photo: Kimberly-Clark/AP


I don't know that I have anything substantive to write today, but true to form I will post anyway. I have been spending a lot of time studying. It is pretty sad, the things one will do when completely bored out of their mind, but fully aware that it must be endured. I am studying trig. Specifically, Analytic Trigonometry. Which, of course SOUNDS a heck of a lot more impressive than it is. So, in an effort to entertain myself, I worked the words "Analytic Trigonometry" into a short conversation with my husband as many times as I possibly could. Pretty funny from where I stood. But, I guess anything is funny after staring at a book for hours upon end. Thankfully, this class ends in 2 weeks. I will take my final on July 30th.

The weekend before I take my exam, we are throwing a party for a couple of my husband's colleagues who are graduating. Being a proud 6th generation Texan (currently not living there), I am making authentic Tex-Mex including homemade tortillas. I am so used to being able to go to the grocery store and picking up all the things I need...like tortilla mix and jalapenos. I went to 3 stores the other day looking for jalapenos! What kind of self-respecting store runs out of jalapenos??? Not to mention what it cost me to order 16 pounds of preparada (flour tortilla mix) from a store in Houston and have it shipped. But, it means a lot to my honey and I would do anything for him.

Being a TP connoisseur and avid user of the fabulous stuff (ok, I have a healthy colon and drink a lot of water ;-) ... I am horrified by THIS.

Long road, short attention span.

I did not study all week during Spring Break like I told myself I would. I was busy and sick for the first 3 days and then I finally (slowly) got to it. But, WHOA! I can't keep my mind on it. Today, I started early...well, relatively early..it was still the morning and have been working ever since. The thing is that I have had to bribe myself with short breaks every 20 minutes or so to keep going. AGGH! I got a substantial amount of work done today, but geez...how frustrating. I guess tomorrow will be more of the same.

I am really not looking forward to returning to classes on Monday. I do not understand what is going on in Chem and my prof has completely lost her cool with the class. Granted, the class is horrible. This is the worst group of students that I have ever been with. Really, it is bad. But, I feel like asking a question that she feels that I should understand may just get my head bitten off. Yikes. I am trying to find a private tutor. My univ has free tutoring, but I want someone who can follow along with me as I go through the class(es) rather than going into random people and them asking "So, what don't you understand?" I have always thought that was the worst question someone could ask. If I understood enough to tell you that I don't understand it, then I wouldn't NOT understand it!! Seriously, I know that sounds stupid, but if I can go in and tell you that I am lost at concept 6, that means that somewhere along the way I fell off the wagon in concepts 1-5. I don't know where, I don't know why. You can explain that to accomplish concept 6, I must do X, Y, and Z, but if I don't understand where you are getting X,Y, and Z how to identify that I need to apply concepts 1-5, isn't that a problem that simply brings us back to the beginning? So, that is my reason for looking for a tutor rather than using univ services. I am all about going to free supplemental instruction sessions for Anatomy and such...it is very helpful, but I need more in Chem. It doesn't come naturally...it doesn't even come artificially. I am hurting here!

The NCAA tournament has kept hubby entertained this weekend and in my effort to be with him this evening, I have contorted myself into extremely unnatural positions in a recliner with my 500 pound Anatomy book...I am sure that I will be paying for that in the morning.

I keep trying to think of something that would satisfy me as much as medicine. This is, being a physician. I can't. I actually wish that I could, I would love a shorter road. But, I guess the alternative isn't meant to be and hopefully that means that I am on the right right road. It sure feels like it. WEEEEEEEEEEIRRRRRD!

Techno Train..wait for me!

I should be studying Anatomy right now. I only ended up having about 30 mins of class today. Tuesdays are my light days anyway. Couple that with the fact that one of my lectures was cancelled and we had a quiz and leave session in my other class...it makes for a pretty easy day. I came home today to have lunch (something I normally don't do) and need to be back on campus for a meeting about the new chapter of Students for Organ Donation that I am heading up. I am sitting here with my Netter's cards in front of me. I can't almost hear them calling "Study the muscles of the lower limbs." But I ignore well. I am strong that way. LOL. I need to read another chapter tonight and prep for a quiz in PreCalc tomorrow. It is funny, I think that the hardest part about returning to school is the technology and how it is integrated into the instruction. I like to think that I am technologically savvy, but sometimes I fall flat on my face. My math class is less about math and more about how to find the answer on the TI-8o something. Don't misunderstand me, we used graphing calcs my first time around. It is just that the emphasis was placed on US doing the work and the calculator just being a sort of illustrative tool. This time, if you don't use the resources available, you will be hard pressed to complete the assignment/exam in a timely manner.

Ok, gotta jet, Netter is getting a little too deafening.

TTFN.

Second week.

I must say that I am rather pleased with how things are going in Anatomy so far. I feel really bad for a friend of mine who is completely lost. I am trying to help as much as I can...as I type this, I have labels written all over my body from an evening of studying. I think more people are in the boat with her than are in the one with me...which is sad. Thankfully, the chapter on Embryology is not being taken seriously by my prof. She told us to read it if we needed help getting to sleep. HA! I had already trudged through it so the pain was fully experienced, but it was nice to know that I was not going to be held super accountable for the boredom I had endured and likely not retained. :)

It is cold here. Thankfully, during the day it hasn't been all that bad...perhaps in the 40s, but at night ---- BRRRRR! Hubby and I have been trying to eat better. I lost 6 pounds this week!!! Of course, I know that won't happen from here on out, but it was a nice jump start. Unfortunately (sort of) my birthday is Saturday and there is some sort of surprised planned...all I know is that I am to be ready to be taken (or picked up or teleported or something) somewhere by noon. We will wait and find out. Everyone knows I LOVE cake. I mean, it is wrong to love cake as much as I do, so undoubtedly there will be cake. And...I will partake of the cake! YUM! I wish I could say "You only turn 32 once" like it was some sort of legitimate milestone worthy of breaking a diet, but it is not. Yet, I will eat cake anyway.

I bought my lab coat for Anatomy yesterday. The arms are so long! Aggh! If it were a "real" white coat...you know the kind that I will be wearing sometime in the future, I would care. But, this is just not to get cadaver juice on me.

As far as my other classes...
First Aid/CPR is fine...it will be an A. More work than I wanted, but really the hardest part about the class is the long hike I have 10 minutes to make in order to get there on time.
Biomedical Research is confusing as heck, but it will be a difficult class to get less than an A in for anyone (straight from the prof's mouth). All we have to do is show up and write a few papers on some sort of derivation of one of the speakers' lectures.
Gen Chem is wonderful so far. I love my prof. I knew I would and I am thrilled that I made the decision to suck it up and take it even with the horrible scheduling.
PreCalc - What can I say? Math is not my thing. I just want to get through with at least a B.
HUMS Chem - A. Done. Nothing to say. Show up, do the work...don't tick anyone off.

Dang! I am taking something else but can't remember what it is!!! How terrible is that? Frankly, I am just to zoned to figure it out right now. LOL.

Well, I guess I should try to wash all of this marker off of me and read a bit of Anatomy before bed. Gee, nothing better. Seriously, I love that class.

Ok, outta here! Have a good one!