Cincinnati Flying Pig Half-Marathon

It's official...I am registered to run my first half-marathon -- the Cincinnati Flying Pig on May 3. And I'm 98% sure I've convinced my sister to do it with me!

All they want is for me to read them

On my bedside table, there is a mountain of books that want desperately to be read (or reread).

The stack has been growing gradually over the past few months because I've been too stubborn to admit that I don't have enough time or energy to read. And I fear I'll forget about them if I shelf them out of my sight. Now they've become a permanent fixture on my desk -- my alarm clock propped atop them...

Persepolis... The Great Gatsby... The Executioner's Song... East of Eden... The Post-Birthday World... The Brain that Changes Itself... Generation Kill... Case Histories...

Every morning when I hit the snooze button...they look at me longingly. It's so sad.

Don't Stop Believin'

I was transporting a patient to Pre-Op in the hospital today when I heard Journey's Don't Stop Believin' blasting from the speakers in OR #19.

That had me smiling to myself for the rest of the day.

T.I.'s Road to Redemption

I've recently started watching the new MTV show Road to Redemption featuring famous rapper T.I. The show is so named because, after being arrested on serious criminal charges in 2007, T.I. was sentenced to complete 1,000 hours of community service in one year (and spend a year in jail)...or serve up to 30 years in jail.

His initiative on the show is so impressive -- his jail time begins next month so he decides that, on his "road to redemption," he will try to intervene in the lives of seven troubled young adults. He is trying to help them turn their lives around by learning from his mistakes.

Here are two parts of the second episode, featuring 15-year-old Trey...
(These are the links because the videos wouldn't embed correctly)

Two Options

Never Thought

My first trip to Texas

Adam bought a plane ticket for me to come visit San Antonio! It's only going to be a short weekend trip--I'll arrive Friday March 20 and leave Monday March 23. But I'm still excited to see him and to get out of Ohio!

The Whitest Kids U Know

I saw these guys, The Whitest Kids U Know, perform live tonight. Pretty effing hilarious.

Congratulations on Yale, Sarah

Yesterday, my big sister got her acceptance letter to Yale's Graduate School for Nursing! She must now choose between Ohio State (with scholarship and fellowship included), Columbia College and Yale University. No pressure.

Regardless of her ultimate choice, I am so incredibly proud of her. I shit you not, my sister has been working her ass off since middle school. She deserves this more than anyone I know. And she is going to make an amazing Nurse Practitioner.

Although...if she chooses to attend Yale, it'll be the farthest apart we've ever been. It feels like my freshman year of high school all over again--we get to spend one year together and then she's off. The eleven hours of separation (as opposed to the two blocks separating us now) scares me a little bit...but I want her to go where she will be the happiest.

When did my sister become a grown up? When did I stop calling her "my sissy" and "Sar Bear"? And, if she's an adult now, how close behind am I?

The week has hardly even started...

And it already sucks.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spending the holiday with some of my favorites...



Roomie



Je m'appelle Dave. C'est magnifique!



DFF (Diabetic Friend Forever) and Roomie

"A lack of education is equally as dangerous as a lack of insulin"

It's a long ways off...but I have officially decided to apply to volunteer with AYUDA (American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad) in the summer of 2010. I've mentioned the organization before--their mission is to educate and help diabetic children in developing Latin American countries.

This summer, I'm going to start fund raising. I'll need to tackle an overwhelming fee of $4,500. Additionally, since my Spanish-speaking skills are absolute garbage, I'm looking into some non-credit classes during next school year.

I'm really really excited to get started. I'll keep everyone updated!

Update:

I Googled "Beauty and the Beast" with "Columbus, Ohio" and, to my surprise and delight, discovered that the Broadway show is coming to the Palace Theatre in March! It took my roommate Kelly and I only about ten minutes to debate, decide and ultimately purchase the tickets.

As Kelly puts it, "we're spontaneous goofs...it's part of our charm."

A Blast to the Past: Beauty and the Beast

I am currently watching Beauty and the Beast in ten parts on YouTube. It is amazing.

Find out what you are or what you aren't

I'm applying for a job with the Resident Home Corporation (RHC) which is an organization that provides living, educational and other support services to people with developmental disabilities in my county. I highly doubt they will want to hire a seasonal employee...but I'm going to send in my resume anyways. Just to see what happens. (By the way, I wrote my first cover letter...it was pretty intimidating.)

As I continue my exhausting search for a summer job, I become more and more opposed to the idea of working a worthless job. Not to knock any occupation out there...but I would much rather do something that's meaningful to what I want to do in the future. Or, on the more negative but still practical flip side, I would rather find out now if I am unable to handle the challenges of helping people and of nursing.

I want to know whether or not I'm strong enough for this.

"Woman Has Failed Driver's Test 771 Times"

In my Rural Sociology class this week, we learned about committing the ecological fallacy - when we generalize, or essentially stereotype, a whole group of people or an entire society based on the attitudes/behaviors of one or few persons.

And when I returned from class today, where I am learning to oppose these common stereotypes, I spotted the above news headline...

A woman. Who is Asian (from Seoul). And she can't drive.

You go, girl. Way to perpetuate the Asian-women-suck-at-driving stereotype! Wow, 771 times? It's a bit harder to dispute this stereotype now after reading the story.

Sorry, women. Really sorry, Asian women.

I need to get a passport

Today, in my cold winter gloominess, I came across this website which lists the 100 Most Beautiful Places in the World. Allegedly. I wouldn't know because I've never even left the United States.

Although I have been to three out of the 100--Yellowstone (#42), Sequoia National Park (#82), and The Golden Gate Bridge/San Francisco Bay (#97)!

Lately, it has become a habit of mine to search for pictures of random beautiful places - places I would much rather be in February than Ohio (and, usually, I'll send my favorite pictures to the boyfriend, just in case he should ever win the lottery!)

So, according to this list, the top ten most beautiful places in the world are:

1) Machu Picchu in Peru



2) Iguazu Waterfalls in Brazil/Argentina



3) The Taj Mahal in India (which is my #1)

4) Pyramids in Egypt



5) Grand Canyon



6) Serengeti park in Tanzania



7) The Nabatean city of Petra in Jordania



8) Great Wall of China

9) Victoria Waterfalls in Zimbabwe/Zambia



10) Great Barrier Coral Reef in Australia



And, coming in at #13 is Niagra Falls...which I really want to visit during my summer break this year.

Tic Tac Orchestra

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

This guy made instruments using Tic Tacs. Yeah, the little candies.

I love that advertisers are having to get more and more creative with their advertisements/commercials in this age of DVR.