Things I'm Loving Monday

Many of the blogs I read do a "Things I Love Friday"; I've never been *much* of a follower so although I'm still writing about things I love, I'm doing it on a Monday. I'm such a rebel.

1. My Keurig. Holy crap, I love my new coffee maker. My parents were kind enough to gift me with one for Christmas, and while my smaller Hamilton Beach one was convenient, it was incredibly finicky and didn't always make coffee without spraying half of it on the counter. My new Keurig makes awesome coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, AND keeps it all in the cup. Plus, I should be able to use my own coffee grounds without a similar explosion.
   
2. My Galaxy Note 3. It's the biggest phone I've ever seen. It also works wonderfully as a phone, tablet, movie viewer, Kindle, and internet surfer. It's taken me a while to get used to the size, but now that I love my phoblet (phone + tablet) I can't see myself returning to one of those itty bitty iPhone's!
   
3. Manhattan Prep. I purchased both the note cards and the 5lb book that they make for the GRE, and it's all I could possibly need to review all of this useless crap that I've forgotten since high school and will never use again once this test is over with.
   
4. Yankauer's. This handy little tool is found in the hospital and it attaches to the end of some fairly thick tubing. At the opposite end of the tubing is a large plastic canister attached to suction. Hook the Yankauer up and you can successfully suction up ANYTHING LIQUID. It's like a vacuum, only better.
   
5. The return of my TV shows. I'm not a fan of fall finales; I like to see all of my shows in one smooth run (and yes, I realize that never happens any more) so my ADD doesn't lose track of what's going on. Regardless, they all go off over the holidays, but thankfully they are all slowly returning with new episodes. Because I need another reason to procrastinate and not do anything I'm supposed to be doing. And because there's no way I'll get a bigger butt if I'm all active and stuff.
   

Updates & All

It's been a busy week, mainly because I've been working every day while still managing to cook, exercise the pets, run, and get my required 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Yes, I require that much; if I get less my eyes get red, my face swollen, and I trip over my own feet.

So here goes- my updates in bullets:

• Work actually went smoothly- I don't have any patient stories but it's because I honestly can't remember any. After a while, they all start to blend together.
• I have not managed to study for the GRE but that's not surprising considering I'm a master procrastinator.
• I don't think I want to go to grad school - quite yet. Mainly because I really have no clue what I want to do (other than knowing that I don't want to be a nurse forever) and I don't need more student loan debt for something I'm not passionate about. Which leads me to...
• I've started looking into other RN jobs to apply for in the new year. My contract is up March 1 and I'd like to try something else...something that doesn't require paging doctors that never respond for orders, trying not to spill bedpans, and sucking copious amounts of mucus out of a stranger's mouth.
• I've got an idea for a new blog- one that will simultaneously fulfill a New Year's Resolution and make me a better person (or at least look like one)- and no, it has nothing to do with looks!
• I got new boots. That's right- rain/snow boots. My husband has turned me into a North Face whore (I never used to buy NF- too expensive) and now I'm in love with pretty much everything they make. I will be taking these to Seattle next week:

• As mentioned previously, I get to spend some time with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew next week (this also means I get a break from work...double awesome)
• I'm up to 3.2 miles of running; not every time but I can manage it...which is good because the costume 5K is next week (stay tuned for the absurd candy my sister managed to get me to agree to dress up as)
• I purchased a Living Social deal for a box of fresh produce from a local delivery company, DoorStep Produce and it was well worth it. I chose the Fruit & Salad box and ended up with a hearty serving of fresh turnip greens, pears, apples, onions, tomatoes, green/red/orange peppers, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini.
• This evening I wanted to finish up the veggies from above mentioned salad box so I cut up the onions, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and peppers, coated them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and had AB toss them on the grill. I also cooked some 3 cheese tortellini with Ragu sauce and it made for a filling dinner (followed by the fabulous Apples & Pears Foster).

I've Been Busy

I had gotten excited about keeping this blog updated regularly but as always, life gets in the way. I've tried several new recipes from Pinterest (I swear I will put up recipes and pictures when I stop being so slack), have increased the work outs, and have started studying for the GRE. I've also bought about 20 books from Amazon and have been unable to break my sick addiction to Gossip Girl on Netflix so needless to say, my spare time is not so empty.

I've increased my running distance up to 2.5 miles with a bunch of elliptical workouts thrown in between; I still can't breathe worth a crap but I'm also finally going to see a cardiologist in a few weeks (long story, stemming from much more than breathing problems). I'm working on it though- the 5K with my sister is in 2 weeks so I have no excuses!

I plan on writing some better posts soon (with pictures)...