Fear and Loathing in Tuscaloosa

This is one of those nights when I truly believe that the powers that be have bets that I will have a meltdown of apocalyptic proportions and they are trying to see how far they can push me. I think I was built for serious stress, not the little aggravating annoyances of everyday life. Today, I'm tired and the powers that be can kiss my ass.

Dinner was planned. Open-faced, very tasty, hot roast beef sandwiches. Easy. Or NOT. I'm very excited about dinner because lunch never happened so when I discovered the fuzzy green dots on my hoagie rolls that we bought TWO DAYS AGO, I was not happy and for two reasons. One was very obvious, my bread was moldy but the second is the result of that fact. If the bread was moldy then I would have to go to the store. Where we live the closest grocery store by far is Publix. I really, really, really hate Publix and for several legitimate reasons. 

1. The name. Publix. It just sounds inappropriate. My spell checker won't even acknowledge it's a real word.

2. The store organization. Every single one is totally different and product placement is clearly headed up by a mentally defective lab rat. I've seriously gotten calls from friends who after searching for something in Publix for 15 min call me in desperation to see of their logic is faulty. The conversations go something like this:

*ring*

Me: Hello

Friend: I'm at Publix

Me: What can't you find and where is it not?"

Friend: Razors

Me: No love, you can't kill yourself in bloody dramatic display to make a point. Ok, you need razors. So, normally razors would be somewhere in the vicinity of Health & Beauty. What is the opposite of health and beauty? 

Friend: Wine

Me: Damnit, you can't drink yourself to death either. CONCENTRATE.

Friend: *sigh*Please help me.

Me: How about next to the Potato Chips, they don't make you healthy or beautiful.

Friend: Checked there already, in fact I've been up and down every god blessed aisle in this store. I even checked.......Jesus God!

Me: Wha?? You found them didn't you.

Friend: Yup, on an end cap by the registers right next to the Lifesavers mints. 

Me: Why didn't I think of that. *Click*

3. And my third and final reason, I once received a flyer from Publix. Totally in Spanish. I'll save my reasoning behind this one for a later post.

Now that you are clear on why I loathe going to Publix you'll laugh when I tell you the fear part of this story. As I am pulling into my parking space I see, out of the corner of my eye, a GD, MF-ing HUGE spider crawling on my driver side window. I can see his fangs. Lemme put it this way, I can break the sound barrier if it means getting away from a spider/roach. Strapped into my car trying to park, there is nowhere to go so I must suffer through the rationalization process which under the influence of the adrenaline that normally powers a Mach 3 disengagement from the vicinity, takes what seems like forever. I then can take a deep breath and realize that the nasty is on the outside and I determine that it's him or me. He must die. Operation Spider Homicide is in effect. Now there is really nothing funny or original in his untimely death so I'll just say 'Mission Accomplished' and leave it at that.

Now I'm in Publix, I've got my mold-free hoagie rolls and I decide the we also need some more tea. Chris' friend Matt gave him some liquor for Christmas that he said was amazing in sweet tea and I was feeling the need for a drink at this point. Now here in Alabama there are two kinds of tea: Chic-fil-a and Milo's. Milo's is the better of the two and you can find it by the gallon conveniently located near the the milk. UNLESS YOU'RE IN PUBLIX. Once again not being able to find what I need, after a futile search I gave up and resigned myself to downing the rest of the wine I have in the fridge convinced that Milo's is just another brand I won't find at Publix. Here's where the Universe MOCKS me again. At the register, while I'm scanning my trusty(and broke) debit card I happen to look up at the screen on the next register and the last item listed for my fellow Publix shopper was none other than:

MILOS TEA SW-GAL

He probably found it next to the toothpaste.

To the universe: I ate my sandwich, killed your spider, but you win on the tea. Score 2-1.

Playing Catch Up

So I guess I kinda suck at this blogging thing. With school and work it's kinda hard to keep up with even though I rarely have a lack of things to say. :o)

This time of year I always try to reflect on the good things in my life regardless of how badly things might be going. Despite being freakin' broke and the stress that comes along with that things are pretty good and 2008 has been pretty good to me. It was on the drive home from a recent trip to Atlanta to visit with friends I began to think about how lucky I really am to know the amazing people I know AND get to call them friends. Sometimes I forget there are people out there that suck just because I have such great friends!! So, to all my friends, new and old, I love you all!

In keeping with the mushy vein, I would also like to publicly acknowledge another amazing force in my life. He's the one who is always here for me reminding me to be positive when I'm not and cheering with me when things are going great. He knows I sometimes need to be pushed (OK...shoved) past my own self doubt and doesn't hesitate because HE knows I can do anything I want. Everything he does, (even when he doesn't want to) he does for me. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here pursing a degree I thought was out of my reach forever. I am eternally grateful for everything he does and look forward to a lifetime of returning the favor. 

____________________________________________________________________

The last few months.....

I finally found a job! Wait...lemme scratch that exclaimation point and try that again.  

I finally found a job. 

There, that's better. I work in a hair salon and I'm not a fan. I was worried when I took the job that working with 30 women would be too much for me, I was more than correct. Of course there are a handful of people that I really do like but some have treated me so badly or even indifferently that I wouldn't lift a finger to do anything for them. I've done nothing but be nice to everyone, stay out of the drama and attempt to learn how the place runs and do my job but I guess that's not enough. So, the job hunt is ON. Again. Keep your fingers crossed that 2009 brings me a job in a doctor's office or the hospital so I can get outta there!!!!!

The other major consumer of my time was, of course, school. How was the first semester back, you ask? Well, I think a large chunk of my soul is gone but by god, I did good. 3.75 semester GPA, easily the best in my long drawn out college career. In true 'Shannon' fashion I managed my highest grade (an A+) in American Lit and the lowest (a B) in Math. I now fully understand why college students become so devoted to their Universities. That chunk of soul I mentioned now belongs to the University of Alabama. Roll Tide Roll. ;o)

The Next Big Things

I have a another semester of BS classes coming up but Spring semester also brings my first opportunity to apply for Upper Division Nursing classes. If your not familiar with this process it's a very competitive one that is based solely on GPA. Basically, to get in you need to be rocking out. To my advantage, most of the nursing students I've seen in my harder classes, like Microbiology, were filled to brim with little girls who clearly care nothing for school and care desperately about things like their hair, their tan, who the latest whore is in the sorority, getting a dress for the football game and doing their nails. I even heard some of them making fun of a woman who is probably closer to my age than theirs because she was taking notes and asking questions! Like OMG! Like, I mean, really, who takes notes in class? I'm sure those were the ones dragging the class average on tests down to a 68. But, whose complaining? Not me, none of those little brats will even get close so that means less competition for me. :o) 

Wish me luck, y'all!

The Past Few Weeks

So, it's been a bit. 

Over the past few weeks we have become fully acclimated to life in Tuscaloosa. I finally have my bearings and can get pretty much anywhere I need to go without having to ask how to get there. Chris has gotten a job and subsequently quit as the hours were making him an old man in a hurry and me a work widow in a town where I know very few. It was in the best interest of our sanity. 

I think my favorite part so far is the UA campus. I obviously spend a lot of time there and the best parts of my day are my walks across the Quad. People watching is a fascinating time passer and the squirrels are amusing as well. Did anyone ever think that I might end up a squirrel watcher? LOL, guess the slower pace down here suits me in ways I didn't know were possible.

Let's see what else....Oh yeah, the SUNBURN. My pasty carcass took a float down the Cahaba River about a month or so ago. Tubing is something I love that I have not had the opportunity to do in some time (thanks to the GA army corp of engineers for reducing the 'Hooch to a mere puddle) so I was very excited. Tubing the 'hootch was about a 2 or 3 hour affair so I thought the Cahaba might be similar. So, I lathered up TWICE in the 30 SPF and took a somewhat scary and unexpected ride in the back of a pick-up truck driven by a dude who did not have a solid grasp on the English language and might have been a shoe-in for a leading role in the re-make of "Deliverance". About 15 or so tubers climbed out(or untangled themselves, I wish we had a picture) of the dilapidated pick-up and hauled our tires down a hill and jumped in. The river is awesome. Fabulous times were had by all, from rope swings to small rapids. We were having so much fun I did not notice how much time had passed but at this point were about 3 1/2 hours in. This is when I first noticed it. Not that there was anything to be done, it's hard to re-apply the sunblock when your only option to get dry is to brave Moccasin country on the banks. I'll take the severe sunburn over a poisonous snake encounter ANYDAY. 

So, after five and a half hours I still had a pasty ass but now my legs were looking a red that can only be described as "Nuclear". The laughable part of this is that there is a white strip at the very top of my thighs where my tank top was covering my legs. I look like I'm wearing red leg warmers up to my...well you know. OR maybe like those sexy red hose that come up to mid-thigh. Only NOT sexy.  

Lesson learned. Base tan before Cahaba = Sunburn avoidance. I'll give it another try next summer. :-)

American Sheep and Universal healthcare

So, normally I tend to not to write this kind of thing because I know that more often than not a blog is not going to change someone's political leanings. But watching this race for president is really starting to scare me and being silent does not make me feel good. I'm pissed and everyone else should be too!

I'm young and have only had the opportunity to vote in two elections but I find it appaling that this year both candiates are grossly inadequate and I will have to vote for the lesser of two evils. Is this the best America can do?

There are a few topics I personally feel strongly about. First and foremost, National Security. If we are attacked in any major way, we have BIG problems that will make the environment, healthcare, and education not even a blip on the radar. But should we be lucky enough to avoid being attacked there are still big changes on the horizon should Obama become president. (McCain is onboard from some of this crap too, so he, by no means, a saint either, in my eyes)

The healthcare issue is on my mind today. I used to work for a lady a few years ago who, before she moved to the States, was a Registered Nurse in the Canadian Healthcare system. Her father had heart problems and needed Bypass surgery to save his life. He was on a WAITING LIST for lifesaving surgery and she said the if it wasn't for her connections at the hospital her father would have died while waiting for surgery. This is what we have to look forward to.

People think not having to pay for health insurance and have the government pay for our healthcare sounds great. If you like higher taxes, then on the surface, I guess it does sound great but think about it this way...Remember when you were young and your parents paid for everything for you...guess who also had CONTROL. Mom and Dad. They got to tell you what you could and could not do. How do you REALLY feel about the government telling you when you can and can't go to the doctor and even deciding for you what doctor you can see? How are you going to feel when your child has a serious health issue and dies because the wonderful universal healthcare system in the United States fails them? This stuff is happening already in Canada and Europe but you don't hear the media reporting this stuff, do ya?

Of course, you are going to hear the advocates screaming gleefully about how wonderful life will be because our sytem will be perfect! Since our beaurocratic, red-tape government is so efficient now, our brand-spankin new Universal Healthcare system will be as well, right? OMG, is all I have to say. When was the last time you got your driver's license renewed? They can't even make that simple proccess efficient, what makes you think that they can provide medical care in a timely fashion?

Here's one more test for ya. Next time you visit or speak with a doctor ask him or her their opinon on the matter. Of course some are going to be all about it, but it's the 37% that say that they will just flat out quit practicing medicine that grab my attention. It's way less than half the docs surveyed but that seems like a severe reaction and maybe we should investigate why these docs would just give up a hard-earned career just because of a new healthcare system.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/05/12/daily80.html

In a few short weeks I will begin my classes that will ulimately lead me to a degree in Nursing so this issue is becoming near and dear to my heart. This could affect my earning potential, working conditions, and my sanity. As a nurse, it's all you can do on a day to day basis to help heal the sick and make them as comfortable as possible but I wonder how I will feel about working for the system that is letting people die because they are too old, too sick or were too far down on a waiting list. Will I just give it up one day like the doctors? Or will I stay because the connections are too valuable?

It's inevitable that there will be a nursing shortage and if UH comes to the U.S. we can expect a shortage of doctors to go along with it. I don't think that this has been addressesd or discussed publicly, but this problem alone presents a real challenge to our healthcare system NOW, and would wreak HAVOC on the UH system. It's seems pretty logical to me....how do you provide healthcare to masses without enough doctors and nurses? Well, I'll tell ya. The government will force publicly funded universities to weaken their acceptance standards to medical schools and nursing schools, instead of expanding the programs to accept more students at the current standards. Ya know what we call the doctor who was last in his class? M.D. Yep, so here's the senario, you could, if you have really shitty luck, have the government force you to see a doctor who was not only last in his class, but was also accepted in the first place under lower standards. Even right now you could be seeing the dude who came in last but at least you know he was smart enough to be in medical school in the first place.

American's are drinkin' the Kool-aid. Brace yourself.

Here's some links that are basically horror stories of Universal Healthcare:

http://conservablogs.com/bluecollarmuse/2008/03/16/canadian-universal-health-care/

First Entry

Soooooo....lot's of things are about to change in my life so I thought I'd start writting a blog so you can all keep up with me since these changes are going to take me so far away from everyone.