Rain0rShine's Xanga

Following My Bliss.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:07:21 GMT

I apologize for my extended absence, though I’m sure there are very few of you who actually follow this, but I am returning with this post. As part of my application to Wright State’s nursing program, I had to write an essay, 250 words or less (oops!), detailing why I wanted to be a nurse and why I might be successful in the field. This is what I wrote:

I grew up in a home in which both parents were in the nursing field – my mother a labor and delivery nurse and my father a nurse anesthetist – yet, I never even considered being a nurse as a child. I thought of many careers for myself but not once did following in my parents’ footsteps cross my mind. The first time I went off to college in 2003, at 17, I “knew” I wanted to be a criminal psychologist and work for the FBI one day, but after 3 and a half years at Wittenberg, I was miserable and sick more than I wasn’t. Thinking I just needed a break, I left with every intent of returning to finish that degree but life, as it usually does, got in the way. In August of 2007, not long before I intended to return to school for psychology, my father very unexpectedly passed away from a disease we didn’t even know he had. We hadn’t been close for some years, but this death sent my life into harsh perspective. Though I was so close to completing that psychology degree, I realized it would never make me happy and that I needed to reevaluate and find my bliss. I enrolled in nursing school and graduated in November of 2008. Part way through my associate’s program a friend asked me, “What do you want to do, as a nurse? What type of nursing do you think you want to do?” It was a question I hadn’t been asked before and hadn’t really put much thought into, but in that moment I felt a great calm pass over me and, before my brain even had time to process the words leaving my mouth, I said, “I think I want to do anesthesia… Like my dad.” From that moment on, that’s been my goal. It lead to me applying to Wright State for my bachelor’s and to this exact moment as I type this for my nursing program application. Since my entry into a nursing track, my grades have returned to where they were in high school, 3.0 or higher, and I’ve been more focused and happy than I had been in years. I am so motivated to pursue this path and have done and will do anything to make this my reality. Thank you.

15 years, in a very small nutshell

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:16:24 GMT

Having a back and forth conversation on facebook with a nanny we had about 15 years ago when we lived out in San Diego. In doing so, I sent her a basic synopsis of what's been going on with Ian and I in the last years and thought it was interesting to share here.

After Puerto Rico ('95-'98), our dad retired from the Navy and moved us back to near where he grew up (he was from Southgate, KY and we lived right next door in Fort Thomas, KY ['98-'03]) because his dad had passed away ('96) and he wanted to be near his mom. I graduated from Highlands High School in '03 and went off to college at Wittenberg University. I wound up leaving after the fall semester of my senior year for varying health and personal reasons. For various reasons involving my dad's decent into problems of his own after his mom died ('01), our mom moved up to help out. While I was at Wittenberg, my mom and brother moved over the river to Colerain Township ('04). We lived in that area until my junior year ('06) when they moved to Monfort Heights (near Cheviot) and that's where they still are. I'm living in Dayton now, I moved up this way in January, with my boyfriend John, the handsome fellow in my profile picture, and two of our friends. He's in grad school at UD and I'm, already having received an associate's degree in nursing, am going to Wright State and working on my BSN. I hope to eventually get to anesthesia school and follow in my dad's better leading footsteps. I didn't know this is the path I wanted to follow until after he had died and I was talking with a coworker about what I was gonna do after nursing school. It's funny how the thought hadn't even crossed my mind before I said it out loud. I'm certain I had a funny expression when I said it because my coworker asked why I was making the face and I told her "I think I must have just been momentarily possessed by my father because I had never even considered anesthesia until it was already out of my mouth just now and... now it seems like the only thing I want to do." It's weird how things like that happen, but I really do think in some way my dad was trying to lead me down the path he knew I needed and would thrive doing.

As I know you've heard, through my aunt at least, our dad passed away just over two years ago on August 19, 2007 from a pulmonary embolism. It was very sudden and very unexpected. Ian, very very unfortunately, had been staying the weekend with him and was the one who found him, close to 8 or 10 hours after he passed. From his story, he found him and kinda had a minor break and paced around for over an hour thinking of everything that would need to be done and who he would have to tell before he finally called me and I, driving like a mad woman down 75 to my dad's place in Covington, called 911. In some ways, Ian is dealing with our dad's passing better than me (their relationship wasn't as bad because Ian's memory is not so good and he didn't take the brunt of our dad's abuse), but in other ways, I am. He doesn't much talk about it, never really has, and I didn't see him actually cry over our dad until we had to have his cat put down last fall after taking him when our dad died. For some reason, putting Freddy down was the cathartic for Ian in dealing with dad.

Speaking of Ian: He went through the same school system I graduated high school from through 7th grade and then began to attend Colerain Middle/High School. Ian has struggled with a predominantly undiagnosed learning issue almost his whole schooling and did not do well at Colerain. He wound up leaving after he failed his freshman year and began doing home schooling, where he flourished because he could learn his own way at his own pace. In no way is Ian unintelligent, he's actually as smart as either my sister or I, but he can't seem to learn in a traditional setting. In fact, in under a month, doing home schooling, he learned and passed all the way through senior level mathematics. It's crazy. But anywho, he has an appointment at the end of the month with some crazy long titled psychologist whose primary goal is to run tons of diagnostic tests on him and figure out what's going on. We've always suspected ADD, but now we'll know for sure and what, if any, other things are wrong there too. You should see Ian now though. He's tall (6'0" or so) and thin as a rail. For a while he had longer hair than any of the ladies in my family but after a tikki torch singing incident at a party at my place, he had to lose over a foot of hair. People sometimes tell us he should be a model because he has the height and frame for it and in alot of ways that very palatable face. lol. Though I know he's seen pictures from San Diego, I highly doubt if he would remember most of it, or even you without some strong reminders. It's funny how he can remember some things so well, like trivia or certain flashes of the past, but is terrible with people and most anything before he was about 10 years old.

Ep! Sorry this wasn't so brief, but I promise I left out alot of things I'd be happy to fill you in on later if you like. My number is ____________ and my e-mail is ____@___.com . I have a blackberry so I check text, facebook, and e-mails often as I receive them, unless I'm in class. =D

-Evy

half.com: Where the idiots of the world meet up.

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:12:18 GMT

I just received a rather rude message from a buyer on half.com, ebay's textbook site, in regards to an item they purchased from me less than a week ago. Here are his initial e-mail and my response. I thought it would be amusing to share. =D

THEM:
You have received a question/comment from member polyavoi_e-store concerning the Half.com transaction #: 44079094101.

Comment/ Question: WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG????? I ordered the book a while ago... still didnt receive it... Have you even shiped it yet? Why is there no shipping information or tracking
number?

ME:
Reason: Shipping Update.

Comment/ Question: I'm sorry to inform you that you ordered this book on August 28, 2009. I shipped it on August 29. 2009. I ship MEDIA MAIL from Dayton, Ohio. Per half.com's policies, I had until YESTERDAY to send your item, though I did days ago. You only ordered this item 6 days ago and it was sent 5 days ago. As your address states, you are in California, on the other side of the country, it will take several days to send it, particularly as I ship all my items Media Mail and that is listed on my seller page. There is no tracking information for the package I have sent, and I apologize, but it has never been an issue before as I am a private
person and rarely send more than one book sporadically. Finally, since this item was shipped Media Mail, as stated on my profile and your receipt, the days that Half.com estimates your package will arrive are between September 9 and September 21. I can't speed that up any and if you wanted it in such a rush you probably should have gone through someone closer and probably someone who ships using a different method. I'm sorry if you ordered in error.

I am attaching all transaction information pertinent to this item below as per half.com to validate what I have previously stated.

TRANSACTION DETAILS
-------------------------------------

Date of transaction: Aug-28-09
Transaction #: 44079094101
Transaction total: $24.32
Shipping Method: US Postal Service Media Mail
Estimated Arrival: 09/09/2009 - 09/21/2009
Shipping Address: ______, CA, Sacramento 95834, US
Shipping From: Dayton, OH

I got a Job!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:13:30 GMT

I'll be working for Maxim Healthcare as a flu shot nurse.

They were going to hire me as a regular LPN doing home care but he had misread my license information and told me I have to have it *at least* one full calender year before that position. BUT, he offered me this instead. This way I get my foot in the door, get some experience, and make some money while I wait until February when they can hire me on for reals. =D

I'm not gonna complain though because this actually works better for right now because it's a guaranteed hours and money situation because the flu shot is in high demand this year with H1N1 scares. Also, I get to tailor it a bit more to my class schedule, which is great. This really isn't a bad gig for the money. =D

100 Things I Love

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:57:17 GMT

I had a friend make one of these and decided that I should as well. It's nice to stop and remember what makes you happy from time to time.

1. Sunshine, especially after endless days of gray.
2. The salty smell of an ocean breeze.
3. Beach sand.
4. The sound waves make, particularly on a rocky beach.
5. Decon Lo.
6. Gary Patrick.
7. Figaro Q Ambley.
8. My mom and brother.
9. My sister and her family.
10. Kittens.
11. Puppies.
12. Penguins.
13. Cute babies.
14. Who am I kidding, cute baby animals of all kinds.
15. The ocean.
16. Mango.
17. John.
18. Farah.
19. Savanah.
20. Happy surprises.
21. Baking.
22. Making something that other people respect/appreciate.
23. Cuddles.
24. Ducks.
25. Butt wiggles.
26. Good memories from my KD days.
27. Web comics.
28. A good book.
29. Sushi.
30. Koala cookies.
31. These weird mango coconut jelly snacks John introduced me too.
33. Siopao. Om nom nom.
34. Finding a new recipe and having it turn out just how I imagined in my head.
35. Caring for someone.
36. Love.
37. All of my friends.
38. San Francisco. I really did leave a piece of my heart there.
39. "To you this is just a rose, but to me it is a piece of my heart." Truer words were never spoken.
40. Friendships that may fade into the background but are quickly rekindled to all their former glory after years without contact.
41. Aquariums.
42. Zoos.
43. Christmas lights.
44. Funfetti cake.
45. Funfetti pearls icing.
46. Ice cream.
47. Grater's Strawberry Chip ice cream.
48. Lilies.
49. Orchids.
50. William Sonoma.
51. The kitchen section of Home Depot.
52. The color Green.
53. Pretty shinies.
54. Fields of wild flowers.
55. Celtic music. Traditional, modern, rock, and punk. I like it all.
56. Gaelic names.
57. That websites like facebook, myspace, and twitter make it infinitely easier for my sorry ass to keep in touch with people. Even though I still manage to suck at it.
58. Indian food.
59. Sunsets, particularly over the ocean.
60. Del Mar, California.
61. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
62. The Eastern Shore of Virginia.
63. Pensacola, Florida.
64. Horse back riding.
65. The simple, line drawn paintings by Van Gogh.
66. Skyline after a night of drinking.
67. How, even though he inevitably wakes me up and drives me insane with it, Decon cuddles my head when he wants to be snuggly.
68. Waffle House. Don't judge me!
69. Smoothies.
70. My pillow.
71. Ikea.
72. The way certain guys smell even when they aren't wearing any smelly goods.
73. That my hair is getting curlier as I'm getting older.
74. Reconnecting with "long lost" friends, near and far.
75. Teva mush flip flops.
76. My first "big kid" car.
77. Those neat little one serving drink packets.
78. Blue mint gums.
79. The way my teeth feel right after the dentist.
80. All the friends I haven't spoken to in ages but still think about all the time.
81. My mom's cats.
82. Abby's babies.
83. Baby laughs.
84. Celtic knots.
85. Fondue.
86. Sheepies.
87. Dancing.
88. Singing, no matter how poorly I do it, while speeding down the highway.
89. Gardening.
88. Discovering you have so much in common with people you thought were so different from you.
89. Wittenberg's campus, particularly in the spring.
90. The first time you get into a fresh bed.
91. Music.
92. Wii.
93. That I finally have people to play "board" games with.
94. The Short North.
95. Hookahs.
96. Banana bread.
97. Helping my mom make Thanksgiving dinner.
98. PostSecret.
99. Discovering new music in the most unexpected ways.
100. That this may inspire others to do the same.

RIP - in perspective

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:15:55 GMT

Let's also remember that today many other, non-famous, men, women, and children died around the world from starvation, AIDS, preventable diseases, childhood cancers, accidents, war, genocide, etc. By all means, "RIP" to the famous who passed, but let's keep things in perspective and reserve the word "tragedy" for the things that really deserve the title.

Not to say heart attacks and anal cancer aren't... dammit. You catch my meaning.

Happy Dance with Me!!

Sun, 31 May 2009 19:44:37 GMT

I would like to request anyone that can relate to please join me in a happy dance to the tune of "Evy just fit into her favorite pair of jeans that she hasn't been able to wear since probably October of 2007!!!!" I would also like to point out that these pants are 3 sizes smaller than the ones I was wearing in December/January.

This is a huge non scale victory for me. I was struggling for a while to keep motivated because I felt like no matter how much the numbers went down, my outward appearance wasn't changing. On a lark, I tried these pants on today and when they fit I about cried.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Fri, 29 May 2009 17:31:27 GMT

Wright State invited me to fill out this survey on that topic (and Facebook in general) and the last question was an open-ended one where I got to state just what the title of this note says. I am going to paste my answer and invite anyone who reads this to leave their two cents on the subject as a comment.

I feel the use of Facebook as a hiring tool can be quite ridiculous. For years people have had their work lives and their social lives with little overlap and without the fear of employers peering over their shoulders at every turn. Now, employers think the advent of Facebook gives them the right to do just that and it seems a little twisted. How many people that were hired in the past do you want to bet drank or partied or went to political rallies in their time off or before they found a real "adult" job? Probably just as many as do now, but with Facebook comes easier access to that information and picture proof. No, I don't think it is bad to use Facebook in a limited capacity for getting to know a potential employee, but even considering basing the hiring of someone off it is poor judgment. It is still the internet and as we've learned from sites like snopes.com, not everything you will read or see on the vast world wide web is the complete truth.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Thu, 07 May 2009 07:41:04 GMT

So, I'm super pissed at Dayton area Graeters' right now. No lie. I went in again tonight, May 6th, and they STILL don't have Strawberry Chip. Not only that, but the little shit behind the counter was extra condescending and told me what they "do have right now" and that I should "look at the schedule on the bulletin board first." Ummm... hello. I did, two weeks ago. Then I looked at your establishments website, checked the ice cream forecast for Dayton, and talked to multiple people in Cincinnati about the state of Strawberry Chip and it's existence not only in the parlor but also Kroger. Oy!

Please Shut Up about the Swine Flu!

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:18:21 GMT

*sigh* No, really. I'm tired of reading about reasonable, smart people I know freaking out about the Swine Flu. Enough is enough. Please read on:

i seem to be missing something about this swine flue pandemic. for one, it's a strain of the flu virus. the flu virus is notorious for frequent mutations and is difficult to predict which strain to use in flu vaccines. and, yes, this doesn't come from strain a or b which are the most common strains of seasonal flu, but the spread of this strain seems to be no different from a typical flu spread. oh, but people die from this strain. really, and people don't die from other strains of the flu? in a typical flu season, about 36,000 people die from the flu*. so, we need to freak out about this why?

but the w.h.o. raised their level of alert from 4 to 5**! yeah, level five means that an outbreak has been confirmed in at least two w.h.o. countries and that a global pandemic is imminent. well, what is a pandemic, anyway? that's where a non-seasonal virus spreads easily from person to person around the globe. note the total lack of equating pandemic with panic and freak out.

so, let's recap: this strain of flu virus is contagious, just like any other strain of flu. this strain has killed triple-digit humans. the cdc states that a typical flu season kills on average quintuple-digit humans.

and are you really more likely to get swine flu than a seasonal flu without a flu vaccine? i know of three people who got the flu this winter AND had flu shots. i opted for not getting vaccinated and managed to stay healthy. am i lucky? perhaps, but i also do my part to take simple steps like washing my hands regularly (not compulsively), making sure to cough and sneeze into my arms, and not going to work when i'm ill. gosh, i don't even carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer around everywhere i go.

so, news media, can we stop with the 24/7 coverage? let's be reasonable and focus on diseases that we know already affect tens of millions of people worldwide like heart disease and cancer, instead of those that might. no amount of discussion and coverage is going to increase people taking appropriate steps to stay healthy.

*Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year. Every year in the United States, on average 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and; about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications. (From the CDC's website.)

**Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.