#46 - holiday boredom

well here i am, sitting on the couch with the laptop. i've been here mostly for the past couple days. christmas came and went and we had a family get together but mostly i've been really bored. i guess not being able to work out, play dodgeball, go to school and hang out with friends kind of leaves me stuck. yeah i am with my family but they are not very exciting. most of the time a few of them are sleeping. a couple of them are sick and don't want to do anything. it's too hot for me to want to do anything and i'm always sweating. yuck! we are going to see "i am legend" soon but i don't know when. i can't go to the beach because no one will go with me (imagine that!) and i can't just take the car. sad.

i know everyone is saying "well you're in hawaii!" but for me that's not exciting. it's not like i can lay on the beach all day/week. i wish. so i am here, listening to music (brandi carlile and now mason jennings). i am making plans for this coming quarter in which i have nothing planned except work and dodgeball on thursdays. i am thinking about playing in the draft league on tuesdays as well. other things i usually do are workout and go to bloody sundays. that's it. so i am trying to plan a few trips.

• seattle to visit cousin kerry
• colorado and utah to snowboard and visit danny and allison
• las vegas to meet up with my sister and her bf matt over spring break

of course i don't have money for these trips but that is why i'll be working a lot. i am only on call at my two jobs so i really have no idea if i'll get to work as much as i want but i'm hoping to get as many hours as i can without going crazy. other things i want to do that involve money are going to shows and watching more movies. i looked at different sites to see upcoming shows but nothing too exciting. i guess fall is the best time for shows. hopefully some good ones will come up though.

after today i have 2 more days of the same, but at least on friday the beavers will be playing in the emerald bowl! go beavs! we're having an emerald bowl party and all our food will be black and orange! hahaha should be a good game. after that it's back on the plane to portland for a night, then to denver to memphis. then drive to new orleans for the sugar bowl and new years. exciting!

#45 - surfing

okay so it's an old picture but it's at the same beach and i look pretty much the same. we forgot to bring a camera this time. the last time i went surfing was probably july when i was here last. i always forget how much i love surfing until i am in the water paddling out against the incoming waves. i curse at myself for not being in better shape and wonder how long i'll last. the water was especially cold and it felt great. matt my surfing partner kept complaining about it but it was so nice!

i have this huge longboard. it's 9 feet long and i realized it's the most expensive thing i've ever bought. i only get to ride it a couple times a year and that's such a waste because it sits in my family's living room. i just enjoy it that much better when i come back. i actually enjoy the pain in my shoulders while i'm paddling! we were out there probably for 90 minutes or so but it went by so fast.

the waves were kinda getting choppy since we went kinda late but there was still plenty to ride. matt of course caught waves left and right. i had to rest a lot between waves/paddling to the right spot. it's amazing how different being in shape and being in surfing shape is. i was not. tomorrow i will wake up in pain but it will feel good.

most of the time when i am surfing, i'm either paddling out to where i need to be or sitting on my board. you have a lot of time to think and ponder life's big questions. usually a song gets stuck in my head and today it was "how bad do u want it" by tim mcgraw. i love that song. but i guess i thought a lot about why i don't live here. i know all the answers to that question but surfing really is one reason i'd move back. a lot would have to happen for me to want to move back but surfing would be a big reason. i'm not good at it but it's not something you need to be good at to enjoy. the time spent out in the water and the pure joy of surfing is unique and special and until you've gone surfing you would never know.

#44 - travel in style

it was just announced that horizon air is going to repaint four planes, one for each of the northwest teams! it's gonna look something like this:



that would be great incentive to fly somewhere! unfortunately i'm not sure if you can choose to fly on a certain plane. i would totally refuse to get on a plane painted in the green and yellow of the -ucks. the article didn't say anything about where the planes will fly in and out of but i'm assuming the uo one will fly out of eugene. the beavers plane maybe out of portland? in any case, that would be one sweet ride!! it would be awesome if they pimped the inside to be totally black and orange! i don't think i'd ever get off that plane.

if i ever got a car i'd paint it orange so i, too, could travel in style. go beavs!

#43 - golf is for sissies

i never thought i would like golf because it seemed so lame and boring. it didn't seem like a sport because it was so damn slow. i loved mini golfing but knew it wasn't really like that. my dad tried to get me to go golfing as i was growing up but i refused, i think mostly due to my rebellious nature.

when i went to college my friend got me to try it and it was so fun! i was amazed at how fun it was despite being my first time and me sucking. usually i'm pretty competitive and hate losing but golf was different, i could be horrible and still be competitive because each hole was a new game. it's a game of striving for perfection but never getting there. although that might seem frustrating it isn't. the only time golf is frustrating is when you aren't playing well and mentally can't get it together.

so i've been golfing now for 5 years, mostly with my dad when i come home to hawaii. we have this course out in kahuku that we go to, it's right on the beach and cheap. only $10 for 18 so it's pretty sweet. i really hate going with other people that i don't know because they make me nervous and try to give me tips. someday when i can afford it i'm going to golf on a regular basis and then that consistency will make me a better player. for now it's just fun to hang out with my dad and try to beat him.

today we played at the course in my town and started late. we played till the sun went down and coming up to the last hole i was one up on match play and he was one up on stroke play. so it was an exciting finish and we ended up tying the last hole. so it was just fun. although i could've done a lot better and so could he, there were spots of brightness. there's nothing better than sinking a long putt, hitting a perfect drive or getting your ball out of a tight spot cleanly. i now understand that it isn't a boring game. it does take awhile and is slow but the challenge and striving for perfection (but never getting it) is what makes it a great game.

#42 - never give up

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." -H. B. Stowe

my mom sent me this quote after i wrote her saying i need to take my class over again that i didn't do well in. although i know they are disappointed in me, i know they are supporting me and that is making all the difference. basically what happened is i didn't get a 75% so i need to take the class again but can't until the spring. i also can't take any other classes till i take this one. so then instead of starting my second year of school in january, i can't start it till the FALL!! this means i won't be able to graduate until spring term '09. this is devastating and i feel like a loser. but it'll all be okay. it's not the end of the world.

i have a lot of things i've thought of that i will be able to do now that i don't have a class next term (to make myself feel better about the situation):

• work more and make some money
• workout more consistently
• dodgeball draft league on tuesday
• read more books
• go to shows
• cook more
• see the vanebo's new house at the coast
• new job maybe
• going to vegas with my sister
• take the train up to seattle!

it's hard for me to be positive about this but i am trying. basically all my plans for the next year have changed and been postponed. it is sad. i will still be a nurse eventually and a great one at that! it's just going to take a little longer. i have a few friends in the same position as i so i'm not alone in my misery.

oh well what am i gonna do? can't change it, just gotta roll with it!

#41 - new years trip!

i've been looking online for stuff to do on my family trip this coming month - to the south! i'm going to be leaving hawaii for portland on the 29th and arrive late at night, then catch a flight at 6am the 30th to meet up with my parents in Denver and take a plane to memphis. from there we're driving down to new orleans for the game.

new orleans - there is so much i want to do in NO but we won't have very much time. we'll get there late on the 30th and leave early on the 2nd. so that's only 2 full days, one of which we'll be watching a football game. i really wanted to go on the haunted history tour at night but we might have to go during the day. i want to see all the cemetaries and voodoo stuff. of course seeing the french quarter, bourbon street, jackson square, st charles avenue and magazine street. it all sounds fun and hopefully we'll be able to fit it in.


we're planning on new years eve on bourbon street and maybe jackson square! i've heard it's one of the best places to be when the ball drops, hopefully i won't be too claustrophobic with all those people. january 1 is the sugar bowl, the whole reason we are going. but it is at night so we have the whole day to do stuff (nurse the hangover). eat beignets and drink cafe au laits. why not?!



nashville - just found out we won't be able to go see a show at the grand ole opry. =( so sad!! they only have shows on tuesday, friday and saturday and we'll most likely be there on a wednesday or thursday. BOO!! we were going to drive to nashville just for that. hopefully we still go there cause i want to go to the country music hall of fame! also the RCA studio b, where elvis, dolly parton, waylon jennings and roy orbison recorded.

memphis - the most important thing here would be graceland, home of elvis. my mom loves elvis and i think he's pretty cool too. he's the only musician in 4 hall of fames - country, rock&roll, gospel, and rockabilly. i think we're gonna spend a lot of time there so she can get her elvis fix. i have a feeling we'll be playing a lot of elvis on the drive there.



we'll be driving over 1000 miles on this trip so it should be interesting. luckily it will be 5 of us, me, parents, uncle, and dad's friend. so it won't be just me and the 'rents. regardless, it's a lot of time spend in a small area without escape. hello ipod.

#40 - sony w80

my new baby.

my beloved digi-cam finally kicked the bucket. well, not really, but the flash decided it was too tired and stopped working one day. i don't know what that's all about but i knew i needed a new camera anyway. it didn't really take long for me to decide on this cute little camera. i knew i wanted to stay in the sony family, mostly because of the memory card issue. i've had good luck with sonys so far and so why would i go away from them? i didn't.

i haven't had a chance to really play with my camera yet so i'm not sure how awesome it is yet but it's cute, shiny, new and fast. we'll see how fast pretty soon. some specs include 7.1 megapixel (my previous was 3.1!), 3x optical zoom, carl-zeiss lens, face detection!, anti-blur, movie setting, and 2.5 inch screen! it's a pretty cool camera. i love taking pictures so this will be a great new toy! i'll have to take good care of it, obviously, but it should be FUN!! it's so small and can pretty much fit in my pocket. i heart my new camera!!!

#39 - sugar bowl

i am going to new orleans for new years!!! since hawaii got into the BCS sugar bowl, my parents and i are going up for the game! hawaii will be playing the georgia bulldogs at the louisiana superdome! i've never gone to new orleans or louisiana so it should be a great experience! i wonder if i can convince my parents to take me to emeril lagasse's restaurant. he used to be my favorite cook to watch on tv and his food always looks great! creole/cajun style...mmmm. yummy! of course it always has to come down to food.

i wonder what we'll be doing new years eve. somehow spending it with my parents in nawlins doesn't sound like the most exciting thing but i am sure it will be fun. i wish i could bring some friends to party with me and unfortunately my sister won't be able to make it =( so parents it is. well our current plan is to fly into memphis the 29th or so then drive down to n.o., watch the game (new years day) and then drive back to memphis, visit elvis then fly back on the 3rd i think. i'll actually have to leave hawaii early which really makes me sad...but this is a once in a lifetime chance, probably.

i love traveling to watch football games! i've gone to a bunch with oregon state as a student trainer - UW, cal, USC, insight bowl in arizona. went a bunch to see games as a fan - UW, stanford, fresno state, hawaii. even saw a UO-UW game in seattle. i haven't ever traveled to watch hawaii play though, should be awesome!! tickets are going like hotcakes. there's gonna be a whole bunch of hawaiians in louisiana - watch out! i'm so excited!

i don't know anything about georgia. well i know about georgia the state, i've been there. atlanta was pretty cool, i went for a 4-H thing and met lots of fun people. they have the world of COCA-COLA! that was awesome. but the football team i don't know anything about, i'll have to do some research. this is knowshon moreno, the SEC freshman of the year, tailback for georgia. he rushed for more than 1000 yards this season so sounds like a pretty good back. we'll see.

#38 - bowl games

congrats are in order.

i read that washington losing to hawaii this weekend was the reason that arizona state didn't make a B-S game, which in turn put them into the holiday bowl and oregon state in the *gasp* emerald bowl in san francisco. the beavers deserved the pac-10 #3 spot which was the sun bowl but since we got there last year we were bumped down and the -ucks got into the sun. imagine that, losing your last three games and being invited to the sun bowl?! although i am not pleased with that decision and it's slap in the face to my beloved beavers, it is okay. why? because the university of hawaii rainbow warriors are playing in the BCS sugar bowl in new orleans!! i am pumped up and will be watching with my family in hawaii.

warriors performing the ha'a, the hawaiian version of the maori haka chant/dance:


although the warriors had the easiest schedule in the country (119/119!) it is difficult to go undefeated in the regular season no matter who you play. UH is 12-0, WAC champions and playing in the sugar bowl. there could not be anything better! colt brennan is a superstar and loves hawaii. he loves the people and that is why he came back for his senior season. he may not have been a top pick last year but he would've gone and done well in the NFL. he has all the tools. but he stayed and lead the team to the best season EVER!



he is an outstanding quarterback and was nearly perfect against UW - 42/50 passing for 442 yards and five TDs which puts him at 38 for the season. that is playing partial games due to warriors being up by so many TDs and also being hurt for parts of the season. what a magical season for the bows. yes, i am still calling them rainbows even though officially they are the "warriors". i am in denial. there was nothing wrong with rainbows.

why change from this:

to this?:


yes maybe more masculine but lame. just like oregon state changed from cute adorable benny:

to angry rabid beaver.

#37 - elves are fun

i never had the desire to become an elf (especially a dancing one) but my friend sent me this link and that all changed:

the original dancing elves

from then i just went crazy and did my family and just went wild with it. it wasn't hard or time consuming and i did a few of them. i am easily entertained. enjoy it like i did and you'll lose a few pounds laughing!

my family
dancing cousins + sue
silly faces
just me!

#36 - being away

it's hard being away from home. although i've lived away from home and parents for almost 8 years it is still hard. it is totally by choice and i love oregon and portland. i love being able to jump in a car or on a train and go somewhere without spending $500 on a plane ticket. i love the seasons and all the rain. all the friends i've made here are great and i wouldn't trade them for anything. can't forget dodgeball, partying, living in the city, being 2 hours away from the ocean, and mountain. there are many reasons why i love living on the mainland.

but at the same time i miss my high school friends at home. they all stay really close and see each other often. some have even married each other! we've kinda got an unofficial "unmarried" club that's getting smaller every year. i am not worried about not being married or anything like that, no way! i just found out about another wedding and a birth of a baby!! that is just crazy. i'm definitely not ready or looking for that.

one thing is that i am not very good at keeping in touch. i used to be a great pen pal but now that i have virtually no time, keeping in contact with all those great people is often the last thing on my mind. luckily for me i get to go home for holidays and summer usually so then i see my friends often.

my family would love it if i could live there but i just couldn't. i love seeing them and spending time with them when i am there though. it is especially hard when i call and there is something wrong that i can't help with. or if someone is sick i can't just be there to help them. when my grandpa had a stroke it took awhile for me to be able to go visit and we didn't know if he would make it. but he did and is still very much kicking so i am thankful for that. i get to go spend time with them soon and we'll go to costco on a sunday to see his friends cause that's what he likes to do.

you hear about things that happen and things you want to do or would rather do, but you've made a decision to be away and just have to deal with it. sometimes it hurts and you just want to go home and let your mom take care of you. sometimes you just want to get onto a plane and go visit your friends. being away and living the life is great but sometimes it is hard because of the things you miss out on. choices, decisions and sacrifices.

#35 - football!!

first things first, congrats to my home team, the hawaii (rainbow) warriors!!! they are now 11-0, the only undefeated team in college football. they are ranked #10 and #11 depending on the poll. the only reason they aren't higher is that they play in the WAC, a non-BSC conference that is supposedly weak. the only team they played that was ranked was boise state, ranked #19, and they beat them 39-27. their quarterback, colt brennan, is a total stud. he's passed for a whole bunch of records, including all-time TD pass leader. read more on warriors. next up: university of washington. it's the last game of the season before a bowl game. if UH wins they seal up a spot in a BCS bowl! go bows!!



next up: civil war 2007 - oregon state beavers @ oregon ducks.
the home team has won every year since 1997 but that is all about to change.
location - autzen stadium, eugene:


the oregon ducks had been in the national title hunt up to the arizona game two weeks ago. what happened? their star quarterback and heisman hopeful, dennis dixon, was injured again. he had been playing with a partially torn ACL when it finally gave out.



so on to backup brady leaf (younger brother of former WSU star turned #2 draft pick (behind peyton manning)/laughing stock ryan leaf). although bl is a pretty decent quarterback he couldn't get the job done against arizona. they lost 34-24. yesterday the ducks played ucla, who has been sucking. they lost to ND for crying out loud. anyways brady leaf gets hurt in the first quarter, didn't have any offense and scored a big fat 0. now they are tied in the pac-10 with OSU. the winner of CW will be in 3rd place unless ucla beats usc (highly unlikely). so a lot is on the line.

bad news - yvenson bernard underwent minor arthroscopic surgery on his knee a week ago. our big time player who's involved in almost every offensive play may not be 100%. it was good we had a bye but we'll see how healthy he is is. we need him to really be effective but we've got two backups who can move the chains. not as well but they can. our defensive rocks. hopefully the O won't be putting them in bad situations but i'm looking for the D to have some big plays and put some points up on the board.



with sean canfield (our first string QB) out with a shoulder injury and questionable to play in CW, all eyes are on lyle moevao who isn't the best thrower but got the job done last week @WSU, 52-17. here is a clip of him against UW the week before. he totally lays out a defensive end on a reverse play! oh yeah baby that's what i'm talking bout!



CIVIL WAR 2007 - DECEMBER 1ST 1:30PM ON ESPN2!

#34 - christmas already?

so after thanksgiving is done the christmas season starts...and all the insanity that comes with it. every year i've become less consumeristic when it comes to christmas because it seems like that's all it is anymore. sad. anyway i was at work listening to christmas music all day and realized that it was almost a month away. i'll be leaving for hawaii in 23 days. that's rad. so i thought i'd post some of my favorite christmas songs to get into the spirit cause i love singing the stuff:

• grandma got run over by a reindeer
• anything by the carpenters
• trans-siberian orchestra - "christmas eve"
• feliz navidad
• josh groban's "noel"
• kenny g stuff
• carol of the bells

i'll add more to the list when i think of titles.

#33 - thanks

as i procrastinate the studying of two exams and dream about stuffing to come tomorrow...i also think about how lucky and thankful i am. i am thankful for:

• you - someone actually reading this!!!
• thanksgiving - can't go wrong with loads of food!
• life and everything that comes with it
• my family - in hawaii and my adopted family in portland
• nursing school - even though it's my biggest pain at the moment, it will be worth it some day (that's what i have to keep telling myself)
• the many friends i've made this year through school and dodgeball
• having a job even though it frustrates me at times
• the old people at my job who make me laugh and smile about the silliest things, and being able to make them laugh and smile about the silliest things
• having money enough to house, feed and cloth myself
• being healthy and able-bodied and minded
• dodgeball, even with my multiple injuries/mishaps
• $2 drink specials (broadway grill anyone?)
• music and my ipod with its massive number of songs! i'd die without it
• have i mentioned stuffing yet?
• good roommates and new best friends
• old best friends
• nature, beauty, love (sunsets!)
• OSU football - go Beavs!!
• having met and enjoyed the company of some wonderful people who are no longer with us. sharing friendship, games, food, laughter and stories to last forever - RIP

#32 - snow!

timberline is opening tomorrow! whoooo!! i haven't been snowboarding in so long. hopefully i still remember how. i'm sure the first time out will be pretty painful, get the rust off. oh i can just feel it now...powder! well, oregon powder that is. my friend danny is trying to get me out to colorado where he said snow is so dry and amazing. maybe spring break.

i took this class at oregon state - snowboarding! we'd go up every thursday to mt. bachelor. we'd have an hour or so of class then off on our own!! it was so nice to go up to the mountain every week. i took the class three times!! boo yah. the unfortunate things for me right now are:
1) no vehicle, let alone one that would make it up to the mountain through snow
2) no time
3) no money
4) no friends going (yet)

hopefully i'll be able to remedy this situation. time and money kind of compete with each other. i will make it happen.

#31 - humboldt squid

i just watched this discovery channel show on the killer humboldt squid. who knew that there was such a thing? apparently it attacks people. you may think that squid are harmless, as did i, but this particular species has suckers with sharp teeth, up to 36000 teeth!! they are carnivorous and move in schools. they can swim up to 15 miles an hour and they hunt in packs to kill prey that are larger than themselves. although their jaws (beak) are not strong, several squid can quickly kill and devour their food. crazy! they can grow up to 7 ft and weight 100 pounds!! they change colors like most squid from white to red. they are called the humboldt squid because they are found in the humboldt current of the eastern pacific ocean. they are generally found in waters off mexico and california but also have washed up onto shores farther north. after seeing this program i realized i may have seen one before. here is a picture from wikipedia:



here is a picture i took of squid that washed up onto the shores of manzanita beach on the oregon coast. it was certainly an odd sight, there were probably a couple dozen all washed up dead, mostly picked at by birds. i didn't take the chance to look at them closer to see the teeth in suckers because of course i didn't know about them at the time. so of course i have no way to know if these were the killer squid.



what do you think? pretty darn similar looking. of course the one in my picture has shorter tentacle legs but other than that, same general shape and color with similar characteristics. man i love the discovery channel!

#30 - unfair

no one should have to experience so many close to them dying. it started less than two months ago. my "oregon grandma" passed away at age 91, pretty unexpectedly. then a month ago one of my favorite residents died at age 90. she slowly got weaker and then finally decided to let go. then this past friday i got the news no one wants to hear.

i was screwing around on the computer at home friday night when i got a call from my friend saying that her sister's husband (who i lived with for awhile) was in the hospital - OHSU. so it was 8:15 or so and i got some stuff together and hopped on the bus. an hour later i arrived at icu where he was, along with my friend and her sister. everything from then was a blur. he had heart failure, they had to do cpr for an hour, he didn't have enough oxygen to his brain, he was on a ventilator and of course there wasn't much hope. i spent the night friday and saturday at the hospital, not really sleeping because tiny couches aren't comfortable for that purpose. i cried a lot. especially every time a new family member arrived to see him. he looked pretty much the same, with a little more scruff than normal. he had a bunch of tubes coming out from everywhere but for the most part didn't look too bad.

although we wanted to have hope that he would get better, the reality was that his organs were shut down, as was his brain. the only thing really working was his heart, which was tachycardic. the ventilator was the only thing really keeping him alive - life support. he had told his wife never to let him live like that, but his mom was on her way from michigan. he had to be kept going till she arrived. it was the longest two days. i couldn't really eat or sleep. i cried more than i ever have. why so much pain? well he was only 31. 5 years older than i. it was tragedy, we were all left asking "why?" and wondering what we could've done to prevent it. what could we do to bring him back? what is the purpose of life if it could be taken away like that? and really the question that bothered me most:
"is it better to have loved and lost or never have loved at all?"

while that question has yet to be answered it makes me afraid of finding any kind of mind-blowing love. put all my energy into this one person, to actually become one. to not want to live without the other, or not be able to live without the other. to feel like you are not whole without him. to feel pain everytime you think of him, gone. can people recover from this type of loss and if so, how?? they really complemented and completed each other. no one else understood either of them but yet they both got each other. why?

so they took him off life support on sunday. i saw him and he looked really dead. in the previous days he didn't look anything but sleeping. but when he was actually gone it was different. he was 31. three deaths in two months. it is a little too hard to understand why. the old people (the grandmas) had lived. they had kids, they traveled, they loved, they lost, they loved again, 90 birthdays is a lot. 31 is not enough. he still had so much to do and it's just not fair. not fair.

sure you could say that none of these people were my direct relatives or even my closest friends, but for some reason it felt so real - so close. it didn't matter the blood relation but the fact that these people gave me so much. making me apple pie, telling me i was funny, teaching me how to cook something. it's the little things. it's not about how long you know them or even how well but each moment you spend with people counts. each conversation you have and each little story means something. those are the things that you remember. in the end you are surprised about the things you remember. when you lose someone so many priorities change and you realize the things that are important. spending time with the friends and family you love becomes it. love is all you need.

#29 - dr. goodbody's total goodbody system

i read this article in the new york times. it's hilarious and ridiculous at the same time. it's from back in february but i just read it a minute ago.

#28 - my face, part two

i did it again, less than a week after the last time. my face was a target for some guy's hard shot. i found out later his name is kevin. we were playing extrava danza, one of the top teams in our division. we didn't expect to do well at all but it was fun times. i didn't see the ball coming but it hit me on the right side (to balance out last week's left side hit) and i pretty much fell back flat. i laid there for awhile holding my head, which was dizzy. then i turned over and started laughing. it was pretty damn funny. kevin ran over straight away and apologized. he felt really bad.

later at the bar they bought us our "loser's pitcher", plus kevin sent over another "face shot pitcher" AND he brought over a "slow screw against the wall" for me too. he was so sweet.

#27 - cholesterol

so not only is my cholesterol high. my vitamin D is low. i need some sunshine...and fortified stuff. i have a plan.

things i need to eat:
leafy green veggies
skim milk
orange juice fortified
legumes
nuts
oatmeal
soy
omega 3 FA
flax oil, flax seed
egg whites, egg beaters
*lean meat and fatty fish

things i can't eat:
egg yolks :(
fried food
fatty food
salami, other processed meats
butter
cheese

exercise helps.

and beer...check out this article on a beer created by canadians (genius) that is a cholesterol-lowering beer!!! yay just what i need.

#26 - good and bad news

bad news first, always.
bad news is plentiful.

one, my cholesterol is up again at 210. it's supposed to be less than 200. i took a blood test as requested by my awesome NP and that's the only thing abnormal - total cholesterol. i knew it too. i could feel it in my arteries i guess. i've been eating pretty crappy lately. just whatever i wanted.

two, i can't eat all the stuff i've been eating. no more 2 eggs a day. no more pepperoni pizzas. no more cheese with every meal. no more genoa, sopressata, or finocchiona salamis. oh how i ache. i had fried chicken for lunch today. this is why my cholesterol is up. i love fried eggs, all runny and warm. i've even come to like poached eggs, on toast. a little salt and pepper. and of course bacon would complete the perfect breakfast sandwich.



three, i'm going home in a month and 10 days and i will be tempted to eat as many loco mocos as i can. you see, a loco moco is pretty much my perfect cholesterol-laden hawaii comfort food. you've got rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg and gravy all over. plus lots of pepper and definitely a side of mac. it's just delicious, and what i want when i go home. i eat it everywhere.



so enough with bad news. there is good in all this.

good news is...i'll be going back to being vegetarian. it's really the only way for me. i've gotta have it all or nothing. i got my cholesterol all the way down to almost 100 i think the last time i was a veg. i enjoy all my veggies, tofu, and even beans now. so there is no reason not to be veg for me...except i love my salami, bacon, pork ribs, lamb, chicken, and steak. my problem really is self-control. i have none. so if i am not vege then i just go all crazy with meats. it's a good thing beer doesn't have cholesterol.

i'll still eat eggs for now, just not as many yolks. i've got some chicken to eat in the fridge too. at least i'll go to a thanksgiving dinner with tofurky available. yum. i actually am not too crazed about turkey on t-day, it's all about the STUFFING!

#25 - free time

well i have none but some people do. check out this vid, it's just craziness.

ok well i guess if i'm posting blogs that technically is free time. but i need it. like i need myspace. it's fun and mindless, just what i need to get me through my classes and a good way to unwind after a day at work.

what would i even do with my free time? probably just study. yuck. nursing school life sucks.

#24 - beavers football

so we didn't beat USC. is that a surprise? not to anyone, including me. why?

• sean canfield can't scramble


• sean canfield can't throw the ball away


• yvenson bernard is hurt - he is the utility guy, running and receiving everything, he is usually involved in every play


• the o-line has some injuries


• the play calling sucks.


• the receivers are young, pretty good but young


• no sammie stroughter - out whole season with bruised kidney


• no kickoff or punt return threat

notice nothing about defense. our defense rocks. they are the only reason why the score was 24-3 and not 50-3 or worse. from the line to linebackers it is solid up and down. the corners and safeties are not too bad but make some mistakes and aren't that big/tall to challenge some receivers. but they mostly get the job done. next two weeks should be good - UW and WSU, both at the bottom of the pac-10. canfield better improve this week. then december 1...civil war baby!

usc was not all that great and definitely aren't a top of the pac-10 team. uo is playing like crazy right now, asu hung with them but clearly weren't as good. cal is decent and ucla didn't deserve to beat us. i see the ducks coming into the civil war at 10-1, and osu at 7-4. yv will be healthy by then and canfield at the top of his game. the defense will be even better and the receivers will be stepping up. the streak for home team dominance i think is at 8 years or something. this year we will rise up and break it! dixon is mobile, poised, experienced, focused and smart. canfield will be eventually but not for a season or two. in order for us to win we need to establish the run, deep threats and consistency on special teams. defense will definitely be there. UW will be good practice for defending a mobile quarterback, although locker is only a freshman he is pretty good.

GO BEAVERS!

#23 - my face

i don't have any pictures yet but i just got hit in the face at dodgeball. so tomorrow i may wake up with a shiner. we'll see. i was just standing there and this really nice guy threw a ball at me as i wasn't looking or paying attention. i pretty much needed to sit down, things were dizzy and my vision was fuzzy. not good. i think it's getting better though.

#22 - death and dying

i work in a nursing home. many of the people i take care of will die there. it is a sad but true fact. even though i don't work there full time anymore i am there enough to know all the residents and some of them really get to you. i've worked there for almost 2 years now and so i've seen many come and go. although there are a select few that you dislike as people and it is a very hard job without enough pay, there are many rewards.

it really is an honor to care for these people who are totally dependent on you and who have no one else who could do it. many of them are well into their 90s and we have a few in their 100s. it is incredible how these people live that long (i personally do not want to). there are former dancers, actresses, singers, teachers, writers, pilots, bankers, homemakers, and business people. the majority of them are women. many haven't ever married. some were married, had kids but they live far away. such is the case for a very special lady.

she died about 2 weeks ago. i was there. when you are old and dying it can be a fast thing or slow. you never know. with this lady though she had almost her whole family around her. she was lying peacefully and was ready to go. she basically waited for the last son to arrive before she kicked the bucket. i was lucky enough to help with her post-mortem care. i volunteered for it because here was this sweet little lady (probably 4 foot 6 or something) who never had an ill word for anyone. i really loved talking to her and caring for her. of all the people on our floor she enjoyed watching football and golf! she was constantly on the move with her walker, calling you "honey" and you just knew she was a great woman before her illnesses because of the way she treated people. she radiated happiness and love. i felt it was an honor to help her rest in peace. she always had nice perfectly done hair so we made sure to do that too.

i went to her funeral and you knew what a wonderful woman she was. there were so many people and everyone with just wonderful stories. i really feel lucky to have met and helped her. as a CNA i don't often get "thank yous" from family members or residents themselves but her daughter came up to a few of us after the funeral and really thanked us, with tears in her eyes. she said the only way she could go home at night was knowing that there were good caregivers for her mom. it really felt good to know. i loved that little lady and i'll miss her terribly.

#21 - mallet finger

i hurt my finger playing dodgeball tonight at pickup. actually it was before we even really started. i went to catch a ball that wasn't even thrown hard and it hit the tip of my finger. i thought i just jammed it but then i couldn't extend the end of my finger at all except using my other hand to do it passively. craziness.



so what did i do? taped that baby up and played 2 hours of dodgeball. it was great but i couldn't throw for the life of me. i worked on some catching but it still sucked. so now i'm doing some RICE protocol, got it splinted and asked all my athletic trainer friends for advice on whether or not i should go see a dr. obviously i should...eventually but for now i think this will be fine. it doesn't hurt and i think it's pretty under control. i'll take pics of it tomorrow when i take the tape off to re-splint it. i had to go buy an ice cream bar so i could splint it with the stick!! haha

#20 - brandi carlile

going to a show tonight! i'm so excited, it's a fine frenzy opening for brandi carlile. unfortunately i have to miss a dodgeball game for this show but it's way worth it. if you haven't heard her yet...well you're just plain missing out. pretty much all her songs are awesome and she's got a whole lot of new stuff that hasn't been released yet. i'm excited for the next album, whenever it's gonna come out. i wonder if she's going to work with t bone burnett again and record in the same live style that she did "the story".



UPDATE: the concert was fabulous! it was all i could ask for and more, brandi was amazing and of course the twins were too. we got there at 7 when the doors opened and got almost up to the stage, brandi's grandma was there in a wheelchair. she's kinda a celebrity in this world. there was this whole bunch of annoying crazy fans. i thought i was obsessed but they go to every show it seems like. some of them post vids on youtube and i recognized one person's name. weird. anyhoo they were pretty annoying because they kept talking throughout the whole opening act, which was a fine frenzy.

a fine frenzy is this beautiful redhead girl with a voice like an angel. not kidding, i was mesmerized listening to her, even though i have their album and heard all the songs, she was just spectacular in concert. i'd definitely go see them again.

there was one crazy gal in particular that really annoyed me, she was drunk. it's cool to yell out something to the performer like "we love you, brandi" or something like that. but to do it before she starts every song?! and she kept saying "it's all you girl, HOLLA" and stupid stuff like that. by the end of the night everyone was telling her to shut the f up. i was embarrassed for her. but it didn't ruin the night for me, brandi was great. the songs were great, she played a bunch of new stuff and even one i've never seen on youtube. it was a sort of tribute to country classic but at the same time it was funny. i'll try to put some vids up later.

#19 - hawaii

this is where i'll be in about 2 months. i'm getting plane tickets today for my trip home for the holidays. dec 17-jan 3. i can't wait. it's only week 5 of school but i'm done already and ready to go. it's midterms week and i am not ready for the two i have to take!!! so here is an incomplete list of things to do when i'm home, in no particular order.

what to do in hawaii:

• surf


• watch pro surf competitions


• eat shave ice


• eat other stuff


• play firecrackers for new years


• karaoke with friends


• beach-going


• wii party @matt's house


• get a tattoo


• get a tan


• boogey boarding at waimanalo


• relax


• see friends and family


• hang out with the sister


• see some movies


• dave & busters!

#18 - baseball

i am an atlanta braves fan. in 4th grade i played a season of baseball, with the boys. we were the pirates. it was fun but i totally sucked. although i never really became a pirate fan, it got me liking baseball. the next year the braves played in the world series, beating the pirates on the way. they lost that WS but i watched the whole thing as a braves fan, and i made a lifelong decision that i would be a braves fan. most people who are fans have a reason, like living in a city or having family who were fans. i don't watch baseball unless the braves are on, or i know the people.

so here are two players who i watch and cheer for (as long as they aren't playing my braves). they are both outfielders:


jacoby ellsbury was a player at oregon state while i was there. he was a first round pick by the boston red sox and just made his major league debut this summer. i worked my share of baseball games and this guy was fun to watch. great defense, hitting and base stealing. he is the man! he's also cute and a nice guy.


shane victorino is a maui boy. he went to st anthony and now plays for the philadelphia phillies! i didn't know anything about him until i was working in a sports medicine clinic in hawaii. he was doing specific training at our clinic so i met him. he's a great guy, real funny and down to earth. i didn't even know he played in the majors!

the point is, baseball is keeping me from studying right now. cheering the red sox on...it's game 7 of alcs, they win it's WS time. bottom of the 7th and jacoby is up. the score is 3-2 sox..

#17 - i scored.

i scored in kickball! hooray!!! it was my first one, and the last game of the season before tournament. i had a bunt, sac fly, and walk today and played pretty decent. my score was after i was walked and someone after me put the ball in play. i actually had to slide twice so it was fun times. the score ended up being 6-5 so YAY! we won. i'm sad it's the last game but excited cause some of the guys were talking about a "slosh-ball" meaning play in the rain/mud throughout the winter. oh yeah, i'm all for that. pickup!

#16 - i love pad thai.

i could probably eat pad thai everyday. maybe not the same one from the same restaurant but i definitely could, it's so yummy. i can't wait to go to thailand and have pad thai and som tum (papaya salad) everyday for the price equivalent of like $1. it sounds crazy but it's basically street food and cheap too. it may not meet health standards in the us but i'm sure it's still yummy, and probably better than american pad thai. i guess i don't really know what the real thai version tastes like since i've never had it there but i think it's drier and less red. at home in hawaii my dad goes to this place for lunch everyday and their pad thai is great. i think the guy is from thailand, he's definitely got that thai happy smile thing going on. but he makes a mean pad thai, as well as som tum and evil jungle prince. some other things i love - spicy eggplant and curries of all sorts. mm...i am hungry.

#15 - OSU football vids

oregon state vs. #2 cal (october 13) - OSU 31-cal 28

goal line stand:

last play:

some of the most amazing football i've seen. defense rules!! i get teary just thinking of it.

speaking of kick ass oregon state football, brings back memories from last year. OSU 33-USC 31

one more...civil war 2006, OSU 30-UO 28

can't forget hawaii, OSU 35-UH 32

and of course the gutsy call at the sun bowl vs. missouri to go for 2, OSU 39-mizz 38

#14 - kurt vonnegut

i'm not sure where i've been and what i've been reading but it hasn't been kurt vonnegut. i did read one book, galapagos, which was pretty awesome but it never extended beyond that. why didn't i pick up the next one and read on, what was i doing?! i was definitely missing out.

three separate guys i know love kurt vonnegut. he is their favorite author. i've never had a favorite author. i guess i'm not well read but still yet i should have a favorite...besides jk rowling cause that's just juvenile. i do like dave eggers but i'm not sure if its because a heartbreaking work was great for me to read. i liked chuck palahniuk's fight club but i saw the movie first, and i read a few of his other books. i enjoyed it but it wasn't mind blowing or even categorizable as a favorite. i like a lot of nonfiction (workout books, cookbooks, nutrition, architecture, house building/design, green design, sustainability) but never really the whole way through in detail. i have a few favorite books but reading other books by the same author didn't really excite me.

now at the insistence of a good friend i am reading cat's cradle. it's awesomely ridiculous, i love it. i know it will end soon and for that i am nervous because i generally don't like endings. maybe that's why i don't read novels. hmm. a couple interesting quotes from the book:

"a pissant is somebody who thinks he's so damn smart, he never can keep his mouth shut. no matter what anybody says, he's got to argue with it."

okay it's not the most substantial quote but so true for people in my class. why do they have the need to speak up in class? to prove how smart they are? we are all in the same nursing class so obviously we're smart enough to be here but they must always open their mouths. a better one:

"maturity", Bokonon tells us, "is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything."

ha!
after i finish cat's cradle i'll start on slaughterhouse-five since i've got that on loan from my friend. i like that it's easy to read, funny, interesting, and different.

"what is god? what is love?"

#13 - TOPOFF 4

no, this isn't a drill to take your top off. although that wouldn't have been that much more fun than what I actually took part in. TOPOFF 4 is a drill put on by homeland security (oxymoron much) to test how different cities respond to a national disaster. our scenario was a "dirty bomb" going off in portland. I was doing my first real day of clinicals at a hospital in town and just so happened that this was happening the same day. it's a once in a lifetime experience really because it's on the local, state, national and international level that officials are there to observe. I guess it was going on at all the hospitals in portland but it was just fun and cool to be a part of. we had volunteers come in with different injuries and some had to be decontaminated in this big tent because of radiation exposure! rock on.

it was really hard for me to be serious sometimes because of the hilariousness of it all. if you look at those pics you'll see how ridiculous I look. I mean is it even possible to look good in a full gown get up? sheesh. if you look at the second picture the "victim" has blood all over his face. that was pretty neat, they do some good fake cuts and bruises! anyways it was cool to feel like an actual real nurse (even though they wrote on the front of my gown "student RN"). i can be such a doofus sometimes.

#12 - corn chowder

I just made a giant batch of corn chowder and ate a bowl of it with a grilled cheese sandwich. there just might be nothing better. mmmm....I eat it like that because of high school and morning lunch, we always used to have that and it was my favorite.

it doesn't take long to make and it's not hard either. so I had to do it. I'd been thinking of it for awhile but just had time to shop and cook it. yum. easy recipe for anyone who's interested in my concoction. it doesn't take long, just gotta wait for awhile while it simmers.

brandizzle style corn chowder
1. dice 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 potato.
2. dice up 4-5 strips of bacon and start them cooking in a big pot on medium.
3. throw the onions in there first for 5 minutes or so with some pepper.
4. throw the bell pepper and potato in the mix, stir it up and let it cook for a few minutes.
5. now add 1 can corn (drained), 1 can creamed corn, and 1 box (big aseptic one) Imagine creamy sweet corn soup.
6. let this cook on medium-low to low until the potato is soft. that's it. taste it and add lots of pepper and some salt if you wish.
7. eat it with a grilled cheese sandwich. YUM!

finished product:

#11 - my osu beavers beat #2 cal bears!

it was one of the best games i've seen in awhile, when it came down to the end it was oregon state 31, cal 28. the way that it happened is sad for CAL QB, kevin riley from beaverton (that's what he gets for not going to OSU). on what should not have been their last play, with probably 12 seconds or so, he made a freshman mistake of scrambling instead of throwing away the ball, which would've given them another play or two. he played a heck of a game but that one mistake cost them.

the beavs led by 10 with about 6 minutes to go when cal put together a nice drive and scored a TD with about 2:30 left, which included a 64 yd pass to lavelle hawkins, who just really killed us. then we got the ball back after an unsuccessful onside kick. we couldn't get a first down but ran the clock down to 1:19, at which time cal proceeded to march all the way down to osu's 12. 1st and 10 with 12 seconds and he ran. but you can't beat our defense, we are too fast, strong and good. we fly around!

kevin riley

but enough about them and how they messed up, this game was about the beavers. we won it in a great fashion. we didn't lay down at halftime. it felt like 2006 vs USC all over again. coming into the game as 14 point underdogs to the #2 team in the nation you have nothing to lose. we finally put it all together. although we were getting killed by justin forsett and hawkins we never let the game get out of hand like in previous games. and of course, MY DEFENSE!!! there is just nothing as exciting as the OSU defense.

here are a few highlights:
* offense, defense and special teams all showed up to play
* the best goal line stand I've ever seen (cal was 1st and goal at the 2 and tried to get in four times. we stopped each and every attempt)
* gerard lawson who fumbled 3 times in a row against ucla redeemed himself with great positive run backs, even one that went for 39 yards
* alexis serna with a 52 yd field goal
* alexis serna punting pretty well
* OSU swarm defense baby! hard tackles, an interception and multiple sacks. these boys are good
* sean canfield for stepping it up and playing like a champion
* yvenson bernard for being the go-to guy and that flying TD
* OSU o-line for giving bernard huge holes





GO BEAVERS!!

#10 - dodgeball is fun

I play dodgeball in an adult co-ed dodgeball league and it rocks. I just joined two teams with my friend Beth - the cheaters and ben wa balls. 30 minutes to play as many games as you can, 6-8 ppl on a side, 6 balls, all out craziness. it's a pretty intense crazy game and we play every thursday. I did well last night, did some matrix-style dodging, hit some ppl, caught some balls and made my first SCOTTY SHOT (when you are the last person on the court you can attempt a shot from half court, which brings back your whole team)! it was pretty awesome. this isn't the dodgeball from elementary school days but is way more fun. I guess cause we're adults and take the silly game seriously. I still have to see the movie but I guess it's like that...



there are skills involved (dodging, throwing, catching, jumping, and scotty shots) and it's actually a great workout if you don't get thrown out fast and wait in the out line the whole game. there is pick up every friday at friendly house in nw for 2 hours and that is really something to look forward to every week. another great thing about dodgeball is that there is a sponsor bar. so everyone (all the cool kids anyway) goes out to this bar after the games and socializes. it's really some good times. usually the winning team buys the loser a pitcher of beer. cheaters love free beer. a lot of funny things happen at the bar such as leg wrestling, petition signing, singing, dancing, and pile driving. haha, I guess you had to be there.

dodgeball is fun for many reasons, here are a few:
- the game itself
- many instant friends
- awesome bruises to show your friends
- free beer
- hot guys
- good workout
- relive athletic glory days

#9 - mushrooms

it's fall, time for mushrooms! many things told me that it was time for these wonderful veggies - fungus. funveg. I guess you either like them or you don't but I do!! they are wonderful and can be used in anything, and everything I make. this weekend at new seasons they have a mushroom tasting and I am very excited for that. I went to NS today to check out stuff to make for dinner and found almost all the mushrooms were gone. not to worry, I did get some.

I got a pound of cremini to put in stuffing. I had this crazy craving for stuffing. a girl at my work today said she went to a canadian thanksgiving dinner the other night (who knew there was such a thing? i'm such a stupid american.) so that got me thinking of stuffing...mmmm...yum. it's probably 10 minutes from being done. yum. anyway if you don't know what cremini are, they are like regular white button mushrooms, but brown. I believe they are what portabellas start out as...picture below - portobello at top, cremini on left, button on right:


I also got a 1/2 pound of chanterelles. they are a delicious wild mushroom that grows here in oregon. I can't explain how it tastes but I've had it a few ways that just rock, like this wonderful soup that ben made. I put it last week in a bomb omelet and I think I may do that again tomorrow for breakfast. yes, I like to spoil myself.


another mushroom I can't live without is shiitake. if you like japanese food chances are you have had these. they are great in stir fry and as tempura. I usually have them dried and ready on hand because they reconstitute pretty well but they are SO GOOD fresh!! I put them in miso soup and stir fries mostly. yum.

#8 - squats

I forgot how good squats feel. I don't mean how good they feel after you do them, or even the day after you do them (because they don't feel good), but while you are doing them. lifting feels great, like you are really working out. I am doing a free week-long trial at this gym by my house that my roommate goes to. it's called west coast health & fitness. so after a week i'll decide if I want to shell out the big bucks...not too bad - $38/month or $399/year.

since I'm starting the "new rules of lifting" program (see blog on alwyn cosgrove) I need to join a gym. I've been working out at work and it's not enough. so it's basically either this place or 24 hour. I'm definitely leaning towards this one since it's close and maybe cheaper. it's not as big or fancy as 24 but there are the essentials (squat rack, free weights, some machines, cardio stuff, balls) and some classes, although i'm not really into that.

today's workout went like this, 3x15:
superset #1 - squats then seated rows
superset #2 - supine leg extension on ball then DB push press
superset #3 - rotational lunges then swiss ball crunches

and yes, it kicked my ass. there is just something about supersets. makes you really work I guess. tomorrow will feature my favorite lower body exercise - deadlifts! I don't know why I like them but I do. you can't really cheat, and you can lift heavy! look out.

tomorrow's workout
superset #1 - deadlift then DB incline bench press
superset #2 - Bulgarian split squat then lat pulldown
superset #3 - Romanian deadlift then swiss-ball lateral roll

#7 - the repeater!

we had this surprise party for my friend at Beulahland on 28th. a few weeks ago her husband called me up and said he's setting up this party for her birthday. what a sweetheart! basically the whole day he had planned out for her, including a spa day and this party. it was really sweet. we hung out at Beulahland for awhile then they decided to move the party back to their place. we stopped to get some beer and thai food then finally arrived at their house.

now my friend told me about "the repeater" before. her husband got it from this medical supply place and figured it would make a good beer bong. go to that link and there is a video you can watch on the pump. apparently it is used in pharmacies. anyways we used it for beer. one tube goes in the bottle, the other in your mouth, like so:



the website says it delivers fluid at 13.5 mL/second. it was fast and it hit hard. it was fun! lol

#6 - iraqi vice

so ridiculous I can't even write about it. but a picture is worth a million words..