Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Class

I have a 15-minute break in Med/Surg II. My teacher is Ms. Pusey-Reed and even though she is demanding ("That's too general, be more specific.") she is very entertaining. I was wishing that I could video her for you all to see. She positively dances across the floor when she's excited about what she's talking about and is always acting out the illustrations. This class will be anything but boring.

However even Pusey and her enthusiasm has a hard time keeping my attention for seven hours at a time. Class yesterday and today went from 8 am to 4:30 pm with an hour break for lunch. And after we get out of the class there is still the inch thick study guide to work on and the all quizzes she passes out. Two days in class and two quizzes so far and there is still five hours left for her to pull out another one.

The topic for discussion had been fluid and electrolytes. By now we should be on to shock but we still have the rest FaE and all of acid/base before we get there. This will be a very long day...But it will be interesting!

Sandy just came up to me and ask me to take part of her shift so I will be in the class room or lab from 8 in the morning 'til 6 or 6:30 at night. I have to be done by 7:30 because I have ProArts choir art 8 pm and I need to go early to talk to Frank. I will only be taking 1 choir get no scholarship.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Crazy? I was crazy once...

I am at work. I really shouldn't be on the computer, as I have to stay in a teeny tiny room and sit behind a desk until someone comes in for help. It's Sunday at 8:30 in the morning and, while there are a surprising number of students here, they have been coming in every day for a week to watch videos and they all know the drill. I could be studying but it's just too early.

Yesterday I talked to Frank. I really shouldn't have. Saying no to him makes me feel like I just shot a puppy. I was armed against singing in the large, oratorial choir (that everyone who is in a choir is suppose to be in) because I have to work at the same time. I want to sing in ProArts because they are going to sing in Carnegie Hall next spring. I went in to try to convince him that I should be able to sing in one without being in the other.

The conversation didn't go like I thought it would. He went in to the conversation trying to convince me that I should be in either all three choirs and, if that didn't work, at least ProArts and Fiat Lux. Fiat Lux (it means "let there be light" and is the college's motto) is supposed to be a small 16 voice choir that sings acappela which means that I would be one of two first sopranos. My voice isn't that good or that strong. I don't have the time to be in two choirs and take voice lessons. Oh, didn't I tell you that? If you’re in Fiat Lux you have to take one half hour voice lesson a week.

Both of these are very good reasons not to be in that or any choir, if that's the alternative to saying no. But there's the puppy look, and there's the $2000 scholarship, and there's that he had already gone to the Nursing Department director and ask her if it was possible first and she said yes "As long as none of the students had over 10 hours." Who would sing for ten hours a week? No one, that's who. Not even voice majors sing that much! There's also that I really do like singing and I would miss it if I didn't sing. But that has nothing to do with why I now have 2 choirs and a voice lesson a week.

The upside to all this is that I'm not taking any of them for credit and if my work load gets too hard I can drop them and I'll just lose the scholarship. Stay toned to find out if my insanity is acute or chronic.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Busy Bee

I have been back to college for five days now and, although school doesn't start until Tuesday, I have been very busy. Second year nursing students have to come back a week early for a review week so I have been in class from 8 in the morning until noon or even 2 in the afternoon. I have also got a job, as some of you may recall, as one of the nursing lab tutors. I started working already and already have 8 hours logged. However I can't be paid for that time yet because I was missing some of the papers I needed and I have been trying to get my supervisors signature on a few papers.

I also have been trying to get my transcript sent from UMA to AUC for the summer session. It was sent earlier, so much earlier that the teacher hadn't turned in the grades yet. I have to have the transcript here before Tuesday when classes start. I also have been having fits with my computer. Well, not so much the computer as it's internet access. I filled in the paper to request wireless internet in my dorm room but it's not working. I don't know why as the IT department hasn't been open when I have time.

Oh, and I've had to watch about six hours of nursing videos and spend some time with all my friends. They're complaining of boredom.

Today I need to watch 1 1/2 hours of videos, get the signature, talk to Frank (the choir director), and try to get some "homework" done that doesn't have to be turned in but really should be done.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Squeal!!!!

I woke up this morning happy but I couldn't quite remember why. I rolled over and there, lying on my bedside table, were three sheets of paper neatly stapled together. I remember now!

I have a rather bad habit of going to bed and then staying up half the night reading in bed. So last night I was in my room reading when Dad came up the stairs and I braced myself for "Goodnight" followed in a few minutes by a brusquer "Turn out the light!" This didn't happen. Instead my parents talked with each other quietly, almost whispering, for several minutes.

I was soon back in the wilds of my story and didn't really notice that he had gone back downstairs. Sometime later (don't think of asking how long, I was reading remember?) he came back upstairs, dropped the aforesaid papers in my lap and walked out.

I found out this morning that my reaction was somewhat disappointing. My distinguished father upon delivering his gift went back to his room and put his fingers in his ears waiting for the shriek coming from my room. I won't try to deny that when I have a nice surprise or someone gives me something I might, occasionally, let loose a loud and piercing cry.

However this was completely unexpected and very much something that I wanted and when I get a surprise that is that large with nary a hint from me and it being so very nice shrieking just doesn't seem to cover it at all. I sat frozen with an idiot's grin on my face. I tried to say something, I really did, but it came out as very small squeaks. "Eee," I said and after a pause "Eee, Eeee!" It was all very mouse-like.

The following pantomime would have done a mime proud. Head up, eyes wide, and dazedly smiling I look around the room for someone to show my prize to. There isn't anyone but that small detail doesn't quite sink in. Look down at the papers then up to the nonexistent person, smile and point at the bundle and say in the most charming manner possible "Eee." This continued for several minutes until the call came to "turn the light off and go to sleep already!"

I have, up to this point, neglected to tell all you poor uninformed people what was on those three sheets of paper stapled neatly together. I'll give you a hint. There was a Dell logo on the top... And if you don't know what it is with that you obviously don't know my father very well.

So here I will try to make up for my lack of communication skills last night. Thank you. Thank you my father for a completely unexpected, though greatly appreciated, gift. It was just what I wanted and, while I could use the old one for a few more years, it will make my life much easier. And just so you don't feel totally deprived...


SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

It is over

This whole summer you have hear me complaining about summer school, at least it seems like it first with micro and then with the history CLEP. But no more! I have finally finished my "classes".

At 1 pm today I was scheduled to take my (I think) final CLEP test. I took it in UMaine Orono. I wanted to take it at UMaine Augusta because it is closer and I have been there before but, alas, the August date was full by the time I got around to signing up. So to Orono I would journey.

I have been studying history for a month and a half now and have read 2 textbook, listened to recorded
college lectures, and studied the official study guide. Most of the time when I take a CLEP I'm pretty casual about the whole thing. This causes my beloved parents some anxiety. This time was no different.

Don't get me wrong, I studied. I read one college text book chapter a day, which is no easy feat, and remembered it. I made a point of comparing the differences in view points between sources. And I thought about it. However I didn't fret and once I was done for the day with what I had set for myself I was free to do what I either needed to do or wanted to do.

I got done exactly on schedule. I read the last chapter of the second book yesterday and listened to the last lecture this morning while traveling. Because I had never been to UMO before I was driven up by my mother. Mothers are nice that way. Not only do they figure out the directions and drive you but they also give you food.

So it's 9 in the morning and we're almost ready to go. Nine? Did I say nine? Yes, we left at 9:15 for a 1 o'clock appointment. Well, not exactly 1 o'clock. I got a call the night before from the test proctor asking to bump the time back to 12:30. You see, unlike UMA this college has tests set up at the testers’ convenience. You pick the day that fits your schedule and, if that day isn't already taken, pick your time from 11, 1, or 3 on that day. The proctor wanted to go home early on the day that I choose.

But all that doesn't explain why we left at 9 in the morning. Well, that is actually easily explained, but I hesitate to say it. Take a deep breath. Now let it out slowly. Good. It's a two and a half hour drive. No, that's not round trip. Even I can do the math for this little problem. 5 hours of driving in one day. And that's not even counting the hour and a half I sat taking the test.

I do joke about being terrible with math, but once again even my minimalistic math skills show a problem with leaving at nine. Count with me now! Ten, eleven, eleven thirty--why that leaves a whole extra hour before the test starts! Ah, the sweet smell of sarcasm in the evening. The idea was that we would probably get lost and that we would go and find something to eat first. Neither happened.

The fact that we didn't get lost is an out right miracle- it wasn't for lack of trying, let me tell you! Mom was driving and I was navigating. One problem though-nobody had showed me the maps first. This shouldn't regularly be a problem but remember when I said that mothers are good for figuring out direction? Mine is a little to good.

She had six different maps that all showing the same thing from a slightly different angle and, once in town, she would periodically call out things like "Quick, where's the subway!" or "We just passed Theodore Road. How many more streets left?". I would have to shuffle through all the maps until I found the right one and then figure out which direction we were going on that map and then find the point of reference, which was now long gone, and figure out the answer to the question.

As I would never answer in time she would grab all the maps from me and either look over them while she was driving or abruptly pull over onto a shoulder that wasn't quite large enough for a tricycle and then look over them. It was nerve-racking to say the least. Finally I found myself on one of the maps and ignored the rest. It was all so easy from there.

We got there safely with only slightly fraying tempers and with no appetite whatsoever, personally that is. After finding the building and room the test was in, with a brief though intense search for a bathroom between, I questioned the secretary as to when the proctor would be available. I don't pretend to hide the hope that I wouldn't have to spend the whole hour doing nothing but waiting. He wanted to get out early? Well, so did I. "I'm sorry but he's in a meeting right now. He should be out by noon and maybe before."

We leave. Go to the building across the way. It has a cafeteria. Oh! A Taco Bell! Oh. It's closed. Wander, wander, wander. Sit on comfy couches. Ummmmm. Starbuck. Oh look! Somehow a chi appeared by me! Yum. Drink, drink, read, read. Look at watch. Time to go. Rouse parent. Walk, walk, walk.

We got back to the testing center at the same time that the proctor does and, although he was surprised that I was early, he seemed pleased to see me. Yada, yada with all the preliminary stuff. I get set up in the room and the proctor leaves and, well before I tell you the rest I need to back up a little. Remember the whole "I'm so casual about CLEPs" thing? About the time we pulled onto the campus I started getting edgy.


I think I masked it pretty well. You know, have your eyes glance over people so you never really see them, step firmly, eyes ahead and everyone thinks that you are in total control. That's what you do if you're lost and you don't want anyone to know it.

Anyway, my temper might have been a little short and my eyes might have franticly scanned around me a time or two during that intervening half hour, but I think I handled it pretty well. When the door shut my composure lasted about 15 seconds. I came nigh to hyperventilating. I have only been that scared that I wasn't prepared once before. Ok, fine! Twice.

After several frantic, guilt-ridden prayers that didn't help as I couldn't think of one good reason why they should be listened too I resorted to my last-ditch calming trick. Singing "It Is Well With My Soul". Very, very quietly. I'm not completely sure why it work, maybe it puts the utter insignificants of whatever I'm worrying about in mind, but it does work.

With my mind now clear I set to work. I timed that test perfectly. After I had answered all the questions I had 16 minutes to go over all the questions that I wasn't sure of the answers. I had nine minutes left when I had finished my review. There was 90 minute for 120 questions.

If it was a normal type of a test where I didn't know the answer immediately I would have absolutely no idea how I did. I never do. There were quite a few questions that were laughably easy. No, I mean that I laughed at them. No, that's not "just an expression"! A lot of them I was reasonably sure of the answer, some I just made an educated guess, and with a few I just guessed.

I was just about to give you an example when I realized that I checked something or breather about not giving out questions or telling answers or some such thing. It may have been alright but I won't take the risk. It was a ridicules question, completely generalized and subjective with no one right answer that could possible be given.

When I was done all my nerves jumps to life again. I sat there like an idiot with my hands over my face doing Lamaze breathing. For a full minute I sat there and then with my hands still over my face I clicked "Proceed" and...

A questionnaire popped up. I filled it out and clicked "Proceed" again and another questionnaire popped up. This happened about five times. By the time my score did show I was so bemused it barely registered. "75. Hum, I needed 50. I wonder what that means. Maybe it's out of 100." I trot obediently across the hall to inform the proctor that I'm finished.

He is quite a genial person. He asks me if I did alright. I said I thought so. He inquired if the score printed. I politely said that I hadn't noticed. Upon investigation it had printed and he took up the sheet and saw my score.

"Well." he said.
"That can't be a good thing" I thought in the back of my rather numb mind

"Well! You did quite well." he said.
"That's good." I thought, numbly.
*mumble, mutter, mumble* he said.
"Pardon?"
"I said that they had better give you credit for this class, maybe you should teach it!"
" 'Scuse me?" Weakly.
"75 is two and a half standard deviations above the mean! That means your score is about the 99th percentile!" Heartily.
"Oh, thank you." Numbly.


It really is a good thing I'm so numb. That way I can't get a swelled head. I just have no comprehension of what happened. And that was seven hours ago.

Monday, August 08, 2005

World's Smallest Political Quiz

I saw this a year or so back and have been looking for it since then.

The political description that fits you best is...

LIBERTARIANS support maximum liberty in both personal and
economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence.
Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose
government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.


The RED DOT on the Chart shows where you fit on the political map.

From:
World's Smallest Political Quiz

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Bicycles

After I had finished reading my daily section from Cheryl's old high school American history textbook this afternoon and Dad had come to a stopping point with his project (putting all the old cd's from all the old computer program we've had, going back about ten years, into a BIG cd case) he suggested that we drive over to Crystal Springs Farm and pick some Green (and yellow and purple) beans.

We got in the car. Dad looks across the garage in the general direction of the bicycles and then at me.
"We could bike."
"It's only 3 miles round trip." I had measured it on Friday when I tried to get eggs. There were no eggs to be had. But I noticed how far it was! I also noticed that there was a very large and step hill at the end of the trip but I apparently had a brain cramp just then and forgot.

We got out of the car and climbed on our bikes instead. Over the past week I have started to bike around town when I could instead of using the car and I thought that I could handle 1 1/2 miles without to much problem. I had forgotten one thing. Dad bikes faster than I do.

I remembered to shift down gears once I remembered. I shifted down again when we got to the hill. And again. And again. Yet before I got to the top of the hill I was off the bike. It wasn't very far but I just could not make it. When I climbed off my legs buckled under me. Only by holding very tightly to the bike did I stay upright and only by concentrating very hard on the edge of the road did I not weave all over the road and into traffic.

It was only after we got to the farm that Dad reminded me of yet another thing I had forgotten. The gears on the bike I was using, which was my Mom's as I don't have a good one, were on both the right AND the left. I had in fact shifted gears down one third of what I could have.

We picked beans and then got some fresh mint, chives, and eggs. The bean plants are much lower than pea plants were. I spent the whole time on my knees shuffling along in the dirt looking for a mature bean pod which seemed scarce but obviously wasn't as there was about a pound and a half in the bags when I looked at home.

The trip home we much faster. We hit 27 mph going down that hill and, instead of the 5 minutes we took to climb it, were done with it in 20 seconds. Five minutes after that my pelvis started to ache. It felt like the bones were being pushed apart. I won't say anything to Beth when she says that her pelvic hurts ever again! And Dad seemed to be trying to go as fast on the flats as he was down hill.

I get home and my legs feel like noodles, my bottom hurts, my head aches from oxygen deprivation, and my arms and legs start to itch from the sap or something that got on me from the bean plants I was kneeling it as I forgot to bring long sleeves. Life is miserable so I do the only thing that a girl can do. I try to make life miserable for everyone else. In other words I gave birth to a small and extremely strong hissyfit instead of helping make dinner. I might not be proud of it, but there it is.

Moral? Well, there are two that come to mind. One is that it's probably worth it to be in shape when you forget things, as a general principle. The other is don't forget!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Procrastination...

I have been meaning to write for a week. I wake up and say to myself "I think I'll update my blog today. I have such a lot to say." And then promptly forget it. Well, not really forget as much as reason myself out of it. "I do have a lot I need to write but, well, it's so hot (or humid or I'm so tired or worn out...) that my brain isn't working and I really couldn't do justice to everything that's been going on. I'll feel up to it later in the day." And then I forget.

Sabbath being what it always is in this house (everyone it asleep but me and I've had a good night's sleep) and with the weather so perfect outside that there wasn't any excuse anymore for either of my procrastinations: writing and exercising. I'm lazy and the sun is probably too high in the sky to safely be outside for a long time (yeah, guess I was wrong about the whole "no excuse" thing) so... I'm writing. (That was a moronically obvious statement. If I wasn't writing you couldn't be reading it.)

Getting to the point of all this: I haven't written in two weeks. (The whole oh-look-at-me-post-a-quiz-so-it-looks-like-I've-written-thing not withstanding, that is.) The reason, besides procrastination, is that we were on vacation for a week leaving the Monday after I saw Cats and getting back this past Monday. I couldn't write during vacation for two reasons. One is that we were just too busy. The other is that my father wouldn't let me. For 16 years he worked at a job that had moderately high visibility and some people that he came in contact with, he says, may not like him so don't tell the whole world that the house is empty!

So now that I've finally gotten around to writing about what all we did I can write it in 3 sentences. We were at Niagara Falls for a family reunion. The trip was really long, the car was really packed, and the reunion was really full of people I don't know (all the people my age were my 2nd cousin's). We did a lot of sightseeing and got to go see:
  1. Two good friends on the trip up to New York
  2. One zoo
  3. One butterfly conservatory
  4. One tightrope walker, by accident (seeing him was the accident, not him tightrope walking)
  5. One class 6 white water rapids (no, we DIDN'T try them out-there's a $10,000 fine and that's if you survive!)
  6. Two Great Lakes (Lake Ontario and Lake Erie)
  7. One 100 year old canal a.k.a. Erie Canal
  8. One really big waterfall from various angles

Ok, 3 sentences and a long list. I was close.

Since we got home I haven't really done very much that is useful. I finished reading my history book, all most finished my history lectures, helped declutter a little, worked a little on getting a special music together, vacuumed, went to the library a lot (which isn't really useful at all), and helped make a salad. That is remarkably little for 5 days, especially as I got most of it done yesterday.

So there is your quick tour through the past two weeks. Hope you weren't too bored.