Standing Tall

The musings of a twenty something girl from the Midwest.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Burned

I have my first sun burn of the year. It was going to happen, it always does. My white Minnesotan skin is no match for the harsh UV rays of summer. I spent 3 hours at the beach yesterday, the sun was shining and the humidity and heat were low. “Well, I’m not hot so I can’t get sunburned” was my rational for sitting outside with no sun block on. I didn’t even feel burned until an hour later while walking home from the T. Now my entire body is bright red and I’m slathering it in aloe. Welcome back summer.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

A Remembrance

A patient that we had in the hospital with us for four months died last week. I never took care of her, but she was a staple on the floor. It’s weird to walk past the room she inhabited for so long and not see her in there. Everyone at work was sad, a lot were crying.

A few days after her room was filled with new patients and life went on. I guess that’s how it goes in the hospital. More people get sick, we take care of them, some get better, and some don’t. I think the most important thing I can do to honor her, is remember her.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Back to Church

I went to church for the first time in almost a year. I sat alone in a large pew in the middle of the first Unitarian church of Cambridge singing, preying and listening with a group of people I’ve never met before and who don’t know me. Over the course of the sermon the idea of community, of the church community kept being mentioned.

I long to be part of community like that again. I kept thinking back to when I was growing up and going to church was a favorite part of my week. How I would go and sit with a bunch of kids my age in a stinky basement and eat bagels while we talked about what we had done that week. It was familiar and many of the people who I went to church with are still very close friends.

I’m not sure how to capture this feeling again. At the end of the service a guy came up to me, “Hi, I’m Tom, you’re new right?” We talked for a while and in the end I signed up for a young adult group. Maybe it’s a step in the right direction.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Enjoy it

The East Coast has been hit with a lot of rain the past few weeks. Rivers started to flood houses and a few of my coworkers were unable to come into work due to flooded out roads. I, on the other hand, have been enjoying the rain.

I live on the top story of a house and I can hear the rain hitting the roof. I can watch the lightening out my living room window light up our neighborhood. I’ve also been working nights and the rain’s soporific effect has helped me sleep later during the day. It's perfect weather for staying home and baking.

The storms have stopped and I’m back on days and it’s just as well. I’m sleepy enough as it is.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Medicine Dreams

I’ve been taking antibiotics for a kidney infection I’ve had for almost a week now and as a crazy side effect of the medications I’ve been having nightmares. Crazy cliché nightmares. Nightmares that fetcher zombies, vampires, and monsters. I wake up in the middle of the night afraid to get up and go to the bathroom because of my dreams. The first few nights Steve stayed over so I was able work through the fear of zombie arms reaching out from under the bed and dragging me in. The next few nights were rough, I sat in my bed afraid of the creepy monsters that were just in my dream.

I remember feeling that way when I was a kid. I never thought I would feel this way in my own house.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Cinco De Mayo

I haven’t posted in while due to work and also because I had some friends in town. When we were in nursing school a few friends of mine and I decided we were going to try to get together every Cinco de Mayo, this was the first year since we graduated and so Becca and Dana came to visit me.

It was Dana’s birthday the day she came flew to Boston


Dana's birthday cake, it was really yummy!

We went to the beach

Dana had never been to the Atlantic ocean


Here’s Becca reenacting a scene from Baywatch



We also went to Salem and learned about witches

Dana as a witch

A good time was had by all and by the end of the weekend we were all exhausted and hung over. Just like we had promised to do for Cinco De Mayo.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Glass Splinter

The thing about having a splinter in your foot that is made of glass is that it is almost impossible to see and even more impossible to know if it’s out. You’ll think it’s out, you will try to walk but searing pain radiating up from your foot will stop you. The shard of glass in your foot will be all “Take that fool, I am in your foot, you thought you could walk and here I am not letting you.”

And that is the story of how Steve ended up carrying me home from Davis Square this weekend.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Internet?

Has anyone else noticed that if you are having problems connecting to the internet the only way you can find tech support is by using the internet?

That is TOTALLY STUPID!!

Monday, May 01, 2006

Flash Mob of the Undead

Apparently I’ve been left out of the loop when it comes to Flash Mobs. A flash mob is a group of people who have all been e-mailed or text-ed to meet at a certain place with a certain theme. According to the New York Times flash mobs are all the rage.

This weekend there was a flash mob of my worst nightmare down the street from my apartment. That’s right, a flash mob of zombies in Davis Square. Thankfully I was at a party at my cousin’s house. Slowly zombies from the flash mob started coming to the party.

“Don’t worry Maria,” Beth told me, “I’ll try to keep them away from you.” There were six would-be-zombies filled the small apartment. Drink, singing, eating, they were every where. “Ha, I’m a zombie, I eat brains!” one of them laughed.

Personally I don’t think zombies are anything to joke about.