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Bless her heart...I've been wondering for months, what has become of Marlene (aka "Goodwife"), whom I've known from many Q & A sites. The last I spoke with her, she was dealing with a recurrence of her uterine cancer, and today, after extensive searching, I now know why I haven't heard from her for so long. Her obituary can be found HERE. Rest in peace, Marlene -- and I hope that you've managed to find a fabulous place in Heaven from which to look upon your loved ones, who, I am certain, are missing you terribly... Current Mood:  sad
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I'm in a bit of a quandary...my high school graduating class is having its 30th class reunion this year. This does pose a bit of a problem for me, because I work "power weekends" (even though I regularly pick up at least ONE extra shift each and every week), and I'm only allowed to have eight weekend shifts off in any calendar year, which I normally save up in order to take my vacations. And, wouldn't you know -- said reunion is scheduled during one of the weekends in August, so I'd HAVE to take one of my weekend shifts off in order to attend. On one hand, there really isn't ANYONE that I truly want to see -- those people whom I've WANTED to remain in touch with, I've done so. However, I still have a good bit of curiosity to see who's become fat, who's become bald, and who, among those voted "most likely to be successful," have turned out to be absolute losers...but is this bit of curiosity enough to justify my taking one of my few allowed weekend shifts off?? My husband says definitely not, and I'm somewhat inclined to agree, but still, I can't help but be curious. What would YOU do, if you were in my situation??? Current Mood:  curious
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Un-freaking believable...to read the news article, click HERE. While I admit I personally feel that abortion, used as a means of birth control, in these days when effective birth control is so readily accessible, is morally reprehensible, this angers me beyond belief. Whatever my OWN personal beliefs are, as I've stated in previous entries, they are my own, and I have no right to ask my government to make MY personal religious and moral beliefs the law of the land. Abortion should be an absolutely personal and PRIVATE decision between a woman and her physician -- it's nobody else's damn business! But what I really don't get is how some of these people have the BALLS to call themselves "pro-life," and then, to commit murder in order to make their point! Again, I am EXCEEDINGLY angry about this... What absolutely kills me is that so many of these so-called "pro-lifers" are ALSO pro-death penalty. Go figure...How the Hell can they have it BOTH ways??? I still can't make heads or tails out of THAT! Just imagine, if you will, that the unwanted child they're trying so hard to save from the abortion Docs could, 30 years from now, become the murderer that they're screaming to have executed. Again, go figure...*huge eyeroll* Current Mood:  enraged
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Supposedly, this recipe has been around for awhile, although I've never heard of it before. Last night at work, one of our respiratory therapists brought in a dump cake to share, and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! I liked it so much that I asked for the recipe, and I made it tonight, albeit with a couple of creative additions of my own. The result is something between a cake and a cobbler, and not only is it exceedingly tasty (and unfortunately, quite fattening), but it's embarrassingly easy to make, with no mixing involved. It's so simple that it would be an excellent "first" baking project for a child, and so yummy that it would be an excellent dessert to take to a potluck dinner, where it would be certain to get rave reviews. Just in case my other LJ buddies haven't heard of it (as I hadn't), here's the recipe (with my additions included): 1 large (20 oz.) can of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, undrained 1 can of prepared fruit pie filling (I used cherry, and loved the results!) 1 box of yellow cake mix 2 sticks of butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup pecan pieces 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes 1 cup organic brown sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit). Dump undrained pineapple into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and spread it out evenly. Using a spoon, dump globs of the fruit pie filling evenly on top of the pineapple. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly on top of the fruit pie filling and pineapple layers. Cover cake mix layer with butter pieces, spread out evenly, and cover butter with coconut flakes, also spread out evenly. Top coconut with pecan pieces, and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Bake in 350-degree oven for one hour. To serve, scoop cake out with a large spoon (like a cobbler). May be served warm or cold. Personal note: it's especially delicious when served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...YUM!! Current Mood:  full
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When I was a little girl, I was raised to ALWAYS refer to adults as Mr/Mrs/Miss, along with their last names, unless specifically given permission by them to call them by their first names. And, way back in the "dinosaur" age, when I was still in nursing school, it was stressed that all patients were to be treated with respect, including addressing them by their title, along with their last name, again, unless the patient requests that we do otherwise. In all my years on this planet (and I'm almost 50 now), I've never deviated from this. ALWAYS, when meeting someone new, or when encountering a patient, I address the person by his/her title and last name, until given permission to do otherwise. And, while it's aggravating for me to be addressed as "Cynthia" by a salesperson who doesn't know me (and who only obtained my first name by reading it on my credit card), I find it downright disrespectful when I hear my fellow nurses addressing patients they've never met before by their first names, or, even worse, by fake endearments such as "Honey," "Sweetie," etc. Some of these nurses are young enough to be MY daughters, and the majority of hospital patients are far older than me! So tell me -- am I hopelessly old-fashioned??? Do you think it's OK for a professional to address you by your first name, even if you've never seen them before? And what about those phony endearments...wouldn't you just want to bitch-slap a stranger who's young enough to be your own daughter, referring to you as "Honey?" In my opinion, it's hopelessly unprofessional (and disrespectful) behavior, and I have a tendency to point this out to my co-workers who behave in this way whenever I observe it -- only to be told: "Oh, Cindy, you're still living with the dinosaurs!" So...are they right? Maybe it's ME who needs to change my behavior on the job. What do you think? Current Mood:  contemplative
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Yes, my vacation is definitely O-V-E-R!! **BIG SIGH** Ah, well, I can't really say that I wasn't happy to be back home again, or to rescue my Maia from the kennel. Don't get me wrong... Whispering Pines is certainly not a place where one would need to be "rescued" from -- they always give Maia excellent care, and I'd never take her anyplace else. But still -- home just ISN'T home without Maia, and I was very happy to have her back with us! Overall, except for a few minor aggravations, our vacation was lovely. The only thing that kept it from being absolutely perfect was the fact that Melanie came home for a short leave only four days AFTER we left! **Another big sigh** If only I'd known she was coming home just a wee bit sooner, we could have rearranged our plans a bit, and managed to see her this time. Ah, well, hopefully it won't be too much longer before she heads home again. Heaven knows, I'm stuck here in northern Indiana for the next six months for sure. I don't head back to work until Thursday evening, and I'll be spending the next few days trying to re-adjust to my night-shift schedule, and in the meantime, trying to get a gazillion things accomplished so things will be somewhat in order while I'm gone. Tomorrow, I'll try to get at least SOME small semblance of "me" time, since Yury's headed back to work. Don't get me wrong...I love him dearly, and he IS fabulous company, but having him with me practically non-stop for two solid weeks (and waiting on him, hand and foot) can be somewhat wearing on me. So, after I run my necessary errands, I'm planning to set aside a bit of time for a manicure and pedicure. Not much else to talk about, except that I spent this evening in a bit of a creative mood. I SO loved that Marsala sauce that we enjoyed at Carrabba's last weekend (in Columbia), that I tried to emulate it...and came awfully damned close!! For supper, we had linguine, topped with my Chicken Marsala, and served with a fresh tossed salad and some homemade bread...YUM! Heaven knows, it WASN'T good for my figure, but it certainly tasted heavenly! I was of a mind to post some vacation pics, but the majority of my LJ friends already have Facebook accounts, and, since I've already posted the vast majority of them there, I'm just not in the mood to double-post tonight. Maybe tomorrow...anyway, I'm off to have a glass of wine and to crawl into bed. Yes, I KNOW I have to get back to my night shift schedule, but I'm tired, tired, tired. Goodnight, all... Current Mood:  exhausted
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You KNOW You're a Nurse When:You believe that 90% of all human beings are a complete waste of perfectly good protoplasm. Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal seems perfectly normal to you. Your idea of "fine dining" is anywhere that you can actually SIT DOWN to eat. You get an almost irresistible urge to stand and wolf your food even in the nicest restaurants. You plan your dinner break while lavaging an overdose patient. Your diet consists of food that has gone through more processing than most computers. You believe that chocolate is a food group. You refer to vegetables and are NOT talking about a food group. You have the bladder capacity of five people. Your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest at shift change. You believe in aerial spraying of Prozac. You disbelieve 90% of what you are told and 75% of what you see. You have your weekends off planned for a year in advance. You believe that "shallow gene pool" should be a recognized medical diagnosis. You believe that unspeakable evils should befall anyone who dares to utter the phrase "Wow, it's really quiet, isn't it?" You threaten to strangle anyone who even starts to say the "q" word when it is even remotely calm. You have ever referred to someone's death as a transfer to the "Eternal Care Unit". You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say "I have no idea how that got stuck in there". You have ever had to leave a patient's room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably. Your favorite hallucinogen is exhaustion. You think that caffeine should be available in IV form. You have ever restrained someone and it was NOT a sexual experience. You believe the ER waiting room should be equipped with a Valium fountain. You have been exposed to so many X-rays that you consider radiation a form of birth control. You have ever had a patient control his seizures when offered some food. You believe that a book entitled 'Suicide: Getting it Right the First Time' will be your next project. You refer to subcutaneous emphysema as "Rice Krispies". Your immune system is so well developed that it has been known to attack squirrels in the backyard. Current Mood:  silly
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Oh, I've absolutely HAD IT with the weather around here...Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind whether it's winter or spring, already, and the constant vacillation of temperatures is wreaking havoc with my chronic sinusitis! For the past two solid days, I've spent the majority of my time in bed, due to an absolutely miserable sinus headache that I just CAN'T get rid of, no matter what I take! Laying in the dark with an ice pack over my face seems to be the only way that I can get ANY kind of relief whatsoever...last weekend, the weather was perfectly lovely -- we had temps as high as 70 degrees and the sun was shining. However, yesterday and today, we're back to the same old bullshit...grey skies, rain, and currently a temp of 39.2 (that's about 4 degrees Celsius for you folks doing the metric thing). Grrrrrr! Happily, I'll be OUT of this crazy, back-and-forth weather before too much longer...only 13 more days, and I'll be leaving on my "road trip" to beautiful, sunny, Tybee Island, Georgia! YAY me!! And, exactly two weeks from today, we'll be settling into our beautiful vacation condo, enjoying not only the warm, sunny weather, but also the beautiful ocean view from our balcony, where we'll be spending that evening in celebration -- drinking champagne while watching the dolphins play...**sigh** Unfortunately, it'll all be over far too soon to suit me, but what can I say?? I should consider myself exceedingly lucky that we're able to go AT ALL!! Far too many of my co-workers can only DREAM of such luxury, since so many of THEIR husbands are out of work in this miserable, suck-ass economy, which appears to be getting worse far sooner than it'll get better -- IF it gets better at all! Anyway, I'm off to bed again, hopefully to get the better of this headache, at least for a short time, so that I can get SOMETHING accomplished around here! Enjoy what's left of your day... Current Mood: crabby and in pain
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Honestly, I don't miss the site as it has been in recent months...quite honestly, I've only logged in once in a blue moon to check my messages, because one or two of my online buds were still hanging out there. And, quite frankly, I only attempted to log in TODAY for a rather mean and petty reason -- out of curiosity to see if Ms. Super-Cyberstalker Extraordinaire had attempted, since I've blocked her on MySpace, to log in under yet ANOTHER alias in an attempt to continue her latest round of harrassment. This time, (and I'm really not surprised) it appears that the site is completely non-operational. Whether it'll be "fixed" or not remains to be seen...I believe the last time it was down, it was non-functional for almost a month before getting back online. Quite honestly, I don't see that the site, as it stands today, is worth Gossy's time and money in getting it up and running once again, although, if this is TRULY the end of CS, I feel more than a bit of sadness about it. This site was Gossy's brainchild, and, for many years, was a place which I looked forward to logging in to each and every day -- to "see" my online friends, to meet new ones, and to engage in some very stimulating discussions and debates. Before the British "invasion" of Chatterbank rejects, CS was one of the most "happening" places on the Web... The huge majority of my LJ buds are, with few exceptions, people whom I initially met on CS. Of course, there are one or two of them who go back even farther than that...way back to the days of the late, lamented WHQuestion. Anyway, so many of my LJ friends whom I originally met at CS have managed to become my friends in "real life," as well...i.e, ValleySailor, meadowgirl, and evil_jerry, just to name a few. Several others, I've remained in close contact with, and feel a genuine affection for, even though we have YET to meet in real life (I'm STILL hoping for it, though! I'd love, someday, to meet ALL of my former CS and current LJ buds). Anyway, every single time I've logged into CS in recent months, I've had more than a bit of bittersweet pang. I STILL remember the "old days" of that site with fondness and nostalgia. And I wonder, sometimes, what has become of those whom I no longer hear from on a regular basis (most notably, Marlene, aka "Goodwife," who was waging a battle against cancer the last time I heard anything from her) and hope that they are well and happy...*sigh* And yes, I know, people...anyone who worries so much about one's online acquaintances really needs to GET A LIFE!! Believe it or not, though, I DO have one, in spite of my time spent online. Yes, I hold down a job, and yes, I have a family, and yes, I interact with "real" people on a daily basis. But I DO miss my former online "life," far more than I had previously realized... Current Mood: nostalgic
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...a dreaded, much-detested cyberstalker pops out of the fucking woodwork to send me messages once again! Of course, you know that I'm referring to everybody's least-favorite unibrowed stalker, who shall remain nameless, simply because just about everyone who reads my journal already KNOWS who the Hell I'm talking about, anyway. Heaven forbid, she managed to find my MySpace profile and to start messaging me THERE, since it's perhaps the only place I hang out where I HADN'T already blocked her! Well, never mind, I've since rectified that situation...believe it or not, this goofy cow is STILL having a freaking conniption over my remarks made regarding her a couple of years ago, where I remarked that I hoped that, since she was then in the process of raising a "mini-cyberstalker" of her own, she might have less time to stalk those of us who were sick of the harassment. WELL! She took that remark to be an insult aimed purely against her precious baby, although the insult was aimed solely at HER, although perhaps noting that the apple doesn't usually fall too far from the tree. Anyway, today, almost two years later (maybe more, for all I know), I received the following in my MySpace mailbox: "Du hättest zumindest genug Anstand zeigen können und meine Tochter raushalten können, zumal Du selbst Mutter bist." For those of you who DON'T quite understand German, essentially, she's saying that I should have shown at least enough decency to not have mentioned her daughter, particularly since I am a mother, myself. Good grief, woman! Get a fucking life, already! WHY do you insist, after I've managed to go for several months without thinking of you or mentioning your name, on seeking me out and raising this old issue time and time again?? Is it an APOLOGY you're waiting for??? If so, all I can say is this -- you're going to be waiting a long, long time for it, because it'll NEVER happen!! So stop messaging me, and trying to keep alive a dispute I've long since forgotten, except for when YOU manage to nose back into my life wherever and whenever you can...and yes, I AM posting this publicly for a reason. Since I've made the huge majority of my entries "friends only" simply because of your continued unwanted attempts to contact me, I want to make certain that you're able to read THIS, and to know that everyone who knows us knows that you're up to your old tricks yet again! Unfortunately, you're too fucking stupid to be humiliated by having your ridiculous behavior exposed for all the world to see...ah, well! Finally, even though I've now blocked you at MySpace, should you EVER be in a position where you can sneak one of your unwanted messages through to me again, DO have the courtesy NOT to refer to me by using the informal "du," thank you very much! We are NOT friends, nor do we have ANY kind of relationship which justifies you in addressing me so familiarly. Actually, we don't have enough of a relationship which justifies you in addressing me AT ALL!! LEAVE ME ALONE, ALREADY!!! That is all, you silly unibrowed cow, except for this: don't even try to respond to this entry in my comments section, because I've been having all of my comments screened for the past year at least, thanks to you and your bad behavior. Be aware that I'll delete any comments from you just as soon as I realize that they ARE from you, without reading any further, so really -- don't waste your time. Doesn't your baby cyberstalker need your attention?? 'Nuff said... Current Mood: somewhat pissed off
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That's right, folks...three weeks from tonight, I'll be relaxing with a glass of wine in a jacuzzi suite at the Hampton Inn in Caryville, Tennessee, halfway on my way to beautiful Tybee Island, Georgia. Yay, me!! Oh, I can hardly wait!! The first week of my vacation is also National Nurse's Week...what a fabulous way for me to celebrate the occasion -- by being far, far away from the freaking hospital! Again, yay, me!! Hopefully, my two weeks off will give me a bit of time to re-adjust my burned-out, bad attitude and to get me prepared for ANOTHER five months of uninterrupted chaos before my Texas vacation in October. We'll see... Not much else going on, here. I've got a busy week ahead of me, the highlight of which will be taking Maia to the vet on Wednesday a.m. for her annual physical, vaccines, and for a much-needed oatmeal bath, since her allergies are acting up once again. And yes, I DO have to get her professionally bathed at the vet's, simply because she goes ballistic if I try to put her in the freaking tub here at home!! At least, at the vet's office, they can give her some medication to chill her out BEFORE putting her in the tub, and it's a lot less aggravation for everybody, even if it does cost a few more $$$ to do it this way. So yes, at least six or seven times per year (sometimes, even more often than that), I take her to the vet for grooming because that appears to be the ONLY way that I can manage to keep her fresh and clean without injuring myself! Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like wrestling with a 90-pound dog when she DOESN'T want to do something. What fun!! Anyway, I'm off to enjoy what little is left of my evening. I have to get to bed early tonight, because I have an early a.m. appointment tomorrow for scheduled routine maintenance on the Volvo, which we'll be taking with us on our vacation "road trip." Obviously, I need to be certain that everything is in working order before we leave...oh, I am SO excited to know that my much needed, and much looked-forward-to vacation is only a few short weeks away! Current Mood:  cheerful
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I'd like to take this moment to wish all of you who celebrate it a belated happy, blessed Easter. I, of course, celebrated this holiday in my usual way...by coming home from work, showering, going to Mass, and then sleeping through the rest of the day. Not much to say, except that I AM exceedingly happy that my weekend at work is now over and done with. Yes, it WAS crazy, and yes, I DID run my ass off -- but WTF else is new? I did, however, during the last few minutes of my shift on Saturday night/Sunday morning, receive something which made my weekend worth ALL the aggravation I'd endured. WHAT did I receive, you might ask?!?? Let me tell you -- it was nothing more, and nothing less, than a simple, sincere "thank you" from a patient family member. Bless her heart! To be completely truthful, I'd been silently cursing this woman throughout the entire night, because she was so very "needy" and came running after me practically every single time her Daddy twitched in the bed...and, when she came running after me once again at the end of my shift, to my shame, I was thinking to myself, "NOW WTF does she want??!!", only to find that THIS time, she was seeking me out to thank me for my "kindness and attentiveness" to her and her father. Shame on me for having thought such evil thoughts about her! Honestly, I should be the one thanking HER! Thanking her for -- with her simple gesture -- reminding me, once again, about the REASON I got into this profession in the first place...to make a difference! Happily, it appears that I did, and, this one little "thank you" was instrumental in lifting, for a short time, anyway, the cynical veil from my eyes, and for reminding me that it's the simple things in this exceedingly complicated profession which make all the aggravation worthwhile! Isn't it amazing the amount of work a simple "thank you" can do towards adjusting an overworked, burned-out nurse's attitude?? If nothing else, it goes to show you how completely unaccustomed we are to receiving these simple, but priceless, gestures from others in our line of work. I can honestly tell you folks...if you're ever in the hospital, and you want to see your nurses jumping through hoops for you (and maybe even arguing among themselves about who will have the privilege of caring for you), all you have to do is to remember the two little words that we're LEAST accustomed to hearing -- "please" and "thank you." You'd be amazed at what those simple words can accomplish! That's all for today...except for my chance to gloat at those of the rest of you in the working world. MY workweek is now over with (thank you, Jesus!), but that of the rest of you is just beginning. While I'M going to get the chance to relax and enjoy life for the next three days, the rest of you are going to be stuck performing the day-to-day routines of your workaday lifestyle. SO -- don't work too hard, and try, even though you're at the beginning of your workweek, to find the "little" things which made you choose your profession in the first place, in spite of all the aggravations you may be facing. And enjoy... Current Mood: happy
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Yes, I know I've been neglecting my LJ in recent days...quite honestly, it gets frustrating at times when there's only more of the same old s**t, different day to post! Anyway, my "dry socket" problem has, happily, been slowly resolving. Yesterday, I was pain-free for the first time in almost three weeks! Unfortunately, it appears that, hard on the heels of my dry socket, I got that nasty virus that's been affecting so many of my co-workers recently, a.k.a. the so-called "stomach flu," with all the nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and other things too nasty to mention in my LJ. What fun, to have a few days off, only to feel so crappy that I couldn't enjoy my time off! Grrrr...anyway, I'm feeling much better now -- just in time to get my happy ass back to work tomorrow night (or should I say tonight, since it's past midnight, already)! Double grrrr...I'm hoping that next week will be a much better one, now that the worst of my physical indispositions appear to have subsided. If nothing else, I have only ONE MORE MONTH before my spring vacation begins, and I just can't wait for a lovely change of scenery. All that sunshine and wonderful ocean breezes will be SOOOO refreshing after spending month after month dealing with snow, rain and cold weather!! I DID have a nice little surprise to brighten my day today, and to put me in a better frame of mind. My husband (who spoils me rotten, anyway, and who knows of my passion for teddy bears) had a lovely little "nurse bear" from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company sent to me, and is it ever cute!! The little thing is wearing the traditional nurse's cap and a white pinafore embroidered with "Cindy RN" and wears a stethoscope...it's just too cute for words! I have the little thing proudly displayed on one of my bookcases in my living room. And here she is:  I suppose that's about all for now, really. It's been an entirely uneventful week off...the only thing I really managed to accomplish was to get my snow tires changed to my regular weather tires. *sigh* Hopefully, I'll be a bit more productive on my next stretch of days off. I DO have something very nice to look forward to in the near future. I'm expecting Melanie home on a short leave within the next couple of weeks, and it'll be SO nice to see her again! Finally, I had quite the display from Maia this evening to remind me exactly who/what she is. Yury just loves to refer to her as his "all-American yellow dog," but tonight (or should I say, last night?), she reminded us exactly what she's made of (her mom WAS an Alaskan timber wolf, after all!). The wolf blood in her may be somewhat subdued after all these years living with us, but it's still there, as she exemplified this evening. Apparently, somebody in our general area must have called 911 for whatever reason. In any case, we were sitting on the porch with Maia (it WAS a fairly lovely evening, after all!) and heard the sirens. It didn't take long before Maia first barked at the sound of the sirens, and then HOWLED...I'm seriously talking about that "OWOOOOOOOOOOOOO" type of howling that you see in your average werewolf movie...she was seriously into it, and howled incessantly, as long as we heard the sirens, and even for several minutes thereafter! As much as I may have been sobered by the number of sirens (usually, multiple sirens at the same time mean BAD news for somebody!), I was still somewhat amused at the fact that Maia was howling right along with them -- as domesticated as she HAS become in recent years, she's still one serious wolf doggy when all is said and done! Anyway, I'm off to bed for now. Enjoy what's left of your night/day/whatever. Current Mood: cheerful
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I've been spending a good part of tonight preparing a few meals ahead, since tomorrow night, I'm starting another weekend from Hell at work, and I wanted to have a few meals prepared for Yury, so he won't have to spend too much time on meal preparation while I'm gone...BUT, since I've managed to achieve absolute "perfection" on one particular item, I'm realizing that it's a damn shame that I never measure ANYTHING, because nothing I ever prepare turns out exactly the same way twice!! Yury mentioned, this evening, that he had a hankering for some chicken salad. So, among my meal preparations tonight, I made some -- and he'll be lucky if I don't eat ALL of it before I go to bed this morning!! My chicken salad turned out to be absolute perfection itself...I marinated a couple of chicken breasts in some lime juice and ginger, broiled it, and, once I cut it up, mixed it with some celery, onion, slivered almonds and seedless red grapes, and tossed it with a dressing made with a combination of blue cheese, mayonnaise, and assorted herbs and spices...and, honestly, I don't think I've EVER achieved such perfection with a simple chicken salad in my life!!! YUMMMM...something tells me that I need to take notes whenever I prepare food, so that, whenever I achieve absolute perfection with something, I'll be able to duplicate it at some later point. Ah, well -- perhaps someday, I'll learn... Current Mood:  accomplished
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Well! I've had a product "adventure" of sorts...those of you who know me reasonably well are aware of the fact that I'm on lifelong anticoagulant therapy -- that, along with being fairly uncoordinated on top of it all, makes me an extremely poor candidate for hair removal via means of the traditional razor. With that in mind, and the fact that an electric razor doesn't tend to bring about such nice, smooth hair removal as does the traditional razor, I've chosen, over the past several years, to do my hair removal via waxing. And, since I'm not patient enough to get the shit done right the first time myself, I've been getting it done professionally every couple of weeks...however, as we've been spending more and more on home renovations, I've been motivated to save money wherever I can. With that in mind, I've recently been doing my own manicures (sorry, but I'm STILL having my pedicures professionally done once a month -- some indulgences I'm just NOT motivated to give up!), and, earlier this week, I spent almost 50 USD to purchase a so-called epilator: an electronic device which removes hair by the roots and which, supposedly can be used on legs, underarms, bikini line, etc. Well, today, after getting home with Yury, I decided to try the thing out while he was sleeping. The product label promises "virtually pain-free" hair removal, although I had a hard time believing THAT, when the hair is being removed by the freaking roots! Hell, even a decent wax job stings a wee bit!! And, since this fucking epilator DOES NOT remove hair nearly as quickly as a wax job does, you can trust me -- it IS painful!!! This evening, I did my underarms -- YOWWWCH!! Although the entire procedure was completed in less than five minutes, it WAS, in fact, five minutes of torture, having one's underarm hair yanked out by the freaking roots, piece by freaking piece...however, the results were excellent, so tomorrow, while I'm getting ready for work, I'll be getting started on my legs, as well. And, since the legs aren't NEARLY as sensitive as are the underarms, I figure I've been through the worst of it, so the leg job should be fairly easy by comparison. BUT -- the question is: do I REALLY want to save money badly enough to put myself through this every couple of weeks?? That remains to be seen... Current Mood: amused
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My oldest daughter, Megan, has FINALLY received some happy news! It's been almost a year since she received two bachelor's degrees from the University of Michigan, and she's been surviving on temp jobs ever since. But today, she received the news that she now has a permanent, full-time position in the International Relations department with Whirlpool, International, and she'll be starting on Monday. I'm so happy for her and so very, very proud of her! She's had a rough way to go of it, recently...except for the occasional temp job here and there, she's been surviving on what money she's been able to save, making do with the absolute minimum, and hasn't asked anyone for ANYTHING, although I know that things have been tight for her financially. Happily, things shouldn't be so tight for her anymore! While she doesn't know exactly how much she'll make, the starting salary for her position ranges from 21-30 USD per hour, depending upon education and job experience. While Megan fully expects to be making near the bottom of that range because of her limited employment experience in the field, even at the lowest rate, she'll be making about 43K per year, which is NOT a shabby income for a young woman living alone! It gives me some comfort (as I'm sure it does her, too!) to know that after all of these months living with the "bare necessities," she'll finally be able to surround herself with a few of the "creature comforts" that so many people take for granted. With the job market being as dismal as it is these days, believe me, Megan feels all the good luck of her new situation! I'm so very, very happy for her...and tomorrow, we'll be having a nice celebration in honor of the news! Again, I'm SO proud of her -- way to hang in there, Megan! I always knew that you'd do well for yourself... Current Mood: happy and proud
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Yes, I DID miss the Academy Awards last night, as I was still recovering from my weekend Shifts from Hell, and perhaps, it's a good thing that I did. Classic movie lover that I am, I still remember the days, way back when, when movie stars were not only talented, but GLAMOROUS, too! Not so with the bunch in this generation of so-called "movie stars." I couldn't believe, when seeing pics and reading some of the "best dressed" lists this morning, that the tattooed incubator, Angelina Jolie, was given an "A+" for her red-carpet look! An A+, for wearing a strapless gown which showed ALL of her nasty, cheap-looking tats (honestly, they look very similar to those homemade "jailhouse" tattoos seen on so many of my down-and-out patients!), and emerald earrings which looked as though they came from a freaking gumball machine or Cracker Jack box! THIS is Hollywood's definition of glamor??!!?? Quite honestly, I thought that she looked very much like the skanky, white-trash homewrecking ho' which she has shown herself to be, and FAR from glamorous! Yes, I admit that she has a reasonably pretty face and a killer bod, but she COULD have worn something with sleeves to have made herself a bit more presentable! Honestly, of all the actresses gracing the red carpet this year, only THREE of them, in my opinion, showed that they had any concept whatsoever of class, elegance and glamor. Kate Winslet was SO classy in her one-shoulder Yves St. Laurent gown, her jewels, and her elegant hairdo; Meryl Streep was elegant, as always, in her off-the shoulder grey chiffon gown; and Penelope Cruz stole the fashion show, in my opinion, in her white vintage Balmain frock. These three ladies, in my opinion, brought back SOMETHING of the glamor of old Hollywood. It's so sad that so many other beautiful women chose the trashy look for their red-carpet moment. While Miley Cyrus certainly didn't choose the "trashy" look, whoever chooses her wardrobe for her ought to be shot -- she's far too pretty to be wearing such an overly layered mess of a dress! Anyway, you can probably take my opinions and throw them wherever you think they belong (in the trash, probably). I mean, who am I, an overweight nurse who dresses mainly in scrubs or in Joe Boxer pajamas, to be talking about glamor, right?? Still, I DO miss those old days when well-dressed, elegant, glamorous movie stars were the rule rather than the exception...*sigh* Current Mood: bitchy
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