Homework or Heroes?

Ah, screw both and blog! Today delivered some poopy news about my scholastic future. I had a meeting with a nursing advisor at UT. Now, I am not trying to be overpretentious, but I feel that I am overqualified for the nursing program at this point, and I feel like I should jump straight into clinicals. I do only have 6 classes before I can begin, so I am loading myself up with an 18 credit hour fall semester! Yuck! The good news is that these classes are packed into Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 2 of them online. Score! The bad news is that there is an application process for the Bachelors of Nursing program. Heh, no problem, I am a genius, right? No, apparentely not. I was informed today that my GPA is .4 points lower than what I thought (3.4). This is all due to a PSO class that I was signed up for spring semester my senior year at BHS that I decided to not go through with due to a bad case of senioiritis. Little did I know that my teacher never submitted the paperwork to withdraw me from the class, so the University of Findlay has me on record with an "F" in Calc 2. SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY. No wonder I didn't get in the pharmacy program! This information never showed upon my degree audit or unofficial transcript, so I was never aware until now. Now I am barely competitive for the nursing program! The minimum GPA last year was a 3.49, which I am nearly half a point away from now! The only upside is that they are redoing the entire process, making it 3 times a year, and with more spots available, which will hopefully work to my advantage. I am going to be calling Findlay to see if there is anyway I can get rid of this! yuck yuck yuck. The most appropriate word for this situation is: redunkulous.

Which leads me to another story: movies, particularly kids movies. I am amazed at how I have never disliked a single Pixar movie that I've seen. Seriously, they are cinematic chocolate! Frankie went out to get headphones for his iTouch so he could run(see next paragraph for story), and came home with a slew of movies for the fam. For Omri he got: Pinocchio and Bolt. Me: Twilight (still havent watched it due to homework/cleaning/kids/work/life). Himself: The Nightmare Before Christmas. So we proceed to watch Pinocchio (not my favorite Disney classic, but Omri loved it). Then we watched Bolt. This movie was hilarious and I loved it.. I even cried a bit at the end. So sweet. Two thumbs up. Even if Miley Cyrus is one of the voices.. more about Miley Cyrus later. We also recorded Wordplay on the Independent Film Channel (one of the BEST channels ever, if you have to pay extra for it, its worth it!). Funny stories about crossword enthusiasts, and now me and Frankie are on a crossword kick, we almost got a NY Times subscription, but it's slightly more pricey than what we anticipated! Another good documentary that we've recorded from IFC is "I Like Killing Flies". It's about this restaurant owner in NYC, and he is over-the-top crazy! For instance: no parties of 5 are EVER allowed to eat at the restaurant. There's a whole plaque devoted to this! If you can ever find it at a Blockbuster, rent it!! I just recorded "The Pianist", and I haven't watched it yet, but I can't wait to. I have a slight fascination with WW2, I think I could watch any show/read any book on the subject.

Anways, Frankie hadn't been running lately, because it's been cold and what not... So Friday he gets real excited to go and try again. I buy him new athletic shorts from walmarts and off he goes. After I wait anxiously for an hour, he returns, slightly sweaty, but proud of a 3 mile walk/run. Later on in teh day, the feeling of accomplishment has diminished and in its place: painful tootsies. He can still barely walk, as the outsides of his feet are extremely sore! We've tried the cold water soak, some biofreeze, and good ole fashioned foot rubs, but it's still there. A trip to the Andersons for some steakage almost killed him. It's pretty pitiful. Poor guy. Needless to say, I think next time he'll take it a little slower!

Also, funny story: apparentely at the Grammy's Miley Cyrus wanted to meet Radiohead, one of her "like, favorite bands ever!" But they refused. Lil Cyrus goes on the radio and says that she is going to "ruin them" by telling all of her fans to boycott them. I'm sure that one of the most influential and sucessful bands ever is going to feel the dent from this tween crowd. Silly girl. Radiohead released a statement saying that "“When Miley grows up, she’ll learn not to have a sense of entitlement." I used to not have such a thing for Radiohead, despite Frankie's admiration and devotion, but their concert last August was so amazing that I am a complete convert. I guess I should like them anyways, since they are the reason that we named the first girl Omri...

Ah, but I've rambled far too long about nonsense, it's time to do something more productive!

The water stands for hours...

... in my tub. Now what has started as a mildly slow drain has turned into almost complete blockage. No amount of Drano or Liquid Plumber Foaming Pipe Snake could resolve this problem. I even bought a snake, and attempted to show off my handyman capabilities to Frankie (long hair has given me years of experience), but alas, that has no chance with the twists and turns in our pipes. So we call our other handyman, aka Patrick W. Roseman (I'm making him business cards).
Said man removes pipes, only to find a hard substance not far into pipes that wouldn't even budge from the threat of an ambitious butter knife. Time for the professionals. Have to call Roto-Rooter tomorrow for the diagnosis and prognosis. Wished we lived in New England for the slight chance our plumbers would be Jason and Grant from TAPS (or Ghost Hunters). A two for one! My plumbing would be solved and my paranormal concerns confirmed or denied. Alas, I will settle for Joe the Plumber, so long as I can take a shower without standing in several inches of icky water.

Last week on the said sunny day from a previous blog, Omri and Frankie graced the Toledo Zoo with their presence. Needless to say, she had fun. The loves her animals. Now, she wakes up and says "I see animals.?", as a combination statemention/question. She then proceeds to tell me about each animal, and then goes "I say hi to monkey". Wish we had a membership so we could go a couple times a month. She also thinks for some reason that hippos are purple. And that they climb trees. And that they have belly buttons. Must be something from a Sandra Boynton book. Omri can also almost say 'hippopotamus' clearly, making it her longest word that she can pronounce. It's a big improvement from "hippo-party", which she used to say. haha

So our family is having a slight dilemma. You see, we love animals. A whole bunch. I think I would fill the house with animals if they weren't a crazy amount of work. Anyways, we already have one cat, Kennison McGee, aka Kenny. Frankie has been talking about getting a dog for quite time now. An English bulldog specifically, but those slobber mongrels cost more than my computer, and that's just crazy. So we found some Beagle pups for around $150. Not bad, we'll throw them into consideration. I would really love a lab, because I think they're great dogs all around: good with kids, guard dogs, loving, slightly dumb. But our little casa may not support such a large quadriped. Alas, Kenny is a literal definition of 'scaredy cat', and I worry about how he will do with a rough canine. So I suggest another kitten. Omri and Frankie go to the Humane Society, but kittens aren't 'in season', a few more weeks, and they'll be flooding the place. That's a no go for now. I would love another animal, because i think it's important for the kids to have animals, especially this young to prevent/reduce pet allergies in the future. We probably won't even end up getting anything, but the idea is always fun to entertain.

Anyways, time to skidaddle and watch some tele to relax, it's my night to get up with Olive!

Belly Up!

So our second fish, Achoo, is pretty much the most ridiculous pet I've ever owned. I looked in the tank the other day and almost had a cow because he was floating on his side in his corner that he favors. Oh no, He's dead! But no, his mouth was still moving, and a good poke from Popeye righted him. Not much time passed, and I again found Achoo in an upside down position in the middle of the tank. This time, a little push from me with the fish scooper tool, and he was on his way. I begin to become worried, especially since the next time I find him, he is upside down in their hideout log. Oh, Achoo, are you trying to commit suicide. So Frankie, a.k.a. Internet M.D., decides to investigate on the inter-web. Turns out that when Achoo eats (flakes from the top of the water), he intakes water, and this gas in his stomach ruins his buoyancy, causing him to turn over. It's quite pitiful actually, we right him again and again, only to watch him struggle to maintain his uprightedness. Now the fish are to be on a special diet of pellets that will float to the bottom so silly Achoo won't be stuck upside-down for the remainder of his life, however long we can keep him alive.

Anyways, we got a real glimpse of spring the other day with some almost 70 degree weather, coupled with some lovely sunshine. This called for Ollie's first time in exposed sunlight/air/general outdoors in her life. She enjoyed being carried around in her stylish track pants, as Omz and Frankie picked up sticks. Sticks, I must add, we have no shortage of. We have multiple piles in the back yard, and a couple large limbs/trunks from a tree that neighbor Mike took down. I kind of just want to set fire to the majority of the back yard, because there is so much to pick up still! A lawn mower would be destroyed by this stuff! Alas, I don't feel like alarming any Smokey the Bears, so I hope that the neighbors will be needing a lifetime supply of kindling for their firepits--i'll bring marshmallows! Omri also was able to meet Mike's two little boys, Joe (5) and Ben (3). She pretty much thought them hilarious, and I'm glad she'll have some buddies to do sprints and watch trains go by with. Her and Ben hugged it out, though I think his original intention was to pick her up, Omri misread that signal. Another plus to our neighbors: both sides are resourceful when it comes to cars. Our brake lights had gone out and voila! Mike had the parts sitting in his shed. He says he can fix the muffler/exhaust/shivering problem my car has too, and super cheap, since he gets parts at cost from his shop.

Needless to say, I can't wait for it to get warm. I bet this summer will be a blast, with our super huge backyard, and the neighbors that we can enjoy having in close proximity. Even if Kyle has his nipples pierced and and a F.B.I. tattoo (Full Blooded Irish, not Federal Bureau of Investigation). haha Speaking of tattoos, I've entertained the thought of getting a sleeve. I think they're beautiful. But I'm wayyyyyy too chicken.

Patience required

Today was a long day at work. Not necessarily time wise (7.5 hours), just patient wise. It seemed as if there was an abnormal amount of people showing up to drop off/pick up/complain/ask questions. This, coupled with a short staff, made things seem never ending. The drive-thru for instance, I believe is the last thing that belongs in a pharmacy. It drives me nuts to see people who are picking up meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and their type 2 diabetes from being overweight who refuse to get out and walk in the store. Across the board, this lazy mentality that affects so many people discourages me. I don't understand how people can ignore their health and rely on quick fix methods to put a 'band-aid' on their problems. Argghh!! I guess I am not the model for perfect health, but I'm at least more conscious of it. Somedays I think about beginning a running regime, since most of my family can probably kick my butt! Seriously, I used to have a less-than-6 minute mile. I believe I ran the Komen freshmen year at about 25 minutes. Sheesh, that's amazing to think of now. I need a new pair of tennis shoes though, the other pair is slightly disgusting from the basement flood (see previous post).

I'm watching HLN news channel, and "Showbiz Tonight" is on, and Tyra Bank's talking about something or other. That woman freaks me out. Kind of makes me uncomfortable. She's everywhere. Yet I still watch America's Next Top Model reruns like it's my job, haha.

Uh-oh, gotta do the dishes, they've definately been soaking for a good hour!

Where are my fishing weighters?

So today was a rainy day in the T-O-L. And my basement is prone to some moisture. I really had only paid attention to the two back corners, because that's where I had seen puddles before. But, then, I glanced over towards my washer/dryer and thought I saw a rogue wave. NOBODY TOLD ME WATER COME UPWARDS FROM THE GROUND. Perhaps I was naive, I always thought the sub-pump would activiate itself in times of need. However, the pump is old, and hasn't been used much, so it didn't kick on, leaving a good 4 inches of water in about a quarter of the basement. I roll up my pant legs, throw on the New Balances(ruin my slippers-yeah right!) and grab the cell phones. In previous times of disaster at my residences, I would call the landlord and have them send over the appropriate handyman for the job. This time, I needed to do this myself. Or at least by myself with Patrick talking to me in one ear. Hey, I didn't alert Frankie, so I was kind have some independence with this! So I wiggle the rod thingy with the floaty balloon that you find in the tank of your toilets and VOILA! Water is leaving my basement, at a fairly rapid rate. Phew! But the pump also won't turn off by itself and since it's going to be a rainy night as well.. i'm probably going to leave it on. I don't need the Lake of Evil to sprout it's ugly face again. You may have won this time water, but i'm gonna fix that basement up and be free of you FOREVER!

Water= 1
Emily = 0 (but an "A" for effort)

last published on feb. 18

'Published' makes this sound much more important than what this really is: a mindless blog that I attend to only when I can make myself do it. Pretty much the story of my life. I'll do the dishes, but I hate those pots and pans, so those may sit there for a day or two. Perhaps if I listen to music while I do this, I could be more inspired, but it doesn't help that I do not own a CD player, save for the one in my car, although the LED lights don't work, so I don't know which track I'm actually playing. I've memorized most of the important CD's and radio stations because of this. This unusual LED problem also leads to a constant flickering light on my trunk door that never ceases in it's blinking. I've had many a people warn me of a drained battery, but alas, LED does not drain your battery, thank goodness.

So, last week I recieved some pretty crappy news that put me in a major funk. I applied to the PharmD program for the second time, and for the second time, did not receive an interview. Needless to say, my dreams were crushed, and I seriously wanted to destroy the UT College of Pharmacy. I know that I may not seem impressive on paper, but I am pretty awesome in person and I wish I could have gotten the chance to show these nincompoops that I could make a damn fine drug dispenser, had they given me the time. I would be tons better than those uber-nerds that have no life but studying (honestly, how will these people survive in the real world?). Alas, I resorted to plan B: Nursing school. I now plan to work towards a BSN in nursing. I hope to eventually become a nurse on the maternity ward, even though I know that this is the hardest area of the hospital to get into. I guess I always have to pick the most difficult route. I am not 'settling' by becoming a nurse, it's something that I've thought of being since I had Omri. The nurses at St. Ann's were so amazing that I wanted to be like them, have an impact on someone's life in one of the most crazy/amazing/life-changing experiences that they will ever have. Bringing babies into the world, how amazing! I briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a flow blown OB/GYN, but Dr. Marlowe warned me that the insurance overhead was astronomical these days, with all the lawsuit-happy people out there. Plus, nurses do the brunt of the work anyways, they get to hold the babies!

On the home front, Popeye (our goldfish) has recently acquired a new crib, and is living large and in style (i.e.-10 gallon rectangle tank, awesome log to hide in, super cool algae plant). Of course this means that we need another fish, because he looks ridiculous in there by himself. So I tell Omri that tomorrow we are going to get Popeye a 'friend' and I ask her what she would like to name the new fishy. She replies 'friend'. Oh, Omri, your silliness never ceases to brighten even the gloomiest of times. She was so lovable the day I found out about the Pharm D program, with extra lovin', and I just had to have her sleep next to me that night, for comfort. Although, she is doing quite well sleeping through the night in her bed. Olive has had a few 6 hour nights in a row, I hope this is a new 'pattern' for her! She is so adorable right now, smiling up a storm, and 'talking' away. She loves kisses on her chubby little cheeks, that always gets her going.

I took both girls to the mall with me Sunday (with aunt Kerry to help), and that was fun, Olive slept away in the stoller, while Omri behaved (mostly) for Kerry. I found several pairs of shorts for myself for $12! I was excited. Then, at Borders, I raided the bargain children's section for a few My Little Pony books for Omri (one with a puzzle--her latest love, and the other a mini Magna-Doodle), and a few Baby Einstein and Elmo books for Olive, all about $3 to 4.

Anyways, I should attend to some schoolwork, no time to slack now! I WILL GRADUATE SOMEDAY. i think i can, i think i can. Hm, that's a book I need to get for the girls!