A lot of people tell me that I have too many clothes. But the problem is, whenever I get rid of a bunch, I buy a bunch more. And of course there are always those clothes you NEVER get rid of....I kept a Star Wars night shirt from my grandfather (I suspect it's from when the movies FIRST came out.) until it quite literally disintegrated in the wash. I have a T-shirt from 9th grade Cross Country (2004) that's started to get thin and I now have it tacked to my wall...
But I have some very good reasons for having so many clothes. Actually, I didn't even bring all of mine down to Monmouth with me. I only brought about half of my night shirts, for instance.
1. I have a terrible habit of forgetting to do laundry. So it's good that I only have to do it every month or two. Because that's usually when I finally remember to do it. The last time I did it was Spring Break a whole week or so before Easter. I only did it a couple of times before that since Christmas.
2. I have an even better habit of wearing the same clothes over and over. If I had only 10 sets of clothes (like Miki) they'd get even smellier than they already do. I think my friends should be thanking me for doing my laundry so rarely.
So even though I didn't have too terribly much motivation today....I decided to do laundry.
Well, I did get a few things done. Went to Bi-Mart to buy some things to spruce up the patio. A paint scraper to get the tatters of newspaper off the fence. And magazines. I have no idea why one would want to paste those to a wooden fence...And I spose I'll never know considering the rain has gotten rid of most of it. And a stiff brush for cleaning the cement. And getting rid of the moss. And a moss killer that's patio friendly (apparently some types stain pavement) and with any luck it'll rain tonight to speed it up because I applied it this afternoon....Got two boxes of kleenexes on sale for 2 for 3 dollars. I felt like a million bucks for that one. Body wash because I've been nicking Miki's shampoo for that....Pens and Pencils because mine have been all mysteriously disappearing....apparently mechanical pencils and Bic pens seem to be very popular nowadays with Gremlins, and a bird feeder for the ten pounds of bird seed I got from home a month ago.
About time, Monica.
So I couldn't do much with the patio after spreading the powder. I couldn't even pot up the plants I have left that I bought a new bag of potting soil for today because the patio is covered in powder. So I decided to clean my room.
Needless to say this didn't happen.
But I DID get two boxes and a spare foam pad into the closet. Which reminds me: I should probably stop sleeping on top of two at a time. It makes me sink terribly and that must be ghastly for my back. And I got some clothes tossed into my laundry basket. Which I promptly ripped out when I decided I needed to sort through them to find out which ones I wanted to wash.
Yes, I decided to get picky about what clothes to wash. And no mom, I do not sort by colors neurotically anymore. I'm not that paranoid. But I did leave all my whites at home :D
Of course all this wasn't as easy as it seems. Between all of this I was bugging the heck out of Miki whilst she tried to do her drawing project (apparently I was looming), helping her with her wire project for her 3-d class project because I bought a pair of needle nose pliars/wire clippers at the hardware store cause I dreadfully needed them. And then had to fish out the bottle of foaming oxy-clean when a hysterical Miki found out that the wire had a black residue and she had left finger prints all up and down her white wall while trying to measure the wire....
Monica to the rescue, yeah?
And I have chew marks all over my feet from Marin. Thanks Kitten, I really appreciate it. And if I see Ryou prostrating herself and moaning one more time while Marin is trying to chew on her tail (Ryou's tail) I will throw something.
Oh, and Marin has discovered that it's great fun to climb up me if I stand still for 3+ seconds. Therefore I don't. And if I pick her up for any reason it takes approximately 3 minutes to detach her. For all she hates being picked up, she sure as hell doesn't wanna let go!
But I got the laundry sorted, my new nice girly clothes that have been lying on the floor for over a week hung up, and dirty socks tossed into a bucket and I was just about ready to go. Shoved some detergent into a to-go cup (gotta remember to tape the sippy hole one of these days.), shoved the box of Bounce whats-its into my hamper (which I forgot to use. Good things I wasn't washing fuzzy sweaters today...) and went pawing through my collection for a book I haven't read yet.
I settled for one that I haven't read in 4+ years. That works, yeah?
You know what I love?
Family. Family is awesome. I want to hug my family. For instance my mother saw fit to inform me that a Clif bar, leftover popcorn from the movie theater last night, and half of a solid chocolate rabbit was not breakfast.
But you know what's even better than being scolded by your family?
Gifts from your family.
I got to use a super cool one of those twice today :D
You know what it's called?
A TROLLEY.
Oh yes, it is super amazing. So when I bought 2 cubic feet of soil from Bi-Mart today and it weighed approximately 30 pounds more than it ought to have, I didn't have to carry it.
So I decided to be witty, and use this super cool gift for my laundry hamper. Of course my laundry hamper isn't THAT heavy, but I wasn't going to use the laundry machines in my complex.
Oh no. I've witnessed Mikiko doing musical machines often enough recently that I've given up the ghost on that trial. In fact, walking 5 blocks and paying an extra 75 cents per wash load was worth it. Especially since the driers are infinitely cheaper, actually dry your laundry, and hold like 2 or 3 loads.
All of which sound worth the walk.
So I packed everything onto my trolley, plugged in my headphones, snagged my socks, opened the door...
And the clock in the kitchen took a suicide dive.
Like, literally. It flew off the wall, crashed into the floor, and the battery landed aaaaall the way in the living room.
I'm just lucky the silly thing didn't break. But it was loud enough I heard it over my music, which was amazing.
Ryou thought this was the perfect chance to gt
...there is a spider on my lappy
I think it's building a web....Teaches me to sit in the dark while typing...*shudders*
So yeah, Ryou thought this was the perfect chance to dive out the front door, so I had to wrestle my laundry back out of the way and shut it on her nose.
And then she went to molesting my shoes. But they were shoes I was not wearing, so I left while she was distracted :D
I must've looked a sight waltzing down the street with a plastic bucket full of socks swinging in one hand, rocking out to my new almost page-boy cut, and dragging a squeaky trolley with a lime green fuzzy laundry hamper.
I had the sudden urge to call Miki, post her across the street and get her to take a candid shot of me walking along with my laundry...But I didn't.
Let's just say, though, that all the neighbor Mexican kids stared at me funny, and I walked around the main part of town so that no one would laugh. I looked pretty ridiculous, actually. And proud of it!
So I got down there, fed my quarters to the evil machines (3 loads. Not even half of my clothes though) and went to the pub for fish and chips.
Yum.
Took the leftovers back with me to start the dry cycle, and sat down to enjoy my book.
I love how all the Latinos were eying me like I would steal their laundry or something. Goodness Gracious!
I'd only do that if you left it there alone :D
So I finished up, and actually folded my laundry! *cheers* Now let's see how many weeks it will take me to get it out of the hamper and into the closet where it belongs.....>.<;;;
So I started rolling home. And since it was 9 p.m. I decided to screw it and walk on Main st. through town. There isn't anyone out there at that hour anyways besides Latinos in the laundromat and drunks or smokers (or both) at the pub. Although there is a nice new wine tasting place in town that actually seems to serve food....But I guess I'll never get a look see because minors aren't allowed.
On the way home I got stuck behind two Chinese guys. One was super cute and boyish with floppy hair hanging in his face. And the other was not so much with glasses and kinda jocky wearing flip flops and shorts. Man, it was warm earlier today, but tonight it's pretty cold! What are you thinking?! But I walked behind them and it was actually kinda cute to see them together. Because they weren't the two macho guys butting shoulders and fooling around. They were either the super comfortable with each other guy-friends, or boyfriends. Judging by how they rubbed shoulders, swayed together, walked in unison, and why the cuter one's hand kept brushing the pocket the jock had his hand in...
I just love how I was rolling along squeakily behind them. I'm surprised it didn't ruin the mood. But they did start to walk fast after about a half a block of me walking behind them :D
There's a guy I see around the neighborhood a lot. I thought he was homeless because he always wheres this stained old Red Sweatshirt, and smells really bad, and has more hair than Albus Dumbledore. I mostly see him at three in the morning when I'm coming home from the computer lab. He's either pacing the block, or just sitting on the sidewalk. Which usually freaks me out pretty bad.
I mean, what kind of person sits on the same corner night after night in the dark cold night, and doesn't even smoke or something?
To my surprise, I was keeping an eye out for him on his usual corner, looked up...And he was making coffee in an apartment above my head! I saw him this afternoon near the police station when I was walking with Miki and I pointed him out. And tonight I saw him cooking in the same place.
Holy cow, does he LIVE there? 0.o
What a thought. He has a dirty old rucksack that he hauls around, too. I mean, I don't have any problems with rucksacks, but the condition of the poor thing only cemented the thought in my head that he had no home.....Guess I was pretty wrong, huh?
Now before someone starts going on about how walking that late at night isn't safe for me, I'll go on. I live 3 blocks from the computer lab. Only part of it isn't lit. That part is a nice part, nice houses, trimmed lawns: never see the owners cause they are always up to good. Cept for the house with the scary dogs, but I never see them either so it doesn't matter. Also that street has a special home for you know, special people, the needy, and that has a pretty sharp eye kept on it. No, I don't live on the best street in the world (around the corner from PLC, the special place), nor do I live in the best complex. But luckily, my Mexican neighbor happens to like me. And late at night most of them don't hang out on the street corner (thank goodness) so there's no danger for me.
Sides, it'd be bad business for the drug dealer a few doors down from me if I got mugged by my very own neighbors. I mean, how would he get any money if I didn't have any? Not that I'm buying, of course.
But it's the principal of the thing. So I'm pretty certain that I'm good. Not that I'm positive he's a dealer, or what door is his...but it seems pretty obvious to me!
so I think that's it, a normal day in the life of the Monica.
Regards from Purgatory (blasted cats, they're playing chase all over the place! I hope they break their necks)
Monica
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Kittens, Cleaning, And Friends
WOO!
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system....
Most of you should know that I have a cat.
Her name is Ryou-Ohki and she's a total and utter pain in my ass. And yes: that is a fang she has there.
This is practically the only good photo I've gotten of her, actually. For some odd reason she posed in the sun for me for 15 good minutes, and I took a shit ton of photos of her whilst she did so. Yeah, she moved a little. But then she's stop and say "this is my good side, go for it".
She was oddly patient.
I tried it again the next day...and she did her normal "I wanna help you, mom!" and leapt all over the camera. So I gave up and called this a fluke.
Isn't she pretty?So I wanted a second cat ages ago...But I've done the whole sneak other cats into the basement thing before. And I always ended up finding them another home. With two kittens I took them in KNOWING they'd be going somewhere else (fyi I lived in my gramma's basement before WOU)
and thank goodness they did: They NEVER stopped crying. Even when they ate they cried. It sounded garbled, but they still did it. And they slept standing up.
They drove me nuts.So I decided to wait until I was stable, and had my own place etc.
It suddenly occurred to me, the other day, when I saw a listing for three kittens that I am finally stable.
Took me like, what, 4 months for that to get across?
So I immediately emailed about the kittens. No having to ask mum, no having to ask friends for advice: I wanted this. And I was gonna do it.
Well, I did talk to Miki. After I got the kitten photos (there were only 2 by then). I prolly shoulda been direct. Like..."I saw some free kittens. Can I get one?"
But instead I sidled up to it like this..."So...would you totally think I was crazy if I said I was thinking about a kitten?"
There are so many idioms in that sentence, it's not even funny. Poor Miki!
So it took a couple of tries, and then she just kinda eyed me and said in a tone of voice that brooked absolutely no arguments "You're getting the kitten."
Whoo! Um, you wanna see the photo first? 0.o
So that was cool. It took a bit to match up how to get to the lady's place and when but I gots a kitten!
So these are the photos I got by email from the lady. I REALLY wanted the black and white one, but she thought it was a boy, and when I finally made it to her house Monday afternoon I reached the same conclusion.
Shame.
Ryou has been in heat like clockwork every other week since Christmas. We've hit #6 I think. But I'd rather deal with a girl cat that will be going into heat too in another year or so, than a little boy. Sides: Ryou might beat a little boy up.
So I gots the stripey one. I named her Marin :D (Mar-een)
It's Japanese I think. Miki says it's a pretty stuffy and uncommon name. But for those who can't say it can call her Mari, or Maureen :)
She's driving me crazy, btw. She LOVES to sleep on me, around me. And when she's not sleeping, she's climbing all over me to eat my hair, play with my sweatshirt ties, claw up my pants, claw my face.
I sit down only so that I don't have to deal with her climbing up all 6 feet of me.
I'm going to go on a tangent here for a moment and link this article I just read from my hometown newspaper.
http://www.chinookobserver.com/main.asp?SectionID=11&SubSectionID=25&ArticleID=33681
I am not very happy, actually. This article makes me very upset. And I'll tell you why.
When I was 8, I decided that I had to have the flags that the local reality office put out for 4th of July. Every year they'd patrol the entire peninsula and put handheld flags (and when I was little they were nice sized. Now they are pocket) every 20-50 feet. And I mean this literally. The entire PENINSULA is coated with these things. I shudder to think how much this costs.
But, every year I would never get one because some enterprising individual would pluck them all from various streets and lawns before 12 even. The Realty people put them out at 5 a.m. give or take. This was a travesty to me.
So one year, I had my mum walk me to the corner so I could grab as many as possible, and I had some old men stop me. They were sitting on the corner in their lawn chairs (I lived out in the middle of nowhere, btw. On a highway, but still pretty rural. So this was odd.) enjoying the flags int he wind.
They stopped me and said "Hunny, I know you want to covet them, but leave them for other people to enjoy too, yeah? How bout you only take one or two?"
So I did, and went home feeling quite chastised. When I spotted a boy from down the road that I recognized carting 50 some odd of them on his bicycle I chased him down and tried to beat him up, so the lesson stuck.
And I stole flags from him to put back in the lawn of the Old Men.
So when I read about a family, enterprising no doubt, scouring the beach for every single cool float they can possibly find, I get extremely pissed off. I've lived there for 18 years, I don't have a float. My mum has lived there for upwards of 40, and she's found one. Out on the bay she and her boyfriend found one, and it's kind of small.
It's not fair at all that they did this. Yes, I know they were excited, but can't other people enjoy the beauty of these things too? I'm thinking about writing a letter to the editor...can you make those anonymous? 0.o
So back to the kitten: Ryou despises her.
Well, she did. They are getting along better. But I hear spitting and other varieties of unfriendly sounds quite often. Mostly they are from the kitten. It doesn't help that Ryou is definitely in heat right now, so she's not acting like herself at all. Won't play with me, won't snuggle, cries.
Yeah, I can't wait for it to be over.
So I cleaned my cupboard last night. For the first time since Christmas, actually. It looks rather...artistic in the photo. But the truth of it is I was having things leap out at me everytime I opened the door.
The top one is mine. Obviously. I've always thought it was kinda tacky to use the flimsy boxes like hot chocolate boxes for storage (and kleenex) and I much prefer REAL boxes or storage containers. But Miki's so neat and tidy and they really help so I can't complain.
Obviously she helped me with my shelf:
Is there a difference, Or what?
The biggest one is that I managed to shove all the candy canes into a box (the blue one with the flash highlighting it) so now when I rummage at 3 in the morning they don't dive bomb me as soon as I open the cupboard door....
So I got rid of some empty boxes from the cupboard. I.E. I tossed them on the floor.
Hey! What are YOU doing in there?
The kitten isn't really picky about what she plays with, actually.
Toes, Pants hems, buckles on backpacks, lace socks (Miki's), door jams, boxes, freezer bags, leashes, blankets, my skin....chairs, shelves, Ryou's tail (to her consternation), clothing on the floor, gnawing on the edges of text books...
Ryou's more...discerning. She has toys. And she plays with them either with me or without me (she even hauls them up and down the stairs) when she's not in heat. Her entire personality changes when she's all hormoned up. It's like someone on Amortentia who just can't control their actions...it's rather painful to watch, actually.
But the kitten? She doesn't give a damn. I actually hope that Marin keeps that characteristic. It'd be fun to have a cat that will actually play with janglies. Ryou only likes things to be tossed and chased after. Although she'd prolly half-heartedly bat at a feather type toy if I bought her one. Marin would go apeshit if I did! :D
I actually got a good photo out of the box fiasco last night, though:
Isn't she just so adorable? You have no idea how hard it was to get her to look up. And then she took off so that's the only photo I got.
Well, that's it for now!
Miki's doing all right, and NO, She is not pregnant. Although her tummy is bothering her again, we're taking it easy and watching the diet.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
P.S. A super cool friend sent me a bunch of chocolates and things for Easter and Mum wanted to see a photo of a particular set:
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system....
Most of you should know that I have a cat.
Her name is Ryou-Ohki and she's a total and utter pain in my ass. And yes: that is a fang she has there.This is practically the only good photo I've gotten of her, actually. For some odd reason she posed in the sun for me for 15 good minutes, and I took a shit ton of photos of her whilst she did so. Yeah, she moved a little. But then she's stop and say "this is my good side, go for it".
She was oddly patient.
I tried it again the next day...and she did her normal "I wanna help you, mom!" and leapt all over the camera. So I gave up and called this a fluke.
Isn't she pretty?So I wanted a second cat ages ago...But I've done the whole sneak other cats into the basement thing before. And I always ended up finding them another home. With two kittens I took them in KNOWING they'd be going somewhere else (fyi I lived in my gramma's basement before WOU)
and thank goodness they did: They NEVER stopped crying. Even when they ate they cried. It sounded garbled, but they still did it. And they slept standing up.
They drove me nuts.So I decided to wait until I was stable, and had my own place etc.
It suddenly occurred to me, the other day, when I saw a listing for three kittens that I am finally stable.
Took me like, what, 4 months for that to get across?
So I immediately emailed about the kittens. No having to ask mum, no having to ask friends for advice: I wanted this. And I was gonna do it.
Well, I did talk to Miki. After I got the kitten photos (there were only 2 by then). I prolly shoulda been direct. Like..."I saw some free kittens. Can I get one?"
But instead I sidled up to it like this..."So...would you totally think I was crazy if I said I was thinking about a kitten?"
There are so many idioms in that sentence, it's not even funny. Poor Miki!
So it took a couple of tries, and then she just kinda eyed me and said in a tone of voice that brooked absolutely no arguments "You're getting the kitten."
Whoo! Um, you wanna see the photo first? 0.o
So that was cool. It took a bit to match up how to get to the lady's place and when but I gots a kitten!
So these are the photos I got by email from the lady. I REALLY wanted the black and white one, but she thought it was a boy, and when I finally made it to her house Monday afternoon I reached the same conclusion.
Shame.
Ryou has been in heat like clockwork every other week since Christmas. We've hit #6 I think. But I'd rather deal with a girl cat that will be going into heat too in another year or so, than a little boy. Sides: Ryou might beat a little boy up.
So I gots the stripey one. I named her Marin :D (Mar-een)
It's Japanese I think. Miki says it's a pretty stuffy and uncommon name. But for those who can't say it can call her Mari, or Maureen :)
She's driving me crazy, btw. She LOVES to sleep on me, around me. And when she's not sleeping, she's climbing all over me to eat my hair, play with my sweatshirt ties, claw up my pants, claw my face.
I sit down only so that I don't have to deal with her climbing up all 6 feet of me.
I'm going to go on a tangent here for a moment and link this article I just read from my hometown newspaper.
http://www.chinookobserver.com/main.asp?SectionID=11&SubSectionID=25&ArticleID=33681
I am not very happy, actually. This article makes me very upset. And I'll tell you why.
When I was 8, I decided that I had to have the flags that the local reality office put out for 4th of July. Every year they'd patrol the entire peninsula and put handheld flags (and when I was little they were nice sized. Now they are pocket) every 20-50 feet. And I mean this literally. The entire PENINSULA is coated with these things. I shudder to think how much this costs.
But, every year I would never get one because some enterprising individual would pluck them all from various streets and lawns before 12 even. The Realty people put them out at 5 a.m. give or take. This was a travesty to me.
So one year, I had my mum walk me to the corner so I could grab as many as possible, and I had some old men stop me. They were sitting on the corner in their lawn chairs (I lived out in the middle of nowhere, btw. On a highway, but still pretty rural. So this was odd.) enjoying the flags int he wind.
They stopped me and said "Hunny, I know you want to covet them, but leave them for other people to enjoy too, yeah? How bout you only take one or two?"
So I did, and went home feeling quite chastised. When I spotted a boy from down the road that I recognized carting 50 some odd of them on his bicycle I chased him down and tried to beat him up, so the lesson stuck.
And I stole flags from him to put back in the lawn of the Old Men.
So when I read about a family, enterprising no doubt, scouring the beach for every single cool float they can possibly find, I get extremely pissed off. I've lived there for 18 years, I don't have a float. My mum has lived there for upwards of 40, and she's found one. Out on the bay she and her boyfriend found one, and it's kind of small.
It's not fair at all that they did this. Yes, I know they were excited, but can't other people enjoy the beauty of these things too? I'm thinking about writing a letter to the editor...can you make those anonymous? 0.o
So back to the kitten: Ryou despises her.
Well, she did. They are getting along better. But I hear spitting and other varieties of unfriendly sounds quite often. Mostly they are from the kitten. It doesn't help that Ryou is definitely in heat right now, so she's not acting like herself at all. Won't play with me, won't snuggle, cries.
Yeah, I can't wait for it to be over.
So I cleaned my cupboard last night. For the first time since Christmas, actually. It looks rather...artistic in the photo. But the truth of it is I was having things leap out at me everytime I opened the door.
The top one is mine. Obviously. I've always thought it was kinda tacky to use the flimsy boxes like hot chocolate boxes for storage (and kleenex) and I much prefer REAL boxes or storage containers. But Miki's so neat and tidy and they really help so I can't complain.
Obviously she helped me with my shelf:
Is there a difference, Or what?
The biggest one is that I managed to shove all the candy canes into a box (the blue one with the flash highlighting it) so now when I rummage at 3 in the morning they don't dive bomb me as soon as I open the cupboard door....
So I got rid of some empty boxes from the cupboard. I.E. I tossed them on the floor.
Hey! What are YOU doing in there?
The kitten isn't really picky about what she plays with, actually.
Toes, Pants hems, buckles on backpacks, lace socks (Miki's), door jams, boxes, freezer bags, leashes, blankets, my skin....chairs, shelves, Ryou's tail (to her consternation), clothing on the floor, gnawing on the edges of text books...
Ryou's more...discerning. She has toys. And she plays with them either with me or without me (she even hauls them up and down the stairs) when she's not in heat. Her entire personality changes when she's all hormoned up. It's like someone on Amortentia who just can't control their actions...it's rather painful to watch, actually.
But the kitten? She doesn't give a damn. I actually hope that Marin keeps that characteristic. It'd be fun to have a cat that will actually play with janglies. Ryou only likes things to be tossed and chased after. Although she'd prolly half-heartedly bat at a feather type toy if I bought her one. Marin would go apeshit if I did! :D
I actually got a good photo out of the box fiasco last night, though:
Isn't she just so adorable? You have no idea how hard it was to get her to look up. And then she took off so that's the only photo I got.
Well, that's it for now!
Miki's doing all right, and NO, She is not pregnant. Although her tummy is bothering her again, we're taking it easy and watching the diet.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
P.S. A super cool friend sent me a bunch of chocolates and things for Easter and Mum wanted to see a photo of a particular set:
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Not Quite What I Was Looking For...
So I was pretty darned excited yesterday. Or for yesterday, however you want to put it really. It was Friday! No classes! I had all of the ingredients I needed to make Lasagna for a Potluck that Miki and I were going to attend, someone else was running Anime club for me and I had it all planned how I was going to stop there on my way to the Potluck with some Anime I needed to return to my friends.
My sleeping in idea was a bust because I woke up around 9:45, but considering that's better than the 6 or 7 (I have no classes till 10 normally so that time is ridiculous) I wasn't going to grumble too much. I did want to take a shower right away, but when I realized that not only was Miki still in bed, she had a "please do not wake me I do not feel well" sign on her door, I gave that up as bust.
I could always take one in the afternoon, right?
So I'm sitting at my computer (hunched in the dark, more like) typing emails and reading, when Miki comes down the stairs.
Woohoo! It's 10:15 and I can take a shower now!
But I peer through the living room to the kitchen and see...nothing. I squint, and then realize I can see her white knuckled hand gripping the counter.
"Monica? Can I have some water?"
Who knew this would be the beginning of an adventure, yeah?
In 20 Minutes I went from innocently...reading...on the internet, too watching my roommate rolling on the floor moaning. I'm a stupid college student, yeah? I call the Health Center on campus. The receptionist that always makes my appointments with my counselor called me 5 kinds of idiot and told me to call 911.
So I did.
And man, those ladies really are annoyingly calm.
The one's on dispatch, I mean.
But my old, dusty, and underused skills from Girl Scouts came to play (seriously, we were taught how to call 911. Cause our leader was an EMT, I think)and I knew exactly what to say to the operator! Which was cool, but she probably didn't think it was, considering I was talking so fast that She had to ask me to repeat all sorts of stuff.
I know they record those things, I wonder if I could get a copy...:)
It was pretty cool though. You know that person they kick out of the patients room for panicking? Like...The expectant father who's hysterical the entire time? Yeah, I'm that person. I broke my cousin's arm several years ago (don't ask) and while I was screaming and crying and getting dizzy from hyperventilating, she was sitting in the car next to me calmly prodding her arm.
"Wow! My bone is sticking out!"
Which almost caused me to have a hernia.
So needless to say, I was shocked that I was just about keeping my cool. Well, I wasn't quite panicking, or hyperventilating, but I did have an amazing adrenaline rush.
The operator asked all sorts of fun questions, though. And I pretty much had to translate them all. I never realized before yesterday how many practical things Miki didn't recognize. It was surprising, actually. I loved the questions. They made me want to giggle.
Although that might've been the nervousness. I felt a little like she was going to reach a point where she said "You're just a hysterical girl and you committed a federal offense by calling 911 for no reason. We'll bill you later."
Also, the questions got a little tedious, and repetitive. I swear she asked some of the things over and over but in a different way. I would've refused to keep answering if I hadn't heard the ambulance coming down the road.
Isn't it cool? Apparently I live like 5 blocks from the Fire Station!
It was amazing hearing the sirens, actually. Because then I didn't have to keep watching Miki and wondering whether she was going to die and whether it was going to be my fault or not.
To sum up the day in an easy list!
1. I got to run out into the street barefoot and in boxers and tee shirt to flag down the ambulance because I forgot to tell dispatch what apartment we lived in. >.<
2. I got to chat with a very nice EMT while riding in the front of an ambulance. My first time!
3. I got to go into the emergency room for the first time NOT as a patient.
4. I saw a doctor that looks JUST like that jackass doctor from Scrubs! Had a clipboard and everything...Needless to say I flattened myself against the wall to let him pass :D
5. Met a super nice orderly who took care of us.
6. We have no idea what was wrong with Miki, cept for super high Lactate levels. And considering I know one way how to get them high, and the doctor knew the others, and Miki didn't have ANY of those circumstances, we have no idea what happened.
7. She had almost 6 liters of saline solution, pretty much.
8. We were at the hospital for 9 hours, give or take.
Bloopers!
Every time the paramedics tried to ask Miki a question while trying to get her out of the house she asked (as an answer) if she needed her passport >.<
When a tech retrieved her for an ultra sound, she had no idea what 'ultra' meant until she connected it to something she knew....Ultraman! :D
Her identity bracelet had a barcode on it. When the nurse swiped it Miki said...
"Beep! One dollar! Ten Dollars! One Hundred Twenty Dollars, on sale now!"
And then the nurse and I had to struggle to keep from laughing because apparently Miki was imitating a clerk at the grocery store (and told us this, too).
Miki had to wait for 40 minutes for a nurse to disconnect her to go to the restroom. Because it took so long I flagged down that super nice orderly (nice elderly man. Good sense of humor.). As soon as he helped, the AWOL nurse showed up >.<
When the Doctor did a preliminary ultrasound (before the big one) of Miki he said "Guess what?! It's a girl!"
:D
That was priceless.
Oh, you know what's even better? Whatever painkiller they slipped into her i.v. made it so she doesn't remember pretty much anything from yesterday. Bravo. Which is odd. Because other than the occasional fazing out moments, and weird comments (Ultraman!) she was pretty darned lucid.
I would've been totally off my ass in the same situation :D Trust me, I'm a light weight.
So at 7 something we were finally let go with two prescriptions and a bunch of people shrugging and complaining that they had no idea what happened.
Fun.
Now this left me with a dead cell, a phone with no long distance, and no way home.
Woopee!
So I resurrected my phone for a few minutes and contacted Evan.
Who was unavailable and at home in Beaverton. Yay.
Okay. So then I tried a classmate of mine that lives in Salem. Woohoo he was free!
So we got home just fine. I did nothing all day (besides take care of Miki and sort of edit my poem for poetry class) and I didn't get my shower.
Guess what? I got my shower this morning and I still have a smug little smile on my face.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
My sleeping in idea was a bust because I woke up around 9:45, but considering that's better than the 6 or 7 (I have no classes till 10 normally so that time is ridiculous) I wasn't going to grumble too much. I did want to take a shower right away, but when I realized that not only was Miki still in bed, she had a "please do not wake me I do not feel well" sign on her door, I gave that up as bust.
I could always take one in the afternoon, right?
So I'm sitting at my computer (hunched in the dark, more like) typing emails and reading, when Miki comes down the stairs.
Woohoo! It's 10:15 and I can take a shower now!
But I peer through the living room to the kitchen and see...nothing. I squint, and then realize I can see her white knuckled hand gripping the counter.
"Monica? Can I have some water?"
Who knew this would be the beginning of an adventure, yeah?
In 20 Minutes I went from innocently...reading...on the internet, too watching my roommate rolling on the floor moaning. I'm a stupid college student, yeah? I call the Health Center on campus. The receptionist that always makes my appointments with my counselor called me 5 kinds of idiot and told me to call 911.
So I did.
And man, those ladies really are annoyingly calm.
The one's on dispatch, I mean.
But my old, dusty, and underused skills from Girl Scouts came to play (seriously, we were taught how to call 911. Cause our leader was an EMT, I think)and I knew exactly what to say to the operator! Which was cool, but she probably didn't think it was, considering I was talking so fast that She had to ask me to repeat all sorts of stuff.
I know they record those things, I wonder if I could get a copy...:)
It was pretty cool though. You know that person they kick out of the patients room for panicking? Like...The expectant father who's hysterical the entire time? Yeah, I'm that person. I broke my cousin's arm several years ago (don't ask) and while I was screaming and crying and getting dizzy from hyperventilating, she was sitting in the car next to me calmly prodding her arm.
"Wow! My bone is sticking out!"
Which almost caused me to have a hernia.
So needless to say, I was shocked that I was just about keeping my cool. Well, I wasn't quite panicking, or hyperventilating, but I did have an amazing adrenaline rush.
The operator asked all sorts of fun questions, though. And I pretty much had to translate them all. I never realized before yesterday how many practical things Miki didn't recognize. It was surprising, actually. I loved the questions. They made me want to giggle.
Although that might've been the nervousness. I felt a little like she was going to reach a point where she said "You're just a hysterical girl and you committed a federal offense by calling 911 for no reason. We'll bill you later."
Also, the questions got a little tedious, and repetitive. I swear she asked some of the things over and over but in a different way. I would've refused to keep answering if I hadn't heard the ambulance coming down the road.
Isn't it cool? Apparently I live like 5 blocks from the Fire Station!
It was amazing hearing the sirens, actually. Because then I didn't have to keep watching Miki and wondering whether she was going to die and whether it was going to be my fault or not.
To sum up the day in an easy list!
1. I got to run out into the street barefoot and in boxers and tee shirt to flag down the ambulance because I forgot to tell dispatch what apartment we lived in. >.<
2. I got to chat with a very nice EMT while riding in the front of an ambulance. My first time!
3. I got to go into the emergency room for the first time NOT as a patient.
4. I saw a doctor that looks JUST like that jackass doctor from Scrubs! Had a clipboard and everything...Needless to say I flattened myself against the wall to let him pass :D
5. Met a super nice orderly who took care of us.
6. We have no idea what was wrong with Miki, cept for super high Lactate levels. And considering I know one way how to get them high, and the doctor knew the others, and Miki didn't have ANY of those circumstances, we have no idea what happened.
7. She had almost 6 liters of saline solution, pretty much.
8. We were at the hospital for 9 hours, give or take.
Bloopers!
Every time the paramedics tried to ask Miki a question while trying to get her out of the house she asked (as an answer) if she needed her passport >.<
When a tech retrieved her for an ultra sound, she had no idea what 'ultra' meant until she connected it to something she knew....Ultraman! :D
Her identity bracelet had a barcode on it. When the nurse swiped it Miki said...
"Beep! One dollar! Ten Dollars! One Hundred Twenty Dollars, on sale now!"
And then the nurse and I had to struggle to keep from laughing because apparently Miki was imitating a clerk at the grocery store (and told us this, too).
Miki had to wait for 40 minutes for a nurse to disconnect her to go to the restroom. Because it took so long I flagged down that super nice orderly (nice elderly man. Good sense of humor.). As soon as he helped, the AWOL nurse showed up >.<
When the Doctor did a preliminary ultrasound (before the big one) of Miki he said "Guess what?! It's a girl!"
:D
That was priceless.
Oh, you know what's even better? Whatever painkiller they slipped into her i.v. made it so she doesn't remember pretty much anything from yesterday. Bravo. Which is odd. Because other than the occasional fazing out moments, and weird comments (Ultraman!) she was pretty darned lucid.
I would've been totally off my ass in the same situation :D Trust me, I'm a light weight.
So at 7 something we were finally let go with two prescriptions and a bunch of people shrugging and complaining that they had no idea what happened.
Fun.
Now this left me with a dead cell, a phone with no long distance, and no way home.
Woopee!
So I resurrected my phone for a few minutes and contacted Evan.
Who was unavailable and at home in Beaverton. Yay.
Okay. So then I tried a classmate of mine that lives in Salem. Woohoo he was free!
So we got home just fine. I did nothing all day (besides take care of Miki and sort of edit my poem for poetry class) and I didn't get my shower.
Guess what? I got my shower this morning and I still have a smug little smile on my face.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Monday, March 29, 2010
There's a Conspiracy At Work, I know It.
I lost my Financial Aid, last week.
No, I am not joking.
It's taken me a few days to calm down about it to even think on it rationally, but here I am.
I suppose I can kill two birds with one stone and tell you about my final grades as well.
B+ in Business Writing!!!!! :D I'm excited. Near the end I pushed for an A (mostly cause I was desperate) but a B+ is good too.
C- in Linguistics. Not too surprised. I expected a C. The minus is a bummer. I could've done without that. I LOVE Linguistics, I just never seem to do much better than a C. It doesn't help that somehow I failed the midterm: That sucked. I studied and did homework and all that and everything!
C- in American Lit. Okay, this was dissappointing. I failed the Midterm so bad that it wasn't even an F: it was lower. But I attended every class but one, worked my butt off studying for the Final and even answered every single question but one on the final. I even answered a bunch of extra credit questions!
Thanks, Evan! You are a sweetheart for quizzing me. But either my 60 words too short essay looked like total BS (and really was, too) or that Midterm just drug everything down more than I could control. *sighs* I guess I'll live though.
And here comes the one that just doesn't surprise me one single little bit:
D+ Spanish 102
Okay, I lied. The plus surprises me a lot. But considering that everyone cept for a few outliers were failing in that class I think the teacher backpedaled and gave us all Ds. How else could she make them look different than adding pluses and minuses?
So this added up to exactly 2.0
WOOHOO!!!
This is good. This got me off of Academic Warning! And since I'm off of that, that means that I now am NOT on Academic Probation!
*cheers*
Now, I was told by the Advisor I met with, and the fine print of the email detailing what my Academic Warning meant, that if I got on probation I'd lose my Financial Aid.
Well, even more reason to NOT be, right?
So I'm doing my happy dance and I'm all excited that I dodged the bullet (I worked ridiculously hard for that stupid 2.0. It's humbling considering the uber good grades I got in Highschool and fair to middling I got at Clatsop Community College.) when I read my school email.....
And find that my Financial Aid has been taken away.
WHAAT?!
So now I have to fill out a petition. Well, more specifically I have to write a petition letter, and if it gets accepted they'll snail mail me a bunch of paperwork. I've already written the letter, But I've got to get some other paperwork to attach to it to back up my story.
I'm thinking about signing up for the Spanish Conversation class just to show that I AM working hard at grasping Spanish. But it's taught by the teacher I just escaped from...
So would that be a good idea?
The good news is: It's a one credit class so that'd make it so I'm only taking 13 credits. That's good, yeah?
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
No, I am not joking.
It's taken me a few days to calm down about it to even think on it rationally, but here I am.
I suppose I can kill two birds with one stone and tell you about my final grades as well.
B+ in Business Writing!!!!! :D I'm excited. Near the end I pushed for an A (mostly cause I was desperate) but a B+ is good too.
C- in Linguistics. Not too surprised. I expected a C. The minus is a bummer. I could've done without that. I LOVE Linguistics, I just never seem to do much better than a C. It doesn't help that somehow I failed the midterm: That sucked. I studied and did homework and all that and everything!
C- in American Lit. Okay, this was dissappointing. I failed the Midterm so bad that it wasn't even an F: it was lower. But I attended every class but one, worked my butt off studying for the Final and even answered every single question but one on the final. I even answered a bunch of extra credit questions!
Thanks, Evan! You are a sweetheart for quizzing me. But either my 60 words too short essay looked like total BS (and really was, too) or that Midterm just drug everything down more than I could control. *sighs* I guess I'll live though.
And here comes the one that just doesn't surprise me one single little bit:
D+ Spanish 102
Okay, I lied. The plus surprises me a lot. But considering that everyone cept for a few outliers were failing in that class I think the teacher backpedaled and gave us all Ds. How else could she make them look different than adding pluses and minuses?
So this added up to exactly 2.0
WOOHOO!!!
This is good. This got me off of Academic Warning! And since I'm off of that, that means that I now am NOT on Academic Probation!
*cheers*
Now, I was told by the Advisor I met with, and the fine print of the email detailing what my Academic Warning meant, that if I got on probation I'd lose my Financial Aid.
Well, even more reason to NOT be, right?
So I'm doing my happy dance and I'm all excited that I dodged the bullet (I worked ridiculously hard for that stupid 2.0. It's humbling considering the uber good grades I got in Highschool and fair to middling I got at Clatsop Community College.) when I read my school email.....
And find that my Financial Aid has been taken away.
WHAAT?!
So now I have to fill out a petition. Well, more specifically I have to write a petition letter, and if it gets accepted they'll snail mail me a bunch of paperwork. I've already written the letter, But I've got to get some other paperwork to attach to it to back up my story.
I'm thinking about signing up for the Spanish Conversation class just to show that I AM working hard at grasping Spanish. But it's taught by the teacher I just escaped from...
So would that be a good idea?
The good news is: It's a one credit class so that'd make it so I'm only taking 13 credits. That's good, yeah?
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I Think That I Have Been Cursed
Saturday night Mikiko's friend Sabrina had a going away party for herself. Yet another party I was invited to that I couldn't enjoy to the fullest. But she made it so that the underagers could come early and have food, and then after 9:30 leave so that everyone else could drink.
Sadly I was the only underager.
But approximately 50 feet from her door I crashed my scooter on a branch on the dark street because I was going around the sidewalk. For some odd reason it has a gigantic hole in the middle of it and signs that say "Sidewalk Closed". It has for several months now.
But I hit the branch, and totally went down. I had suspected that the scooter was rather unstable. But I was unaware exactly how unstable until the moment I went flying.
I sprained my ankle.
So I'm sure that you're thinking "You were a long distance runner! I'm sure this has happened before!"
Sure, I've hurt my ankles, and knees. I don't have the strongest joints in the world. And in my first couple of years sprinting in track I had to tape one or both of my ankles to keep them from giving out on me. But after years of training and strengthening I could roll them and ache a little bit for a day or two at the most and then be fine.
So I went to the party and sat on the floor next to the table eating stuffed peppers expecting my ankle to be just fine by the time I had to leave. I had arrived at 8:40.
I left at 10 at a pathetic limp.
I was suddenly aware that this was unlike any ankle injury I'd ever had before. I've hurt them, sure. I've had to ice and tape them, definitely. They've been weak enough that I've been unable to run several times. But I've never gotten the distinct feeling that I had actually fucked them up.
It was not a comfortable feeling to realize this, for sure.
I used my scooter as a makeshift cane to limp home, alone, and iced my ankle. In the middle of the night it even woke me up. I knew then that something as wrong. It's not uncommon for me to hurt myself and have a hurt for a few days, but to have it wake me up at night when I'm not doing anything to it?
Great.
The next day I overdosed the poor thing with tape, hoping that immobilizing it would keep swelling from happening. I sat with it taped all day and hoped to whoever is up in the bright blue sky that all would be better.
It wasn't. I have developed a sudden hatred of the fact I live in a two story apartment, actually.
So Monday morning I woke up to a bright blue sky (not really), birds chirping, and a throbbing ankle.
Needless to say, I called the Health Center.
I got a recording, oddly enough. So I left my name, number, and what was up.
I went to the Humanities building to drop off a paper, but the teacher wasn't there so I took it to the Humanities' office to get it stamped. Just as I went in my phone rang. I answered, answered all the questions the desk lady posed me and then she asked me how I sprained my ankle. When I told her that I crashed my scooter she laughed at me!!! I couldn't believe it, this random lady started laughing over the phone at me. And then she said "I'll have someone call you back." And hung up.
So I hobbled down the stairs, was stopped by someone and shoved into the elevator, and rode it to the basement.
My Ling. teacher set up a super long study session in the basement from 8:30 until 11:50, and only two ppl showed up!
It got interrupted for me cause the Health Center finally called me back, accused me of not making the appointment soon enough (hullo! I injured myself on saturday, they aren't even opened on the weekend!)and was told to come in at 1 even though they had no appointments free and they'd try to shove me in.
I stayed at the Ling. study session for the full 3 hours even though I hadn't planned to because I felt so guilty that no one else showed up. As a direct result I had to spend my entire lunch date with a friend (no really, just a friend) typing up the paper I had put off that was due for Literature.
Normally not a problem, but I obviously wasn't in the headspace for it, so it was like pulling teeth.
At 10 until one the friend walked with me whilst i hobbled to the Health Center to make sure I didn't attempt suicide or something again, and with the amount of stress I was in it was entirely possible that I would've tried :D
I show up and the secretary frowns at me for a bit and shuffles me from window to window. But since the other receptionist remembers fitting me in she signs me in and tells me to sit down. I sling my wounded leg over the edge of the chair and just get comfortable when I realize that I left my soda at the receptionist window.
So I get up and stagger across the room, and snag a "Where's Waldo" book on the way back.
I sit down, get comfy, make sure I haven't forgotten anything, and then settle into finding Waldo.
Which is of course when the receptionist tells me that my "appointment" (ha, what appointment? Those are mythical around here) was actually for 2 o'clock.
SO?! Did it really look like I was going anywhere? I didn't care if I had to wait for 3 hours: I wasn't budging.
Luckily, the nurse came to get me within 20 minutes.
The nurse was even more impersonal than normal, but she was nice. And didn't make any odd comments.
I am a little excited though: I've gained weight! Okay, so that's not always a good thing. But considering that I'm 6 ft. tall and even for me 124 pounds is a little over the top....Gaining up to 134 is pretty darned cool. I imagine a couple pounds of that is clothes, but who cares? I'm healthier! My ribs won't stick out as much! I might be skinny, but I don't like being skinny. The idea of anorexia scares the crap out of me, it's a huge phobia of mine. And with my poor eating habits and my excellent metabolism it's a very real possibility. So to all of you people out there that ask me if I'm anorexic? Piss off! Over my dead body.
So the nice nursey-poo got the doctor in (another nurse, actually. I'm not sure if the school has any doctors) he poked and prodded me and said that i did an excellent job with my injury after-care *preens*.
Learned something new, though: Don't ever heat an actual injury. Not entirely certain why, but I think it has to do with the inflammation or something. Muscles on the other hand, they are fair game. Good thing I didn't make this mistake!
So he recommended that I try the stirrup brace and that I could wear it in my shoe and that I be super careful for the next month: I guess that is the danger zone or something. If I injure the blasted thing again during that time, I guess there is a chance of me really screwing up my poor ankle for the rest of my life.
*salutes* Yes Sir! I'll be super careful :D
The next day I had to go back because the lady gave me a brace for the right foot, and it was my left >.< This wouldn't have bugged me, except she's the one who helped me put it on! So I had to limp all the way back to the Health Center (my scooter is temporarily retired) and return the blasted thing.
Question: If I have insurance, then why the heck is every single doctor bill of mine being added onto my tuition? Why am I paying for insurance if it's not actually COVERING anything?!
That's all :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Sadly I was the only underager.
But approximately 50 feet from her door I crashed my scooter on a branch on the dark street because I was going around the sidewalk. For some odd reason it has a gigantic hole in the middle of it and signs that say "Sidewalk Closed". It has for several months now.
But I hit the branch, and totally went down. I had suspected that the scooter was rather unstable. But I was unaware exactly how unstable until the moment I went flying.
I sprained my ankle.
So I'm sure that you're thinking "You were a long distance runner! I'm sure this has happened before!"
Sure, I've hurt my ankles, and knees. I don't have the strongest joints in the world. And in my first couple of years sprinting in track I had to tape one or both of my ankles to keep them from giving out on me. But after years of training and strengthening I could roll them and ache a little bit for a day or two at the most and then be fine.
So I went to the party and sat on the floor next to the table eating stuffed peppers expecting my ankle to be just fine by the time I had to leave. I had arrived at 8:40.
I left at 10 at a pathetic limp.
I was suddenly aware that this was unlike any ankle injury I'd ever had before. I've hurt them, sure. I've had to ice and tape them, definitely. They've been weak enough that I've been unable to run several times. But I've never gotten the distinct feeling that I had actually fucked them up.
It was not a comfortable feeling to realize this, for sure.
I used my scooter as a makeshift cane to limp home, alone, and iced my ankle. In the middle of the night it even woke me up. I knew then that something as wrong. It's not uncommon for me to hurt myself and have a hurt for a few days, but to have it wake me up at night when I'm not doing anything to it?
Great.
The next day I overdosed the poor thing with tape, hoping that immobilizing it would keep swelling from happening. I sat with it taped all day and hoped to whoever is up in the bright blue sky that all would be better.
It wasn't. I have developed a sudden hatred of the fact I live in a two story apartment, actually.
So Monday morning I woke up to a bright blue sky (not really), birds chirping, and a throbbing ankle.
Needless to say, I called the Health Center.
I got a recording, oddly enough. So I left my name, number, and what was up.
I went to the Humanities building to drop off a paper, but the teacher wasn't there so I took it to the Humanities' office to get it stamped. Just as I went in my phone rang. I answered, answered all the questions the desk lady posed me and then she asked me how I sprained my ankle. When I told her that I crashed my scooter she laughed at me!!! I couldn't believe it, this random lady started laughing over the phone at me. And then she said "I'll have someone call you back." And hung up.
So I hobbled down the stairs, was stopped by someone and shoved into the elevator, and rode it to the basement.
My Ling. teacher set up a super long study session in the basement from 8:30 until 11:50, and only two ppl showed up!
It got interrupted for me cause the Health Center finally called me back, accused me of not making the appointment soon enough (hullo! I injured myself on saturday, they aren't even opened on the weekend!)and was told to come in at 1 even though they had no appointments free and they'd try to shove me in.
I stayed at the Ling. study session for the full 3 hours even though I hadn't planned to because I felt so guilty that no one else showed up. As a direct result I had to spend my entire lunch date with a friend (no really, just a friend) typing up the paper I had put off that was due for Literature.
Normally not a problem, but I obviously wasn't in the headspace for it, so it was like pulling teeth.
At 10 until one the friend walked with me whilst i hobbled to the Health Center to make sure I didn't attempt suicide or something again, and with the amount of stress I was in it was entirely possible that I would've tried :D
I show up and the secretary frowns at me for a bit and shuffles me from window to window. But since the other receptionist remembers fitting me in she signs me in and tells me to sit down. I sling my wounded leg over the edge of the chair and just get comfortable when I realize that I left my soda at the receptionist window.
So I get up and stagger across the room, and snag a "Where's Waldo" book on the way back.
I sit down, get comfy, make sure I haven't forgotten anything, and then settle into finding Waldo.
Which is of course when the receptionist tells me that my "appointment" (ha, what appointment? Those are mythical around here) was actually for 2 o'clock.
SO?! Did it really look like I was going anywhere? I didn't care if I had to wait for 3 hours: I wasn't budging.
Luckily, the nurse came to get me within 20 minutes.
The nurse was even more impersonal than normal, but she was nice. And didn't make any odd comments.
I am a little excited though: I've gained weight! Okay, so that's not always a good thing. But considering that I'm 6 ft. tall and even for me 124 pounds is a little over the top....Gaining up to 134 is pretty darned cool. I imagine a couple pounds of that is clothes, but who cares? I'm healthier! My ribs won't stick out as much! I might be skinny, but I don't like being skinny. The idea of anorexia scares the crap out of me, it's a huge phobia of mine. And with my poor eating habits and my excellent metabolism it's a very real possibility. So to all of you people out there that ask me if I'm anorexic? Piss off! Over my dead body.
So the nice nursey-poo got the doctor in (another nurse, actually. I'm not sure if the school has any doctors) he poked and prodded me and said that i did an excellent job with my injury after-care *preens*.
Learned something new, though: Don't ever heat an actual injury. Not entirely certain why, but I think it has to do with the inflammation or something. Muscles on the other hand, they are fair game. Good thing I didn't make this mistake!
So he recommended that I try the stirrup brace and that I could wear it in my shoe and that I be super careful for the next month: I guess that is the danger zone or something. If I injure the blasted thing again during that time, I guess there is a chance of me really screwing up my poor ankle for the rest of my life.
*salutes* Yes Sir! I'll be super careful :D
The next day I had to go back because the lady gave me a brace for the right foot, and it was my left >.< This wouldn't have bugged me, except she's the one who helped me put it on! So I had to limp all the way back to the Health Center (my scooter is temporarily retired) and return the blasted thing.
Question: If I have insurance, then why the heck is every single doctor bill of mine being added onto my tuition? Why am I paying for insurance if it's not actually COVERING anything?!
That's all :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Friday, March 12, 2010
Sometimes I Wonder
The most ridiculous thing ever happened just now: The fire alarm went off.
And I don't mean a test run to test and see how fast we got out of the building (evidently not very). I mean there was security outside shouting in puzzlement into their walkie talkies and the safety patrol came speeding to the Werner center with their lights on...
So obviously it wasn't a drill. But evidently it wasn't a fire either, because we were just allowed back into the building.
Btw? It is bloody cold outside! We didn't stand the requisite 100 meters from the building because the wind was WAY too bad and we needed a breaker. There was a surprisingly few amount of ppl in the Werner Center, but then it's Friday after all.
Of course, this happened the moment I was in the computer lab and I was actually getting something typed for once.
What is that law again? Oh yeah, Murphy's.
Also, there's a Caesar Chavez Convention or something or rather going on today. Evidently that means the campus is being flooded with several hundred Mexicans. I have no problems with that, really. It's just....The majority of our campus are whites, or Chinese. I think I've seen a grand total about 5 Mexicans since I've gotten here (students anyways) so it's a little bit of a shock.
Who's Caesar Chavez? Did he do something important?
Did a kid pull the fire alarm?
Who know! But I'm back inside, and back to work, and if I'm lucky the Tsunami bell won't go off next. Oh yeah, I don't live next to the ocean anymore! WOOHOO!
That just means we'll have an earthquake or something :D
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
And I don't mean a test run to test and see how fast we got out of the building (evidently not very). I mean there was security outside shouting in puzzlement into their walkie talkies and the safety patrol came speeding to the Werner center with their lights on...
So obviously it wasn't a drill. But evidently it wasn't a fire either, because we were just allowed back into the building.
Btw? It is bloody cold outside! We didn't stand the requisite 100 meters from the building because the wind was WAY too bad and we needed a breaker. There was a surprisingly few amount of ppl in the Werner Center, but then it's Friday after all.
Of course, this happened the moment I was in the computer lab and I was actually getting something typed for once.
What is that law again? Oh yeah, Murphy's.
Also, there's a Caesar Chavez Convention or something or rather going on today. Evidently that means the campus is being flooded with several hundred Mexicans. I have no problems with that, really. It's just....The majority of our campus are whites, or Chinese. I think I've seen a grand total about 5 Mexicans since I've gotten here (students anyways) so it's a little bit of a shock.
Who's Caesar Chavez? Did he do something important?
Did a kid pull the fire alarm?
Who know! But I'm back inside, and back to work, and if I'm lucky the Tsunami bell won't go off next. Oh yeah, I don't live next to the ocean anymore! WOOHOO!
That just means we'll have an earthquake or something :D
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Memories
Before I started this blog was New Student week here at WOU. I skipped out on a lot of mandatory things, actually. I now wonder how the heck I wasn't so bored considering I was without a computer for the first week or so.
But I was feeling guilty for not participating too much, so when I saw a booth at the sidewalk fair barbecue thingy for an activity I wandered over. I had seen a few activity type thingies, actually. Including a midnight movie. But I had no car so that was nixed.
So I peered in. Normally I wouldn't do this sort of thing. When I was required to do volunteer hours to graduate from highschool I did something worthwhile that actually meant something. I ran different activities and watched kids at an after school program. I had real responsibilities: I didn't have to be baby sat.
But when I learned about what volunteer activities were being offered, I had an inkling that it was a scam.
I mean, a volunteer trip to help on a farm? Goodness knows the silly college students would have no idea what they were doing and would need their hands held the entire time! The other trip was to recycle books. Booooring! But the third...Was to help kids make crafts.
Sounds fun, right?
Cept it turns out, that we're helping Mexican kids. Okay, that's fine. Except not a single one of them speaks English, and my Spanish definitely was NOT up to snuff.
It turns out to be a Mexican community. It's a specialized place with low rent specifically for Mexican workers that work on farms. We were expected to help the kids make Halloween candy buckets out of Milk Cartons.
Now, it was pretty obvious that we were slowing things down and the parents just though that we were children too and to be pitied and giggled at. But these "volunteers" tried their hardest to do "something good for the world".
I just wanted me little friend to have the best milk carton halloween bucket she could make. I stick to that.
Have you ever met the crazy volunteer for life types? The ones that think they are making a worldwide difference everytime they help out with something? that think it's essential to life?
A more naive person I have never met. I just needed something to do. A lot of these kids have now decided that volunteering is their life mission.
I feel sorry for the staff at the farm, to be honest. Babysitting college students *shakes head*.
So the girl I helped: She was so adorable! Very cute, very small. Knew practically no English and was too shy to say anything about my wretched Spanish. Wouldn't be able to tell you her name if you paid me.
But the other day when I was rocking out to my mp3 player about a block from home, on my way home, a little girl and her mum walked by me. And then the little girl stopped absolutely dead in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at me. Dropped her mum's hand and everything.
Took me am oment to notice, and by then they were moving on.
But what the fuck? Did I have a booger hanging from my nose or something?
I took a few days to think about it, and talked it over with Miki (who figured the girl stared cause I was so tall) and then I saw her again today!
It's that same girl that I helped WAY back in September, and she did the same staring act today. I asked her if she remembered me and she said yes (in English I notice) but when I tried to say hello how are you in Spanish she just stared some more until her mome laughed, said something about me, and drug her off.
What the heck?
Why did she notice me? Why did she stop and stare? Did I make an impression on her? Sure I thought she was a pretty kid, and odd since she was so quiet and precocious. But it wasn't much more than that, you know? It happened MONTHS ago! If you mentioned her, sure I'd remember. But I wouldn't stop dead in the street and stare at her. Heck: I didn't even recognize her at first. She's grown up quite a bit, actually.
But why did she stare at me, I wonder? Did I make a huge impression on her? How so?
I remember looking up to people older than I when I was her age. I remember fantasizing about them and staring and begging them silently to look at me, to remember me, to show some recognition. For them to be my best friend.
Is that what she is doing? What exactly is she thinking when she sees me? She can't hate me or think I'm terrible (although my Spanish is) cause she smiled and giggled when I asked if she knew me.
But WHY?! It bothers me! Am I a role model? Will we meet years and years in the future and become friends? Will she hunt me down to know me? Will we have a torrid affair? WHAT?!
I'm obsessing quite badly I admit.
But before we get married: I should probably figure out her name :D (jk on the marriage thing)
Oh btw? I suspect she lives close to my house now. Which means she doesn't live in the community anymore. I wonder how close she is and how I can hopefully spot her again?
Maybe I should write out a secret message in Spanish and slip it to her when I next see her...lmao
I'm ridiculous, huh?
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
But I was feeling guilty for not participating too much, so when I saw a booth at the sidewalk fair barbecue thingy for an activity I wandered over. I had seen a few activity type thingies, actually. Including a midnight movie. But I had no car so that was nixed.
So I peered in. Normally I wouldn't do this sort of thing. When I was required to do volunteer hours to graduate from highschool I did something worthwhile that actually meant something. I ran different activities and watched kids at an after school program. I had real responsibilities: I didn't have to be baby sat.
But when I learned about what volunteer activities were being offered, I had an inkling that it was a scam.
I mean, a volunteer trip to help on a farm? Goodness knows the silly college students would have no idea what they were doing and would need their hands held the entire time! The other trip was to recycle books. Booooring! But the third...Was to help kids make crafts.
Sounds fun, right?
Cept it turns out, that we're helping Mexican kids. Okay, that's fine. Except not a single one of them speaks English, and my Spanish definitely was NOT up to snuff.
It turns out to be a Mexican community. It's a specialized place with low rent specifically for Mexican workers that work on farms. We were expected to help the kids make Halloween candy buckets out of Milk Cartons.
Now, it was pretty obvious that we were slowing things down and the parents just though that we were children too and to be pitied and giggled at. But these "volunteers" tried their hardest to do "something good for the world".
I just wanted me little friend to have the best milk carton halloween bucket she could make. I stick to that.
Have you ever met the crazy volunteer for life types? The ones that think they are making a worldwide difference everytime they help out with something? that think it's essential to life?
A more naive person I have never met. I just needed something to do. A lot of these kids have now decided that volunteering is their life mission.
I feel sorry for the staff at the farm, to be honest. Babysitting college students *shakes head*.
So the girl I helped: She was so adorable! Very cute, very small. Knew practically no English and was too shy to say anything about my wretched Spanish. Wouldn't be able to tell you her name if you paid me.
But the other day when I was rocking out to my mp3 player about a block from home, on my way home, a little girl and her mum walked by me. And then the little girl stopped absolutely dead in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at me. Dropped her mum's hand and everything.
Took me am oment to notice, and by then they were moving on.
But what the fuck? Did I have a booger hanging from my nose or something?
I took a few days to think about it, and talked it over with Miki (who figured the girl stared cause I was so tall) and then I saw her again today!
It's that same girl that I helped WAY back in September, and she did the same staring act today. I asked her if she remembered me and she said yes (in English I notice) but when I tried to say hello how are you in Spanish she just stared some more until her mome laughed, said something about me, and drug her off.
What the heck?
Why did she notice me? Why did she stop and stare? Did I make an impression on her? Sure I thought she was a pretty kid, and odd since she was so quiet and precocious. But it wasn't much more than that, you know? It happened MONTHS ago! If you mentioned her, sure I'd remember. But I wouldn't stop dead in the street and stare at her. Heck: I didn't even recognize her at first. She's grown up quite a bit, actually.
But why did she stare at me, I wonder? Did I make a huge impression on her? How so?
I remember looking up to people older than I when I was her age. I remember fantasizing about them and staring and begging them silently to look at me, to remember me, to show some recognition. For them to be my best friend.
Is that what she is doing? What exactly is she thinking when she sees me? She can't hate me or think I'm terrible (although my Spanish is) cause she smiled and giggled when I asked if she knew me.
But WHY?! It bothers me! Am I a role model? Will we meet years and years in the future and become friends? Will she hunt me down to know me? Will we have a torrid affair? WHAT?!
I'm obsessing quite badly I admit.
But before we get married: I should probably figure out her name :D (jk on the marriage thing)
Oh btw? I suspect she lives close to my house now. Which means she doesn't live in the community anymore. I wonder how close she is and how I can hopefully spot her again?
Maybe I should write out a secret message in Spanish and slip it to her when I next see her...lmao
I'm ridiculous, huh?
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
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