Rachael: A to Z

One of the blogs I read featured this and I thought it was sort of cute..

Age: 19

Bed size: full

chore you hate: I hate all chores on a daily basis. I love all chores when I'm stressed out about life and I need a way to feel good about myself and be productive.

Dogs: I adore dogs, but maybe it's all animals. I have a sweet little Cocker Spaniel that lives with my mom for now, but maybe summer will be her move to the big city. Which will likely not go over well, but we'll see. Her name is Jo.

Essential start to your day: SLEEP. In a perfect world (and on rare occasions in my real world): I would actually have gotten sleep, I will wake up two hours before I have to leave, I will put on my black Nikes and run away the morning as the sun comes up, then I will come back, take a shower, and eat breakfast. In my everyday, I sleep until the very last possible second, skip everything people say is essential in the morning: breakfast, showering, ... and run out the door.

Favorite Color: yellow--not because anything in my life is that bright and happy, but because it was my favorite color as a little girl, so I stick with it

Gold or silver: gold

Height: maybe 5'5"

Instruments you play: trumpet

Job title: lab assistant, student..

Kids: Am obsessed with. But probably won't ever have my own. But I want to be a pediatrician

Live: I'm not sure what this means.. how I live? Hmm.. pretty lost. A little hippie-esk, a little OCD, a little lazily, a bit of a loner

mom's name: Mom, mommy when I'm sad or homesick

Nicknames: Rae (Jazzy), Raelo (Luke), Curly Rachael, little Rachael (work, because there's another Rachel)

overnight hospital stays:
1.) with Mom when I was born
2.) 6 years old: kidney infection
3.) 19th birthday: drunk/dehydrated

haha talk about from innocence to experience

quote from a movie: "Stop talking about love. Every asshole in the world says he loves somebody. It means nothing. It still doesn't mean anything. What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love, that's what matters. It's the only thing that counts."--The Last Kiss

right-or left-handed: right

Siblings: Peter, Luke, Katie, Kari, Jaime.. and I love them maybe an excessive amount

Time you Wake up: 6-8:30am, later on weekends..

Underwear: not sure what's meant by this.. I almost exclusively wear thongs, but I feel like that's more information than you wanted to know, lol

Vegetables you dislike: olives and mushrooms

What makes you run late: whatever I can find on that particular day.. everything.

x-rays you've had: my teeth a few times.. ? that might be all

yummy food you make: stir fry (easy, yes, but my specialty), soup, pie

Zoo favorite animal: my favorite zoo animal would be locking zoo keepers in cages and pointing and laughing and poking and throwing things (ha, sorry that was a little hostile)

I go back to a two-toned, short bed Chevy

Well in the town where I was raised,
the clock ticks and the cattle grazed

Time passed with amazing grace,

Back where I come from

You can lie on a river bank,
paint your name on a water tank

or miscount all the beers you drank,

Back where I come from

Back where I come from

Where I'll be when its said and done

I'm proud as anyone

That's where I come from

We learned in the Sunday school,

who made the sun shine through

I know who made the moon shine toom

Back where I come from

Blue eyes on a Saturday night,

tan legs in the broad daylight

TV's they were black and white

Back where I come from

Back where I come from

Where I'll be when its said and done

I'm proud as anyone

That's where I come from

Some say it's a backward place,*

narrow minds on a narrow wage

But I make it a point to say,

that's where I come from

That's where I come from

Where I'll be when its said and done

I'm proud as anyone

That's where I come from

Back where I come from

I'm an old Osakis-ian

Well I'm proud as anyone

That's where I come from

*this is my favorite part because I'm definitely one of those people who bitches about Osakis being a backward place, full of very narrow-minded people.. but in the same breath of saying that, I proudly say: That's where I come from!

always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres

I spoke with my three-way-tie-for-first favorite sister on the phone tonight. Goll I love that girl. Haven't spoken to her since.. oh, about the beginning of January. Two months.

And we had a real heart-to-heart. About my mom and dad. About Africa. About communications. About design. About Tyra. About happiness. About contentment.

I miss her. I love her.

"No one is looking at you to do something. Don't feel pressure to do something you're supposed to do. If that's going to make you happy, then everyone will be behind you."

I watch the stars from my window sill

woke up and wished that I was dead
with an aching in my head
I lay motionless in bed
I thought of you and where you'd gone
and let the world spin madly on

everything that I said I'd do
like make the world brand new
and take the time for you
I just got lost and slept right through the dawn
and the world spins madly on

I let the day go by
I always say goodbye
I watch the stars from my window sill
the whole world is moving and I'm standing still

woke up and wished that I was dead
with an aching in my head
I lay motionless in bed
the Night is here and the Day is gone
and the world spins madly on

I thought of you and where you'd gone
and the world spins madly on.

pretends to sleep as he looks her over

So, I was upset with my friend (well, concerned I suppose is a better term) for not being comfortable with being single. It unnerved me! You have got to be okay with yourself. Independence. Making yourself happy. Being alone.

Why would anyone want to be in a "relationship" anyways? What does that create? Rules? rules are meant to be broken. Fights. Struggles. Strife. Heartache. Lies. Betrayl. Crying.

In my opinion, relationships are too extreme. When is it ever a good idea to be all or nothing? And as I say this, I can't help but wonder if this leads to safety--another concept I think people should keep away from. Am I being safe by keeping my emotions at the luke-warm level? Passion is not a bad thing, nor is hatred. I adore those extremes, so why can't I justify it from the relationship standpoint? I'm going to maintain that I don't believe in the concept of marriage and forever. But maybe the point is to go after those things anyways.

I've been very interested in psychology lately (by "interested," I mostly mean the media I'm attracted to addresses this concept, namely: abnormal psychology). People with mental disorders like OCD (ie Caty from Skins.. love. her.) grow up to realize they've been on medications for their entire lives. Another example, Garden State (maybe my favorite movie).. Andrew's revelation is that he has been numb to every experience in his life. Maybe I have a natural drug in my brain that distances myself and makes me numb to experiences too. Can I turn it off? Is it just something I have to work at a bit? Does everyone have the drug in their minds, but choose to overcome it? Why is it my natural response to encourage the drug?

Anyways.. I've probably come up with more questions than answers in my self-evaluation. Today I invited the man to my little girl's track meet. This is a big step. I didn't want him to come. Him meeting someone so important to me? Big step. That is me letting him in in a huge way. Big step. That is almost like saying we're in a relationship. Gross. But I asked anyways. Because I'm trying.

I was anyways turned down. Maybe he really was busy. But the logical-me tells me he wasn't. The logical-me tells me that he also doesn't want this to be a relationship. Which is a relief.




Right?

my blood won't stick to the confines of my veins

If the chain is on your door, I understand.

No amount of coffee, no amount of crying, no amount of whiskey, no amount of wine, no, no, no, no, no--nothing else will do, I gotta have you.

Oh, on a less pathetic note: my cousin had her baby this weekend. A little tiny girl. I love her. And when I held her, she looked like this:

..the whole time. And yet, I love her. My heart hurts I love her so much. Oh, and my friend is officially deciding she isn't pregnant. Which...ugh well, whatever. I'll be fine.

all my life I've been good, but now, I'm thinking what the hell.

I suppose I should mention, seeing as how I am obsessed with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQmEd_UeeIk

It's Avril's new one, and I basically dance in front of my mirror to this song at least once a day, and blare it on my iPod, all the time.

I think about you maybe more than I should

Good morning dear
I hope I didn't wake you too soon
because my mind is growing tired
Too much thinking what I should do
I picture you out there
It must be beautiful this time of year
Well the weather out here is just the same
But the garden that you planted remains.

Now it's only work
Each day bleeding into the next
Barely scraping by I tire myself out just so I can rest
But rest it rarely comes
And when it does I cannot go home
Becasue it's much too quiet
Seems that I'm suited to being alone
And everyone around me has changed
But the garden that you planted remains.

I think about you
Maybe more than I should
But the smog is getting old
The drugs I'm taking aren't so good
So will you talk to me
Even though you've had a late night
Because I need a little help
Baby, tell me I'll be alright
Cause everything around me has changed
But the garden that you planted remains

and past the horizon till I can't even see you

I've, once again, updated my decision of career path. I now want to be a pediatric oncologist with an emphasis in clinical research.



I'm currently obsessed with children, babies in particular. I've spent my last two Fairview visits with one little girl with whom I am now fully invested in. I want this baby. She has a feeding tube that is obviously uncomfortable, she is always reaching for it and sneezing and coughing. She used to cry about it a lot, but I feel like she is starting to know me. When her coughing wakes her up, I sing to her and she grabs my thumb and stares at me with her huge eyes and loves me and I love her. It's just the way it is. I've come to realize that I am not the mother-type, so I am going to become a pediatrician to satisfy my yearning. I know I won't get to sit around holding babies for hours on end as a physician, but still..





As for the oncology/hematology fellowship, I adopted this plan from our most recent pre-med club meeting's physician. He was a general medicine oncologist, but his philosophy matched my own, and I can't believe I am only now realizing it. His favorite part about oncology was being able to help sick people. This sounds pretty standard for physicians, but really, it isn't. Many are involved in preventative, cosmetic, yata yata yata. Some specialties deal specifically with people in need. Another specialty that satisfies this is surgery. My issue with surgery is that surgeons don't have their "own" patients. They really see any physician's patients who needs surgery. I think that would bother me. I want a patient that I can track and care for. I want to help them and stay with them and know them. (when I speak like this, I almost think nursing is a better path for me...)



Another reason I like oncology, and the particular reason that I feel like I should have figured out a long time ago, I am, rather concerningly, interested in death. I mean, really. The music I listen to, the movies I watch, the books I read--they all revolve around dying it seems. I honestly am interested in the psychology of dying, but I really don't want to be a psychiatrist. Too much politics. Still, oncology incorporates a certain degree of social work of course, and I just think I am for some reason particularly atuned to this emotion. Like I'm extra sensitve to the concept, for whatever reason. I sat and listened to the physican speak about his work, and I just wanted to cry--but in a good way. Maybe not in a good way.. In a, "this is really sad, I really like to be sad" sort of way.







I sort of brushed off the fact that I'm not the mother-type. Truth: it terrifies me. I just could not raise a child. It was way too much responsibility. I mean, obviously I'm okay with responsibility to the effect that I want to save their lives, but the parent's raising methods has so much more of an effect psychologically. I don't feel like my parents had that much of an effect on my psychology, but that in itself is an effect, right? Another thing, I'm pretty sure I have some sanity issues.. (I'm not). So I don't want really want to pass on those genes. Which, when I say it outloud, sounds like a terrible insult to my family. But I guess that is exactly how I mean it. I kind of think we all ahve some psychological problems. People probably don't really know that about us, we all seem so normal. We so aren't normal. And I will even go so far as to say it is a bad thing. I mean, it can't be, we are all our own person, and I love all of our personalities. But I think each of us could stand to be a bit happier. And I can't help but blame genetics, because we all are a little bit, and I don't think it has to do with our childhood. Because our childhood was pretty fantastic. But we all grew up to be a little too unhappy, for no reason at all.

Just some thoughts. Well, a lot of thoughts.

Oh yea, one more: this is my current favorite song. It's what also scares me about being a parent.


Boats & Birds
by Gregory and the Hawk

If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black and you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine

And you can sky-rocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by

it's like a sudden rush of water through your heart and bones

I wish I could be five years old. I wish



And it's funny how his voice changed into what it used to be. Wise and patient, autocratic. Like I was his five year old girl again and I was learning the facts of life. I wish it were that simple. I wish you could tell me everyone was overreacting, and we would all be okay. The bright sun comes up every morning to make the corn grow. Doctors say what they say to scare you into spending money. Don't go into the woods alone or you won't find your way back home.


I wish I could be five years old because there was no such thing as science. There was Dad and he was the absolute truth. No relativism. And kidneys failing after multiple bypass surgeries was a fairy tale physicians tell their patients. And red blood cell count doesn't start to rise when your only kidney starts to fail. And the accumulation of RBC won't block flow to your heart. And you won't have a heart attack. All that is pretend.

Some things I wish I didn't know. I wish I didn't know that life is never that simple. I wish I didn't know that sometimes the reaction is absolutely, and regrettably suitable. I wish I didn't know that not always will we all be okay. I wish I didn't know that not every morning the sun comes up. I wish I didn't understand that physicians spend half of their lives in school and sacrifice everything to be in medicine. And they are smart enough to know that if they were in it for the money, there are a hell of a lot of career paths less demanding and sacrificing. Physicians need an alterior motive: But the love I mean is the fire that burns inside us all, the inner warmth that prevents our soul from freezing in the winters of despair. It's the love of life itself. I wish I didn't know that.

I wish we all didn't have to wander the woods alone. But where is home?











Well, it's 4:30am.. I suppose, since I apparently don't know how to sleep anymore, I should get up and be productive.

not even grey, but she buries her baby

Today I waited at a stoplight to cross the street as a mother and her two young boys waited also, on the other side. The light turned green. I had that wonderful, warm feeling in my heart you get when you watch little kids playing. Being happy. Enjoying life.



Songs of Innocence.

And so, as if on cue, Experience infected the scene.

Halfway across the street, the children had passed, my mind had already moved on. The warmth in my heart lingered though. It's funny how that can happen. One child, one ridiculous laugh, one crooked grin with missing teeth. It can change your outlook. Even if you don't notice it does. It's the collection of these moments that change you. Change everyone. Change our minds, our hearts. It's love, I think.


I probably wouldn't have noticed that the mother was still in front of me. I wouldn't have noticed that I was studying her face, reading her, judging her, envying her, trusting her. But I did notice. Because you notice panic. Horror. Dread. Hysteria.

And it was electricity through my body. I think I stood still, but I can't be sure. I think my eyes were wide with horror to match the mother's. Or maybe they had snapped shut. And I think my twisted stomach doubled me over and I spilled its contents there in the street. Or maybe I stood still, I can't be sure.

Then she shrieked. And I must have turned, because I saw the blue car flatten her child. I saw his tiny body, which had just seconds ago bopped around happily, laying lifeless in the street. I saw pools of dark red grow from beneath him. I saw his mother collapse at at his side and scream to her god. For a new chance. A time reversal. Her baby back.

And tires screeched.


And my mind snapped back to life. The distorted face in front of me softened with relief. I eagerly whipped around to find the car crooked on the street. The boy unscathed.

Blissful, innocent of his near fate. That was awhile ago. A couple of days. I haven't stopped shaking.

Home is wherever I'm with you

I don't have the drugs to sort it out

I've a fantastic case of insomnia tonight. My fucking head is pounding.

My heart doesn't seem to be.

I am. I am. I am.

I am I am Iam.