you may be crazy

This semester I've been taking a class called Biopsychosocial Issues in Patient Care (BIPC) a.k.a. let's see how far you're off your rocker. Notice I didn't say "if" but "how far" because it's a stone cold fact that everyone's a little lunatic. It's just some people don't mind showing it. in the middle of the street. naked.

The DSM-IV, otherwise known as the holy bible of psychology, lists criteria for all the diagnosable disorders out there. To help you embrace your inner nut, here's a few points to ponder on the way to the grocery/book/gun store.

Are you prone to persistently bear grudges?

Do you choose solitary activities?

Are you impulsive or fail to plan ahead?

Are you suggestible (aka easily influenced by others or circumstances)?

Are you envious of others or believe that others are envious of you?

Are you concerned with being criticized or rejected in social situations?

Do you passively resist fulfilling routine social and occupational tasks?

Does your self-concept center around beliefs of inadequacy, worthlessness, and low self-esteem?

Are you preoccupied with details, rules, lists etc...

I should note that all of the questions come from one section, the personality disorders section (I haven't even mentioned mood disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, somatoform and pain disorders, dissociative disorders, sleep disorders, learning disorders, attention-deficit disorders, sex disorders, tic disorders, adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders etc... plus all the disorders that don't have the word "disorder" in the title).

So I'm sitting in class as they go through the list of all these and I'm thinking to my self, yep, have that, and that too, and that. By the time class is done I'm debating whether to check myself into some sort of facility.

I've come to the conclusion that, yes, sometimes you'll answer yes to these questions. Honestly, I hope you do. I feel it makes you far more relate-able than those who've never been through things like loss, embarrassment, pain, desire (god forbid!), envy, true moments of happiness... I'm not trying to sum up life in four lines, just letting you know what's been on my mind.

ps: If you like to suffer through a barrage of questioning along these lines simply click the title of this post. Warning: there's a disorder for that too.

baby, it's cold outside

weekend trip: Niagara Falls
accomplices: Kristina, Angie, and Dhardielle
hours in car: 17
movies watched: 3
frost nipped fingers: 5
getting out of the country: priceless


Horseshoe Falls is better seen on the Canadian side. As a girl, I went with my mother during the summer time and we rode on a boat that took us to the outer rim of these falls. It was surprising to see that same water covered in ice.


Horseshoe Falls. Taking this shot got my heart beating a bit faster. Though there was this huge gate with stone preventing anyone from falling in, if you slightly leaned over the ledge you were mere feet away from the rushing water. It was entertaining watching the chunks of ice plunge over the edge.

The mist rising from Horseshoe falls landed on the nearby trees and froze on only one side of the bark.

Hiya Angie! You can see that most of the river has frozen over

This is the base of the American Falls. It was amazing to see this massive amount of water dump over the ledge and disappear under the top ice. I particularly loved the icicles... reminded me of stalactites.

Thus concludes el tripo de Niagara. side note: This is the last time I travel North for the winter. what was I thinking...

john.he.is

Yes We Can Obama Song by will.i.am

say hello to my little friend

Soren, Mandy, Stanley and I drove up to Punxsutawney for Groundhog's Day and received in person the bad news of winter's unwelcome stay for another six weeks. We were one of the few that walked up to Gobbler's knob and arrived just minutes before the prediction was read (we chose not to stay the night in the cold). most entertaining moment: As soon as Phil saw his shadow an enormous "BOOOOOOOO!" erupted from the crowd, and then in one mass movement, the crowd bolted for the shuttle buses.

After being rejected by the relentless mob, Phil huffed off to his cage to drown his sorrows in Jack Dandelions.

One of Phil's handlers snuck up behind us and joined in our photo. I turned around to find him waving away and Phil balled up in his cage.

hat time:
and from the back:

and finally...

This is the hat that I crocheted to keep my tiny head warm.

V.I. day one

Last weekend Jen, Marcie, Chantelle and I all agreed that we needed a break so we took a little trip down to the Caribbean. beau-TI-ful! The first night we caught a ferry to St. John and visited Trunk Bay, which is THE most beautiful beach I've ever visited. You know when you usually go to a beach you're trying your hardest not to step on questionable items, and then if that doesn't deter you, you then face the battle of the murky, opaque water itself. Think of the exact opposite and you've got Trunk Bay. The entire beach, including in the water, was pure refined sand, AND the water was crystal clear! side note: as a memento, I put a handful of sand in a plastic baggie all the while thinking of how I'd explain the powdery substance to airport security.


View from the ferry

We were a bit late in arriving, so the shops at the bay were closed, but the sun was still up, so I went in for a dip. We watched the sunset and then started back to where we thought we could catch a taxi. However, since everything closed at 4:30, all the taxis had left, and we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, two divers had just returned back to their "truck" and offered us a lift. Now I know I shouldn't take rides from strangers, especially in a vehicle made of duck tape, but we really had no other option. So we all pile in the back of the aspiring El Camino and took a seat on a wooden plank. Since only two of us could sit side-by-side, Marcie sat on Jen's lap and Chantelle on mine. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but as we were driving along the hilly switchbacks (with six people and all of their diving equipment piled behind us) I start to feel this burning sensation on the soles of my feet. Not wanting to move, I ignored it for a few minutes until we reach the next steep hill, in which my feet start to sear as Paul the driver floored it. I immediately moved my feet causing Chantelle to bounce about, which is something to avoid in an open-air, open-cab vehicle. Thankfully, the car did not tip over.



We ate dinner on St. John before heading to our resort on St. Thomas (if you go you have to eat the bbq there... so good). The ferry home was a perfect ending to the night. As we set off for home the captain turned off the lights, so that when I looked up I saw the entire night sky filled with stars (a sight I haven't seen in years).

nutshell

Here's what happened in the life of Jackie for Christmas:

Family visited for Christmas, the first few days the boys and I stayed in an amazing hotel called the Casablanca in NY. I have to give many thanks to the parents for letting us stay there. As a gift to Greg, we went to Wicked, and hands down Kendra Kassebaum far surpassed Helen Dallimore (London cast) as Glinda.

Chris and I in front of the Rockefellar tree as the rain sprinkled down.

We went into St. Patrick's Cathedral and listened to a chior practice. It was a nice respite from the crowds and the weather outside.

Here are the stockings I made for my family.

If you'd like to see more pictures just click on the title.

a lullaby

It's finals week for me, and as a pick me up I've been listening to old school musicals. I'm sure you all have so many stresses with work/school/family/life that I thought you might like to listen to a little tune to relax. Hushabye Mountain is one of my favorites, and though I'm not a kid anymore (or so my parole officer says), I still think you're never too old to appreciate a lullaby.

Ben Franklin Bridge

gobble, gobble

While wandering around before the parade started, I ran into this cordial guy that let me take his photo.

He's Real!

Per Shells request, I'm posting a few of my favorite photos this week from my Thanksgiving trip to NY. Side note: don't you just love the kid in the tree costume completely zonked out.

a break

folks, i'm gonna take a little sabbatical for awhile. no worries, i'm fine, i just feel like i haven't been on my "A" game with writing, and I don't want to disappoint with unfulfilled expectations.

poke-a-nose

For Labor Day a few friends and I went to the Poconos. This was somewhat of our last summer hoorah before we started up with the fall.

You probably can't see but Topher is the one in blue behind the girl in the black shirt, and he was our entertainment for the night. Good guitar player with a voice to match. Forgive the blurriness.

Jason and Marcie.

Brian, Jen, and Malina.

The gang. Yeah, my eyes look crazy and I'm partly out of the pic because 1) I was checking my camera to see when it was going to snap, 2) no make-up, and 3) I had to run through this obstacle course (stairs included) to get from behind the camera to in front of the camera. scary, I know.

It was a much needed trip full of swimming/water sports, night walks down to the beach, movies, nintendo, bike rides, laying on hammocks, reading, a bonfire, ghost stories, going into town and hitting a few at the batting cages, rocking the house at air hockey, and wasting the days with friends. Oh! I taught them Texas hold'em! It was a fantastic trip.

on notice

I knew it! This morning in my email I find this letter from Corporate:

"Thank you for your recent order. When you placed your order, we did have a limited supply of the item listed below. However when it was time to ship, our stock had been depleted and unfortunately, the item is no longer available. Please accept our sincere apologies."

So of course I called Customer Service since I was trying to find any excuse to put off studying for my quiz today. I explained to the lady how my rug was out of stock, and asked if she could price match for a smaller size. Now I must pause here for a minute because I think it takes a lot of guts (and little dignity) to actually ask this of them. Nonetheless, I felt it was my duty, NAY, my calling to stick it to the man.

She asks for my order number. A long pause ensues.

"A dollar?", she shockingly voices on the phone. "A DOLLAR?!?" she repeats, but with a cackling laughter I've never heard before in my life.

Me: "Yeah... like I said, it was ridiculously cheap."

"Well, I can go ask my boss, but I don't think it's gonna happen," she concludes. As she is putting me on hold I hear her repeat the amount and then I hear what seemed like the entire room start to laugh.

$1

I just bought a 9' x 12' rug from Restoration Hardware for a $1. That's right, a buck, uno dollar-o, 100 pennies. Actually, the shipping cost brought the rug to a whopping $6.37. Call me big spender.

Obviously, someone made a typo while putting in the price and if I'm honest, I don't completely love the rug and I have no need for it. But I really could not pass up the opportunity to 1) test out their customer service policy, and 2) to own anything from that store. Now I am wondering if RH will actually honor their posted price and send me my rug, or will they send me some "We regret to inform you that the rug in question does not exist..." But if they actually come through with this, you might be the lucky recipient of something long and flat and oh-so-stylish for Christmas (don't think that just because you live across the pond that you are exempt).

30 Rock

During my three week break I watched the entire first season of 30 Rock. In a 24 hour time period. Yes, I know, I have skills. Amazing skills that are crucial for future employment.

Two of my favorite characters (aside from Tina Fey) include Jack Donaghy, the tactless boss (Alec Baldwin) and Kenneth, the home-grown-country NBC page (Jack McBrayer). The best line of the entire show comes from "The Head and The Hair" episode:



Jack Donaghy: "You and I actually have a lot in common. We're both hard workers. When I was your age I was putting myself through college in Boston... paddling swan boats for the tourists."


Kenneth: "Is that a euphemism for some kind of sex worker?"

I did NOT sign up for this

This semester I'm taking a class called Physical Diagnosis in which I learn how to do the hands on stuff of my profession. And when I say hands on, the thought comes to mind "Shouldn't you ask me to dinner and a few drinks before this?" kind of work.

Today was my first lab for the class, in which three other peers and I gathered around a make-shift exam room with two professors (one in training). As luck would have it, the three peers are all gals whose sum weight equals that of a paper clip and the professor is, well, just see for yourself. He asked today "does anyone have a problem with this" referring to the fact that our classroom attire will consist of patient gowns comparable to mosquito netting. I'm the only one to raise my hand, and I shockingly stare at the girls and ask, "You seriously don't?" All three shake their heads no.

I wouldn't really have a problem aside from the fact that I have to be in a gown next week with the only thing separating me from the world is a flimsy pair of undies with my peers poking and prodding ME!!! That's just not gonna cut it. or cover it.

Yep, that sums it up

I went to brother's graduation this past weekend and while there I stayed with my Aunt Lorri and Uncle Shannon. I love that family. If I could have a house, this is what it would look like:

That's right, I'd have a blown up version of the American Girl dollhouse (flowers included).

And this is what I would have in my back yard:

where i could pull this from the ground...

Well, perhaps not the turnip, but I'd go for some fresh tomatoes and corn right about now.

Frivolity '07

I'm starting a new section of my blog in which people will decide which is their favorite. Good debates as to why you backed a particular party are welcome. Nonsense is encouraged. For christening this launch we have the most debated question:

Paper or Plastic?