NaBloPoMo & New Year's

Since I survived NaBloPoMo for the first time EVER, I've decided to challenge myself to an additional month.

January is all about HABIT so I think there will be several interesting prompts to choose from! While I agree that you shouldn't post just for the sake of publishing, I do believe that doing it daily really helps the writing flow easier, and one day I'd love to write an actual book



Also, I wish everyone a happy and SAFE New Year's Eve; please don't become a trauma at a hospital and PLEASE don't drive yourself anywhere after you drink. I will be working so I'd prefer to make it home safely when they send me on my way at 11pm!

NaBloPoMo Prompt #2

Prompt: Talk about a surprise that made you happy.
The most recent one I can think of is finding out that my dog's newest tumor in his anal gland had gotten smaller. That doesn't mean that his cancer is gone, or that it hasn't micro-metastasized, but knowing that it wasn't growing was a wonderful surprise.

What's a surprise that's made YOU happy recently?

NaBloPoMo Prompt #1

Prompt: What do you do when you're down to bring yourself a little joy?
It actually depends on what it is bringing me down. I've discovered that I cope with different things in different ways so I have a variety of pick-me-ups I may try...

• Take a nap: Sometimes things are better when I just sleep it off!
• Read a non-school book: Not that I don't LOVE my textbooks, but doing this allows me to escape, usually into a ridiculously fantasized world that ends with me rolling my eyes and swearing not to read anything from that author again. Thank you Book Bub.
• Take a walk with the dogs: This only works when the dogs are behaving but fresh air is definitely helpful, even if it contains a little city pollution.
• Laird: I love spending time with that kid, which I guess is good since I'm his aunt and godmother. Hopefully he continues to be a joy rather than growing into a pain-in-the-ass teenager! Even when I'm down his goofy butt makes me feel better.
  
• Drink a beer or a glass of wine with or without bubble bath: Sometimes a drink and a hot bath with epsom salts is the most relaxing thing ever...or just a yummy beer or giant glass of wine. I'm not picky.
  
  
  
  
• Talk about it: My poor mom has heard more than she's ever needed to, but she's an excellent "free therapist" and she usually makes me feel better. My actual therapist is awesome too, but she costs an arm and a leg.
• Get somebody something: I always seem to find some sort of pleasure in making or buying someone something they've wanted or may enjoy; I spend way too much at Christmas because I love seeing people's reactions to gifts but giving a random one gives me pleasure.
• Cupcakes.
  
  
• Watch a Hallmark movie: They're so bad that they're good, plus they make for an excellent distraction from whatever or whomever is upsetting me. Sadly, I watch them so often that I have preferred Hallmark movie actors/actresses!
• Boating/skiing/wake boarding/tubing/snowmobiling: Among other things, these activities make me feel better...actually, they usually make me feel damn good except when I face plant!
  
  
  
  
  
• My family & pets: If you know my family, it's self-explanatory, and I mean the entire immediate and extended ones. If you know my pets, well, they can be stressful but they love me unconditionally and are always happy to see me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
• Hug my husband (or another loved one): I've never been a big hugger, but I've been told I give good hugs and sometimes, they do make me feel better.
  
  

What do YOU do when you're feeling down to bring yourself joy???

NaBloPoMo Attempt #1323

Every year, or maybe even several times a year, I try to participate in NaBloPoMo which in extended terms means National Blog Posting Month. The goal is to write one blog post every day for a month, and the website that hosts it offers an overall theme for the month and then daily prompts to help get your "creative juices" flowing. Sadly, despite the prompts being handed to me, I still manage to crap out before finishing an entire month. The theme for December is JOY and since I seriously need some in my life, in addition to being reminded of things that do already bring me joy, I've decided to sign up. Again. There's a 50/50 chance that I'll actually make it through the entire month; I have laziness and lack of motivation and one side, and no school and only working part-time in December on the other side. We'll see how it goes but I welcome any encouragement.

Instagram & Updates

So much for NaBloPoMo!

As I sit here icing my left knee (doh!) I decided it would be a good time to update my [few] readers on how things have been going. For one, I hurt my knee. It was that Jillian Michaels bitch; she is the devil and we are currently taking some time apart (although I plan on resuming my relationship with her in a few days). I am however continuing to run, because I know (as well as many of you do) that if I take time off from that, I have to start all over. I'm up to running 45 minutes at a time and I refuse to break the flow now (hence the ice...and ibuprofen...and ACE bandage ).

Work is going...okay. ICU is an entirely new world, and that world is filled with poop, overdoses, schizo's, and people whose families will not let them rest in peace. Needless to say, it's already wearing me out- emotionally and physically- and I'm in awe of those ICU nurses who do it their entire lives. They are definitely a special breed all of their own. I'm trying to hang in there the best that I can, but I don't see ICU being a long-term location for me.

As for everything else, it's hard to believe that summer is almost over- it's about to be August? That's crazy. Although I am looking forward to some fall weather...if NC and Mother Nature so choose to grant us seasons this year! The pets, AB, and family are all well, and we're trying to spend as much time as we can on the lake as opposed to sleeping (which night shift has been causing me to do extensively). Some in-laws are coming in to town this coming weekend and that should be a fun time; aside from Laird they're the only other nephews/niece that I have. I also have something else exciting (for me) in the works, but don't want to jinx it, so once it's more solid I will tell everyone what that actually is (oooo shady, I know).

Now, some Instagram:

NaBloPoMo

This month I'm going to attempt to participate in NaBloPoMo again. I've attempted to do so in the past but coming up with something to write every single day for a month always proves to be a huge challenge for me. Plus I'm lazy and suck at typing; never a good combination. However, most of my readers are family and friends so I'm not worried about scaring people away from my blog with some sh*tty, lame posts (don't you guys feel special now?). Luckily the challenge provides writing "prompts" every weekday which allows me some motivational handouts. The theme for this month is "connect", and while I'll do my best to stick with the theme, I anticipate not really feeling some of the prompts and branching out on my own. To my few readers, please bear with me, and if you can't suffer through one of my posts I completely accept that you'll scroll right on by!

Adventure

AB and I are headed to Kerr Lake for the weekend with his family. His brother, sister-in-law, and 3 kids are coming down from Jersey so it should be a good time. I will post pictures when I have some. I'm going to try NOT to miss blogging tomorrow (for NaBloPoMo) but it may not be much since the internet up there blows.

Hump Day

I know I'm supposed to be doing these NaNoBloMo prompts each day, but to be honest some of them just suck and I can't even think of a short one-word response for some of them. Therefore I will again not be responding to one regarding sweets today.

A few random things:

• I love when a patient says "Dude, I feel stoned as hell" followed by a short pause, followed by "I mean, I don't know what that feels like b/c I would never smoke weed but I can totally imagine this is what it would feel like". Ha. We all know the truth. And it's usually the younger guys that say it.
• Today didn't suck half as much as most of my other days recently...until my manager came to me on her way out and told me we needed to talk tomorrow. Fabulous. Now what??? The only times she asks me to come to her office is when I'm about to get lectured for something. I don't think I'm going to ask her to be a job reference.
• I started a social committee at work in June and today I dissolved (ie scrapped) said social committee. It seems everyone wants to be social but not enough to do any work to plan something. I love the utter lack of staff retention in our unit and now understand it's because we have no managerial support and totally unmotivated volunteers. I'm still putting it on my resume.
• "Grimm" comes back in 5 days- super excited.
• I'm currently reading 2 books: "The Witch is Back" by HP Mallory and "The Clear Skin Diet" by Alan Logan. I'm enjoying both; I've read all of HP Mallory's other "supernatural" series and I'm fascinated that cutting out milk and sugar may help my hormonal adult acne. After these, I will attempt the first of the dragon tattoo books.

That is all.