Wow, this break has been crazy. Christmas with Amy's Dad and Stepmom, Christmas with Amy's Mom, Stepdad, brother, sister-in -law, and nephews, and Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas morning with Esther and her family, then on the 26th Christmas dinner with my family. Between all of those celebrations I've had to play with my presents (I've played with my tupperware, used my pots and pans, made 3 loaves of bread in my bread machine, and played with my nintendo DS A LOT...I dreamt about Zelda last night...)
Tonight I have big New Years Eve plans of sitting on my couch, watching John and Kate Plus 8, and having a few beers before I go to bed at 12:01 so I can get some sleep before I start tailgating for the Ice Bowl tomorrow! I cannot wait for this game. The Sabres better win...but, even if they don't, I'll have pictures. Which I'll upload sometime this week, along with some Christmas pictures!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas Eve
Today is my favorite day of the year. Well, this year both May 31st and December 18th were pretty great too, but in an average year, Christmas Eve is always pretty high on my list of favorite days. I'm done with my shopping, everything is wrapped, and now it's just family, food, and fun. Even though I've already celebrated Christmas twice, and I won't get my presents from Santa until the 26th (he leaves them at mom and dad's house for me, still, so I'll get them when I go there for our Christmas Dinner), I'm just as excited. My inner child, who is really happy with this new arrangement where I get 5 Christmas celebrations each year, can't wait for tonight's party. It's really hard to be grown up when all you want to do is dance around your house and sing to Christmas songs. Which, I suppose, I could do, but then Amy would think I was crazy and probably leave me, and I'd be back to just 2 Christmas celebrations (the Christmas Eve party and our family dinner.) So, instead, I'll get all the stuff we need together to go out to mom and dad's for the party, find something to wear to church, and maybe take a shower. That seems like something a grown up would do.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Adelaide Celia
Addie is home! I went to see her this afternoon and Mike showed me this. I was really surprised. And honored. And at first, not sure if they meant to use my name. Or, close to my name. But they did! And I'm going to be Addie's Godmother! I'm so , seriously, and I can't really put it into words yet how I feel. But I will.
Until then, enjoy this: now that I have 4 nieces and nephews, I can make the cutest elves.
Until then, enjoy this: now that I have 4 nieces and nephews, I can make the cutest elves.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
DONE
I'm done! YAY! Over 4 weeks of family, food, friends, DVR'd TV (from the last few weeks when I was busy studying), working with Dad (which I really am excited about), sleep (which I'm also very excited about, but not quite as much as being back in the office), and just generally being on break. I am so happy! But, right now, I am also so exhausted. Today was Chemistry. After the first test in the class I had an F. On the second exam I got a C. On the third I got a B. I had a possibility of getting a B+ in the class if I did well on the exam, since one of my class exam grades would be replaced with my final exam grade (and there are quizzes and homework added in there.) So I studied a lot. A lot more than I have ever studied for an exam. And I knew how to do all of the long answer problems, and I knew all of the material for the short answer questions.
I was really nervous. I hadn't been worried about my other exams. I very rarely get worried about exams. I stress, and I study, but once I get in there, I take it and I'm done. As the minutes tick away closer to exam time I don't get scared or shake, my stomach doesn't get upset. But I really wanted to do well on this exam. I wanted to do better than my professor expected. I woke up nervous. And it got worse the closer to exam time it got. My hands were shaking, I felt sick, I wanted to cry...it was not fun.
And I got in there, and I was so tired, and so sick of chemistry, and my head hurt, and my back hurt from bending over in those stupid little desks, and I just didn't care for a second. I just wanted to go home. I couldn't remember how to get the density of until cells, or the percent yield of Hydrogen gas from an equation. Things I had done 8 million times just this morning!
But I did it, and I finished, and I think I did OK. Probably not better than my professor expected, but, not worse, either. And really? I'm OK with that.
I was really nervous. I hadn't been worried about my other exams. I very rarely get worried about exams. I stress, and I study, but once I get in there, I take it and I'm done. As the minutes tick away closer to exam time I don't get scared or shake, my stomach doesn't get upset. But I really wanted to do well on this exam. I wanted to do better than my professor expected. I woke up nervous. And it got worse the closer to exam time it got. My hands were shaking, I felt sick, I wanted to cry...it was not fun.
And I got in there, and I was so tired, and so sick of chemistry, and my head hurt, and my back hurt from bending over in those stupid little desks, and I just didn't care for a second. I just wanted to go home. I couldn't remember how to get the density of until cells, or the percent yield of Hydrogen gas from an equation. Things I had done 8 million times just this morning!
But I did it, and I finished, and I think I did OK. Probably not better than my professor expected, but, not worse, either. And really? I'm OK with that.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The worst part
My house is a mess. More specifically, my office is a mess. Studying generates a lot of papers.
For Anatomy I have 2 finals (lab and lecture.) Each final is 85 questions, and the questions are taken from the exams and quizzes we've had throughout the semester. Which means that I have 10 quizzes (at an average of 4 pages each) and 5 exams (at an average of 8 pages each) plus 2 packages of 3X5 cards. For Bio I had 10 quizzes (3 pages each) plus 17 internet quizzes, 30 pages of outlines I made from my notes and the book, 4 scan-tron sheets from the exams taken during the semester, 4 or 5 packages of 3X5 cards, and about 40 pages of loose-leaf paper to write stuff down on, do problems on, etc. while I was re-taking quizzes. I'm getting ready to start studing for Chem. I feel bad just throwing out all of this stuff from the exams i've already taken, but, really, I don't want to look at it anymore. And I don't want to take the time to separate it all into piles (Bio vs. Anatomy, quizzes vs. exams vs. outlines, etc.) So instead of doing anything with any of it, I take it all out of my bag, and pile everything up on the futon in my office. The futon is a fire hazard right now.
On a totally unrelated note, you know the iPhone? How everybody who has one loves it? Well, I love mine, I do, even though I'm on my THIRD ONE! Seriously. The first one I got was great until the space bad on the text messaging stopped working. That's kinda important. So I took it into the Apple Store and they said that, although they had never actually seen it, this was possible (obviously) because the phone is run on an operating system just like a computer is, so if the operating system stops working right, the phone stops working right. They gave me a brand new phone and I left. Well, notexactly like that...I had to go home first, empty my pictures and contacts on the Amy's computer (because at the time I didn't have a computer,) then go back to the mall and get the new phone. Then with the new phone I had to re-set up my voicemail, email, favorite places, etc.
Yesterday my study partner asked to use my phone, so I gave it to her. After a minute she asked how to dial the zero. So I said press it. But it didn't work. And I couldn't get it to work. So after my exam I emptied my phone onto my computer, and then went to the Apple store. I told them that this was already my second phone, and the guy was amazed. He had only seen this problem once (uh, yeah, that was me...) and never heard of anyone having the bad luck of having thier bad phone being replaced with a bad phone. So I have a new phone, with a new, updated system. At least Apple is good about just giving me new phones.
For Anatomy I have 2 finals (lab and lecture.) Each final is 85 questions, and the questions are taken from the exams and quizzes we've had throughout the semester. Which means that I have 10 quizzes (at an average of 4 pages each) and 5 exams (at an average of 8 pages each) plus 2 packages of 3X5 cards. For Bio I had 10 quizzes (3 pages each) plus 17 internet quizzes, 30 pages of outlines I made from my notes and the book, 4 scan-tron sheets from the exams taken during the semester, 4 or 5 packages of 3X5 cards, and about 40 pages of loose-leaf paper to write stuff down on, do problems on, etc. while I was re-taking quizzes. I'm getting ready to start studing for Chem. I feel bad just throwing out all of this stuff from the exams i've already taken, but, really, I don't want to look at it anymore. And I don't want to take the time to separate it all into piles (Bio vs. Anatomy, quizzes vs. exams vs. outlines, etc.) So instead of doing anything with any of it, I take it all out of my bag, and pile everything up on the futon in my office. The futon is a fire hazard right now.
On a totally unrelated note, you know the iPhone? How everybody who has one loves it? Well, I love mine, I do, even though I'm on my THIRD ONE! Seriously. The first one I got was great until the space bad on the text messaging stopped working. That's kinda important. So I took it into the Apple Store and they said that, although they had never actually seen it, this was possible (obviously) because the phone is run on an operating system just like a computer is, so if the operating system stops working right, the phone stops working right. They gave me a brand new phone and I left. Well, notexactly like that...I had to go home first, empty my pictures and contacts on the Amy's computer (because at the time I didn't have a computer,) then go back to the mall and get the new phone. Then with the new phone I had to re-set up my voicemail, email, favorite places, etc.
Yesterday my study partner asked to use my phone, so I gave it to her. After a minute she asked how to dial the zero. So I said press it. But it didn't work. And I couldn't get it to work. So after my exam I emptied my phone onto my computer, and then went to the Apple store. I told them that this was already my second phone, and the guy was amazed. He had only seen this problem once (uh, yeah, that was me...) and never heard of anyone having the bad luck of having thier bad phone being replaced with a bad phone. So I have a new phone, with a new, updated system. At least Apple is good about just giving me new phones.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
My Own Personal NaBloPoMo...
I think exam period is better for blogging than NaBloPoMo...you know...that thing where people try to post every day in November? Really, all you need in order for me to post every day is to put me in the library for extended hours surrounded by books that, while I find them interesting on an intellectual level, I'd rather be watching Pysch and Monk that I have DVR'd from last night...and this way I can at least think about how much I'd rather be watching Psych and Monk.
Anyway, I'm not in the library. I'm outside the library. Because it is 9:05 am, and the library doesn't open until 10:00 am. Why doesn't the library open until 10? Probably because this is COLLEGE. And in the real world: college edition, people went out last night. There was a happy hour that started at 9 pm! At 9 pm I was going home. It was late. I was asleep by 9:30! Which is why I had to DVR Monk and Psych, and why I'm up now, ready to study. In my day, we didn't have bars that were open until 4 am, and we got up early to study, and we walked through snow and ice and wind to get to the library! (Haha, that's partly true...the bars in Canada are only open until 2, and we didn't have fun tunnels to walk through, to get to different buildings from the one you were in, so if you went to the library, you did walk through snow and ice and wind...but I don't know anyone who actually did go to the library...)
Ok, anyway, last night I went to Wegmans, which is normally a nice experience. I was out of one of my prescriptions, and had called in the refill on Wednesday. I knew there'd be a problem calling it in, because there weren't any refills left on the bottle, but my doctor prescribes me 2 drugs, A and B. I ran out of B a long time (like 2 weeks) ago, so she send in refills for both A and B. Now I wanted A refilled, so I call Wegmans and can only get the automated thing, which says I don't have any refills, they'll call my dr., come in Friday it should be ready. So I went in yesterday to get it. Nope, nothing filled for me. So I explain the above to the guy, who looks at me like I have to heads and says, "I don't get it." Then he looks at the computer and and says, "Oh, yeah, your doctor did fax us a refill for A two weeks ago, and on Wed. Do you want one of thoes filled?" I said yes. He said it would be 1/2 an hour. I said I didn't want to wait, but I'd be back when they opened this morning. This is our conversations after that:
Me:What time do you open tomorrow?
Him: well, I get here at 8, so probably about 9 or 9:30.
Me: Um, Ok...Oh, there's a sign. You open at 8:30. I'll be here at 8:30. I'll pick it up then. Can you have it ready by then?
Him: Yep. Which one do you want?
Me: Drug A
Him: But there are two precription refills for it.
Me: Are they exactly the same?
Him: let's see...2 weeks ago it was for this much this many times a day, Wednesday was...yep, exactly the same!
Me: then I don't care.
Him: So I can fill either one?
Me: Yes, as long as it's ready for me to get at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Him: You don't care if I fill the one from 2 weeks ago or the one from Wednesday?
Me: No, they're the exact same thing...
Him: Ok, let's see...how do I do this...
Me:
But it was. I went in this morning and the guy was there and he said "Oh! You were here last night! But I don't remember your name." So I told him, got my drugs, paid, and left. As I was pulling out of Wegmans, I realized I had also called in a refill for something from another doctor that DID have refills left, but, since I can also get it OTC, I figured I'd let it slide.
Anyway, I'm not in the library. I'm outside the library. Because it is 9:05 am, and the library doesn't open until 10:00 am. Why doesn't the library open until 10? Probably because this is COLLEGE. And in the real world: college edition, people went out last night. There was a happy hour that started at 9 pm! At 9 pm I was going home. It was late. I was asleep by 9:30! Which is why I had to DVR Monk and Psych, and why I'm up now, ready to study. In my day, we didn't have bars that were open until 4 am, and we got up early to study, and we walked through snow and ice and wind to get to the library! (Haha, that's partly true...the bars in Canada are only open until 2, and we didn't have fun tunnels to walk through, to get to different buildings from the one you were in, so if you went to the library, you did walk through snow and ice and wind...but I don't know anyone who actually did go to the library...)
Ok, anyway, last night I went to Wegmans, which is normally a nice experience. I was out of one of my prescriptions, and had called in the refill on Wednesday. I knew there'd be a problem calling it in, because there weren't any refills left on the bottle, but my doctor prescribes me 2 drugs, A and B. I ran out of B a long time (like 2 weeks) ago, so she send in refills for both A and B. Now I wanted A refilled, so I call Wegmans and can only get the automated thing, which says I don't have any refills, they'll call my dr., come in Friday it should be ready. So I went in yesterday to get it. Nope, nothing filled for me. So I explain the above to the guy, who looks at me like I have to heads and says, "I don't get it." Then he looks at the computer and and says, "Oh, yeah, your doctor did fax us a refill for A two weeks ago, and on Wed. Do you want one of thoes filled?" I said yes. He said it would be 1/2 an hour. I said I didn't want to wait, but I'd be back when they opened this morning. This is our conversations after that:
Me:What time do you open tomorrow?
Him: well, I get here at 8, so probably about 9 or 9:30.
Me: Um, Ok...Oh, there's a sign. You open at 8:30. I'll be here at 8:30. I'll pick it up then. Can you have it ready by then?
Him: Yep. Which one do you want?
Me: Drug A
Him: But there are two precription refills for it.
Me: Are they exactly the same?
Him: let's see...2 weeks ago it was for this much this many times a day, Wednesday was...yep, exactly the same!
Me: then I don't care.
Him: So I can fill either one?
Me: Yes, as long as it's ready for me to get at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Him: You don't care if I fill the one from 2 weeks ago or the one from Wednesday?
Me: No, they're the exact same thing...
Him: Ok, let's see...how do I do this...
Me:
But it was. I went in this morning and the guy was there and he said "Oh! You were here last night! But I don't remember your name." So I told him, got my drugs, paid, and left. As I was pulling out of Wegmans, I realized I had also called in a refill for something from another doctor that DID have refills left, but, since I can also get it OTC, I figured I'd let it slide.
Friday, December 07, 2007
One Down, 3 to Go
YAY! LAST DAY OF CLASSES...well, for this semester...only 14 semesters to go (not counting those summer semesters...or residency, because I don't think they have semesters...they have rotations, according to the TV I watch.)
I had my first final exam last night. Anatomy and Physiology Lab. I was all ready for it to last all three hours. It started at 6. At 6:10 I finished question 85 and went back to look for any questions I missed or skipped over because I wasn't sure. There was 1. It was a fill in the blank.
"A heart rate of over 100 bpm is ______."
So I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out a word for "heart beating too fast." See! Free rice DID come in useful! I went through the Latin - hypercircsomething....no. Then through all the diseases I remembered from people when I worked with dad - allergy to penicillin? Nope. Finally, after spending more time on this question than on the rest of this test, I wrote:
"normal, if you're exercising."
It's true, right? Besides, since the exam is only out of 80 and there were 85 questions I can get 5 wrong and still get a 100%.
I had my first final exam last night. Anatomy and Physiology Lab. I was all ready for it to last all three hours. It started at 6. At 6:10 I finished question 85 and went back to look for any questions I missed or skipped over because I wasn't sure. There was 1. It was a fill in the blank.
"A heart rate of over 100 bpm is ______."
So I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out a word for "heart beating too fast." See! Free rice DID come in useful! I went through the Latin - hypercircsomething....no. Then through all the diseases I remembered from people when I worked with dad - allergy to penicillin? Nope. Finally, after spending more time on this question than on the rest of this test, I wrote:
"normal, if you're exercising."
It's true, right? Besides, since the exam is only out of 80 and there were 85 questions I can get 5 wrong and still get a 100%.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Studying...
My freerice.come addiction was becoming too much, so I'm in the chem library to study for a chem quiz that's later today. I figured that working here where there are fewer computers avaliable would force me to read the chapter and fill out my cheat-sheet (which is allowed.) Obviously, that hyopothesis failed miserably. But, really, what is science except for dissproving hypotheses all the time? At least, that's what I've learned in my labs...maybe I've been doing my labs wrong...
Anyway, I'm about to die I'm so tired. I was up way too late studying (seriously studying...I only played free rice for a little bit) for my anatomy lab final that's today. That would mean a lot of wasted effort put into this semester if I died of lack of sleep right before exams...Maybe I'll go get some coffee. And then read the chem chapter.
Mary -- yes, playing free rice does count as studying for the gre's. Not so much for chemistry, but I did count it as studying for anatomy because I used the Latin roots of the words to figure out what they mean, which is also how I figure out a lot of the anatomy vocab. It only works about 50% of the time...maybe because I don't know Latin.
Anyway, I'm about to die I'm so tired. I was up way too late studying (seriously studying...I only played free rice for a little bit) for my anatomy lab final that's today. That would mean a lot of wasted effort put into this semester if I died of lack of sleep right before exams...Maybe I'll go get some coffee. And then read the chem chapter.
Mary -- yes, playing free rice does count as studying for the gre's. Not so much for chemistry, but I did count it as studying for anatomy because I used the Latin roots of the words to figure out what they mean, which is also how I figure out a lot of the anatomy vocab. It only works about 50% of the time...maybe because I don't know Latin.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
So, although I'm not as busy as Mary, I'm busy. So far this week I've had one exam (just a normal one...not a final one or anything), 1 quiz, and and 5 assignments due. It's only Wednesday. Tomorrow I have another quiz and a final exam (YAY! ONE CLASS DONE!), then one last assignment on Friday, then I'm done except for finals. Which, you know, should be a breeze.
I'm handling all this stress remarkable well, if you ask me. Wanna know how?
Free Rice. It's the best possible way to waste time EVER! I learn words I'll never use and forget about school for a while (well, hours, really), and starving people get grains of rice...Perfect!
I'm handling all this stress remarkable well, if you ask me. Wanna know how?
Free Rice. It's the best possible way to waste time EVER! I learn words I'll never use and forget about school for a while (well, hours, really), and starving people get grains of rice...Perfect!
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