Post number 102!

About a week ago I noticed that I was getting close to post number 100! WOW!

But then I forgot.

It was clearly very important to me! :0

So, today, when I signed in to post, I realized that I missed post number 100 so instead I'll just celebrate post number 102.

Seriously...I can't even imagine that I'd have enough to say to fill 102 posts. errm. riiiight.


Today is Administrative Professionals Day, and although I serve mostly as an Ophth. Tech, I also serve as our Administrative professional. The Clinic Manager got every Administrative professional a little flower-boutonniere-corsage thingy to wear. Lucky for me, I wore the junkiest scrubs I could manage today. I feel sort of like I'm wearing a crown encrusted with 1,000 diamonds in my pajamas. yay! I do appreciate the gesture. It's nice for someone to thank you for how hard you work...but my boss (in my department) thanks me for my hard work at least once a week. I'm lucky that way. Also? Flowers make me sneeze...so the idea of having a little bundle of flowers approximately 5 inches from my nostrils doesn't exactly make me excited for the onslaught of sneezes that are in my future.

In other news, there was a very interesting lecture on eating disorders during lunch today. I was actually pretty impressed by the information presented. It was very thorough. I quite enjoyed it as I crunched on my salad while everyone else was eating Indian food. It was okay though, because I find most of the offerings of Indian food catch up with me soon after I've swallowed.

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment. I'm not very excited. I always thought that dentists, proctologists, and gynecologists must be major sadists or something. And seriously, can you think of 3 more horrible places to have your hands in? Mouth, bottom, tootie-ta. See! I told you. You're snarling your nose up now, aren't you?

Speaking of tootie-ta's. I have one more story before I go. When I was about 18 I was having some sort of kidney pain or something. It was only on one side (which pretty much rules out kidneys) and it wasn't constant. It came and went like the north star. (well, honestly, I think the North Star is pretty constant, isn't it?) Anyway, I went to the doctor and after a series of questions they decide they need to do a pelvic exam. I was like, umm okay? Thinking that I would just lay down and they'd just poke on my belly or something. NOPE. The nurse pulls out a sheet and says, "Take your clothes off and wrap up in this sheet." I was like, "Take what?" She looked at me--clearly unamused by my shyness--and repeated "Take your clothes off and wrap up in that sheet." I said (probably a little more panic-y than I meant) "what clothes?" and she so kindly informed me that she meant MY clothes. I said, again pulling her from the door she was trying to exit, "Which clothes?? ALL of them???? WHY???" The nurse informed me that the doctor wanted to "invade my private space and make me horribly embarrassed then talk about me when I left." OK. maybe that's not exactly what the nurse said. But I was not having it at all. I waited until the nurse left and counted to ten. Then....I gathered my things and RAN out of that doctor's office.

Funny thing was I never had anymore side pain after that.

I SO wasn't trying to be secretive...

The study I'm doing is measuring the effects of "undereating" on Insulin and Glucose in your body. It's basically Nutritionally-induced Insulin Resistance. They give me my food...I eat only and all of the food they give me...and then 3 times over a 12 week period I go into the hospital. The hospital stays are the worst! At first, while you're unpacking your little overnight bag and you're setting out your phone charger and you're fluffing your pillows and you're looking out the window at all the wonderful city lights you think, "Ahhhh. This is niiiiiiiice." But then, when they wake you up the next morning at 5:30 and start shoving needles into your veins and drawing blood every 5 minutes and injecting you with all sorts of things you start thinking that it's not so great. Then, when they start cutting into your leg, all the way down to your muscle and take a piece and you can feel that the doctor has gotten the instrument she's using stuck inside your leg and is tugging and tugging but can't seem to free the cannula, you start thinking...WHAT DID I SIGN UP FOR?!

But once it's over, you forget how bad it was...sort of like childbirth (or so I'm told). You'd really have to ask someone like Della about that.

Anyway, one of the side effects is losing about 10-15 % of your body weight *yippee!* and then I get paid at the end also. And let's not forget how much I'm saving by not having to buy groceries.

But I have been hungry. I'm not going to lie. And sometimes it seems that every stinkin commercial on TV is about food. I don't even like chocolate-covered brussell sprouts in a yam and coffee sauce, but when I see a commercial for chocolate-covered brussell sprouts in a yam and coffee sauce my mouth starts watering.

And in case you're wondering, no. that's not a real food. At least I hope it's not. Unless, of course you're the maker of chocolate covered brussell sprouts with a yam-coffee sauce...in which case...YUMMMM. ;0

Anyway, so, I'm holding steady at the 12 pound weight loss mark. (also just in case you're wondering...that is NOT 10 percent of my body weight...but thanks for thinking that!) I think my body has gotten used to the amount of food I'm eating now, so I just have to step it up with a little activity! Then I should start shedding some weight!

So, that's the study. Not as interesting as cancer research or trying to find a cure for a disease...but still...more interesting than chocolate covered brussell sprouts. :)

Insert cute and catchy title here...

Good Morning. Yesterday I was in a horrible mood, so I didn't post anything. I started posting a whiny little rant, but I deleted it and went about my business of being mad and looking at people meanly.

Today, I'm feeling much better.

Also, yesterday, I forgot to eat supper. That has never happened in my life. I've never forgotten to eat a meal. never. But yesterday I did.

Also, I have found my love for Christian music again. I stopped listening to it for a while because I swore they never played anything you'd ever heard before. But yesterday I turned it on again, and every song was one I knew and liked. So I jammed to K-Love all day! I danced and sang and had a good ol' time while I was cleaning last night. If anyone could have seen me through the window, I think they would have thought I was crazy!

My study visit on Friday (last week) was okay. It's never fun, but once it's over it's not that big of a deal. The incision from the muscle biopsy isn't as sore this time, which is good. Last time I was limping around like a hobb-along.

Church for Easter was really really good. I really enjoyed it...but MAN was it crowded. They had also scooted the rows together a little more than they usually are, so I literally had my knees butted up against the seat in front of me. But it was good, nonetheless.

And, in other news...So far, since the beginning of the study I've been doing, I've lost 11.6 pounds. :) yay!

It's Friday, But Sunday's coming!

I know...it's only Thursday...but I have to go to the hospital again tonight for an overnight stay for my study...so I won't be posting tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. When I was growing up I knew what Easter was about, and why we celebrated. I understood that the sacrifice Jesus made was for me and I was thankful. And I celebrated Easter like any kid would.

Last year was the first year I really considered what Easter is. Last year was the first year I really tried to think about how it must have been to have been a disciple of Jesus when He was crucified. I tried to think about how God must have felt allowing such horrible things to happen to his son, so that we can life. I tried to ponder how Jesus must have felt, knowing the horrible things he was about to endure.

And it overwhelmed me. I spent most of last year's Easter weekend mourning Jesus' death. I spent lots of time sad and guilty about what I caused Jesus to go through. Then the Children's Pastor at our church sent out an email to all the volunteers. It said something to the effect of "some of you might be tempted to be sad today, because of what Jesus went through for you...but remembering what Jesus did for you be thankful. Be grateful and celebrate that you have life abundant now! Thank God for what He did, instead of being sad about it! Jesus WILLINGLY made the sacrifice for you, because he loves you!"

It was just the reminder I needed. So this Easter, I'll be celebrating that I have life abundant because Jesus willingly made a sacrifice of his life! I just needed a different perspective!

Random Ramblings...

So, since Sunday, (which I know has only been 2 days) I've lost 2.6 pounds. I hope that means that the rest of the 2 months are going to go exactly as I would like. :)

Also, I am starting to get not one, not two, but THREE fever blisters on my bottom lip. I felt them starting to come up before they actually appeared, so I think I might have knocked them out with Abreva. Man! that stuff is good!

And they're saying that it's going to RAIN on Wednesday. I cannot tell you how happy I am for two reasons: 1. It's not snow. 2. I love the rain and it rarely rains here, so I'm really excited about it! I might even have to play in it!

Yesterday was such a productive day for me. After work I went to Petsmart to get some dog food. I usually get the little bags and they don't last that long. I saw that they had the bigger 20 pound bags on sale, though, so I decided to live large and get the big bag! Super size it, please! So, then I started thinking on my way out about where/how I was going to store all this dog food! I ran over to Target and found this cute green rubbermaid-type containter for 4.99 and it worked gloriously. I was really proud of myself. :)
Then when I got home there was A TON of work to do in the house. About 10 years worth of laundry was calling my name along with a dirty house that I didn't get motivated and clean over the weekend. So, I worked and worked and worked my tail off yesterday. I didn't finish until around 8pm. WHEW! But when I did finish, it looked so nice! I also changed my roommate's sheets into some new ones she got as a gift and she didn't know. So when she got home from work last night at 10:30 she was surprised that her new sheets were on her bed! :)

Also, I think I am going to ask the girls' book group that we're doing to start meeting at a Star*bucks close to home, b/c it's just soooo much to have people over two nights in a row, and sometimes people linger too long and when we have stuff we need to do and don't want to shove someone out the door, it gets a little tricky. I wonder if that's rude or not...to ask everyone to meet at a central location instead of one person's house. hmmm.

Anyway...people here are wearing shorts today. The high was like 70. It's such a perfect day here today! Thank you GOD!!!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who reads here and comments. It's really really nice to have people respond to you. Y'all are becoming such nice friends! :)

Changes are going to come...

So, Sunday I start this "diet". It's actually the second phase of a study I'm doing. But the short-story point is that they provide me with (real/regular, low-fat) food for two months...free...all my food. No groceries will be bought for two months. It's low calorie, low fat food. Portioned out for me...prepared and packed for me everyday. The main effect is not weight loss...but a side effect is. So I hope I lose some! I'm going to maximize my efforts to lose as much as possible during these two months...and then hopefully I'll have created healthy eating habits and continue eating right at the end of their two month period.

Also, I'm starting this Book/Bible study with some girls in my CommUNITY group. The book is, "Do You Think I'm Beautiful." by Angela Thomas. The gist of it is that God desires a relationship with us that is so intimate that we begin to see ourselves as God sees us, instead of defining ourselves by the "world's" standards. I mean, let's face it...I have terribly poor self esteem. There are so many things that contribute to this fact...and this study forces you to come to terms with the things that are hindering you from living a full life. We're just in the first week...and it's already good. I'll pass along what I'm learning every once in a while. :)

And lastly, I'm thinking about school more and more lately. I know I'm not quite ready to go back...but I think I'm starting to narrow down what I'd like to do. I used to think I wanted to do School Counseling...but the more I research the more I think I don't want to do that. For a long time I have entertained the idea of doing Occupational Therapy, but I've always told myself that I'm not smart enough to handle the science classes that OT would entail. After working where I work for so long now, and learning so much, and seeing that I can excel at science-y things...I'm starting to think I can do it.

Sorry for the boring material today. I just thought I would share what's going on in my life currently. :)

The Best April Fools Joke EVER!

**~*~I finally had to delete the Orange Scrubs post. It was leading so many people, especially in other parts of the world, to my post...and people who were NOT searching for my story. So, sorry! That post is gone!~*~**

In honor of April Fool's day I wanted to tell you a story about the best practical joke I've ever played on anyone in my life. Okay, maybe I built it up too much. But, it was gooood.

When I was a sophomore in college I had some friends from back home who came to the same school I went to. They were freshmen and lived in the freshman-only residence hall. They also lived in the same "suite" as their RA. The RA was a junior, so only a little bit older than me. He was this South African guy who just KNEW he was God's gift to the world. He was nice enough, but he was fullllll of himself. We'll call him Chapstick. (go with it). Chapstick had a little South African accent that sort of sounded British, but not as heavy. He also had lived in the US for a long long time, so he had lost a lot of the thickness to his accent. In fact, when he was around people he was totally comfortable with, his accent sort of faded into nothing. But let some pretty girl come around and he would totally play it up. He'd say something in an accent so thick you couldn't even tell what he said. I used to call him out on it. If it was just us hanging around, he'd talk almost completely normal. When some blond beauty walked in the room, he'd start talking and all you'd hear was, "whytcha duoinnnaya turrbuylleasr." I'd say, "Chapstick...No one can tell what you're saying. All of the sudden your accent is SO thick." He'd get pretty mad when I did that. ;0

His roommates (my friends from home) were so nice. We'll call them J and B. Anyway, one day I was over at J, B, and Chapstick's dorm room and Chapstick tells me that he can make a piece of hair stand up in water. I'm an idiot apparently, because I believed him. He pulled out one of my hairs...OUCH!...and tore it into little pieces. Then he filled a large plate with water. He poured salt in the plate (which was just for show) and then sprinkled my little pieces of hair in the plate. He told me I had to get really close and look from the side and I'd see the hair stand up on end. So, I got really close, looked from the side, and WHAM!!! he slapped that plate of water so hard, I was drenched. My whole face got soaked! I like jokes...and usually can appreciate the humor even if it's done to me unless it calls for me losing some article of clothing...that's not funny. So, I laughed it off, but reminded myself that I'd get him back later.

A few days later I was walking back to my dorm after eating supper at the Student Center and my roommate was with me. It was dark, and we went to an Urban University, so you had to be careful about your surroundings. My roommate noticed a car full of boys/men staring us down. They were parked under the dark part of the street, so we couldn't see their faces. Steph, my roommate, suggested that we not walk past the car. Just as we were waiting on the light to change, so we could cross to the other side of the road, I noticed the men getting out of the car. They were looking straight at us...and not in a good way. We couldn't tell who they were, but it was clear they were up to no good. They began walking quickly straight toward us. I started getting nervous saying, "Steph...they're coming here. They're coming. Come on light!! come on!!" I was genuinely scared. Suddenly one of the men began running at me. I had a juice bottle in my hands. In an instant I threw the bottle, started screaming and took off running past the guys! I knew that was going to be the worst night of my life. Just as I tried to run past the guy running at me, I noticed his face. Chapstick. He grabbed me and hugged me really tight and started laughing really really hard. I was so mad. They had really scared me (which was their objective all along!! It was J, B, and chapstick!) So that night I plotted a master plan to get this boy back!

It was right around April Fools Day. I wrote a simple letter that read,

"Chapstick.

I think you're hot. I've seen you around, and I wish that we could get to know one another more. It's a shame for someone like you to be alone. Think about it.

Don't worry. I'll introduce myself soon enough."


And I stuck it on his car window when he was in the Baptist Student Center. Don't throw stones. You have to seize your opportunities when they present themselves!!

So, I didn't mention anything about the note to anyone for a few days. Then I told J and B about it, and swore them to secrecy. They said that he'd been playing jokes on them too, and they wanted in on it. So, we planned a very elaborate scheme.

I began writing more and more notes. I would make each one a little more aggressive than the last. I began getting information from J and B about Chapstick that no one would know unless they were really following him. Stuff like what color boxers he had...or how his room was decorated. Things like the funny way he stacked peas on the back of his fork with his knife. Things like exact times and places that he'd been recently. Things about his past...about his family. I started confessing my LOVE for him. I started telling him that we WOULD be together...and that I couldn't stand by while he chose someone else. I kept telling him that I would introduce myself soon enough.

I had J and B come up with creative ways to present the letters. Sliding them under the door late at night...putting them in his closet...dropping them off at the RA office for him. It was GENIUS. He didn't tell anyone except J and B about it. He was totally freaked! We carried the charade on for about 3 months...then I wrote a letter telling him I wanted to meet him. We planned it out where I said I would be at a Bible Study he attended that week. What he didn't know is I already attended the Bible Study, so me being there wouldn't be a give-away.

He told J and B that he was going to confront this girl and tell her to leave him alone, and if that didn't work, then he'd have to do something a little stronger. Good thing I decided to tell him that night that it was me...before he turned my letters over to police or something!!

Anyway, that night at Bible study I noticed he was a little on edge. He did keep looking around the room at the people who were there. I kept asking him what was wrong...are you looking/waiting on someone?? heheheeh! I'm so bad!

After about half the night went on, and as far as he was concerned she hadn't showed...he calmed down a bit. Once I was sure he was convinced that she wasn't coming, I walked over to him and sat down next to him.

"Chapstick." I said. "I need to tell you something."

"Alright." he replied, oblivious.

"Chapstick. I just love the way your scrape your peas onto the back of your fork with your knife. And I looooooove that you wear red boxer shorts every Saturday to play football at Greensprings Park. And I loooooooove..."

His face went blank. I thought for a moment he might pass out. Instead he stood up.

"YOU???!!! How..? When?? How did you...?" Stuttering. He couldn't even get the words out.

Me, J, and B were laughing so hard we ended up in a heap on the floor. Chapstick just kept going on and on about how I was supposed to be so sweet and nice and innocent! Hahahaah! We had gotten him GOOD.

Of course, he wanted all the details of how we pulled it off. I'm pretty sure that J and B paid a much higher price than I did for the joke. I think there was talk of several "antique-ing sessions". But I would have spent the next year with flour caked over my face just to see the look on his that night!