Staying on Track

This morning I went to an open house at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and I am still still feeling good about this possible career path. I didn't realize there was a schedule to the open house, so I was sad to find out that I missed the professor that spoke about her work with Chinese herbs. I did however get to hear from other professors in the areas of acupuncture , qi gong (at type of synchronized movement) and tai ji. At the end of the open house I even received oratory acupuncture (on my ear). I have to admit that it hurts a little at first but feels good shortly after. With the open house I received a coupon for a free assessment and acupuncture treatment. I scheduled that for next Monday;Thursday I am sitting in on a class and meeting with one of the academic advisers.

After the open house I came into Evanston to meet with Jess, who I have not caught up with in a long time, and now I am babysitting in Evanston. In general my week had its ups and its downs. On Tuesday I was feeling so fed up with work. I called my grandma on my lunch break and told her that I "couldn't do it anymore" and wanted to quit. Her response, "I really don't know what to tell you." I know it's hard because it would not at all be practical for me to quit my job; I may not make it financially. My boss wasn't there to talk to that day, but the week got better as my ipod bid won on ebay on Wednesday. The night I also talked to my boss after work (6:30) and did not leave her office until 9:30!!

It was such a necessary conversation with her and my co-worker. As a result of the conversation, I am coming in an hour later. She knows about my plans for school and supports me 100%. One of our students has been asked to leave and she plans to talk to a few other parents. She wants me to only work with the Kindergartners. She talked about not letting work be my life, about being young and always pursuing things that I love. etc. As I try and type it all out, I'm not entirely sure how the conversation lasted three hours. The day after our conversation, the student that we had already planned to ask to leave said to another one, "Tomorrow I am going to bring a knife to school and cut your head off." Yes, one of my five year-olds said this. Unbelievable! Her Mom did not pick her up that day, but we had a meeting with her last night as we emphasized that this child receives some psychological help ASAP!!

Yesterday was also my director's birthday. Last Sunday I went to a free class at Whole Foods on Raw Foods (and bought a cookbook, but that's another story). My director likes sweets but also likes to be healthy, so I made her a raw "brownie." I didn't have enough ingredients to have one myself, but I did try a little. It was so simple and really pretty healthy: walnuts, dates, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt and a but of vanilla. I also bought her a relaxation candle to go in big gift basket that the staff put together for her. A few of us took her to Uncle Julio's last night for dinner. I got these delicious vegetable fajitas: roasted potatoes, onions red and poblano peppers, mesquite grilled yellow squash, zucchini and portobello mushrooms, served with black beans and our warm flour tortillas. (I definitely had some for lunch today and will have some more tomorrow.) Speaking of tomorrow... It's the Super Bowl, and I haven't even made any plans.

Is This Really Happening?!

I cannot stop smiling. :) I think I know what I want to do with my life!! Today I met with Libby at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (http://www.pacificcollege.edu/). In talking with her, and her friend Sonora for almost three hours, I learned that a Master of Science (Traditional Oriental Medicine) combines my interests in medicine,psychology, nutrition, education and cooking. There are also three campuses: New York City, Chicago and San Diego. So in summary, I plan to go to medical school, but it's Oriental/Eastern medical school. It just all came together, and I don't think it could have come at a better time. Work has really been getting me down lately and spilling into other aspects of my life.

For example, last night I was not really looking forward to going over to my friends' house warming party. How sad is that?! It's kind of funny looking back on it now: I drove there, but it's only permit parking around their place. Then, when I drove back, I somehow couldn't get over the snow drift back into the garage (even though I got out). So I parked on some random side street, went back upstairs to get cab money for later and walked there. It ended up being a great time: a group of us went in a side room, totally isolated from the "party", and caught up. I didn't get home until after 1AM: so late for me!

So back to today... I talked with my Mom just a little while ago, and she has been looking into going back to school for massage therapy. We are both in the same place right now when it comes to not liking our jobs and wanting something more fulfilling out of life. So who knows what will happen in the future with both of us pursuing careers in Eastern medicine?! I would love to open a place with yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture and anything else that falls into this realm of goodness. I also foresee myself trying to educate a younger population. This sounds so corny, but I feel so good right now, so grateful. :)

The Prettiest Face You've Ever Seen?!

Haha... It's the nicest thing I've heard in awhile: Wednesday night, after going out for Thai with my co-worker/friend Emily, a man on the street says to me, "Excuse me mam. I'm sorry, but you have the most beautiful face I have ever seen." I laugh and tell him that he just made my day. It's pretty amazing how a stranger's kind words can boost the way you feel about yourself. :)

I need to remind myself of events like those because I have not been too happy lately. At times I tell myself that I'm making too big a deal out of nothing, but on the other hand, I cannot help the way I feel. At first I thought I couldn't get out of bed in the mornings to hit the gym because it is cold, and I was unmotivated. However, after thinking about it more, I believe I have trouble getting out of the bed because I don't want to start my day in general: After I go to the gym, I have to get ready toand go into work.

I'm proud of how busy I've kept myself during the week: Monday night I met my friend Gail for dinner. Tuesday night I babysat in Evanston and then met up with Carryn. Wednesday night I had dinner with Emily. Regardless I end up going home at night feeling rather unhappy. Last night was better though. I went to YEHA (Young Earth Human Alliance). YEHA is a class I've only been to twice, but I was invited to go to Sedona, AZ for an "Empowerment Camp" February 12th-15th and have decided to take them up on the offer. I am so excited and have been needing something like this to look forward to.

More to come... Back to the kids! :(

Getting Excited!

After talking to a few of my closest friends (Caitlin and Lauren) this past week, I have become very excited about the prospects of going back to school for nursing. Just this morning I requested information from about 10 different schools! Surprisingly none of these accelerated BSN programs exist in Chicago, which means I will be moving somewhere new (unless I decide to do a regular, not accelerated program). The thought of moving someplace new for a year or so excites me! Some of the these schools include: Villanova, NYU, UPenn and University of Michigan. Now will begin the process of sifting through prerequisites, lengths of programs, costs, start dates, etc.

This weekend wasn't anything too exciting... I was actually "all star babysitter." I babysat Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning. I made some extra money, which is always nice to have. The extra money, combined with Caitlin getting out of the hospital on Saturday and having today off has caused me to be in a better mood than I have been recently. Work has been getting more and more frustrating for me lately. With travel time I am committing myself to work 8:30-7ish Mon-Friday. I want more free time to get on top of stuff for school, to volunteer more, to have more time for myself. It would be hard to leave my current job, but I think it will need to happen in the near future. If not, I won't have much room for growth.

Oh yeah... I watched this really cute, inspiring movie last night: The Ultimate Gift. I recommend it. Happy MLK Day everyone. :)

Cold and Sick of It!

Honestly... I cannot stop thinking about sundresses, warm weather and green grass! Too bad it's only January. :( Regardless of the cold, the week is going by rather quickly. I like to think that making plans during weekday evenings helps. Monday evening was nothing special, but last night Ashley picked me up from work, and we went to the Chicago Diner for dinner. I had been there once before. I was told that they have awesome " radical reuben"s (Sliced seitan, onions, peppers, sauerkraut, vegan thousand island dressing, cheese, on marbled rye), so that's what I ordered with a side of sweet potato fries. Macaroni and cheese sounded good too, so I got a side of that. The sandwich was very good; I liked the sweet potato fries; I didn't like the macaroni and cheese. Ashley ordered the sweet potato quesadilla (spinach tortilla with grilled chickin seitan, spiced black beans, mashed sweet potatoes, cheese & spinach). I definitely tried a bite- unique and tasty! After dinner we shared the cocoa mousse cake (chocolate layer cake with creamy mousse filling & rich frosting, topped with chocolate ganache.) There was nothing left. :) We both agreed that there are a lot of options, and the food is good, but the service isn't the greatest. Looking at the menu again today, there is still a lot of food I want to try, so I would go back, but I won't expect too much. After dinner I made a new black bean salad for a potluck dinner tonight at Lauren's apt.

I'm excited to see her and her roommates. I am all bundled up today and ready to face the snow!

Still in Shock...

This morning I received a call from one of my closest friends (Caitlin). At the time of the call she was in the emergency room in Boulder, CO. Last night she was in excruciating pain and had trouble breathing. After a trip to the ER, she learned that she had a pulmonary embolism-blockage of the pulmonary artery, which caries blood from the heart to the lungs, or one of its branches, usually occurring when a blood clot from a vein becomes dislodged from its site of formation and migrates to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, pain in the chest, or in severe cases collapse, circulatory instability or sudden death. (Wikipedia.) This caused half of a lung to stop functioning.

If Rob would not have taken her to the hospital, I'm worried that Caitlin would have tried to tough it out. (She's that kind of girl.) I feel so grateful for him and that she is doing better. She is still going to be in the hospital for further testing this week, and the doctors told her that she will have to take blood thinners. This means she needs to avoid any possible damage to her head (aka no soccer, no skiing). She told me for forever, but I hope that changes. If you're like me, you are wondering what caused this? The answer: birth control. Isn't that crazy?! For awhile she did smoke too, which I guess increases chances of clotting.

So yeah. I'm still in shock about hearing this news. I wish Colorado was more accessible so that I could visit her. It definitely made me open my eyes to what's important in life/what I want to do and accomplish. I think I need to write some of that stuff down. (I will keep you posted on what I come up with, but off the top of my head, I know that being certified as a yoga instructor and traveling to Africa, Australia and Spain are high up there.)

Today was not the most eventful day for me, but I did get stuff accomplished, which is always nice. I am babysitting early tomorrow morning and then plan to see Dave, Cristy and Parker.

Back to my week: Tuesday night I went over to Lindsay and Ema's apartment after work. It's kind of embarrassing how close they live; yet, I had not been over there yet. Lindsay and I exchanged Christmas gifts: she made me a cd of photos and videos from our European adventures and these cute reusable hand warmers. How could have thought of a better Chicago gift?

Wednesday night was dinner with Lindsay Rathert. (I had not seen her since before graduation.) We met at Hai Yen, a Vietnamese restaurant. We shared delicious Goi Cuon Chay: rolls filled with seasoned tofu, shitake mushroom, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, fresh herbs, and bean sprouts; served with a homemade peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was so flavorful, and they were filling. For an entree I ordered Ca Tim: fresh Japanese eggplant stir fried with tofu, garlic and onions in a mild spicy sauce. It had just enough spice and addicting flavor. I think I will definitely crave it in the future.

On Thursday night I finally stepped out of my comfort zone and went to Dahn Yoga Center for YEHA: Young Earth Human Alliance. It's hard to explain the class because it changes every week. This week focused on creativity, and we did some great exercises: drawing to music, making pictures out of typical shapes, having to rename standard household objects and giving them a new function and lastly, making a poem out of our meditation. In my group, we came up with:

Enjoy Life Together
Stillness Here Birds Quietness
Water Peace Love Laughter
Warmth Friends & Family Sunshine
Cloudy Cool Breeze Rain
Warmth Lush green meadow
Happiness

Shoot... I need to get to bed. Tomorrow morning will come soon.

Someone Upstairs is Looking Out for Me

Grr... How does this always happen? I mean to write more often than I actually do.

The reason for my title is very embarassing to me: I got to the bus stop Wednesday morning, opened my bag to get out my CTA card and did not have it. I was annoyed that I had to go back to my apt but felt positive that I would find my wallet on the floor, among the mess. However, when I got home, I could not find it. I ended up driving to work. My bank accounts were all okay, but it did not mean that it was easy for me to go about my day not thinking about it.


Just to retrace my stops I thought I would go to the Sheridan el station. (I took the train over to Lindsay and Ema's the previous night.) It was not turned in there, but the gentleman working told me to call the lost and found at Howard. To my surprise... Someone had turned it in. I'm still not entirely sure how I lost it, and I don't know why I tend to have this problem of losing things. I've been lucky to have a cell phone or two returned to me, in addition to this wallet. It'd be one thing if I had an excuse (ie I was drunk.), but I don't really. I think I was talking to a parent and did not hear my wallet drop.

The woman and the lost and found told me that she would be at Howard until 11, so I headed in that direction after work. I was fortunate to have all of my credit/debit cards and cash in my wallet, but my loose change and good number of gift cards (4 Visas, Panera, Starbucks and Subway). Even though that frustrates me, I am grateful to have back the necessities. I guess the person doesn't like Macy's because they did not touch that gift card.

I ended the night with a delicious dinner with Lindsay Rathert. (More to come later!)

Happy New Year! (01/01)

As I wrote in my last post, I am not crazy about celebrating New Year's Eve, but I do like the thought of a new year, a fresh start (just like I love the start of a new school year or new semester). After sleeping in this morning I came home and went on a mad cleaning/organizing spree: washing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, organizing mail, etc. I can't believe it's already 10PM. I am happy to know that I have the next three days off of work. I think I am going to need it going into a full five day week on Monday.



Last night was nothing like my last New Year's Eve (I blacked out in all-inclusive Riviera Maya with my sister.), but it was really nice. After trying to find a parking spot for 30+ minutes, I got to Grace and Charlie's around 10. Charlie recently got a puppy named Gryffin, who greeted me at the door-so cute! It was nice to catch up with everyone (Grace, Charlie, Jess, Brian, Ryan, Pat and Doug), It had been awhile. I also met some of Charlie's friends from Truman. We did the official countdown and champagne toast at midnight, but my fellow working friends and I were all in bed by 2.