Urgent Care?

So, the lesson I learned last night on my late night trip to Urgent Care is that you should not go alone. Or, you should just self diagnose yourself and go to Walgreen's and get Benadryl and allergy meds before you waste over three hours.

Another good idea, bring a book when you go the ER or Urgent Care...although, with my luck, there wouldn't be any wait if I did that.

Last night I got to Urgent Care and there were some obnoxious teenagers in the parking lot whistling at me and yelling something about my car. It couldn't have been anything good because I drive a 1996 Chevy Cavalier that is dinged up but loved. I shrugged it off and continued on.

The hospital security guy asked me how my night was going. Obviously if I'm going to Urgent Care it isn't the greatest, right? I guess it was nice that he asked though.

The worst part is yet to come though.

The lady at the check-in desk made me wear a mask to cover my nose and mouth since I have "flu-like symptoms." So, I looked like a fool in the waiting room itching away at my legs and coughing up a lung but it gets better. There was a woman and her little girl there waiting to be seen too. The little girl appeared to be healthy but the mother was not. She threw up into the basin thing she was holding which also set my gag reflex off and I threw up too. So I was the freak in the mask, scratching away at my legs and throwing up into trash bins.

I waited forever, too! Urgent Care sucks and they don't make it seem so urgent either. If it's going to take longer than an hour they should come up with a new name for Urgent Care...just saying.

Next time I am going right to Walgreen's and getting ibuprofen and Benadryl..and bringing a friend to protect me.

Shout Out!

Lesson of the day: advice from someone who was recently in your shoes is so helpful and gives you some piece of mind.

Sibby Tibby Aibby Cibby Yibby, you rock! (I think I got that right, right?)

I've written off Eat Pray Love as a silly-old-lady movie but I may have to see it now since someone shared a great quote from that movie.

It's nice to hear from someone who kind of knows what you're going through and has already been through it. My biggest fear about getting a job is not being qualified for a position but I guess it's not up to me to be the judge of that. Thinking about it now, a lot of jobs have training - your degree isn't going to fully prepare you for any job.

TEASER revision.

Marissa walked to the end of the dock and stuck one of her big toes into the water to test the temperature. After a few moments of debating if it would be warm enough, or cool enough she walked back to the beginning of the dock and took her t-shirt and shorts off. She slowly inhaled and exhaled while counting backwards from three.

Three.

The hair on the back of her neck was starting to stand on end, her nostrils were flaring and her knees started to shake.

Two.

Marissa bent her left knee forward a little, like a runner preparing for a sound off whistle. She looked at the end of the dock and out to the lake and she brought her chin down to chest.

One.

Marissa looked back up and then bolted down the dock and pushed her body off into the water.

Splash!

Marissa swam downward to the bottom of the lake until it felt like the water was crushing her body.

Just wait, be patient, she thought.

Marissa’s toes grew together like duck feet and her fingers webbed together.

"You're an Adult"

So, pull yourself together. You shouldn't be up all night crying. You shouldn't be so afraid to be alone at home. You should grow up. You should figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.

FALSE.

I've been told all of the above and don't believe it.

The list can go on and on and on but it doesn't have to. It's okay to be scared when you're an adult. Adults can cry, you don't lose your tear ducts when you're an adult. You just can't cry like children do, uncontrollably or in public about not getting candy or something of the like. It's okay to not know what you are going to do this time next year - it might make you uneasy but it is okay.

I've been alone just about every other night for the last few weeks and this past week has gotten pretty interesting. Our neighbors seem to be showing their true colors and things are getting a little scary after dark...and wee early hours of the morning. So, it is okay for a 21-year-old adult female to be a little anxious about being home alone, even a little scared.

The one that really gets me though is that I am "supposed to know" what I want to do with the rest of my life and truth is, I hardly know what I am going to do in the next six months let alone the rest of my life. I mean, I know I will still be in school but I really don't know what I am going to do after graduating from college but I am excited to find out...and a little freaked out about what I'm going to do to support myself. You know, like a job.

Is having a "big kid" job really a identifier of a successful person? I hope not because I don't know when I will have one. I'll probably take the first one I am offered though and I'm not saying that I'm not going to try either. I just have lots of ideas about what I want to do. I'd like to get into publishing for a while but I'd also like to do a little bit of teaching. I might like to do editing and writing or maybe even get into producing. Or, another crazy thought, go back to school for a new degree. All big ideas that I'm not sure about yet. I have the rest of my life to find a job that I love, or at least like enough to go to everyday.

Now that I am embarking on my senior year of college, all of this is becoming more real to me. "Growing up," find a job, graduating....not in that order though, I guess.

TEASER!

Marissa walked to the end of the dock and stuck one of her big toes into the water to test the temperature. After a few moments of debating if it would be warm enough, or cool enough she walked back to the beginning of the dock and took her t-shirt and shorts off. She slowly inhaled and exhaled while counting backwards from three.

Three, two, one.

Marissa bolted down the dock and pushed her body off into the water.

Splash!

Marissa swa
m downward to the bottom of the lake until it felt like the water was crushing her body.

Just wait, be patient, she thought.

Marissa’s toes grew together like duck feet and her fingers webbed together.

I've been stumbling through websites and other blogs dedicated to directing English majors in the right, well, some, direction after they graduate. One of the websites I visited today laid out some skills and abilities that I should leave college with. Or, should be able to leave with if I participated well enough throughout college.

Ability to organize thoughts, ideas and materials.

Ability to analyze texts and interpret their meaning.

Ability to argue positions effectively.

Ability to analyze the written word.

Ability to write in an articulate manner.

Ability to research and explain the results.

Working knowledge of grammar and vocabulary.

Ability to be a creative thinker.

Ability to critically observe the world around them.

Ability to effectively communicate by listening to and questioning data.

I'm going to challenge myself to prove each and everyone of these. 


What Ten Things Can You Do With an English Degree?

Slow Day at Work.

It's another slow day at work so I have plenty of time to peruse CNN and Time online. I've decided to share some interesting articles with you...yay!

From omnivore to vegan: The dietary education of Bill Clinton
Who knew Bill Clinton was a vegan?

Would You Pay to Use Your Debit Card?
I'm going to say no but I probably can't really fight it if I have to end up paying for it.

Threat to David Letterman on Muslim Forum
Hey Dave, you might want to sleep with one eye open for a while. I like watching your show!

Remember the 1990s?
I certainly do and I'm glad they are coming back!

Watching Television Reduces Your Lifespan Greatly.
Does sitting in front of your computer count?

Rollerblading.

Lesson of the day: wear long socks when rollerblading. I have the cuts and blisters to back this advice up.

I went on a four mile rollerblading adventure today and it was awesome. Very tiring, but awesome. Considering I am sick I did very well. I would love to be able to do it more often but I am usually just too tired to do anything after I get home from work.

I got to spend some wonderful time with a wonderful work friend! Yay!

What a good night, yay! My roommate is coming home tonight too!

How Am I Supposed to Breathe?

Lesson of the day: you can't breathe very well if your nose is constantly plugged with snot AND you try to drink enough liquids.

I have had a severe thirst for water today, well anything to drink really, but I tried to drink a lot of water today. I got sick over the weekend and now I am quite miserable, well physically but not emotionally. I didn't get enough sleep last night because I kept waking up to blow my nose and drink something to calm my throat down.

The worst part is that today at work I had to work in the cooler, which probably didn't help my recovery at all. I had to work in the cooler because another girl at work, who we will call Jan, is also sick. She looked pretty perky today and barely sniffled. I, on the other hand, had tissues flying out of my pocket to catch booger and drank plenty of water to keep my coughing to a minimum. I hate to complain about it but it just drives me nuts. I mean, we could have both done half of it each. What's done is done though. I just want to get better and be able to breathe when I drink water.

That's enough of that though....on to something else.

If my roommate isn't home, my friends are busy or I don't feel good, I usually entertain myself with YouTube videos, Netflix and Facebook. Today as I was perusing YouTube I stumbled across one of thee most adorable proposal videos ever. The video itself is actually edited pretty well too. All around, just a good vid.



Also, I thought about going for a walk this evening but the weather started to get pretty nasty after I ate dinner. Have you ever heard of a Special Marine Warning? Well, apparently, I experienced my first one today (at least to my knowledge). It seemed a little windier than most normal thunderstorms and it seemed a little eerier than normal too. To say the least, I lost my motivation for a walk even after it stopped raining/storming.

All of a sudden...

...I am really excited for the next nine months to be over with. I just want to graduate and move on with things like, for instance, a "big kid" job.


Hmmm, can someone hurry up and please invent time travel that works?

Don't Judge a Town By It's....

Lesson of the day(weekend): don't judge a town before you've been there for more than a few hours. More importantly, each city in Wisconsin is different. 

I visited my boyfriend in Marshfield over this past weekend and it wasn't too bad. Marshfield may not be the most exciting town but it isn't any less boring than my hometown and it has a free zoo, some public pools and a Target! All wins if you ask me. 

I never thought I would say that I would be alright with living in Wisconsin. I'm have Minnesotan blood and I always thought that meant I would explode if I stayed in Wisconsin too long. I was there for four days and nothing awful happened. Well, I caught a cold but I don't necessarily think that is Wisconsin's fault. The boyfriend's air conditioner works way too well and can keep the apartment super chilly so now I am cursed with sore throat, stuffed nose and double ear infection...sounds great, doesn't it? 

I did have a fun time just chilling with Boyfriend in Marshfield. We went out on Friday night with some of his co-workers to Crabby Dave's for some food and then to the Swamp for the Swamp Monster Challenge. The Swamp Monster Challenge is a 64 ounce fish bowl with ten shots of liquor and I am proud to say that wrestled the Swamp Monster and won. I have the t-shirt to prove it. 

We also spent a lot of time doing nothing on Saturday. We were in bed almost all day except for the two times we left the apartment. Once to get Jesse's car and some ibuprofen and then again for the World Buffet. Mmm, all-you-can-eat Chinese food! 

It was a pretty darn good weekend. I couldn't really have asked for a much better weekend.

Ten Reasons!

So, today was good and let me tell you why.

1. I got paid at midnight! Woohoo!
2. I got to fill up my gas tank today.
3. I bought toothpaste and body wash. (So there is this trend...where all the good things are related to the first thing).
4. I went out to dinner with two good friends at Old Chicago.
5. I got a shake at DQ and it was riDQlous.
6. I got a new pair of shorts that look awesome but I am experiencing buyer's remorse...so maybe it isn't sooo good.
7. In less than 24 hours I get to see my boyfriend.
8. I got a nice hot latte this morning.
9. ZUNE PASS AGAIN!
10. The sun was out and the humidity was low.

Broke? Not for much longer!

So, today is my last day of being broke. Well, I get paid tomorrow but I could still be broke after that...it's not the last day ever that I will be broke but it'll be a good day to get paid. 

Heavy Lifting.

Lesson of the week: lots of books in a box can be heavy. One book isn't so bad, unless it is an accounting book but  eight or more in a box can be super heavy.

This past week I worked a full 40 hours lifting, unloading and re-packaging textbooks. So, it was like 40 hours of exercise in one week which may sound nice but I am/was so sore and tired. I got a chance to sleep in today which I didn't really take advantage. At least I woke up on my own and not to an alarm. I definitely deserve a massage after a week like that.

I got plenty of scratches, nicks and bruises to show for my hard work. I also ruined one of my t-shirts. Who know that people walked on pallets of boxes with dirty shoes?

Next week I am going to have a much easier work schedule. I work food a few days and have a register shift. Yay!

So, today, we are going to the beach to relax and then out to the Grandma's Sports Garden to party!

ciao!

I Love My DSi.

Lately I have been really close with my Nintendo DSi because it is a free activity and I am very, very broke. I love my DSi for that very reason. I have four games but they are great, entertaining games. I have Drawn to Life, Final Fantasy III, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Animal Crossing!

The "game" that I really want is 100 Classic Books. It has 100 classic books that you can read right from your DSi, or whatever Nintendo DS handheld that you have and you can buy it for as cheap as sixteen dollars! It's crazy! Some authors included are Dickens, Shakespeare, Austen and Stevenson....and that is only a few!

The DS also has a camera...that I love to dork around with and take pics. Some of the latest pics off of my DS to follow.

I would consider my DS to be near the top of my favorite/most beloved items that I possess. It was a very thoughtful anniversary gift from my boyfriend. :)

My brother and me hanging out at the Basilica Block Party.

Some more dorking around at the BBP.

Harry Potter and a root beer float.

Michael Franti at the Basilica Block Party..a little washed out.

My cousin hanging out at home. 

At one of my brother's soccer games that I was able to attend. He is number 17.

Cure your ravings...on mine and Kelsey's adventure on the lake walk.