John Day

If you've never been to central Oregon (I mean east of Bend) you must find time to go.  This is Cant Ranch which is right by the John Day Fossil Beds.  The Cant family raised sheep here.  Unfortunately the house isn't open on weekends, but you can still wander around the property, see the shearing shed, and walk a trail down to the river.

This is a view from a lookout on the highway between Dayville and Mount Vernon.  I think the geography over there is fascinating.

Here are some pictures of the Painted Hills.  The different colors are from the minerals in the clay.  There are so many different colors of reds, greens, browns, grays, and even lavender.  It is pretty spectacular.  One sign recommends evening for the best photos.  It was overcast and not evening when I was there.

Getting Framed

I finally got around to framing some things.

This is a doily my mom made.  She may have made it before I was even born, I don't remember seeing her made it so I was either really young or not around.  I think it is way more beautiful framed like this than lying on my end table covered with things and collecting dust.

This is a birthday/graduation card given to me by Julie Lyford, she painted it with water colors.  It commemorates a fly fishing workshop we took together.

And this is my college diploma that I still can't believe I have.

I got to spend the month of May working evenings learning how to work in a hospital blood bank.  It is really interesting and tragic at the same time.  We type blood for people and cross match them with donor blood for transfusions.  There are a lot of people who are sick and need blood products, but we also keep prepared to traumas.  The other night we had a patient who had been in a bad accident and we kept matching blood for almost three hours.  They got between 30 and 40 units of blood products by the time my shift ended.  I hope I get to hear if the patient made it.  It was a tragic situation for the patient and their family, I'm sure, but from my perspective it really feels good to have a job that can help people when they need it most.

Most of my blood bank training is done so I have to go back to night shift.  Evening shift was like a vacation, you get to sleep until you wake up, work around the house or do errands until early afternoon and then go to work.  I think that's how life should be.  Some day.

We went to see the new Star Trek movie in 3D.  Everybody at work was talking about how good it is, but we just thought it was okay.  Maybe we just aren't big enough Trek fans.  At home we watched The Librarian, Curse of the Judas Chalice, it was fun.  It's kind of like National Treasure.

Shows and Movies

Last night Rocky and I went to dinner and West Side Story with friends at the Hult Center.  We had a good time and enjoyed the show.  I had a busy work week which was both good and stressful, so it was nice to go out and have some fun.

On the movie front Lincoln was good, not exciting but interesting and historical, of course.  I found a really good movie on TV called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  It's about a group of retirees who give up their lives in England and move to India.  None of them find what they're expecting there and I can't say anymore or I'll spoil it.  It was really good; funny and moving.  The latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, was pretty good too.

I may have posted previously that I've discovered audiobooks from the library.  I'm totally addicted to them. I transfer them to my MVP player and listen while I do chores.  It's also a good way to fall asleep since it doesn't require light and you can totally relax with your eyes closed.  I mostly listen to fiction and have found that the simpler stories are best if you're planning to listen while doing other things.  I did download Heaven Is For Real which is very different from what I usually read, but I found it very intriguing.

It is now 6:00 am on Easter morning and I'm thinking about going to bed.  I've just enjoyed three nights off and my work week starts again at 9:00 pm tonight.

Have a happy Easter.

Duck Basketball

Rocky and I went to our first Duck basketball game in the Matthew Knight Arena Thursday.  It was the Civil War game, Senior Night, and Phil Knight's 75th birthday.  We had fun and were both impressed with the arena, however it didn't seem as big as it does on TV.  I was a little appalled at the behavior of the fans.  One of the Beavers caused a collision that injured a Duck and the fans started chanting, "F$@* the Beavers!"  I wondered if it could be heard on TV.  It was a pretty rough game at times, but the Ducks pulled off a win.

Speaking of winning, we watched a really good movie tonight called Win Win.  I won't tell you about it, just know that it is good and the only thing to be cautious about are a few swear words.  It is funny, sad, serious, and light.  Different types of people dealing with different types of tough life issues.

Here is a photo of Carly watching me play on the computer:

Shift Work

I survived my first week of night shift.  After the first night I wasn't so sure it was going to work out, but now I think it will work out.  As it turns out, I can sleep during the day.  Last night/this morning was my first night off and I stayed up cleaning house.  It is weird and the whole house is affected by my new schedule.  I get home when Rocky is getting up and then I get up when Rocky is gets home.  Carly is so confused and you can see the sadness in her eyes when I leave for work at 8:30 pm.  I think the only one who loves the new schedule is the cat; he gets to sleep with Rocky all night and then with me all day.

Despite the hours I really enjoy the job.  The work is interesting and I get to work with some neat people.  I love knowing that the work I'm doing is helping people in our community.

We watched a funny movie the other night, Waking Ned Devine.  It is a bit different, but well worth watching.

Still Learning

I've been on the new job for three weeks now and still have lots to learn.  The most difficult is learning the computer systems and protocols.  The work is fascinating and I'm going to love this career.

I finally received my diploma and credentials from the American Society for Clinical Pathology so I'm all official.  It feels good and I'm remembering how to relax again.  This weekend I watched One Day, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and The Help.  All were worth watching.

Now, if only the weather would warm up.  It has been so cold that I have to break ice in water buckets every day.  Today we're even fogged in.  We're loving the wood stove right now.

Dinner and a Movie

Since I finished school and don't have to spend all of my time studying I've been able to watch a few movies and do some real cooking again.  Last night we watched Safe House and I made this fish dish although I substituted store bought mango salsa and I made Kale for the first time.  With all the southern cooking I grew up with I never acquired a taste for greens so I really didn't think I was going to like this, but it was pretty good.  I didn't put any sugar in as the recipe called for and was glad, the cranberries added plenty of sweetness.

Other good movies I've seen recently are Trouble with the Curve and We Bought a Zoo.  Both are good enough to watch more than once.

I had a conversation the other day about candy from my childhood.  See if you remember these:

Flicks

Zotz

Pop Rocks, of course

Jolly Rancher Sticks, everybody loved Fire, my favorites were Watermelon and Strawberry

Candy cigarettes, you don't see them anymore

Wax Lips and Cinnamon Toothpicks, not really candy but we had to have them anyway

One last topic for this post:  Football.  I really wanted to know what a Hokie is so I went to Virginia Tech's website:  http://www.vt.edu/about/hokie.html

Happy New Year.