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.

QW #14 Even the Darkest Night...

"Even the darkest night will end & the sun will rise. "

-Les Miserables

I don't know yet if this is true. I kinda doubt it if it was said by "A bunch of Miserables."

But I hope it's true. 

Here are a few pretty clouds I saw this morning as the sun was rising.