Posts Tagged ‘stories’

searching for “the one”

Rachel, my bff who knows where to find anything and everything (even though she rarely leaves Portland, Oregon) just turned me onto The Hunt, this rad site that helps you track down anything — if you’ve got a picture of it (like from Tumblr or Pinterest or Instagram). She just tracked down this cool Isabel Marant blazer she saw on Pinterest, but she didn’t even know it was Isabel, till The Hunt helped her find it.

Go for the goal…

But… if I’m gonna try The Hunt, I’m going to use it for the “greater Evie good” like tracking down the right role, the right man or the right salad. Read the rest of this entry »

Never “woulda thunk it” till I was forced to volunteer in the ER, but the best way to get out of your own head is to do something for someone else. It takes the “me” out of the equation and it gives you a feeling of accomplishing something — even when your world is falling apart. Don’t get me wrong, your world doesn’t have to fall apart in order for you do something for someone else, but you will feel better — while in the process of making someone else feel better — and that’s even better than medicine. (Who needs med school, right?) Read the rest of this entry »

I’m trying to remain calm, but I just finished my ER shift and I need to vent. Earlier, as I was driving to the Employee Parking Lot, a very Pregnant Woman was walking in the crosswalk talking on her cell. A man in the car to the left of me barreled through the crosswalk. He didn’t seem to notice or care about the Preggy Pedestrian. And the Mama-to-Be was so engrossed in the conversation, she wasn’t thinking about protecting her baby. The weirdest part was that no one seemed to notice — not the Driver, not the Pedestrian, only ME.

Am I in the Twilight Zone?

So just as I’m exclaiming “Whaaaa?” I drive into the parking structure that’s completely packed. I search every level and finally find one measly spot. But it’s not a trouble-free-spot because on one side a car is parked in an intruding slant over the double line and on the other side the neighboring car has been pushed so far over by the car next to it, it’s squishing over my other boundary line as well. Why aren’t there any boundaries in human behavior? Why is everyone pushing everyone else over the edge? Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone’s on pins-and-needles in the ER. 24/7 an INVISIBLE STRESSBALL powers through Triage growing bigger and bigger — affecting everyone in its path. We deal with a MISHMOSH of PAIN from Patients, Family Members and Staff. Volunteers must juggle everyone’s Physical Pain, Emotional Pain, Pressure and Anxiety. Stressed-out people lose patience, get defensive, become argumentative and over-react. Everyone takes it out on each other. It’s UGLY!

This doesn’t even take into account what’s hiding in everyone’s baggage. I mean, almost everyone who’s an adult has some family member or loved one who’s fighting some sort of battle, whether it’s emotional or physical, not to mention that we all have things going wrong in our day on some level. Add to that indigestion, PMSing, bills we can’t pay and it’s a miracle we don’t all EXPLODE! Read the rest of this entry »

Thanksgiving smells like my Mom. When the turkey’s in the oven, I swear my Mom’s still around. Her marinade of ketchup, cooking sherry and water makes the turkey crispy and the entire house delicious – all day, all night and even a little the next morning.

Keeping up with the Traditions —

My job is picking up the Turkey from Harvey’s Guss Meat Company (I order it in October). Harvey supplies meat to restaurants, so his hours are early — 7:00 AM to 12:00 noon. The day before Thanksgiving there’s not much traffic in the early hours (thankfully) and it’s especially wonderful when like today, the air’s a little chilly (by L.A. standards) and the sky’s blue-blue. Read the rest of this entry »

Does your face turn red? Does your neck get all splotchy with two-tone running down your chest so you look like you’re splattered with embarrassment? Does your voice go up several octaves and do you sound like you’re on speed or swallowed helium?

Anxiety Alert —

It happens to me at the most INCONVENIENT TIMES — like during a CALLBACK for Producers that I’ve coached on and know backwards-and-forwards till I walk into the room and totally BLOW IT!  Or when I hear Dr. Crush’s voice when I’m volunteering in the ER, and in that moment my entire body is taken over by “NERVOSA” and I act like an insecure idiot standing across the middle-school gym trying to not look nerdy while I wait for the cute shy boy to ask me to dance. Read the rest of this entry »

O M G !
No one told me that part of my Volunteer duties is being a witness to

Someone else’s PELVIC EXAM!

Last night on my ER shift I’m minding my own business when the verrry attractive  Dr. A motions for me to come over to him, which at first I think is a good thing, until —

I realize it’s because he needs me to be with him in the exam room when his hand is up someone else’s Whooha!

So before I can say –

No way will I be that room, when you do THAT!

I’m in there.
Looking down.
Looking up.
Looking anywhere but you-know-where. Read the rest of this entry »