Waves of relief followed by.......

So after much anxiety, hand-wringing and some hyperventilating (not to mention only about an hour of sleep beforehand total), I trotted off to my ICU course interview this morning.  And you know what?  I nailed it.  I don't think I've ever had an interview go so well.  I tend to interview kinda airheaded.  You know when someone asks you a question, and you can tell there's a specific answer they're looking for, but you're not giving it?  Yeah, that wasn't me this morning for a change.  Nailed it.  I'm in.  I start 6 months in the Ninth Circle of Hell on September 6 (the interviewer's words in addition to mine!).  ICU is pretty much the biggest thing a bedside nurse can aspire to.  I always thought I'd do it some day, but I thought it would take me years to feel ready.  I'm kind of nervous but mostly excited.  I want to take a moment to thank my darling friend Michael Yeibio for talking me off the ledge and bringing my voice down several octaves last night.  There's a certain kind of tension I'm not used to an abundance of in my life, and I wasn't managing it well.  Who knew that not remembering the difference between hypercapneic and hypoxic respiratory failure could incite such frenetic pacing and tachycardia??

I'm not enjoying this season of True Blood.  I'm just not.  It doesn't leave me hanging and caring what happens next week like it used to...they're following too many fringe-character storylines no one cares about...the music continues to be great though, like this past weeks title song:

Neko Case also did a really great cover of She's Not There with Nick Cave for the season premiere.  I still like Malcolm McLaren's cover from Kill Bill better, but this one is definitely different:

It's Folklorama time again in Winnipeg, the time of year when we all feel obligated to head out to various community centres, churches and arenas to wait in interminable lines for standing room only to watch some uncoordinated teenagers attempt the cultural dances of their homelands at the behest of their parents.  Having said that, there are a couple of new ones I wouldn't mind checking out this year (Brasil Carnival, Ethiopia, Punjab, 2 of which are at the Convention Centre, so I'll probably actually go).  I think Folklorama is one of those things that everyone in Winnipeg is "supposed" to like.  Like Folk Fest.  No one wants to admit it's tedious, disappointing or insufferable because it's one of the few things this city really has going for it.  Which is probably ok. 

Lastly, congratulations to my friends Steve and Roy on the births of their babies, Steve a little boy named Zach, and Roy a little girl named Annalise.  Finally, gender balance has come to HSC!!

That's all for now, thanks for reading :)

"Do more of what makes you happy" - Unknown

Career planning and medieval intrigue

It's been a weird couple of months.  Kind of disjointed, like I've been asleep for much of it.  My application to Health Canada lurches on, though I believe I somewhat blew the interview the other day (No. I DON'T know any more about babies and I do NOT have anything else to add.)  However, I made a different decision in the meantime.  I put my application in to the Critical Care nursing course, to start beginning of September.  Honestly, once I had made the decision and put my paperwork in, it felt right.  I felt immediately brighter and more hopeful.  I still have to see if I get accepted.  My very dear work brother (from another mother) Cameron is applying too, so at least I won't be out in the stress woods all alone.  Health Canada said should they offer me a position, the orientation can be deferred to the spring, so at least my options may still be open.  I love my coworkers on A3 hugely, and they were the prime factor in my not wanting to go.   They are truly my family, and it breaks my heart when I think about leaving them. But this opportunity is too big to pass up.

After approximately 5 and a half hours of sheer torture, the tattoo is done and healed.  I'm so, so thrilled with it.  Big thanks and love to Carly Montgomery at Soul Survivors.



The proportions of this photo are bizarre.



I recently got super into an HBO show called Game of Thrones. It's based on a series of books (that I haven't read) that are apparently about medieval power struggles amongst ruling families in a made-up kingdom. Before she died, Ashley tried to get me into it, and I kept telling her, I'm not some D&D nerd, I'm not watching that!!  But a few weeks ago, HBO ran the entire first season over the weekend, so I PVR'd it.  I watched the first episode, and literally had no opinion.  It didn't make me want to watch more of it, but it didn't turn me off.  So I watched the second episode, and it completely sucked me in....it's soooooo good.  I think I like that it's a period show, but it's not about dragons (much) and magic and wizards, it's much more political and intriguing.  The thing now is, Ashley is the only person I knew that watched it, so I have NO ONE to discuss it with!  Every once in a while, something will remind me of her, and I have these brief moments of truly profound sadness.  I'll come out to the parkade where she used to park her old Mercedes by my car, and I'll think about how it'll never be there again.  I'll look at the next shift's assignment at work and realize I'll never give her shift report again. It's the strangest kind of grief I've ever experienced, and I realized this week that it's made me feel oddly protective of my current senior practicum student (though I try not to act all mother-hen at her!)  Damn Ashley, you'd better be enjoying yourself wherever you are, my girl, we all miss you.

Petty irritants, turning 29, and a scorched earth policy on my collarbones

So I turned 29 like a big girl on Thursday, and did not, as promised, begin to tell people I'm 26 (a passable lie, I felt).  My friend Amber brought up a good point, that she had spent her entire year being 29 dreading turning 30, and that once she turned 30, it was done and over and she could relax.  I don't want to spend a whole year dreading something, and it's not like 30 is 50, I just know I don't feel that old yet.  I don't feel 18 anymore, but I sure as hell don't feel like I'm turning the corner on 30 either.

The birthday itself was actually pretty great.  My A3 family got together on Wednesday night, and as usual (especially when there's ETOH involved) things got silly, and like 1700 pictures documenting the silliness got taken.  And I woke up in the a.m of my birthday with no hangover!!  Had birthday sushi (Hanabi we love you!) with Katharine, made a trip to Chapters, which I always love, and called it a day :)

However, in between waking up with no hangover, and having birthday sushi, I went to Amber's to retrieve my forgotten wallet, and it was such a gorgeous day that we sat out on her patio in the sun and chatted for what must have been longer than it seemed, because even now, on Saturday, I have raccoon face and my collarbones are on fire.  I had no sunscreen with me, and never really gave it a thought because it was just so nice.  Living in an apartment with no balcony the opportunities for impromptu sunshine are pretty decreased, you have to plan to go out and find a place to get it.  And I should know better.  My collarbones and chest are where I got my sunburn scar in New Zealand. (Fun fact: that was the day I learned that cricket, unlike North American sports does not last 3 hours, but all bloody day, and that the hole in the ozone layer, the one NZ probably had little to nothing to do with creating, sits right above them, so you sunburn in about 3 minutes) Oh the burdens of being Caucasian....

Tattoo is inching closer to being done.  I went to get the color done just over a week ago, and despite what anyone says, color is NOT better than outline.  It was excruciating.  I made it about 2 hours and 20 minutes, but started silently weeping around the 1 hour 50 minute mark.  At 2:20, I asked Carly percentage-wise where we were, and she said quite non-chalantly "Oh I'd say maybe 55-60%".  Meaning there was probably a solid 2 hours left.  Considering she was already going over spots a 3rd and 4th time, spots that were raw and bleeding, I wasn't trying to be anyone's hero.  I threw the towel in, and I'll finish it up mid-June.  It's healing up well, the color is gorgeous and vibrant, I just want it to be done though.

Ouch. That is all.

 

There's still a fair amount of shading left, the parasol, which will be lavender-ish, plus the flowers, which will eventually be pink & yellow.

Anna and I went to see Bridesmaids the other night, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.  It was hilarious, not just "funny for a bunch of chicks who are trying so hard!" funny.  Parts of it were a little raunchy for my taste, but I think that's what happens when you let Judd Apatow season your comedy stew :(  That and Fast Five by far the best movies I've seen this year.  Insidious still the scariest.  Your Highness the absolute most godawful.  And I don't care what anyone says, Fast Five is a movie for women.  There's like 2 hot women and easily a half dozen truly jawdropping men.

 


Yeah, looking at this I think I'll go see it again ;)


Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get - George Bernard Shaw

Thoughts on the royal wedding and tomorrow's election

So while I believe that if I was British, the royal wedding and it's associated costs would piss me off given the current economic climate, as an outside observer without financial burdens towards it, I think the pagentry of the royal wedding was actually kind of neat.  Let's face it, the past hundred or so years have not been kind to the British "empire", but they sure know how to preserve tradition.  And I love, love, loved how dressed up the guests got. I don't care how silly people think fascinators are, I adore the fact that people realize this is a fancy dress occasion and treat it accordingly. Ascots! Mourning suits! Splendid hats! Military regalia! In Winnipeg (and yes I know this is apples and oranges, but still) you could go to the swankiest place in town (where exactly is that??) and see someone woefully underdressed and completely unashamed of same. You go to the Fort Garry for brunch and some schlub has got his gut hanging out from between his ripped up, stained Fruit of the Loom t-shirt and his elasticized sweat pants riding up his ankles.  I appreciate a sense of occasion/venue.  Below some of my very favorite looks. (And yes, the Princess Beatrice hat is controversial)

I personally think the neck tatto ruins the illusion ever so slightly, but chic these two definitely are.  I also enjoy the toothless guy leering at them.

I have no idea who this woman is, but I love her flapper vibe.

I imagine this woman saw this photo and thought to herself, "Yes, it's true. I HAVE got it all together. Even if my husband is wearing pants that are ever so slightly 70's Adidas."

While I'm not crazy about the color scheme of Beatrice's outfit (on the right), I think the hat was a ballsy choice and she pulls it off.  While I like the colors of Eugenie's, the outfit is frumpy and unflattering. Ugh.

While I (like everyone else on the planet, it seems) thought Kate's dress was lovely and appropriate, I was surprised it was as conservative as it was, being a McQueen.  Also I had been hoping for her to do something a little more dramatic with her hair.  Well something at all would have been better.  I thought it was weird that anyone even bothered "critiquing" William's getup, given that it was military dress and he in no way dictated it.  Tradition and rules did.

Final thought on this. Camilla looked hideous.  As she usually does.  And came off like a royal party crasher.  As she always does.

And for my final thought overall, I would like to remind anyone who reads this before tomorrow that it's election day in Canada, and to encourage you to get out and spend the 20 minutes it will take you to participate in the democratic process.  People have and continue to die all over the world for a basic right that so many in this country could seem to care less about.  I hear so many people say things like "Oh I couldn't possibly vote, I don't know enough so it would be irresponsible."  Well guess what?  It would take you 10 minutes to learn the basic principles of the main political parties, and it would be relatively easy for you to figure out which you identified most with.  It's not as though if you choose wrong you get dropped into a pit of alligators and fire. At least you participated. I'm especially disappointed in the fact that younger people vote in such small numbers.  The reason there is next to nothing promised to you in election campaigns is that political parties KNOW you don't vote.  They COUNT on it, so they leave you out if it, and put no energy into courting your vote.  If you want to be better represented, vote and represent yourself.

"I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful." - Marilyn Monroe

Everyone's responsible for their own actions. Oh. Unless you have a penis. Then not you.

I've had several discussions and read several articles quite incidentally this past week or so that has loudly illustrated a rather depressing point: Men in our society (and more than likely the whole world) are consistently and thoroughly let off the hook when it comes to their character, conduct, and behaviour.  From the cop in Toronto telling a group of students that if women want to avoid being sexually assaulted they should "not dress like sluts", to the ruling in Thompson, MB that a woman's vicious rape was "a miscommunication by a clumsy Don Juan", women are constantly being held accountable for the actions of men.  Safety seminars and tips on how to avoid violence are constantly targeted at women: Don't dress a certain way, don't get sloppy drunk, never ever be alone out in public, etc.  How about occasionally throwing some advice then way of the fellas?  Maybe along the lines of....hmmmm.....don't rape people?  No means no?  A woman out dressed up and drinking is NOT, in point of fact, "asking for it"?  My cousin shared an article the other day about Joe Biden doing specifically this, and it was heartening to see:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52773.html

It was heartening but notable because it's so rare.  Especially between men.  And this needs to change.  Men need to start being able to expect more of themselves and each other.  It was a man addressing the student's group telling women how to avoid assault, and a man ruling that another man wasn't a rapist but simply "misguided".  It's likely the power structure in our society will continue to skew male for decades into the foreseeable future, and if men are going to continue to run the power structure over 100% of the population, they need to begin trying to understand the half that's underrepresented.  With only 22% of sexual attacks reported to police, and only 4% of THOSE ever receiving convictions, either  swaths of women in our society are malicious liars that go to self-harming lengths to act out those lies to no result, or something needs to change.

"Look, the world gets an F in their treatment of women, but we (America) are getting a C-minus and we're bragging about it." - Mick Foley

Stuff I'm loving right now

So after yesterday's gorgeous weather, today is rather dismal, it's still snowing 4 hours after it started, but it's ok because I know it's not going to stick around!!!

I'm not someone with a load of hobbies, or lifelong obsessions.  I'm really more of a passing-fancier.  I like things for a bit and then abandon them as a rule.  So I thought I'd share some of the things that are passing my fancy lately :)

- Parks & Recreation.  Because I love Amy Poehler, I've stuck with this since Day 1, and it's paid off.  Season 3 has been amazing.

- Kids in the Hall reruns.  They're not even funny about 97% of the time, but I guess I have a soft spot for dorky guys dressed up like middle-aged and elderly ladies.

- V.V Brown.  I dare you to listen to this song and not feel more upbeat than you did before:

- Not finishing the books I start.  Seriously, I have about 6 half-read books strewn about the apartment right now.  I kept feeling like I should finish them, but I've come to terms with it.

- Chubby Indian guys.  Love 'em.  Super hard to find though!  They're like shooting stars, but fat, brown, and on the ground ;)  Which brings me to my next item:

- Aziz Ansari standup.  Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening.

- Tobasco sauce.  I've gone through one of those huge bottles in less than a month.  I put it in chicken noodle soup the other day. 

- The fact that Pizza Hut has filed for bankruptcy protection.  Who's even still been eating there???  Skulk off!

- Carmen Sandiego.  Oh Lord I cannot get enough of this.  I loved it as a kid, but we only had it for DOS, and there was no such thing as Google to help you.  Gosh I feel old when I have to talk about things like DOS.

Hope you all have a wonderful and fulfilling week :)


If you don't like the road you're travelling, start paving a new one. - Dolly Parton

April's Fool's post-mortem

I am not a fan of April Fool's Day.  It usually illustrates the fooler's complete lack of imagination and somehow seems to just end up irritating people.  And this is despite having nice memories of it.  When I was little, I would usually spend part of or all of spring break with my grandparents, and April Fool's Day usually fell in there somewhere.  For years my grandmother would somehow get us to fall for her terribly lame April Fool's jokes (hurry up! come quick! there's a cow walking down the street!)  When I think back on it now though, it was sweet of her to try and make the day fun for us.  And maybe that's why so many people's "I'm quitting my job to trek across Siberia!" or the becoming-all-too-pervasive "I'm pregnant! Gah!" April Fool's jokes don't thrill me.  Because nothing will ever measure up to the cow walking down the street or Mickey Mouse in the backyard.  Or maybe I'm just difficult to amuse.  Lol, no, that's not it :) 

(Warning: as hilarious as I find this, there's some rather strong language in it, consider yourself warned!)