Island Life

In case any of you have forgotten, I live in Greanda, West Indies. Everyone calls me lucky because I live in "Paradise." But let me tell you about said, "Paradise," or a tiny rock in the middle of the ocean, whichever you please. I live a very weird life.

My weird life is now my normal life.

What do I mean?! Well, let me tell you just a few weird/normal things.

At work a while back I found a crab INSIDE the building, just chillin. How long had he been there?! That's weird.

But weirder than that, a woman in the office simply grabbed a coffee mug, caught it, and released it outside like it was nothing, like she caught crabs inside the building all the time. That's weird.

We get traffic here in Grenada - usually a herd of goats on the road. That's weird.

Thanks for the picture Tammy!

Recently my friend sent me this package.

That's a swimsuit and some spiced apple cider. It's November. Don't worry though, I used them in the same day. That's weird.

Sometimes I need to hop on a local bus to get downtown. That is pretty normal, but does your city bus have this awesome airbrushed flaming heart on the ceiling? That's weird.


















Last week I went grocery shopping with my friend and she took these two pictures.

Exhibit A:

I guess this might not be too weird. Right dad? You see this all the time at your favorite Asian market!

But this, this.... Exhibit B. Definitely the first time I've seen this sliced and diced, fresh for sale.

Iguana eat that really bad!!!

Just for you Tay.

(Not really) But like I mentioned to my friend after she posted the pics, my second thought after "interesting," was to check the $/lb.

I did that. I seriously checked to see if it was a good deal, which pretty much means that I considered eating squid and/or iguana. Maybe in a nice "surf and turf" stir fry?  Yeah, that is pretty weird.

Speaking of weird food. This tropical "Paradise" (yep, still in quotes!), has lots of tropical fruits. Some are good. Some are ... volatile, in the sense that it's easy to get a "bad" one. Your window ripeness is often slim. I don't particularly care for most of them. But on an average trip to the local fruit stand my friend picked this up once.



This is called a sugar apple. It smells awful and feels and looks creepy. It reminds me of this baby alien:

It used to be weird, but now, sugar apple, now you are just normal.

Music Monday #1: Suburban Legends

Music Monday!

Look how cute I am with my alliteration! It's like I am a real blogger but alliteration-inconsistent and post-sparse).

I think most people love music. I know that I do. Music is a funny thing. Whenever I ref something, or comment on what I like to listen to, 90% of the time get this answer,

"Hmm, I didn't peg you as someone who would listen to that."

It's said in a matter-of-fact, almost puzzled tone. It makes me laugh because well, what had you thought I listened too? How did I completely blow your mind?! Haha.

Anyways, here is Music Monday where I share a song that maybe I like or love. Maybe it is catchy, maybe it is a long lost love, or a recent find. Maybe it's shallow, maybe it's deep. Who knows!

Today is a song from one of my favorite bands, but I had never heard it before!! Thanks Xbox music radio thing. Unfortunately blogger isn't cooperating so I'm going old-fashioned with a simple link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyOWoxXCeoA



It's from the band Suburban Legends, which, c'mon, is an awesome name. They are a ska band, way cool and fun. Tons of energy (duh), and incredible live! This tune is for audiences of all ages (enjoy it while it lasts! ;). Just listening to it make me so happy.

101 Things in 1001 Days

My awesome friend Tammy is a fantastic blogger. She's the opposite of me in that way. :D
Recently she posted about a new project she is starting, "101 Things in 1001 Days." She had told me the concept before, but then she made her list and started (whaaa? carrying out ideas with goals and responsibility for finishing?!)! Crazy, I know. And being the crazy I am, I thought I might like to try as well. It also might've been influenced by the fact that The Bucket List was on TV recently.

You can get a good feel for the project here at Day Zero Project.



Pretty much it is a short term bucket list. So instead of saying borderline annoying things like "Marry the man of my dreams and have the perfect wedding and have 3 kids and live happily ever after," or "Visit all 7 wonders of the world 7 times." You instead write ones that are 1) possible and 2) attainable in the next 1001 Days.

Goals and deadlines, bring it on!

Lately I feel like I am wasting away in the "island paradise" and it's killing me, so I am excited to start this now. I spent a good two-ish weeks thinking and pondering the list. I came up with good ones, some great ones, and some awesome ones that I forgot before I wrote them down. I included some I can do in Grenada some I HAVE to do in the U.S. and some I can do anywhere. I included ones I can do on my own and I have to do with others.

Also, I don't know but I think this song is my theme for the next year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5JhLyCfGtw

But without further adieu:


Kristen's 101 Things in 1001 Days
{Effective November 14th, 2013}

1) See a play in the round at the Glendale theater
2) See a live taping of a talk show
3) Visit another country
4) Visit the my nation's capital
5) Finish a crochet project
6) Have a black and white movie marathon
7) Be positive every day for a week
8) Complete Jillian Michael's 30s Day Shred
9) Throw out/Give away/sell/donate 101 THINGS. (0/101)
10) Re-do honeymoon since the first one was Hell
11) Make fresh ricotta
12) Do a month photo challenge
13) Blog every day for two weeks
14) Write and mail 50 letters 
15) Make a smashbook
16) Start an Etsy store
17) Hand-make something I am proud of and give it to someone
18) Make a restaurant passport book
19) Buy a colored pea coat
20) Give spare change to 25 people
21) Make 15 new crockpot meals/ things
22) Take a photo of myself every day for a month
23) Bake something and give it ALL AWAY
24) Do "50 questions that will free your mind."
25) Don't complain about anything for a week
26) Make a quilt
27) Ask twenty people to suggest one book and read them all
28) Read 5 classics
29) Watch all the movies that won Best Picture the last 10 years
30) Get adventure scuba certified
31) Write a letter to open after the 1001 days are over
32) Register and run a race
33) Memorize 3 hymns in Spanish
34) Shoot a legit gun
35) Go fishing (ambitious enough to include "Catch a fish?" - no).
36) Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same day
37) Perfect a song on the ukelele and record myself
38) Jump off a cliff
39) Pick fruit at a farm
40) Make fondue
41) Organize, plan, and throw a super legit party
42) Eat from 3 different food trucks
43) Go for a jog every day for a month
44) Write an online review for 10 products
45)  Go to 10 Triple Ds.
46) Go river tubing
47) Buy something at a farmer's market
48) Buy and rock something vintage
49) Save for an expensive article of clothing that I really want and purchase!
50) Make and blog about 10 dishes/ foods I have made
51) Make and blog about 10 crafts/projects I have made
52) Make and blog about 20 quotes that I like
53) Prepare a whole chicken without help
54) Eat at ruth's chris steak house
55) Learn how to make pomegrante ice cream and re-creat the molten lava cake with pomegrante ice cream I had at the Tree Room
56) Save up for that awesome idea I have for my parents
57) Make 5 different tiered cakes
58) Make a rainbow cake
59) Do sidewalk chalk
60) Do a color run
61) Take a photo from an aircraft
62) Join a community club like book club or something
63) Go geo-caching
64) Just get up and go!
65) Make a floral arrangement I am proud of and give it to someone
66) Take a class at a local craft store or something
67) Make Grandma B's Bread
68) Hike the Y
69) Take beautiful photographs print them nice, and hang them up
70) Visit grandma and grandpa's grave
71) Slurpees from several 7/11s in one day
72) Buy flowers for my mom just because
73) Tye-dye sheets
74) Make a pie on pi day
75) Buy myself a men's shirt so I am less likely to take Ross's
76) Go to Jerry's Soda Shop
77) Hike up to the Hollywood sign
78) See something built by Frank Lloyd Wright
79) Go to a CA mission with Ross, to finally educate him
80) Use Wilton Candy Melts
81) Do 5 things that scare me
82) Try 15 different kinds of rootbeer
83) Carry out the Great Pizza tour
84)  Sign up for and do postcrossing
85) Buy sanuk flops or make them
86) Leave 50 random inspirational messages in random places
87) Take a free online class
88) Facebook fast for a week
89) Go camping
90) Go to a county fair and eat something I have never tried
91) Make something all by myself in the dutch overn
92) Send 5 secrets to Postsecret
93) Write down 100 things that make me happy
94) Be at the beach on Christmas
95) Take a picture for every letter of the alphabet
96) Donate 10 books to The Last Bookstore
97) Pay for someone else's food at the drive thru
98) Eat at Ruby's at the end of the Manhattan pier.
100) Learn 100 flags of the world
101) Get a pet

QW #16 Live

In case you haven't noticed, Blogger has been getting on my nerves lately. My patience has been incredibly short as of late so I grounded myself from the blog until I feel ready to completely re-write some posts that didn't save.

Anyways. I decided that instead of talking about interesting happenings in my life, I will just ramble.

http://www.pinkchocolatebreak.com/2013/08/12/magic-monday-let-go-of-what-doesnt-serve-you/?lang=en

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

I talked before about this quote. Which in a way is similar. But for some reason when I saw this quote I was really drawn to it.

So... here I am sittin' in Grenada while Ross goes to medical school, watching as my life wastes away. And let me tell you, 10, 5, 3, not even 1 year ago, this was not the life that I planned for myself.

When I moved to Grenada over a year ago I left so much of me behind. Both tangible things, as well as ... less-tangible things. I sometimes joke about the things that exists in my "real life" the more stable, planned life that I left behind, willingly let go of. It's my real life that involves nice springform pans and cute comforters that match the shower curtain. It involves a grandmother's rocker carefully packed in storage. It involves color-coordinated kitchen things. It includes tubs full of the cutest shoes and bags full of warm winter sweaters.

And I left it all behind.

More than that, I packed up my plans. The nice neat plans that many girls tend to make before they decide to help someone else achieve their dream first.

But had I never (not even temporarily) let go of my perfect little plans, I would not have moved to Grenada to live the life that was waiting for me. The life that frustrates me, the life that makes all my hair fall out.The life that drives me nuts, the life that makes me plug my nose. The life that opens my eyes to all sorts of new beauty, the life that makes me pass out from heat exhaustion. The life that helps me relax.

The life that continually makes me cry, and teaches me the most important lessons in life.

Live for the future. Because there is a future. And it is a future filled with hope. 

Joke of the Day

Sometimes, some days, Grenada just has jokes. Lovely little jokes that just make me laugh. Sometimes it's an insane laugh, maybe a disbelief laugh, maybe an "I give up" laugh, maybe an "I'll try again later" laugh.

This morning I got to campus early to print off some things for a documentary screening I am helping host tomorrow. I was incredibly optimistic hoping that the library might be open even a little before 8am so I could print before work. 

I got to the library to find some wonderful news! 

The print lab opens at 7:30am!! 

The bad news of course was that the library, which you must enter to get to the print lab on the second floor, doesn't open til 8am. 

*scratches head*

I tried the doors, maybe it was unlocked so you could go upstairs to said (supposedly) open print lab?

Nope.

I poked around to see if I could see any slackers hiding in there with some keys, taunting me and my printing needs.



It's cool, I've been the not-opening-the-freaking-doors-til-5-seconds-til-the-hour.

BUT OPEN THE FREAKING DOORS!



So like a good girl who isn't mad dawging library employees, I waited patiently until 8am.



Once the library was opened I headed to the second floor computer lab to find the printers all out of order.



I headed back down to the first floor printer that always put a fold on the corner of the page. And surprisingly printed several pages, until the printer kept jamming, about every other page.

There is a sign near the printer that says that you can't "tamper" with the printer. Which is a fancy way of saying that you can't open the printer and pull out the crinkled jammed piece of paper to resume printing. You have to have an employee yell at you (hello library voice?!), and wait for her to saunter over to the printer to do it herself all whilst giving you a look of disdain.

*Repeat until you give up*

I got most of the items printed, but ultimately gave up, because this meme doesn't exist for no reason.

All in all, I consider the trip a success!

Happy Wednesday!

You Learn Something New Everyday...

Being the Significant Other of a medical student is tough sometimes. All of a sudden you are signed up for all sorts of nasty things you never wanted to be a part of.

I talked before about cadaver pictures on my Kindle and Glycolosis all over my mirror.

With Ross being in 4th term now, he is every so often responsible for "Doing Slides." I try not to ask questions, and he isn't around much to clarify but from what I gather this has something to do with putting pictures of stuff and words of what the stuffs are. It's obviously all very technical to me.

This evening I go to the computer Start menu and I'm minding my own business looking for the Fotor app to collage up some pictures.

But before I find Fotor. I find, "NOT FREAKIN' FOTOR." Please refer to Exhibit A.

Exhibit A 

Sorry, is Exhibit A a little too small? Does it not take up your WHOLE computer screen?!

Please refer to Exhibit B.

Exhibit B

Thanks medStudentHusband, because without you I would never have a cute little snapshot thumbnail of your slides for what appear to be the, "Clinical features of Graves disease," (every time I open the Start menu).  And because of you, I will not be able to close my eyes at night because Clinical-features-of-Graves-disease-women will be there staring at me.

A Solution to Every Problem (FIRE!!)

Happy Wednesday! 

This is how I feel today. And yesterday. And the day before. Besides the time I spent living at home, it has been years, yes YEARS since a dish-washing machine was an accessory in my apartment. And now, I continue to live without a dish-washing machine. It was always pretty simple, just washed my dish when I was done with it, dried it, and put it away. 

But a few weeks ago, or maybe it was months, I hit a wall. And when I mean wall I mean iron-curtain wall, I mean great wall of China wall. I decided that I could not so much as pick up another dish and wash it ever again. Just being in the kitchen with a single dirty dish made me run out again and hide under the covers.

Now, don't worry, I am sure I will get to lovin' the scrubbin' soon enough but in the meantime, I would like to give a hat tip and large flourish to my husband. 

I'm usually the last one to get sappy about the amazing ol' hubs but seriously, that boy can wash dishes. 

CLEAN dishes everywhere, in the drying rack, on the counter, in the sink, in BOTH sides of the sink. Now that right there, is the sexiest photo I have ever seen. Oww oww!! 

QW #15 What I Actually Needed

Quote Whatever Whenever today is just a bunch of thoughts thinly strung together.

However, I think this is pretty well-constructed and eloquent.

I don't really know what it is about us humans, but we always know what it is like (<-- sarcasm).

We all know what it is like to have a loved one die.
We all know what it is like to have have illness.
We all know what it is like to be heartbroken.
We all know what it is like to be lonely.
We all know what it is like to be depressed.
We all know what it is like to have a crisis of faith.
We all know what it is like to be relieved.

But. We. Don't.

We really don't. Because every situation is different.

Although YOU may have been through a similar event in your life, that doesn't mean you know how another person feels. I believe many people are well-meaning. But how many times do we diminish others in their time of need?

"It will get better." Okay. So what about now? What about right now in this moment when I am so *insert emotion here* (ill, heartbroken, lonely, depressed, frustrated, confused, hopeless)? What am I to do? Sit here until it passes? Cry until my eyeballs fall out? Stress until my hair falls out? Simply wait for things to get better (because we all know they will)?

It's like slapping a band-aid on a broken ankle and walking away. It's like showing up with cough drops when they need a cast and a good doctor. We write prescriptions for problems we don't see.

So why do we do that? Does it make us feel better about ourselves? Or do we honestly and sincerely think we are helping and uplifting? We confuse being sympathetic with being empathetic. We have devolved in that way.

Don't all of us, most of us, some of us just want a little validation? Don't we all just want someone to listen to what we have to say, without interjection or interruption?

If we ask a question, we should judge a little less, compare a little less, and listen a little more.

{Window} Shop 'Til You Drop!

Before coming moving to a speck in the middle of the ocean I never did online shopping. I never oggled cute clothes and shoes that I could or couldn't afford. This is how I shop.



I walk into a store, and go straight for the clearance section. Or better yet, I spend hours going through every single rack at the thrift store. I digress.



Now, here in Grenada, I spend too much time online shopping. And now, they are all clothes that I can't afford. So I sit and look for deals and free shipping until I get bored and give up or Ross comes home and I feel stupid and close the dozens of tabs.

I'm finding out that living in Grenada has made me a very self-destructive person.

What do I mean?

I mean it's Monday morning and to add insult to injury I like to look at the Target weekly ad.

I log on, and look though all the new shiny things and I hurt myself.

And maybe I cry - maybe I don't.



Everything in the USA in all of its capitalistic glory, is convenient. I was telling my friend the other day that I could almost literally walk to 4 stores that sold swiss cheese in the time it takes me to wait in line at the deli here and have them tell me they are out of swiss cheese. Yeah, that is a little dramatic, and maybe stretching it, but whatever. The bottom line is IGA needs to have swiss cheese. 

So back to Target. I'm looking through the weekly ad, trying to feel numb. Trying to hold back the tears.
Most girls "window shop" for necklaces from J. Crew on sale for $150. Or ugly designer t-shirts on sale for $190. I window shop for brand new, bright, shiny, never used on any previous island resident's butt, non-stinky, moldy, tattered towels, for $4!! How about large bags of Skittles, yes people, the rainbow is at stake here, 2 for $9? Nail polish for $2, Libby's pumpkin puree $1.69. To further prove how pathetic I am, I even eye things I have no need for here. Like fuzzy slippers and microfleece blankets.

Now that we are in the thick of things it is hard to imagine sometime when everything will be so ... accessible. But for now I will settle for this life.