Blogging In Bed

Tonight I blog from bed. I have been moving since my alarm rang this morning and am just now getting a chance to be still.

Early morning the alarm summoned me out of a sound slumber to tell me that it was time to go to work. I could not be to mad at said alarm because it did wake me on a Friday and even better, a half day, and most wonderful of all, the day I got to wear my boots.

Work moved along so smoothly, that I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never did and we left the clinic at 12:30. A small miracle with all four doctors in clinic. The phones were light and since we rescheduled all our routine lab draws, we only had to take care of the those who had to be seen that day.

Stepping out of the office, I was greeted by an amazingly warm and inviting day. With windows down, I called to Red to see about her lunch plans. I was in luck and she was free. After passing an unusually vigilant security guard, she came out as I pulled up. We drove down to Torchy's and I got to eat a taco with egg in it. A sign sadly informed us that there were no more Democrats available. Red was safe though, she brought me.

After dropping Red back off for her to finish out a whole day of work, I hit the market to pick up supplies for tonight's and tomorrow's twin parties. They are only two different parties because we have a sleep break in the middle. After I got home, I realized I forgot the cream cheese needed for the chicken dip and would have to go back to the store later for it.

Status post grocery shopping, I had to jet over to get my haircut. With my vacation rapidly approaching, I would have no other time to do it. No one in the family has seen it since I removed the bottom 15 inches. The stylist drove me crazy the entire cut by repeating over and over again how bad my last haircut was. I went to Great Clips, what do you expect?

With my new do, I scrambled back home where I whipped together the chicken dip. Then a nice, relaxing bath enveloped me for far to short a time. Out of the tub, make-up applied, western gear on, and back downstairs to bake the chicken dip. Chicken dip out of oven and directly in the car.

With the smell of amazing chicken dip wafting around, I took the toll road up to the burbs to eat Red Lobster with some co-workers. Let me tell you about the looks you get when you roll into a Red Lobster in vintage boots and a belt buckle large enough to eat off of. I didn't exactly eat while there. I had three Diet Cokes and four biscuits. Still probably had more points than if I had actually just had a meal.

I was there for a whole 45 min before I had to leave to make the now half-hour drive to the complete opposite side of town to get me and the chicken dip to the Hoe-down. The turn out was small, but I must say that I had a great time. I spent an incredible amount of the evening talking to APO. Sometimes you forget just how great the people you surround yourself with are, and then it blind sides you.

Party over, clean up ensued, and we had some giggles when just the girls were there. Most of the laughs came from us just being ridiculous. R introduced me to "head-shake photos". They are just photos where you let you face relax and then you shake your head back and forth while someone takes your photo. Long and short of it, you end up looking like a retard.

As we were leaving, Frankie calls and asks us if we want to join them for a movie...a movie that has already started. A mad race over there and a quick car change later and we arrive just as the feature presentation is starting. Movie so-so, lead man amazing, scenery mind-blowing. All in all, worth my free movie ticket.

Today was a great day, full of friends, laughs, and memories. I must go so that my body can take another day of much of the same. Tomorrow I may pontificate on Independence Day and the true meaning of Christmas...wait, what? Stay tuned.

Not Showers, Its Pouring

I am finding the blog word processor very frustrating. It will not let me add words to the dictionary like FHE, it has a habit of taking out my paragraph breaks, and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to put a picture mid-post. I know these should not be the biggest concerns in my life, but still it is enough to be irksome.

I missed a day of blogging for the first time yesterday. This was due to the fact that I was go from morn' to well into the eve. I went to work more tired than usual due to the fact that I am currently caught up in a book I am reading. Lunch at Taco Cabana did not help the feeling less than myself.

After I got off, I rushed home and got ready for the bridal shower. I must say I had a grand time at the shower. I don't know when I have hung out with that specific combination of girls, but it made for a nice blend. The party activities were relatively short in comparison to many others I have been to, but that just left more time to eat and chat. I was a bit self-conscious when I first got there until I realized everyone was. But at the end of the night I got a nice confidence bolster when AK told me I had a hot stomach. You can't pay for that kind of feel-good.

After leaving there, I went to spend some quality time with Moe. Last weekend's funtivities ignited a desire to see more of her. We went over to her man's house and in Moe's immortal words, "Got our Lost on". One and a half episodes in, Frankie came home looking very tired and thinner than in recent memory. It could have been the cut of the shirt or sugar-free June catching up with him. You could see the tiredness etched into his face and looking out from his eyes. I feel bad for him. When he says that he is never home, I actually believe him. Between work, his enormous calling, family, friends, and what ever time he needs for himself, I have no doubt he is burning the candle at both ends. It makes me want to shoulder some of the load, but do not know in what ways I can help.

My need and desire to help is a trap in and of itself. Too oft those I try to help do not know what to make of it, and in the end it pushes them away. In my continuing campaign to become a better person, this is one of the things that I have been working on. It is not just about offering my help, but it has to also be about offering help in a way that they are comfortable with and feel like they are in a place to accept it. I have been told that the way I go about it sometimes make people feel beholden to me. Sigh. Somewhere I missed the day on what is socially appropriate and what is not. Does anyone have those note that I could borrow?

Our Lost-a-thon, put me to bed well after 2:30. In my haste to get home I realized that I did not even fold my blanket or put my cup up before I left. Some guest I am. With my late night, morning came shockingly soon. When the alarm went off to rouse me for work, I was very confused, with it being a Saturday and all, and just laid there momentarily, attempting to find my bearings. With my eyes closed, I could hear the dog getting up. Isn't it great that he knows what the alarm is for too? Perhaps he is not as dumb as I think.

KS was the doctor on call this weekend, and consequently, we got free breakfast. I know this is no consolation to the 8:00 arrival time and the fact that this means that I will have 12 of no sleeping in. Work marched on at a moderate pace. Twenty-five patients, minimal phone calls, and only five speculums; it could have been way worst. Now I am off to get ready for a baby shower. Update to follow...

The World According To Me

Day number three, and today I find myself actually looking forward to getting to post. I looked for tiny little things that could be made anecdotal, thought of titles I could post under, and generally wanted to write about the world according to me. Talk about being self-aware; despite how much I hate writers who write about writing or have main characters who are writers, still I pontificate on the act and art of writing. Hypocrite thy name is girl.

Today I got my first comment, which means someone is actually reading my post. True it was the only person I sent a figurative engraved invitation to read, but a reader none the less. I no longer have to worry about a tree falling in the forest.

Work could not have been more unpleasant today. We were down two nurses today, which means that three people did the work of five. In addition to our normal daily duties we also had to teach the lesson and monitor a procedure in the clinic. It was not any of these things, the fact we had to work through lunch, or the fact that the stress had my lower back feeling like a twisted rope that just totally demoralized my spirit and made me want to get up and walk out. After finishing my lunch at my desk, The Boss came over to my desk and berated me for a clinical decision I had made in front of the whole clinic. When I retorted that it was within my preview to make such a decision, she derisively informed me that yes it was my decision but that she did not think it was good nursing care. This is the woman who does my yearly review. In addition to the public humiliation, I now have the awkward pleasure of trying to decide who informed her. Level One Drama Center, indeed.

After work I joined Stix and Red for dinner. We meet at Whole Foods downtown and ate a hurried meal at the same table. Stix's sullen mood helped me gain insight into what she must be going through. My selfish need to mend our relationship must take a back seat for a few more weeks. Love is patient, love is kind, love is long-suffering. To love her, I must be all of those things for her. What surprised me the most from our dinner was to see the relationship that has developed between Stix and Red. I was touched at how Red is such a good friend to everyone. On the other hand it hurts to see the very thing I am begging for from Stix somehow blossomed between the two of them. Patient, kind, long-suffering...I should write that on my hand.

Last night's FHE was more special than I could have anticipated. In our week in review it came to our attention that APO's birthday was on Thursday. In his usual fashion, he seemed slightly mortified and slightly tickled at the recognition. The lesson started and as he stood up there and taught a thoughtful and uplifting lesson, my heart swelled to a near bursting point. I could not help but remember who he was just one year ago sitting at his sister's dinner table on his birthday, freshly home from the desert. How much has he grown in such a short span of time. From the shy and quiet at our first meeting in the temple waiting room to a fully fleshed and functional member of the church. Although our relationship has drastically changed in that span, I still feel lucky to have stood by to witness the mighty change of heart.

Friday night's festivities have caused a touch of anxiety in me. An idea of a lingerie shower where you wear lingerie sounds fun in theory. That is until you are trying on your outfit in the privacy of your bedroom and are overcome with embarrassment that you are to wear this not in an intimate setting, but to be ogled and judged by other guests. I, in no way, suffer from body image issues, but somehow feel at odds with the amount of skin showing. I show more when I am in a bathing suit, so why is this an issue? Perhaps it is my lack of garments that is making me feel so uneasy. When I made sacred covenants to wear the garment at all times except for certain occasions, did that include bridal showers? To not dress would mark me as a stick in the mud. I have a few more days to ponder it before I have to make a decision. Perhaps a solution will present its self.

As my post closes so does my day. Sleep calls, so that I may lay my head down and lift it to trudge through another day of work. Till tomorrow; I will keep my eyes and ears open for post worthy material.