Bringing the Right Side Back

I still have it grained into my brain that I should be studying. Well, I should be studying for the NCLEX but i'm not doing that hardcore until after Europe.

But this is how my thought pattern goes:

Wow this T.v. show is great, but I feel guilty for watching it because I should be studying. Oh wait, I graduated.  Or maybe, I'm gonna draw! I am so gonna draw! I am gonna draw til 4 am! I am gonna draw EVERYTHING i see! I am gonna draw that banana. I am gonna draw my windowsill. I am gonna draw that picture. Oh wait, none of this is a good idea, because I really should be studying something academic related. Oh wait, I graduated.

I tell you, its like I have a 5 minute memory. I keep thinking I should be studying, and I have to remind myself I really, actually have no homework. Its creepishly weird.

I can read books again. For FUN. WHAT? When I'm not working, if I want to kick back and watch mindless t.v. for 8 hours, I CAN.

But more importantly, I am fully charged to bring back the right side of my brain. My artistic side is coming out again ready to go. I think partly to getting a new camera lately in preparation for photography in Europe, mixed with photography apps on the iphone, mixed with drawing, painting....I love it all. This week is all about packing and working but after I get home--And wind down from all the European excitement- I am so gonna draw everything I see. I'm going to draw so much so much so much that I am going to get so much practice and be as good again as I once was. I want to paint again, too! And Not make orange people! I actually think I am going to paint something really abstract. That way you can't tell exactly what it is--and you won't be able to tell that there are orange people or things look weird, because its abstract. OoOoh. With like...shapes, and weird colors in place of people and trees, and things. So, yeah. Art!

UNEXPECTED DELIGHT of today!

I was in Barnes & Noble today, doing my "after I sit for two hours drinking tea and reading The New Yorker- browse walkthrough through the store picking up random books and look through them and want to buy them but know they will never be read so I put them back-  kind of thing when I graced upon the travel section. Obviously, I checked out Europe, and the countries I'll be visiting in particular.

Call me really stupid, insane, unwise, pathetic, unworldly or whatever, But I am not exactly highly knowledgeable about sightseeing in Europe. I'm really not. In fact, I'm not really highly knowledgeable about sightseeing in America, so don't ask me anything. I've even been across most of my country.

Anyway, besides knowing some major cities in each country and knowing each countries major tourist attractions (i.e. Paris=Eiffel tower), I really don't know much else. Now you'd think, If I were really smart- I would like....research....these sorts of things before I went there so I could get a feel for what I would really like to see. But thats not the way I'm doing it.

I'm actually just gonna wing it. Because for me, just walking down the streets of Italy is enough of a tourist attraction for me. I could take 1,000 pictures of just the street. So It really doesn't matter to me if I hit the "must-see" tourist traps attractions. Also, I hate  getting "typical" tourist shots that you could just as easily find on google and save yourself a boatload of memory space on your camera and computer. I'll obviously get a shot of the Eiffel tower, but I do not need 30 different shots of the tower. Instead, I will find some way to make shooting the tower different. Like no other photographer yet. I'm not sure how. But I will.  I like to get shots that you could never find on google- or anywhere else- Like of an old couple enjoying ice cream sitting on a park bench or by an Italian fountain or something. Or of kids playing in the street. I'm the one taking shots of everything else but the tourist attraction we paid money for that everyone else is taking pictures of.

HOWEVER, my unexpected delight of today- I was flipping through a book about Italy. And I turned to a random page- and it happened to be about Juliet's house. Then I realized that this was in Verona (If this is really really common knowledge then I greatly apologize for being so drastically under a rock), and I am SO GOING to Verona! SO this is one of TWO tourist attractions that I MUSTTTT visit!!!   I already knew Verona would be amazing, but this- this I have to go to. I am SO excited to see Juliet's house. The other one I have to see is FLorence Nightingale's Nursing museum in London somewhere (I have to find it). Other than that, I'm just gonna go with the flow. I have nothing on my must-do list besides those, and I think its better that way. Because without any expectations, you can't be disappointed.


I sat in B & N today with all my  Barne's & Noble's language phrase books, and sat there in the aisle mouthing silently all these European phrases. Some phrases I am trying to learn in all the languages I'll need: (German, French, Italian) are:

- I am an American (even though I'm pretty sure they will already know this without me having to tell them).
- I can not have food with milk or cheese.
- Where is the toilet? (everyone in my group will so thank me for this).
- I like your shoes. (brownie points).
- I'm lost (I know I will need this).
- My name is...
- Thank you, please, hello, goodbye....etc.

I've heard that Europeans kind of hate Americans because we are all fat and ugly. And that is understandable because a lot of us are and the typical tourist with their fanny packs and sunglasses that NEEDS mcDonalds everywhere they go and push people around....I would hate them too. But I assure you, we are not all like that. But if silly Americanos come to my country and asked me stupid questions In English, I would throw a rock at them too. But I also hear that tourists are treated a little nicer if they make at least a small effort to blend in and speak a little of the native language. So that is what I am trying to accomplish....whether its via Iphone translation, having a phrasebook in my hand or just literally throwing a couple syllables out there and hope they form a word in that language- I'll figure it out.  ONE WEEK!!


~WNB

P.S. - Ciao! Au Revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! Sin seveder! Pfueatti!

copyright - picture taken from going to google and typing in "Eiffel Tower" and then i clicked on the prettiest one (naturally) and then it said it was taken from www.dailycontributor.com so this is my fancy schpeel of a copyright.

Picture of the Week

A little late again, but I'd rather wait for an awesome picture that comes Sunday or whenever, than find an iffy one on Friday. :-) So this one I took today, because I these two made me smile so much. They sat at the table next to me in Barnes and Noble and this was the best dad ever. I aged him to be pretty young (20-25) and the little boy in the chair is approximately 3. Well, this dad was so devoted. I first saw them making laps around the store, the dad following the little boy around making conversation, as they passed me I heard from the dad, "It's just like a maze, Isn't it??" (commenting on the store layout)...and he had the sippy cup in hand, ready to go, and multiple children's books in hand. Later is when I realized that the same two had sat down next to me. Obviously within ear shot, I was able to hear the lovely sound of this dad reading 8 ( I kid you not!) Thomas the Tank Engine books. The boy was paying close attention, and was making remarks and asking questions. The dad was like, genuinely interested and cared. It was so adorable to watch. I know one too many parents that would find a stack of children's books and sit them down to read by them selves so that the parent can do his own thing. But anyway, here is the picture:

I made it so that you couldn't see either of their faces and therefore they are unrecognizeable and it is OK to put on the internet! Right? Lol. o_O

Not much to say recently...(blogwise)...life has been rather unexclamatory (new word?). And I'd rather not bore you with minor and silly things just for the sake of writing a daily blog entry. And, finals are coming (blech) this week, so I may not have much to say at all this week. Or maybe I'll procrastinate and i'll coincidentally have a LOT to say, who knows? ;)
So hopefully new, interesting, topics will come to mind soon...otherwise, happy reading and have a nice evening :)


~WNB

Disclaimer: I am not a creeper! I swear.

Readers Beware: Part 2!

So, I am one step closer getting my soul into London! I found a great program that takes college students 18-26 pretty much anywhere they want to go...there are pre-arranged trips and you just pay and hop on, pretty much. I just have to get over the money factor, and I'm there.


I need to be there. I need to go to England. I need this more than anything in the world.

If I can go, my life, as of right now, would feel complete.


.


The last couple days I have felt so at peace with myself. OK, thats a lie. Ever since last night at precisely 4:20, after I finished the long day from hell. I had one more thing to study for, which was this morning, but instead I came home, and read a book. It felt really good. I didn't study. But turns out, I didn't need to, because I knew a lot more than I thought, which felt really good this morning.

So then I decided to go home (to B&N)... but I was like...wait, I can't go. What am I going to study? Everything is done for right now. And then I was all like...dude, seriously? Is this what your life has come to? So then I remembered that normal people actually go to B&N to...look at books....and read them...so, I did just that. I sat on a comfy chair for three hours with my two tea refills and read about 40 pages of this nurse-type book (It was a leisure fun one though! I guess I can't stay away..) and then I went to go see a movie (Morning Glory-Awesome movie!) and then I walked around the mall and looked at all the christmas decorations (very relaxing)...and then tried again for B&N and this time read a book totally not-about nursing. So I bought that one and am actually going to finish it.

Woo! Fun day. Relaxing times a bajillion. Definitely soul-replenishing. Oh and then tonight I saw "Eat, Pray, Love" because I've always wanted to see that and never got to in theaters...and it was playing at my school, so, yeah. That was definitely a movie I can relate to right now....

Oh, and I went shopping and I bought this adorable hat. The hat makes me happy. I like it a lot. :)

I think in order to be happy with someone else, whether it be a best friend, a new friend...or a relationship; you have to know how to be happy completely by yourself first. No, I did not just learn that from Eat, Pray, Love. I learned that on my own, over the last couple months.

I lost myself because of this nursing program. I put my happiness on the back-burner, in order to succeed. I kept a small part of me, for the whole three years, but most of it got tucked away. I knew where I was, I just didn't have the energy or motivation to bring that portion of me out in addition to passing all my classes. It just wasn't needed. And by losing "me", I mean artsy me...the inspirational me. The writer in me. The girl who clipped out pictures and articles from the paper and made a collage on her wall...who wrote a poem every day, who painted and drew all the time...who carried her camera everywhere..who used every person she came across as a stepping stone, as a character for a story or novel. Happiness.. And I think, just maybe, that It is all starting to magically come back. I don't know why, or how...but it's coming back, little by little, but very strong. It makes me feel so...happy. I wish I even knew how to explain how it really feels..just good. :)

I hope it lasts. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells because I don't want to do anything that will make it all go away again. But i'm trying to just not think about it. Stop thinking. And just go with it. Just be happy.


With love,
A Writer in a Nurse's Body

Silly People...

Someone just walked into Barnes and Noble and asked where they could find the Kindle. This occured right in front of the "Nook" station.



o_o.

Thought(s) of the Day.

1) It is so much easier to go faster on the road when you're the only one on it.

Think Metaphorically.

2) HYBRIDS (cars) are QUIET! Even though I do in fact live in 2010 with the rest of humanity and hybrids have been around for some time now, I can honestly say that either I've never been next to one while its running or never really pain attention. Well, today, I was unpacking my car and the air around me was very silent- not much noise- and I hear this tiny little sound of tires going very very slowly on blacktop- as if a car was moving but not running. I turned around and thought this was the case when an SUV hybrid type thing was next to me...but moving. But holy crap, are they quiet! You can't hear their engine at all. Freaky. Technology is scary.


Or, maybe all cars are quiet and maybe its just my car that sounds like an airplane is taking off. No literally, thats what it sounds like. 13 going on 14 years!

OK thats it for now. I'm in B & N. Having another competition (silent) with another random stranger but I really don't think this one is in for the long haul. Oh well. I'm not really either. I just needed a quick pick me up of B & N. Its been that kind of week.

~AWRINANB 0_0

Megamind!

Well, I won. Which isn't fun because well, then the competition gives up and you won and it's well, boring. Like Megamind. Yes, I did see Megamind, in theaters. It was highly enjoyable.

So alas, time to wrap up the immense amounts of homework and walk around the store :-)

Is it sad?

Is it sad that I find it extremely enjoyable to have a competition in barnes and noble with the random stranger sitting across from me that day on who can sit and do work the longest?

I think it's fun. And, it helps me get a lot of work done. And regardless if the stranger that day knows if were in a competition, he/she is probably getting a lot of work done too. Or a lot of relaxing done. Today me and random stranger have been sitting here for....approximately 90 minutes.

Were just getting started. Muhahahah. Let's see who wins.



I know, sad.