I Am Surrounded By Poo.

I have been so busy lately that I haven't typed up a real blog post in foooooorever. Today is my day off; my apartment is clean, my laundry is in the washer, my errands are run, my lunch date with Deirdre is over....FINALLY some time to blog!

Here's a recap of my life for the last month or so...poo, work, poo, poo, lunch with Deirdre, Halloween, poo, old men wanting to know when I am getting married, poo, date, poo, sleep, work, poo, New Moon, cold, poo, sleep, coffee with Deirdre, spending Thanksgiving at work, poo, getting Joyce royally drunk for her 21st bday, sleep, poo, date, poo, work, work, work, poo, poo, "sampling" music from Limewire, poo, date, getting into PA school, poo, giving my entire paycheck to my apartment complex for rent, poo and sleep. Oh yeah, and poo.

This is not a description of how my digestive system is working. It is, in fact, my entire job. I am constantly surrounded by poo.....I don't know what they are feeding those old people, but daaaaaang, I wish they would stop.

In more detail, and not about the poo:

Thanksgiving was okay...I got to see the fam for about an hour. I had to be to work by three, so my coworkers and I all brought a dish to pass and had our own little feast. It was nice, but not quite the same. I love the way holidays bring the whole family together and I feel a little jipped this year. Besides, I had to deal with poo before and after my meal....not so appetizing.

I am officially in PA school. I paid my 1250 dollars to hold my seat, but I am still having a hard time believing I am actually in the program....I keep expecting them to call and say it was a mistake.

The day after Thanksgiving, Joyce and Diana came over to my apartment to celebrate Joyce's 21st bday. Many drinks were consumed, gaucamole was made/consumed, dancing occurred...all before the bar. We walked to the bar, slightly buzzed and walked home more than slightly drunk. In between those points, much alcohol was consumed (FOR FREE) and much silliness occurred. We made lots of new friends, including the bar tenders and a nice gentleman who paid for about 50 dollars in free drinks.....I think it was the birthday girl sash Joyce was sporting....everybody loves a sash....and tipsy, giggling girls. We made it back to the apartment alive without much stumbling or weaving and proceded to snack ourselves into sleep. Bare hands may or may not have been dipped into the guacamole and im pretty sure the frozen pizza was not cooked all the way. I woke up feeling like a truck ran me over in my bed, but the birthday girl was perky and headache free. Good times.

Loves

Free Birthday Drink!

Little lovin' for the Birthday Sash

Shots!

Giggles

I have been dating quite a bit the last few weeks....I was trying the whole "date lots of people just for fun" thing. I'm bad at it. I don't like multiple dates...I can't remember who said what and I prefer to give more attention and time to someone who will return the favor. I guess I am a relationship person. Anywhooo, I have been seeing the same guy since Halloween; his name is Chris. We met at a party, and hung out all evening. He asked me out on a date the next day, and we have been spending a lot of time together since...well, a lot is relative...I don't have much time off from work. I like him though, a lot....I like where things are going and a new love interest is always exciting.

Wooooooooooooooooooork. That about covers the rest of my time. I work a crazy schedule...not a lot of time off and weird hours. I like my job, but it makes seeing family and friends a little difficult. I am missing the important people in my life, but hey, at least my rent is getting paid.

Mmmmmk. We're all caught up....except for one final poo-related note. I was foolish enough to think I would be safe from poo on my day off...WRONG. Indy jumped up in my lap, and I thought, "Awww, he missed me!" Yup, missed me so much, he smeared poo on my jeans and jumped down. How sweet, a giant kitty version of "screw you. Leave me here for days while you are off at work and stuff....take this!"

I am constantly surrounded by poo...I'm afraid people are going to be able to smell me coming.

Time is Running Out....

As I lean down to help a patient stand up from his recliner....

Elderly Man: Oooooo....you're looking pretty good!
Me: Well, thank you.
EM: You married?
Me: No.
EM: Why not?
Me: Haven't found one good enough yet, and besides I'm too busy; I have school yet to finish.
EM: Oh. How old are you?
Me: 22.
EM: 22?!? Oh my. You need to stop being so picky about your men and settle down. You're getting awfully old....don't have much time left to find a man.

Adventures in Elder Care

Elderly Male Patient: You look just like my brother.
Me: Your brother??
EMP: Yeah. Don't worry, he was very pretty.

Gee...thanks.

Mix, Chop, Process, Bake, Saute, Drink, Eat, Repeat.

Whew! Busy last few days....to catch you up:

Thursday: had to go to the dentist...again. I got my first cavity and had to go have it filled. Never. Again. It took longer to numb my mouth than it did to drill and fill my tooth...and the numbing lasted forever. Instead of just marketing brushing teeth to young kids, numb them up really well one time....you'll never have to do it again.

Friday: had my TB test check bright and early for my new job at the hospital....which I forgot to mention earlier....so, um...I got a job! I start October 16th as a CNA at the long-term care facility in the hospital. They are starting me at $11.19 an hour with a 45 cent bonus each day that I arrive on time. Paid extra to do what you hired me to do? I can handle that! Anywhooo, Friday night, I met Meg at Mongolian BBQ for a little catch up dinner. We hadn't seen each other since before my roadtrip and lots of information needed to be shared. We spent two hours there chatting until our waitress began making it quite clear she would like us to vacate her table. We moved from the restaurant to the coffee shop downtown and had some hot cider while we finished catching up.

Saturday: went home with Greg to Lake Orion. We had to take Buster to the vet and then I met Greg's best friend, Grant, and Grant's wife, Jaime. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon there and then had to head out to pick up Buster. From the vet, we headed to Yate's Cider Mill. We bought a gallon of cider and a dozen doughnuts to take home, and cups of spiced, hot apple cider and a caramel apple to enjoy while we walked along their wooded paths. The cider was sooo yummy and the area was gorgeous! I unfortunately left my camera at home so no pictures are available.

Sunday: was little suzie homemaker yesterday. Greg needed to work on a project and wanted to watch football; I suggested he do it at my place so we could spend time together while he did his things and I did mine. Before we settled in at my place, we took Buster for a long walk down to the park. The leaves are starting to change here...most are still green, but there are quite a few colorful trees. I picked up several colorful leaves to dry; I am planning a bit of a craft project, but it will take a while for the leaves and plants to dry, so that will be a much later post. We walked back, dropped Buster off at Greg's house, and headed to my place. He settled in on the couch, and I settled into the kitchen....my favorite place to be. I am really loving my kitchen...it's open to the living room so he and I can talk while I cook. On our walk, we talked about things we hadn't had in a while and Windmill cookies were mentioned. As soon as we got back, I looked up the recipe and gathered my ingredients.

Windmill Cookies
2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 c. chopped wlanuts

Cream butter and brown sugar. Sift together flour, soda and spices. Add sour cream alternately with sifted dry ingredients. Stir in nuts. Knead dough into rolls, 2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Cut into slices and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

I rolled the dough with my hands into long tubes, 2 inches in diameter, and wrapped them in press-and-seal wrap.

After they had been in the fridge for a couple hours, I took the tubes out, one at a time, and cut them into half inch slices. I then rolled those slices in sugar and baked them according to the recipe...pretty and delicious!

While I was waiting for the dough to harden, I also made a pumpkin pie. It seems like as soon as the weather turnes colder and the leaves start changing color, I start craving a warm pumpkin pie, with homemade crust. The crust came out beautifully, but the pumpkin was the darkest color I have ever seen, even before baking....didn't seem to affect the flavor though.

I also made pesto while I was waiting. It has been getting quite cold here at night, even frosting a little here and there, and my basil plants were starting to take a downhill slide. Instead of letting all those lovely leaves go to waste, I cut all of the leaves off the plants to take inside and be frozen. I washed half the leaves and used my food processor to make pesto, which I divided into single-use portions and sealed in press-and-seal packets. the other half of the leaves I cleaned, dried, and then sealed whole into an airtight bag to use in recipes that call for fresh basil. I know the pesto will freeze and thaw nicely, but I'll have to wait and see about the whole leaves.

I ended my flurry of cooking and baking with dinner for me and Greg: crispy BBQ chicken and sauted asparagus.

Crispy BBQ Chicken
Chicken Breasts/tenders
1 c. plain bread crumbs
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbs butter

Mix dry ingredients in a shallow bowl. Melt butter in a 9x13 pan. Roll chicken in dry mix and place in pan.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the outside is crispy.

I then sauted the asparagus in a shallow pan with a little seasoning salt and 3 tbs of water.

We capped off the evening with a some spiced, hot cider....trying to recreate the flavor we had at the mill on Saturday. I placed two mugs worth of cider in a sauce pan and added a stick of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of whole allspice.

We curled up with our cider and watched the 2 hour premiere of The Amazing Race...perfect, relaxing end to a busy weekend.

Where I've Been

Sorry....due to the lack of high speed internet, my blogging has taken a bit of a break. So to update you...this is where I have been.

Work:

Same old, same old. My last day is the 21st and I don't think I will be coming back to work for this place.....I love the residents, but the staff, not so much. No major problems, just don't agree with their methods and treatment of the residents.

Walmart, Meijer's, Etc:

Buying stuff for the apartment...YAY!!!!! We move in on the 23rd....CAN'T WAIT,CAN'T WAIT, CAN'T WAIT!

Leland, Lelanau, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs:

Owen and I took a day trip all along the west side of the state. We got horribly lost and didn't get home until 3am, but it was so much fun!....Minus the part where I cartwheeled down a giant sand dune.

Yup, I thought I could run down this giat hill....wrong. I couldn't control my legs. I tried to tuck and roll which actually turned out to be a face plant. However, I was going so fast, my body flipped over my face and I landed on my back....with 18 pounds of sand up my nose.

This is me and Owen after the fall....no, I don't look very happy, cuz well, I'm not....No major injuries, besides my ego. If you look closely, you can see the sand in my hair....lovely.




Payne Lake:
All the girls I am living with this year, the girl I lived with last year and I got together at Kait's cottage for a girls' weekend. We learned to waterski, went tubing and soaked up some sun. It was a blast, and the sunburn/peeling has finally subsided. ;)

L to R: Kait D, Megan, Kait P, Deirdre, Me

Me learning to ski.....on the short rope.....

Deidre.....

Kaitlyn.....

Ok, well that about covers it....don't worry, once I get back to school, posts will be more frequent. Only 19 more days......WAHOO!!!!! :D :D :D

All In A Day's Work

Whew! It's already July....can't believe it, and once again, I've been neglecting my blogging. Recent news includes a new boyfriend. He's a gentleman...opens doors, etc and is a total sweetie....not to mention CUTE. I'm happy, can you tell? ;)

In other news, I have been working up a storm.....would like more days, but am keeping busy with what I have. I love love love my job. The people are so nice. The work isn't hard, just time consuming. With conversations like these, though, I am endlessly amused, and the hours fly by......

Little old lady #1: "SHELLY! I can't find my teeth!"
Me: "Well, where did you have them last?"
L1: "I don't remember."

That narrows it down....searching around....

M: "Here they are...in the trash...let me go clean them."
L1: "oh good...thanks." return the teeth and wait two mintues "SHELLY! I can't find my teeth!"
M: "You just had them....wait there they are, under your chair."
Wait a few minutes....
L1: "SHELLY! My teeth are missing again!"
M: "They are on the table next to you."
L1: "oh, right. Maybe you should put these somewhere safe..."
M: "Good idea."

Ummm, your mouth?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Old man: "I have a girlfriend, you know."
me: "Oh really? is she cute?"
O: "No."
M: "No? not even a little?"
O: "No. But we get along."
M: "Oh, well that's important too. What's her name?"
O: "I don't remember."
M: "You don't remember your girlfriend's name?!?"
O: "Nah. Let me think; it will come to me."

Little while later while seated on the toilet...

O: "Oh! I remember! Her name is Della."
M: "You remembered her name...now?"
O: Grin

There's the love of a lifetime......"Who are you?"....PFFFFT......."ahh Yes, now I remember."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little old lady #2 is sitting in a chair across from me in the living room, head titled back, mouth wide open, asleep. I have a bit of a cough fit going.

L2: Lifts head and stares at me hacking away.
Me: cough cough cough
L2: "Is that a cold?"
M: "um I dont think so..."
L2: Sniff...glare...flops head back and jaw falls back open.

Apparently gravity is a stronger force than the muscle tension she has in her jaw.

L2: "SHELLY?"
M: "Yes?"
L2: Smacks lips repeatedly and then procedes to lick entire area surrounding her mouth from chin to nostrils.
M: "Is your mouth dry? Want something to drink?"
L2: "Ya."

At this point, she has stopped asking for liquids. She now just calls my name and does her little lip licking action....she is either coming on to me or is really thirsty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All in a day's work....and I get paid for this kind of entertainment.

Recap

So it's been awhile....here's what's new (and kinda old):

Chemistry is...still chemistry. I had my first exam and honestly thought I out and out failed it. However, I got a whopping 74%. Crap. I am going to have to work my arse off to pull off a stellar grade in this class.

The guy I met at the block party in St. Clair Shores came to visit me for a weekend. Mom and Dad couldn't stand him and I soon realized, neither could I. He was a pompous ass the entire weekend. If that wasn't enough, he called me on Monday and tried to tell me I was going to get a text plan whether I liked it or not so he could send me texts. I thought he was kidding; he wasn't. I promptly said goodbye...for good.

I can't wait for school to start. I move in Aug. 20th...a week early. I have to be there early to help the freshmen move in. A lot of my friends are also moving in early so we will have lots of time to catch up. CAN"T WAIT!

I HATE MY JOB. I used to look forward to coming to work and now I dread it. I don't make enough money to work as hard as I do. I make around $20 in tips each night which sucks when I only make 2.65 an hour. My friend, Meg, works at a restaurant too and makes like $80 for the same amount of time. I picked the wrong place to work.... I will not be returning next summer.


Okay...I think we are all caught up. Two days until my weekend starts....seems like an eternity. Now though, it's time for work....bleh. TTFN

Bob Evans: Down on the Floor

WELL..What a night! I went to work tonight around five, like I do every other night. I worked for a couple hours and everything went fine...the crowd was thin, but no major problems...until around 7:30pm. I walked out to my table with a pitcher of ice tea to refresh their drinks and suddenly felt sick. Not like "oh gee I better go to the bathroom, I might throw up"...no more like "look out! she's gonna blow chunks!" kinda sick. I turned around and the floor started to tilt and my vision went black; that's the last thing I remember. Apparently though, I stubbled to the drink station, knocked the ice tea pitcher flying and then proceded to pass out. I smoked my face on a wall partition next to our drink station and then fell backwards on to the floor. When I actually came to I was shaking uncontrollably and was staring into the face of about 15 people. I had no idea what happened. A man in the resturaunt happened to be an EMT and he came over to help. An ambulance was called and I was taken to the ER. I felt fine enough to walk, but I had to be wheeled out of the resturaunt on a stretcher; as if I hadn't made enough of a scene already! A couple of the girls I work with who were right there when it happened, came straight over to the hospital when their shifts ended. It was really nice of them. They stayed and talked with me and my parents for the whole evening. At the hospital, I had blood work done, a cat scan, and an EKG....the results: I am perfectly healthy and everything was normal. Diagnosis: they have no idea what happened either. Hmmm...Mom and I were talking and we think that it was probably low blood sugar. I ate a big lunch, but it was six hours prior so that might have been the cause. I feel absolutely fine now..no headaches or anything. I will probably have a little bruise above my eye where I hit the partition, but nothing major. I am just glad I didn't split the skin or break my nose; it could have been MUCH worse. The doctor said I am fine, but to take it easy for the weekend and not to drive for 24 hours. I have work again tomorrow night and I am going to go ahead and go. I feel fine; no use sitting around if I don't need to. However, I am willing to bet tomorrow night will be a little less eventful...hopefully. :)

Dead Tired

This last weekend was a whirlwind of activity. I worked a swing shift on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That means I was in at 11am and wasn't out until 9pm. Talk about a long friggen day. Friday night, Trish and I went to Shooters (a dance club in Saginaw) and were out until 3am. It was a lot of fun and I met a really funny guy who happens to live in my hometown. He called me on Saturday and asked me to go to a movie with him. I agreed and we went to a midnight movie of The Break Up...not very good, by the way. Today was my day off from work, I had a Calculus test. I think I did pretty well on it, but we'll see. Later this afternoon, I went out with that guy again. We went rollerblading and out to dinner. It was fun. However, I told him right up front...I am in no way looking for a boyfriend. I want to try out the single life. He is very nice and fun to spend time with, but it would be pointless to "go out". I am going back to Ferris in the fall and long distance doesn't work for me. Plus, he doesn't seem like the type I would date long term. It's fun for now, but I am keeping my options open. For now, I am off to bed...I am pooped, BIG TIME. TTFN

Happenings...

I am making good tips now at work...thank goodness. 2.65 an hour doesn't really amount to much.

Tomorrow Trish and I are going to lunch and doing a little shopping. Ahhh, retail therapy...for her anyway. I can look, but I can't touch....I am poor.

Boys are confusing. A guy I find attractive keeps flirting like crazy and mentions hanging out, but then never follows through. :/ I am flirty back but still, nothing. I don't want a boyfriend; I just ended a long-term ralationship. I just wanna go on dates and have fun. We work together right now, but he has put in his two-week notice (like a week ago) so maybe he doesn't want to pursue anything until after he is finished working there. I dunno...kinda frustrating though. And yes I know I could probably ask, but I am a chicken and slightly old-fashioned...I liked to be asked. *sigh* Whatever....lots of available men out there :)

I tried some sunless tanner a few days ago. I was so pale I was reflective in bright light...so not attractive. This stuff is amazing-Coppertone sunless tanner for medium skin tones...LOVE IT!

My brother and dad are leaving for a week in Florida. I'm jealous. I can't go because I have class...SUCKY. I would gladly skip (it's calculus..bleh) but mom and dad vetoed that one. I'd never catch up anyway. Still, SUCKY.

Off to shop-vac the inside of my car. I can't remember the last time I did that and there is enough sand in there to build a sandcastle. TTFN

On My Own

Well folks, I am a waitress....not just a waitress-in-training. I got my first tables on my own 2 nights ago and then again last night. I kicked butt if I do say so myself. I really like waitressing; it is hard, but fun. The tips are nice too :).

Saturday night I worked until ten and then got together with Trish and Meg (Di wasn't feeling well). We went bowling and then were going to go swimming, but the pool closed at 11 and it was already 10:45. Well, we were bowling along and then all of a sudden a guy in a security uniform approaches us. I didn't have my glasses on so I could see who he was as he approached, but it turned out to be Brandon, my trainer from work. He came over to say hi and see what was going on and we told him about our cancelled swimming plans. He said not to worry about it and to come on over anyway. He works security there as well (the bowling alley and pool are connected). Wahoo! It was so much fun. We swam until like 12 or so and he kept coming in to check on us so we wouldn't look suspicious. Gotta love friends....nice that he is muchos attractive too. Helpful and fun to look at! :)

Working Girl

I started calculus class 2 days ago...phew I have had it before in high school, but still, this stuff is HARD. It probably doesn't help that I don't really like math...at all. I understand the info, but it is forcing myself to pay attention for 2 and a half hours that it the worst part. I have class Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Thankfully the class isn't early in the morning...I think I would die.
I also started my new job 2 days ago. I am training to be a waitress and let me tell you...this is some hard work, people! There is sooooo much to remember and the worst part for me is balancing the trays with all the plates and drinks. I am constantly praying that I don't drop one...my arm muscles are going to be huge after this summer :). I really like this job though. The people I work with are a lot of fun and the guy who is training me is a riot. I am having an awesome time so far and I finish up my training in 5 or 6 days. After that, I get my own tables...I can't wait! It makes me nervous to have someone standing over my shoulder listening to make sure I say everything correctly. It's necessary, but still nerve-racking. Well, I have to be in to work soon...better go shower. TTFN