Keeping up with the Joneses

Random Educational Tidbit:  Ever wonder where the phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses" came from?  Apparently it all started with a 1913 comic strip from the NY Times... (at least according to wiki)

Anywhoo, I've never really been one to worry about keeping up with the joneses.  Admittedly I have some nice stuff and I do continue to buy nice stuff, but mostly because I like the nice stuff.  I'm the type to oooh and ahhh over the softness of leather, the brighty cheer colors of a fabric, and the lovely details of a polka dot or some other print.  But I must add that in an effort to be a true tight wad and less materialistic, I've started to be more creative with my love of nice stuff.  For instance, I've been shopping at goodwill more often and am going to learn to sew.  After all, you might be surprised to know that a lot of my favorite outfits usually cost less in total than say... my purse, lol.

But... I have found one area of life that I never realized I worry about what the darn Joneses are doing... a career.  I've always foolishly had the thought that life will be great once all this schooling is over and I can begin my "real" life.  Then came the hiccup of medical school, but I don't want to dwell too much on that again...  The time is quickly approaching that my old class is getting ready to graduate from medical school and I'm starting (or started until this revelation) to see them as the Joneses.  I then begin to panic and start down that old familiar path of... well, life will be great once I get this nursing education stuff going...

But... And here's the PSA you've been waiting for...  Life is great now.  I have much to be grateful for.  My "real" life is the present and what I make of it.  Now, I've got to get off my butt and make something of what's left of the day.  (Although, in my defense, I'd already powered washed the half of the deck we didn't get to last night, had breakfast and did a little vacuuming this morning before I sat down and started wasting time/procrastinating on the web.)

The Year of AHAs!

I'm beginning to think this might be the year of AHAs!  Perhaps all this soul searching is finally getting me somewhere, and quite frankly, it's bout freakin' time!

- I'm really excited about the nursing school prospect.  I've already applied to a school and depending on how my previous credits transfer, I may even be able to start this fall (with some required summer courses), but that's the overly optimistic version.  Either way, I feel like nursing seems right.  It will allow me to be in a clinical setting, hopefully eventually down the road as an np, and will also allow me to work a decent paying job while I'm seeking out all this education.  Hoorah for an answer to the career soul searching! (Also, I have to add that hoorah is technically misspelled and that the first correction offered is hookah.)

- I might finally have a sensible diagnosis for all this health stuff I've been dealing with.  At first we thought thyroid problems, as was pointed out to me by the physician running my patient care class in medical school.  That's not it.  Then I freaked out and thought I had MS, especially since my mom has it, but that's not it.  Then there was a thought that it could be narcolepsy and it's probably not that either.  Went to the neurologist today, and he mentioned both a vasovagal response and delayed sleep phase syndrome.  I wikipedia-ed it (and yes, I know it's not considered a "real" source but it does give a great overview) and it makes so much sense!  DSPS explains my inability to fall asleep at a "normal" hour, to wake at a "normal" hour, which would explain the endless fatigue and a vasovagal response sounds dead on with my "sick" spells.  Very pumped about a possibly correct diagnosis!  Treatment for this, coupled with a possible dairy allergy could be the answer.  Say it with me... Ahhhhhaaaaa...

- Also, I'm really excited about moving to Roanoke.  I think, and I feel the need to say it again, think, Roanoke will be a great place for us to live.  If we live in the right neighborhood (the neighborhood I've been scoping houses out in), I'll be able to walk to school, take Caesar to the dog park, and maybe even walk to other necessary amenities.  Plus, if we get a scooter like we've been talking about, I could scooter to and fro.  Yes, I said to and fro.  The new river is still close by for canoeing adventures.  Roanoke is definitely bigger than Princeton, offering "indulgences" such as shopping at places other than Walmart, and a Fresh Market, and other shops I love that people who don't live in tiny Princeton forget about.  Plus, the area likes to focus on supporting local shops, restaurants and other establishments, which I'm completely into!

One last thing...  I read this book called The Happiness Project a while back.  It really made an impact on me and I've attempted to start my own happiness project a couple of times, and have since started it up again and more seriously committed to it!  Perhaps it's the cause of the aha moments, perhaps not, either way I think it's a great way to begin to change your life in lots of little ways.

I guess that's all for now on the aha moments!  Hopefully more will come and quickly because I'm terribly impatient...

What I'm reading: 20 Something Manifesto, The Healing of America (pick up where I left off)
What I've been listening to lately: Pandora station made from At Last by Etta James (it rocks!)
Favorite New Song: I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria
What I'm baking next: good question, maybe a new kind of cookie
Looking forward to: seeing Michael Buble in concert again! 
What I thought most while typing this:  Is this a cohesive (not all over the place) post? Or does it just sound like I'm spewing as many words as possible as quickly as possible?  Haha
Random aside:  I constantly have all these random thoughts that I keep meaning to turn into blog posts...  

Huge Thanks to You!

This is actually a banking ad and a clever one at that, but I figured an appropriate one for the big sister figure in my life who shall remain nameless because I'm never sure if it's a good idea to just throw out people's names on the internet.  (Maybe they'll have weird privacy issues like me or maybe not, but ya never know.)


Anyway, after a little phone tag, had a great conversation with R who suggested I looking become a nurse practitioner.  I've never really considered this, mostly because I never wanted to be a nurse, but there's a big difference between a np and an rn. 


Very enlightening!  So, I've done a little researching, I'm greatly considering it and really excited about the idea!  I think it'll be a great fit for me in terms of allowing me to find a way to save the world around me, make good money in an effort to pay off my student loans, and allow me to have a life.  


So, I'm having yet another AHA! moment in my life and I love it!  So thanks a ton to you big sister! :) 


And in other news, we'll be moving soon!  Jeremi's waiting for the official job offer, but we're both very much looking forward to moving.  I'm so very ready to move out of Princeton and am looking forward to all that the Roanoke area has to offer.  So... Double Yay for today!


What I'm reading: Sheet Music, Also still looking for another guilty pleasure read
What I've been listening to lately: New CDs by Amos Lee and Adele
Favorite New Song: Better Man by James Morrison
What I'm baking next: Cheesecake cupcakes I'm naming the Markie
Looking forward to: the possibility of nursing school 
Crazy thing I/We did this week: Shot Jeremi's Golfball cannon! :)
What I thought most while typing this:  I never know where commas truly go.  I deleted and added some as I thought was correct, but I'm pretty sure they're all wrong.  

What's it all about anyway? And my usual other random rantings...

I always joke that I'm having my mid-life crisis in my mid-twenties.  (Hope this doesn't in any way reflect on my own longevity.)  But maybe it's not so much a joke as it is the truth.  After all, I did have my most devastating breakup in my twenties, that being the break up of what I thought was without a doubt going to be my one true calling, you knew it was coming... the doctor/medical school rant.

In all honesty, and a whole lot of healing time and hindsight, withdrawing from med school may have been the best thing that happened to me.  It forced me to really and truly wonder the all important questions of life...
-what is it all about?
-what is it I'm wanting out of my own life?

I would have previously told you it's all about making an impacting and maybe even making an attempt to save the world.  I haven't changed my mind on that one, maybe just my outlook.  I had previously thought I would travel the world doing something like Doctors without Borders in an effort to save the world.  I guess I'm becoming one of those peoples who is trying to save the world in their own environment.  For me, looking more realistically at how I can make a change within the world I live in.  I use to think this was a bit of a cop out, but I'm beginning to see what I would call the smile phenomenon.

The Smile Phenomenon - Changing/Impacting the world one smile at a time.  I use to think this was kinda a BS thought, but maybe a smile really does change one person's day,week, life, etc.  I've had this talk with the big muffin about the validity of the smile phenomenon; he seems to think that I think it's stupid mostly because smiling comes so easily to me, and apparently I tend to think that affecting someone's day should require a little more effort.   Hate to admit I think he's right...

Anyway, so what's my current answer to these very important questions?  I'm beginning to think it's all about positively affecting the world around you.  And I'm sure many of you will be shocked to find out, I'm still not sure exactly what I want out of life, but here's a few things...

-I think I want a family, not anytime in the near future, but definitely more than just the good ol' hubby and darling doggie.  For those of you who don't know this, this thought is a huge step, as I was beginning to wonder if I ever wanted kids or if I just wanted to be the cool auntie, godmother etc.
-I want/need some kind of a career.  I could never be a stay at home mom, or a work from home on occasion kind of gal.  I'm too driven and I get cabin fever entirely too easily.
-I want a balanced life with room for extracurriculars.  This one I learned from my small stint in medical school.  I love any activities I can do with the dog, such as camping, hiking and canoeing.  I love hanging out with the big muffin.  All these little things require one thing... time, and in a life where you study your head off and have to schedule in time for things like eating, TV and man time, well, that's no life at all...

I guess that's all I know for now.

On a lighter note, here's a few random keeping ya up-to-date tidbits...
What I'm reading: The MS Diet book (still), The Scent of Desire, looking for a guilty pleasure read too
What I've been listening to lately: Adele (iTunes Live from Soho CD)
Favorite New Song: Adele's version of Make You Feel my Love
What I'm baking next: Chocolate Souffles
Looking forward to: Physical Therapy shadowing with Debbie
Crazy thing I/We did this week:  Attempted to have 2 dogs.  It was nuts.  Ended up taking her back to the vet where we got her.  Darling dog (temporarily named Nala) is the vet's soon to be dog :)
What I thought most while typing this:  1. Thank God for SpellCheck!  2. I ramble much too easily 3. Does what I write even make sense to other people? lol  4. Would I want to Share this Blog with more people?  Maybe post it on Facebook?  I like to hear people's responses, but I have weird privacy issues...

Hope this post finds all you lovely readers well! :)

Frankly, it weighs on me and I just can't help it.

If you know me even a little, have talked to me recently or read some of my previous blogs, you'll know exactly what I'm going to talk about.

I'm not really sure if anyone reads this anymore, but my life is so all over the place I feel like I'm constantly updating people on what we're doing.  So, here's the update if you're out there, otherwise I'll just consider it an outlet and form of therapy.

Another round of the ever dreaded, what's going on with you...

I didn't get into the post-baccalaureate pre-med program I had applied to.  The plan was to use this one year program to boost my grades and application to the medical school affiliated with the program, but it didn't work out.  I did find it somewhat comforting to find out that the associate dean of the program simply said it's just not the right fit for someone who's already attended medical school.  Now, if only they could have told me this before I applied to the program and got my hopes up.

However, after paying attention to some of the words spoken and sung at mass tonight (sung by me, the cantor, who got through the entire mass without any major mistakes... small hoorah!) I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps God is trying to tell me that being a doctor isn't for me.  (Crazy thought considering I am a Filipino and quite frankly who knew they had other occupations to consider at all, haha)  So, on to the bigger and badder and bolder questions... What am I being called to do?

Here's the update/thought process...  Feel free to weigh in...

- Open a Coffee Shop/Bakery.  This idea seems fun and ridiculous.  I love to bake, but I would never want to own a bakery that would require me to churn out pastries and other delights at a ridiculous pace. Hence, a coffeeshop/bakery.  I do loooove coffee, and I love the idea of owning a place for people to gather, connecting people through great food.  Plus, I figure I can bake on a first come first serve basis and I'm a pretty decent baker (see the pic of the pseudo-black forest cuppies I made someone as a late xmas present).  The scary part of this plan is I never wanted to own my own business, seems like entirely too much fluff to deal with and I'd hate to get into this and have it financially tank. As if I don't already have enough student loan debt...  Besides, I don't even know where to begin on this type of thing, especially since I've never even worked at a bakery.  But if you're out there, and independently wealthy, feel free to contact me...

- Be either a psychologist or therapist, depending on the schooling involved.  This sounds crazy, but I kind of love the crazies.  I feel for them.  I relate to them.  I believe I can honestly help them without being judgmental like many others are.  Plus, I never realized how down-to-earth, together and levelheaded I actually am.  It sounds cocky to say that, but I suppose it's true, might as well recognize it and use it as an asset in my life.

- Be a physician's assistant with some wicked specialty like surgery, pediatrics, or pediatric cardiology.  This idea fulfills my want/need to work in the medical field, without the added hassles of becoming a doctor.  At least this way there is less school, no residency or at least not like a medical residency, and a somewhat better and more family friendly lifestyle as compared to a physician.

- Finally, go into some version of research.  I did a little (and I do mean a little) research in undergrad, and I loved it.  Plus, I think my brain is well suited for research.  I most certainly don't think like anyone else I know and as big muffin says, I'm a bit anal in the strangest ways.  Watched a National Geo Documentary thing on Stress courtesy of instant netflix and couldn't help but think...  Hmmm, it would be pretty awesome to work for that guy.

Anyway, this wasn't exactly what I had meant to post about, but when I began to write it's what came out, so it must be what truly does weigh on me.  Something lighter and more fun to follow.  (I'm resolving to write on here more often.)

Some Random Tidbits
What I'm Reading: Izzy and Lenore, The MS Recovery Diet
What I'm Listening to: The song in my head, which is a 3 second loop of a song whose name I do not know
What I'm Planning to Bake Next: Dog Treats, Orange Scones
What I'm Craving: Chicken in a Biscuit
What I thought most while writing this: I use ellipses in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways, but I just can't help but enjoy using them to represent my trailing thought processes.