Wizard of Aw's

Working night clinicals at the hospital is kinda awesome but also kinda awful. Awesome because you get to do stuff that you never would during the day. Awful because it throws off your whole sleep schedule. Hence, it is 2:30 AM and I'm wide awake pondering many random thoughts...

Maybe it's because I don't live in CougarTown any more, but apparently I was living under a rock and didn't realize that BYU basketball was 20-1 and ranked in the top 15. Way to go Cougs. (P.S. Did you know that Brigham Young University is the whitest college in the nation with at least 15,000 students? Interesting factoid...)

If you want an easy way to donate money to Haiti, you can simply text "Give" to 864233 (UNICEF). It is an automatic $5 donation and will just be tacked onto your phone bill, no extra charge. You can do it multiple times and 100% of the funds go to Haiti, not your phone company.

I hate shopping for clothes (ski/technical-type jackets not included in this statement), but I take great pleasure in grocery shopping. I generally allow myself one "splurge" item a week. Here's this week's delicious take home:

I've been doing some Sundancing this week, seeing as the Festival is going on and all. My favorite parts about the Sundance Film Festival are that I get to call movies "films" for a change, wear a black down coat (mandatory uniform if you want to cruise on Main Street in Park City), pretend that I live in a snowy-mountainous-Hollywood, and point out how cool I am several months later when the movies finally get widely-released to the general public. It's like saying you were into a band like "Vampire Weekend" way before they ever got popular. The films can be pretty hit or miss but I've been lucky enough to see some great ones the last few years. Some of my faves to check out: "The Visitor," and "Amreeka." This year we saw, "The Pat Tillman Story."

If the Dodgers had unlimited funds, and if these players were free agents, I would LOVE to sign the following guys: Ryan Howard, Matt Holliday, and Tim Lincecum. I know we don't need a first baseman or a left fielder but you can never have too many young pitching aces. I like these three and hate to see them continuing to play for NL teams that I vehemently oppose (actually the Cards are alright, but the Phillies and Giants should die a slow death).

Like him or not, President Obama is a pretty darn hard worker and a compelling speaker. Maybe he did take on too much in his first year of office, but when I listened to the State of the Union this week, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that he is busting his tail for this country and that he sincerely cares. Uh-oh, I've just gone and made this blog political... I'd better lighten the moment by including this ridiculous Obamicon of myself:

on a serious note...

I may just be an emotional person, but one thing is for sure: nursing school makes me cry at least once a week. These fits of emotion are occasionally brought on because of a heavy work-load or stress (the problem there is usually my own procrastination), but more often the crying results from stories shared by professors (accomplished career nurses themselves), case studies read for homework, or being bedside in the hospital with a dying patient. I never realized the emotional repercussions this line of work would bring. In many ways I feel like I haphazardly wandered into this career path without considering how HARD it is.

The photo above is of my friend, Anjali, who recently started sessions for a tattoo to commemorate the 2 year mark since her mother's death. I initially (and rather ignorantly) opposed this idea, but the conversation that she facilitated turned out to be a great eye-opening experience. Emotions and coping mechanisms are as varied as the billions of beautiful people who inhabit the earth.

My instructors constantly remind me that we are human, and a life devoid of passion would mark us as emotionless robots, not as compassionate caregivers. I guess it is not only okay, but expected that one will have intense feelings associated with death and dying, even in the workplace. Further, these feelings will be expressed in a myriad of medias. I'm taking a palliative/end-of-life care class this semester which has brought on a greater level of reality for me.

I'm grateful for unique opportunities that have allowed me to explore my ability to express empathy and consider losses (actual or anticipated) in my own life. Confronting these issues will hopefully aide me in being not just a better nurse, but a better friend, daughter, sister, aunt, etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this matter!

The curious incident of the mouse in the night-time

(if you're not sure what you're looking at here, these are pictures of L.Ro and I from our old Bean Museum taxidermy days at BYU. Don't ask.)

As I was walking out of Wal-Mart at 3 AM this morning in my pajamas and slippers- during a blizzard, mind you- I decided that I definitely need to get a husband (or at least a live-in boyfriend or male roommate- sorry mom and dad) ASAP. As I swerved my way home on the snow-covered roads devoid of other cars, I envied all the other people of American Fork sleeping peacefully in their beds.

Flash back to earlier when I was laying restless in bed (and had been for hours) absolutely convinced there was either a serial killer or a small animal rustling about in my room (not sure which of these would have been more terrifying). After working up enough courage to turn on my small bedside palm light, to my sheer horror I found- a mouse (!!!!!!!!!) sitting atop a picture frame on my wall. I sat crouched on my bed, completely paralyzed, stifling back screams that would surely wake up the whole house, trying to reason with myself. Try as I might, the strong, independent, confidant woman that I had been just hours ago (before learning that there was a rodent in my bedroom), had vanished and left a weak, helpless, scared little girl in her place, longing for some manly aide to take care of this problem. Knowing that I was too wired and terrified to sleep, let alone stay in the room, I slowly moved to the door, put on some slippers (after making sure there were no mice inside), grabbed my keys and headed for any store that would sell me a mouse trap at 3 in the morning. Upon returning from the store, I tiptoed into my roommate and woke her up like a frightened 4 year old after a bad dream, asking: "can I sleep with you tonight?"

I sincerely hope that the mouse doesn't resurface (dead or alive), I would much rather him/her find a new home elsewhere so that I don't have to kill it, but for my peace of mind, the traps lay all over the house. Not sure where I'll be sleeping tonight, but I hope it is more peaceful and less eventful than the last! If there are any strapping, brave young men out there who would like to come help a damsel in distress by either trapping a mouse or running pesky errands in the middle of the night, please comment here.

Leslie, I could may soon need your expertise in stuffing mice.

:)

Today Snow Hi 30 °F

Tonight Snow Lo 21 °F

Friday Snow Hi 21 °F

Friday Night Snow Lo 12 °F

Saturday Snow Hi 19 °F

Saturday Night Snow Likely Lo 9 °F

lucy in the sky

In honor of today (the first beautiful, inversion-free day we've had in weeks!!) this post is about skies. (sidenote: never mind my serious issues/paranoia with the fact that it's 50 degrees outside and the measly snowpack is melting and it's only JANUARY!!) Yes, skies, not to be confused with skis, a commonly misspelled word. I was noticing in my iphoto that lately I've been really into taking lots of pretty sky pictures. Not sure what brought on this sudden trend of skyscapes, but here are a few:

This is in Pasadena, after the Rose Parade. 1/10

Near lovely (baah!!) Blythe, CA. 12/09

Also taken during the parade, the traditional fly-over of F-18's. (i have to give photo cred to Daile on this one- we were lucky enough to be sitting underneath a palm tree!)

Beautiful Mojave Desert sunset, 12/09

Palm Desert, CA. 12/09

Palm Springs windmills. 12/09

Palos Verdes Pennisula, CA. 1/09

I have no idea where this is, it was on my cellie. Please forgive the windshield.

Palm Desert with near-full moon. 12/09

Some where on I-15 near the Nevada/California border. 10/09 (again- please forgive the windshield and camera phone quality)

Outside Buy Low Market (if you're okay with not always buying local, shop here because it is THE CHEAPEST grocery store in Utah County. I drive all the way from AF to Provo just to shop there (Gala apples 4 lbs for a dollar?!!), but beware, if you go on produce Wednesdays, it is brutal trying to push a cart around). Walking out of the store one evening I tried to get my fellow shoppers (strangers) to appreciate this Utah Lake sunset, but they just thought I was a weirdo... Provo, UT. 1/10

Tri City Park, Placentia, Brea, Yorba Linda or Fullerton (are those the 3 cities they're talking about?), CA. 12/09

Let us hope for more beautiful skies, but also for some more cold snowy days!

Sweaty Encounters

WARNING: this post may be too graphic for some. Bodily functions are discussed liberally.

This is a strong statement, but I'm pretty anti-gyms. However, in light of recent freezing temperatures and HORRIBLE inversion (inversion is Salt Lake's euphemism for smog), I gave in and purchased a temporary pass to the local rec center (technically not a real gym because there aren't as many tank-top wearing muscled out bros nor matching outfitted light-cardio bro-hoes, and it's MUCH cheaper). One unfortunate thing that comes along with indoor treadmill running is the lack of air resistance, thereby resulting in large amounts of perspiration for above average sweaters such as myself. Seriously, I'm always AMAZED when I see people getting off the treadmill perfectly dry, while I look like I've been swimming laps.

On a similarly tied note, a few weeks ago, I posted a less than kind photo of my brother, without giving a proper explanation. And to answer the many questions, no, he is not secretly doing an ad campaign for Right Guard. Whilst pondering the treadmill and Andrew's slightly embarrassing photo, I began to compile a mental list of my sweatiest ordeals in life. Here is a list of the top five (in no particular order):

1. Climbing to the top of the pyramids in Tikal National Park, Guatemala. Just imagine a frizzy haired girl climbing lots and lots of stairs in a Central American rain forest. You get the picture (literally- here it is).

2. I've become quite accustomed to living in the dry climate of Utah to the point where I think my sweat glands would have a hay-day if I ever moved to a humid area. One example to illustrate the truthfulness of this statement involves a visit to East Texas, where my brother and sister-in-law used to live. I remember going for a run in the midday Texas sun and returning to find Tristan's face with a look of horror and utter disbelief; she did not know such perspiration could be achieved in real life. Since I don't have photographic proof of this event, I'll just post a picture of the cute kids I saw in Texas instead:

3. The previously mentioned Dodger game, although it was in October, was sincerely a sweaty experience. LA was experiencing record-highs for that time of year and we were sitting underneath a blazing SoCal sun, unprotected in the Left Pavilion. One of the sure-fire ways to rate sweaty encounters is if shin sweat was involved. Yes, sweating from the FRONT of the legs, and I assure you, there were plenty of swins (= sweaty shins) that day at Chavez Ravine. In Andrew's defense, yet also to his fault, I must add that he wore probably the WORST possible color for sweat detection.

4. Working in the desert on the Colorado River, one will be exposed to extremely high temps, but 2 activities in particular may drive that same person to the brink of their perspiratory capabilities. These two activities are: rowing in high-stress situations and setting up the toilet in camp. We like to call hot experiences on the river, "face-melters." If you inquire more about the use of this term, I can use it in a sentence.

4a. On numerous occasions I have had passengers ask: "Umm, are you okay?" after seeing my warm, sweat-soaked skin (sorry if that sounds like an unintentional excerpt from a bad romance novel) as we approach rapids. The following is actually not a gross, high stress, or even Colorado River rowing picture, but actually a rather cute one from the Salmon River in Idaho:

4b. This is obviously not a picture of me setting up a toilet but instead a much more pleasant shot from one of my favorite bathroom locations in all of Cataract Canyon. I assure you that this is more pretty than a girl who has just melted her face off carrying 2 very heavy, large, metal toilet boxes for several hundred yards over sandy/rocky terrain in the 106 degree heat of the day:

5. Virtually any Stake Youth Dance that I attended from ages 14-17. Yes, it is sad but true that I danced my pants (or tight, knee length skirt) off to such music as: Cotton Eyed Joe, any Venga Boys song, TLC (R.I.P. Left-Eye), and even slow danced to various Backstreet Boys and Seal tunes while oogling boys from the Long Beach and Cypress Stakes. It is a travesty, yet a blessing that we did not have digital cameras back in those days to properly photo document those fantastic evenings. Instead, here is a photo with some of my main homegirlz, who I boogied the nights away with.

Dear friends and family, please remind me if I have forgotten any other note-worthy moments.

a little pick-me-up

Sometimes, when I'm feeling down, I simply glance at this picture and realize that all is right in the world...

Sucker

Oftentimes a fast-food restaurant will advertise for a new menu-item. The proposed food may be a gimic (such as a "black taco"), or to many people it may seem disgusting (KFC's new sandwich that replaces the bread with a chicken breast on either side), it might even come off as gluttonous to some (i.e. bacon wrapped-beef), or perhaps it is simply a new twist on an old favorite (mini burgers).

As society watches these marketing campaigns unfurl before their eyes, many wonder, "who is dumb/gross enough to waste money on these foods?" The answer to that question is: ME.

Surprisingly, I actually eat pretty healthy most of the time... however when I see a restaurant commercial advertising these new, fattening, scrumptious foods, I run for my nearest Burger King, Sonic, or Del Taco and fork over the cash (pardon the pun). The marketeers behind these huge corporations clearly have their hollow-minded target audience (again, identified: ME) pinned. Until I satisfy my craving/curiosity and consume that cleverly disguised package of cholesterol and sodium, the food in question will continue to haunt my thoughts. Am I weak-minded or just very in tune with what my body needs and wants?

The latest culprit is the beefy 5-layer burrito, from Taco Bell (it's only 89 cents!!). Maybe this will be the weekend to finally try it...

Here are a couple delicious morsels that have gotten me in the past (keep in mind these are only the ones that were lucky enough to be photo-documented, these few shots represent a much larger category):

Macaroni and cheese bites from Jack-in-the-Box

Cookie dough shake from Carl's Jr.

And last, (but CERTAINLY not least), virtually anything from this place:

(I realize that Mav is not technically a fast food institution, but it deserves special mention on this blog, as my unhealthy eating largely stems from there)

Please, please, please feel free to share any items (past or present) that I may have overlooked or failed to mention.

Firsts

Life is full of many firsts, I've had a few notable ones as of late (and some far less notable/filler picture ones):

Skiing with these cute kids for their first time. Laney and Ryan did awesome!! There is something magical about experiencing something with loved ones for their first time, even if it's something you are very familiar with yourself. I like to call this "sharing the stoke." Being able to show and share your passions with others is very cool.

Can you guess which skis are mine? Don't be deceived by the skewed depth perception...

Taking Grandma Nielson to In-n-Out for her first time. It was a little too hectic for her taste, but she can now say she has experienced the hype.

I know I already blogged about this, but he's just a really cute baby, and this picture is hilarious. Please note the sheer disgust in meeting his favorite aunt for the first time.

first time visiting Chadder's, (**if you live in Utah please note: Chadder's the most blatant imitation of In-N-Out imaginable and if you do not want to deal with crowds, you can settle for a "Stubby Double" rather than a "Double Double."

We're famous!

if that doesn't work above, click on this link:

http://www.ktla.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=e44c334f-2faf-4d23-9704-899488eafbf9&src=front

Holiday Wrap-up

I thought about doing a holiday wrap-up rap, but then I realized how long it would take to rhyme all of these events, so here is a more straight-forward compilation of my Christmas break... it was a huge success because I got to see every member of my immediate family (not collectively, but spread out over 2 weeks) and so many other people whom I love!! With almost 3 full weeks of school off, a girl can do many things:

showing off some loot

Traditional Nielson Christmas morning stair shot

One thing I remembered while being home was how much meat Nielsons consume. Seriously, I come from a family of carnivores. My body was kind of shocked by the vast amounts of meat, and I'm glad to be back to a more omnivorous diet. This was, however, a delicious meat-lover's omelette made by Dad.

This is me and the Mom getting totally sloshed on Christmas Eve

And here we are after sobering up a bit

(she will probably kill me for posting these)

hanging out with my favorite beautiful, dark-haired, tall, babyless lefties @ Tri City Park

3rd best photo of the break:

Perhaps the highlight of the holidays was meeting this little guy for the first time, Vincent, my 3 month old nephew. His cuteness was further enhanced by his attire:

Mom and I snuck over to Phoenix for a very quick visit to see some of my favorite kids

We also got to see the world's largest Christmas tree @ Scott & Shellie's house

Probably the best photo taken all break. Emilie wanted a shot with our matching skinny jeans. Please note a) newborn on a trampoline and b) the serious (and embarrassing) difference in tightness/fit:

sleeping overnight on Colorado Blvd with Daile and the Greenman's so that we could....

...watch the Rose Parade from front row seats!!

Getting interviewed by the news for our prime set-up

Skyler pounding a bratwurst

2nd favorite photo of the break. Mom giggling like a little girl- due to bubbles

New Year's Day @ Dad's favorite breakfast spot on the old Redondo pier

The rest of New Year's Day consisted of exactly what I wanted: sitting on my butt eating delicious snacks and watching football.

A trip to California wouldn't be complete without a roller skating birthday party for my best friend's husband.

The trip wound down with a stopover in Vegas with Weegan, Brother, and Holland, complete with gourmet breakfast

Thanks to a very accurate scale at my mom's house, I know that I gained exactly 4.5 lbs over the break, which is only to be expected. All in all, a great trip, thanks family and friends!