last friday of freedom

Wouldn't ya know it, I logged onto Blackboard yesterday morning and low and behold there glaring back at me from the screen was the line-up of this Fall's classes. Instant panic, mortification, excitement, anticipation, all those radical emotions, consumed me like Cookie Monster eating some chocolate chippers. Because I share so well, and truly am a team player, I immediately logged onto Facebook and posted the news as my status message. Knowing some of my classmates are not on Facebook (for shame) I texted them so they could share in the morning's delight.

After next week, Labor Day Monday will be the only Monday that we do not have an exam until after final exams the week of December 14th. (Is it Christmas, yet??) We have two exams our second week. Mondays are our Principles & Concepts and the Maternal/Newborn class. The Monday exams flip flop between the two classes. There are five weeks where we'll also have an exam on Tuesdays, in our Health Assessment class. Dosage calculations will be combined into those exams. We have two case studies due later in the semester for P&C, as well as two assignments each for the other two classes. There is reference made to care plans in the syllabi, but nothing giving any specific information as to how many we'll have to do, or any other requirements.

I'm pleased with my clinical group assignment. The nineteen in my class from this past Spring are all returning and there are 7 LPN transition or wash back students joining us. One of them is in my clinical group. I hope all the new people mesh as well with our original group as we all have so far. We still have one male classmate, amongst all of us girls.

The clinical schedule looks like it will be interesting and provide us with some really good experience and learning opportunities. This semester we'll rotate through our local hospital as well as one that's in a neighboring county. My group only spends one week there (that being two days), which is fine with me since it is an hour or more away. We'll rotate through med/surg/telemetry/ortho and OB units where we'll receive hands on training. We'll also do observation only training in the ER, OR, PACU, radiology and other such places. We also do a peds rotation at a local pediatric clinic. It is also observation only.

As it is, today I am excited, yet still very anxious and nervous about this semester. I'm choosing to go in thinking as positively as possible. I'm even going in giving our instructor the benefit of the doubt. The primary second year instructor is the one from my mental health class who pretty much "taught" from PPTs that were straight from the book. I'm hopeful that she'll expand upon this year's material more than the MH material as she has more experience in the other areas.

Today I'm off to do some grocery shopping at my favorite place in the world (ha!), a military commissary. This evening the guys and I are going to see Inglourious Basterds. Tomorrow I'm not sure what we'll do early on. LB has try outs for a local showcase type baseball team in the afternoon. Big B is going to Crue Fest. I was originally planning on going but have decided against it (I may have mentioned this before--early senility...). Instead I'm having some friends over for a last hurrah of summer, a "ladies night in". We'll eat, drink, be merry and just have a good ole time. Sunday I plan to get a head start on my reading, and do some last minute home/family organizational type things.

Then Monday we're off to school!

in an instant

All was well with my mommy vacation. It was a great, even stupendous, weekend. I spent two nights at the hotel, and two nights with my aunt and uncle. Then yesterday morning, about fifteen minutes before my uncle and I were to set off for the airport I discovered something was missing. The perfect vacation had become so imperfect in an instant.

Frantically, I start searching the room I had stayed in, and the surfaces I had placed it on. I searched inside my carry on. It was all to no avail.

I could not find my mother-in-law's emerald and diamond ring. I have lost a family heirloom.

It's not bad enough that I have to travel amongst strangers that now I have to do it miserably, feeling horribly.

Thursday when I was packing I told myself not to take it. It doesn't fit any of my fingers like it really should, but was just snug enough on my right middle finger that I felt it would be ok. Wrong!

Over the weekend I told one of my friends that I was hoping to get it resized to fit my left ring finger so that I could wear it as an anniversary band. It's such a gorgeous ring. Imagine an emerald-cut emerald flanked by two triangular-cut diamonds, set in white gold.

Big B had bought it years ago for my mother-in-law, before he and I even knew each other. He had given it to her as a gift. When she passed away, in 2002, he gave it and a few other pieces of jewelry, to me for Christmas that year.

Here I sit reminiscing over a wonderful weekend spent with old friends from high school and family I haven't seen in at least 3 years, yet it is all overshadowed by the loss of something so dear.

a look at the bright side

I'm trying to stay positive, but it's been tough amidst the funky-funky-doldrums kinda mood I've been in lately. This weekend was a blessing as it kept us busy and left little time to ponder that which makes me unhappy, and alas I really don't have much to be unhappy about anyway.

It has to be the hormones...

Friday we went to see Land of the Lost with friends. It was the other mom, myself and 7 PWP (people with penises). We enjoyed the movie. There was very little I could remember from the TV show days. It was funny nonetheless.

Beware the Sleestaks

Yesterday we headed over to the same friends' house for an afternoon filled with a muddy football game, jousting in the jumpy castle, and a game of basketball. Oh, we can't forget the kids firing off the potato gun. It was a blast. No pun intended. It was so nice to get out of the house and just hang out with a fun group of people.

I should mention I decided to boycott homework all weekend! I'm going to give that a try every weekend. It's for the best.

Today we had the American Legion baseball season opener and it was a double-header. Our guys lost both games. It should be an interesting season. Our team will be one of the smallest. Most teams consist of a good amount of college players, as AL baseball allows Freshman in high school up through I guess the Freshman year of college. We have one college-aged player, and he's not the biggest guy on our team by any means.

Tomorrow I head out to the ENT doctor. Aside from that the week is pretty much uneventful...and I must have just taken a hit off someone's crack pipe! Lest I forget the boys' dental appointments Tuesday, a baseball game Thursday, and then there's Friday.

Not only is Friday our high school's graduation, it is also D-Day. We're not talking Normandy type, we're talking Driving-Day.

LB is legal to drive as of June 12th.

I'm. trying. to. think. positive...

flappy happy friday

You know, sometimes you shouldn't even get on the 'net, let alone blog...like yesterday. I was in a bit of a whiney mood and just had to share. I appreciate the support, pep talks, and empathy! Thank you so much!

Today is a better day.

As first weeks of second semesters of nursing school go I have to say I am thoroughly and utmostly happy it's Friday. Thursdays and Fridays will be days I cherish this semester. That's until March 11th when clinicals start; then Fridays will be my only day that I'm able to stay in my PJs all day if I so choose!

Monday our class has 3 hours of lecture, in the name of Nursing Concepts and Principles. By the third hour my fun meter had been pegged, even after taking breaks. Maybe I really do have ADHD!

Tuesdays I hate. I'm usually not really a truly hateful person, but I~hate~Tuesdays!

Wouldn't it make more sense, if you're possibly going to change the schedule, to do it now? I mean, you've currently got one class scheduled from 9-12 on Mondays, and two scheduled on Tuesdays, 9-11, and 1-3...with a two hour break in between. ???Does anybody else find this peculiar?

I personally would rather just have the morning class (you know the one-pharmacology- that is only lasting 8 weeks anyway) on Tuesdays, giving an afternoon off prior to lab on Wednesday for those of us that have lab that day.

You mentioned that once pharmacology is over you might switch the Tuesday afternoon class to Mondays...in the middle of the semester.

It just seems to be better for time management to make the switch now, to me, but who am I but one of your lowly peons.

Ahem...ok, so I steered off into bitchy mode. I apologize.

Right now we're studying O2, Circulation, Fluids and Electrolytes, and acid/base balance. That's all in the Monday class. Tuesdays are Pharm as mentioned previously, and Mental Health Nursing. So far I'm doing well managing everything as far as reading and study guides.

One of my classmates called yesterday to check on me and also reassured me that I hadn't missed much from lab on Wednesday. She'd also made the trip to the uniform store we've had recommended to us to order her uniforms, to the tune of $97. I guess that's not so bad, considering it's for two tops, two pairs of pants, and one lab coat.

The family doesn't have any big plans for the weekend. Maybe we'll take in a movie, probably play the Wii a bit...mainly just try to stay warm in the freezing cold that has consumed the North Atlantic Coast!

Big B and I have work and school on Monday, the boys are off, I think..? Tuesday we all have our respective, regularly scheduled weekly activities.

I almost had to laugh yesterday when LB asked if we were going to the inauguration. We do live about an hour and half away from DC. That sounds like a good distance to me! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be a part of history, but muddling amongst a katrillion other humans is not my idea of fun! No way, no how! Besides, if this cold weather keeps up hypothermia could be indicated!