shut up christine

shut up christine

( 2:50 PM ) shut up christine

i like the sound of your voice.

labrinth ft. emeli sande - beneath your beautiful

( 7:16 PM ) shut up christine

healthcare PSA: Hypertension

in the US, the two leading causes of kidney failure are:

uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure.
let me repeat -- high blood pressure can shut down your kidneys

not only does hypertension increase your risk for stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure, it can also:
- damage the blood vessels in your eyes (possibly leading to blurred vision or blindness! BLINDNESS!!)
- sexual dysfunction as a result of pressure damage to the lining of your blood vessels, limiting blood flow to your genitals
- bone loss

i've mentioned it several times in the past but i cannot stress it enough. i say this as a friend and a nurse...please keep your blood pressure in check.
for adults, a healthy blood pressure reading should be less than 120/80

many grocery stores have a machine located near the pharmacy that can check your BP. we went to a Ralphs by our house and the machine tested our BMI (body mass index), BP, and our eyes, then gave us a free printout

you can naturally lower your BP by reducing your salt intake, exercising, quitting smoking, and reducing alcohol intake. a few foods that can reduce BP: raisins, cayenne pepper, purple root vegetables (taro), hibiscus, watermelon, bananas, and kiwi.
some folks with prolonged high BPs need to take blood pressure medications as well

when you feel your BP spiking from stress, try meditation, deep breathing, or counting like Carl from Family Matters!

( 6:59 PM ) shut up christine

my cacti pot is in full bloom!

i forget the name of the clustered cactus with the pretty fuschia flowers but the one behind it is a fairy castle (one of my favorites), and the flat-leaved one in the back is a red buttons opuntia

#

( 5:12 PM ) shut up christine

packing up my childhood bedroom in my parents house. a few items found in my travel drawer:

- handmade beaded earrings and bracelet from moises, a student at the school where we made & sold pinatas

- 3 toenails in a plastic bag, from climbing a volcano

barf

- foot long ponytail in a plastic bag

whyyy?!

- bag of rocks, for eating. bought from a street food vendor. surprise, they taste like dirt

snacking on rocks

( 2:15 AM ) shut up christine

in february i paid $750 (wo nelly) for a membership that allows me to take an unlimited number of healthcare courses for one full year

by the end of june i'll have taken (over 400 hours) five thousand dollars worth of classes with my membership :)

of course i want to get my money's worth (tenfold)
and obviously for my resume
but the real reason, my greatest motivating factor, is simply
sleep

i want to be able to sleep at night.
i don't want to lose someone because i failed to do something that could have been done, or that i failed to recognize something i should have known

i know there are some things that can't be learned in a classroom, and come only with years and years of experience
but until then, i do what i can

i can say that i know a lot more today than i did one year ago, or even three months ago

anyway, kinda weird but i often think about this scene from kill bill when i'm reading my books

( 7:34 PM ) shut up christine

since we're moving soon, this is mainly for me to remember our little house

things i liked about living here:

- 5 minutes away from staples center (and yet we never went to a laker or clipper game! for shame)

- going to beach several times a week

- amazeballs illegal fireworks on july 4th

- papa cristo's (my fave greek place) two blocks away

- so many museums & good eats around here

- sweet neighbors

- this is my first home with pickles and makoto

things i won't miss:

- la is where my fear of driving got really bad