Dangers of jalapenos

My brother and I have a tradition that started when he helped me move to Tucson: Sonoran hot dogs. What is this, you ask? It's a bacon-wrapped hot dog in a soft Mexican roll topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno sauce, cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. Heart-attack-in-a-bun really. But despite the fact that I don't care for hot dogs and despise bacon, it's pretty delicious. Last night was my brother's last night in Tucson so we went and got some Sonoran hot dogs.


Then Heath got some jalapenos so I had to get one. The trick is to eat it without eating the seeds or you are in trouble. I bit a seed and my whole mouth, in and out, was on fire. It was excruciating.
Then Heath ate his second one (pictured above) and bit into seeds and his eyes started to water. It was hilarious but I could empathize. It's painful. Then we went back to my apartment and were watching Casino Royale and I rubbed my eye. No big deal, right? WRONG. I had jalapeno residue or something on my finger and my left eye was on FIRE!!!!! OH my gosh! It was so painful. My left eye started leaking and then I went to the bathroom to clean it up and everything was ok. But then I rubbed my other eye, not thinking, and my right eye started to burn. Idiot? Yes, I know. You'd think I would have learned my lesson and that washing my hands would have helped. Nope. I'm not blind yet, don't worry. Good times. Heath left this morning and now it's officially the Christmas season. It feels so weird that it's Christmas time and yet it's still semi-warm here and there isn't a chance of snow. Weird. But I've gotten my Christmas playlist out and I am thrilled and incredibly excited for Christmas. Three weeks. THREE. I am dreaming of snow, home, Christmas trees, snow, seeing my breath, snow, my dog, my room, being all together with my mom and brothers, seeing friends, Boston, Reginas, and New England. I can't wait to go to the beach! It's a tradition every time I come home for Christmas that I have to put my feet in the ocean. I can't wait! We may even go on a sleigh ride!
Let the countdown begin.

Success!

Guess what?!

I passed my first clinical phase!

WAHOO!!!! One down and three to go. I can't believe it. One whole month (almost) of my internship done. Score! Looks like alllll those presentations at BYU paid off. Also someone mistook me for a doctor today....BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. No. Not even close but I guess wearing a spiffy white lab coat (that weighs about 20 pounds due to pocket guides, papers, calculators, a pager, and pens--I should get a pocket protector) can be deceiving.

Also it's Friday. I'm sleeping in a little tomorrow, doing homework, going to get ice cream at BTO, the place to get ice cream so I hear (or frozen yogurt), watching BYU football and then learning how to make a beanie with a new friend (thank you Emily!). ROCK on. Funny story. Last year I had a group of pals known as "Fetti Four." Well one of our "Fetti" members has a brother down in Tucson who I ran into this evening. What are the odds?!?!? And this dude knows the cool places in Tucson AND longboards--DOUBLE SCORE!

"Fetti Four"

Things are looking up!

TGIF...almost.

Tomorrow is Friday. THANK GOODNESS.
Other "thank goodness moments"....

1. It's cooling off. THANK GOODNESS.

2. Thank goodness for moms, my mom in particular because she knows exactly what to say. I'm still not having a good time adjusting but it has gotten better. Doing this internship strikes me with fear that I will forever be stuck working at a hospital with sick people and to be frank, it's depressing. Yes I want to help people but it's difficult to help people when you see them once, maybe twice or more before they are discharged home. Plus I don't like hospitals ok? I don't. Sports dietitian. THAT is what I want to do. That makes me all giddy and excited. Oooooh yeah. And I'm sorry for the constant discussion about dietetics/my internship. I'll be done in May people. THANK GOODNESS.

3. Sometimes I have second and third and nintey-fifth thoughts about being a dietitian. Do I really want to do this? Sometimes yes, sometimes "WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?" But my mom kindly opened my eyes to a few things and that helps. I want December. I want my mom and some TLC and New England and snow and f r e e z i n g cold and Boston and fireplaces and my family including Scottie the dog.

4. I love my brothers. And talking to them on the phone. And being best friends. Enough said.

5. I gave my first internship presentation yesterday to all the dietitians on fluoride supplementation (don't get too excited) and it went well (read: I didn't pass out for hyperventilation or give myself adult-shaking syndrome, ha, bad joke...). Also we got progress reports and so far so good. For the record-I hate being the new kid who has no experience. Just sayin'.

6. It's September. Monday is Labor Day--day offf!!!! and my birthday is in 13 days. !!!!!!

7. I was invited to go to Mexico for the weekend. Too bad I don't have a passport.

8. I want to go clubbing or dancing. I was jammin' to Usher, Taio Cruz, and Jason Derulo this evening and all of the sudden my break-dancing self wanted to get her groove on. Thank goodness for solo dance parties in bedrooms alone (and yes there may have been a mirror that I was dancing in front of....). And loving every moment of it.

9. I'm going to go watch Covert Affairs and White Collar. I love those shows.

10. BYU Football. Saturday. (small tear because I'm not there...) YEAH BUDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let the college sports begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The adventures of Heath and Gabe!

Heath and I went on a road trip (read: hey let's move Gabe to Tucson!) from Salt Lake City to Tucson. Tucson is Heath's old stomping grounds because he spent 2 years living here. Here is a pictorial explanation of his (WAY TOO) short trip here.

Ya don't say?

A cool river we saw in AZ. I also saw another car with a NH license plate and wanted to chase it. Heath said no.

Holy cacti! Lots and lots of cacti. Weird.

The infamous 'Papa Smurf' Heath drove while in Tucson.
We had to go to 'El Nene' for a Sonoran hot dog. I didn't really want one because it's essentially a hot dog wrapped in bacon. I don't like bacon, but Heath said if I didn't try one he would be very disappointed. I cannot disappoint my brother.
Behold, the sonoran hot dog. Despite desperate pleas from my arteries and heart, I had one. Surprisingly, it was tasty. There was bacon (ick!), but not loads like I had imagined. Now I have had one and I probably won't go searching for an 'El Nene' (also affectionately called the "Roach Coach" *shudder*) anytime soon. Only when Heath is here. I was also instructed on the proper way to eat a jalapeno. BEWARE OF THE SEEDS.

Ha! He looks like a cheeseball. I miss him. It was fun. *Please note we also had to get a 'Thirst-Buster' from Circle K.

Come back Heath!
I miss my brothers.
Go get 'em Dane!

Grumble grumble

If there is one thing I know about myself, it's that I hate change. But I also love it. But I hate it. So for the next few weeks I will hate Tucson, hate the heat, hate my internship, and be mad and sad and homesick and depressed and frustrated and jealous and scared and cry a lot. Also I found out our precious dog Scottie is going blind. This week freakin' sucked.

Ok?

Don't hate ok? It's just how I roll. I'll be fine in a month, well, after my birthday.

Here's my frustration. I have big dreams. BIG.
I want an old, old house in Massachusetts. I want a car that I can rely on and that doesn't have red duct tape on the side (which is actually kind of funny...well I think so, sometimes). I want to walk on the beach all the time holding hands with a man I am head over heels in love with. I want to have a big kitchen with a tangerine KitchenAid and make delicious, healthy, yummy food and dance around crazily with my kiddos. I want a big yard for the mini-me's to run around in and to have a bazillion flowers like my mom and a huge vegetable garden like Susan Branch. I want to be IN New England for the fall and go to Vermont and drive the Kangamangus highway and be there for the nor'eastah and be snowed in and sit sipping hot chocolate by my fireplace or woodstove or cuddled in a blanket watching a movie. But, I am now farther away from New England stuck in stupid Tucson and it's FREAKIN' HOT here and I hate it. I have zero friends. I don't know where anything is. I don't want to be a dietitian anymore, which is a lie because really I'm just scared and nervous for my internship, but I do know that I don't want to work in a hospital. Actually I just want to be a stay-at-home mom. And go to bakery school.

And yes, I would like some whine with my cheese. But I will be fine. I know there is a reason I am here and it'll be all good soon.

I think.
I hope.
It will.

The time has come...

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
 'To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --
 Of cabbages -- and kings --
And why the sea is boiling hot --
 And whether pigs have wings.'
-Lewis Carroll

Did you ever watch the movie "Harriet the Spy"? It's a Nickelodeon film with Rosie O'Donnell. Anyway, I did and this line from the movie (originally from "Alice in Wonderland") is one of the few things I remember about that movie.

The time has come....to move to Tucson!!!!!

So this is Gabe signing off from Nevada. Next time--I'll be in Arizona!!!

P.S. I HATE packing. I cannot wait for the day when I don't have half of my stuff boxed and left here or there praying that what I have will fit in my car or on the plane. I cannot wait. On the other hand, I have become significantly less pack rat-y and I learn to pack well. Still, I hate it.

This time next week...

I will be here....

{Tucson}

after driving to SLC to pick up this guy....

{my brother Heath}

and stopping here to see my pals before we head South...
Tucson here I come!