A Fear of Needles

They shuffled me into a small room and took my blood pressure.

It was a little high.

Then she checked my pulse.

120.

The doctor came in.

Checked my ears, glanced at my throat, looked at my pupils.

Said my heart was beating a little fast.

"Do you drink caffeine?"

"Yes."

"Are you nervous?"

"Is the pope Catholic?"

Silence.

They must revoke your sense of humor in med school.

Friday Five

1. My hair is split end city right now. Like, woah. Everything I've read says I need a trim, but I just got a cut not too long ago. And it's splitting closer to my scalp. Is there any miracle cure out there beyond a hot oil treatment? Magic shampoo and conditioner?
   
   
2. Angry Birds Seasons has a Valentine's Day version. I love it.
   
   
   
3. Florida Strawberries have arrived at all of the local grocery stores! This makes me so happy.
   
   
   
4. I was able to put one of my student loan payments on hold for three months. HUGE RELIEF, you all, huge relief. I feel like I can breathe now.
   
   
5. I've slowed down on my reading. But now I simply must plow through the current book I'm on so I can get to Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
   

Adventures in Post Grad

What I've Learned So Far

I definitely do not enjoy on the spot job offers. Last week I got an offer for a position with a company I do enjoy. I posted about it here, but I pulled the post. It's still up on google reader, so some of you might have seen it. Things went swimmingly and I was feeling rather great about the prospect. Until, in the hours and day that followed, the hiring manager dropped some unsavory bombshells. The pay was only .75 more than minimum wage, and the hours were 20 per week instead of 30. The amount of travel, the days per week, and the wages made it nearly impossible for me not to walk away from the offer. The money would barely put a dent in my bills. The only downside is that you can't stop the sense of dread that comes with turning down a job offer when you're told jobs are so hard to come by right now. That's the unfortunate part.

Apply for jobs you know you're going to want. One of the reasons I didn't accept a cashiering position was the fear of getting stuck doing something I hated and that wasn't fulfilling just because it was a paycheck. I've become a lot more picky when it comes to submitting my resume since a month and a half ago. Money is important, but so is my sanity.

Be open to new experiences. I've long considered various graduate school programs but how will I ever know if going that route is right for me unless I get some experience in the fields that interest me? That's why this week I signed up to substitute teach. The idea frightens me, only because I don't know what to expect and kids can be slightly terrifying. But I can't think of a better way to figure out if I enjoy the classroom setting than to sub a few days a week for extra money while I apply for full time jobs and figure things out. My training is tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Don't be afraid to expect certain things, or to set boundaries for searching. I've made a wish list. The job I want: must be full time, must be within a certain salary range (i.e. the amount I need at minimum to survive) and it must be within specific driving distance. I feel like this is an acceptable list of needs.

Realize that these things take time and stop beating yourself up about it. This is the hardest lesson to learn. I didn't pick a degree like nursing in which I have one option for employment and there are a million jobs open. I'm slowly defining my own career. This takes time. I can play what ifs about my past choices all day long. But that doesn't help me or anyone else. Accept my path and work hard daily. For me, it's making sure I submit a resume at least once a day. Or that I work on a cover letter. Or make follow up calls. And most of all it means to check myself, every few days, to make sure I'm not spending too much time wallowing in self pity.

Baby Name Game

It's no secret that I love baby names. It's been a while since I've shared my favorites. The last time I was still holding on to hope for a hypothetical future Harper. But alas, it's now off my list.



A list of the names currently tickling my fancy.

Girls

• Eleanor
• Sloane
• Camilla
• Jane
• Georgia
• Alice
• if my name wasn't April I'd list June here because I love it
  

bonus, favorite middle name: Louise, the middle name of my mom & grandma
I think Eleanor Louise would make a lovely girl's name. Or Jane Louise. Or Camilla Louise.

Boys

• Oliver
• Sullivan
• Hank
• George
• Wade
• Gabriel
• Theo
• Julian (my grandfather's middle name)
  

P.S

Get some of these Sister Schubert rolls, cook them and while their fresh out of the oven mix up some soft butter with a little sugar and spread it on top of the rolls. You'll have warm sweet rolls like O'Charleys to go with your soup. DELICIOUS, and I'm not just saying that.

Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 package of frozen cubed hashbrowns
5 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 small onion diced
5 strips of bacon
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup of milk or heavy cream
18 one inch cubes of velveeta, or a few handfuls of a cheese of your choice (I add three good sized slices of velveeta cubed up to mine, feel free to play with how cheese you do or don't want your soup.)



Fry the bacon in the stockpot you'll be making the soup in. Remove the crispy bacon but leave the drippings in the pan. Add the diced onion to the drippings and cook until almost translucent. Add the water, bullion cubes, and potatoes along with pepper and garlic powder. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Lower heat just slightly and add half a cup of milk or heavy cream. Drop in the cubes of cheese and stir until melted. Crumble up the bacon you cooked and add to the soup. Serve!

My brother's favorite, and most requested, meal is this soup. I used to make it by cutting up my own potatoes. Which meant I dreaded making it every single time. Don't bother, the frozen potatoes are just as good if not better. Another time saver is to not bother with the onion and just sub in onion powder. And it's important to note that when you add the potatoes to the water you're going to think it's not enough water and you'll be tempted to add more. DON'T do it. The potatoes cook down and everything turns out perfect.

Book #5

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

This book you guys. THIS BOOK. So swoonworthy.

I loved this one. I've previously read a couple Sarah Dessen books but I'm seriously wondering why in the world I haven't gotten around to all of them. This review from Forever Young Adult (My new favorite blog, btw. Their tagline says it all: for YA readers who are a little less Y and a bit more A.) was what prompted me to buy this one. A decision I don't regret AT ALL. I love her suggestion of Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins as Wes. Friday Night Lights fans will get that reference and swoon like twice as much while picturing Wes as Riggins, I swear.