Too Sick for a Real Post,

but Justin sent this to me, and I think it's funny.


Click on the picture to make it big enough to read.

So, It's Been Awhile

I know, it's been over three weeks since I posted. Sorry. There's not really that much to say. Work is busy. Justin got started to nursing school, which you can read about over on his blog. He'll be there 5 days a week, for basically 12 hours a day, so I'll see him probably only on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, which is kind of stressful. Since I started (and he stopped) working, he's been very good about keeping up the house: doing the dishes and vacuuming, etc. I guess those chores will fall back to me now, since his 5 days make my 3 days look like cake. Oh well, I actualy enjoy dishes as long as I've got my ipod, and the vacuum is broken anyway.

Yes, I'm aware that this is the most boring post ever, but I'm tired and feeling all edgy, so it's going to have to do. Something is better than nothing, right?

Nicolas

My cat was run over by a car. I've had him for 8 years, and so, am very sad. I love his little round face, and his cuddly nature and his super soft fur. I got him the first year that I felt like an actual grown up and will miss him so much.

Actinic Keratosis

I officially have insurance now, and therefore, can afford to have some things sliced off my body, like this suspicious mole:

No, that's not Actinic Keratosis, but this is:

So my question is, how do you let something that starts out as a suspicious mole grow into a HORN? Seriously, when she first noticed the spot, maybe she didn't think anything of it, but really, you'd think she'd have thought to do something about it when she noticed that not only was it not going away, it was turning into something out of Legend.

Please Welcome...

Erika Grace Burleson


July 8, 2009
9:28 am
Officially: 7lbs, even.
Really: 6lbs 15.8 ounces.
20.5 inches long.

Go on, I'll wait while you acknowledge how beautiful she is.

Done? Okay. I had the unique and remarkable honor of witnessing her birth, via cesarean section on Wednesday. It was the most amazing (and scary) thing I have ever seen, so amazing in fact, that I'm going to OR tech school so that I can see as many c-sections as possible. But this isn't about me.

My sister, D'Liesa, was amazing. Watching her get her epidural was one of the most agonizing things I have ever witnessed, (it wasn't as quick and easy as usual, I think) and the things that are involved in getting a baby out? Yeah, very effective birth control. D'Liesa was totally tough, and the payoff, obviously, was worth it.

We'll be calling her Gracie.

Teaser

I have an exciting story and big news to share here this week, but I'm waiting on some pictures. In the meantime, I'm interested in what you think about something:


These cheeseburger cupcakes are all the rage right now. I have friends making them, and am seeing them all over the internet. I'm a huge cupcake fan, and I think they're cute enough, but it kind of freaks me out when food tastes like something different from what it looks like. (I hate to take a drink of tea thinking that it's going to be soda, bleh!) So do you think they're cute (and would you actually eat them?) or just weird?

Sparkle

Last night we played with sparklers. So fun!

It started raining a few minutes after we went out, but not hard enough to put them out, so we stayed outside. You can see that Justin's shirt is all wet though.

We think this one looks kind of like a heart with an arrow through it.

Work, Work, Work

So this week was my first actual 3 day, 36 hour week, and the first week that I've done an entire week of the job that I was hired to do. I totally love it. Yesterday the woman that's training me called in and I was on my own. I thought that would be fine until all hell broke loose about an hour into the shift. The patient required a whole lot of stuff that I'd never done before. After a small bout of panic, I got some help from down the hall and now I know how to do all that stuff, and I don't think there's anything that I really won't be able to handle anymore.

Next week I don't have to be at work until 8am on Monday. It's so weird, looking forward to getting to sleep until 7. Then I have two 12 hour days and one more 8 hour day. After that, I'll be on my real, oh thank god it's nighttime, schedule. So, that's the update. The thing is, yesterday was a long, stressful day. I took one 15 minute break in a 12 hour shift, but I didn't feel worn down by that. Sure, I was bone tired at the end of the day, but I left still feeling like I love my job. I don't know if I've ever felt like that about a job before, and it's really, really nice.

Happy Birthday Shannon!

Today is my friend Shannon's birthday! She's lucky enough to live in beautiful California so there are a bevy of options for her birthday celebration.

She's unlucky enough to be celebrating he birthday while her in-laws are in town, which might cancel out much of the potential fun. I did hear a rumor that she's got red velvet cupcakes, so all is not lost.


Shannon is the smartest person I know. She went to Harvard, is now at Berkeley and has a pile of languages. She also has fabulous taste in shoes (and manages to walk around in them gracefully even though they eat her feet). AND she's not afraid to wear hats, which I love.
See that girls? Hats are versatile and flattering. Go buy some!

Shannon knows me as well or better as anyone else in the world. Shannon works all the time and is really good at what she does. (Even though about half the time she doesn't believe it), but she still manages to be there for me and totally supportive when I need her. She also never lets me be whiny or feel sorry for myself for too long. The girl is full of solutions. She started my addiction to Buffy, sent me a pile of treats that I couldn't get at the grocery store here, and decorated a room in her house for me to stay in when I visit. (Other people get to stay there too, but we all know it's my room.)

I love you Shannon, and I hope you're having a good time today, you totally deserve it. Eat a cupcake for me! (Cupcakes eaten on my behalf have no calories!)

Vamp

This is our niece, Nikaia:


She is 3, and when she grows up, she would like to be a vampire. As you can see, she already has the cape. It's possible that she'll be receiving a Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD for Christmas.

I like kids best when they're weird.

The First Week

I started my new job on Monday, sort of. Monday and Tuesday were hospital orientation which included all the things you'd expect: information about insurance and retirement and parking. Things that don't seem like they should stretch out over 16 hours, but did. We learned a lot about hospital history, including the reason that we have French Jesus as our mascot because the nuns that started the hospital in 1912 (ish) were from France. Here's a picture of French Jesus:
who looks different than English Jesus:

I prefer French Jesus's brooding eyes. Anyway, it's a pretty safe bet to say that Actual Jesus didn't look anything like these guys, but whatever.

On Wednesday I got to start training for my actual job, as opposed to learning about human resources. I'm currently working 6am to 6pm, so that I can train with the daytime secretary, but eventually, I'll be on 6pm to 6am, which sounds like a much shorter amount of time, (but isn't) and means I won't have to wake up at 4am (a definite bonus). In any case, I -love- the actual work part of the job. I like talking to the doctor's offices on the phone and ordering carts and telling patients to pee in a cup. I love that we have a bank tube thing that sends stuff all over the hospital. I love that we have things that work like the badges on Star Trek that let us track down and talk to people all over the place who are also wearing one. (What do they call those things Patrick?) I love that I get to put together charts and see people all excited coming in for a c-section because they know that in about 20 minutes they will have an actual baby in their arms.

I do not love that we play Brahm's Lullabye after every baby is born (trust me, it gets old fast), but I know that the people waiting in the hallway for that baby really like it, and I like that they like it.

Yesterday I had to do a CPR class instead of my real job, which was less fun, but meant I got to sleep until 7am. (Who'd have thought that would be something to look forward to?) After that was over I did my actual job for a little while and then went to the hospital blood drive where they proceeded to suck me dry (2 units of red cells) and then fill me back up with plasma and saline solution. For the record, that feels really weird and takes a super long time. If you haven't done this kind of blood donation before, the stuff they put back into you is at room temperature, which is much colder than body temperature so you get all shaky and weird feeling. The vampires (phlebotomists) offer you blankets, but that doesn't really help since the cold is on the inside. It's freaky, but in a really interesting way. I'll definitely do it again. (And have, in fact, already scheduled my next appointment.) They gave me a t-shirt and a delicious selection of snacks, and it was cool to get paid for lying in a reclining chair and watching Confessions of a Shopaholic.

And now it's the weekend. Yay!

Gainfully Employed!

I haven't posted about this yet, for fear of jinxing it, but yesterday I officially got a job! With a badge and everything! I'll be working as the unit secretary for labor and delivery at Covenant Women's and Children's Hospital.

This is not my actual badge. I have to go back on Monday for a new one because it's supposed to have a pink background and a hologram, since I'm in L&D. Hopefully they'll let me take a new picture. I didn't expect to have it taken yesterday and I wore my hair back. Oh, well.

Anyway, I start orientation on Monday and then 4 weeks of various classes and training. After that, I'll be on 12 hour nights, but only 3 days a week. Yay for full time employment in which I always have 4 day weekends!

As a reward for entering the workforce, Justin took me to dinner and bought me this stuffed giraffe, which I've been coveting for weeks.


There is some concern that it might be a cow...

But I don't think so. The neck seems too long for a cow, right? Besides, the other animals in this series are an elephant and a lion. Who'd say "Okay I've got an elephant, a lion....what other animal can we make? I know, a cow!" Clearly Greta is a giraffe.

In spite of my good job, I will still be going back to school in the fall. All my classes the first semester are online, and with a 3 day workweek, I don't think there will be any problems. I feel like things are finally falling into place, and that its possible to take a deep breath for the first time in months. Things are looking up!


Storms!

We've had some pretty big storms in the past week or so, but the one we had last night was by far the worst. The electricity was out for about two hours, returned for about an hour and then out again for the rest of the night, until early this morning. I'm not complaining. I -love- storms, the louder the better, and I still get that tingle of excitement when the lights go out that I used to get as a child. If this keeps happening though, I'll have to invest in a book light, because holding a giant Maglite under my chin for hours at a time isn't really as convenient as it sounds.

We don't have any trees in our yard, so I was surprised to walk onto the front porch this morning (fine, afternoon) and be greeted with this:

(Please excuse the sorry state of our lawn. We haven't had enough rain yet this year for it to be pretty and green.)

The branches are all over the lawn and the driveway. I think most of them probably came from my parents' trees, next door, but that's still a pretty long way to blow, since our yard is big. While I was wandering around surveying the destruction, I was delighted to see that this little beauty survived the night:

It was there yesterday, and I intended to take a picture of it then and forgot. When the storm came last night, I was disappointed to have missed my chance. I know they're just weeds, but I seriously love dandelions. I love the tiny yellow flowers and then when they seed, they're so delicate and beautiful. I wouldn't mind an entire yard full of them. The fact that this one survived the storm makes me feel hopeful that perhaps I'll be able to survive the drama that's going on in our world right now.

And yes, I know how cheesey that is, but it's my blog. Get over it.

Alpacapalooza!

My mom and James came to visit for a while today, and tomorrow she is leaving and taking my brother and sister back home with her for about 3 weeks. The best part of the (short) visit, besides the free dinner, and getting to see our guests was our visit to the Monaco Pines Alpaca Ranch. If you haven't been to an alpaca facility, you MUST go. They are so great. Cute and soft and they only have bottom teeth. I don't know why I think that's cool, but I do. Here are some pics, and there are more on my Flickr (there's a link to the right).


If you don't know, alpacas are kind of like hairy llamas. Except that they're the softest thing int he world. You can tell the difference between them because llamas are bigger with thicker necks, and longer, banana-shaped ears.

(This is a llama.)

(This is an alpaca.)

Steven and a llama.

Justin feeding an alpaca.Stacy and a whole bunch of alpacas.

The ranch also had miniature donkeys. I think they look like muppets or something else from Jim Henson's imagination.

Here's my mom with the mini-donkeys.
I don't know why I don't have any pictures of James at the ranch. It was hard to get pictures because we all really just wanted to feed the animals. So fun.

Terrible Moments From Childhood II

When I was in elementary school, my best friend Meredith lived at the opposite end of the cul de sac from where I lived. It's just a block, but to a little kid, it's a pretty long walk. Everyone in the neighborhood was friends, and since we were kids, it never occurred to any of us that we should call before heading off to play.

One sunny summer morning I started walking off to see Meredith. Somewhere in between my house and hers I realized that I had to pee. It wasn't a disaster, I was only a few houses away from hers and I could just go when I got there. I got to the door and they weren't home. Well now, this is a problem. Now I'm a little stressed out about the lack of a nearby bathroom, but figure that someone will let me in, after all, it's a small town, and everybody in the neighborhood knows me, and who turns down a 7 year old in need of a toilet?

(This picture looks wildly appropriate for this story, but I'm actually playing hopscotch, not preparing to wet my pants.)

About three houses down from Meredith's was my friend Courtney's house. There was a car in the driveway, and with great relief, I knocked on the door. Her mom answered, and was very weird about me being there. Courtney wasn't home. I asked if I could come in to use the restroom anyway and she said no! Who does that? Seriously, if there was a child (especially one you knew) doing the potty dance on your front porch would you tell them to keep on walkin'? No way. But she did and it totally serves her right that I wet my pants and her driveway.


Ingenuity

Our corkscrew has gone missing. I think Justin wandered off with it and that it will turn up under his bed or in his medicine cabinet or on his bookcase. He thinks I threw it away. In any case, it is gone, and this is Not Good. We enjoy wine with our dinner and with popcorn on Netflix Night, and I really do not want to resort to boxed wines. -shudder-
I called my dad last night to see if they had a corkscrew we could borrow. He said that he did, so I headed over there. As definitive proof that the people in that household DO NOT DRINK, he handed me, not a corkscrew, but a cork, from one of Sussan's "decorative" wine bottles. (Read: wine bottles left over from wine consumed by the heathen children.)

Justin, having anticipated my parents' lack of a cork removing device, already had a Plan B. He used a screwdriver to put a screw into the cork, then used a hammer to pry the screw, with cork attached, out of the bottle. That, my friends, is The South's contribution to society: the redneck corkscrew.

[Editor's Note: Justin says that he prefers to think of this device not as a redneck corkscrew, but as a MacGyver corkscrew. It not being made out of a rubber band, paperclip and duct tape, I'm sticking with the original name. Also, if you search Youtube there are about a hundred clips of this procedure, all labled "Redneck corkscrew."]

Three Years

Justin and I have been married for three years today. Here's how we manage to get through it:

1. Justin puts up with my idiosyncrasies better than anyone else ever has. And there are a lot of them, and a lot of them that I know are really hard on him. He's tougher than most, let me tell you.

2. He understands my need (and seems to have the same) for my own space.

3. When I'm feeling bluesy, Justin dances around and sings silly songs to make me smile. Sometimes, he even manages to get a laugh.

4. I -know- that he loves me. There are lots of people who probably do love me (some of them only because they have to), but Justin is the only person who I know is a sure thing.

5. He indulges my need to go into stores, put a dozen things in the cart and then change my mind and leave without actually buying anything.

6. He thinks I work much harder than I do, which will be useful for when I'm actually working very hard and need someone to appreciate that.

7. He lets me tickle him mercilessly until he screams 'Whooo!!'

8. He encourages my addictions to shoes, books, diet soda and fancy cheeses.

9. He thinks I'm beautiful.

10. He does his own laundry most of the time.

11. He works very hard at school so that, soon, we will be able to live a better life in a city that I love, even though he can be happy pretty much anywhere.

12. He loves my family and thinks of them as his own.

13. He doesn't mind driving me places that I'm perfectly capable of driving to myself, because he knows that it scares me.

14. He lets me be who I am.

I love you Justin. I know that I'm difficult, and exhausting, and intense; I'm so grateful that you're willing to put up with these things (and sooo much more). Thank you for wanting to keep me enough to make it legal.