Day Fourteen

Day 14: A picture of yourself from last year and how have you changed?



Here I am with my friend, Amanda. This was taken almost exactly a year ago.

This is a great picture for a couple of reasons. First of all, this girl and I have become quite good friends over the past year. I think the night this picture was taken was the first time we hung out outside of work. It's kind of fitting because I went to this party after my best friend, Alli's, going away party before she went to Chicago. While Amanda certainly hasn't replaced Alli, it's strange to think that the night that I was saying goodbye to someone who is so dear to me, I was becoming friends with another girl who would also become someone very important to me.

Like I mentioned, I work with Amanda at the same Italian restaurant. When I started, she was a maitre d' and I was a host. Now, as people have come and go and gotten promoted or fired, Amanda is the head maitre d' and I'm her underling maitre d'. It was kind of nice when I was just a host because we worked a lot of the same shifts and got to know each other really well. We have a lot in common, and even though we usually work opposite shifts now, we try to make time in between our busy schedules to see each other out of work.

Most of the time, we just giggle as we make our way through a bottle of wine or bowl of guacamole. She also just got engaged a couple days ago, so I can't wait to talk wedding stuff with her over the next several months.

My friendship with Amanda is one of my favorite things that has happened this year.

It's been a strange year for me. This time a year ago I was really getting into nursing school. I was in Microbiology at this point and easily making good grades since I had already taken the science-y classes in college. I didn't know anything nurse-related. I still worked a lot, but I wasn't in school as much as I am now, and I wasn't in any clinicals yet so I had a lot of extra time.

This past year I spent a lot of time figuring out what I want. I got selfish and maybe hurt some people at times, but it needed to be done for me to know what was worth effort, and most importantly, who was worth the effort of holding on to.

I learned a lot about the kind of nurse I want to be, which is turning out to be the kind of nurse I will be. I'm going to be the nurse who holds your hand when I talk to you and you're too tired to say anything back. I'm going to be the nurse who strokes your head when you're in pain. I'm going to be the nurse who sponges your face when you're having fever dreams. I know this is who I will be, because I am already becoming her.

As gross and awful and sometimes heart-wrenching nursing is sometimes, I know this is what I was meant to do. At the end of the day, it's worth it when the patient's daughter tearfully thanks me for treating her unresponsive mother with respect and superb care. It's worth it when the discharged patient calls me a guardian angel. It's worth it when the nurse I'm following tells me she has never seen her patient look so good after I've taken care of her.

I'm more appreciative of what I have and who I have. I can see my future coming up quickly, with graduation only 2 months away. I feel like I have a better grasp of who I am now, and that isn't something I could have said last year.

Day Thirteen

Day 13: Goals

1. To finish nursing school in October.
2. To pass the NCLEX on the first try as soon as effing possible.
3. To find a nice apartment to live in by the middle of September.
4. To find a nursing job by New Years Day.
5. To quit my current maitre d' job by Valentine's Day.
6. To get a beagle puppy. Named Crouton. Preferably adopted from a shelter.
7. To keep my room clean enough to live in.
8. To lose at least 10 pounds by Halloween.
9. To run a few races within the next year.
10. To compromise more.

Day Twelve

Day 12: Something you can't leave home without


This is my iPhone 4. I'm obsessed with it. I held out on smart phones in general until the iPhone went to Verizon simply because I didn't want any smart phone except for this beautiful device. I guess you can say I didn't want anything that was second best. I have played with Droids, Blackberries, and iPhones, so I'm not picking a favorite without having tried the competitors. I'm very happy with my decision to wait it out for Verizon to make such an excellent decision to take on the iPhone 4.

I have everything I could ever want on this little guy. I can check into foursquare, make a restaurant reservation, check all of my bank accounts and credit cards, find the lowest gas prices around me, figure out the name of a song just by playing it, control iTunes on my computer from the other side of the room, find an apartment, check out my work schedule, log on to facebook or twitter, and even wake up to a gentle alarm at the time when I'm in shallow sleep. Did I mention those are all apps that I use? Of course on top of that I have the entire internet at my disposal.

There have been a very few times when I have left this little guy at home and had to turn around and come back, even when I was running late for work. I'm simply addicted, and I usually keep him in my hand, and not my purse.

...


I think I just creeped myself out when I started referring to my phone as "him." So I'm going to go ahead and stop typing before my addiction/obsession intensifies.

Day Eleven

Day 11: Favorite TV shows

In no particular order....


It may have been off the air for over a year now, but LOST is still one of my favorite TV shows of all time. A show that continued to dive deeper into plot lines by intertwining past, present, and future, I feel strongly that this show changed the course of science fiction television shows. I'm still mourning the end of such an unforgettable show.



While I've only been familiar with How I Met Your Mother for about 6 months, I've watched every episode at least once. I have my favorites, like Blitzgiving and the Slap Bet, but this show speaks to me on a young adult level that Friends did during it's time. Every character is different, and any young (or formerly young) person can identify with each character on some level. I love that the inside jokes made during the show keep coming back (Robin Sparkles, telepathic conversations, eating a sandwich) because it just makes me feel more involved in their lives. Is that creepy? Even if it is, I'm not ashamed. This show was recently renewed for at least 2 more seasons, and I can't wait to finally get a good hint on how Ted meets his future wife.



While I'm not the biggest fan of the juvenile plot lines, I love Glee for 2 main reasons. A) the singing and dancing scenes appeal to my love of musicals, and they are all quite talented; and B) those juvenile plot lines often send an excellent message that highschoolers probably needs to hear. Acceptance, teen pregnancy, gay tolerance, and anti-bullying are only some of the topics that Glee has covered. For that reason alone, I hope that this show stays around. And because I love listening to some of my favorite songs being sung by this talented group of people.


I have a very special place in my heart for True Blood. Jumping on the vampire bandwagon that started with Twilight, True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novel series about vampires exposing themselves as what they truly are, and trying to live in a mostly-human world. It has extremely weird moments in it, and season 2 almost turned me off to the whole series, but I love the way HBO pushes the envelope in most of their shows, and True Blood is far from an exception. As a damsel in distress, Sookie is always in some sort of trouble and relies on an abundance of "mythical" creatures such as vampires, werewolves, and fairies to save her. My favorite character, Lafayette, is a fabulous-looking sort-of drag queen who happens to be an enormous black man and has awesome one liners like "Bitches, you both is pretty." This show is on its fourth season and has been renewed for another, but there is talk that next season will be it's last. Sad. I hope it continues to stick around and merge the human world with one that we've only heard about in fairytales.

Day Ten

Day 10: Something you're afraid of


When I was little, I used to dream that this awful, horrible, terrifying finger would somehow make its way under the sheets that I was hiding so desperately under and torment me with it's deformities.

I'll go ahead and blame my parents for forcing me to watch E.T. several times as a child, thinking that one day I would grow out of my fear and see that E.T. is a "cute" movie about an adorable connection between a stupid kid who should have run away screaming, and a non-human being who can communicate with other aliens using common toys and a fork. What the hell?


There is nothing cute about this.

You see, E.T. started it all. But this led me to become afraid of anything that resembles a person, but isn't quite one, or any sort of deformed hand especially. I've manned up a little bit recently, but monkeys remind me a lot of E.T. (their HANDS!) so I generally stay far away from them. And I certainly don't think they're cute.

And now I'm going to have nightmares. Or throw up. Ugh.

Day Nine

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend




This is Alli.

She's my very best friend in the whole world. I have a lot of best friends, which might make me a friend whore because some people might think you can only have one best friend. I think I just have a lot of love for a lot of people. But anyway, if I had to choose one best friend, it would be Alli.

We went to the same middle school, but we weren't really friends until high school. I did, however, get tipsy at her Bat Mitzvah for the first time in my life. But our friendship truly began in high school. I had just rekindled a friendship with a girl who was also friends with Alli, so the three of us became inseparable. The three girls meshed with a group of guys who included Alli's then- and now-boyfriend Rob, his twin, my now-boyfriend John. So as you can see, Alli and I have always had similar tastes.

Our group shifted and we gained and lost members as time went on, especially when we went to college. Even though Alli and I went to colleges hours away from each other, we always made it a point to visit one another for birthdays and other fun excuses. She's lived in Chicago for a year and will be there for another year before moving closer to home. We don't talk every day, or even every week, and sometimes not for a month or more, but I never doubt that she thinks about me as often as I think about her.

This has been a tough year to be away from her for a multitude of reasons, and I can't wait to see her in a couple weeks. She's an honest, genuine person who has unconditional love and compassion for people in general.

I'm able to connect with her and discuss topics that I can't quite do with other people. We give each other excellent advice, and are truly honest with how we feel about certain situations. No games. No bullshit. It's refreshing to have such a genuine, pure, and unconditional friendship. Despite the distance, I'm lucky to have such a wonderful woman as my best friend.





NGO

Day Eight

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

This is La Rochelle, France.

If you have kept up with me since the beginning, you've seen the multitude of posts about my summer in France 2 years ago.

If not, I'll break it down for you.

This is by far the best experience I've ever had. I lived in a small beach town on the western coast of France and it changed my life. Living in a different country while speaking a different language with people who I've never met helped me to be more comfortable in my own skin. Adaptability is important in life, and I'm glad I had such a positive experience.

But here's some more information about why La Rochelle is awesome:
-It's famous for it's ports. There are three. The one pictured above is creatively named the "Old Port."
-There are 3 towers. The ones pictured above guarding the port are the Tour de St. Nicolas (Tower of Saint Nicolas) and the tour de la chaine (chain tower). The chain tower has a long chain that comes from it and attaches to the St. Nicolas tower to control ships coming in and out. A third tower (the steeple to the right) is the Tour de la lanterne (lantern tower), which is the only medieval lighthouse still standing.
-Most of the bars and restaurants are on the edge of the old port, about where the photographer is standing. I wonder where he/she grabbed lunch...
-There's a cool music festival every summer called the Francofolies. It attracts people from all over France and is similar to Bonnaroo. I didn't attend because it celebrates French artists only, which I wouldn't really appreciate. It also attracts some cool vendors, though, so I bought some cool souvenirs for friends there.
-There's a delicious ice cream parlor (glacerie) on the old port called "Ernest's." MAKE SURE YOU GO IF YOU ARE EVER THERE. I cannot stress this enough. This ice cream will fulfill your life.
-There's a bar called "Piano Bar." It's not what you think it is. In fact, it's the sweatiest and busiest discotheque you can imagine. If you meet a French guy who looks like a short version of Josh Duhamel and his name is Guillaume, befriend him. He can get you in for free.
-There's a bar called the Phare Cafe. You will meet lifelong friends here.

-A demi-caramel is when they put caramel flavoring in beer. As someone who really despises beer, this was truly wonderful. You can also try other flavors. I recommend strawberry and lemon also. Also, vodka caramel will get you in trouble. But I recommend taking shots of it with friends while saying "Santé!" This is basically like the french "Cheers!" but it literally translates to "health."

So if you ever end up in La Rochelle, hopefully this will give you a good start to an unforgettable trip. I can't wait to go back.