon...

Yoga the First!

One of the things I've spent far too long wondering about regarding my upcoming recommitment to yoga practice is how the first class will be. I imagine this is only natural--hey, firsts are hard! Fortunately, I have someone in my life who has allayed my concerns. And since firsts are so hard, it's only nice to share her words with others who may be delving likewise.

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My first experience with TL was as her student at my Alma Matter (I'm not sure how much detail she's comfortable having blabbed to the entire internet, so I'll leave it at that.). And let me tell you, this lady was meant to teach! So approachable, so competent, so inspiring. I emailed her recently to ask for helpful hints regarding silly little things that had been giving me pause. It's worth noting that every class is going to be a little different, depending on its instructor and specific purpose and the needs of the people in it, but...

"Most classes will begin with some 'centering' to turn the attention inward, some pranayama (breathwork), gentle warm up, sun salutations (really warm up), standing postures, supine and seated postures, and savasana (deep relaxation). Within that sequence, most teachers will strive to find a balance so that the whole body is challenged in both strength, flexibility, and balance. Many will include back bends and inversions toward the end."

I expressed concerns about the temperature as the majority of my classes will take place in the winter, and they're held in the basement multi-purpose room at a community college (there really aren't super fancy yoga studios in the area, and it's not like I could justify the expense if there were, ya know?). Potential for "brrr!" TL says, "...most places[where we live] are moderate to cool, usually catering to the weight-pumping crowed. My classes are pretty vigorous, so we work up a sweat even if the room temp is around 70 degrees. Some of my clients are very cold-natured, and they just wear a long-sleeved T-shirt or sweatshirt, peeling it off when too warm and putting it on again before final relaxation in savasana (corpse pose)."

Above all things, a familiar face is always helpful, n'est-ce pas? So, not that it's helpful to anyone else, the ultimately beneficial thing I did to prepare was to take a class with TL. It was my very own clean, well-lighted place in the face of a new experience...and it kicked my out-of-shape butt (in a good way) but left me feeling relaxed and like I can handle what gets thrown at me. Ah, baby steps... 


Bring it on, semester. I am ready!

Home Sweet Yoga

I can hardly believe it, but at this time next week I'll be trying to wind down and be well-rested for the start of my final semester of nursing school. I will undoubtedly fail at being well-rested, though, because one of the things I'm allowing myself for this, the light at the end the tunnel of Scholastic Hell, is a yoga class. And I'm so far past excited...it shouldn't be allowed.

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Now, I've had an on again/off again relationship with yoga for about eight years, but lately, it's been off again...again. In fact, the only time I've practiced in the past year was inspired by Justin telling me that yoga isn't hard. And while I'm all about friendly competition, I can't help but feel that it's...I don't know...exactly what yoga isn't about. To me--and perhaps only me (and that's okay!)--yoga is about challenging myself to stay still and calm and to find comfort where it seems not to occur. It's about realizing that, while nothing is perfect in practice, there are perfect ideas/ideals and it is important to always strive for them. It is about discipline and ritual and being allowed to be a part of something bigger than cultures, religions, generations and every other comfort.

Above all else, I'm way off-balance lately (re: school burnout, imminent adulthood, etc.). What better time to work on that than now? ...exactly!

Oh, and I anticipate writing about this a lot. 

Hilarious!

Happy New Year and all that stuff.

...mooooooving on!

I just found something new for Justin to think I'm silly for enjoying! It's called "Very Mary-Kate," and it's produced by someone who's friends with College Humor. It's silly and inappropriately light-hearted and makes me second-guess wearing hats like that. Here's the first one!