April is coming to an end, which is hard to believe. Exciting because that means my birthday is almost here, but kind of sad in a way too. No more cool weather (until November according to Jeff), no more blooming spring flowers (they're all dying now). To me, April is one of the last spring months, even though May technically is part of spring. Now with all the global warming going on (yes, I did use the global warming card) and moving into the IE (Inland Empire), I feel like summer has already hit. It's scary that another month has come and gone, and I really couldn't tell you a whole lot about what happened in that time. Maybe it's because my life is consumed by school all the time and every day seems to fade into the next. I wish time would slow down a little so I could tell one day apart from the next, yet at the same time I want it to fly by so that I am out of grad school faster. Don't get me wrong, I like the challenge of grad school, and the information I'm learning is extremely fascinating, but I can't wait to have downtime and be with people other than fellow students. My birthday is going to be spent studying for the 4 tests I'll have the next week, and I'm kind of sad that I won't have time to celebrate me.
Jeff came down this last weekend so I got a mini celebration. We went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was light/fluffy/funny. It was also nice to be in some air conditioning. :) We also went out to dinner at Black Angus, which was nice to eat something other than instant oatmeal, mashed potatoes or stuffing. I didn't get as much studying in as I probably should have, but I think it was some well-spent time that we both needed with each other. All I can say is distance relationships are awful, and I admire anyone who has ever had to endure one. I cannot wait until Jeff and I can be together again! Ok, enough before I start crying...
This past week just felt long for some reason. Maybe it's the heat. Our schedules keep getting changed around because the professors are fighting over our time and can't seem to agree on a schedule that works. So flexibility and patience were our words of the week. I had a quiz on Tuesday on modalities and on Thursday in Anatomy. We were conducting a research project on Friday on dry vs. moist heat. I'll let you know once we get the results back. We picked our research projects and Marilee and I are conducting research for an infomercial regarding the effectiveness of a relaxation video that supposedly helps people sleep. Should be kind of interesting.
I had a test today in Clinical Skills, which was harder than any of the ones she gave us last term. Maybe she expects more out of us...who knows. I'll be better prepared for next time. Anyway, I have a presentation tomorrow on ultrasound that I need to prepare for. Hope everyone is surviving the heat! If you need an escape from the heat, Wednesday is 31 cent scoop night (5-10 pm) at Baskin Robbin's. :)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
big update
Sorry, I guess a lot happened this past week without my even knowing it! This first week back was killer. I think I got a little too comfortable being on break. I'm really struggling to get back into the fast pace, and the easing into grad school is definitely over. The professors are starting off with a bang, and there's no looking back! My classes are as follows:
-Clinical Skills IB (which is a continuation of the clinical skills class I had last term, but now we're working on the back, lower body, and gait)
-Clinical Skills II (we're learning all the modalities--ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc--that we'll use throughout our career)
-Anatomy II (continuation of last term's anatomy, but now focusing on the lower half of the body and the organs)
-Research (starting our thesis)
They made us switch which cadavers that we're working on in Anatomy lab. Yep, no more Harley. You're probably thinking that we'd be happy about this, since Harley wasn't the greatest example for structures. Normally, yes...but we got switched to the 2nd worst body...BUBBA! This dude is HUGE!!! He easily weighs 250 pounds, if not closer to 300, which when it is quite literally dead weight, is a lot heavier than you might think. Not to mention everywhere you look is more fat to cut through. Ok, I'll stop before I get too detailed. Basically, we traded down, and we're not happy about it. I've already gotten sprayed all over my face with his juices (darn lungs) as he seems to be extra juicy for us. Yay.
We pick our research projects this week, and Marilee and I are aiming for doing research for infomercials for Proctor and Gamble...I'll keep you posted.
My grades from last term finally posted and I passed everything...HOORAY! Grades were as follows:
Clinical Skills IA: B+
Anatomy I: B
Seminar: A
Professional Relationships: A
For a GPA of 3.40. Not too shabby for my first term of grad school!
This past Friday they gave us the day off from class so we could all go to the BodyWorlds exhibit at the CA Science Center (at USC by the Coliseum). It was pretty cool, and the dissections were very impressive and inspiring. For those of you who don't know what it is, BodyWorlds is the plastinated cadavers that are dissected out and placed in different positions. Very neat if you're into that kind of thing...they don't even look real! Afterwards, I was showing Marilee around the Coliseum and we stumbled upon the American Gladiators set. They had just finished filming the new season that starts in May at the LA Sports Arena which is right next to the Coliseum. Being the huge fan that I am of AG, I was freaking out. We wanted to swipe some stuff, but it might look a little suspicious driving down the freeway with a giant piece of blue foam padding with white stars all over it. Oh well...it was still cool.
Yesterday was the spring time b-day celebration with Jeff's family, and they were nice enough to include me in the celebration. As always, good food and good company, even if I show up a day early! :) Thanks for the gifts Brocketts, Mitas', Fillipps, Stephens', and Dakes! Anyway, sorry this is so long. I should probably get back to studying. We have a quiz tomorrow and Thursday. The fun never stops!!!
-Clinical Skills IB (which is a continuation of the clinical skills class I had last term, but now we're working on the back, lower body, and gait)
-Clinical Skills II (we're learning all the modalities--ultrasound, electrical stimulation, etc--that we'll use throughout our career)
-Anatomy II (continuation of last term's anatomy, but now focusing on the lower half of the body and the organs)
-Research (starting our thesis)
They made us switch which cadavers that we're working on in Anatomy lab. Yep, no more Harley. You're probably thinking that we'd be happy about this, since Harley wasn't the greatest example for structures. Normally, yes...but we got switched to the 2nd worst body...BUBBA! This dude is HUGE!!! He easily weighs 250 pounds, if not closer to 300, which when it is quite literally dead weight, is a lot heavier than you might think. Not to mention everywhere you look is more fat to cut through. Ok, I'll stop before I get too detailed. Basically, we traded down, and we're not happy about it. I've already gotten sprayed all over my face with his juices (darn lungs) as he seems to be extra juicy for us. Yay.
We pick our research projects this week, and Marilee and I are aiming for doing research for infomercials for Proctor and Gamble...I'll keep you posted.
My grades from last term finally posted and I passed everything...HOORAY! Grades were as follows:
Clinical Skills IA: B+
Anatomy I: B
Seminar: A
Professional Relationships: A
For a GPA of 3.40. Not too shabby for my first term of grad school!
This past Friday they gave us the day off from class so we could all go to the BodyWorlds exhibit at the CA Science Center (at USC by the Coliseum). It was pretty cool, and the dissections were very impressive and inspiring. For those of you who don't know what it is, BodyWorlds is the plastinated cadavers that are dissected out and placed in different positions. Very neat if you're into that kind of thing...they don't even look real! Afterwards, I was showing Marilee around the Coliseum and we stumbled upon the American Gladiators set. They had just finished filming the new season that starts in May at the LA Sports Arena which is right next to the Coliseum. Being the huge fan that I am of AG, I was freaking out. We wanted to swipe some stuff, but it might look a little suspicious driving down the freeway with a giant piece of blue foam padding with white stars all over it. Oh well...it was still cool.
Yesterday was the spring time b-day celebration with Jeff's family, and they were nice enough to include me in the celebration. As always, good food and good company, even if I show up a day early! :) Thanks for the gifts Brocketts, Mitas', Fillipps, Stephens', and Dakes! Anyway, sorry this is so long. I should probably get back to studying. We have a quiz tomorrow and Thursday. The fun never stops!!!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Break's over :(
As hard as it is to say, the break is over, and tomorrow I head back to school. I had a lot of fun and caught up on sleep (sort of), and relaxed (definitely), and enjoyed spending time with Jeff, his family, and my family. I didn't do much in SLO, yet at the same time, I felt like those days flew by faster than the rest. By the time I would wake up, eat breakfast and shower, it was already time to meet Jeff for lunch. 
Then I would run errands for him or explore downtown, and then he was already home for dinner. Then we would watch a movie or play video games, and before you knew it, it was Thursday and it was time to go to T.O. Best part about SLO: being able to spend time with Jeff...DUH! Worst part about SLO: the gas prices! By the time I left, it was $3.96, and Jeff informs me it is now $3.99. OUCH! I had to take a picture to prove it. And sorry LOPT-er's for not coming by OR calling. I really was in quite the time-warp and couldn't tell you what day it was. Next time I'm up there I will at least call to let you all know I'm in the area! :)
Now for T.O. happenings... Thursday night my mom's BUNCO group met at our house, and I was a sub for one of the members. I didn't win anything, despite have 14 mini's and 16 losses. At least I got good laughs and good food out of it! Friday I ran some errands with my mom and that evening my mom and dad took my sister and I to go see Wicked for our birthdays (hers was in March and mine is coming up in May).
Before the show we went on the "Behind the Emerald Curtain" tour, where 2 of the cast members gave us insider secrets about the show. There were also original costumes, masks, wigs, set designs, and pictures out for us to see. Here is Glinda's "Bubble Dress."
All the beads and sequins are hand-sewn onto it, and the original dress took 30 days to sew with I think they said 4 people working on it. Now they can crank one out in 15 days, but it's still a ton of work! Then we got to go inside the theater to watch part of the sound-check going on. It was really neat, and the play was AMAZING! I loved it, and can understand how such a cult following has developed around it. I've been listening to some of the original Broadway recordings of the songs, and I actually prefer the actresses we had to those. Anyway, it's a terrific play and if you ever get the chance, you should see it!
Jeff and his roommate, Ed, and his girlfriend, Erin, came down Friday night and we all went to Disneyland on Saturday. It was really hot (at least 90º) and crowded, but we still had a lot of fun and had very wise fast pass useage. Still haven't been on Nemo because the line was long even at 10 pm...parents shouldn't let their kids stay up so late!
My legs are sore today since I don't do that much moving around anymore. I'm pretty exhausted from being in the heat and all the walking, and fell asleep on the couch I think 3 times this afternoon.
Then we all said our good-bye's and now I'm back at my apartment. When I first walked in, it was 97º inside the place, and I think now it is about 80º. Slowly, but surely it's cooling off, but I think I might die when the heat of the summer really comes around.
All in all, it was a terrific break, and I'm sad that it is over. I am excited to go back to class, but at the same time, I'll miss the downtime that I won't have for another 9 weeks. I think next break (June) I won't schedule so much, and take more time to just sit around and enjoy having time to do nothing. :) Thanks everyone for making my break so special, and know that I am missing you all already!
Then I would run errands for him or explore downtown, and then he was already home for dinner. Then we would watch a movie or play video games, and before you knew it, it was Thursday and it was time to go to T.O. Best part about SLO: being able to spend time with Jeff...DUH! Worst part about SLO: the gas prices! By the time I left, it was $3.96, and Jeff informs me it is now $3.99. OUCH! I had to take a picture to prove it. And sorry LOPT-er's for not coming by OR calling. I really was in quite the time-warp and couldn't tell you what day it was. Next time I'm up there I will at least call to let you all know I'm in the area! :)Now for T.O. happenings... Thursday night my mom's BUNCO group met at our house, and I was a sub for one of the members. I didn't win anything, despite have 14 mini's and 16 losses. At least I got good laughs and good food out of it! Friday I ran some errands with my mom and that evening my mom and dad took my sister and I to go see Wicked for our birthdays (hers was in March and mine is coming up in May).
Before the show we went on the "Behind the Emerald Curtain" tour, where 2 of the cast members gave us insider secrets about the show. There were also original costumes, masks, wigs, set designs, and pictures out for us to see. Here is Glinda's "Bubble Dress."
All the beads and sequins are hand-sewn onto it, and the original dress took 30 days to sew with I think they said 4 people working on it. Now they can crank one out in 15 days, but it's still a ton of work! Then we got to go inside the theater to watch part of the sound-check going on. It was really neat, and the play was AMAZING! I loved it, and can understand how such a cult following has developed around it. I've been listening to some of the original Broadway recordings of the songs, and I actually prefer the actresses we had to those. Anyway, it's a terrific play and if you ever get the chance, you should see it!
Jeff and his roommate, Ed, and his girlfriend, Erin, came down Friday night and we all went to Disneyland on Saturday. It was really hot (at least 90º) and crowded, but we still had a lot of fun and had very wise fast pass useage. Still haven't been on Nemo because the line was long even at 10 pm...parents shouldn't let their kids stay up so late!
My legs are sore today since I don't do that much moving around anymore. I'm pretty exhausted from being in the heat and all the walking, and fell asleep on the couch I think 3 times this afternoon.
Then we all said our good-bye's and now I'm back at my apartment. When I first walked in, it was 97º inside the place, and I think now it is about 80º. Slowly, but surely it's cooling off, but I think I might die when the heat of the summer really comes around.
All in all, it was a terrific break, and I'm sad that it is over. I am excited to go back to class, but at the same time, I'll miss the downtime that I won't have for another 9 weeks. I think next break (June) I won't schedule so much, and take more time to just sit around and enjoy having time to do nothing. :) Thanks everyone for making my break so special, and know that I am missing you all already!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
coming back up for air...
I love being on break!!! :) As if anyone thought I wouldn't enjoy having a week off. I forgot how nice it is to sit around and do nothing. Jeff and I got back to SLO yesterday afternoon from a few days in Kernville with his parents. We didn't do a whole lot, which was right up my alley. We did go on a quad ride though, and there was still snow on the ground! I only got stuck a few times, but I now am suffering the consequences via soreness. How out of shape you can get sitting around all day in class for 9 weeks! We also watched 3:10 to Yuma, which actually was a pretty good movie. I'm usually not a huge western fan, but this one had a decent plot line to it. Plus, listening to Becky's reaction anytime someone got shot was hilarious! I need to watch more movies with her! :) I wish I brought my camera cord so I could upload some pictures of the wildflowers on the drive up there. Beautiful yellows, oranges, purples, and pinks...and of course, cows. I will have to post them when I get back home. Jeff ended up taking yesterday off so we could spend an extra day up there and spend more time together. Wish you Mitas' and Stephens' could have been there with us!
Right now Jeff is at work, so I am catching up on missed TV episodes, and soon will be starting to prepare for next term by making flashcards and study guides ahead of time...hopefully it helps! Note that I am delaying this for as long as possible...
As for finals, all in all I think they went well. *fingers crossed* Seminar I got 100% on the final due to the combined brilliance of my class (we cheered with every right answer we got). I will be shocked if I don't pull off an A in Professional Relationships. I got an 87% on the Clinical Skills written exam and a 98% on the practical exam. I'm both happy and mad/frustrated with that class, because although I did well and got a 92%, I missed getting an A- by 1%, and no, she did not round up. If this were undergrad I would have an A-...I miss those days! Grr! That grade is going to be mine next term! Anatomy has yet to reveal itself grade-wise, but I think I did well on the written, and hopefully passed the practical. We are all unsure how we did on the practical b/c it was much more difficult than the first one. Anyway, enough school talk...I'm on break! :)
Just enjoying some downtime in my old stomping grounds before I head down to T.O. on Thursday. Will write more later...now back to relaxing!
Right now Jeff is at work, so I am catching up on missed TV episodes, and soon will be starting to prepare for next term by making flashcards and study guides ahead of time...hopefully it helps! Note that I am delaying this for as long as possible...
As for finals, all in all I think they went well. *fingers crossed* Seminar I got 100% on the final due to the combined brilliance of my class (we cheered with every right answer we got). I will be shocked if I don't pull off an A in Professional Relationships. I got an 87% on the Clinical Skills written exam and a 98% on the practical exam. I'm both happy and mad/frustrated with that class, because although I did well and got a 92%, I missed getting an A- by 1%, and no, she did not round up. If this were undergrad I would have an A-...I miss those days! Grr! That grade is going to be mine next term! Anatomy has yet to reveal itself grade-wise, but I think I did well on the written, and hopefully passed the practical. We are all unsure how we did on the practical b/c it was much more difficult than the first one. Anyway, enough school talk...I'm on break! :)
Just enjoying some downtime in my old stomping grounds before I head down to T.O. on Thursday. Will write more later...now back to relaxing!
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