Karen is Waiting

Dog Plow

2010-05-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here you go, a picture of a person using a dog to plow a field. Alaska.

Repost: Norwegian "babyslynge"

2010-04-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

I usually try to avoid reposting, but I COULD NOT avoid this one. It is adorable, and indeed "my ovaries exploded" just like Ariel from Offbeat Mama said they would.

Eat it up. I'm going to buy my husband one of these RIGHT NOW in order to prepare for our baby that does not exist yet.

On what happened to the sweater...

2010-04-20T20:11:00.001-08:00

I mentioned earlier that I had to frog (rip out) the body of my sweater. It might seem sad, but it had to happen. It really did. You'd agree, in fact you will agree after you see the rest of these pictures.

See, you might look at the first picture and think, "hey that's not too bad!" but then you look at the next one where I have pulled some of the extra material forward and think again.

Uh-huh. Lump Lump Lumpy. Not as pictured in the pattern, that's for darn sure. And we haven't even looked at the back yet.

There was supposed to be shaping. You know, like an hourglass. Not happening here.

Okay but on the bright side, and there really is one here folks I swear, I knit the sleeves two at a time on circular needles! It was brilliant! I highly recommend it! It went so fast, and the sleeves were exactly alike! No guesswork involved. It's also pretty easy to do. The only remotely difficult part was getting the sleeves cast on because you cast on half of sleeve 1 then all of sleeve 2 then the other half of sleeve 1. Crazy, I know.

Well I ought to save the other knitting project I've been hiding for another post. Hint: I was waiting to post it until a certain baby was born!

Enjoy the Spring wherever you are! We savor it more than anyone else, here in Alaska.

Overtime

2010-04-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Not so much time at home... It's almost over, just another week really.

The weather up here has gotten beautiful! It's probably only in the 60's but people are out in droves wearing shorts! Alaskans get very excited about summer.

Haven't really gotten to work on anything besides just eating sleeping and trying to relax the day or two I get off.

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring!

A lot about knitting and sleeping

2010-04-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I was terribly excited to attach the sleeves of my OWL sweater to the body. I have had some issues with the body, mainly that it was much too large. I decided to just keep going even though my gauge was somewhat off, but really only slightly. After I attached the sleeves, I tried the damn thing on and though I was excited to see it come together, I knew it was comically large. Sigh. However, I am excited to redesign it in a more custom fit. I have learned a great deal about knitting sweaters and shaping. I don't think it is the pattern's fault. It appears to have worked for a lot of people; my gauge must just be funky.

Also, I am tired. I thought perhaps I was getting ill last night but a good ten hours of sleep seems to have nipped that in the bud. I was called in twice on my four days off. I did get overtime, but I also exhausted myself. My schedule is not the best for the rest of the month, a lot of two on and two off. Nights are hard on me; I am truly not designed for this. I just holdfast to the news I was given that it won't be too much longer. That and the fact that so many new grads have to start out on nights gets me through a great deal of crabbiness, but I get pretty down about it sometimes... then I knit!

I'll have more pictures of the sweater that must be frogged along with some lacy sock and the baby sweater I made for my new niece, Taryn Faith!

You'd think with all the time I spend awake in the middle of the night I would blog more but knitting has stolen my heart and sanity the last week or so.

Nausea Update

2010-03-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

You've all probably been wondering where I have been, what I have been cooking, baking and knitting. Or not, but I'll assume the former because it makes me feel good about myself.

To be honest, it's better you don't know how I've been, Why? No doubt, you'd just get a rant about how my dogs keeping getting out and how I am afraid they are going to fall through the half melted ice of the Chena River or get hit by a car on one of the many nearby busy streets, or how much I hate working nights, hate sleeping through the day and waking up hot and mildly nauseous at 4 pm, especially when I wake up to escaping dogs that I have to chase down the street in my bathrobe, barefoot in the slushy snow. I gotta wonder what the neighbors think. Do you really want to hear about how my husband's return home is continually delayed? When you combine that, with the lack of sleep and the runaway dogs you get tears, lots of tears and a general short temper.

So go on with your day and don't worry about me. I'll let you know all about the good stuff another day, but don't hold your breath.

An Early Easter Ham

2010-03-26T18:47:00.002-08:00

We had an early Easter this year, or perhaps a family dinner if you prefer. Regardless, this ham was present, as were my dear sisters!

Here's the recipe we found on epicurious.com

Ham with Bourbon, Molasses, and Pecan Glaze Bon Appétit | December 2005

by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes

Yield: Makes 12 servings

1/2 cup apple juice (preferably fresh unfiltered)
1/4 cup bourbon
1 3/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, finely ground
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons dry mustard

1 whole bone-in 16- to 18-pound ham
Tangerine Chutney
Buttermilk Spoon Bread

Boil juice and bourbon in small saucepan until reduced to scant 1/3 cup, about 6 minutes. Combine sugar, pecans, molasses, and mustard in bowl. Add bourbon mixture; stir to form thick paste. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line large roasting pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving overhang on all sides. Trim off skin and all but 1/4 inch fat from ham. Place ham, fat side up, in prepared pan. Roast ham until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 130°F to 135°F, about 10 minutes per pound or 2 hours 40 minutes for 16-pound ham.

Remove ham from oven; increase oven temperature to 425°F. Lightly score fat on ham in diamond pattern. Rub glaze thickly over top and sides of ham. Return ham to oven and roast until glaze is deep brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let ham stand at least 20 minutes and up to 45 minutes. Serve with chutney and spoon bread.

Meat tip:
: Choose a bone-in ham or a boneless ham that has the natural shape of a leg. Don't use a pre-formed ham (known as deli ham), which is best sliced cold for sandwiches

Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Quiche

2010-03-22T02:00:00.002-08:00

My food often ends up piled high with extras, extra spices, meats, veggies, berries, flavoring. I just pile the food accessories high as can be. Sometimes the result is less than breathtaking, but sometimes it is perfect. A quiche is a fine place to showcase a lot of ingredients. In fact, all of the ingredients. All of them.

You can feel free to mix this up. Add one thing, take away another and don't be to bothered to find canned moose. It's a delicacy. It actually can't be sold in stores. To get your sweaty little hands on some make friends with a hunter or better yet, me!

Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Quiche

Crust

1/2 C unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 C ice water

Filling

10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (that's right I used frozen, less sandy that way)
Red bell pepper, chopped
Onion, quartered and sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can moose meat
about 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs
3/4 C whole milk
1/2 C cream
salt and pepper to taste

Oven to 400 degrees F
In my opinion, the key to a good pie crust is a food processor. Toss in the butter cubes, salt and flour and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Slowly add ice water until the dough comes together. Combine into a ball, flatten, wrap in plastic and rest dough in the refrigerator or freeezer until firm. On a floured surface, roll out the disc and place in buttered pie pan. Prepare crust edges as preferred, cover with parchment paper and dry beans or pie weight to prevent puffing. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Saute onions in oil over low-medium heat until they begin to carmelize, about 20-30 minutes.

Add garlic, salt and pepper and sweet peppers. Cook for a minute or two and add spinach. saute for another few minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool somewhat. Veggies should be fairly salty at this point to prevent overall blandness.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, cream and milk. Slowly add sauteed mix and moose meat bits. Combine with a spatula. Sprinkle feta on the bottom of the pice crust and pour filling over.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until puffed and golden. Allow to sit and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Sweaters for the Owls

2010-03-20T10:00:00.001-08:00

I made a sweater once, a long time ago. It was a shrug. Remember those? It was made out of glossy, apple green cotton yarn and didn't have a clasp in the front. It took me forever to finish all the pieces. F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Forever. I finally stitched all the pieces together one ominous day and tried my damndest to get those shoulder seams to match up. They didn't, and I was left with an often lumpy shouldered booby cover. I kept the thing for a long time just because it was hard to part with and finally flung it to the wind, er I mean Goodwill. So, suffice it to say that I never, ever want to knit a sweater that is not seamless again. NEVER.

Thank god I finally found this most awesome of patterns. It's called owls, and you can see why. It is one of the number one patterns on Ravelry.com. Like a bazillion people have made it. In fact, the pattern has been rewritten based on the modifications and improvements of thousands. Amazing. The inter-webs are amazing.

Based on all this, I have fairly high hopes for this bad boy. This is then, my humble beginning. I have already had some frustrating points, including needing to go up a lot of needle sizes because of my tight knitting, settling for a different yarn because I was too impatient to order some, frogging and reknitting the first 5 inches because my guage was indeed off again. Sigh. I am determined to make this bad boy work, DETERMINED.

The pattern is very straight forward, knit from the bottom up, increases done before the cabled owls and sleeves knit separately and grafted on. Plus, the chunky yarn and large needles offer more immediate satisfaction. I hope I like this so much that I want to knit more and more for every man, woman and child I know of. Put in for your owl today, before I lose momentum.

Packaging

2010-03-18T19:28:00.001-08:00

I don't really drink milk anymore; I drink soymilk, but cook with cow's milk. That would explain the dual milk cartons in the fridge. This one is far prettier than the soy.

Check out that vintage cow, and don't forget to head their request to buy Alaskan dairy. Let's get a close up of that cow. It has teats people. TEATS! And she is totally wearing a come-hither-and-milk-me smile.

I also love this powdered custard tin. Don't ask me about the powdered custard. It's pretty good actually. Just ooh and ah at the color scheme and the birds. Why don't they make striking packaging anymore? Why must we succumb to hohum macaroni and cheese boxes?

An important question friends. Ponder it well.

Trouser Leg Hem

2010-03-13T07:26:00.000-09:00

Here's a tutorial for a pair of capris that I cropped- maintaining the trouser leg hem!

I used the original trouser hem to learn how to do this. There may be better methods to create this type of hem; if there are I am unaware of them since it was my first attempt.

Fold the bottom of the pant leg up as if you were cuffing it. Sew a line about 4 or 5 inches from the edge of the leg. I used a 1/4 " seam allowance.

Press the seam on the right side of the pants.

Take the bottom edge of the pants and place it over the first seam. The picture above shows the stitch type and settings I used. I wanted a stitch like a serge that would bind the edge of the pants. This seam is invisible once the pants are pressed. After making this seam, the pants are pretty much done. It takes a little bit of finesse to turn the edge of the pants up away from the seam and then press. This rolling action is what creates the trouser leg hem.

After washing them for the first time, I had to press the hem again so I've considered tacking it on the side seams so it stays.

Wedded Bliss

2010-03-12T10:12:00.000-09:00

You know what my husband did the other day? He sent me flowers. At work. Because he is so sweet and because it was out anniversary. I bragged about them all day long. I mentioned the fact that it was our first anniversary to my mother and she said, "What, already?". Hardly. I suppose it has gone by somewhat quickly because we spent the first six months living thousands of miles apart from each other. There was just so much going on then, him moving to Alaska, me graduating from school and selling our house.

I have to admit, I thought the first year would be like one long honeymoon, the easiest year. I have been corrected since then, both by the reality of a military marriage and by those who know better. "It get's easier," they sigh, "You'll both figure it out." We are getting there, growing a system like some magnet and marker board on the refrigerator. We try to figure out what works, what doesn't, what we like, what we don't, what we are willing to ignore and what we are not. Of course, there are those slightly drunken nights out to eat when we arrive at the restaurant joyous and chatty and leave silent and brooding, it happens, but we get over it. We have to.

The Army aspect of our marriage has surely taken some of the shimmer away from its initial year. It quickly wears you down and leaves you shuffling through the bare bones of things. What do we want, what do we need, what can we live with and without? When he is gone, off cloistered in some military training center or heat soaked desert, I am left to have a marriage with myself. There is no one to consult, no one to call with my day's reveries or exhuastions. Still, I save a place for him, on our overpriced leather couch, next to the pile of clean sheets I ould have asked him to fold, with a big bowl of popcorn and our newest batch of beer in hand. And there it is, the empty place in my heart and my home that is as oft vacant as it is inhabited. One can get as used to living with a ghost as with a man, and though I am always happy to see him home again, there is a yet another transition to make when the marriage is whole.

It would be blind of me to think I am alone in this experience, but I cannot let the scar tissue grow in, hard and callous as it is, and replicate the overly independent military wives I have known who banish their husband's fumbling hands to the garage when they return home. The ones whose communal, meditative chant of, "we get more done when they are gone," makes me grimace and worry whether that is what's to come. There is that question again, what am I willing to live with and without? What kind of marriage do I want to have? It is a balancing game, my life, my dreams and thoughts, the quick wit of my independence in one hand and the ebb and flow of a marriage that asks you to put down as many things as you pick up. In a military marriage, more than any other, you must walk the tightrope, high and perilous, between the two, and must make the switch on light feet in a moments notice.

So, I miss him terribly when he is gone, but have learned not to dig my heels in too deep and despair. I call someone else with my question, make friends quickly and keep up, knowing that this is not forever, that there is always something to be learned and that this is essentially what a marriage comes down to; we are wholly separate and yet wholly a part of something else. Lose one and the other inevitably suffers.

Lenny's Little Secret

2010-03-09T01:00:00.001-09:00

This is Lenny.

He appearsto be quite cute, doesn't he?

Harmless and cute, perhaps even innocent.

Do you want to know the truth?

Can you handle it?

This little nuzzler, this same soft pup who lovingly licks your feet while you recline on the couch...

eats his own poop.

That's right, he chomps down on the poopsicles in the yard almost as fast as they get laid down.

Keep that in mind.

That is all.

On the Needles

2010-03-07T01:00:00.002-09:00

I like small projects, or I had been enjoying them anyway. Now I find myself lusting for a sweater. I've got my eye on a few patterns, but I'll have to finish what I've got going on now before I cast on another one. I'm still working on those stupid selbu mittens, I finished those bella mittens and also this awesome hat. It's called the 16 Cable Hat in case you are looking on Ravelry.

At first it was a little odd, like a pink morel mushroom on my head. The yarn softened right up when I blocked it though. Very pretty yarn. Debbie Bliss makes awesome yarn, not so great patterns. I hate seams. You spend all this time meticulously knitting the bits and then when you go to put them together they end up looking lumpy and awkward. Needless to say, the patterns I am looking at are essentially seamless, with only a bit of grafting at the end. One is insanely popular and apparently fairly easy, I just don't know if the buckets of solid red merino I happen to have will look good in that pattern. I really should use it.

In the meantime, enjoy these sunny pictures of my hat! Be inspired and knit!

True Colors

2010-03-05T18:35:00.001-09:00

Can I tell you a secret? I love color. Bright colors, soft colors, neutral colors, I pretty much love them all, but I find them less and less present in my adult life. You see, I used to live in a pool of vivid pink and black and white. My hair was fuschia, lavender, tomato red, light pink oh it just went on and on. It was glorious. Then I grew up. Oh it was slow at first. I still dyed the bleached bits of hair as the dark honey brown grew in. Inch by inch, I got older and less concerned with my nose ring and eyeshadow. Then one night, Rachel cut the final pale pieces off with sewing scissors in the bathroom. And so it was over.

I found myself missing all the drag queen colors I used to rock when I found a review of Glittersniffer, an etsy, grow your own mineral eyeshadow site with some serious punch on one of my regular blogs. Damn. When did I stop doing that? Now I can hardly put anything darker than copper brown eyeshadow on without feeling like a harlot, but I used to shellac thick layers of silver and magenta or whatever wild color I could find at the drugstore on even on a school day.

Now I'm a professional though, I'm not an artist, I don't serve coffee or have tattoos. I get excited about knitting baby sweaters and getting the right wax on my skis. I eat popcorn and snuggle my husband while we watch DVR'ed episodes of This Old House (you heard me, we record it every week) and CSI. I am happy though, I love my job and have completely different goals from when I was shimmering with glitter and face powder. No joke, at one point I wanted to travel the country on a motorcycle and work odd jobs along the way. Right. Who was I planning this future for? I get crabby when I don't eat every two hours. I seriously saw myself, all decked out in black and boots with crazy pink hair riding around. Oh, how I grimace.

I made a whole little list of which eyeshadow colors I was going to buy from Glittersniffer. I actually wrote them down, but today I realized that it's not practical; I will never sport tequila sunrise colors at 0630 when I leave for work. Also, I spent the money on local raw honey. It just goes to show where my priorities are. I did make a little substitution though. These bitchin' cold weather tops. That's right. You'll see me coming from miles away down the snowy path. Is it a lost drag queen? An art project blowing through the woods? A giant tropical bird on skis? No, it's Karen!

World Ice Art Championship

2010-03-01T02:00:00.002-09:00

Fairbanks, Alaska happens to be a prime location for the World Ice Art Chamionship. Ice carvers come from around the world to Alaska to compete and to view the sculptures, though they might not be flocking up form California, we do get a fair number of Canadian and Japanese visitors.

It was very nearly a little to warm for the competition, but cooled down just in time. Last week we'd had temperatures in the daytime of 30 to 40 F.

I caught the end of the bright afternoon sun on the fresh carvings dusted with snow the other day. Despite the fittingly cool weather, it was a worthwhile endeavor. I hear people often go at night to see the ice lit up with colored lights, but it was cold enough in the sun, I can't imagine slowly wandering through the maze of entries at 15 below.

Some of the entries were simply amazing, like this full sized version of a blue ringed octopus. Click on the image for a larger view.

Others were not quite as refined, like this squirrel and it's large hind quarters.

Some were whimsical,

others more abstract.

With black sheets hung behind them for contrast, the ice simply glowed with light and texure.

This busty mermaid doing a barrel roll placed second. She sure is cold.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. In addition to the sculptures, there are mazes, cabins, huts, slides, signs and the like built of ice for general family fun. The port-a-poties are heated and you can warm up inside with chili and hot chocolate when needed. Come see these impressive fleeting works of art next time you're in the Great White North in February. You can stay with me.

Long-Weekend-Morning Blueberry Pancakes

2010-02-27T10:45:00.000-09:00

We drag our mornings out long and lazy. My husband puts on the coffee for himself and the kettle for me and lines up the mugs on the counter. We lounge about, caffeinating ourselves, prefering not to brush our teeth until noon and maybe going for a ski around one or two. L-A-Z-Y. We start to feel guilty around four or five o'clock and I either clean the bathroom in a rush, run to the grocery store or simply settle into the lethargic mood of the day without a fight.

My husband loves pancakes. He loves them. Chores are regularly traded for making chocolate pancakes the next morning. That is, in fact, how I ended up making them this fine, slow-moving day. I wasn't in the mood for chocolate chips though so I substituted the lovely tart wild blueberries we picked last summer.

These pancakes are phenomenal, light and tender with the tart, slightly sweet burst of berries. Cover them in melted butter and pure maple syrup and you'll never want to leave the table.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
makes enough for two or three guests

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 T unsalted butter, melted plus more for cooking and serving
2 T plus 2 t grapeseed oil
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to warm or lowest setting.

Sift together dry ingredients into one bowl and whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and 1 T butter and 2 T oil in another. Add wet to dry and mix with a few quick strokes. It is alright if there are still streaks of flour. Fold in the blueberries; there is no need to defrost if you used frozen.

Heat a bit of butter and some oil on a large skillet with a heavy bottom for even cooking over medium heat. Ladle in batter to make your preferred size of cake. I usually opt for a 3 or 4 inches across. Cook until small bubbles begin to form, but don't wait until the majority of them have popped. Flip pancakes over and cook until golden. Keep pancakes waiting for their debut in the oven on a plate. Repeat until you have used all the batter.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Nude in the Landscape

2010-02-25T20:53:00.002-09:00

I was going to write a post about things I like, and the things I had in mind were lipgloss and makeup. You know what readers? I think you are smarter than that. I think you would have shrugged that post off and gone on your merry way to another blog on your list. So, I am going to write about one of my favorite images. the picture is a nude so take the jump at your own risk.

This is a rather well known picture of Imogen Cunningham and Twinka. Imogen is a famous photographer and Twinka, a model. With no knowledge of the image or where it was taken, it does appear rather surreal. Imogen's strange jumper and thick stockings, the startled look on her face, her arm almost on guard and the large archaic camera all next to Twinka who is completly nude, very young and in a much more relaxed, curious pose. All of this in front of a very larger pine. It's as if Imogen has stumbled upon some naked fairy in the woods while taking pictures of wild mushrooms or rare beetles.

The obvious juxtapositioning of youth and age is a fairly obvious part of this image, but I always like to think of someone coming across a younger part of themselves in the forest. The older woman is surprised while the youthful one seems more at ease and expectant, though somewhat shy.

The fact is this image was captured on a retreat put on by Ansel Adams called Nude in the Landscape in 1974. Twinka was a nude model and no doubt Imogen was there to photograph the scenes. She is famous for her nudes. Someone else at the party got this picture and there you have it. Perfection. In looking at other pictures taken at the event I was shocked to find that Twinka is rather odd looking and gaunt, not the thin, tan beauty I always guessed her to be.

Over the years this picture has adorned countless desks and dressers and is currently on my refrigerator: portable, compact fine art. It lived for years in the interim in the giant ziploc bag that contains my enormous art postcard collection. I love them, what can I say. they made my various residences my various homes.

Rye-Oatmeal Bread and Rolls

2010-02-21T20:00:00.001-09:00

I have but one bread cookbook. Sometimes I lust for more. Bread can be so esoteric and yet so wholesome. It is, invariably, difficult to master, and continually intriguing. The book I have is a classic whole grain book, The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown. I remember my mother had only three cookbooks, a Betty Crocker cookie one, a pie cookbook and a tattered, oil stained copy of the Tassajara Bread Book. I have made countless batches of the cinnamon rolls (whole wheat with cream cheese and honey frosting) and make the spiced and braided Christmas loaf as close to every year as I can. This my first foray into rye flour bread.

I made the whole recipe of dough and baked one loaf of bread right then and there (the audacity) then I made the second half into rolls, let them do their second rise and froze them. Tonight I defrosted a few of them for a few hours at room temperature and baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes. A lot of prep but not a hassle at all on a Sunday.

I must admit, I am just including a quick recipe here and not delving into the intricacies of bread making. If you have never tried making bread before you might want to refer to a more verbose explanation before attempting this.

Rye-Oatmeal Bread

Adapted from The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown

For the sponge:

3 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 T dry active yeast

1/3 cup molasses

1 cup dry milk

2 cups unbleached white bread flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

After the sponge:

4 t salt

1/3 cup grapeseed oil (my preference, you can use any other oil)

1 2/3 cups rolled old fashioned oats

1 2/3 cups rye flour

whole wheat flour for kneading

egg and cold water for egg wash

Prehear oven to 350 F

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the molasses and dry milk. Beat in the 4 cups of flour well with a spoon. Let rise 45 minutes in warm spot covered with a tea towel. Fold in the salt and oil at this point and the rye flour and rolled oats next. As the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, move it to a flat, floured surface to knead. you maay need to add more flour to creat a good consistency. Knead about 10 minutes. Let dough rise an hour until roughly doubled in size, then punch down. Repeat rise for 45 minutes more and shape dough into loaves or rolls. Place loaves into oiled pans. After a final rise of 25 minutes brush with egg wash and bake at 350 for about an hour. Let cool in pan for cleaner slices or eat with chunks of cold butter hot and steamy!

The Good News

2010-02-19T09:16:00.002-09:00

See how excited I am? This is my excited face. Why am I excited, and perhaps overjoyed?

Is it because earlier that afternoon my friend Maggie was rudely nipped on backside by a wayward pitbull? No, that would be wrong, though I may have laughed when she whipped her pants off on the trail so I could further inspect her wounds.

Nasty, but no that's not it either.

Is it because this was the view from my hotel in Anchorage? I asked for a complimentary upgrade on check-in and though I was hoping for an enormous suite, this corner room did nicely. I only spent a few hours here anyway.

Is it this ridiculous aisle of toe-socks at REI? AN ENTIRE AISLE!

Look at Maggie's disblief. She is shocked, more shocked and hurt than when that strange dog bit her bum. Alas, that is not it either.

The truth is...

I PASSED MY BOARDS! I AM NOW KAREN RN. That's right RN. Registered Nurse, BSN.

And the peasants rejoiced.

Almost folks...

2010-02-16T21:16:00.000-09:00

Bear with me... a few more days of work and then I will get some serious blogging done. I had an innumerable number of days in a row and then I traveled and took the NCLEX and now three in a row. Twelve hours shifts are just not conducive to blogging.

Look forward to some good news, hilarious pictures of moi and indeed some stories and such.

Dying in Alaska

2010-02-11T06:08:00.001-09:00

I've been working a lot these past few days. It's not a schedule I would choose for myself, but since I am following a preceptor I must work their schedule for the moment. Apparently, a lot of the folks up here work three 12 hour shifts in a row and often take off only one day before working another three 12's thus working all the hours needed in one pay period in a week, leaving the next week free. I can see the appeal and might even consider it for when I work nights, but at this point it just drains me emotionally and physically so thouroughly that I must use more than one day to simply recover!

In case you're curious, I am really enjoying myself. There are some great preceptors on the floor I have been lucky enough to hang out with. The patients are certainly intersting as well. On our floor, we get a great deal of "comfort care" patients. These folks are essentially in the hospital to die comfortably. We don't take unnecesary vital signs or give them medications other than those that relieve pain or discomfort like morphine and oxygen. In most places in the country, these folks would be able to die in their own home under the care of a hospice or palliative care nurse. For reason's I still don't quite understand, their is no hospice care in this town. So we get the fallout. It's certainly not a bad thing, there is a special, extra-large room to accomadate family and friends. We provide food and coffee as well. So far, I've cared for three patients who were dying and provided post-mortem care for one. It's certainly not something we did on a regular basis during school, but it is obviously an impotant function this hospital plays in the community.

I only wish there was some way these folks could die at home, without the constant hum of the hospital playing the background. I know that's what I would want. But, until that happens, I will certainly try my best to care for them.

Raggedy Edge Quilt

2010-02-09T08:51:00.008-09:00

First: Karen asked me if I was interested in posting to her blog. I'm mostly unemployed right now and spend a fair bit of my free time cranking out sewing projects. I hope this will be a nice venue to share some of my projects. So, thanks, Karen! It's almost as good as the days we chatted, knitted, cleaned firearms, and drank tea together...

I finally finished my first "quilt" after having half the pieces cut out for five years. I saw a demo for the pattern in the quaint and wonderful knitting-quilting shop in Washburn, WI. They used a variety of green tone printed fabrics to make a lovely raggedy anne sort of quilt. I had several men's plaid dress shirts that looked well together but did not amount to enough for a quilt. This winter, I found some blue fleece that fit in well with the colors and would allow me to finish a smaller quilt than in the original pattern. I cut out the rest of the squares needed from the blue fleece and used a very thick batting. The finished product is more of a throw than a quilt. I don't consider it anything really special but I am pleased that I actually finished it. These blocks will not live in that to-be-but-never-finished quilt block hell that I've witnessed in my grandma's and others' sewing rooms!

Another note on the final product: don't use fleece because it doesn't ravel! Fleece is actually a sort of acrylic knit, as I understand it. After I wash the quilt I'll put up a final picture and maybe scan in the pattern if there is interest.

Here is what the rough edge of the quilt looks like pre-washed. You are supposed to clip the seams and then wash the quilt so it ravels up nicely.

Here is an incredibly useful tool:

Houseguests

2010-02-07T14:59:00.002-09:00

Last weekend we had some guests over to the house from Palmer, Alaska. I suppose we could stretch and call them family (it was Travis' sister in laws little sister and her boyfriend) but they are mostly friends we happen to be a little related to by marriage, twice removed.

Aren't they cute? Margaret is actually the little sister of a good friend who just happened to introduce me to my husband at her own wedding to his brother. Confused? Should I draw a family tree? Moving on, her family is a glutton for over-zealous projects so she jumped head first into the day of moose meat canning. She also made a lovely moose stew from the leftover bits. I'll post the recipe as soon as she sends it. Her boyfriend Michael lives with her in a charming little cabin about 5 hours south of us. We stayed there in August and brought our dog Lenny who spent the entire night asking to go outside or crushing me. Michael is apprently Alaska's only Mac repair man or some such business. His head is missing from the picture...

Huh, not much better...
Anyway, we had a great time with them canning and cooking moose, soaking at Chena Hot Springs and gorging ourselves on good beer and good food.

Look at little Maggie, ain't she just so purdy with her little pigtails and plaid shirt. I think she might be milking the little sister thing in this outfit, but why fight it?

I really stayed out of the canning business. I'm just not very experienced in that field. Honestly, the idea of canned meat freaks me out, however practical it might be, but I love jars. How could you not love them? Empty and clean...

...or full and dirty, they please me.

It was a crazy couple of days filled with homebrew drinking and an excessive amount of baking. We made these for instance; my favorite scones with cranberries instead of currants and drank tea, so much tea.

Hooray for houseguests, canning, scones and family! You fill my winter days with pleasure.

Photography Around the Block

2010-02-04T00:01:00.000-09:00

Walking both of my dogs requires two hands and brute strength. I often wish I had a third arm just to take pictures around the neighborhood during out jaunts. The other day I decided I would do one better and take my own picture walk after theirs. I really missed the best light of the day, but got some good ones.

I love the smoke coming out of the chimney in this one and the yellow house. Snow always looks new and perfect when it's twenty below.

This one is for sure my favorite. The fence line, the firewood, the red garage and turquoise truck, I want to make it a postcard and send it to my mom.

For some reason there are a ton of old cars in yards in one part of the neighborhood. I was clicking away on the camera for a few minutes at least before I noticed the perfectly still white rabbit in the path. I guess they are white for a reason!

Primary colors, children playground. Need I say more?

I'm not really sure why I like this one. The rust is sort of like watercolors; perhaps the rabbit lives here?

Which one is your favorite?

The Light

2010-02-03T11:32:00.000-09:00

There is something captivating about the light in Alaska in Winter. The cause is logical and fairly obvious, but the effect is nonetheless magical.

This time of year the sun still doesn't rise very high above the horizon, so though we are getting an increasing amount of sunlight every day since the solstice, it is gauzy and haunted and drags the transition from night to day (and day to night) on and on. Add this to the constant fresh freeze of snow and you get something I have yet to truly capture on my camera. It was just extraordinary yesterday when I was tucked into the trees and hills on a frequented cross-country ski trail. A clear blue sky and a few crunchings of fresh snow from the day before reflected the light in bars through the spruce tops onto the white, navy tinted forest floor. Huffing and puffing my way up a hill, I would look up and see just enough moisture in the air to sparkle in the sun.

It's often too cold and too dark to enjoy this particular facet of Winter, but we've had a brief thaw with a few whopping zero degree days. It makes for better skiing, better walks, but horrible driving. You've never experiences icy roads like this. It's just absurd. Absurd and frightening. Absurd, frightening and unsafe. I think that about sums it up.

A Few Maybe's

2010-02-02T12:20:00.000-09:00

I like to sit on new blogs for a while before I go throwing them up on the blogroll for all to see. It just feels unseemly to go tossing new blogs around when you don't know them from Adam.

I like to see them post regularly and well, nothing I disagree with too much and nothing that just seems all too half hearted. In fact, I often remove blogs that I fall out of love with or that stop posting.

So, here are a few of the forementioned. Let me know what you think or if you have already discoverd them yourself.

Reality Rounds

The Midwife Next Door

The Frontal Cortex

Any other recommendations?

Homebrews How-To (sort of)

2010-02-01T10:29:00.001-09:00

We are still awaiting the results of our last batch of beer. It quietly awaits its first tasting in the downstairs shower stall. This is how it got there and what it's made out of.

I should not have been surpised to find homebrew ingredients up here in Alaska. People up here like to be ready for the apocalypse. Guns, firewood, moose, beer, the whole setup. I also shouldn't have been suprised at how much more they cost. You'd swear goods were being flown up here on the back of a golden dove with prices as they are. We had to make a few substitutions, but few homebrew shops have everything exactly as you need it, so that part is common.

The beer recipe we decided on (rather my husband recided on, we switch back and forth. I call is Spouse's Choice.) is a cream stout. It gets its name from the addition of lactose, which is a sugar that is not fermented by the yeast, thus resulting in a sweeter, creamier product.

Essentially, making beer is like making tea, sweet grain tea. We are in the mid-level of cemplexity in terms of shortcuts. We buy pre made malt, which is essentially a molassasey product made from germinating grains in a specific manner. This is the sugar. We add a steeped bag of crushed grains to this, as well as additives like the lactose and another non-fermenting sugar, different hops and in this case, irish moss, which is supposed to help with the clarity of the beer. It all gets steeped, cooked, stirred, strained and cooled until it is the right temperature to receive the yeast (about 70 degrees C).

Then we put it all in a bucket with an airlock (air can get out, but not in) on it and call it a day. In this case, my husband called it a day to go play poker and I cleaned up. OK, so the reason he had to go was because I was dragging my feet earlier in the day at the book store once I found the knitting section. Late start.

Bottling the brew is pretty exciting. The whole mess really starts to smell like beer. Every beer is different, but we waited until most all bubbling from the air lock stopped, about a week. First we gather up all the gear and either soak it in a no rinse sanitizer or wash it in the dishwasher on a high temp rinse. Cleanliness is pretty important in homebrewing. Nothing is technically "sanitized", but decreasing the addition of other microorganisms, decreases the chance of a funky beer, or one that has harbored yucky bacteria or yeasts. We add a sugar syrup to the fermented brew to create carbonation in the bottles. We've never had any bottles explode, but it is a real possibility. This is the reason why we keep the fermenting bottles in the shower.

Usually, Travis fills and I cap. I don't know why, I founght it at first, but capping is pretty fun, I get to use a cool gadget. Plus, it frees my hands up to occasionally take pictures. I remember the first time I made soda, I had to use a capper that required you to set a metal mold on top of the glass bottle and cap and then hammer it. That was uncomfortable.

I truly do recommend home brewing, especially if you are into doing things for yourself and enjoying the spoils of homemade adventures. It makes you appreciate other beers and teaches you an age old art. The input costs are pretty low and sharing homemade beer with friends and family is a real treat. To get started, check out The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian.

Coming in From the Cold

2010-01-28T16:49:00.002-09:00

Like I said before, there are tons of things to keep us busy in Alaska. That is, when we aren't using all our free time figuring out how to clean dog pee off of a sofa cushion, but more on that another day.

Recently, we dove face first, figuratively of course, into cross country skiing, waltzed right into the store and bought ourselves skis and boots and poles. The whole sheebang. We meant business.

Do you like my outfit? It's swell in a functional way. Actually, I feel somewhat silly because all my stuff is so bright. I look like a winter cockatiel. Plus, those pants, those green wind pants with a reinforced butt and knees, are a little tight. I bought them when I was 17. Some things have ehem... expanded since then.

We've only made it out there a handfull of times in the past few weeks, but it is essentially useless to ski at any temperature less than about -20 F because you get so little glide. You might as well walk. The first time we went out, it was about -20 F and we called it quits after an hour and a half. It did end up being a successful endeavor. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though I couldn't quite keep up with my extremely long legged husband. It's hardly his fault he was born with telephone poles for lower extremities, so I didn't mind the lag. I did start to get a little crabby and chilly near the end. Any longer and I might have lost my good humor. My good humor was what kept me going even though my eyelashes were weighed down with ice crystals.

It is always worth it to get outside though because it's terribly easy to burrow inside when the days are so short and so very cold, but the light is beautiful this time of year and there is almost nothing as satisfying as coming in from the cold to a thermos full of hot cocoa. Especially when you get to share the experience, and the cocoa, with someone else.

Dogs and Husbands

2010-01-27T00:01:00.001-09:00

I love them both.

One is good for snuggles only sometimes and the other is good for them all the time.

I love them, the dog, the husband, but not the carpet. Blech for the carpet.

They love each other, but mostly they love me.

Manamana... Doo Doo Dadoodoo

2010-01-26T02:00:00.001-09:00

Let us all ponder the deep and touching meaning of this song. I prefer the Sesame Street version, but the original is more obvious.

Talk amongst yourselves...

And ode to public radio

2010-01-25T00:01:00.001-09:00

Oh public broadcasting...
you are the light of my life

you make me cry
you make me laugh
you make me donate $30 once a year

But seriously, I simply adore public radio, specifically, This American Life. An absolutely life changing radio documentary show on once a week. You can pay for the episodes via itunes or catch the free podcast for one week after the air date, also on itunes. You can also just listen when it airs on your local public radio station. I used to save the episodes for when I worked out, and so often had to actually stop what I was doing, be it sit ups or bicep curls, and just listen to the story. Some were so powerful, I often remember exactly what I was doing in the gym while it got intense; I have cried in the aerobic room and laughed out loud on the treadmill more than once.

Since we got our new treadmill, I have been running a lot more. I try to get in a good 45 minute to an hour run once a week, in addition to shorter ones, and listening to This American Life keeps me glued to my ipod every time. The show always makes me question my perspective on something, and does it so gently. It just tells a story. It's up to you to respond.

They also have a television version with some episodes from season one available online, and netflix if you are a member. I'm not sure if they are still making new episodes for Showtime, though. They've done a darn good job at creating a visual version of the radio show, with long thoughtful pieces of speech and music replaced with thoughful shots of the host, Ira Glass, and long quiet scenes. In the end, I think I will forever prefer the audio documentary style. For me, it is just more pleasing.

Organized, at last.

2010-01-24T13:17:00.000-09:00

I have finally labeled all my posts in a reasonable and understandable manner! Check out the Labels area on the right side of the screen to browse all my posts on several fairly general topics. You will not be shocked to discover they are heavy on the Daily Grind category. I tend to blather on about nothing in particular. I was quite surprised that there are only three knitting posts. I guess I need to work on that subject area.

I have to admit, I didn't heavily speculate on the older posts as to their correct categories, but I will make an effort to better label on all current and future posts.

Have at it friends!

What do you do with a Kangaroo?

2010-01-24T09:26:00.003-09:00

What do you do with a kangaroo, or rather a Moose, that walks all over your yard and makes your dog bark in the middle of the night?

It was about 3 am and Lenny, our lab/sheppard mix, just launched into a continuous, incessant bark. I woke up, then had to wake up my husband (I don't know how he could have possibly slept through that noise) to send him into the fray. Turns out, a very large moose was wandering in our yard and driveway browsing from our tree. Lenny was up on his hind legs, barking like crazy out the front picture window. Eventually, she (the moose) wandered along down the street. It took a couple of minutes for Lenny to calm down. I can't imagine what he thought that thing was. It was also curious as to how he even noticed the moose in the yard in the first place; they don't say much and I assume Lenny had been asleep.

I wish I had some pictures, but it was pretty dark at 3 am.

Yeah for Lenny the Guard Dog!

***Update***
These are a few pictures of another moose in our backyard later that day in the light of day. They weren't taken with the good camera so bear with me.

Can you see the moose in the neighbor's yard?

Moose on the go!

Moose close up! She is posing. Vogue, moose, vogue. The camera loves you.

Moose breath. Also, look at the bottom edge of the picture. See that fur in the fence edge with the missing post? That is where the moose from last night broke it off. She was much larger and probably looking for juice. Moose love juice, but you probably knew that already.

Knitting: Checking in

2010-01-19T19:30:00.002-09:00

I have inevitably slowed down on all my side projects (knitting, blogging, baking) while I start my new job orientation. This week we are doing general hospital and then general nursing stuff. I won't be able to start my new grad orientation until my lost and invariably found transcripts get up to the board of nursing. They must be taking the long way up to Alaska, like around Cape Horn.

BUT I am working on my knitting, just very slowly. I finished one of my Bella mittens, which are, please don't laugh, modeled after the mitten's Bella wears in a few scenes in Twilight. They are pretty bulky and long though. I suppose I should have known what I was getting into, but perhaps I was just hypnotized by novelty of them and not so much interested in their functionality. I kept to the original pattern from the film though, in using the moss stitch palm variation and dark green heathered yarn. I have some light blue heathered yarn to make another pair with, but I can't decide who to force them on quite yet.

the other mittens are amazing selbu mittens that I go pretty slowly on because of the tiny (size 1 1/2 ) needles and intricate colorwork pattern. I do love colorwork though and highly recommend getting into it if you are up to the challenge! It really isn't too hard and is extremely satisfying! These mittens are NHM #7 from Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition.

Hockey and Wild Muffins or Wild Hockey and Muffins

2010-01-15T22:46:00.002-09:00

I hate to say that there isn't anything to do here. People who go around complaing about the nightlife in medium sized cities make my toes curl. With an attitude like that, you're never going to be satisfied with the goings on in your community lest you live in New York City or some such thing, and they have plenty of complainers there. I think I heard there is a waiting list now. We might not have opera or theater on a regular basis, but here is still stuff to keep you entertained. The list does get a little whittled down once it gets below -20, but still, there is action. Tonight, for example, we got some delicious, reindeer sausage, thin crust pizza with friends and then headed over to the hockey game. It was an NAHL game, so there was fighting, lots of knock down, gloves off fighting. I think there was a small part of me that wasn't sure I would like fighting in hockey, or that I wouldn't approve. As soon as I saw my first one, I knew it just felt right. What can I say? I live in Alaska now. Did I tell you about my fur parka? Just kidding friends, for now.

I made these muffins today. They are so easy and amazing. I was able to use some of the frozen wild blueberries we picked in August. Recently, I have been making the whole batch (recipe says it makes 18, but I only have the one muffin pan) and then simply creating enormous muffins with plentiful top (I love the top). I also substituted vanilla yogurt for the bananas, another yum. You really need to try them. For serious. You will thank me. Your housemates, neighbors and co-workers will thank me.

Cock-a-Leekie Stew

2010-01-15T10:00:00.003-09:00

If you think about it real hard, you might be able to deduce why this traditional Scottish chicken and leek soup is called Cock-a-Leekie Stew. Goodness knows it took me a few days. I had plenty of time to consider it as well because when I went grocery shopping this weekend I found that the very large and expansive store was actually out of chicken. No chicken. How very Alaskan. So there I was with everything for dinner, except the chicken. Everything including the prunes. Odd indeed, but that is the traditional secret ingredient so I decided not to huff.

It was worth the wait though; this time of year is uniquely fitted to soups and stews of all varieties. If I make one big pot at the beginning of the week, we can eat it for lunch with whole wheat toast for several days, really until we just can't stand it anymore. This recipe is not exactly quick, but the flavor is unbeatable. I used the wait time to get a run in and then shower. You might use it to read old posts or ponder the universe or cable television. In the future, I might consider just using a small whole chicken instead of these bits and pieces, throwing the whole beast in initially and then picking some of the meat to go back into the pot. Another friend of mine who makes all meat delicious after cooking, advised baking the chicken with some veggies for dinner one night, and then using the rest of meat for this soup the next. Needless to say, the recipe is very adaptable. So have at it!
Cock-a-Leekie Stew

1 1/4 pounds skinless chicken thighs (on the bone; 4 pieces)

1 1/4 pounds skinless chicken breast halves (on the bone; 3 pieces)
OR whatever combination chicken parts/wholes you wish making sure to include dark meat
58 ounces chicken broth or thereabouts, homemade or storebought
2 cups white wine
3 large celery ribs, halved crosswise
2 large carrots, peeled
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 leeks, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
12 pitted prunes, quartered (2/3 cup packed)
1/2 cup brown rice or other similar grain
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or equivalent dried, but fresh really is nice

Heat a large soup pot on medium-high until hot. Add thighs; cook until browned, turning once, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with breasts. Don't fret if the chicken sticks a little; the browned bits on the pan are full of flavor. If you are using a whole chicken, you can prebake ir simpy throw the raw carcass (after some processing) into the broth and skip this step. Meat is not my forte so you'll have to ask your grandmother for guidance; she'll know.

Add broth, wine, celery, carrot, and garlic to pot. Bring to a boil, making sure to scrape any browned bits from pot; return chicken to pot along with any juices, reduce heat, and simmer, skimming as necessary, for 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a plate; let cool. Transfer vegetables to another plate. This step seems a little silly, but in the end, it prevents the vegetables from becoming soggy.

Add chopped leeks, prunes, and rice to broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thick, about 40 minutes more. Once chicken has cooled, shred meat. Finely dice carrot and celery.

Stir chicken, carrots, celery, and parsley into soup, heat through, and serve.

Winter Caramel Corn

2010-01-14T09:22:00.001-09:00

I should have made this for Christmas. In fact, I usually do, but this year was plenty full of cookies, thank you very much. Besides, it was just me and the husband so we could only eat so much. Regardless, it is an easy to make and veritably irresistable treat. I advise you to make it by the bucketful and give it away just as fast as you can, for it is terribly difficult not to simply eat the lot of it all at once.

Winter Caramel Almond Popcorn

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup corn kernels
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil (though I prefer grapeseed, but it is not always available)
2 cups almonds, lightly toasted
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Pop corn kernels by your preferred method, air popper, large pot etc. Mix toasted almonds and popped corn (with as few old maids as possible to preserve your teeth) in a large bowl. Butter two baking sheets.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium-high heat; stir to dissolve sugar and melt butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 255 degrees on a candy thermometer. This happens pretty quickly.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Working quickly, pour over popcorn and almonds; toss throughly to cover. When completely coated, divide between baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, stirring about every 20-30 minutes. The popcorn gets more crisp as it cooks and finally cools.

From my edge of the universe to yours

2010-01-12T10:10:00.001-09:00

Lets, face it; I live on the edge of the planet. Have you looked at the globe lately? I am way up here in the upper left quadrant of the Earth. My mom remarks on it nearly every time we speak. "I mean, you are way up there hun. Not like on a map, where Alaska is all scooted down next to Mexico." Yes mom, it's true. Alaska isn't just an enormous state that floats next to Hawaii in what should actually be central Mexico. We are really, really far North and actually quite a bit farther west than you might think. So far West, that while most of you are getting a little peckish for lunch, I am trying desperately hard to drag myself out from under the womb that is my bed in Winter. By that measure, I get around to my morning blogging long past people's morning web check.

So consider this a reminder then, that not only do I not appreciate pre-dawn telemarketer calls from my previous area code, but that you might need to wait until you get home at the end of your long day to check back here for good stuff. You might even be able to sneak off at lunch and indulge in a mid-day quickie. Either way, you'll get a good heaping serving of my wisdom. It's good for what ailes ya.

On the menu today is a recommendation. A story recommendation that is really more like a blog recommendation, or I could be recommending an entire individual. Summer Pierre. She has an amazing birth story up on her blog and on Offbeat Mama today. It's not amazing simply because she gave birth to her baby in the back of a livery cab in Brooklyn, or because it was the middle of winter, but because it is an amazing piece of writing, witty, modern, yet relatable and enthralling. Though long for a blog piece, it is utterly readable. As soon as I finished, I went straight to her website to see more of her work. I hope you'll enjoy it as well. Perhaps you'll even add her to your daily readings. I know I will.

Oooh look, fluorescent colors!

2010-01-11T10:12:00.005-09:00

Ok I know, right now my banner does not match, but I was so excited.

Look what I made! it took a looooong time, but this business is complicated; I swear. Anyway, it was just a tutorial project, not anything I would have chosen to represent who I am, or what this blog is all about.

What is this blog all about, anyway?

Let me know what you think, and I will choose a winner and make you one of these with your preferred word-age. If you are a big nerd, you can use it as your signature for that cat grooming forum you are always on, or just make it your background!

Ok I know how these contests always go on my blog... no one comments and then I am sad and smelly, all alone in my flannel nightgown with morning breath. Prove me wrong and I will dance in the kitchen with the dogs!

P.S. How do my dogs manage to get so dirty when the ground is covered in snow?

Ok, for serious, I am going to get dressed and start being productive now. Laters!

Does Not Compute

2010-01-11T07:57:00.003-09:00

My computer has been updated, and this time it was more than a quick download. I finally have office back on my computer, and the hard drive installed, plus Windows 7. My little laptop isn't as new as it once seemed, but I can hardly complain! Now, it starts up in less than half the time! I also downloaded a free-ware photo editing program so that I can fiddle with the pictures from my new camera a little better. At bare minimum, I need to crop and shrink the darn things. There are apparently a great many free photo editing programs available out there in the interwebs, but I chose something called paint. NET. It's a beefed up version of the paint program that we are all familiar with. I, personally remember spending many hours camped in front of a screen, making pictures while visiting my dad at work. Remember the drip tool? How could any of us forget that one? The program is capable of doing some cool stuff, but I am afraid I must start from the very bottom before I can do much. I found some cool tutorials online. Start from the beginning, they say!

I was going to knit with my extra time this morning, but now I think I might just start on those tutorials. I am knitting the most preposterous cabled, elbow length, super bulky mittens. They are almost a puppet. I think they are designed for a much milder climate, and not the arctic cold I find myself skittering to the car in.

No pictures today my friends! Run along and frolic on the indomitable interwebs and come back soon!

Mini Moose Meatloaves with Roasted Potatoes and A Light Salad

2010-01-07T11:51:00.003-09:00

We have a freezer full of moose, or rather, more accurately, half a moose, and I am going to eat it. In what has been a long and at some points futile journey from being a vegetarian to a, well, omnivore, I may be more comfortable with and more importantly, more hungry for meat than ever before. It started with bacon, which is really just a garnish, not an actual food to base a meal around, then went logically to ham and sausage (the most metaphorical of meats) and finally to chicken breasts, khaki skinless breasts, a little dull, but palatable enough.

I was born a vegetarian, rather I grew up one. Meat was neither exciting nor mouth watering to me through most of my life. There was even a brief stint in the world of veganism, but I was much too hungry for that to last. I'd rather not graze if it's all the same to everyone else. Butter was really my downfall, butter and cream. Life just seemed pointless and gray without those two holiest of fats. They may have given me my first in-road to being a carnivore: pork fat.

So how did I get from there to making moose meatloaf for dinner? Meatloaf, perhaps the most unvegetarian dish in existence short of eating the brains of a live monkey. Eating moose just made sense to me, I suppose. The fact that I never came to vegetarianism on my own is perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle. I have spent the better part of my life trying to find out what it is I actually believe, with my stomach and salivary glands lagging a bit behind. In the end, an animal killed, gutted and processed in my own backyard by my husband and his friend just seems wrong not to eat. Ethically and nutritionally, a more perfect food could not be found to fit my convictions. So there's no harm in adding an egg and some breadcrumbs, forming it into a mound and baking it in the oven, right?

Everyone comes out into existence carrying a laundry list of cultural rules, family preferences, habits and perhaps even political beliefs that they never chose for themselves. Without being constantly challenged by friends, strangers, televisions, grocery stores, boyfriends etc. most of them find their way to a more permanent place in our picture of who we are. Very few things about the way I grew up would be considered social norms. I was forced to take time to figure out where I stood; like a pendulum swung out in one direction, I slowly to dragged to an equilibrium.

Maybe it was really a gift. Tell your children your opinions and at least they'll have a starting point. Habits and decisions will be inevitably reconsidered and agree or not, they'll have thought about it first.

Apple Pie with an All Butter Crust

2010-01-07T10:58:00.006-09:00

Let's try not to get bogged down by the low lying Winter sun as it drags across the horizon, by the hanging clusters of snow that threaten to melt into icicles given the first hint of warmth. Let's, you and I, try to dig our heels into the powder to better pounce on the window of day that skips eerily from dawn to twilight. Take advantage of it, I say.

We might as well be on another planet, up here. Sudden snow storms and cold snaps sweep across the Midwest and clutch the Northeast, but here we are suspended in an arctic Winter that's in no hurry. So. Get going. Get out your list of chores, your recipe books and lay it on thick friends. Even if you're just visiting.

Winter Drive

2010-01-02T22:24:00.006-09:00

My husband likes to go on drives. It's the sweetest thing, so I've decided to take you on one myself!

First, we have to get yummy hot drinks from those little coffee shacks. I am getting hot chocolate with whipped cream. You can have regular coffee because you are hardcore like that. We are headed up out of town as the sun sets. It's after 3 pm so soon it will be getting dark.

Oooh frosty. What's on the radio? I think it's Brad Paisley, the country station. Oh well, the opera is on public radio, so there's no point in changing the station.

Oooh. A break in the trees! We can see the view racing by. Hmm it's getting a little warm in here. I'll have to unzip my jackets.

Wow. There is a better view over here! Nice. Mountains in the distance. Whooh. Still warm. And the hot chocolate seems syrupy and cool now.

Just a few more minutes of light left now. Time to turn this big old truck around and head back to town.

A few parting shots. Hmm. I think I might be getting a little nauseous from looking out this side window through the camera. That and all the milk...

Lets assume this is a river. Assumed? Good.

Darker now in town. Ready to get some work done on a Saturday afternoon.

After we got home and ate, my husband checked the weather and it was 31 degrees below zero. Yikes! It's supposed to be above zero next week though. I can hardly wait!

Hope you enjoyed yourself, and hope you're not too nauseous.

Imaginary Cookies

2009-12-30T11:07:00.003-09:00

Still not up and running at 100% with the computer issues, but I want you to know that I care, I really care about your cookie baking needs. So, I am going to link to my favorite cookie recipes this year. Tuck them away in tissue paper for next year, the recipes that is, not the cookies. I'll show you a slue of late, but tasty looking pictures eventually.

Four cookies from one dough! Thank you Martha! Theses are easy, fun, tasty and not overly seasonal. I didn't have cookie cutters at this point in the move, so they were all round.

Peppermint sandwich cookies. Amazing cookies. The dough is a bit testy, but it really does come together when you roll it out. Totally worth it! Chocolaty, but not overly sweet with the perfect filling.

Now fill this space with your imaginary cookies and winter belly fat. Mmmm belly fat.

I will have pictures soon! Probably never of belly fat though. Not on purpose anyway.

Also, try egg nog with kahlua and rum. Just make sure you get the dishes done first, so you don't get crabby when they don't do themselves and you are too drunk.

The Stubbing Ottoman

2009-12-28T09:57:00.002-09:00

We have a cursed ottoman. It's the only explanation. In October, I broke my little toe on the damn thing. That hurt more than I would have ever imagined. I had to squish my bandaged toes into my shoes for months and it still hurts. This morning, I was lolling about and getting up the motivation to run on our new treadmill (Did I forget to tell you about that? Well, we bought a used one, mostly for the dogs to walk on when it is 40 below, but we use it... occasionally) and I cracked my toes up against the front of it; now here I am icing my numb, swelling toes and not running. Stupid eggnog... how am I ever supposed to get all buff if I am going to insist on being so clumsy? It could be a Ms. Marple mystery... The Curse of the Stubbing Ottoman. She would come along and prove it was just the mischevious cunning of an uncle who had been outed from the will for marrying a scullery maid who died of tuberculosis. Ok, I obviously watch to much public broadcasting.

Our house is still a mess of boxes, I'll spare you the pictures, and we are still running on one of three computers, which is probably a good thing. Plus, I think we are missing a few boxes. You know, some really important things like my new whisk and our pizza cutter. Haha indeed. I suppose one doesn't put claims in to the moving company for that sort of thing.

Well I suppose I should get cracking on organizing our clothes. Stupid moving. Next time we are simplifying to two duffle bags per person. That, plus our dogs, is plenty.

I can't seem to find my furminator dog brush either. Damn thing cost $30, but is a miracle worker. At this point, my dog looks like she might molt her entire coat of fur at one time. Puuuhhff. Like a snake shedding it's skin, only fluffier.

Delayed

2009-12-24T17:21:00.001-09:00

Sorry about the late cookie posting. I really wish I could have gotten it all up earlier, but my computer died in Savannah and several nights ago, Lenny (devil dog) chewed through the cord of my husbands laptop, which has all my cookie photos on it. Then we moved all our stuff in and then the internet wasn't setup etc.

Funny story to hold you over...

When all our things came in, I had to check stuff off the list of box numbers and item descriptions. I hate to badmouth the movers from Savannah, but damn the education system certainly failed them miserably. The list included our beach umbrilla's, a wheel barrel and of course a water hole. It took me a minute to even figure out the last one until I saw water hole stand on the list. Oh my word.

Bourbon Balls

2009-12-22T12:15:00.005-09:00

I was very excited to get out of the South. I had never really imagined myself living in the southeastern part of the US and though I did enjoy parts of it, I really detested a lot of it. Don't get me wrong; I had lots of fun. There were just some things I could have done without, like the pervasive conservative attitude. Now, I don't mind the actually point of view. It may not be my own, but I certainly condone the having of perspectives and opinions. Regardless, having them, and assuming everyone else has the same ones are two different things. More than once, I recoiled at the frankness of people I met in a professional setting who were all too ready to discuss health care reform and bad mouth President Obama or canonize Sarah Palin. It was all I could do to simply smile and change the subject to something safe, like grandchildren or health conditions. Towards the very end of my time in the South , I really started to get fed up with the whole business. I stopped the head nodding and subject changing and simply looked into my colleagues faces and said, "Listen, you haven't the faintest idea what your talking about. You're opinion has been formulated by news pundits and editorials. I am absolutely not going to even humor you with an argument. Let me know when you have some thoughts of your own." Or something along those lines. Not that everyone I encountered had no idea what they were saying, but many of them did appear to have remembered a few talking points from last nights Glen Beck and little more.

It is the holidays, however, so lets talk about the things I liked. For example, the friendly nature of many folks. The great salons (I will never get my hair cut up here. Never. Haircuts will now happen once a year when I go home to California. I have had one to many butchering experiences in rural hair salons. It is simply not worth it.). The fact that people actually say, "bless your heart," all the time, the tropical weather, staying tan all year round, the beach, the downtown scene, getting enough Vitamin D and finally bourbon balls. This woman brought them to the last knitting meet up I went to before the move and they were amazing. They were quite a bit boozier than the ones here and were attached to this amazing story about being made in an enormous cauldron . Nonetheless, they are certainly a winner when it comes to holiday cookies and ridiculously easy to make. So get cracking, or at least write this down for next year.

Bourbon Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup fine vanilla wafer crumbs (Nilla wafers, you know?)
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup bourbon (I used Jack)
1 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
confectioners' sugar, sifted

I advise chopping the wafers and pecans in a food processor because it is difficult to get the nuts chopped small enough by hand, though possible. The wafers can also be crushed in a ziploc back with a rolling pin. Combine crushed vanilla wafer crumbs, chopped pecans, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and the cocoa. In a separate bowl, blend the bourbon and corn syrup. Stir this bourbon mixture into the dry mixture; blend well. Cover and chill for at least a few hours, or overnight. Sift about 1/2 to 1 cup of confectioners' sugar on a cookie sheet. Shape small bits of the dough into balls and roll them in the sugar. Store in refrigerator in tightly covered containers. Make these a few days in advance for best flavor, and roll in confectioners' sugar again before serving, if desired. These can also be frozen for longer storage. Imagine eating them through the rest of Winter! I know I can.

PS: Celebratory french braids, cookies and tea, and Thai food! I got the job I wanted on the med/surg floor at the hospital! I was so worried it was unreasonable. I deal poorly with uncertainty, it's true. I start my orientation as soon as get the board of nursing gets all my paperwork in . Then I get 10 weeks of new grad orientation! Of course, I won't make full pay until that's over, but I am hardly complaining. It's a night position, but I was fully prepared for that one. Plus up here, it hardly matters. I am so excited!

Cookie Preview

2009-12-21T22:18:00.001-09:00

I am sick... ugh... too many cookies. So many.

Cookies.

Lots of recipes and photos as well!

Here is a little preview:

Christmas Trees and Hockey Games

2009-12-20T15:29:00.007-09:00

So the thing about this here town in Alaska is that you can actually run out of things. And it's not a small town. Including the outlying folks, it's about 90,000. Anyway, my husband called and trucked all over town to find me a Christmas tree stand. All of the big box stores were out, but we finally found one at a feed store. Yeah tree!

Though our house is fairly empty, I still wanted a tree with lights and ornaments, The whole shabang. I like shabangs. Especially, whole ones.

We played with the camera while we set up the tree.

We should have taken the damn thing with us to the hockey game we went to. There was a gloves down, ref punching fight. I have really only watched college hockey, and apparently, they do not get physical like these teams. Both teams were completely involved and even the goalie left his post to get a few punches in. It was awesome. It took more than 15 minutes to get things figured out before they could restart the period.

I wish I had a picture, but to get the full affect try watching Slapshot. It was more or less like that.

I plan on getting the Christmas cookies at least started today. I don't have my stuff yet and there are no cookie cutters to be found here either so everything is going to be a circle. I hope to make peppermint sandwich cookies, bourbon balls, and sugar cookie dough that I make into four different cookies (thank you Martha).

Well we will have to see how far I get! If I am covered in flour and cocoa powder and smeared with butter, I'll try to keep my greasy fingers off the camera and keyboard...

Twenty Seven Below

2009-12-19T09:37:00.005-09:00

A few things about 27 degrees below zero:

I do not want to go outside.
The dogs do not want to go outside.
I wonder what it is like to pee outside in 27 below
I also do not want to go outside with wet hair.
My household goods will not arrive until next week, so no hairdryer.
Were it not for the humidifiers, I believe I would be continuously bleeding from my nose.
My husband does not seem to really mind (about the cold, not the bleeding)
I do, however, want to knit. It is like a strange biological response to frost.

That is all.

PS This is what my outside back door looks like. Just so you know.

For Your Entertainment

2009-12-17T17:39:00.003-09:00

I found some old photos on my husband's memory card that we put in my new camera. There weren't very many, but they documented my trip here in August.
It was so cold when we went to pick blueberries, I had to wear long underwear and a hat!

This is the backyard yesterday. Youch. It was about 5 below.

And finally these are selbu mittens I'm working on. I tried to work on them at the Airport in Seattle, but was ultimately distracted by several small children.

I'm back, but make no guarantees

2009-12-17T10:16:00.002-09:00

Why did I stop? So many reasons... Why do I want to start it up again? Well I am far, far, far away from everyone I know, out of school, less stressed, and, thanks to my amazing husband, the new owner of a digital SLR camera! I would hope that I would have time to document the goings on and thoughts and makings of my life in Alaska. We'll see how long it will last.

Update: I made it up here (Alaska, that is) after my graduation from nursing school and a very wild weekend, which is just as well because the arctic temperatures up here really inhibit me from any more celebratory drinking and walking around. Sigh, goodbye Deep South. My computer completely died on me, stupid hard drive, but I managed to back everything up. My dog made the flight with me and did surprisingly well! She has even managed to acclimate rather quickly to the cold and spends almost 30 minutes at a time outside with Lenny (our other dog, who has been up here with my husband since June) without seeming to notice the snow or cold!

On the work front, I have an interview on Friday for a Med/Surg position that I am sort of nervous about and sort of not. You know how that is? I mean, I just can't be too nervous about it because I have no control over it. I know I interview well, and come across as reasonable and intelligent. I can just only hope that they are willing to accept a new grad.

On the day to day front, groceries here are frickin' outrageously expensive. OUTRAGEOUS. I mean, it makes sense, don't get me wrong, but still, youch.

On the husbandly front, we ate moose cube steaks for dinner last night and then enjoyed some local flavor at a roller girls event. It was made especially interesting by that fact that neither my husband nor I, have any idea what the rules are. We figured out the basic jist, but still had some questions by the end of the game.

Well I look forward to entertaining and informing you all again... See how I didn't use yall? It took every fiber in my being. I have also been making an effort not to say ma'am to everyone. Several times I actually got as far as the mmm sound and had to stifle the rest.

I hope to get some pics of my knitting handiwork up on ravelry today... I fell behind on documenting my projects when I didn't have a camera. Alas, I have given several away but hopefully I will get some pictures of those baby sweaters in action!

Mastectomy

2009-07-28T09:12:00.002-08:00

I had a patient who was one day post-op for a bilateral mastectomy with implants. Let me tell you, this was a very interesting and educational experience. This was in addition to being with the best nurse on the floor! She is wonderful to work with. A senior staff nurse who has been at the hospital for over 13 years, she is so very relaxed and knowledgeable. She teaches you the right way to do things. She's also very southern and says things to patients like, "how bout you take you a nap."

Anyway, mastectomies. I think I had some misconceptions about these. I had thought they could just scoop out the breast tissue and shove an implant in there. No sir, they cut those titties right off. Chopped. In this case they then pulled the existing tissue down over an implant and stitched things up. So the implants are very tight and high. Plus, here is a biggie, there is no nipple. Many people opt for tattooing the areola on or even having a nipple reconstruction after the initial surgery heals up. The issue there is that you need to graft skin from another area, like your upper thigh, labia, or behind your ear. No thank you. They also make little silicone stick on nipples that you can glue on to your nipple-less boobies and leave on for up to 3 months.

I want to post pictures, I really do, but I think it is best if I leave this one as words only. If you're curious just google images for phrases I use here.

Moving on, it turns out you can have something called a skin-sparing mastectomy, where they do sort of scoop out the inside, but the nipple is usually removed in these surgeries as well because cancer often occurs within the tissue of the ducts and nipple. In the end, a mastectomy (especially a bilateral one for cancer in the right breast) is intended to remove existing cancer and reduce the risk of a re-occurrence. I suppose I would consider myself lucky if I got to keep my pectoral muscles and inguinal lymph nodes. Radical mastectomies are scary.

My patient was absolutely terrified and exhausted. She was given more pain medicine than she could really handle and became ill. She didn't know what to do with her drains at first (we did gave her the little drain belt and taught her husband how to strip and drain them) and could hardly stand to look at them. The surgeon had also gone in there (please remember this woman was not even 24 hours post op yet) and told her that he wanted them to leave the hospital today because there were too many germs in the hospital. This poor woman was trying so hard to be a good patient she would have done it, too. We intervened and told her it was just fine, in fact better if she wanted to stay. I left before the doc ever called back.

Thoughts on Jackets.

2009-07-26T10:49:00.005-08:00

I would like to blame my intermittent post on the fire ants. They bit me last week and their devil bites still burn and itch.

I just woke up from yet another 2 hour nap. Why must I sleep so much? Not too many things to do around the house yet, but I have my last final of the semester tomorrow and cute little potluck afterwards. I was inspired by my new Martha Stewart cook book to make a salad with jicama, oranges and spinach with a citrusy cumin dressing. Plus, everyone always brings sweet things and then there isn't anything of substance so you walk away needing an insulin drip. I'm also making spinach dip. It's not something I would really get into, but I think these mayo/sour cream dips are popular. Me, I just want popcorn. Is there something wrong with my salt intake? Why do I crave the popcorn so? I used to always bring deliciously flavored popcorn to potlucks. I must take the highroad here, though. It just seem so cheap to bring something that cost less than a dollar and took you 10 minutes to make while you feast on the creations of others.

Soon I will be leaving to visit my husband. He hasn't gotten the internet set up at our new place yet so the blogging will be spotty at best. The camera will be there though! I plan to get lots of photos of the house, the neighborhood, the city, my cute butt... well probably not of my butt. Those would be difficult to work into a blog post.

Oh I am really very excited. I get to see my husband, the new Harry Potter movie, maybe buy a new fleece coat when I see my mom in California. You see, in the magical town I grew up in there is a North Face Outlet. It is sweet. It has been there forever. My brother used to work there and he claims he still gets a huge discount. I certainly don't need the jacket for down here in the sweltering heat, but I am planning for Alaska in December already. I got a Carhartt arctic jacket and insulated coveralls earlier (Did I mention they were for women! They fit so much better than the men's stuff!), but I would like something a little more presentable that I can just wear under a shell ( I have a lot of those shells...). I had this coat in mind:

Only I don't think I could do this pink. No sir. Blue maybe, light green perhaps, but not pink. I do happen to own an puffy eggplant down jacket from the outlet that I hate. Oh did you not know I hoard jackets? Well I do. Good for Alaska, weird for the South. Anyway the ugly coat looks like this:

In fact, it looks exactly like that. It doesn't look so bad to you? You haven't seen me in it. Eggplant. Plus, it is so short. I get coverage to about the top of my hips. I like to have a little more coat when it is below zero outside and my hinder is starting to numb up from the chill. I really have never worn it outside of backpacking/camping. It works for that alright, though I still look like an eggplant. I think they make stylish down coats cut for women now. I swear I have seen the ladies wear them.

Ok readers I am off the finish a bit of studying and dishes doing. I hope to get at least one more post in before I am off on my adventures!

Mascara and ironed collars be damned!

2009-07-21T12:01:00.003-08:00

I know I need to post and will probably be able to get to it tonight because otherwise it's gonna be a while. I got a lot done today though! Took my mental health final, took the car to the shop, bought dog food, took the recycling in, picked up my prescription, rowed a 5K at the gym, bought cucumbers... and I still need to brush the fur-beast, vacuum, shower, make dinner and bake delicious vegan, protein enriched treats. Oh and get ready for clinicals tomorrow. You'll all be glad I stopped ironing my uniforms though. It just wasn't worth the effort. I always feel lumpy, hot and thoroughly exhausted by the end no matter what. Mascara and ironed collars be damned!

Perfect Potpie

2009-07-17T15:21:00.003-08:00

It's been a while since I posted about food. I made a delicious potpie from my new cookbook but I had to make some changes to accommodate the food I had in the house. Here she is!

Chicken Potpie adapted from Martha Stewart The New Classics.

Please keep in mid this was for one person. Me. I ate about half the damn thing in one sitting so I would advise at least doubling the recipe. If you do so, go light on the gravy ingredients. You might not need to completely double them.

1 large carrot, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 C frozen peas
several onion slices, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 mushrooms, sliced then roughly chopped (I used small portobellos but feel free to mix it up)
1 chicken breast, butterflied then cut into bit size pieces
1 T flour
1 1/4 C chicken stock
olive oil
coarse sea salt
pepper
dried parsley
6 sheets of phyllo dough defrosted (it would probably be delicious and easy to just use frozen pastry dough)

Preheat oven to 425

Saute onion and garlic in a little oil with some salt and pepper until onion is translucent. Add one cup of the stock. Whisk the flour in with the rest of the stock in a separate bowl then add to the pan. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, whisking occasionally for 5 min. Now add carrots, celery and chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes then add mushrooms. bring to a boil again. Now remove from heat and add peas and dried parsley. Pour mix into pie pan or small casserole dish.

For the top crust lay down individual sheets of phyllo having brushed the previous one with olive oil. Brush the top sheet generously. Tuck in corners of the excess dough or trim with a knife. Sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt (this is well worth the extra trip to the store). Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Bin Digging

2009-07-17T04:58:00.004-08:00

I love searching though bins of things, especially clothes. Same goes for random selections of items that just happen to be hanging up on a rack. Some people love it, others hate it. I could do it for hours, and often do. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of digging through bins of underwear at Victoria's Secret. There is nothing better.

I used to shun fancy underwear and lacy, padded bras. I wore cotton bras and undies exclusively, no thongs. Half the time I didn't even wear bras. It really wasn't until I moved in with my husband that I changed at all. At the time my choice of birth control had made my tata's ginormous. They were spilling out of all my bras and stretching my shirts thin. my husband looked at me one day and said, "you might want to get a bra with a little more support." I don't think I was offended. I just realized he was right. Dammit. Don't you just hate that? So I went to the mall, dug through some pink and black bins and voila! padded bras. They've shrunk down a bit since then (and thank god, so has my waist. There was some serious bloating going on), but I still wear those bras and then some. Plus the undies. You gotta love fun underwear. They just make you feel fancy. I'm a big fan of those hipster-cheeky kind that are like a low-cut shirt for your gluteal fold.

So get out there and do some bin digging, be it at your local Victoria's Secret (they should all have bin's for their redonk sale) or a used clothing store. Just don't shop for panties at the latter. That's weird.

PS on a slightly related note, I got a text message last night at about 2 am from an old friend I haven't talked to in months that was simply a picture of boobs (there was also a bra). I can't figure out if they are hers or not.

Old pictures of old me

2009-07-15T14:09:00.005-08:00

So I was thinking about my body today. I was talking to my sister-ish in law about what jean size she should buy online and so we both took our measurements. Things have really changed. I feel the same, but my clothes don't. So, I went back to look at some old photos of myself to see what has changed. It seems I was just a smaller version of me, though I was never really that small. There is no one thing that has changed (well besides the hair color and cigarette accessories), no giant butt or breasts exploding from my clothes, just me, sized up.

I have this great photo of me naked and covered in mud walking out of the woods with another naked, mud covered girl, holding a beer with one hand and waving the other in the air. It is a great picture, but I won't be posting it. Sorry to disappoint. I do love to share, but not that much. Anyway, you know what? I don't think I really look that different. At the time though I felt so fat. I was really depressed and living in this weird intentional community in the woods of Oregon. And you wanna know what else? I'm pretty sure I was smaller than I am now. Sheesh. All those pull ups, all that sweat and all those hundreds of pounds lifted and of course I'm just growing. It's not really a surprise I suppose. I am not in it to become a waif. I have no desire to be thin, just strong and muscles are made out of something. They take up space. They require food in and sweat out. Lots of food... mmmmm.

But now to the pictures. I love these pictures. They are so rich with memory. This one was on Halloween, of what year I am not sure. '98 maybe '99? Anyway I used to love making these elaborate costumes. I would plan them months out and work on them endlessly. You can't see them very well, but I made massive red (feathered) wings with black tips. I was supposed to be a hell's angel. Get it? So this picture. I can still feel the red velvet of that dress I borrowed and remember how heavy those wings were (chicken wire, red canvas, hot glue and feathers). See in that bottom right corner? Those are bottles of Boone's fuzzy navel. I know I wasn't drinking that night, but I can still taste it going down, and coming up.

This one is from my 16th birthday. I loved that dress. It was teeny-tiny. It didn't even fit the next year. My mom was out of town so I had a party (very small I swear mom) that night. I look so young here, quite the babyface. Notice the roots? I always had terrible roots. It was so hard on my hair getting it bleached to near white all the time. My hair felt like straw. I tried to go as long as I could between bleach jobs, but continued to slap on the pink.

This one is classic. That dress was tiny too. Didn't fit for long. This guy bought it for me. Such a sweet thing to do. I had tried it on in the store, but decided I didn't have the money for it and so walked out. He went back in and got it. Sigh. I was so in love with that guy, in the most classic of teenage ways. He was the first one to ever really break my heart. I cried and cried. My poor mother just braided my hair and took me to the mall. He really did a number on me. I think he was the one who took this picture. Ugh this dress was perhaps the worst ever to sleep in, much to tight.

Almost there...

2009-07-14T09:07:00.002-08:00

Well the summer semester is almost over. Just two more weeks and then I get to run off to Alaska for some kind of a vacation. I've only got one more round of clinicals, two finals and two ATI tests (they are like standardized, faux NCLEX subject tests that are for credit).

I'm feeling a little pre-stressed out about getting a job once I graduate. There is just really only one hospital for me to apply to. I can apply to the military hospital, true, but it is going to take much longer to get in the door with them and I would like to have something going on by the time my frickin' husband leaves at the end of February. I have been in contact with a nurse recruiter at the company that runs/owns the Alaska hospital and they do not hire 'grad nurses' or folks who have graduated from nursing school but haven't taken their boards yet. He seemed to think I was crazy with this idea, but many hospitals do this. He did say I should start applying to jobs as my grad date approached though, so hopefully I can snag something pending my boards. That way I can at least line something up. They really don't have a whole lot of positions available to new nurses, but I suppose I can always just apply and hope for the best. Right now there is one med-surg position and two peds positions for new grads. They are hiring for the ED, but I just feel like that's a long shot. Maybe it won't be so bad if I get to do my preceptorship in the ED.

Notice the lack of pictures? My husband took the camera to AK with him. He's still waiting for internet set up in the new house as well so I won't be getting any new house or general Alaska photos for a little bit anyway. I will post some, I promise.

P.S. So far today I have watched 2 episodes of 30 rock. I have a problem.

Ouch

2009-07-12T05:21:00.003-08:00

I think you all need to watch this video of the first event of the crossfit games. It is a crazy 7K run up and down near vertical hills. I would like to point out that they had to do more stuff afterwards. These people are hard core ladies and gents.

My Military Wife Woes

2009-07-10T17:22:00.003-08:00

So it's not something I bring up a lot. I don't have weird shimmering blog gadgets that advertise my status, or bumper sticker for that matter. It's just not my style, but it is the truth. I am a military wife. I've dealt with unexpected life twists and turns along with extended deployments courtesy of the Army. I know that nothing is for sure until it actually happens and even then it really is possible that it could turn around.

I remember the surprise when we found out he would be stop-lossed just after Christmas. Yikes that was a rough one. Everything you plan on, everything you expect is subject to fizzle away and be replaced with something else. So I really was on my best behavior last night when my husband told me he would need to be away (i.e. not returning at night) for 4-5 days of my two week visit to see him at the end of the summer. I was even pretty good when he told me he could get sent to the three month course he wanted... only it would be two months after I move up to Fairbanks in the middle of winter. I held it together people. I was a bit crabby but I DID NOT CRY! It only lasted so long though, and before you knew it I was crying and whimpering about. I actually stayed up late because I was crying so much. Ugh.

It never really gets any easier. you just get more flexible and more independent. There aren't any options. You just have to eat something, buy new nail polish (and a bit more if you like :) and get on with it. It's always going to be upsetting to me. I just have to teach my husband to say the things that will make me feel better.

I'm just like Oprah, only different.

2009-07-07T14:23:00.003-08:00

I love 30 Rock. I watched 5 episodes on Saturday night. It was awesomeness. Why am I telling you this? Because I want to share the love! These are some of my favorite things and none of them involves brown paper packages tied up with string or is more than $5. In fact, 30 Rock can be free. You can watch all of the most recent season on the NBC website. I watch on Netflix, where I can get to the first two seasons.

This is nutritional yeast. I love nutritional yeast. I eat it on my popcorn like there is no tomorrow. I eat it on my famous baked tofu. I love it. You might be able to find it at your local grocery store, but you're sure to find it at your local natural foods store. It is often in the bulk section.

I love to switch up my shampoo. There are just so many kinds; I can't stick to one brand. I may have found the one though. Sauve just started making these Suave Professionals shampoo/conditioners and styling products. At the grocery store, they were two for $5. I get major frizz. I have crazy kinky hairs that must have invaded my head during adolescence because they were not there before. This stuff works great. Plus they have all sorts of exciting premised products for the cheap like colorcare and humectant. What does that even mean, humectant?

In conclusion... I considered giving some of these things away until I realized that the shipping would be more than the actual prize was worth. So go forth and consume inexpensive yet satisfying goods. And let me know if you likee.

Mental Health

2009-07-05T14:32:00.003-08:00

It's too bad nurses mostly do paperwork in mental health settings because I find the subject very interesting. We just finished up some clinicals at a facility for children. It was harrowing reading their charts. I spent a day in the acute center and then another day in the sex offender unit. The female sex offender unit. Most of these girls are both perpetrators and victims of sexual abuse. I suppose it's no reason to excuse their behavior, and of course, their being in treatment is part of paying for whatever offense they have committed. It's just easy to understand that after the magnitude of abuse they have been through, they have a skewed perception of reality and love.

Most of the girls were tossed from parents to family members to foster care etc. One girl had been in 25 different foster care placings before she arrived here. Another girl had been ritualistically sexually abused by her family and (according to the chart) "various other individuals". Wow. From a very young age there was abuse and there was absolutely no semblance of a normal family situation. There was even one girl who didn't think her foster family loved her because they wouldn't have sex with her. Wow again. These are things I dare say most people would think actually occur in the world. It's no wonder these girls are on the verge. Many of then show signs of post traumatic stress, waking from nightmares in tears and breaking down when confronted with the memories.

The most amazing part of this situation though is actually seeing the girls in action. Seeing them trying to work through things and just be girls. They are the product of so much abuse and a world of inappropriate behaviors and relationships. I hate to say it, but I doubt most of them will ever lead "normal" lives. They will spend their lives learning how to deal with their emotions and cope with the way they were abused and neglected. Can you imagine your parents just giving up their rights to you because they just didn't care or want you, being passed from an auntie to a grandma to faster care before you were even ten years old? Ack. Overwhelming. Monstrous.

It all makes me wonder why there aren't more in-your-face organizations that are trying to prevent abuse. I suppose it is not a pretty subject, not dinner conversation, nothing for the kids to hear, but horrific nonetheless. Plus, how do you stop abuse when it is occurring in the home and the children may not even attend school? A tricky problem. Plus children may even think it's normal after a certain point. Ugh. It's a little depressing. I've got an idea. Let's go ahead and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Let's make birth control available to everyone and their mother. Sheesh. It makes me crazy when I hear those (or see) pro-life slogans about every child being a gift or some such business. Hey I'm not arguing with the statement, but that doesn't mean that babies parents feel the same way. Plus, when was the last time you adopted a crack baby. Sure, little healthy white babies get taken up like hotcakes, but the case is not always so for babies with "unwanted" characteristics. A life of psychological torture seems an unfair sentence to me.

Ok sorry about the rant and the free form gramme. I need dinner.

I'll post some pictures of the new house in Alaska as soon as I get them!

Low Maintenance Gals

2009-06-30T11:27:00.003-08:00

Just because I know I need to say something...

I skipped almost a week of working out so my return has been rough. I almost died yesterday and had to take it a little easier today but still was exhausted after the workout. I had an Adult II test this Monday and was over stressing about it. I did fine of course. After the damn thing was over I just wanted to go to sleep, but no, we had 5 more hours of lecture or whatever.

My husband has started orienting in his new unit in Alaska and is looking at places for us to live. He is extra motivated by the irritating fact that he is living in a hotel room with a naughty dog. I don't know that we are going to be able to find what we are looking for if we rent. There are plenty of great homes for sale, but we would like to wait until we know we want to stay there and get this house on the market. The husband wants a large garage and I am oh so picky. I wanted something rustic, NOT in a suburb, I'd rather be in town. A lot of the homes are older and have hideous blue carpeting. If I were to pose nude in a magazine (it would have to be titled mediocre, sort of athletic looking women who need to shave their legs. Haha actually it might be titled low-maintenance gals and we would all pose in flannel shirts taking out the trash) I would list blue carpeting as a turn off. Blech. Anyway, the search probably should have started earlier, like before we left because a lot of the places aren't available until August 1st which might just be too late. I wouldn't mind living in town so much though. Might be nice in the wintertime. I just want some good old rustic charm. Dream house would be on at least 5 acres and have a wood stove (or two or three) and have a view with a porch and wonderful wooden floors. We have found a few places like this but they are way to far from base and generally do not have garages.

Well I've got to do the laundry and make a snack. I can never tell exactly why it is I'm nauseous but I think My calcium level is a bit high and I need some sodium.

Oh I met our new neighbors last night (old neighbors moved and are renting, old neighbors were nice but not so smart). They're military of course, and the wife used to be a flight nurse. Oooh goody goody. I think that would be awesome. I would jump at that opportunity. Haha though we haven't seen me in an actual emergency situation yet. We'll see if I'm built for it. Flight nurses get to do a whole bunch of exciting things like put in chest tubes and intubate folks. I would probably just give myself PTSD. Then my husband and I would sit around the house jumping every time a car backfired.

New New Friends

2009-06-26T11:54:00.002-08:00

Since my husband has been gone, I have been making a concerted effort to be more social and such in order to prevent social isolation and general crabbiness. So I've been trying to make new friends. Apparently new friends should come with a warranty. Here is a brief synopsis of what I mean:

Me: Hey lets be friends!
New Friend: Sounds good!
New Friend: Ok lets hang out.
Me: Sure
New Friend: I am crazy, also drunk.
Me: Huh. (with game face on) That's cool. I accept you (gives therapeutic hug)
New Friend: Great. Now I am going to proceed to not return your calls or texts.
Me: That is crappy. What did I do? Now I feel bad about myself. I wish my husband was home.
New Friend: Here, let me give you a somewhat confusing, lame excuse.
Me: WTF?
New Friend: Also, I am evasive.
Me: I need some new, new friends.

Shiny Giny

2009-06-22T14:22:00.002-08:00

This video comes via Jezebel. It is not work safe but it sure is hilarious. It's a short (very short) film entitled "Why We Wax".

I have some good waxing stories of my own, but they are just not as good without the pantomiming.

Enjoy!

Naturally Tan

2009-06-21T07:02:00.003-08:00

Remember when Italian President, Silvio Berlusconi called our newly elected President Obama, "handsome and tan"? Yes that was funny and we all had a good laugh at those silly Italians.

Anyway, I was thinking about people who are overly tan today and it reminded me of the time in college when I was at the annual pow-pow (it was held in the gym) standing in line for everyone's favorite, indian tacos, making cooing noises at some nearby babies, when this very tall, blond girl turned around and said, "wow I just love their natural tan!" Uh-huh really. I think my jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out for at least 5 minutes. I don't think she was Italian though.

CrossFit Challenge

2009-06-18T13:04:00.005-08:00

I've been doing CrossFit for almost two months. That is not a very long time, but I am in love with it. My body feels totally different, so much stronger and more muscular. I have also changed the way I eat, though it has not been a total revolution. Eat more protein, less "fluff" carbs, lots of veggies. I really had to crank up on the protein. That was probably the hardest thing for me since I was so used to a vegetarian diet. Whey protein, greek yogurt and thin cut chicken breasts have been the most helpful in that area. I originally started CrossFit in an attempt to become more of an athlete and less of a lady that goes to the gym 4-5 days a week and uses the elliptical machine.

I hear so many young female peers wanting to work out to lose weight, but not to become stronger. I suppose this just follows with our cultural ideal woman. Sigh. I do my part by discussing this point with everyone I try to convince to come workout with me! Unfortunately, I have not succeeded in getting anyone else to join me. CrossFit is certainly intimidating. It took me a long time to realize that I didn't have to do every work out without scaling, and that it was ok to start at the bottom and work my way up! Now I want everyone else to know these things are ok too! Any physical activity is awesome though. If you can get out there and walk for 30 minutes that is really great too. Though down here is frickin' Hades you might have to wake up at 3 am to keep from melting.

I'm not going to give you a summary of what CrossFit is etc because there is a ton of information on the website. Instead I'll tell you a few things about why I love it!

CF workouts are short and focused.

They require both physical and mental work and thus improve your physical and mental toughness.

I have improved my times and weights of every single WOD that has been repeated.

I have decreased the assistance I need for pullups by 30 lbs!

I was doing squats (I think I did approximately one billion) in front of the mirror at the gym the other day and I was like wow! whose legs are those? they are awesome buff!

I have solved all the world's nagging probelms!

Ok mabye that last one is a bit of an exaggeration...

So, I have a challenge. One that will be ongoing. If ANY of my readers can keep up the CrossFit workouts of the day (it's three days on, one day off) for a month (30 days, including rest days), I will reward you with a T-Shirt from the CrossFit store, and those puppies are not cheap. Just email me (kareniswaiting@gmail.com) a copy of your records of the WOD's with your weights/times etc and of course your name, address and shirt preferences. I totally understand your lives are busy and complicated; so if you have to miss a day because your boyfriend's baby-mama's got in a fight at the foodcourt and you have to babysit until they get out of prison and your boyfriend gets off work, just tack on an extra day at the end. I would also consider getting a new boyfriend.

Do it! Do it ASAP. Because you can be a strong, powerful person! You too can have blisters on your palms, experience near-vomiting regularly and get crazy looks at the gym! Also, I really want this CrossFit shirt and it's easier to just pay shipping once.

Contest Winner!

2009-06-16T15:38:00.002-08:00

I almost forgot to announce the long awaited winner of the giveaway. long awaited. I know I've been keeping some of you on the edge of your seats, gnawing away at your fingernails, but now you can finally rest knowing that Shannon won with the following sentence:

It was a balmy day and Mr. Lavender was looking for his childhood mit in the basement of his modest and newly inherited home, when he happened upon his mother's run-away-diamond and a letter addressed to him.

Please note, some grammatical errors have been fixed. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I happen to know this person very well. In fact I have seen her in the nude, I have seen her cry and I'm pretty sure I remember when she lived in a trailer. Moving on, I think I'm going to have to explain the runaway-diamond thing. A runaway-diamond is your last resort stash. You keep it forever. You keep it just in case your life falls apart right in front of your eyes and you need to run away to the Azores or something.

Ok so lets all give Shannon a round of applause.

In which I completely fail to be nice.

2009-06-16T15:06:00.004-08:00

Yup, it's gonna be one of those posts. You all better hope that the half a watermelon I just ate works its way through my renal system and shuffles me off to the potty before I really get going. I should warn you though, I am trying to be decidedly less snarky on the blog. People just respond poorly to it. I decided all my angry and political outbursts can be released on my facebook account. I gotta get it out somewhere folks.

So nursing stories... hmmm. I am in love with my adult II clinicals. I feel so much more comfortable working the IV pumps, giving meds, assessing patients and working with more than just one patient. I am certainly not a nurse yet, but I can see the light. There are some things about clinicals I don't like. For example, my instructor. She's nice enough sure, but I don't think she's had any recent work experience (in this country or century) and dammit all if she wasn't uptight about care plans. I think a lot of faculty are pretty light on grading them because they know all the minutiae of NANDA terminology will never really be used in nursing, though the general idea seems applicable. My instructor, however, goes through the damn things with a fine tooth comb. Argh. I just want to do things at clinicals, not write things.

I've also been enjoying clinicals because of the different nurses we get to work with. You really get a chance to say oh that is a great nursing characteristic, or wow remind me to not have you as a nurse, ever. So far, I've seen that time management is paramount to success. Especially on a med-surg floor where you are going to have at least five patients. Also, make sure your scrubs are not see through. Mhhmm. You'd think that one was a given. And finally, make sure you are not a bubble-headed-ninny with a fake tan, fake nails and too much mascara on. That one is key here folks.

I almost made it people. I almost got through it without ranting, but I just couldn't help myself. I suppose I should be thankful no one comments on my blog or I would get people saying things like, wow how can you be so heartless and superficial. Perhaps you are on the one with problem. Whatever, sing it on your own blog sister. And there is literally NO EXCUSE for having FAKE NAILS as a nurse in the hospital. Those babies are little microbe meccas. Plus, patients might get a little extra tense when you're putting a suppository in with rhinestone tipped talons under those gloves. Because, lets face it, those things make you like a transvestite, not a frickin' health care professional. Quality nurses know nothing makes you look more serious about your job healing the sick than scooby-doo scrubs.

Oh lord, I can't help but grimace...

Googledanger

2009-06-13T04:45:00.002-08:00

According to the all powerful interwebs, your googledanger is the person who is not you, but shares your name when you search for yourself on the internet.

After I found this out I decided it was a good time to google myself. It had been awhile after all. In the past there was someone with my name who was a physician and then a lot of Italians... now it looks like there is an insurance agent and then this weird bastardization of my myspace page. It was on something called spock.com. It had a blurb I had long since erased and the most ridiculous picture of me. WTF? Who is responsible for this? It's like an alternate route to myspace. It's a little disturbing. So I followed the link to my myspace page (which I never update or check anymore) and found this hilarious video I had posted.

Remember when we were all crazy for the final Harry Potter book? Well that's your reference point for this video. Enjoy.

Harry Potter Book Release Party

I should really close that page down. The internet apparently has a mind of it's own!

My Milk Toof

2009-06-12T18:05:00.001-08:00

This is adorable. It's going on the blog roll!

My Milk Toof

Just because

2009-06-12T15:48:00.002-08:00

I am hungry and unmotivated. Ah the symptoms of living alone again. I hate this part. I spend way too much time just sitting and being hungry and getting little else done because I am hungry. It is silly. If my husband were home, he'd essentially make me eat something.

Also I am sad no one entered my giveaway! C'mon folks I even upgraded the prize!

Ok I am going to make annie's with broccoli. I swear. Then study more. Then go to sleep. Yippee. I do wish I had something social planned for this weekend. Sigh.

I should probably stop listening to The Arcade Fire...

The Hard Way

2009-06-08T14:45:00.004-08:00

Look closely. Do you see this mess?

This mess extends outwards more than 4 feet in all directions.

Sandy wants to know why there is glass everywhere! Also, she would like to eat it. No Sandy, bad girl.

Do you want to know what caused this disaster? Apparently, you aren't supposed to roast peppers in a glass pan. It sure is a good thing I learned this the hard way. Yup. I was just standing there, minding my own business, standing right in front of the pan with the perfectly blackened red peppers that had just finished in the broiler. Then CRACK. I closed my eyes and there was green baking dish glass strewn to the far reaches of the earth. Yup, check under the edges of your computer. I'll bet you find a few chunks.

Dammit.

Upgrade

2009-06-07T12:48:00.005-08:00

Ok folks, I know it's Sunday, the laziest day of the week, but I think perhaps the giveaway challenge is headed for failure. So, I have just the thing; a better giveaway! Don't bust your bloomers now. I'm not quite to giving away KitchenAid's yet but I think something new and not just my old CD's (though they are plentiful) might motivate more participation.

I bought some new cosmetics today at my favorite grooming products store, Ulta. In fact, I think I can say this store is single handedly responsible for my wearing any makeup or doing a damn thing to my hair at all! I love Ulta. Initially I spent a big chunk getting a basic lineup of makeup going (I use bare escentuals: bare minerals), but since then it's, thankfully, slowed way down. I actually have gotten some bad stuff there, like this awful body wash that smelled like burnt hair. It was supposed to be "sugared fig" but it ended up being more like a sugar covered fig rolled in hair and tossed in a filthy oven. I do not recommend it.

In an ironic turn your prize is from the grocery store but I got something very similar at Ulta earlier. I would have actually preferred to have gotten this puppy, though I did get something that does the same effect.

It's a a great quick, light, natural eye makeup look. I was experimenting with darker eyes and it just made me feel sort of bogged down and icky, especially when I wake up at 5 am to get to the hospital. I like to do brown liner around the outer third of my eye and then the inner corner with the brighter color. You can also do all brown liner and then accent with the soft pink under the brow etc. Wait, I would like to apologize for my makeup interlude, but attempt to legitimize it by saying that as a nursing student, I thoroughly enjoy getting to clinicals and looking halfway decent without spending more than two and a half minutes on any hair or face business.

SO... submit your Mr. Lavender sentences. Do it. Do it now and you could win. That is all. Please return to your activities.

Nurse TV

2009-06-06T16:45:00.002-08:00

My husband was just out at the weigh station trying to find out how much he's hauling up to the great white north. I think he was gone almost an hour before I thought, huh I hope he's ok. But no worries readers, he's fine.

While he was gone I watched this great promo clip (almost half an hour long) for a new showtime show about nurses. It's called Nurse Jackie and stars Edie Falco. There are several other shows about or starring nurses that are coming to more accessible basic cable channels, namely Hawthorne RN and Mercy.

I am totally one of those people who gets their panties in a bunch about the way nurses are portrayed in the media, especially medical dramas. I think it is just wonderful that there are going to be a bunch of shows starring nurse characters. I also think it's important to remember that they are TV shows and as long as the they are pretty true to the actual profession of nursing I am not too picky about the actual plot. It's television. It's entertainment. We want there to be conflict and things we disapprove of. Nurse Jackie is definitely going to rub some nipples though, probably along the same nipple rubbing vein that House is on. She's not the most ethical nurse, but I believe that in any nursing class of mine we could make a good argument for her actions and against them. I recommend the clip though. Just make sure you've got 30 minutes to dedicate. All the obscenities are bleeped out and damn there sure are a lot of them. Let me know what you think (I'm talking to you argumentative nursing students!)

Reader Challenge(d)

2009-06-05T12:42:00.003-08:00

I know you read this. I can see you hiding over there, but don't be shy. Come on over!

There was this wonderful substitute teacher at my high school named Mr. Lavender. He was, apparently, from Wisconsin. At the time I thought, wow there are so many cool people I know from Wisconsin. I should move there. And then I did. It was sweet. Anyway, my challenge to you today is to write the first sentence of a novel and include Mr. Lavender. Is that weird? You know it is, but the winner gets one random CD from my dusty CD collection. You can make genre requests, but don't be too sad when you get a Lyle Lovett album. I'm totally serious.

Please post your submissions to the comments section.

Just to get your mental juices flowing here is an example:

It was already half past three, but Mr. Lavender could not not seem to get out of bed because of the multiple, over sized throw pillows he was stuck underneath.

And just to get you used to the idea...

Lyle Lovett - One Eyed Fiona - Nashville Live 1997
by taduckly_

Oh yeah, It's my Birthday

2009-06-04T12:39:00.002-08:00

Thats right. It will be chill though with a fancy dinner night tomorrow at a frou frou restaurant.

Ok. Here is a thought I had in the shower just now, nursing school is making me a better person. Really though. I feel like I understand more things, people and situations; especially as we are learning about mental health right now. There are so many things I just didn't understand about mental illness that I think most people don't know. Plus I feel like I have been able to identify my beliefs and where they might have come from (mom) and address friends views about mental illness stigma. I have had some interesting conversations with folks about it. Clinicals in the state mental hospital are no cake walk, but they are interesting for sure. I would say staff are really the weak link (all staff not just tech's and nurses) but for us students just working with actively manic or schizophrenic patients is some real learning. There are also a few units that are full of mentally ill folks who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial for various crimes. These folks are surprisingly sedate though. They have been in the facility for a long time and are well medicated and bored as hell. The idea of 20 some male mentally ill criminals may seem frightening, but all they really want to do is play uno and drink juice.

As a teenager I spent a lot of time hanging out in city parks and on the streets and was exposed to what we then called "crackheads" but I would assume were more likely sufferers of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Sad when I really think about it. They so often start out with reasonable respectable positions in society but are "doomed" with that diagnosis. Insurance runs out, friends leave, family get sick of it and then there is no where to go. These people end up on the streets or incarcerated or in and out of a state facility like I was in today.

My husband bought me cute little baked things from the store. Yum!

Now I am off to enjoy my evening. I hope you all enjoy yours.

Still here

2009-06-01T17:16:00.003-08:00

I'm still here, but I'm just buried under piles of dirty tissues and snot rags oh and my textbooks. I promise something will come soon, very soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this video clip.

Cleaning tip from a dirty girl

2009-05-23T12:52:00.002-08:00

I just cleaned the hell out of my microwave. I learned this trick from this dorky handyman magazine my husband gets.

Fill a cup/bowl with water and lemon juice. Microwave the container for a minute at a time. I would run it and then come back to it later to do it again. The yummy lemony steam will loosen all the gunk and make your damn microwave smell deeeeeelish. Try it today.

Poll results

2009-05-22T14:46:00.003-08:00

I can't believe there are so many amputees among my readers! Interesting... The rest of you need to work on your foot hygiene.

I've got more love for you later. I'm still recovering from some nuclear medicine, nausea, a runaway dog, and a tough workout. I did shave almost 5 minutes off my previous workout time though.

Tonight we're going to bottle our summer, Belgium style ale. I really hope it tuns out. We had some doubts when, after a good start, the fermentation ended rather quickly.

New Chicks!

2009-05-18T17:43:00.003-08:00

Here are the chicks as promised!

They live in a cat carrier. Apparently, the cats sit outside and just quiver their hinders as if to pounce.

My mum sunning the chicks!

Nice feather colors

The cat's eye view

The end of a very short break

2009-05-18T16:46:00.005-08:00

You know what I am doing right now? It's devious and fairly unwholesome. I am baking one of those frozen pepperidge farm apple turnovers. I also got some of the new haagen-daz ice cream that is apparently only made with only 5 ingredients. Yum. I hope it's good. I actually bought three half pints of ice cream so I could try more favors (brown sugar, ginger and vanilla bean). I am soooo bad.

Today was the first day of the summer semester. It was a very short break as our last final was last Monday. I really didn't get a lot done but I sure relaxed a lot. We bought paint to try out in the bathroom and of course got in a huge fight in the paint aisle at Home Depot. We always fight about paint. Always. We must have gone back and forth for like months before we decided on the colors for the living room and bedroom. Since then we have decided to go with a coffee with milk sort of color called oat straw for most of the house, but... we didn't get around to doing any actual painting. Soon. Soon.

I did make bagels. It was surprisingly easy. I used the egg bagel recipe from the Tassajara Bread Book. I used something called white whole wheat flour from King Arthur Flour. Oooh my turnover is done! I just need to let it cool. Anyway, they turned out really well except for some crispy bottoms. Oooh break to eat delicious turnover with ginger ice cream. It was delicious. Stop what you are doing right now and go to the grocery store to buy this ice cream and frozen turnovers. You will thank me. Moving on.

Kneading my dough

A study of dough and bowl

Bagels before the boil

The bagels are boiled for ten seconds to create the unmistakable chewy bagel crust

Right before they go in the oven, covered in the egg wash and sesame seeds

the crumb!

They turned out beautifully!

I also have some pictures of that bed and breakfast we stayed in . We were by far the youngest couple there, but we had a great time!

The giant bathtub I mentioned earlier. It was really quite large, but not very practical for actual washing. We had a great soak the night before, but then when we wanted to wash off in the morning it was like squatting in a fancy basin with a hose.

This is my enjoyment of our "turn down" service. It included chocolate covered strawberries, champagne and rose petals on the bed. My husband thought the whole thing was silly and complained about the mess the flower petals made. Ahh such a romantic. Plus it was like 11 pm and we were all drunk, full and sweaty from walking back from the restaurant.

CrossFit log!

I was bad and took an extra day off.

Sun

21-15-9 reps

deadlift at 105 lbs
handstand push ups (modified with knees on a weight bench)

10:57

Mon

The WOD was to bench press your body weight but I wasn't even sure if I could lift the bar! Plus the gym was busy so I had to switch it up in order to get the bench presses in.

Bench press 45 lbs
row 500 m
bench press with 20 lb dumbbells
row 1000 m
bench press 45 lbs on incline bench
row 2000 m

27:44 was rowing at around a 32 strokes/minute pace

I think I really need to work on my rowing form. I probably should have looked at the tip videos before the workout and not after!

Not the kind of morning I was hoping for.

2009-05-14T07:22:00.004-08:00

This is my vacation week. I only get one and then it's work work work all summer. My husband left early for work this morning and I slept in luxuriously late (8 am). The dogs weren't barking or whining. It was glorious. I enjoy mornings like this when I get to slowly eat my breakfast and sip my tea while putzing around the internets... then I eventually take the dogs on a walk and lounge about wastefully. Ah so enjoyable. But you know how it went? Not like that.

I wandered out of the bedroom nude to let the dogs out and sat down on the couch only to find it was curiously damp. After removing the cushion I found more dampness and a puddle underneath. A mystery liquid. Then I was fretting about naked and hypoglycemic, trying to clean and sop up this mess. Finally I called my husband to ask if he had spilled anything and you know what he said? Yeah I noticed it was damp last night. What? And you didn't do anything about it? You didn't explore? Arrrrgh. Anyway, we have no idea what happened. The cushion is drying outside and everything has been sprayed down with pet cleaner in case it is dog pee. I don't really believe it is though. The one dog that sleeps up there is a male and sort of a messy pee-er; the spots were very centralized and there was none on the floor or walls or anything. He just sort of sprays. In fact, he pees on his front paws every damn time he goes.

Those are my least favorite of mornings: waking up hungry and attempting to clean up various types of dog effluence before eating or dressing.

Plus I postponed my morning tea and dammit all if I'm not thoroughly addicted. I make it till about 10 am before I slow down and get a headache.

Oh update on my rogue glands. I wish I had a graphic and sound effect for this segment. It would like swoosh in from the side in blue with red lettering accompanied by female voices singing Rogue Glands like wayne's world style... but I don't so you'll all have to imagine it. Oh don't forget the swooshing sound the graphic would make when it comes into view.

Apparently my insurance "lost" my referral to a civilian imaging center where I could get the nuclear scan of my parathyroid I need to assess things for surgery. Nice huh? Well it's been sorted out now and I have an appointment next Friday. The only problem is that we've now missed the one window I had to have surgery. Soon no one will be around to help take care of me and I won't have any time off school. In fact, it won't be until after I graduate that I foresee any time block for it, but by then I will have moved to an overseas location (technically a move to Alaska with the Military is considered overseas). Will they treat me then? Plus I have this other thing going on with my thyroid, but the one of like three fricking endocrinologists Tricare will let me see (none within less than an hours drive) didn't think I needed to be seen by an endocrinologist. Obviously my doctor thought I did, and now it will probably take forever before the next step happens, which will be either another referral or my doctor attempting to treat me.

Honestly, I appreciate that I have insurance and that it will take care of these problems, but damn it has been a pain in the ass to get no more information and no more treatment than I had before this whole thing started.

It's fun when I do this right? Like listening to an elderly aunt who smells a bit off talk about her diabetes. I don't have any hard candy form the Pleistocene era though. Sorry.

Crossfit

Wed

"Cindy"

as many rounds as possible in 20 min of
5 pull ups (assisted for me)
10 push ups (girly ones)
15 air squats

Holy crap this kicked my but. I got 12 rounds minus the squats. It sounds pitiful, but if I think about it, it's more push ups than I have ever done in one workout. They were slow going though. I did the assisted pull ups at 52 lbs assist to begin with and really only had to get more assistance after round 6 when I went to 57 lbs assisted then 62 lbs at round 10.

I have to admit I am getting a little tired of being really sore and tired all the time, but I know I am improving so I guess I just gotta keep going!

A day at the beach

2009-05-12T15:11:00.003-08:00

I was really really hoping that today was going to be nice because there was a nursing student party on the beach (well, a park across the street from the beach), but it wasn't. It was cold, windy and overcast. I still managed to have a good time. We swam in the surprisingly warm water and then scooted off to the gym with salty wet hair. Oh I didn't go straight to the gym. I stopped at my local home brew shop to get ingredients for our next beer project. This one is my choice. A summer type Belgian ale. You know, light and citrusy and some herbal spice to it. Hopefully it turns out as well as our last batch.

Apparently no one is a fan of my crossfit log. Sorry guys. It's more for me than anything else but I always hope to get someone interested in Crossfit.

Mon

makeup workout from Sunday

5-5-5-5-5 back squats

85 lbs

Yeah I lifted more than last time!

Tues

1-1-1-1-1-1-1 power cleans

65-50-50-50-50-50-50

I did these as hang power cleans because I am not really good enough at the full clean movement. I did some warmups with just the bar but thought I could do more weight. The 65 lb clean was poor form and really nothing looked that great until afterward when I went back to the bar only. I don't think I am getting under the bar fast enough. The idea is to get to the official crossfit affiliate gym this weekend. Perhaps they will help me!

Coupons

2009-05-10T16:44:00.003-08:00

I ate these for dinner. They are amazing, you should all make them right now, but not for dinner. They are not a dinner food. I feel a bit sick. I ate three plus the bits I ate while I was making them. I also think I should probably stop eating raw bread dough. I always burp up yeasty air for hours afterward. It makes me feel as if a loaf is growing in my tummy. Not good. Once I even drank apple cider vinegar to banish the yeasty beast. It might have worked. I mean, I stopped belching.

I did not finish studying. I have a final tomorrow and I really hardly put in any effort. I didn't really eat enough proper food anyway. On top of those muffins I ate some fruit and yogurt, a protein bar and half a bagel with a cup of tea (the other half was a bit moldier than I generally allow). Not really enough food to get the old brain going I'm afraid. And now that it is finally time to got to bed I have realized that there was indeed plenty to eat in the house.

And now instead of studying I was blog surfing and thinking about finances and then coupons. I really don't like coupons. I never buy the brands they are for and it seems much simpler to just buy the off brand in order to save. Plus you always have to buy like 5 boxes of cereal or something to save just 50 cents. Could it possibly be worth it? I guess if you are a brand whore and simply must have the most potently scented, brightly colored, well advertised toilet cleaner then I suppose it would work for you. But I buy planet dish soap, Kroger oatmeal and a lot of vegetables that no checker is able to identify (you should have seen the look on that poor girls face when presented with rhubarb). I buy the cheapest sugar and the best flour and expensive ginger soda (too strong for the husband!). I suppose I am no ones marketing audience. Damn.

If someone could please enlighten me on the benefits of coupons I would love to hear it. I am unconvinced at this moment.

For Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:54:00.001-08:00

I love you mom ;)

This is for you and your wacky text messages.

Postcards From Yo Momma

The highest rated are my faves for a quick laugh.

2009-05-09T12:54:00.003-08:00

It's one of those days when I keep meaning to take a nap but just keep watching blazing saddles instead.

Hubby and I had fun last night at the ridiculous bed and breakfast. The place was nice, but the massage was great! We went to my favorite restaurant and got to drink because we could walk back to the inn. Most of the other couples there were like in their 50's, but I had a nice conversation with one woman who was a NICU nurse (35 years) in North Carolina.

I managed to do the workout yesterday before my massage and then get today's done on the way home.

Fri

30 clean and jerks for time
I used the smaller bar as weight but don't know what if it's 25 or 35 lbs. I did it in like 10 minutes, which is terrible but I'm still getting used to the movements and honestly having that bar hanging in my hands the whole time was hard on my wrists. I would say that I didn't really bring it.

Sat

run 800 m (1/2 mile) for time
4 rounds with breaks as needed

I kept forgetting to press the button on my watch so these are approximate times

4:00
4:00
4:12
4:30

I did it on the treadmill because it was hot outside but running for speed on a treadmill sucks. I am not in any kind of running shape and this workout certainly made me sweat. It was a nice break from all the weight stuff we've been doing. I took about 2-3 min breaks between the first two and then a longer like 5 min break before the last one.

Now the damn movie is almost over. Sigh. I better get to nappin' so I can watch a better movie and eat popcorn with my sometimes irritating husband later.

And then and then and then and then

2009-05-06T13:04:00.003-08:00

Max weight push jerks today. A friend and I just worked on form at 45-55 lbs. Then we pranced around the gym granting wishes. No but really we did some pull ups and did an air squat race for reps in 2 minutes. I got 84 she got 94. Then we collapsed on stinky gym mats. Then I ate a snack. Then I swam for 35 minutes. I love that I am good at swimming. Love it.

No school till my last final on Monday and then 5 days off! Oh I am going to get cracking on my knitting, later on. Right now I am absolutely exhausted. I tried to nap but my dogs decided to declare war on one another and then lightning destroyed nearby houses. I think anyway. I haven't looked outside yet. I am too tired.

Hot weather is good for my dogs

2009-05-05T06:40:00.005-08:00

I am so sore. Ugh. Hurts to breath. Also I am tired and unmotivated but have my peds final tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure I don't need to worry too much, but I suppose I should at least try to study. Clinicals are all over for the semester, not that I have much of a break between semesters. It also looks like I won't be having surgery for a long time because I still haven't heard anything about my referral for a thyroid/parathyroid scan and times a wastin'. I won't have any extra time for superfluous surgical procedures until I graduate in December. Hopefully I won't explode before then. Maybe I can get the thyroid dealie dealt with before then though. That's bound to be just meds and a hug (sigh I love hugs).

My dad bought me this redonk gift certificate to this fancy pants bed and breakfast (there are many here) in town when I got married (ahh the impromptu). Now that the hubby is leaving so soon we have to use it up ASAP. I made reservations for Friday and we got the honeymoon suite. Muahaha. I have it all planned out. You probably won't be hearing about it.

Do you see this shit? It's going to be like a colonial version of scarface! Which is good because I so prefer hardwood floor to carpet, especially when hot soapy water is involved. I hope I don't slip and fall.

Crossfit

The workout for today is all pull ups so I am as unexcited as can be about it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mon

front squats

3-3-3-3-3 reps at 45-55-65-75-75 lbs. This rep denotation means 3 at a time with a 2-5 minute break in between. You're going for max weight here.

I got to 75 and felt like I could go up more but wasn't feeling as confident without a spotter. The front racking position also put a lot of strain on my right wrist and I was a little worried about hurting it. Apparently one just gains wrist flexibility with time. I also did "side ab" lift things with a 25 lb weight (2 sets of 15 each side) and now I cannot breath without cringing.

All the sudden the day was almost over

2009-05-02T13:32:00.004-08:00

... and I still need to get the cleaning done. My husband came home early to surprise me last night. After today's workout I am so thankful tomorrow is a rest day.

Sat

5 rounds for time of

20 kettlebell swings at 20 lbs
20 burpees
20 incline sit ups subbed for glute ham sit up (besides the fact that these are simply mad, we have no setup for them at our gym.

32:03

Pitiful time I know, but burpees are killer. The rx'd workout was 30 of everything, but I pretty much knew I wouldn't finish that within any reasonable amount of time. Anyway, I am beat. We went to see that darn Wolverine movie after the gym. It was not bad. I love comic book movies and love the X-Men stuff mostly because I watched the cartoon a lot as a kid. Gambit was in this one but he is just not as good as the marble mouthed Creole fellow in the cartoons. Oh oh and at least they got an actual Native American to play the part of one. She was anglicized, of course, but hey it's something right?

Ahhh the life of leisure...

2009-05-01T14:50:00.004-08:00

Hubby went to Mississippi for some ridiculous reason today so I went out and had a nice lunch and bopped around downtown with a friend of mine. I got some little things for my mom for mothers day: a poster of an old scientific butterfly print, some mother mary matches and a cute little card with whirling dervishes on it. I think my mom is all about those things, butterflies, mother mary and whirling dervishes.

I still really need to vacuum (don't I always) and clean the bathroom. It is like college roommate dirty, if you know what I mean. I am inevitably exhausted though. Today's workout was something called Tabata where you do intervals of 20 sec max exertion and 10 sec rest. Today was 32 intervals total, 8 of each pull ups, push ups, sit ups and squats. Yesterday's workout was a bit of a lost cause though. I found out right before I went into the gym that my thyroid lab panel was a bit off and I was being referred to an endocrinologist, all on top of the parathyroid issue. Ugh it was just too much medical stuff and I felt absolutely deflated. I went on and tried to warm up and practice some cleans but just felt exhausted and incompetent. So I left. That sort of thing just happens now and again. Regardless, all the front squats with weight I did really seemed to max out my quads and the squats killed me today.

Fri

jumping pull ups 93
"girl" push ups 45 (and that, ladies and gentlemen, was a struggle)
sit ups 80 (anchored by pressing feet against wall)
squats 98

Total 316

I really couldn't bring it with the squats because of their intense soreness. Overall I think I did pretty good. The pull ups were probably not high enough but it was what I could do with an imperfect bar height. Oh and the push ups were just sad as sad can be. I'm glad I didn't have to watch myself do them. I did download some cool tabata remixes that have little chimes at the rest and restart point with no breaks between the songs compiled. They even had little triumphant sounds when you finished a set of one kind. I would gladly repeat this WOD. I guess I am just more comfortable with the body weight stuff than the heavier weights. I am going to try to get to the local crossfit gym (be assured, there's probably one near you too!) and take the essentials class to feel more confident in the olympic weightlifting moves.

And another thing...

I had my last week of OB clinicals this week. I got to help out with a somewhat touching birth. The family was wonderful. The dad was so supportive with his wife, holding her vomit bag, cleaning her up and stroking her head. He even cried when she delivered. The mom's parents were there and really so sweet while she was being stitched up (forceps). I would say the not so sweet part was the rude nurse and the well-meaning doctor who really wanted to get in there with those forceps. The nurse did go on later about how much she loved working L&D, but you might not have guessed that when she was screaming at the mom to push harder or that she wasn't pushing at all or not even trying. This poor woman was having severe tachycardia with a resting heart rate of 120. She had an O2 mask on and was dead tired. She had lost her confidence and was probably a little out of it due to her rapid heart rate, plus she had an epidural and I can only hope the nurse understands that pushing is a little harder when you are numb below the waist Anyway, it was upsetting to say the least to see a nurse berate a patient. Did she think it was going to be helpful to tell her she was failing? After the doc came in they both got into discussing the woman's "failed" pushing attempts right in front of her. Sigh. I tried to really focus on helping the patient and tell her that she was being successful and doing a good job. And dammit she was being successful. I looked down (I was on her right side holding her arm) and there was a furry little baby head poking out! Obviously, the baby was coming out but the doc still inserted those forceps to guide her out. I'm fairly sure he could have just worked with the woman and been a teeny weeny bit more patient to deliver but thats just not something I have control over right now. Baby was great, healthy and pink with a bit of a temp, but the nursery nurses weren't very worried because mom had an epidural and a bit of a temp. Mom was exhausted but really looked very relieved. My favorite part of the whole affair? When the doc needed to find something in the bag of blood (there's a considerable gush after the placenta is born) and was shoulder deep in the there, without his gown, spattered with blood, sloshing around. Nice. Blood doesn't really bother me, but all the bile yellow, mucus vomit coming out earlier was pretty bad. It's really the smell and the consistency that does it. It's like you can actually taste it. Yuck.

Enjoy your dinner!

RANT!!!!

2009-04-29T16:46:00.002-08:00

WTF! I am annoyed, angry and for some reason I feel the need to cry. For whatever reason my school is being bizarrely retarded about registering for summer classes. They keep saying yup all done and then I check and no it's not done and my professors and like hey are not attending class anymore or what? And I am like Bwwwaaaahhhhhhrrrrr!!! Plus for some other reason the fact that I have changed my last name (damn marriage...) in the university system has pissed everyone off and I have one professor who is like yeah just use your maiden name in my class. But no no that does not work because then when I turn in legal/health documents that are in my new, legal last name everyone gets confused. This shit better get dealt with this week because all I want to do is nap in the sun and eat pasta salad. Also I have my last class/final test with quite possibly the worst professor ever. I will call her... well that's not very nice let me think of another one... Dr. please push me off a cliff before I talk about myself anymore or am rude unnecessarily. Oh whatever she sucks too much to get a psuedonym on my blog.

PS apparently I can only shoulder press 45 lbs with long breaks in between. So sad.

I start out feeling great and then it goes downhill

2009-04-27T13:30:00.002-08:00

After my workout I am like yeah I did it. I finished the damn thing and tried real hard. Then later I go and look at peoples posted times and subs and I am like whohohoho I suck. I am slow, weak and I stop too often. Dammit. Oh well. I do the workout, I try every time, so I can only get better right?

Anyway today was tough. I was thoroughly exhausted and sweaty before I had to go back to class. I even had trouble bubbling in the answers on the scantron during my women's health test. Yikes.

5 rounds for time of

21 sumo deadlift high pull 45#
21 dips at 60 # assisted

26:10

We had a hard time getting a handle on the movement for the SDHP, but I think I would have an easier time next go at it. I would say I need to work on sticking with the movement and doing the reps continuously if possible. The dips were killer but a veritable vacation compared to those SDHP.

Check them out.

End of the Semester Slacker

2009-04-26T10:02:00.002-08:00

I totally blew off a lot this weekend so I've got to get cracking on the studying today! It's hot which means summer is probably here to stay now. It's the South you know.

Sun

21-15-9 reps of
overhead squats with either a 25 or 35 lb bar (smaller than the 45 lb bar but not sure how much) subbed for squat snatch.
pull ups at 70 lbs assisted

10:52 minus about 50 sec for the back and forth to the gravitron.

I worked on the snatches with the husband first a bit, but definitely didn't have the balance to do that many.

I suppose I could have used more weight and gone longer instead of light and fast but I fell a few times (collapsed onto my butt) with just the overheads so it's perhaps best to buildup to these kinds of things.

Crappy Morning, Great Workout

2009-04-24T12:45:00.002-08:00

I consulted with a general surgeon about my rogue glands this morning. Apparently he would want to take a more invasive approach that is more akin to exploratory surgery. I would have a scan beforehand, but I suppose he just wants to make sure... Well I'm not really into that so depending on what the scan shows I might try and push for a more minimally invasive procedure. The slash and burn surgery would leave me out of commission for 2 weeks. Yuck. Plus it would have to be soon because my hubby is leaving for the great frontier.

Okay now for my great workout:

Michael

800 m run
50 back extensions
50 sit ups

X3 for time

30:25

I did the run on a treadmill at 6.5 though I dropped a little for the end of the third run. There was mental whining. Anyway I tried to do some anchored sit up but there was no good spot for it so I just pressed my toes up against the wall. Also I was loud, very loud. Ha ha I love workout noises. I'm pretty happy with my time though I was shooting for 30 min or less. Made me fell good to do the non scaled workout and get a reasonable though not amazing time.

Damn it's hot out today.

I don't understand and yet I want more

2009-04-23T13:51:00.002-08:00

***Note: this is neither work nor family friendly***

Dog Stank Thursdays

2009-04-23T12:52:00.003-08:00

The dogs were starting to smell so I decided to give them a little bath. We do it like twice a year. you know what smells worse than dirty dog? Wet dog.

I picked up my lab work today. I am going to take it to an appointment I have with a general surgeon. The plan is probably parathyroid scan then surgery.

A little about hyperparathyroidism: Let's get one thing straight, this is not the thyroid. The parathyroid consists of 4 glands, two on each lobe of the thyroid. The parathyroid releases a hormone that functions to help balance your serum (blood) and bone calcium levels. Essentially your calcium balance depends on the calcium you take in, which is absorbed through the intestines, and the calcium you put out via your kidneys. Additionally, calcium is either added to or taken away from your bones, depending on the serum calcium concentration. In my situation, too much calcium is being taken away from my bones and added to my serum, which is why my serum calcium levels were so elevated. My parathyroid hormone levels were also very elevated. Both of these together are diagnostic of hyperparathyroidism. The good news is that this is most likely what is causing my wicked heartburn that is made no better by meds, and the strange abdominal bloating. I am looking forward to the day I no longer have to worry about it! The surgery is pretty small scale generally. According to the magical interwebs, about 95% of cases are caused by one rogue parathyroid and only 5% are caused by all of the glands growing too large. hopefully I fall into the former category as there is a tiny little incision, while the second case requires more anaesthesia and a larger cut. Don't worry, I'll let you know which way it goes.

Ok now to the real business of the day, crossfit log!

Thurs the Filthy Fifty (er modified...)

35 box jumps (on a weight bench)
20 jumping pull ups
20 kettlebell swings (25 lbs)
40 walking lunges
35 ab mat sit ups with reach through
20 push press (30 lbs)
35 back extensions
20 dumbbell thruster (20 lbs)
20 burpess (with girl push ups)
50 jump ropes

All in 20 minutes. Yikes. Well I tried. I still don't really know how a double under even happens and we don't have wall ball capabilities at my gym. Also, that knee to elbows shit rx'd was crazy.

Great story by the way... My friend um lets call her Maple, has just gotten started with CrossFit and she went to check the workout of the day this morning. She didn't realize she needed to scroll down to get to the scaled workouts on the brandx page. She did fifty of everything and apparently it just about killed her. Wow. She is rock solid. I scaled down and then shot for higher if possible. I think it worked out pretty well. I am tired but not dead.

Wait and See

2009-04-22T16:31:00.002-08:00

So I got diagnosed with hyperparathroidism today. Hmmm Should be interesting.

I also did this:

Tues

Deadlift
95-100-110-110-120-120-120

I was just getting a feel for the movement. I would like to see what I can get up to when I feel more confident.