Nurse Sean (dot) com

Uhm…super awesome American neighbours to the south…what is going on in your country this week? I turned on the news and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!

First was a statement from George Bush who said, “I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.”

This statement was a response to the creation of a Spanish version of the American national anthem. America is supposedly a free country, yet people aren’t allowed to speak whatever language they want? Shouldn’t people be allowed to speak only Klingon or Pig Latin, or anything at all if that’s what their heart desires?

I think my values may be different because I come from Canada which is an officially bilingual country where French and English are intertwined in our daily workings. There is in fact a French version of our national anthem that is commonly sung (sometimes the English and French version are mixed), people are welcome to speak french if that’s what they prefer. Even further, nobody stands around and telling ANYBODY what language they have to speak.

If you come from India, Mexico, China, Italy, or any country on the planet, you will probably face problems occasionally because of language barriers. However, no politician in his/her right mind would ever get on TV and say that immigrants should learn English. It’s ridiculous! This is a free country, speak whatever language you want!

It actually makes me angry to think that George Bush said that. It’s so hypocritical to say you’re a free country…as long as you live your life exactly as I say you do. Ridiculous!

But then, the very next news story was about five U.S congressmen who were arrested for (get this) “unlawful assembly” during a protest calling for the end to the Sudanese government’s sanctioning of acts of ethnic genocide.

I had to rewind my TV to make sure I heard right. Now, in the U.S., you can be arrested for protesting peacefully? For “assembling?” Does this not sound exactly like communism to anyone? I understand the point of arresting people during a violent protest that gets out of hand, but this is incredibly ridiculous!

How many times can I say “ridiculous” in one post?

I don’t pay attention to American politics all that much, so can anybody tell me if this kind of attitude is becoming “the norm?” Are Americans losing their freedoms on a daily basis? Do you really think this is acceptable, and if so, why? If not, why isn’t anyone doing anything about this?

Bring back the hippies! Protest against the government! Demand your freedom!

So, I wanted to recommend a cool sight! http://www.myheritage.com

You can go there and upload a photo. Then, they analyze the photo and tell you which celebrities you match the most. I matched L. Frank Baum and Sophie Lauren (among many others).

I just wish they had code to put your results on a blog, so I could share.

So! Rosie O’Donnell is joining The View! I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Rosie O’Donnell is one of my favorite people of all time. She’s funny, down to earth, has the same political beliefs as me…and watches all the same television shows. Plus, whenever she has been a guest host on The View, she has been hilarious and awesome to watch.

I only have two issues. First of all, every time she has been on The View, she instantly becomes the centre of attention and takes over. I mean this in a good way! She’s simply more interesting to listen to than the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, there’s supposed to be a balance and equality between the hosts.

The second issue is that I think The View will restrict Rosie from talking about things in the way that made her famous. Sure, she’s great at talking politics, and discussing hot topics, but what made people love her was that she talked about everyday things. Her show felt like you just met a friend at the water cooler.

I think she will do wonderful, and be a perfect addition to the show, BUT, I think she would do better on her own show. I was sad to see Merideth leave The View, but now I’m excited to see the changes. I think Rosie’s presence will greatly increase the show’s popularity.

I’m still reading “A Complicated Kindness” by Miriam Toews. It is about a girl from a Mennonite town in Manitoba. So far it has been great! It’s written as a memoir from the girls point of view. I love that it’s written only loosely in order, with memories written in bits and pieces, rather than one long narrative. I really don’t relate well to the character in the book, since I’ve lived in a big city all my life; however, the book is really able to translate the loneliness, isolation, and strangeness of living in a tiny, fundamentalist town. I will update you on my thoughts on this book when I’m done. So far, I would definitely recommend this book.

So, my cold has settled nicely into my chest. Colds always go exactly the same for me: One day with a sore throat, one day with painful stuffy sinuses (no sore throat), and then a bad cough (no sore throat or stuffy sinuses) that lasts for about a week. I would guess that the cough sticks around because of all my years of smoking. Hopefully, that will stop one of these years. For now, I can cut out the throat lozenges and Sudafed, and hit the Benylin hard!

Today will be a relaxing day, much like the rest of the week has been. I will be watching movies, drinking tea, and moving and thinking as little as possible. If I feel energetic, I may record a podcast this afternoon, but it seems doubtful at this point.

think Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is the most underrated drug of all time. It makes my days of being ill with a cold almost pleasurable. Seriously, this stuff makes the symptoms go away while creating a euphoric feeling.

I remember in my younger, less responsible, stupidity induced party days, I used to take ephedrine all the time as a party drug. Really, it’s just a stronger version of Sudafed, and was commonly referred to by it’s herbal name “Ma Huang”. It was used mostly to reduce nasal congestion (like Sudafed), but was also used in weight loss pills and as a stimulant. It was nicknamed “herbal extacy” because of the similar sensations it would create. Unfortunately, the stuff has the ability to kill you and is generally illegal almost everywhere now (It wasn’t at the time I took it). I even knew the dangers of ephedrine when I took it, but I enjoyed the buzz so much that I didn’t really seem to care.

It amazes me sometimes how much I have changed since those days, to the point that I’m ashamed to admit those days even existed. Fortunately, I came through healthy and not dead. I have become a responsible adult since then. Or at least I like to think so.

So, here I sit with a Sudafed high, watching the morning news and feeling a bit of cabin fever creeping in. I haven’t left the house since Monday and I’m still debating if I’m enjoying that fact or not. I was supposed to be getting so much done this week, but it just isn’t happening. Tuesday I recorded my podcast and then yesterday I just sat around being unexpectedly sick. Perhaps, if I’m feeling better tonight, I will wonder over and get a slurpee from the gas station. It will help my throat.

I still have a lot of studying to do for my next clinical. I have videos to watch, policy and procedure manuals to pour over, and text books to memorize. That will be next weeks diversion I suppose. I can’t wait until June when I start my first nursing job! To finally get paid for what is basically a glorified clinical experience will be incredibly satisfying. And the experience will be priceless.

Ok, it’s time to make some tea (I’ve already had coffee) and perhaps watch a movie. Yesterday I watched “Kinsey,” which I thought was brilliant! I need to find something equally brilliant for today.

I am having a frustrating day! There is an overwhelming vibe of discordance within my life. I should be in a great mood since I have the day off with nothing to do but plant some herbs and relax on my balcony. However, I’m in a bad mood, I’m mopey, and I just wish this day was going better!

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and aching sinuses. After spending the last week fighting off a cold in an epic battle (that I fortunately won) it’s frustrating to have to break out the ginseng royal jelly, antibacterial throat lozenges, and sudafed again. I think this cold has a bit of a vendetta as it seems to be coming at me faster and stronger.

I’m also frustrated with technology. Both podcast alley and Odeo have decided to be crappy. I can’t say I have anyone to blame but myself. Podcast Alley isn’t working because my podcast setup is done in the free way, and because of all the workarounds, the podcast player struggles to find my feed. And Odeo is a free service that is new, so I guess I have to lower my expectations.

I think, and sooner than I expected, I will have to switch to a paid service. This free set up is nice, but using a paid service will cut the post production time of my podcast to almost nothing. Plus, I can then use the PuPu player right on my blog.

I think I will curl up with some green tea, watch a movie, and silently whine about being sick. Then I will try to remember the good things about the day.

Yes, It’s true! The rumours are correct!

I have another podcast available…

You can hear my podcast here

Hi everyone!

I have a new podcast available.

itunes link is here
Or click the link provided in my blog here

It’s late at night, I’m tired, but I don’t feel like going to bed.

I wrote the most incredibly hard test in Community Health Theory today. We had to go through a case study in which we assessed, analyzed, diagnosed, implemented, and evaluated a community. This included creating programs and activities, logic models, rationales, all while integrated just the right community theory. I never want to talk about health promotion, population health promotion, primary health care, or a million other little community theories for a looooong time!

On top of this was the most difficult multiple choice test I’ve written in my life. I’m not sure she was even writing questions about the same course.

Everyone, one by one, dragged their asses out of the test, looking as though they had just been beaten up. However, someone did point out that it was our last final exam we would be writing before our RN licensing exam in just under a year. From here on in, it’s almost strictly clinical experience. So, they all stampeded toward the local bar to celebrate (and complain about the test).

I decided to straggle home. I have been fighting a cold for the last couple days and I just wanted a chance to rest. Some days it looked like I was going to win against the cold, other days, the cold really started to gain an edge. At this exact moment, I seem to be winning. And to be honest, I owe it all to my personal miracle drug. I always use Ginseng Royal Jelly whenever I start to feel a cold coming on. It always seems to stop it dead in it’s track. Seriously, either it’s complete coincidence that my cold starts to recede every time I have some (as a nursing scientist, I except the possibility), or it works wonders!

Anyway, I think I’m just bored and fidgety because schools over. I always have a couple days of odd discomfort when I can’t reconcile with the idea that there really is nothing for me to do. No books to read, no literature to review, no stressful test/presentation/evaluation/project/paper due on the horizon. I desperately seek ways to keep my hands busy (e.g. writing blogs).

So, tomorrow I think I will do another podcast. I’m really excited about some of the music I’ve found. Soon, I would really like to upgrade to iLife 06 so I can add pictures to my podcast and increase the length. I think, if I increase the length, the show will take on a more musical flavor. I’m really enjoying searching for indie bands. I feel like I’m discovering new talent that nobody would have ever heard before. Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I really would like my show to be more interactive, but so far, I’ve been having trouble finding interviews, I’m not getting any emails etc. That’s probably because my show has no focus or agenda. I’m OK with that, but it doesn’t really attract people to the show. I’m thinking of starting a television criticism podcast in the fall (this would seriously be a dream come true), and I wouldn’t mind doing a strictly pagan discussion podcast (with a potential focus on Spira). I don’t think I want to do a nursing podcast–this would take incredible amounts of research and preparation. However, when I go back to adult health in two weeks, I will be doing a lot of research on each of my patients, so perhaps I will have lots of info to share on “Almost a Nurse”

OK, I think I will end my wee babble right about there. I hope everyone’s having a great day.

OH! And happy birthday to Sora!

I have a new podcast and shownotes available here

I changed it from an MP3 download to streaming media. So check it out, it should play automatically instead of taking forever to download. Please let me know if this format works.

YAY!

Sean