Ideals

I went through and threw out some stuff today - found a bunch of old school papers I hadn't realized I still had.  This is the closing from a paper entitled "The Renaissance Ideal" that I wrote in 1994 that made me laugh:

Accordingly, the ideal man was free to roam, and fight, and debate, and study arithmetic and geometry, and throw his whole heart and soul into whatever task he was engaged in; while the ideal woman, bounded by her training in religion and morality, and further restricted by the limits that she dare not cross, was confined to such humdrum duties as has always been the poor lot of women - taking care of the house, having and raising children, taking care of the men, and beautifying herself.  The lines were very clearly drawn.  Of the two goals in this new age, glory and morality, the men took the glory and the women took the morality.  (Obviously, the men chose first.)

What amuses me so much about it is that my professor was quite the feminist, and she totally didn't catch the extreme amount of sarcasm that went into this paper.  One of my highest grades ever. 

The search is over. . .

I finally have my very own knight in shining armor.  Check!

Enough

I've been reading some personal finance books lately, and came across something last night in Your Money or Your Life that I really loved.  When talking about the fulfillment curve, they described the peak:

Enough is a fearless place.  A trusting place.  An honest and self-observant place.  It's appreciating and fully enjoying what money brings into your life and yet never purchasing anything that isn't needed and wanted.

That resonates with me. 

Bronchitis

So, I've been feeling sickish for the last few weeks off and on, but it hasn't been too terrible.  Until Thursday, when I spent all night at work coughing so hard that if felt like I'd bruised my ribs.  I got a couple of hours sleep but when I woke up at 7:00 and couldn't get back to sleep because I was coughing so hard and my ribs hurt when I breathed, I decided to go to the doctor.  I got a 9:30 appointment, so I was up and around much earlier than usual.  The doctor said it was bronchitis and wrote me three prescriptions.  I told him that I needed to go to work that day, and he said I really didn't and wrote me a note.  I did think about just taking the not so drowsy cough medicine, but the kind with the codeine sounded a whole lot better with all the pain, so I called in to work and spent the day sleeping inbetween coughing spells.  I'm supposed to take the cough syrup every six hours, and it seems to wear off around hour four or five.  Still better than nothing, and my ribs aren't nearly as painful today.  I got the Zpac for antibiodics, so three more doses of that.  I assume if I sleep through this weekend I should be good to go back to work on Monday.  This is really no fun, just for the record.

Ow! My thumb!

I managed to rip my right thumbnail off today, like halfway down.  It bled, and it hurts like the dickens.  I would put a picture up, but it's covered by a bandaid right now to keep me from getting grossed out.  I never knew I used my thumb for so many things in life. . .work is going to be super fun tomorrow!  My nails do grow fast, but this is seriously going to take at least a month just to cover the nail bed.  Yuckers.

For those asking how it happened (thanks for caring!), I was pulling a tray off a shelf and jammed my thumbnail into the shelving.  It was one of those where you're scared to look because it felt like it broke something, but it seemed fine, other than hurting.  Then a few minutes later, I tossed a tray into the bin and snagged it on something and apparently it was weakened enough it just split.  After a bad night, since it's throbbing a lot, I've learned that toweling my hair is painful, as is zipping up my boots, brushing my teeth, and trying to manipulate any kind of container. . .   Just another lesson in gratitude, as in I've spent my whole life not being grateful enough for two operational thumbs. 

Back to school. . .

I applied to Utah Valley University today.  Which I really should stop telling people (even though I can't because I'm so excited about it) until I actually get accepted, because it will be all sorts of embarrassing if I don't.  Thanks to Andrea, for figuratively and literally driving me there!  I'm going to try and get my four year degree finished in the next two years.  That would mean 22 years for a 4 year degree, which does seem a little ridiculous.  Then again, is it ever really too late to be who you want to be when you grow up?

Check this out!

Surprisingly enough, 3:30 this morning did not find me scrubbing my bathroom sink with a wet pumice stone like I've been doing the last two days. . .instead, after writing over my word goal for the day, I decided to indulge in a little creative tinkering.  I'm so excited with how this turned out.  I think I'll call it Inspiration in Green.  Melissa, because it's your birthday, it's yours if you want it.  If not, anyone else can claim  it.  :)