Seriously, November?

For real. October flew by. I don't even know where it went. Yesterday I was still living the life, starting clinical at 8, thinking Halloween was weeks off. Halloween flew by, without candy for trick-or-treaters and now, Thanksgiving is weeks off and I'm buying Christmas stuff at Target.

I've been working on being present. I have a hard time only focusing on the future, or the past. Most of my thoughts revolve around what I need to do, what I did yesterday, what I should be doing. It's okay and even good for me to think about those things, but I'm also trying to focus on the here and now. So this is my way of doing all of that at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night:

A few things to look back on for October: I passed a really hard test, I dressed up by wearing my snuggie on Halloween, I went to U2 in concert, I visited my parents, and had clinical in the ICU and Emergency Department.

Things to look forward to in November: A psych test, going to Princeton, NJ to visit my cousin and sister, Thanksgiving, and the official start of the Christmas season.

For now, I'm going to embrace the warm weather, freshly cleaned sheets, my pineapple cilantro candle and the fact that I have a roof over my head and food in my belly.

And because I love adding random pictures, one of my roommates and I on Halloween.

The Right to be Ridiculous is One that I Hold Dear

Well, this past week I went to see U2 in concert. It was truly epic. The title of my blog is one of my favorite lines from Crazy Tonight, off their new CD No Line on The Horizon.

Besides playing incredible music and putting on a great show for 2 hours Bono did several other cool things, like recognize and sing for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese President who has been under house arrest since her election in 1990. He also made a plug for One. I have a theory that one big reason he is still famous is becuase he does something with his fame. He believes he can make a difference and is trying to do so to positively impact our world. That is something I really respect and why I will continue to support U2 by paying for expensive concert tickets and cds.

Distractions

Here is what I do while I should be studying:

~ Blogstalk Kimberly Jarman
~ Find fun stuff on Etsy like this cute necklace, these acorn earrings, and this adorable card.
~ And Yoga poses with my roommates

It's back

By "it" I mean school. I know, you're thinking of course it's back, you've been in it for 5 weeks. But, for the first time this week nursing school has again reared it's ugly head. 2 papers, 2 tests, 2 weeks + reading & quizzes and the normal stuff. C'est la vie.

On the positive side of this I'm learning about balance. I realized at certain points in life it's okay to not have a perfectly balanced life. Different aspects of your life will have more priority for specific periods of time. Right now, obviously, school is priority. I spent a significant amount of my time reading about psych disorders and studying EKG rhythms rather than volunteering or making dinner with friends. This is definitely not how I'd like my life to be but it's what is necessary for life right now. So essentially the unbalance is balance. Eventually, my life will change and so will the balance, but for now I'm working on accepting it.

Art Class

I'm very proud of myself right now. And this is why:


I went to a free drawing class at the The Drawing Studio, this amazing little place in downtown Tucson. We went from 4:30 to 9 and by the end I learned so much. A former professor from the UA started the studio years ago, and now they offer classes all over on anything from drawing to sculpture work. Our class started with drawing from our mind (i.e. a cat - which was awful) then moved on to drawing the form and adding value (aka shading). Then we got a motivational speech about how drawing helps you see your world more fully. By the end I was so into it. I loved it. Can't wait to do more!

MIA

Over the last several weeks of moving home from Vancouver, spending several days with my parents, moving into my new house in Tucson and starting my senior year of college my blogging habits have declined. And for that, I apologize. To all 3 of you that read the blog. Although, you may not have noticed. But anyways, I'm sorry.

I want to rehash some lessons I learned over the summer:
1) I enjoy alone time and independence. I'm still extroverted but not being accountable to anyone else is kind of nice.
2) I love coffee. Seriously. After 20 different coffee shops in Vancouver I definitely confirmed this.
3) I love meeting new people. I enjoy getting to know people I am similar to and those I am different from. Either way, it's great.
4) I am still interested in research as a career! woo!
5) I really really love the Northwest. I don't mind rain (when I am prepared for it). I love the cooler weather and the vibe of it.

All of the "I statements" in that above list really indicate that I was very "me focused" this summer. Which, I think was okay for those few months. Now that I'm back in school it's not as okay for me - but I'm okay with it and ready to get back in the swing of things and move on with life.This was in Gastown, a really cool area of Vancouver.

My last night in Van - with a great group of girls I met.

My last cup of coffee :(

Where The Wild Things Are

I was admittedly a little skeptical when I first heard that a movie was being made of one of my favorite childhood books. It could have been very poorly done or very stupid. But, now that I have seen the trailer I am beyond excited for October 16th.