Words of "Experience"

This weekend a friend and I drove through the town of Daggett to get some awesome shakes at Peggy Sue's Diner. The name of Daggett reminded me of the familiar expression of my parent's, "dagnabbit," and I used it as I thought we had missed the diner. In honor of my mom's recent birthday, I want to share some other words (most of them exclamations) of "experience."
I'm trying to refrain from the term "old fashioned."
If you have parents/relatives/friends that have other "words of experience," feel free to share them. Here is just a sample. Please forgive the spelling, as I don't come across these words very often:

dagnabbit
gol
criminey
shiminey louise (one of my favorites)
spiffy
looney
cattywompus
for the birds
golly willickers
Holy Toledo!

It's almost time...

I was reading my sister's blog and I realized that it's about that time of year again. I'm not talking about the "post-Valentine-breakups-leaving-everyone-single-for-a-summer-fling-until- the-end-of-the-year-holiday-hook-ups-and-dating-and-engagements-begin" time. It's much, much better than that. It's time for...

Girl Scout Cookies!!

Is there any thing better that happens in March??(unless you are a college basketball fan)

I like all of the cookies, but my favorie are the Samoas, or whatever they are called, because I guess that name is not PC. It's the chewy, chocolately, caramely, and best of all- coconutty- goodness that is like a legalized version of crack for me. As much as I love the Dreyer's ice cream version, it hardly has enough pieces to get enough of the buzz that such a cookie brings.

Why must we "Beware the Ides of March" when there are wonderful cookies to enjoy??

Food For Less at 11:35 P.M.

This may seem kind of weird having a second consecutive post about shopping. And it's a bit weird because it is not one of my favorite activities. Maybe I just have a little "blogger's-block."

Last night I had to make a stop at the grocery store to pick up some frozen corn for a FHE-related elbow injury. There were probably about 3 other shoppers in the whole store when I entered. A positive feeling enegized me at such a late hour. I felt like I practically had the store to myself. Like I almost owned it. No carts to go around or collisions to avoid from turning around blind corners. It was almost powerful enough to sing along to U2's "In the Name of Love," but I settled for lip syncing. And there was hardly anyone to stare at me.

Maybe I should always do my shopping at 11:30 at night all the time.

A Dollar Store Discovery

A few weeks ago I was getting new tires on my car and had a bit of time to kill. I could have planned this a little better so that I could be killing time at the mall instead of the shopping center across the street. Oh well... Part of that time was spent in one of those "Everything's a dollar" type stores. My inner child wanted to go to the toy section because that must be the most entertaining section of the store. You'll never know what you'll find, like my Crespo (Argentine soccer player) bobble head and a squishy miniature kidney key chain. I really wish I had a camera/camera phone to capture these discoveries, but you may have to check them out yourself:

The first item is something called "Grow-ems," those little toys that you put in water and they expand. There was "The Perfect Husband" and the "Perfect Wife". On the packaging it said that she will never nag you or run up your credit cards. And she was purple. I don't get that, especially since the man had a normal skin tone. So, if any of you are reeeeally desperate this Valentine's Day, this could be an option...

The second item that got my attention was a finger puppet. There were some finger puppets based on a couple of stories, being "1001 Nights" and - this is it - "The Emperor's New Clothes." It was the Emperor I was a bit concerned about. Fortunately this finger puppet was not anatomically correct, but still... I guess there was a reason I didn't have my camera. If I posted a picture, would it be considered puppet porn?

Would I Do It? Would You?

Last week in my adventures of job searching, I came across this post:

"Meet Your new Neighbors! (Picture of a family of penguins)

Dark, Cold, Icy area needs a PA or NP from Feb through end of October, 2009.
Seeking a unique adventure as well as employment? How would you like to be one of the few people on the planet to have the opportunity to live and work in Antarctica. We are currently looking for a Physician Assistant/ Nurse Practitioner to deploy to one of Antarctic research stations on a contract basis starting approximately February ~1 through October 2009.
We are looking for Primary and Alternate employees to fill all contract positions. The Primary is first in line for the position. The Alternate is next in line to deploy should the Primary be unable to meet deployment requirements.
Responsibilities: The Physician Assistant/ Nurse Practitioner is responsible for patient care. Performs other clinical and facility duties within the clinic. Provides backup support to field camps and South Pole.
Required Qualifications: Minimum nurse practitioner degree or physician assistant degree required. Current licensure and certification in ACLS and BTLS required. Minimum of two years experience as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant working in a primary care environment required. Computer competence is required.
Desired Qualifications: ATLS certification and licensure to prescribe medications is desirable.
Additional Polar Info: All contract positions include competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. For the time you are in Antarctica compensation also includes travel to and from the ice, room & board, and you are eligible for a performance-based bonus upon successful completion of your contract. FYI - Only authorized personnel are allowed on station and you need to remain on station for the duration of your contract except in case of emergency. All applicants must be able to provide proof of U.S. or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency once employment is offered and pass strict physical, dental, and psychological (for winter-over positions) examinations in order to qualify for deployment. Offers of employment are also contingent upon ability to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check. Failure to meet these requirements may result in withdrawal of employment offer or other employment action. All employees must also comply with applicable safety, environment, health, and waste management policies and procedures.
Pay is $60,000 for 9 months, plus $18,000 finish bonus (more for the other location). Can't leave during the 9 months unless really sick and if they can fly out."

I am not qualified to apply for the job because I lack experience, but if I could, would I? Maybe. It may sound weird to some that i might actually consider it. Others are probably not surprised. I definitely would not consider it if I had some family obligations or I was at a job that I really loved. But it would be quite an experience and something to think about...

For now, I have to stick with the Northern Hemisphere...

An update: I was actually surprised that they responded. They asked me some questions and asked me if I could go in February. What the..? I reminded them that I do lack the required experience and would not be the ideal candidate, but they could still contact me... And even though it is for 8 months, this would mean I would be spending a WINTER in Antarctica. Get out those light boxes! The likelihood of me going is still very, very slim. It was an interesting thought...

Kudos to Kutcher

I am not usually one who follows the lives Hollywood celebrities or pay attention to what they have to say about politics. Most of the time it seems obnoxious to me to hear their rants because they're usually one-sided and sound condescending to those "non-famous" people who don't agree with their opinions. Last night I was listening to the radio and Billy Bush brought up Ashton Kutcher's latest blog on his MySpace. Commenting on his experience at the inauguration, Kutcher mentioned this:

"I was less impressed by the boo's as the republican representative took the stage. I found it to be offensive and separating. I was also appalled by the people who didn't stand when former President, then President G W Bush appeared. I urged the people around me to rise. Regardless of whether or not you agree with, or like the man, he at that time was still our president and he gave 8 years of his life to serve you. The cook might not be making what you like but be grateful for the fact that he's serving you at all. How many people can say that they've dedicated 8 years of their life to the greater good of man kind, made the toughest decisions known to man... Part of being an American is standing by the process and respecting our commander. Don't be an Obama patriot, be a patriot. Let bipartisanship die and represent this country united!"

The country has just witnessed the transition of power from one President to another. Although there were some things I did not agree with about Bush, I believe he had worked extremely hard these past 8 years and tried to keep the best interest of the country in mind. He has had to handle crises, changes, and criticism from millions of people worldwide. It is no doubt the toughest job in the world.
While I was on my mission in Argentina, the Iraq war broke out and brought with it much criticism towards George Bush and Americans. The anti-war sentiment was evident (especially at the medical school) and strong enough that I had to avoid part of my assigned area that contained the US embassy. As a missionary, I did not have access to newspapers, radio, or television, so I did not have much info on what was happening or swayed any direction by commentary from the political pundits. I did, however, have faith. When asked by people on the street how I felt about Bush, my response was simple and expressed in four words: "I pray for him."

And that is how I feel about our next president. There are things that I do not agree with about issues that he has proposed, but I do want him to succeed as a president. If he succeeds, then our country succeeds. I do want to support him and the rest of the leaders of this country. I don't think our country can progress with this sharp divide of bipartisanship that has crippled it in recent years. I do hope that Obama will do what is best for this country and serve it well. And I will strive to respect him for it.

You know it's time to switch your emergency food supply when...

In my attempt to be recessionist chic (and hopefully avoid a trip to the grocery store) I decided to go through my emergency food supply, or mostly my 72-hour food supply that I have kept in my car. I actually had more food than I expected. Luckily, much of the food is high in preservatives but some I did have to toss because it was either questionable or just tasted bad. One kit had a suggested rotation of 2 years, but I suggest sooner. Yesterday I triple-dog dared myself to live off of the recommended "menu" of my 72 hour kit for a day. Here are some things that I learned as I completed this challenge and went through some of the other food that I kept for who knows how long.

You know it's time to switch your 72 hour food supply when:

*You wonder if your granola bars have fermented.
*Beef jerky is crunchy (or dissolves easily)
*Your Lipton noodle soup package has been infiltrated with the smell/taste of the wintergreen gum that was also in your kit. (Note: keep gum in a separate plastic bag). wintergreen + salt + chicken broth tastes really bad.
* Vanilla pudding has turned a weird shade of brown.
*Fruit cups say "Best Before September 2006". Enough said.