From Drugs to Mugs... Pictures that say it all

If you know me or are a dedicated reader of my blog, you’ll know that I’m a nurse. Albeit a nurse for itty bitty ones, but a nurse nonetheless. So I am naturally drawn to articles about medicine, health, and wellness... and I felt like this issue was worthy of sharing.

 I was scanning MSNBC the other day and came across a very interesting article about recreational drugs. A new antidrug campaign for teenagers had been created, and it targeted what is important to those adolescents – self-image and “fitting in.” 

One doesn’t have to be a nurse to know that drugs like meth and cocaine are bad. During clinicals (in school), however, I commonly saw the “after” effects of dangerous addictions. One “just a try to get high” turns into a slippery slope of irrational thinking, job loss, money woes, and disappointment of friends and family. What doesn’t get broadcast as much is the ‘hyper-aging’ that occurs and the irreparable effect on the body that can occur within months. 

This anti-drug campaign, “From Drugs to Mugs” focuses simply on the pictures, and the metamorphosis that occurs once the addiction takes hold. 

Below are some of the pictures from the program… take note of the years from the “before” and “after” pictures.  Astonishing, huh?

Want to read more? Visit the MSNBC article.

I Survived.

Today. 

I.

Can.

Get. 

Back.

On.

Facebook.

Today was my 26^th day of being off of Facebook… and you know what? I survived. I have to say, though, it was not easy.

I wish I could tell you the day when Facebook transitioned from a fun thing to explore every now and again to being a significant component of my everyday life.  Perhaps it was the day the sun shone a little brighter, or the birds sang a little louder… just kidding… when I was on Facebook I didn’t even notice the sun… or birds… Sad, right?

 

I have been a loyal member of Facebook for almost seven years. To clarify, “member” can also mean “addict,” “devotee,” “stalker,” “prowler,” “friend”…. Yeah it got that bad, and it took me till my 25^th year to fully realize that. The hubbie laughed when he found out that I REALLY wanted him to change my Facebook password. 

“Why don’t you just use a little self-control, and see if you can manage it.”

“No, I need you to do this. Me and Facebook are like white on rice, I need an intervention.”

“…Alright…” he said hesitantly. He watched me carefully, much like a gazelle at a drinking hole noticing a lion on the horizon. 

"Don't look," he quickly said as he took a deep breath.

And it was done. 

 I promise I am not that scary.

1/29/10 – Written in scribbly handwriting…I didn’t even get the year right. Quitting Facebook is hard. (Keep in mind I didn’t quit facebook.)   

(I got very used to seeing this screen)

1/30 - FB app is gone. I realize that I check Facebook without thinking. (OK one time I was thinking and secretly hoping it would still let me on.)

2/2 – Tried to guess the new password. Oops. Must. Become. A. Twitter. Fan.

2/2 – Two Hours Later. Twitter. Is. No. Facebook.

2/4 – One week officially off Facebook. Too ashamed to write the rest in my 25x25 journal. All I will say is that there might have been tears. (New Job + No Facebook = Must find a new mindless hobby)

 2/6 – I will survive.

So after this self-realization, or “enlightenment,” will I quit Facebook?

No.

Unfortunately Facebook is so intricately, and probably precariously, woven in the fabric of my being (okay a little dramatic… just wanted to play off my blog name) – I really could not bear leaving. I have missed pictures of babies born, communication between friends, and sharing my bloggy posts. (A lot of my readers came through Facebook.) 

 But! I was checking Facebook absent mindedly thus wasting precious time that I could have been spending with family and friends… and that IS a problem. So I have arranged an agreement with… well myself. Think of it like a continuation of my original 25x25 challenge. 

25x25 Challenge Addendum: The Facebook app will NOT go back on my phone. I CAN check my Facebook one time a day. Any other times that I get on… I will have to pay my “Facebook Fund” a quarter. Get it? Quarter = 25… 25x25… oh I am too much for myself sometimes… 

  

Doing a little photoshopping

One of my 25x25 challenges is to "learn how to use my camera and photoshop… and submit one of my creations to a public competition."

Well if one is not familiar with photoshop... it's much like learning another language. Seriously.

Thank goodness there are people out there like Pioneer Woman who have traveled the road less taken, and then came back... with secrets.

It will be awhile before I master photoshop and create something worthy of submission, but thanks to Pioneer Woman and her "Photoshop Actions" things are getting slightly easier. Photoshop Actions are a collection of ... well... actions that you might perform on a photo. For example, say you want to "soften" a picture, make it black and white, and then perform other fancy, smancy tricks on it. Well you can save all of these together and call it "Jenny's Masterpiece," and everytime you want to use all of these actions at one time, just click "Jenny's Masterpiece" and wala! One click instead of a million. Pioneer Woman has some fabulous actions available for download.

Here is once picture I have been practicing on.... still a work in process...

Original Picture

Thought of the Day... Olive Oil

Okay.... So say you were picked up by a random stranger. Worried and confused you are shoved into the back seat of an unmarked van. Saying nothing to quiet your onslaught of questions, the driver, a burley man in all black with a mask over his face, drops you off at the local Kroger.

Grabbing you by the collar of your jacket, you are dragged out of the van. Your rough chauffeur barks that if you didn't bring him "Olive Oil" in the next 3 minutes, the WHOLE WORLD will perish.

Albeit an odd request, if this was the only concern of your friend in black, you could easily run into Kroger - grab the Olive Oil, check out and save the world. You solute the gentleman (not sure why, it was the first idea that came to your anxiety riddled mind) and and turn to charge through the parking lot.

As you are running into the store, your eyes quickly identify the proper isle, and you believe you might even have a few minutes to spare.... that is until you reach the olive oil section.

Yes there is a section.

 

All are Olive Oil. 

Which one do you grab?

Just to clarify, I haven't been taken hostage by a threatening mystery man requiring Olive Oil to save the world. I do however need it for a recipe. The directions did not specify what kind, but BOY was I overwhelmed what I found a hundred DIFFERENT kinds of Olive Oil staring right back at me (if bottles could stare...) And! There wasn't even a "regular" kind. I was so overwhelmed in fact that I didn't even chose one and walked right back out of the store.

Why does the world need so many types of Olive Oil?? 

Also - what is the difference between "Virgin Olive Oil" "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" and "100% Pure Olive Oil"?  It disturbs me that the fate of my food lies in the hands of my inexperienced Olive Oil selection. All I wanted was "Olive Oil."

This is why I have problems cooking.

**Sigh**

Sometimes you just have to gloat about your place of business

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the best in the nation. I was blessed to begin my nursing career here, and everything that we do continues to amaze me.

Vanderbilt was recently in the news for a ground breaking seven year study that we participated in. Our hospital along with the University of California San Francisco and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offered a National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS). In the trial, babies underwent fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.

Fetal Surgery… before they are born.

Those individuals that are born with spinal bifida (myelomeningocele) are expected to encounter multiple hardships. From the time they are admitted, we expect to see them fall on a spectrum, experiencing fluid buildup on the brain (hydrocephalus) with brain herniation, possible lower extremity paralysis, inability to void, no control over bowels… the list goes on. 

This landmark trial allowed surgeons to correct the defect before the infant was born – allowing the child to continue to grow and heal while still in utero. The enrollment was actually halted because researchers at the study's three trial sites found the procedure demonstrated a SIGNFICANT  benefit over the current standard of care, surgical repair after birth and the surgeries needed to be moved out of that “trial” stage and offered as an option to families. (Trials have so much red tape!) 

 (21 week old Baby Samuel after his repair surgery at Vanderbilt. He was born 15 weeks later. His parents said that it appears his brain herniation resolved before birth and at birth he was independently moving his legs and hips. It was said he caught the surgeon by surprise when he reached his hand through his mother's uterus and grabbed a hold of his finger.)

The findings from the sites were amazing. 90 percent of infants that were surgically repaired after birth are stricken with hydrocephalus and need surgical placement of a shunt to remove fluid buildup. (If the shunts fail or infection, it becomes a life – threatening situation. This is what brings the children back for multiple visits the hospital.) The MOMS trial found fetal surgery reduced the need for a shunt by almost 30 percent and significantly improved the child's chances of being able to walk. There was no increased risk of death for the baby or the mother when the fetal surgery group was compared with a group that received surgery after birth.

How AWESOME??

With the conclusion of the study, Vanderbilt is now immediately offering this procedure to patients with consultations already scheduled.

So proud. 

If you want to read more… please visit...

Spinal Bifida Surgery - In the News

Study proves benefits of spinal bifida surgery

Ground breaking fetal surgery now offered

Have a happy Friday everyone!!!

Wordless Wednesday...

photo credit

There will be a murder!!! (mystery dinner)

It's a tour of California Wine Country with its peaceful vineyards and picturesque wineries. The annual wine-tasting festival is in full swing when the body of local vineyard owner, Barry Underwood, is found hidden beneath his wine cellar. Barry has been missing for six long years but with the discovery of his body comes a wealth of new clues to solve the mystery. It's a vintage murder and you may be a suspect.

(Cue evil laughter) **muah hahaha **


This will be my first murder mystery dinner... and I am sOOoooOO excited! Albeit small (only eight people can participate... and with couples that adds up quickly), I am sure we will have a lot of fun.

Have any of you you participated in a murder mystery party?? If so... how was it?

I bleed blue… and today had tears of blue.

Come on kitty kats. We NEEDED to win an away game today. I wore my cute face tattoo, the hubs was decked out in all blue. I just don’t understand. We are UK!

I had been waiting for this day since the balmy July morning when I purchased Vanderbilt basketball season tickets. 

“You seem really excited” the super observant desk attendant commented as I wore my biggest smile.

“Oh I just can’t wait to watch UK play.”

“Wait. What?” A pair of brown eyes looked at me quizzically. Had he just heard this Vanderbilt employee right? Did she really just buy a pair of season tickets to watch UK play?

Why yes she did.

And you know what? We lost. It was close the whole game. Vanderbilt owned us with three pointers and we made stupid mistakes. Ugh. So sad, so disappointed. We were supposed to be good. We are UK!

Whelp. Not much else to say. At least we weren’t alone. (That is the nice thing about Big Blue Nation – you KNOW you will never be by yourself… always tons of supporters.) Here are some pictures from the sad, no good, very bad game.

Coach Calipari given the players a "talking to"

Fellow Big Blue Fans

Dear Mother Nature... I have an announcement to make

Okay friends. It is February 11^th, and I am OFFICIALLY ready for spring. I know I have said this before, but I never formally endorsed the statement. Please make sure you have me on record. Yes, I am ready for spring.

Nashville does not handle snow well. Give us a few inches, and we make it look like the Apocalypse occurred. Yesterday morning Jennifer Johnson, a news anchor on WSMV (a Nashville news station), said it best after displaying a picture of Nashville's snow storm on TV.

“Looks like Mother Nature threw a wild party, and no one drove home.” 

I understand snow stresses us out. It might push us into making poor decisions. But where do you go when you decide to abandon your car on a snowy road? It is cold outside! When I was driving home on Wednesday, my first thought did not include… “Look it’s snowing! Let me pull over here and get out to take a closer look!”

It is said that in the final stages of hypothermia, people begin to become delusional – occasionally feeling hot and potentially removing clothes. I have to hope that this is not the case, but please people, use your common sense. Leaving your car in the middle of a snowy road OR highway to wander to who knows where is not a safe option. P.S. Residents of Nashville… we only got 2-3 inches of snow. Sometimes you just got to ask, “Really?”

Mother Nature, if you are reading my blog – I have a bone to pick with you. Because I have made sub categories for weather, does not mean I would prefer to write more about the irrational decisions you have been making. If you want to get noticed, create some “nice” days and I will write about those too – you have my word.

Also - last time I checked (this morning), Nashville, Tennessee is not located next to New York City, or Minneapolis. If that was the case, it is not fair that we also get hot, muggy summers!  I know I “goofed” a few weeks ago and said it would be fabulous if Nashville was located next to Seattle (like Tachoma.) Please understand, I did not mean for that to imply "I would like colder weather". Seattle doesn’t even get this much snow!

Mother Nature, I promise I will enjoy more time outside, watering your grass, growing vegetables, and attempting not to kill flowers if the weather becomes “more tolerable.” Remember, I am not a polar bear or lizard, which means “more tolerable” can be defined as having an ambient temperature between 60 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit without large hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or floods. I think that’s it for now – please send spring soon!

Ugh. I don’t know how much more of winter I can take.

Here are the puppies getting out in the "yummy, cold stuff." - Yes they LOVE to eat snow... or in Cyrus's case - inhale it.

Talking during the game... watching during the commercials...

If I told you that I watched The Superbowl for the football, I’d be lying. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know who I was rooting for until Greenbay scored back to back touchdowns. (I actually jumped up and cheered the second time.) Yup, I was a Packers fan after that. Sorry dad.

I do, however, get suuuppppeer excited about the commercials. If a company is going to spend 2-3 million dollars for 30 seconds of our time – hey I guess I will watch it. If only we actually got paid for watching those commercials… sadness…

Anywho – the sun outside is misleading as all the roads that surround me are completely covered with a snowy ice mix. So what better time than to share the commercials that I enjoyed most?

My FAVORITE SB Commercial… 

This one tugged at my heart strings. I have to admit, that when I was young, I too attempted to use my “magical powers” on house hold items. Okay, maybe it was more than one time… and maybe I wasn’t so young the last time I tried this. If Kris Angel and David Blaine can do it, than why can’t I?

“The Force”

(*update* I found an additional video of the bloopers/behind the scenes of the Darth Vader kid. Love it!!)

The FUNNIEST SB Commercial…

I sympathasized with the poor guy. House sitting gone wrong – why not try to fix it with Doritos? I definitely did not expect the last part of the commercial and it left me chuckling, with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Awesome.

“House Sitting”

The most CRINGEWORTHY SB Commercial…

Even thinking about this commercial makes me cringe. It was HI-LARIOUS. Now I will think twice after having Dorito residue on my fingers. Again, thank you Doritos for your creative thinking skills.

“The Best Part”

The cutest BABY-ESQUE SB Commercial

Those E-trade kids are so smart, you sometimes forget they are babies. This commercial includes the baby making some cute gestures towards his “tailor” that I almost wasn’t even listening to the commercial… just watching the baby. (Ok the “baby” comments were funny too!) 

E trade Tailor

“What Just Happened??” SB Commercial

Ok, so this one wasn’t a fav… but it left me thinking, “what in the world just happened!??” In a matter of 60 seconds we see a helicopter, Poseidon, aliens, a worm hole, and the Mayans… a little disorganized to say the least. I wanted to share this one because it was the ONLY commercial that left the entire room speechless... I don't even remember what the following commercial was because we were still trying to digest what we just saw. haha. Justin's repsonse was, "What were they smoking??"

One Epic Ride

Which Super Bowl Commercial did you like the most??

Have you looked in the mirror recently?

Have you looked in the mirror recently… I mean really, really looked?

I have myopia - aka very near sighted. I am one of those people that if I decide to wear makeup and my glasses, I need to put extra concealer on my nose. Why? Because I inevitably run my face into the mirror trying to get close enough to “see” my eyelids. Happens. Every. Time.

It’s bad.

Sometimes it’s better for me to just close my eyes when moving around without my visual assistance. That way I don’t end up getting dizzy or falling over due to my absent depth perception. In the morning when I am waiting for the pups to finish eating (and way too lazy to grab my glasses) I like to play, “Guess the indefinable, unknown shape.” I recommend it to all the semi-visually impaired folk. 

A few weeks ago I was lounging on the couch… at 6:30 am… waiting to let the dogs out. After resting my eyes for a few minutes, I opened them and saw Cyrus next to the chair in the kitchen. Figuring he was ready to go outside, I called to him. No movement.

“Buddy, come on, it’s time to go potty.”

**Sidenote.. No, my dog doesn’t know how to use the “potty”. It would be wonderful he did. I will settle with him going outside and doing his business. That’s okay too.**

Nothing.

I could hear Ginger still eating.

“Buddy?”

I was starting to get worried. Sometimes Cyrus makes the poor life choice to inhale his food instead of chewing it properly. I was now hoping that he hadn’t choked. 

Swiftly making my way to the kitchen, I realized that what I thought was Cyrus was actually a coat that had fallen off the chair.

“Cyrus??”

I was frantic. I listened, but couldn’t hear the jingling of his collar. (I might be blind, but my hearing and smell have not overcompensated.) I ran to our room, tripping over the coffee table, and hitting my hip on the dresser and haphazardly grabbed for my glasses. After a few extra-long minutes (and  inadvertently knocking my glasses off the bedside stand) I could see AND had found Cyrus. Turns out he was still in his crate from where I had put him the evening before. Yeah, I hadn’t even let him out to feed him. Maybe I should wear my glasses around the house.

So I can’t see, I’ll admit it.

But, once I have my glasses on or contacts in, you would think THEN I could see everything. That’s what I thought, until I was taking a picture of myself the other day. 

Pictures are worth a thousand words, but I have one word to describe this picture. Unibrow.

Turns out my brows are planning to take over the world – once face at a time. I know they aren't too bad right now, but give them another week... I will be able to have a self made visor for my eyes. After I zoomed in x500 (or something like that) I grabbed my mirror. Sure enough, they had been there the entire time – I was just too worried about my poor nose getting some one on one time with a reflective surface.

Guess I will have to revoke the gag order I have on the hubbie about making comments about my facial hair. (No beard or mustache  - just ONE annoying mole… but apparently also applies to brow disclosure.) Eek!

Oh what we do to be beau…. Haha… not look like a monkey.

Have a wonderful day!

Croissant de Chicken

One down, twenty-four to go!

I can cook. I really can. What I cook, how long I cook it, and how it turns out after being cooked are usually the only things that don’t turn out right. Other than that, I do fine!

“One” of my 25x25 challenges is to cook 25 NEW dishes. Finding a new dish shouldn’t be too hard since I usually work off a limited menu, however I am a picky person (which I am working on.) I realized one of my biggest barriers is poor planning on my part. I usually decide I am hungry when my stomach is at the point of eating itself and additional ingredients are usually at a minimum.

So in retrospect, it probably wasn’t a great night to cook a new meal, but we got through it.

What did I end up cooking? Well I am not quite sure if there is an actual name, so I am going with Croissant de Chicken. Ingredients I found in my fridge: chicken… croissant dough. No recipe, no idea how the two would go together, not sure how to cook either one successfully = good idea to Jenny.

Here is my 1^st 25x25 cooking adventure… take a look!

Croissant dough... after I opened the container, I realized I had NO idea what I was getting myself in to.

Pieces of raw chicken. Knife was unfortunately dull and I was unfortunately scared of getting whatever germ hangs out with raw chicken. I probably washed my hands 60 times. Sidenote: I know the cookbook snuck into this picture - but don't let that fool you. After flipping through a few pages realizing I have NO ingredients to create the restaurant -esque dishes, I gave up.

This is where it was getting tricky. Okay, not at this point - a little later. I always have a hard time telling when chicken is "done." I promise that if you look at the cooking poultry long enough, what was pink looks white-ish, and what you were sure was cooked is now taking a pink-ish hue. Ugh.

My coworkers are probably sighing at this point. I KNOW they have explained the difference between vegetable oil and olive oil, but I always forget. I don't even know if I was supposed to cook the chicken with oil, but in it went! Oops!

Looking almost done, right??

Sorry there is no "in between" pictures. After the chicken was done, I strategically placed them in the croissant rolls and stuck them in the oven. Oh... and I crossed my fingers.

Finished product!! Croissant de Chicken and grapes... My food adventures will get better, I promise. On second thought, I  take that back.  I can't promise it will get better, I can only hope - for mine and the hubbie's sake.

This is before he took his first bite... thats why he was smiling. Just playing! He said it tasted good, but was probably better as a "finger food" meal versus a sit down one. (He needs to take what he can get! haha)