September 29, 2002
It's Sunday afternoon and back to work for me tonight. I hope things are better this week. I am going to Vista on Wednesday afternoon, which is cool. Shane has decided to not go with me. I'll miss him.
I stayed up late watching The Godfather last night. I had seen it before, but it was a while ago. Marlon Brando is even harder to understand than usual. When I was little, there was this movie, Sayonara, that was on all of the time. I think it was on The Disney Channel or AMC, but they played it a lot. I loved that movie. Granted, I had an unhealthy infatuation with Japan at that time, but it was a sweet movie and Marlon Brando was pretty cute. He was in the Air Force (I think during the Korean War) and falls in love with this Geisha, who is like, the Geisha. If you ever get the chance, I recommend watching it. What happened to him? I am not as obsessed with Japan as I was at one time. I gave up on the Japanese lessons after 6 months or so, stopped reading Shogun, and hung up my yukata (a less fancy kimono). I did spend a few years in college where I liked Mexico quite a bit. Now, I am pretty partial to the US of A.
September 24, 2002
I just got out of bed. I worked last night and it was my first of three in a row. The night ended up okay, but it was a rough start. There are so many young, sick people in our unit right now. It really makes you think about how truly fragile life is. And that God is in control.
I found out last night when I talked to Shane that he is going to come home to Vista with me next week. He says it's to complete an assignment and that it isn't because he wants to be with me, but I don't believe him. He would miss me too much. I think he will have to ride the train down Thursday night or Friday morning. It will cut the trip a little bit short, since we have to be back Monday in time for him to go to class, but I don't mind if I get to have him with me.
Well, I have to get ready to go be super nurse.
September 23, 2002
Happy Autumn!
Summer is over and it is back to school for Shane today. Poor guy. I have to work the next three nights, which will probably stress him out a little bit more than he is already. It was kind of funny last night. If you have read his blog, you have heard about the little cricket that won't let him sleep. I get frequent updates about the cricket, but last night, I was able to see Shane in action. Twice, he got up, in his Harry Potter boxers, and went outside to whack the tree his little buddy lives in. The cricket would stop chirping for a few minutes. Apparently the second time was long enough to allow Shane to fall asleep. I can hear the cricket when I get to sleep at night, and it isn't really loud enough to bother me. I can remember when I was a kid having a chorus of crickets outside my window and burying my head under my pillow so that I could fall asleep. I slept twelve hours last night. But I only slept four hours yesterday morning.
Right before getting into bed last night, the phone rang. It was Amanda. I was surprised to hear from her. She has moved and started grad school. From the impression I got, she doesn't really like it. She had 70 pages of reading for Philosophy to do for this morning, but couldn't stop thinking about me, so gave me a call. We talked for about five to ten minutes and she had to go because she and her roommates were going out. (What about Philosophy???) Apparently, she has a pretty serious boyfriend, Andrew. I am supposed to call her back later. We haven't seen each other in over a year and have probably only talked about a half dozen times since then.
We went to church yesterday morning and it was the first time I really felt comfortable, I guess. I mean, especially at the part when they say "stand up and say hi to someone next to you".... I don't like that part. No one wants to meet me. Yesterday, we met this nice girl, then had two people we know come up from across the room and say hi. It was nice. I am so used to knowing so many people at church, that you have to drag yourself away when the pastor starts talking. We didn't make it to our life group on Thursday night, which is a bummer (I was falling asleep at six o'clock), and we won't go for two weeks now. There is a couple there that wants to get together with us. I need to call them. They are cool and it would be fun. I need to just do it, but for some reason, it stresses me out. Okay, I'll do it this week....
Next Wednesday, I am leaving for Vista. Mandy is having a baby shower and I am heading down there for it. I am looking forward to it, but I feel a little bad for Shane. He has to stay here for school and work. He'll be lonely and hungry. I guess it will be like I am gone at work for a really long time. I think I will just order him some pizzas to hold him over and call him all of the time. I wish I could take him with me. I'll miss him.
September 20, 2002
My sleepy Shane
September 19, 2002
Another week has flown by. It started with a visit from our dear friend Matt. He came up for a few days. I think it was pretty boring up here for him. We went to Pismo Beach and played a lot of games. He left at noon today and at one o'clock, my grandparents, "ZiZi" and "Bob Bob" came to visit. They go camping every summer and stopped here in Oceano for a few days. We showed them our house and then went out to lunch. Every time I see them, it seems they are getting a little bit older. It is easy to find things to complain about and to make it seem like it would be easier to not get together with them, but I truly appreciate the time I do get to spend with them and cherish it, knowing there might not be too many opportunities left to do so. They got lost on their way to our house, again. Granted, it is a different house this time, but really, they always seem to get lost. My grandma threw a right turn into her directions instead of a left and they ended up in the middle of no where.
I found out a few things today. My dad's name is Stephen Russell Klicka. He's always gone by Steve and if you asked him, he would pronounce his name as "Steven" even though it is spelled with a "ph" instead of a "v." When we went to visit a few weeks ago, this came up in conversation as my dad was having my mom call him by his new nickname "Steph" and I asked him whether his name was Stephen or Steven. He said he didn't know. It made me laugh. I decided I would ask my grandparents when I saw them. So, I asked today. Apparently they named him Stephen with the "ph" pronunciation, after Saint Stephen who was somehow important in Czechoslovakia. (The Klicka's are of Czech decent. I think my grandpa is 50% Czech or so. I am pretty much Czech in name only, truthfully...and not even that anymore). My grandma said that they called him Stevie and Steve and that she always thought Stephen was a little snooty sounding. I think the whole thing is a little funny.My grandpa also told us this afternoon that my dad wished his name was Emil when he was little. How very cute! I don't know if he even remembers that. I will have to inform him on the correct pronunciation of his name the next time I talk with him and clear things up.
I had a good few days at work. I am tired, but all went well and it was good to be there. I get a few days off now to spend with my sweetie before it's back to work and to school for Shane. Three more quarters and he'll be done. It will be over before we know it.
September 15, 2002
I just got home from work. I made the big bucks last night. It was a really good night.
So here I am, getting ready for church. I have told Shane to get in the shower a dozen times and he is still in bed. It's not fair. I am sitting here with wet hair, sleepy eyes, and he is in the nice warm bed. I want to go to church, but when I am there, it's all I can do to keep my eyes open. I feel so bad about it. I hope the pastor doesn't ever notice. It's a little embarrassing. But, it's easier to just stay up and go and I would rather not skip it. I have a harder time waking up to go when I have the night before off, though. But at least on those mornings I can stay awake. I don't know. I have to get Shane into that shower or we're going to be late.
September 13, 2002
I am in the process of trying to have a better attitude about things. I don't want to be angry or complain about everything that puts me out the slightest bit. I want to roll with the punches and look at situations that normally I would feel put out in as an opportunity to be a servant, knowing that they are happening that way for a reason. Mostly, I am talking about things that happen at work. It is so easy to complain and be angry there, when practically everybody else is, but I don't want to be like that. I am supposed to be different. Being all frustrated and angry makes work so unpleasant and makes it hard to be there. I think it I could have a better attitude, I would enjoy work much more. I need to remember that God won't give me more than I can handle and he is beside me, helping me through my struggles. I also need to remember that he is there beside me through the good times as well and praise him for that. This week and remembering what happened this time last year has helped put things in perspective. My little struggles and problems are so minuscule in comparison. I need to remember what's important and what really matters to me and not get so caught up in stupid little stuff. God is in control.
September 10, 2002
The other day a telemarketer called us.
"Is Shane Banham there?"
"No, he isn't." Shane Bonham is sitting right across from me, but that's not who she asked for.
I don't like to be too rude with telemarketers. I mean, I don't want to sit on the phone with them forever, but I don't like to interrupt them. I usually listen for a second, until they come up for breath and then say, "sorry, we aren't interested" and hang up the phone.
So then she asks, "Are you able to make decisions in your household?"
"Yes, I am."
"Really?? You are allowed to make decisions?"
"Yes." I am getting a little irritated.
"You are over eighteen?"
I hung up on her. I know I sound like a kid. I am often told I look like a kid, but I don't want to talk about it or waste my time convincing some telemarketer about it. Almost once a week I get asked how old I am at work. I am told I look like I am eighteen. I want to say, "well, I wouldn't be able to be a nurse if I was eighteen, would I?" But I just smile and say something about how I will probably appreciate looking so young when I am older. It doesn't usually bother me so much.
A few years back, I called a restaurant to place a to-go order and was marveled at by the man on the other end of the line. He said something about how young I sounded and even asked for a phone number, which they had never done before. When I got to the restaurant to get my food, he brought it up again. I was embarrassed. He told me I should look into working with Disney and doing voices for animation. Maybe he thought I sounded like Mickey Mouse. The few times I called there after that, I tried to deepen my voice so I wouldn't have to go through all of that again.
September 8, 2002
I have super dry skin. Right now, my heels are all cracked and my hands and feet are all peely. We have berber carpet in our bedroom and every time I walk in there barefoot, my feet stick to the floor. I don't like it. Maybe I should put on some shoes.
I got a letter from my friend Jennipher Koch this week. She's pregnant again. Add another pregnant friend to the list. She lives in Jacksonville and is married to Aaron Koch. It's crazy. Part of me wishes I could have a baby too, but then another part of me thinks I am not ready yet. Babies change everything. My day will come.
September 5, 2002
"Cysticercosis is a complication of severe tapeworm infection acquired by eating uncooked pork. The disorder is caused by larval pork tapeworms. The scientific name for this parasite is Taenia solium. Cysticerci are immature tapeworms that normally live in the muscle (meat) of swine. When they develop instead in human muscle and die, they can cause severe inflammatory reactions. Cysticercosis is a rare disorder in the United States, Western Europe, Japan and in non-pork eating cultures."
I took care of someone who had this parasite in his brain. He was told by the doctor that the larvae were eating his brain away and would have some neurological deficits dues to the loss of brain tissue. Suddenly I am wishing I had not partaken in the pork Ryan barbequed last Saturday night....
September 3, 2002
Well, we are home. It was hard to leave. The trip went by so fast and now it's back to real life. Did a lot of shopping and a lot of going out to dinner. Saw lots of friends and family. It was a nice trip. I made my second quilt with the help of my super talented mother. It's a baby quilt for Macy Michelle, Ryan and Mandy's baby. She is supposed to arrive November 21st. Mandy is having a shower in October and I will give it to her then. I love it and think it turned out great.
We visited our friends Adam and Alicia and saw their new house. It made me wish we had a house of our own. Babies and houses all week long. It was hard not to be jealous. It was a nice little getaway and was much needed.
