~Live~
-I beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.-
Rainer Maria Rilke
Pep-si Cola
Pepper was sitting in the middle of the road when I got home from work late last night. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was waiting for me. Before I pulled the car into the driveway he darted off into the darkness. When I opened the car door to step out he was at my feet. I had to step around his thinning body and when I shut the car door he spooked up like he does all Halloween cat looking and he disappeared. He was all shook up like cola.
I called him back as I made way for the front door. He did come back but lamely ran into my leg. He literally ran into it. Next he acted all natural and rubbed up against me as if he meant to do that. I leaned over to pet him and scolded him for getting so scrawny. Pepper followed me to the door but did not wish to come inside tonight. He can be a strange one.
Books by Vicki
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Feel free to browse and learn about me and my book Feel Free to Fly.
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Our Organs and What they do!
We have many organs in our body how do they all function to keep us healthy? Here are a couple vital ones I’ve been asked about recently. Our Organs and What they do, with a little help from WebMD…
Kidneys
Our kidneys are located at the back of the abdomen (stomach, lower chest). We have two of them. When looking at a diagram they are shaped like Lima beans. If one fails or shuts down the other is able to function on its own. The kidney filters out all of our blood in our body. All blood passes through our kidneys routinely throughout the day. The kidneys clean our blood and remove waste from the blood. They also help to control fluid balance. The kidneys help to regulate fluid to prevent retention (holding in fluid) and dehydration (not enough fluid in the body). And last but not least they contribute to the balance of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus etc). After filtering the blood the kidneys create urine. By passing urine this is how we maintain our fluid balance.
Liver
Our Liver is on the right side of the stomach and is protected by the rib cage. You can not feel a normal healthy liver. The gallbladder, parts of the pancreas and parts of the intestines are just below our liver. The liver, gallbladder, pancreas and intestines work to digest, absorb and process the food we eat. Like the kidney the liver also filters blood. The liver filters blood that comes from the digestive tract. After it is digested it is passed to the rest of the body. The liver beaks down chemicals and metabolizes drugs this creates bile that goes to the intestines. Another important thing the liver produces proteins which are important for blood clotting.
Spleen
The spleen is an important organ as it helps our immune system. It does this by filtering blood; recycling old red blood cells and storing white blood cells (which fight infection,) and platelets ( which promote clotting).
There you have it!
Victoria Trifu RN
“The Kidneys.” http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/picture-of-the-kidneys. WEB MD, 2005. Web. 12 Mar 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/picture-of-the-kidneys>.
N/A, . “Digestive Disorders Health Center.” Webmd. UNknown, 2009. Web. 12 Mar 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-liver>.
Digestive disorders health center. WebMD LLC, 2010. Web. 12 Mar 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-spleen>.
I is for …
India was so inspiring I wanted to write a poem or two about all that I was taking in during my visit. I started by brainstorming and creating these two Acronyms, ENJOY
INDIA
I is for all the intricate palaces, mosques and temples
N is for tasty nan or rotle in Gujarat
D is for many wild dogs about town and country side
I is for how insane people drive
A is for how awe inspiring this country is
Ahmedabad
A is for architectural designs unique to the city
H is for hot days and cool nights
M is for morning callers selling fruits and vegetables
E is for many events and festivals the city has to offer
D is for dirt and dust mixed in with beauty
A is for awesome must see temples
B is for best city to live in India (Indian Journal)
A is for art work, ancient and modern
D is for dreaming for a future as on of India’s metro cities
Monkeying Around India
The India of my dreams would have to be the colorful fantasy of Sarah Crewe in A Little Princess. This consists of riding elephants, warrior princes, helpful monkeys and Hindi Magic. Spices are in the air in India. The music carries legends of Brahma, Krishna and Vishnu. The people are peaceful and greet you with hands together and heads bowed in prayer “Namaste.”
The words of my friend and travel companion Chirag, “Get real!” After landing in Ahmedabad international in India the first Indian interaction I had was being shoved through the customs line. Someone unhooked one of the airport security line poles and a rush of people slipped through cutting those who were already waiting in line. Some woman shouts out in English “They say India has changed, but we don’t change we stay the same.”
India is beautiful in it’s own right. Sometimes those beauties are hidden behind the crowds and dilapidated buildings, but they are still very present if you are willing to see and believe. Actually the crowds can be pretty, all the women wearing bright colored saris and cholis (Indian style dresses). And if you look around where you are shopping the street stalls may be surrounded by ancient palaces and temples.
I experienced many exciting things during my 3 week stay in India, one of my favorites was riding around in a rickshaw. They are little three-wheeled autos commonly yellow and green that get you from place to place like taxi cabs. The drivers take them to dangerous speeds. The traffic in India is unbelievable. The population of India is pushing past that of China and there are people and cars everywhere. There are traffic rules, no one follows them. The belief “Rules are meant to be broken” surely applies on the Indian Expressway.
Monkeys are practically citizens and do what they please. They are out in the country, in the jungle as well as roaming around the city claiming it as their own. They pop up everywhere. I’ve seen monkeys peering down and spying on wedding guests from the tops of tents. I was told time and time again not to get too close or they would steal my camera. And no wonder why its so difficult to keep India clean even the monkeys liter. I saw this monkey sitting on a pole outside of a cyber cafe eating a banana, and when he was through he tossed the peel aside without a care in the world.
We hopped on a tour bus around the city of Ahmedabad, which is located in the north west region of India. It is about 800 kilometers from Delhi. The sights we saw were breath taking. Gandhi Ashram, where Gandhi lived and prayed for 12 years while he was working on making India independent from Britain, was a sight to see. Oh and the Hindu-Jain Temples were awing! The tour bus hit all the hot spots of the city, however it was quite rushed. One day I think I’d like to go back and take my time and appreciate all that I’ve seen and look again with new insight.
Last in the state of Gujarat India, caucasians are rare. I’m not sure why they do not get more tourists with all the temples and palaces in the city of Ahmedabad. I suppose it is because not all of them are maintained as they ought to be. Which is such a shame because they are sublime. When I would be touring around, taking in everything, people were taking in me. They were stopping and staring and taking pictures of me. People even waved to me, came up to me to shake my hand, and asked to take pictures of me. It was funny at first and then more unnerving as crowds easily developed. There were a couple times I considered wearing a burka out in public like the modest muslim women, but it was a bit too hot for me.
This trip was amazing. I went to India with the purpose to visit with my friend Chirag and her family, to really see and feel how the people lived. We went to a couple different weddings, visited grand buildings as I previously described, and took part in the International Kite Festival, and everything in between. I really got a taste of India and it was spicy!
What’s NEW
Finishing Nursing school was so thrilling! Not only was my hard work going to pay off and I was going to become a Registered Nurse, but it also meant FREE TIME. No more reading text books, no more care plans and no more studying for exams. Which would give me free time to write. I was also hoping to read more and pick up salsa. Instead I’ve been quite busy working, catching up on lost time with family and friends and the closest thing I’ve done to salsa is take a Spanish class. (I hope to one day be a translator at work). Ok, Ok and how could I forget my little escapade to India? Aren’t these reasonable excuses as to why I have hardly written a thing………?
Nick names for Pep
Peppy
Peppy La Pew
Peppy the Pee pee head
Pepsi Cola
Changing with the seasons
There is no doubt my cat Pepper is an oddball all year through. However during the summer months he is even more peculiar. He begins to loose weight at a rapid rate and becomes even more uneasy. From a nurses perspective he looks dehydrated and emaciated.
I’ll go put a bowl of water out for him and bring him to the bowl. When I go to place him on the ground he puts his back legs down and stands up like a human, refusing to put his front paws down. Once I let go of him, he will back away from the water doing his own impression of the ‘moon walk.’ He is so paranoid. Sometimes I wonder if his delusions are getting to him and he fears I’m poisoning him. From his appearance you wouldn’t think he was eating or drinking. At times his cat food bowl will be full. At other times I catch him inhaling it like it is his last meal.
Pepper claws and tears up trees. He catches and torments small animals, sometimes he gets gutsy and goes for bigger things like squirrels and rabbits. He is a rabid beast during the summer (he’s been tested).
During the winter however, you will find a much calmer version of this same cat. We allow him in the house more with the frigid temperatures. He is still jumpy and has pressurized speech like the Meow Mix Cat (meow meow meow meow), but he much more resembles a lazy house cat. We fatten him up as if he were our Christmas goose and he lounges around without a care in the world. This business lasts until about mid March and then Pepper is jumping out of his skin again.
Pepper nice and plump and ready for grilling during the winter months <3
Protect your Skin
It is summer time that means more sun exposure than you get the rest of the 9 months out of the year. Apply that SPF! I know, I know us nurses don’t always set the best example. Some of us don’t eat properly, some don’t exercise and some- gasp-smoke. So there is no exception when it comes to nurses stepping out of the tanning bed looking like oompa loompas. Orange is not natural. It does not mean it is OK.
Soaking up the rays is how I ideally spend my summer. The sun is a great and all natural source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D’s main action is the absorption of calcium which strengthens our bones and teeth. Vitamin D also boosts muscular and immune health. Low Vitamin D can cause low energy, poor immunity, and puts you at risk for heart issues. However, when you’re napping on the beach you don’t want to risk skin damage from ultraviolet radiation. The best way to prevent this is to wear SUNSCREEN and skip the tanning bed.