Just My Journal

  This year I've fallen back in love with journaling... so I decided to let you know what's on my journal shelf, starting off with #1.  #1 My Learning Notebook In here I write down all the things I want to learn more about. For example major nursing topics like ACLS/BLS, the cardiac cycle, etc. I also have a section dedicated to finances, like the Baby Steps by Dave Ramsey, the 10 Levels of Financial Independence, types of budgets, etc. You get the idea.  #2 Calligraphy Made Easy by Ashley Gardner  Calligraphy is so beautiful so I decided to try my hand at it. It's a skill so you HAVE to practice, which is annoying. What made me realize it does NOT come easily was watching  Jazza try calligraphy ... his first attempt made me cry for the ink pen. Along with this book I also enjoyed this  calligraphy practice sheet  as it gave me something other than letters to try and ink. I'd say my calligraphy got way better with just this sheet! Practice makes perman...

Tanning Salons As a 5 billion dollar industry, it's no wonder that tanning salons still exist. I've only ever gotten a spray tan (and a free one at that), but I could never imagine exposing my skin to a tanning bed knowing what I know. Tanning salons are everywhere and even my gym has tanning beds for people to use! According to the  American Academy of Dermatology , if used before the age of 35, indoor tanning bed increase the risk for melanoma by 59%. It also has a compound effect, putting you at higher risk each time you tan. The UV light from a tanning bed is a known carcinogen and therefore, it's the AADA stance that "no person or facility should advertise the use of any UVA or VB tanning device using working such as 'safe,' 'safe tanning,' 'no harmful rays,' 'no adverse effect,' or similar working or concepts." My promise to myself in 2020 is that I will never go into a tanning bed. Smoking Cigarettes I'm lucky enoug...

I recently read an article about how a 4-year-old died from the flu in Colorado. At the end of the article, the mom states, "... and it feels like we failed him because we did what we had to do." Worried, and searching for advice, this mom tried Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Elderberry, and Zinc. And despite these remedies recommended by fellow members of a Facebook group, her son didn't survive. But what if I told you, she had already took her son to the doctor? How the doctor already prescribed Tamiflu , but she didn't pick it up. How those recommendations for Vitamin C "until diarrhea," and peppermint oil didn't break her son's fever that caused a seizure. The fact is this Anti-Vax Facebook group and mother did fail her son. What's the point of going to the doctor if you aren't going to follow his recommendations and prescriptions? "I am a momma freaking out all alone in this, with a family who believes in [no] natural ways... they are m...

One YouTube, I watched Jenn Im's My Perfect Imperfections Tag.  The Imperfections My Uneven Eyelids - I'm Chinese American and I have monolids. And my monolids themselves, I've never had a problem with. I've never looked at my eyes and thought, "it'd be nice if I had a crease." Or, "I need eyelid surgery." But the fact that my eyelids were uneven got very apparent when I started to wear makeup in college. Specifically, it's easier to see the lash line on the _ eye, which means I need more eyeliner on my other eye to make them look even.  My Body (Calves and Arms) - I am not very tall. I like to say I'm 5'2" on a good day. Some people who are shorter are proportionally petite. I am not. I was actually supposed to be taller but once I got my first period that stunted my growth. I think if I grew to the height I was "supposed" to be, my arms and legs would look proportionate. My arms just don't look as toned as...

There are plenty of things in the world that piss me off, these are a couple of them. This article describes how Jessica's rapist still has visitation rights to her sons. She was raped multiple times when she was a teenager and now has two sons. In addition, she miscarried once and another son died due to "a disease common in cases of incest." Her rapist and step-uncle was never convicted, despite DNA evidence. How in the world is someone not convicted despite DNA evidence ! Especially if this is happening multiple times. And for her family to not only allow this to happen, but to encourage it, is disgusting. Apparently she was also forced to marry her step-uncle. In Alabama, rapists still have their rights, which is insane! So the judge told Jessica, with each visitation denied, she would have to spend 48 hours in jail. So you're telling me you want a pedophile rapist to have visitation rights to two young boys? Guess I'll never visit Alabama. Shall we m...

I tried out the  Fetch Rewards App last week and this is my first impression. How Does It Work? Fetch is based on a point system, and once you reach 3,000 points you can redeem them. Once I hit 5,000 points, I redeemed them for a $5 Amazon gift card. It was easy, the Fetch App can e-mail you the code and then you just enter it into your Amazon account like any other gift card. If you don't scan your receipt immediately, no worries. You have a couple days to scan them in. You do so just by taking a picture of your receipt. Got a long one? Just snap your receipt in segments to get everything in. You can snap pics from any store: Target , Walgreens, Pick 'N Save, etc... I've tried all of the above and I gotten points from all three. Will I continue to use the Fetch Rewards App? 100% and if you're interested in it, try using my referral code 4XXUF and we'll both get 2,000 points immediately. I wouldn't be recommending it if I didn't try and enjoy i...

Safety . It's a common word around the hospital. You may have heard the phrase, "do no harm." It's because doctors and nurses have the potential to do a lot of harm. Prevention of falls, infections, medication errors... Patient safety is huge. But while the patient may be the first person someone thinks of when they hear the words "safety" and "hospital" together, what about the caregiver? During January of this year. nurse practitioner Carlie Beaudin was found frozen beneath her car, beat to death. And in April, Lynne Truxillo died from complications after being attacked from a patient. Working in the healthcare field puts nurses on the front lines. It makes us vulnerable. And the patient's we take care of put us at the biggest risk. Verbal and physical abuse are a reality. Cursing, swearing, hitting, biting, rape... It's not acceptable. Ever. Being a nurse isn't a safe profession. In a year, 1 in 5 nurses or nursing assistan...