Bowled Away

I'm in Asheville with my Wesley. I have seen three waterfalls, created a Mii on a friend's so-very-addictive Wii and gone bowling.

With most sports, I accept the fact that my short, scrawny stature limits me from becoming an All-Star. For some reason, I have delusions of grandeur that I will be able to chunk a twelve pound ball down a long alley with the force of a heavy-weight punch and the directional prowess of a Formula One driver in order to knock down ten measly little pins.

Even if I have thrown the ball directly into the gutter six times, broken one thumbnail and convinced my friends that I am going to throw my wrist out of socket- I am SURE that THIS TIME I am going to get a strike. Can't you just see it? Pitiful.

Good thing I had some tasty Yuenglang to convince me that yes, I DO have a chance of making a 73 point come-back on the last frame.

I hope everyone has a blissfully happy New Year and fantastic trans-annual kisses.

Bounce

While searching for ways to get cat piss out of a mattress (I don't want to talk about it), I found this little gem about the many uses of Bounce. I think No. 17 could be especially useful for a certian stubborn man who refuses to get an epi-pen.

1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
2. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get
opened too often.
3. Repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season
4. Eliminates static electricity from the television screen. Since
Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe the television screen with a used Bounce sheet to keep dust from resettling.
5. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
6. Freshen air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer
or hang in the closet.
7. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of
Bounce before sewing.
8. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside
empty luggage before storing.
9. Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front
seat.
10. Clean baked on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill
with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent
apparently weakens the bond between the food.
11. Elimate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom
of the wastebasket.
12. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce, will
automatically attract all the loose hairs.
13. Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with
a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
14 .Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sandpaper-ing. A used sheet of
Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
15. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place individual sheet of Bounce
at the bottom of the laundry bag, or hamper.
16. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes
overnight.
17. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

From The Frugal Life.

Scrooge comes around...

For all of my bitching and moaning about Christmas, I've had a fantastic time buying and wrapping gifts and getting ready for The Big Day(s). Everything seems to be falling so nicely into place.
Wesley and I will get to celebrate together on Saturday. Sunday I will be with my mom's family (no more trying to mix families after the Thanksgiving mess).
Monday I will get to spend all day with my dad's family. I'm really excited about their presents. They are each getting a photo frame/album with pictures from my grandmother's house. The photos are from all the way back in the teens to present day. It took my hours to shuffle through the box of pictures and I enjoyed every minute of it- even listened to Christmas music while I did it!
Then on Tuesday I will go over to my step-dad's parent's house for a seafood lunch and more gift-giving.
After that, I am home until Thursday when I drive up to Asheville for New Year's.
I think I could get used to this 'holiday' thing! Here's hoping that there aren't any avalanches.

The Letter Game

Here's how to play: Comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. After, post this in your blog, and give out some letters of your own.

Mad Cabbie gave me the letter 'W,' so that I would be sure to have at least one easy answer. So here it goes:

1. Wesley DB- Through thick and thin, we've only ever grown stronger. I can't imagine what life would be like without him.

2. Wedding fantasies- Like a true southern belle, I have been planning and re-planning my wedding since elementary school. It's almost a game I play. The fact that I might actually get married sometime in the not-so-far-off future is still a little surreal.

3. White Stripes- They are my dirty little secret. I just love this band. I like to listen to them while I clean house.

4. Wine- I once only drank whites because reds made me sick, but the new, lighter reds are quite enjoyable.

5. Writing- I've been keeping a journal since I was ten or eleven. I was once a journalism major (if you can believe that).

6. Water- ha ha. Just kidding. I hate swimming.

7. Wrapping presents- As much as I hate Xmas, wrapping the presents is a very zen thing for me.

8. Waffles and peanut butter- Oh. My. God. Good.


9. Working- If my schedule isn't busy enough, I sink into a deep funk quicker than you can say 'Boo!' But on the other hand, if I'm tired, there is nothing you can do but let me sleep. I'm useless.

10. Walking- I could never have a desk job; it's one of the many reasons I switched to nursing. I have to be on my feet or I get fidgety and start feeling trapped.

So there you have it! Eryn in a nutshell. Anyone else want to play?

Hee Hee

I think that in the future, this is what the text books will look like when the ADD kids get their own classes.

Bah Humbug!

Bah Humbug. I hate this time of year. Christmas season is like taking a gondola to the top of a beautiful mountain only to find that there has been an avalanche while you were on your way up.

This week has been crap. On top of the usual suspects- work, school, finances, dental matters- I found out yesterday that I have a cyst on my ovary that is 2" in diameter. If it doesn't shrink with six weeks of birth control pills (and you all know how I feel about those), I will most likely have to have surgery. Because, you know, I've got plenty of time to lay around the house while I recover.

Then today, after a stressful meeting with my mom, dad, and the orthodontist (who is just out to get their money, of course ::rolls eyes::), my friend Laura called me from Virginia to back out of our plans that we made almost two months ago for New Year's Eve.

Christmas is always stressful anyways. Trying to find time for everyone in the family who wants to play host, all in a two-day window; worrying about giving and receiving gifts (both of which I loathe), and pretending to get along with people that I just happen to share a blood type with is enough stress on it's own.

I do have things to be thankful for, and I'm trying to be as positive as I can. For instance, if I make it through Christmas, I get to spend a week in a beautiful mountain town with the one I love the most. And atleast I have insurance, right? And a place to live too. And grandparents, and aunts and uncles who care about me. I'm safe, warm, and semi-healthy. I know it's more than any one person deserves. So maybe I should just stop griping.

Mental Floss

My little list of health facts was pretty lame, I must admit. Every since I picked up this job and started this new semester, I haven't had much enthusiasm for writting the blog.
So in a pitiful effort for redemption, I have found an article to share on WebMd that gives 13 Habits for a Healthier Life. Did you know that flossing can add over 6 years to your life??

Random Health Facts

I've been in the nursing program for four and a half months now and I don't thing I've made one single post about the things I've learned; which was my intention when I created nursewholvdme. So, without further ado I present:

Cool Facts I've Learned in Nursing School

• Ibuprofen is a very good anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic (fever-reducer). It works by blocking prostaglandins and is a great prophylactic treatment of menstrual cramps.
• Tylenol has no anti-inflammatory powers and is relatively ineffective for relief of aches and pains for this reason. Arthritis strength Tylenol does nothing to relieve the cause of arthritic pain (inflammation).
• Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis are all auto-immune diseases where the body's own immune system attacks cells of Self.
• Eczema is simply a chronic allergy condition. Find out what the allergy is to (my brother's was nickel) and relieve the allergy.
• Zinc helps considerably with wound healing.
• Asparagus is one of the most nutritious vegetables common in American diet.
• Vitamins C and E are antioxidants.
• Natural Killer Cells (NKC's) are cancer-eating cells found in the human body.
• Cigarette smoke changes the cells in the respiratory tract so that they no longer have cilia hairs to push out phlegm. They become tough and misshapen, making them susceptible to cancer.
• The reason many alcoholics are overweight is due to edema because of chronic liver failure. In reality, most alcoholics are malnourished.

~

An Open Letter

(And no, this isn't about a man).

Weekend get-away

Wesley and I met in Atlanta this past weekend. I like to think of it as 'our holiday from the holidays.' I had a wonderful time. As close as Atlanta is (5-6 driving hours), I've only ever passed through and never visited.

We went to the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday. It is the world's largest aquarium and simply amazing. I reverted to child-like fascination from the moment we stepped inside. I loved the underwater tunnel where you could watch the whale-sharks and rays swim above you. The rays were graceful and mesmerizing to watch. The otters were the most playful of all the animals. I tried to get some pictures of them, but they moved too quickly and the glass between us was dirty.

After the aquarium, we went out to dinner with Wesley's brother, who lives in Atlanta, and his date. The tappas bar was another new experience for me. The food was great; I just hope I didn't take more than my fair share. I can be quite greedy for good food. At random intervals, 'performers' would come out and do their thing. There was a drag queen, two clothed strippers, a man and son spinning plates, and artists who would paint in stations around the room. The place was so hip it couldn't stand itself.

Intermezzo, on the other hand was a genuinely cool place. It was a coffee shop that served coffee, tea, coffee and liqueur, and a broad selection of amazing cakes. The atmosphere was very warm and elegant. I wish I could have taken a picture, but even if I could have I don't think it would have properly captured the feel.

Sunday morning we had breakfast delivered to the room. It was a very romantic little luxury. Wesley was doing sweet little things all weekend that made me feel quite pampered and taken care of. It had a very calming effect on me, as I could just relax in the comfort of knowing that I was loved.

That afternoon we went to Ikea. We had a lot of fun going through the furniture and decorations and picking out what we could see in the imaginary home we will one day share. It was a great catalyst for other conversations about how we see our life playing out in the future. I imagine it was a little challenging for Wesley to not try and change the subject at every turn, and I appreciate his willingness to discuss these things with me. I am beginning to see that maybe he really has turned over a new leaf, and I like it.

I was supposed to drive back home from Atlanta Sunday evening, but I was so sad at the thought of parting. I, instead, followed Wesley up to Asheville and stayed the night, to get up and drive early the next morning. I think it was a great decision. When I'm in Asheville with Wesley, it feels like home.

We went to a concert at some hip little club. The opening band Aberdeen City was incredible. The lead singer had a great voice, the drummer had boundless energy and great talent, and the sound was hard, but clean.

Then came Rasputina. The band is two ladies with cellos and a drummer. They have a unique sound, and bring quite a unique following. The goth kids came out in full force. The brave ones were loud and annoying, and the others would have made themselves smaller if they had the super powers they probably read about in fantasy novels. I guess when you live in a city that is pretty rebellious against The Establishment already, you have to work even harder to rebel against the people around you so that you can stand out and get some attention.

It was hard to come home, but I am so grateful that Wesley and I have been able to see each other as much as we have since he moved. All in all, I think I'm a pretty lucky girl.

*I should have pictures of the aquarium up in the gallery soon.