2010 Resolutions: 12 New Things

Ok. so I DID do 12 new things last year I swear. I think I was on number 8 and stopped blogging about the things that I did.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters hasn't been done because I missed my appointment and I never rescheduled. BUT... I'm still not opposed to doing it...

I WAS going to go skydiving for the first time-- I had a day picked out and folks to go with, etc etc, and then my electrophysicist  told me not to!! Initially I was going to go anyway (if you know me, you would expect this to be my initial reaction) but ultimately, I figured I shouldn't defy my electrophysicist and kept my feet firmly planted on solid ground.

So. I think I was on number 8???
8) KRUNK! Dance class-- i like it, its fun. I attended semi-regularly at one point. One day I took the class from the creator of Krunk herself!!
9) Buying my first car (Yes I have had a car before, but I admit that it was a wonderful gift from my parents, one that I appreciate them greatly for) I heart my corolla. RIP my dear, dear focus :(
10) Living in Vestavia!! I have a new apartment in Vestavia and I love it. Except for listening to this couple banging upstairs... yeah. I'm NOT listening in, but you can't help but notice..... ew. Needless to say, I have a difficult time looking my upstairs neighbors in the eye.
11) Solo road trip!! I drove up to Memphis by myself to stay with Em. Its only a 4 hour drive by myself, but it is the only time I have gone on a road trip with just me in the car. It was nice. I love road trips and Em and I did a lot of fun things.
12) Buying something off of CraigsList... hrm. It was good. I bought a kitchen table. Little did Julie know that I would be painting her beautiful maple table solid black!!! hahahaha.

Well 2010 was more excellent than even I could imagine, and originally I said that the only resolution I was gonna make was to make no more resolutions...
However, I think shall. I liked my 12 New Things in a year thing. I liked the one-a-monthness of it. Even though I didn't always write about them on my blog, maybe I shall continue a new once-a-month check-in type of thing.

New resolutions to follow.
Much loaf, my dear readers :)

New Thing Number 8: Being a Nurse

So here is the timeline:
July 12th: interview for highly sought-after job.
July 27th: JOB OFFER!!  (My job offer got extended a week later than other people, so I assumed I did not get it... hrm.)
August 6th: Senior Recognition-- the most interesting graduation speeches ever... hum...
August 7th: My official graduation date!!
Sept 1st: Pre-employment physical. It was a little bit of a hassle because when they were taking my blood pressure, they happened to have noticed my heart beating only 42 times a minute.... so yes. hassle.
Sept 13th: Orientation began. I am still in orientation today. We did computer training. Some people forget that I already know how to right click and scroll.

I'm passing my boards on the 27th. Notice that I did not say may or may NOT pass. I am passing. Mostly because not passing boards is not an option.

So yes. New thing number 8 of the year is being a nurse. So far so good and I am glad to be making some monies. Now I have a lot of decisions to make regarding housing, car, grad school, life, etc etc etc!!! AAAAAHHHH!!! Lol. I am loving it.

Erica is about to come over to study!! We have been pretty good NCLEX study buddies the past little bit...

I'll be honest... its the most productive studying I've done post nursing school.
We are awesome and we are passing boards on the first time.
Congrats to my friends who have already taken their test and passed!!

Hair Cut.

New thing number 7: Cutting my own hair.

So lets be honest, I haven't worked in a couple months (I was in nursing school, and then after I am PRN, so they aren't obligated to give me hours... and ... yeah.) and I DESPERATELY needed a hair cut. So yeah. I didn't do too badly. It looks pretty much the same, just slightly shorter.

Pics?? Not right now, sorry.

ALSO-- Trivia Night!!! Its so fun. We ALMOST won tonight, and we half-won last time.
       I must say that I must go back again so we can get the full win.

Tomorrow morning I have my pre-employment physical and I start my paperwork. My new job is under way!

--NCLEX studying. hooray.

Things Are All Sorts of Good.

I'm awesomely happy with 92% of my life right now... which is pretty dang phenomenal.

I mean, look at what I have done/am doing!! I...

1) graduated

2) registered for boards

3) attained a highly sought-after, fantastic opportunity/job

4) had my Doctors Without Borders Webinar last night

5) hanging around some PRETTY FANTASTIC people.  [what an understatement!!!]

6) have time to climb out of my social interaction deficit.

so could life be better??

I'm always gonna say yes! but I don't really know how...


Side note: New thing number 6 is doing the Big Brother Big Sister program. My interview is Monday!!

The FOURTH New Thing

 
So I have another new thing in my life: Being a PCA. I finished my general hospital orientation and I will start my unit orientation soon. Everbody I've worked with has been absolutely great so far!! Next, I do my unit orientation and I'll be out on the floor. This will be a new and great experience. I will continue to work with cancer patients. (I worked with similar patients this past semester.) Anyway... maybe I will write a more intriguing post soon ;)

#3

New thing number 3 is SPINNING. I <3 spinning.

Jogging.

 

OK. So I previously posted that I was "bad at new thing #2". However, this is not completely true....

I have been jogging, but like 4-5x's per week and I'm jogging farther and make better times on my mile runs.... so yeah, its not a total fail!! and I've been jogging by myself or with Brittany, and its great to have a jogging buddy again~!!

Also... Erica and I go to CRUNK! class and it is pretty fun... I get to work on my "moves"...
The dudes that teach it are soooo funny. I end up laughing half the time

Well, perhaps I minimally entertained you... but I promise to write something interesting soon!

A Late New Years Resolution

Approximately 3 weeks ago I decided to make a New Year's resolution: try 12 new things this year. I'm not just talking about that new elliptical machine at the gym (though I really liked it... it doesn't count.) So. I shall be averaging one per month, and I decided to start easy: serious indoor tanning.

Now I've had one life experience I label as "the tanning bed incident". I also label it as "the week of burning hell" or "my 10-minute lapse in judgment". This sweet-talkin' (secretly bitter) man told me to stay ten minutes in a high-power bed and I ended up with blisters all over every inch of my body with nothing but some expired aloe from a vindictive red-head to heal the wounds. So this time I am commencing in some SERIOUS indoor tanning, and I decided to do it right. I gathered all my information, gathered the supplies, and found an old acquaintance to hook me up with a 1-month student-discounted membership to the Sun Factory.

While I don't glow in the dark anymore, I'm not particularly tan. (Though I must say that this little tanning foray did not go unnoticed by my friends and acquaintances.) One of my favorite parts about this process has been the responses I get from other people that concerns my "tanning" (might I mention that "pinking" is more accurate???)

From my oncology clinical teacher the day after a too-long stint in the cancer coffin... "Would you like to talk about anything? You look red."
to which I replied "No...it's my life." and responded with a blush that only deepened my pallor.

From that dude I have class with.. "Have you been tanning? You look tan. Are you going to the beach??"
While I responded with "I'm going to Texas," inside I was thinking, "Hooray!! I've been called TAN for the first time ever. Goal: attained."

My most favorite part has been the part where the **uNiVeRsE** has told me to stop. (Also known as Erica, B., Lili, Marcus, my mom, and the American Dermatological Association) Matter of fact, the VERY week I started clinicals I had a patient with melanoma that I had to take care of, and I was coerced into looking up the risk factors. and what are the risk factors you might ask? Blond hair, blue eyes, freckles, fair skin that burns easily, and multiple blistering sunburns before the age of 20. AKA: MEEE!!! You want to see what the risk factors for melanoma are!?!? picture of Jen. there ya go.
Also, ~right~ as I was pulling into the parking lot of the Sun Factory (aka Melanoma Factory) the commercial from the American Dermatological Association comes on telling me:

Don't be stupid with your skin,
It's the only skin you're in....
UV lamps from the tanning bed,
they can turn your skin beet red,
wrinkles come from the UV light,
and age spots make you a frightful sight.
UV light: it gets worse!
skin cancer is a wicked curse.
Don't be the one that's tan and dead,
Use your brain, use your head.

So lets settle the score...
Pros: not glowing in the dark, not having tan lines, those short-term feel good endorphins, and "ensuring I have plenty of time in the 'sun' so my body can make the vitamin D it needs. I mean, a relatively high percentage of Americans suffer from vitamin D deficiency, and I shan't be one of them " [that last one was my original justifications for trying tanning...]
and the Cons:
--that burnt feeling I get after staying in too long
--the "why are you pink??" comments after staying in too long
--skin not as smooth
--the risk of age spots that will "make me a frightful sight"
--the heightened risk of melanoma, since I am one all-encompassing risk factor (except for the family history part)
--costs money, and lets face it: I'm a poor college student.

So all-in-all...tanning: NOT WORTH IT. and I'm not keeping it in my life.

1 new thing down, 11 to go. maybe I will find some new things that I want to keep in my life...

So I shan't be the one that's tan and dead
I'll use my brain, use my head!!