fostering a child

My first foster child will be here in 30 minutes. I have created a big "Welcome Child" (Child is secret code for his name) with balloons and created his name in stars for his bedroom door. He is 7 years old and I could cry right now thinking about him coming into our home. Mike just got home from work and we will meet him together. My stomach hurts.

Makin slippers

I started to crochet again after months of not getting anywhere near a crochet needle. I'm makin' slippers. I have two pair I need to make, I promised a pair to my niece in California last February for her birthday and a pair for my good friend Karen. I have the yarn, it's really cool Lion Brand "JIFFY Thick & Quick" color of Adirondacks, if that's really a color?!

I'm planning on finishing them on a trip to Chicago I'm Making this Saturday. It will be the first time my new BF will experience me crocheting, I think he can handle it. We're going to Arlington Race track for the day. My sister is coming along and we're meeting my friend John. It should be fun, the date will be 7/7/07 so hopefully it will be really lucky!! I'll take some pictures of what I'm working on and post them.

I'm starting a brand new job on Monday. I'll be a working on the Burn/Trauma Unit at the University of Iowa. Now if you live in L.A. or New York, working at the Univ of Iowa probably sounds like not much of a deal, but here in Iowa, it's huge. If you don't know about the "Hawkeyes" then you don't know Iowa. College sports...ugh. Annoying sports teams aside, the Univ of Iowa hospital's Burn unit is one of the top ten in the nation. I will learn sooo much.

Here's me and the new BF, he's a native Iowan and lives in Iowa City, where I work:That's his sweet pup, Hazel. Bandit and Hazel are slowly becoming friends.

Doggy Blood Donor

So Bandit gives blood. He didn't ask to do this, I just volunteered him to do it.

60 percent of Greyhounds have a universal blood type that all dogs can use. Bandit had the right blood type, fell within the appropriate age range and weighs enough to do it, so he donates a pint of blood every few months.


I stayed with him through the process the first time he gave. I just wanted to make sure he tolerated it well and if he seemed to be distressed I wouldn't have let him do it again. He is given a sedative before the procedure so he is very relaxed. He doesn't fall asleep just gets very calm. He's very calm anyway, so he just gets REALLY calm. While he is sedated, they vets also trim his nails. Bandit handles most things very well but he does not like to get his toenails trimmed. He screams like a girl when I do it, well, when anyone does it. So a big perk is that he is not as traumatized by getting his nails cut when he's sedated, so I love that part of it. Once he's sedated, he's laid on his side, the vets shave a small spot on his neck and put in a needle. The blood is collected using a vacuum device so it only take a few minutes to get the blood drawn. Once the blood is connected, bandit gets a bandage and a pretty neck wrap of bright blue or pink around his neck, just until the area where he was poked stops bleeding. He usually sleeps the rest of the day and by the evening or next day is back to himself with just a little patch of shaved fur on his neck to show for it.


Here's a picture of bandit and the vets at the Bettendorf Emergency pet clinic, they are a husband and wife team and are SOOO nice to Bandit. The red scarf says "K-9 Blood donor" on it:

Cold and workin it out

I'm such a stud. I have been working out 3-4 days a week since mid january, which of course is one of my three main focuses (foci?) for this year. (Nursing, working out and crochet). I'm sucking on the crochet part, I think because it's too cold. At least that is what I will blame it on. That picture of me with conjunctivitis is so bad, here's a good one of my big fat muscled arm. It will be even bigger by the end of the year, probably so big I'll have to use the panorama function on my camera to capture it:

Pink Eye

Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids.

So another day not working because of it. I have eye drops that make my eyes water a lot.

My job, my space

So what kind of full time job is only part-time hours? Mine. I was called this morning and told my floor was closed and it would reopen up at 9am. So I didn't have to come in until then. I was scheduled at 7am. As exciting as it is not having to go into work as scheduled, this is like the 3rd time in one week this has happened. I had yesterday completely off. It gave me time to work on my new "myspace". I have joined the millions. It begs the question, can you have too much information about yourself online? Here's a picture of my page:

So is this weird to have a picture of your myspace webpage posted on your blog webpage? Do I need to cross reference them both? I think it's kind of funny. I have two hours to kill before I go into work. Perhaps I will cruise the myspace world for a bit. I'll make a new friend!

Krazy Karpet, Krazy Kat and Krazy woK

Here's my cat Tina. She's rarely around long enough to get a picture. She drools and has bad breath, I don't really like her even though I've had her since she was born. How about that krazy karpet? Tina is gazing over a new pair of slippers that I just started for my niece in California.

I just bought a new watch I need for work. A nurse needs a good watch, and bandit loves it too.

I went on a date this week. Actually I went on two. Here's my date's noodles from Krazy Wok, I looove Krazy Wok. I liked my date too but I don't think he liked me, I haven't heard from him since.

Begin the Monet

So I bought this green varigated cheap-ass yarn to make slippers but I've decided to make an afghan out of it, which means I have to go back and buy more yarn and hope I can find the same lot number so the color matches. I downloaded the pattern for free, which is always good. I found it on "The crochet dude" website: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/emborsky/MonetAfghanCovercopy.jpg

It's made up of 12 squares all somehow crochet'd together. I've finished the first square, only 11 to go!! Then my Sis will help me with pulling it all together. I figure it will take me a year to make it. I have a scarf to finish, at least two pairs of slippers to make and I'm sure there will be other projects that will come along. But I will finish it.

umm, in case you wondered where Bandit was during the above photo shoot: