Another Late Night

It's 3:25 AM-still cold and still raining...and you guessed it, another restless night! I'm sitting here listening to the Styx Greatest Hits CD while reading the predictably-tragic news on CNN. There are quite a few startling articles tonight; the shooting at Hampton University, (Virginia again, no surprise, they breed lots of wackos) and the [new strain of] Swine Virus outbreak in Mexico. You don't have to be a student nurse or any other sort of health care provider to understand the dangers of this virus. And you should be worried, along with prepared. Although proper hand hygiene should always be practiced, it is especially recommended right now, along with always covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue if possible, otherwise coughing into your elbow is equally effective. This concept of coughing into the elbow frees the hands from contamination. It is also important to strengthen your immune system; right now the time is crucial. Foods high in antioxidants include: Fruits, such as berries, vegetables, such as peppers, parsley, and Brussels sprouts, spinach, and red beets, nuts and seeds, and antioxidant-fortified cereals/yogurt. So basically to sum this all up, practice appropriate hand hygiene, drink plenty of water, eat right, and make sure you get plenty of rest. Also, exercise is great, along with taking vitamins. Your immune system is one of the best defenses your body has, (and strengthening it is indisputable); besides the skin itself, which provides a physical barrier between the external and internal environment.

How routine is your routine? I was thinking earlier to how routine my routine is...the things I always do before bed. I never realized how much time it actually took until now, but I guess I have a touch of OCD because if I don't complete my routine every night, I can't seem to sleep (not that I can ever really sleep) until it is completed. Of course now that I have finished up with everything, I'm wide awake. GRRRR! This weekend was a total drag; the weather sucked and I don't have any homework that was pressing to be completed, so I ended up cleaning up my room a bit and organizing all my jewelry. The weather this week isn't looking too promising either. It seems like the real spring has finally sprung; rain...rain...did I mention rain? The temps have been low also, figures...I think if I don't make any plans, maybe we'll have a nice warm, sunny day?

I don't really feel like going to class in the morning, augh. Too bad attendance is mandatory...It's so stupid that it is mandatory, because I learn so much better when I'm not stuck in a boring lecture; wasting my afternoons listening to some self-appointed "expert" babble on and on about stupid things; when I could more easily acquire the information by reading the text book-which the instructor lectures from verbatim to begin with! Luckily the end of the semester is approaching, only 3-4 more weeks (depends on which class I'm referring to), and I am really looking forward to summer break. My grades are still holding strong, and I'm hoping I can keep them up. This is the worst time for me, when semester's end nears. I often find it difficult to stay focused, and I also lose motivation and patience quicker. Anyways, the weekend wasn't a total waste. Saturday and Sunday evening I spent a few hours searching through the college scholarship sites, and I filled out a bunch of applications. I *REALLY* hope I get one, or two, or more! It would be so sweet if I got even one though, that would help out so much, seeing as this economy is looking pretty dark, dim, and depressing. Obama signed into law an act that will make sure federal college funds are still available and offered to students, but who knows if that will really persevere in this rapidly failing economy.

It just turned 4 AM, I'm not sure if it is even worth it to try and go to sleep now! The puppy is curled up on the floor in his usual spot- right next to the wheels of my computer chair. He is such a people person, I don't think he could survive if he didn't have daily contact with people...sounds like me! I haven't heard any feedback on the status of my re-entry application. I'm so nervous about it, I have to get re-entered by fall, otherwise I think I have to start the program over with, which means re-taking all the my nursing core classes. That would be too much hell to endure over again. My best friend Mandy is graduating from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in May, with a bachelors in economics. I hope she can find a decent job in this "indecent" economy. Funny, she'll have a degree in economics, and most likely will have trouble finding a job in the field of economics DUE TO POOR ECONOMICS! Talk about a true oxymoron! Well, I see the irony in it... I'm going to sign off now and hopefully get a few solid hours of solid sleep before class.
~Good night and Godspeed