#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..

#5 - training

I got this book at the library called "the new rules of lifting" by alwyn cosgrove and lou schuler and was surprised at how much it made sense. it looks at lifting in a real practical way, simplifying training in a way that makes. you have the squat, lunge, deadlift, push, pull, and twist. there are variations on these as you progress but that is essentially it. the exercises and theory is based on the idea that you should do what is normal movements for life, concentrating on core compound lifts. makes sense. so not a billion bicep curls because what is the use of that. so anyways he has this website with a bunch of links to articles he has written and besides being funny he is to-the-point and good info.

alwyn's website

I've been working out not too seriously or consistently and so I need to get back into it. I feel good when I workout and I like to try new ones. so we'll see, I gotta join a gym though cause I've been working out at work and it's really made for the old people so I can't do much weight. the book is great though i'm thinking of actually buying it. he shares my mentality of being efficient (minimum effort maximal results) although not necessarily a minimal effort. another thing is he doesn't really believe in cardio as the best way to lose fat, which I agree with. I hate cardio. and I love lifting, it just feels good.

#4 - ischemia

we're learning about the heart and heart failure today. ischemia is not good but so fun to say, that and infarction. the heart is so complex and pretty amazing. the fact that it just beats for that many years, sometimes over 100 years! then in some people it just stops. science and the body is just so amazing.


good heart

bad heart

I just went to this exhibit at OMSI called body worlds 3. I went earlier in the summer and it was pretty awesome, just as awesome second time around. basically it is people who have donated their bodies to be learning materials. usually when a person or organism dies it decomposes. this guy figured out a way to stop the decomposition then replace cells with plastic and it's called plastination. so these people are presented in a very artistic way for a great learning experience. there are also samples of all body parts also plasticized and different views for optimum viewing experience.

a man holding his skin, the largest and heaviest organ in the body

good lung vs smoker's lung

anyways it was a great exhibit and I would definitely recommend it to anyone so if it's in your city, go see it!! it's well worth the $20. body worlds website

#3 - how can I tell you

I first saw this commercial probably a year ago before christmas. it wasn't the commercial itself but the music that caught me. I found out that it is a cat stevens song as sung by chan marshal (cat power). it does not exist except on this video, which is sad cause a full length song would be awesome. I feel kind of silly watching the video over and over just to hear the song but it's so simple and sweet and her voice, perfect. the video itself is pretty sweet, even if i'm not a diamond gal but anyways I saw it again tonight watching tv and was surprised but delighted. silliness.

#2 - brandi carlile extras

yes, I know I'm a little obsessed. but brandi is awesome (name is definitely awesome) and these are some covers and new songs that aren't on any of her albums or iTunes releases. i've seen her play a couple of these songs but hopefully i'll get to hear all at the show on the 25th (at the crystal ballroom)! apparently I'm not the only one obsessed because there are all these people who take these videos and travel places to go see her play. the farthest i've traveled was sellwood. ha! yeah so none of these are my videos. gotta love youtube.

folsom prison blues (cover)

yodeling!

fortunate son clip (cover)

how these days grow long (new)

calling all angels (cover)

pride and joy (new)

madman on the water (cover)

i've just seen a face (cover)

that year (new)

raining in baltimore (cover)

love songs (new)

i write these words (new)

burn (cover)

blue eyes crying in the rain (cover)

#1 - first post

I was reading my friend (Matt)'s blog and thought, I have things to blog about. his blog is interesting and includes pictures, which are both important. although maybe no one will read this, it's something else to do in class when I'm trying to look busy but really just procrastinating. I was trying to think of a short cut for this blog but then it came out to be "prolife". totally not the intent of my blog.

so what is the intent of my blog? I'm not quite sure yet but it will probably be a lot about nursing school, work, dodgeball, food, beer and whatever else I happen to be thinking. it's also a good thing for me to write things down so my head becomes less crowded.