Sorry sorry sorry. I know I'm a slacker. But pray believe me when I tell you (with one trustworthy hand on your shoulder) that this week has been a tough week for me.
I've laughed.
I've cried.
I've done both synonymously.
I wish I were joking about the synonymously.
I had three tests this week: American Literature, Art History, and German.
The first two went well, the third I didn't take because
I gave blood on Thursday evening
And then had a slight mental breakdown
And wasn't able to study for said German exam.
I don't know if mental breakdown is what I should call what I had, and I certainly don't like writing 'mental breakdown' because it makes me sound like some sort of basket case. But what else do you call it when you're in the middle of a doubles badminton game, and suddenly you start getting really stressed out and you begin to swing back and forth between laughing and crying?
(I'm usually not a very competitive person. Sure, I like to win, but I think it's incredibly rude and tacky to act rude and tacky when it comes to competitions. So I try to behave in a more dignified manner.)
But let me tell you, I was slightly freaking out during this game of badminton. Within the space of about 3 minutes I moodswung back and forth between laughing and almost sobbing about 5 times. I also seriously considered running over and yelling at people that I hardly knew for doing things that were hardly offensive to me. Then my trusty partner and I walked back to our room and I sat on my bed and cried for a good half hour.
And I don't think it had anything to do with the badminton. I'm going to blame this one on the blood loss and lack of sleep and test stress.
Things have gotten better, though. Last night our friend Ben came up from the cities, and we all went to the on-campus Rooney concert together. I decided after the concert that the kind of music Rooney makes just isn't to my taste, but that it was fun nonetheless. Live concerts usually are.
After the concert, Ben, Maddie, and I settled down in our room with some snacks and Ben's old (and terrible) horror movies and watched and ate until we fell asleep.
This morning was the Prairie Cup, which is a Ground Quidditch tournament. UMM played the U of MN Twin Cities team. It was so cold on the bleachers, but so worth it to watch a cross country runner in gold spandex act as the snitch and run all over campus evading the two seekers. It was so worth it to watch the chasers and beaters and keepers get mud-splattered as they knocked each other around in Indy Lake (which isn't really a lake-more like a large hollow that they flood in the winter for broomball). It was so worth it to hear the announcers announce "prospies!" and then to turn around and cheer at the tour groups as they walked by. I'm certain that if I had been touring a college campus and had seen a game of Quidditch going on, I would have chosen that college on the spot.
P.S. We got 2 inches of snow last night (Friday, April 15th). On Monday, April 11th, it was 70 degrees out. Huh.
Showing posts with label Blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blood. Show all posts
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Zombie Prom
For some reason I feel like Morris is the only place on Earth where you can watch Zombieland in your dorm with some friends, and then emerge to a real zombie-infested campus.
The graveyard, which was gazed at with apprehension by every incoming UMMer, has suddenly become deliciously appropriate.
Briggs Library has been turned into a large makeup room, where theater kids charge money for the plastering on of white goop and black smears of kohl.
Fake blood simmers in pots in the dorms, and tubes of it litter tables in the lounges.
That's right. It's Zombie Prom here at UMM, and a peek into the Student Center after 9 p.m. reveals the horde at its finest.
Some female zombies, taking the name of the event literally, are dressed up, wearing old prom dresses and hideous bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses found at Salvo. All are torn to show a considerable amount of skin, because even the undead want to sex it up.
Some zombies are wearing scrubs, the bright bunny patterns distorted with holes and smears of dirt and blood.
Some zombies, probably the most realistic (or least ambitious) ones, are wearing jeans and t-shirts, shredded to reveal ghastly wounds.
Some zombies, who apparently haven't come into their own yet, wear halloween masks and cloaks. To make up for their off costumes, a few of them walk with a stunted shuffle, holding their arms out awkwardly and moaning. They leave early.
A group of begowned girls who have drifted out into the hallway now sprint by, lured back into the throng by the opening notes of "Bad Romance." Following them is a wave of hairspray that floats up toward the ceiling, not bothering the fire alarm system at all; it has already been disengaged in order to accomodate the fog machines.
Freshman zombies, clearly recognizable, stumble a little bit, laughing too loudly and clustering in chattering gaggles. They have carried with them, perhaps from middle school, the infamous circle dance. Heads down arms up they shriek and giggle and nudge each other for no apparent reason, grinning in delight at the joy of being young and in college and zombified. They arrived at the dance only fifteen minutes after it began, and will not leave until the last song has been played and the techies start coiling up the cords beneath their tired feet.
When the hypnotic lights, loud bass and thick makeup become too much, zombies trickle out to the mall where they can talk without shouting. It's a cold night, but no one seems to feel it for several minutes. In that time, they grip their friends' hands and in shocked voices tell about who was grinding on who. They gallop down the sidewalk against the fresh air.
They look up at the Morris stars and in their zombie hearts they are happy. They are covered in blood, their ears are ringing, and the threat of tomorrow's studying looms on the horizon. Still, the cute boy from Intro. to Psych smiled at them over the bobbing crowd. They have no curfew. They're young and in college and zombified. Undead life is good.
The graveyard, which was gazed at with apprehension by every incoming UMMer, has suddenly become deliciously appropriate.
Briggs Library has been turned into a large makeup room, where theater kids charge money for the plastering on of white goop and black smears of kohl.
Fake blood simmers in pots in the dorms, and tubes of it litter tables in the lounges.
That's right. It's Zombie Prom here at UMM, and a peek into the Student Center after 9 p.m. reveals the horde at its finest.
Some female zombies, taking the name of the event literally, are dressed up, wearing old prom dresses and hideous bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses found at Salvo. All are torn to show a considerable amount of skin, because even the undead want to sex it up.
Some zombies are wearing scrubs, the bright bunny patterns distorted with holes and smears of dirt and blood.
Some zombies, probably the most realistic (or least ambitious) ones, are wearing jeans and t-shirts, shredded to reveal ghastly wounds.
Some zombies, who apparently haven't come into their own yet, wear halloween masks and cloaks. To make up for their off costumes, a few of them walk with a stunted shuffle, holding their arms out awkwardly and moaning. They leave early.
A group of begowned girls who have drifted out into the hallway now sprint by, lured back into the throng by the opening notes of "Bad Romance." Following them is a wave of hairspray that floats up toward the ceiling, not bothering the fire alarm system at all; it has already been disengaged in order to accomodate the fog machines.
Freshman zombies, clearly recognizable, stumble a little bit, laughing too loudly and clustering in chattering gaggles. They have carried with them, perhaps from middle school, the infamous circle dance. Heads down arms up they shriek and giggle and nudge each other for no apparent reason, grinning in delight at the joy of being young and in college and zombified. They arrived at the dance only fifteen minutes after it began, and will not leave until the last song has been played and the techies start coiling up the cords beneath their tired feet.
When the hypnotic lights, loud bass and thick makeup become too much, zombies trickle out to the mall where they can talk without shouting. It's a cold night, but no one seems to feel it for several minutes. In that time, they grip their friends' hands and in shocked voices tell about who was grinding on who. They gallop down the sidewalk against the fresh air.
They look up at the Morris stars and in their zombie hearts they are happy. They are covered in blood, their ears are ringing, and the threat of tomorrow's studying looms on the horizon. Still, the cute boy from Intro. to Psych smiled at them over the bobbing crowd. They have no curfew. They're young and in college and zombified. Undead life is good.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Stress Levels High
Here's what I have to do:
1. Study for a German test on Friday
2. Begin researching/writing my 10+ page Understanding Writing research paper
3. Write a paper for Icelandic Sagas (4 pages, due next Friday)
4. Write a paper for Honors: Traditions in Human Thought (5 pages, due next Friday)
5. Figure out topics for the above 3 papers
6. Give blood tomorrow
7. Work tonight, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday
8. Do laundry
9. Get my Mac fixed once and for all
10. Study for American Literature Midterm next Friday
11. Finish reading Atonement (pleasure)
12. Sign up for Intramural badminton
13. Sign up for Big Friend/Little Friend?
14. Become a superhero so that all the above tasks can be successfully completed.
1. Study for a German test on Friday
2. Begin researching/writing my 10+ page Understanding Writing research paper
3. Write a paper for Icelandic Sagas (4 pages, due next Friday)
4. Write a paper for Honors: Traditions in Human Thought (5 pages, due next Friday)
5. Figure out topics for the above 3 papers
6. Give blood tomorrow
7. Work tonight, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday
8. Do laundry
9. Get my Mac fixed once and for all
10. Study for American Literature Midterm next Friday
11. Finish reading Atonement (pleasure)
12. Sign up for Intramural badminton
13. Sign up for Big Friend/Little Friend?
14. Become a superhero so that all the above tasks can be successfully completed.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Post Work Injury Log
I got a bit beaten down by work today (quite literally). All of the beatings did not, contrary to popular opinion, stem from me provoking certain abusive members of the Target team. No, they stemmed purely from a lack of sleep and the resulting clumsiness.
I figure it this way: when I'm tired, I get cranky. When I'm absolutely exhausted, not only is my already existing awkwardness amped up by about one million points, but my clumsiness is as well. I need to start counting sheep or something, because I do not need to get bumped around again like I did today.
Here are the injuries:
1. While putting up signs in the infant aisles, I was having trouble jamming a particularly stubborn metal bar into its slot. I was up on a step stool, I was sweating a bit because the store wasn't open yet so the air conditioning wasn't on, and I was really having trouble with this bar. I think I was actually talking to it. Don't laugh, but it was something like, "you and I both know that you need to just work with me here. If you don't snap into this slot right now I'm going to throw you in the trash. How would you like that? Huh?" Needless to say, the bar responded quickly to my threat and locked into place.
Unfortunately, it took its revenge on me in the process. The skin on my thumb somehow got pinched in between the fixture and the peg board, and a blood blister the size of a tick rapidly formed.
This was the point in the day when all of the tiredness almost crashed down around my head, and I almost sank down onto the floor of the infant aisle and sobbed. The blood blister was gross, it hurt a lot as well, I wanted to go to bed, I was hot, and break wasn't for a whole thirty minutes. It would have been a good aisle to cry in, I'll admit, but nevertheless I managed to man up (so to speak) and keep plugging away.
2. Injury number two was a little bit less dramatic. I was stepping down off the step stool and I bumped my knee on the way down. It actually wasn't a hard bump or anything; it was just a bump in a painful spot. It swelled up, and I'm fairly sure that I'll have a nice bruise to show off for tomorrow.
You know, this has been a whiney post, hasn't it? I really do love my job, so here are some positives:
Good Things That Happened to Me at Work Today:
1. Someone gave me a high five.
2. A customer in electronics needed some help that I wasn't able to give (I know about some technology, but I don't know much about TVs, unfortunately), so while we waited for the real electronics guru to come, we had a really great chat. I'm not one of those people who will just strike up conversations with random strangers (although many members of my family do indeed have that gift), but I do like talking to people.
3. I had a definite bonding moment with a team member that I've judged rather harshly in the past.
4. I got to check out the new market area that's finally been unveiled. It looks great, and it's wonderful to be able to see the product of the remodel team's hard work.
5. I overheard some adults swear rather graphically. I think maybe I looked startled, because they apologized profusely, but afterwards I went into the back room and laughed.
6. I remembered to turn off my car headlights! Yes!
That's all for now. I bought the movie Creation (newer film about Charles Darwin and his wife, starring Paul Bettany (one of my very favorite people) and Jennifer Connelly (his actual real-life wife, which I think is awesome)) after work today. I felt sort of bad spending my school money on something like a movie, but I knew that I would have to buy it eventually anyway. I'm a sucker for period dramas.
Anyway, I think I'm going to put away Jane Eyre for a bit (on page 350!) and get my natural selection on (wow not literally).
I figure it this way: when I'm tired, I get cranky. When I'm absolutely exhausted, not only is my already existing awkwardness amped up by about one million points, but my clumsiness is as well. I need to start counting sheep or something, because I do not need to get bumped around again like I did today.
Here are the injuries:
1. While putting up signs in the infant aisles, I was having trouble jamming a particularly stubborn metal bar into its slot. I was up on a step stool, I was sweating a bit because the store wasn't open yet so the air conditioning wasn't on, and I was really having trouble with this bar. I think I was actually talking to it. Don't laugh, but it was something like, "you and I both know that you need to just work with me here. If you don't snap into this slot right now I'm going to throw you in the trash. How would you like that? Huh?" Needless to say, the bar responded quickly to my threat and locked into place.
Unfortunately, it took its revenge on me in the process. The skin on my thumb somehow got pinched in between the fixture and the peg board, and a blood blister the size of a tick rapidly formed.
This was the point in the day when all of the tiredness almost crashed down around my head, and I almost sank down onto the floor of the infant aisle and sobbed. The blood blister was gross, it hurt a lot as well, I wanted to go to bed, I was hot, and break wasn't for a whole thirty minutes. It would have been a good aisle to cry in, I'll admit, but nevertheless I managed to man up (so to speak) and keep plugging away.
2. Injury number two was a little bit less dramatic. I was stepping down off the step stool and I bumped my knee on the way down. It actually wasn't a hard bump or anything; it was just a bump in a painful spot. It swelled up, and I'm fairly sure that I'll have a nice bruise to show off for tomorrow.
You know, this has been a whiney post, hasn't it? I really do love my job, so here are some positives:
Good Things That Happened to Me at Work Today:
1. Someone gave me a high five.
2. A customer in electronics needed some help that I wasn't able to give (I know about some technology, but I don't know much about TVs, unfortunately), so while we waited for the real electronics guru to come, we had a really great chat. I'm not one of those people who will just strike up conversations with random strangers (although many members of my family do indeed have that gift), but I do like talking to people.
3. I had a definite bonding moment with a team member that I've judged rather harshly in the past.
4. I got to check out the new market area that's finally been unveiled. It looks great, and it's wonderful to be able to see the product of the remodel team's hard work.
5. I overheard some adults swear rather graphically. I think maybe I looked startled, because they apologized profusely, but afterwards I went into the back room and laughed.
6. I remembered to turn off my car headlights! Yes!
That's all for now. I bought the movie Creation (newer film about Charles Darwin and his wife, starring Paul Bettany (one of my very favorite people) and Jennifer Connelly (his actual real-life wife, which I think is awesome)) after work today. I felt sort of bad spending my school money on something like a movie, but I knew that I would have to buy it eventually anyway. I'm a sucker for period dramas.
Anyway, I think I'm going to put away Jane Eyre for a bit (on page 350!) and get my natural selection on (wow not literally).
Monday, March 23, 2009
There Will Be Blood
Blood drive, part 2 was today.
Not as horrific as last time, I must say.
Okay, so the finger poke still made me want to cry, but there was no fainting.
I was on the table, and the nurse had just gotten the needle (never realized before how huge that needle is) into my arm. She then realized that no blood was coming out. Uh oh.
She called over about three nurses, and they all hovered around as she poked around inside my vein with the needle, trying to get the blood flowing. No luck.
At this point I was flat on my back with my knees up. Things were starting to spin, and a random girl came over to tell me that I was really pale.
The nurse then decided to try my other arm. She pulled the needle out of my arm, bandaged it up, and jabbed a new needle into the other arm.
Luckily, the blood came fine in my right arm.
I was fine after that. A little bit of dizziness, but that was it.
Since I had had needles in both arms, they were both stiff. I did kind of a gorilla arm swing the rest of the day.
It was worth it, though. I'm sure I talked about this last time, but I can't count how many people I know who have had, or will need blood transfusions. A little discomfort for me is more than worth their lives.
Not as horrific as last time, I must say.
Okay, so the finger poke still made me want to cry, but there was no fainting.
I was on the table, and the nurse had just gotten the needle (never realized before how huge that needle is) into my arm. She then realized that no blood was coming out. Uh oh.
She called over about three nurses, and they all hovered around as she poked around inside my vein with the needle, trying to get the blood flowing. No luck.
At this point I was flat on my back with my knees up. Things were starting to spin, and a random girl came over to tell me that I was really pale.
The nurse then decided to try my other arm. She pulled the needle out of my arm, bandaged it up, and jabbed a new needle into the other arm.
Luckily, the blood came fine in my right arm.
I was fine after that. A little bit of dizziness, but that was it.
Since I had had needles in both arms, they were both stiff. I did kind of a gorilla arm swing the rest of the day.
It was worth it, though. I'm sure I talked about this last time, but I can't count how many people I know who have had, or will need blood transfusions. A little discomfort for me is more than worth their lives.
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