oh happy weekend

I've decided to do a little list each Saturday for my dedicated reader (s?, haha). I did Monday Picks on my old blog, but Monday is too chaotic now that I'm in the "real world." And by chaotic I mean I'm absolutely exhausted on weeknights.

It's going to be a little random, although I'll try to keep some semblance of normalcy to it! There will most likely be music, books, a non-mainstream media news story, and then just whatever I happen to want to share :) I'll also try to throw in links for you to follow. Without further ado...

Music: Ingrid Michaelson. Jessica mentioned her earlier in the year and I am really enjoying her. Check out her myspace. I love her voice, and her lyrics are amazingly human.

Book: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. My cousin Danielle lent me this book a couple of months ago and I am finally finding some time to really get into it. It's got romance, adventure, interesting storylines, and intriguing characters. I was a little hesitant at first because the title kind of implies science fiction, which is not my cup of tea. Much to my surprise and happiness, it is so much more a love store with a bit of biology/genetics thrown in. Haha, go figure, that's the inner science geek in me :) Go to your local library/bookstore or check it out at here.

Non-mainstream media (further known as Non-MSM) story: I should preface this category by saying if you don't know my political tendencies, you will shortly :) Today's story is courtesy of Crooks and Liars. <--click, read, and come back. Oh dear god. This is a man who has a serious chance at winning the GOP nomination [not the White House :), mind you]?? Isn't it Supreme Hunting Law #1, to never, ever fire towards people? He says he's been hunting since he was 11...did he just up and forget the part about not pointing guns at people?

What's that? He just got excited? Um, if he's going to get that excited about a fricking pheasant, I really, really, REALLY do not want him to even get the inkling that he could be in charge of the USA's nuclear program...be the commander in chief...but he's just a down-home, compassionate, buddy-boy Southern preacher, right?!!

Picture of the week: These huge icicles went from the roof to the floor of my balcony. I went to work in the morning hoping that they would still be there when I got home, and fortunately they were. There is a very short period during this time of year to take outdoor pictures when you leave your house at 5 am!

Peace and love,

M

Warm thoughts and hope, please...

I said last night that I would write more about what caused our change in Christmas Eve plans, so here it is. I apologive for rambling in advance, as I am very emotional about this, and am quite tired and drinking a glass of wine as I write this.

My Uncle Wolf was recently diagnosed with laryngeal cancer that has spread to lymph nodes in his neck. His diagnosis was a surprise and shock to him and my aunt, as he went to the doctor thinking his neck pain was caused by a fall he took out of his semi truck.

As it has already spread to lymph nodes, he is undergoing an especially intense chemotherapy treatment and is scheduled to begin concurrent radiation treatments next week. On Christmas Eve morning, my parents and I ended up taking him to the hospital so he could learn how to do his tube feedings, as he cannot take in enough calories orally. His medications have now been switched to liquids so he can get them through his feeding tube. As an RN, as well as a concerned niece, I am so glad that I was there and able to help. I have been feeling quite helpless thus far because I live 5 hours away and helping my aunt and uncle has been relatively unfeasible for me. For me, I can honestly say that helping people understand something related to their health is what brings me the greatest satisfaction. I'm glad that I was able to find some humour in the situation as well, as I had to teach my aunt about the tube feedings and medications in the middle of a WalMart bustling with last minute Christmas shoppers! Talk about inconvenient ;)

All I can say at this point is please do not smoke. I have absolutely no doubt that smoking is what led to my uncle's cancer. If you smoke, if someone in your family smokes, if your friends smoke, please encourage them to quit. That's it; plain and simple.

Please send your warm thoughts and hope to my aunt and uncle. And while I am not a religious person, if you are, please consider adding my aunt and uncle to your prayers. I am holding on to hope and the fact that this man has beat death three times prior to this (he was struck by lightning, had a heart attack, and was rolled over by a tractor). I just hope that a fourth time isn't too much to ask.

Peace and love,
M

Merry and happy!

What a whirlwind of activity for the holidays! It was absolutely wonderful to see my family and celebrate with them. I am so lucky to have the great family that I do.

Friday was work and driving in pea soup fog. NOT FUN! I like to see the deer before they jump out at me...gives me a chance to engage in evasive actions!

Saturday was Christmas on my Dad's side. We had a soup buffet, which I think is a great idea for a holiday meal. Soup is so filling and it's very easy! Almost the entire family got warmly dressed and "hit the slopes" for some quality sledding after lunch. It was so much fun, especially to see my 40-50 year old aunts and uncles going down the hill and having snowball fights! It began snowing around 5 pm, and just kept on going all through the night and into the morning.

Sunday the boys fought over who got to use the snowplow and snowblower to clean up Grandpama's driveway...Dad and Uncle Mark won, and were quite happy. Seriously, these guys race to the farm in the summer to use the chainsaw--they love their power tools! Sunday night was Christmas for my Mom's side. It's not as much fun as my Dad's, but I still love seeing the family. And my kittycat Marmalade :)

Monday, Christmas Eve, morning, we were planning on leaving early, but we had a change of plans (more about that at a later time). We didn't get home until 7 pm, so our Christmas Eve dinner changed from pork tenderloin to pizza. It's okay, we made our big meal the next day for lunch!

On Christmas Day, we opened gifts in the morning and made a delish lunch. Mmm, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes! The 4 of us played Scrabble in the afternoon, and then I had to leave to get back to MKE. It was so hard leaving. The 4 days went way too quickly!

I hope your holidays have been wonderful and fun and fabulous, full of good food, good cheer, and good friends!

Peace, love, and good cheer,
M

13 days later...

I'm making a half-hearted attempt at a blog entry. It's only 8 pm but I'm exhausted. That happens with only 3 hours of sleep coupled with 8 hours of being on your feet. Boo to insomnia and early start times!! Very bad together!

I was home this weekend to see Fedora play in Madison. They sounded great (and that's not just a sister speaking)! Mom and I did some Christmas shopping on Saturday too, in the snow. I found a gift for the brother, and figured out what I'm going to get my Dad: flannel sheets for their new queen size bed! haha :) He keeps whining about not having any. I also have to purchase his gift to Mom, because he doesn't like to go to the mall at any time of the year, let alone Christmas time.

I also got to see Jenn when I went to Madison on Friday. We went out to dinner and were classy ladies and had wine :) And didn't get carded...that was exciting!

Love and peace,
M

dreaming about warmer times

Earlier this fall (when I only had to wear a stocking hat and soft shell), Nick and I went to Door County for a weekend away. I was thoroughly entertained by this sign...I'm such a juvenile :)




Here's a nice picture of us from that weekend, no rubble mound groins included!

It's snowing again here...I went and bought a new scraper for my car, seeing as it snapped right in half as I was chipping ice off my windshield! I also got a swell little shovel, so when I get plowed into my parking spot, I can dig myself out :)

Peace and love,
M

zzzz...

Wow. This week I am in the CV-OR doing a rotation of med nursing. Basically cardiovascular patients are so sick that they have a veritable pharmacy of drugs they get during surgery...insulin, fentanyl, dobutamine, heparin, nitroglycerin, plus the regular solutions like normal saline or lactated ringer's, and the anesthetic agents. Each patient gets 2 nurses, one to do meds and one to circulate in the room. I saw an actual, beating, heart in a patient's chest today. Absolutely amazing.

Time for bed. Yes, it is 7:15 pm, but I was at work at 5 am this morning. Ugh. But I get to "sleep in" tomorrow, as it is inservice day...wahoo, 6 am start!

Peace and love,
M

SNOW!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we got our first snowfall, but today we got our first winter storm! How fitting for December 1st. It's switched over to sleet/freezing rain now, but I think we got about 3 inches here. It took me an hour to get back to MKE from Waukesha where I was volunteering for the Special Olympics. It was 30 mph or less on the Interstate. The wind is really howling now.

I went looking for pictures of snow in MKE, and I found this one from the Milwaukee Journal (now the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). It was taken during a blizzard in 1947.

Today's isn't quite as bad, and granted, I'm not a great photographer, but hey, it was cold out! Here's the view from my apartment balcony:

Tonight the bf and I are definitely staying in. I'm thinkin' a movie, along with big cup of hot chocolate, warm cookies, and a snuggly blanket sound just right!

Peace and love,
M