i cut my tongue last week

Okay, so here's what happened.
When I moved here back in July, I did not have a dining room table. I never saw anything I liked, and then I had no free Saturdays throughout the semester to go furniture shopping. I didn't really see this as a problem because I was content eating on my couch. Then two Fridays ago I was eating rice on my couch, and I had some soy sauce. As I was shaking soy sauce onto my rice, some of it went flying onto a cream-colored pillow next to me. After I was done yelling, "No! No! No!" at the pillow, I decided I would be getting a table the next day. I went to Pier 1, saw a table and some pretty chairs, liked them, and bought them.

Pier 1 does not deliver, and I do not have a truck, so I could only get the chairs to my apartment that day. I then promised my friends Carlisle and Pharmacist Ryan that I would feed them lunch one day if they would move my chair out of the Pier 1 and into my 3rd floor apartment. They happily agreed, and I offered to make them turkey tacos. Well, I had the turkey and black beans and taco seasoning, but I needed tortillas and other toppings. I went to Fancy Kroger, and it was there that I remembered I was running low on hummus. Fancy Kroger was once again out of the Classic flavor except in the form of these little individual snack-sized cups. Here's where things got interesting.

These cups had foil over the top like applesauce. I wanted a snack the afternoon after the table delivery, so I grabbed a cup. I took the foil off the top, but not all of it came off in one piece, and I decided I did not feel like trying to pry tiny bits of foil from the surprisingly sticky plastic rim. Then, I wanted to get the hummus that catches the inside of the rim where the pita cannot reach, so I licked it off. The foil got me. I spent the rest of the night trying to keep my tongue sticking out of my mouth because it hurt less. There was a hole in the front of my tongue that generated pain disproportionate to its size and bled quite a little bit. My friends were surprisingly unsympathetic.

Unfortunately, I think that is the most exciting news I have to share. School really has gotten lighter, except for yesterday, when I had to spend four hours learning CPR from a video in which the narrator told me that if I save someone's life I won't be a hero because as a healthcare professional, saving lives is "just what I do." This week, Savannah and I are going to visit our nursing home patient. The whole class divided into pairs, and each group has a patient to visit four times throughout the semester. We're pretty excited about it, but we did hear one unfortunate story from yesterday.

Our friend Lindsay went to see her patient, but the poor person had both a respiratory disorder and some form of mild dementia. Needless to say, it is difficult to interview such a patient. At one point he bade them fetch him some coffee and more Kleenex, but the best part was when he said, "If you're lucky, I'll even let you shave me." I can only hope our patient does not feel this sort of benevolence.

This post has been full of weirdness, but such is my life. Enjoy this nice weather! Here's today's health tip:

If you feel the desire to inject yourself with growth hormone (I'm looking at you, Barry), don't.

kisses

Erin

cheers

You know, you'd think that a lot of excess free time would mean my productivity would skyrocket. Well, you obviously don't know me very well.

First, let's discuss productivity. I have been incredibly productive in my reading. It's just that my reading has more to do with the fictional lives of Londoners or Mississippians than the anti-natriuretic properties of aldosterone. But I'm settling into this semester, developing a rhythm for school work vs. other stuff, so I'm staying on track. It helps that only one class is very challenging at the moment. I'm sure it won't last.

This past Saturday I volunteered for the first time at the Jackson Free Clinic. It was so fun to do some hands-on clinical work and see the effect it has on people. The clinic does great things with limited resources. The most interesting part is that it is completely student-run! My adorable friend Savannah just got a position on the board, and it's a great way to make a difference while doing something for which you have a passion. And it was really fun to see classmates that had been there before "doctoring" on people. I definitely will be going back.

On Sunday I went to the Salvation Army Souper Bowl with precious Angela (she wrote about it on her blog,  here). So I was feeling very charitable, thinking, "Man, I would be an awesome Trophy Wife Philanthropist." Then I realized that wasn't the best attitude, and my big head shrunk quite a bit. So now everything is back to normal.

In other news, I am the new face of Lancome cosmetics. Lancome just doesn't know about it.

Also, I bought some of that light yogurt in those dessert-y flavors they advertise as replacement for cake, and, as it turns out, it still tastes like yogurt. Boston Cream Pie is far superior to Boston Cream Pie-flavored yogurt, in case you were wondering. Just like butter is way better than margarine (Charitable trophy wife material and able to make a Mitch Hedberg reference? Jump back!).

I discovered Monday night that if I wash my hands with the fancy soap by the sink in my bathroom, then try to run my fingers through damp hair washed with this super-cleaning shampoo that I use once a week, the combination develops into this tacky, gluey substance on my hands that is somewhere south of awesome. That was a fun time.

At school we have started down the slippery slope that leads to the reproductive system. Yesterday in histology we went over the male, and I really needed my male professor to stop using the word "we" because it was weirding me out. Fortunately a different professor that doesn't make me uncomfortable will go over female next week. I have heard that when it comes time for reproduction in physiology next month there will be lots of giggles. So at least I have that to look forward to.

This afternoon another round of White Death is supposed to fall on us from the sky. Last time, the sleet starting falling in earnest just as we were leaving school, and my feet lost most of their feeling by the time I got to my car because I had chosen cute shoes over practical shoes. But I'm inside now, safe from the coming Storm o' Doom. I hope you are too!

Cheers
Erin

P.S. I've decided that I'm going to start saying, "Cheers." I would really appreciate your support.