Monday, January 28, 2008

Blah, blah, blah

I don't anticipate that this will be a very informative post, but I wanted to update anyway. School is going well. I have a couple of quizzes due tonight while will be no big deal, but I need to get them done. I also have my first exam in Developmental Psychology on Friday. Again, I don't anticipate that it will be a big deal, but it will be HUGE if I don't study. :(

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday. It was a great day and wonderfully relaxing. Hubby made a wonderful dinner, we ran some errands that I had to get done, snuggled, and, of course, went to church. My parents and my sister called in the evening and we had short conversations. Hubby and I watched stand up on Comedy Central until about 11:30pm and then it was off to snooze land.

This morning, I had a dental appointment at 8am so I was up and at 'em early. Obviously, I would have rather been still asleep than listening to the never ending conversation that goes on between my dentist and his hygienist over me. I think that is rather rude frankly. Every time I am in there (which has been a lot lately) they have this conversation about personal stuff like they haven't seen each other in years. They have been working together for 10 years and are obviously very close, but you just don't talk over the patient like they aren't there. I really like both of them, but that really bugs me.

Like I said...not a very informative post. But, I need to head off to class.

Bye.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Just complaining



My husband says that EVERYTHING annoys me. Probably true. So, I decided to make a list of all the petty things that I can't stand.

1. Reality TV
2. When I watch reality TV
3. Shallow people
4. Carelessness
5. When black people use intimidation toward whites
6. When white people are accused of being racist when I am the one be discriminated against
7. When people (all ethnicities) are mean to one another based simply on their race
8. When people make judgments about others based on nothing
9. Inconsistency
10. When I overthink things
11. When I don't think enough
12. Vicki on "The Housewives of Orange County" (see #2)
13. Dismissive people
14. When the base from the stereo in the car next to me is so loud that it alters my heart rate
15. Hair extensions (I just don't get it)
16. When I don't learn from my mistakes
17. When I let fear rule my actions
18. Arrogance
19. ENTITLEMENT! Ugh.
20. Rude people
21. When there isn't any soap in a bathroom. EWW!
22. When the front door is not locked. (A couple of years ago, we had a random quadruple murder near us...yes, scary)
23. People who walk their dog off leash
24. People who do not pick up after their dog
23. People who do not make the effort to move out of the way when someone else is walking along the same path
24. Catty women
25. When people raise their hand in class just to show how smart they are
26. Lack of common sense

And...of course...

27. People who wear their Bluetooth EVERYWHERE!

In all fairness, there are many, MANY more.

But, what about the things that I like? The little things that make me smile. Let's explore that list.

1. God
2. My husband
3. Our dogs
4. Sleeping
5. Sunny, 70 degree days
6. Mountain biking
7. Knowing I did my best
8. Driving across the bridge with the top down on the car
9. Expressing myself intelligently
10. Deep conversations with friends
11. Trains
12. Having my eyebrows waxed and knowing that I don't have to go back for a month
13. Hammocks
14. Water
15. Making people laugh
16. Sucking it up and working out
17. Baseball caps
18. When people count me worthy to confide in
19. Snow
20. Sports
21. Hoodies
22. Animals
23. Opportunities to make a difference
24. Grass (the yard kind)
25. Sneakers...I am a freak about tennis shoes, running shoes, any athletic shoe!
26. Down to earth people
27. Music
28. Doing well on an exam

And...so much more

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Another ouch...this one's not mine.




I need to be reading for my classes, but...well, I'm not. I have a meeting in an hour and a half (that I really don't want to go to), then run a bunch of errands and go to a dental appointment at 2pm. Apparently, my husband had a busy evening while I was at my EMT class. A neighbor (and friend) of ours called and said that her husband had been in a car accident and needed some insurance info so would hubby mind watching her 2 young boys while she took it to him. Hubby said yes and jogged over to the house. As he was hurrying up the stairs to the house, he tripped and fell thrusting his finger into a brick retaining wall. Our friend wanted to take him to the ER, but hubby had an important meeting to get to (this was about 6:30pm) so he declined. (The meeting will be outlined below.) He put ice on the finger and went to the meeting. I got home at 10pm and knew nothing of what had transpired. He descended from the attic (our media room) with his hand on a bag of by then thawed peas. He proceeded to tell me he had hurt himself and recount the ENTIRE story of what had happened since I had left. Finally, I got to look at the finger. OMG. Yeah, it was a mess. I grabbed the knuckle and it was apparent that he had grossly dislocated it. I reduced the joint and ran out to the pharmacy to buy a splint and some Ibuprofen. How in the heck had he been able to tolerate the pain for nearly 4 hours and through a meeting?? OUCH! Putting it back in place made me light-headed...it was so crunchy. Perhaps I am not the best person to ask about dislocations. I have dislocated my shoulders 6 times (the right one has since been reconstructed) so my idea of the pain aroused by a dislocation comes from a much larger joint...and it was EXCRUCIATING! Poor guy. I was so in awe of how he calmly recounted everything that had happened as though he had stubbed his toe. Maybe it was that bit of laughter that he had to himself during "the meeting."

Ugh. The meeting.

5 HOURS LATER
Well, I was going to write about the meeting, but it has been one heck of a day so I think I will save it for later.

Over and out. Thanks for reading.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Physiology, Episiotomy and other words that end in "-OTOMY"



Today was the first full day of Spring classes. I began my Developmental Psychology class last Monday, so that wasn't much of a surprise. The only other classroom course I am taking is Physiology. It is a huge class...those always are. The class is being taught by one of the profs from the medical school. It was getting a little scary when he was saying that you could still pass the course with something like a 30. OMG! I mean, with a 20 point spread for an A, it gives me hope but on the other hand what the heck has happened in the past that made these measures so necessary. A couple of my friends are in there so that is a plus. I am not taking the lab. I really don't need it and with the EMT course, my time is a bit short.

Tonight we are learning about obstetric emergencies and how to deliver a baby if the need arises. Fun, fun. LOL. I was watching episiotomies on YouTube. Geez, the things people will post on there! Anyway, I better get going. I need to grab a bite to eat before class.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Oops. Owww!


I am supposed to be in class in 39 mins, but I am not going. I have been having a fibro flare and I was so exhausted yesterday when I took one of our dogs out that I fell hard onto the concrete and hurt every inch of my body. That didn't help the flare either..it just exacerbated it. Luckily, in this class we buy a textbook that has the outline in the back and that is what the prof presents to us in class...word for word. So, while I still feel horribly guilty about skipping class, I don't think it is going to make much of a difference. The mere thought of standing brings me to tears. Thankfully, hubby had taken off from work yesterday to work on some stuff and he was standing right there when I went down. Today guarantees to be a boring day. I am watching daytime television. I would like to go downstairs and get my books and a glass of water, but the thought makes my body hurt. So, it is Regis and Kelly for me right now. At least Regis isn't there...the guy is so annoying. Maybe I will watch an On Demand movie. I began watching Beloved the other day. It was pretty good. Unfortunately, as much as I like Oprah...she really is a horrible racist person. So sad. It doesn't do anyone any good. Don't get me wrong, she is no Al Sharpton but she certainly has quite a bit more influence. Overall, her positive influence is WAY more significant than the negative. Any way...I think I will watch a movie...maybe.

Have a great day.

Friday, January 04, 2008



I saw Kate today. She looked wonderful. Her hair is gone, but her eyes are sparkling, her color is great and she seems to have put on some weight. I am so thrilled.

I discussed the transition to NP school and she was supportive. I think it surprised her. Frankly, it surprised me. Anyway, now that it is official I am in unfamiliar waters. I have spent so much time and effort (not to mention money) learning about what I need to do to get into medical school that I, of course, know little about the rest. I have done some investigating. I spoke with a friend who is in the program that I will be hopefully getting into and I have changed my schedule for next semester. Someone apparently dropped Human Physiology today and I was able to pick up that spot. No lab spot though. I will call and arrange an appointment at the nursing school next week to just sit and talk with someone about this and that. I will also be contacting an NP over at XYZ Cancer Center to see if I can get a few minutes with her to pick her brain. My mom called and they have a friend who is a Peds Onc NP in San Antonio and I will be shadowing her in May when I go down to visit.

The change is exciting and I think it will be a great fit, but now I have all this knowledge about med school admissions that is useless to me. It was fun learning about it the first time...I guess I better get back in the mood.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Decisions, decisions.




I think I have decided to become an NP instead of an MD/DO. Why? I spent the other evening in the trauma/resus room on Christmas as an observer and while the focus has always been on the job, it became entirely about the job and less about the title. As an NP, I would be able to do nearly everything I could as an MD/DO with few limitations. Specifically, periodic review by a physician and lack of Schedule I prescribing privileges. I could still specialize in Oncology in addition to practicing sooner and being educated according to the nursing model which is more holistic and frankly, more me. The autonomy is there. Perhaps not to the extreme that docs have it, but pretty darn autonomous.

What is the one thing that makes my stomach turn? The feeling that becoming a "nurse" as opposed to a "doctor" is settling. My pride, my sick pride.

I am going to talk to Kate in the next couple of days. This is a decision that I have to make...but it never hurts to have a sounding board.