Thursday, February 08, 2007

Mandatory Dance Off.

So Monster--the energy drink--not so good. Boo Koo on the other hand, is delicious. And I was looking at the ingredients; there isn't that much caffeine in there. Comparatively anyway. I'm sure there is quite a bit, but it was pretty far down on the list of ingredients. Definitely more of a sugar buzz. And then there's the fact that it has 255% of vitamin B-12, and 85% of B-something else. I now know what you were talking about with the vitamin B pill your grandma gave you Duckling.

I'm really tired lately. I need to study more, procrastinate less. I back myself into walls. Statistics is okay to forget about, since it doesn't seem to make me worse off, but Anatomy needs a lot of time a day, and I'm behind. That's what I'll do this weekend, and the next time I bring my book while hanging out with people, I'll actually be reading it. A lot.

I'm really enjoying it though. I probably won't be much today though. I have my problem sets due today, and no bursts of genius came this time. I should have presented mine last week, when they were actually right. Not that I'll be marked down if they're wrong, as long as it makes sense where my thoughts were coming from, but I do hate to look stupid in front of people. And of course I'll be worrying about my practicum, also today. I don't know why they didn't just decide to cancel the problem sets for this day. I guess they really do expect a lot more from us. But I still have a lot of studying to do before I'm ready for the practicum this afternoon. Or I'm at least comfortable with the thought of taking it . I need to look at disarticulated skulls this morning, then maybe I'll be okay. And I need some caffeine right now.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

A Day In The Life Of Something McSomethingkins.

I'm almost 98% certain, with a margin of error + or - 3%, that eating left over chicken last night gave me a cold. You might say to me, "Something, you can't get a cold from eating chicken, unless someone with a cold sneezed on it within an hour of it being consumed (and unless I have fridge fairies, I don't think that's possible), and even if it could give you a cold, how could you possibly pinpoint the chicken as being the cause of said cold?" My reasoning is thus:

I was sitting down on my couch, anticipating the joy that would be brought by the savoring of my left over breaded sesame chicken. [Dramatic pause]. This moment never came. [Second dramatic pause; but only half as long]. Alas, I had heated my a notch chicken above the point of perfection. It didn't feel hot when I put it in my mouth, but upon swallowing it both burned and scraped my throat. Luckily, as I learned in anatomy the other week, the pain receptors past the point of your upper esophagus only recognize stretching as painful. Unfortunately the entire right half of my throat is still tender and hurts wicked bad when I swallow. It feels exactly like the sore throat that would accompany a nasty cold. I think my body sensed that, and decided that maybe it really did have a cold, and that's why all of the other symptoms followed. I find I can bear it quite cheerfully if I pretend it's just a side effect of a cold. But otherwise...I just don't know enough about how long it takes throat scrape-burns to heal. But I did get a cold, so at least one good thing came out of this tragic tale.

That said... We now no longer have the internet. I think my roommates kind of started a war with the other half of the house, or they started it with my roommates, but either way...The war is on. It's actually just an exchange of snippy notes, left on each others cars, and usually about each others' parking. They did leave one on the door once about not rolling the trash barrel(?) out to the side of the road, but honestly, who asked them to do it? They could have left it and we'd've learned our lesson. Anyway, the most recent episode included them parking on our side of the driveway, behind my roommate's car, blocking her in; and her letter was directly followed by a locked wireless signal point. I enjoyed it for 3 days, and I'm glad for the time we shared together, but it's so much harder to let it go having only recently partaken of the sweet nectar that is home internet use. Once #2 moves out we're going to get it, but that's a while away, and it will be bittersweet when it happens, as I like both of my roommates. But I guess I can appreciate it more till then; and of course it's already served the higher purpose of helping me to finish my Anatomy problem sets that my roommate and I procrastinated.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Christmas Miracle

So the most amazing thing just happened to me. My roommate and I stayed up till one in the morning trying to figure out our Diagnostic Anatomy Problem Set. We did well on two of them, B.S.ed the third, and got stumped on the fourth. It was actually the first problem, and seemed easy upon first site, but proved to be quite tricky to diagnose. I know how to test whether neck pain is associated with a certain muscle, but what if there are several with the same innervations, functions, and positions? And I have no idea to tell whether it's a muscle or ligament. Because it's more of a clinical approach to Anatomy, our problem sets can't always be accomplished with just the information he's given us, so it requires a lot of research, which is tricky because we only get them on Monday, and they're due every Thursday.

So Roomy #1 went to bed at about one, which is good because she has a test on Friday that's a much bigger deal than our problems, and she needs to be able to focus on that. That was after we spent 4 hours on them. I stayed up to finish the last problem, which I have a greater understanding of now, but which has yet to be finished. It's now 6 am plus. I haven't slept. I don't feel very tired. I think it was the Boo Koo Duckling recommended, although she probably regretted it when I answered the text she sent me last night at 3 in the morning.

Now for the miraculous part, which allowed me to stay up to do my homework, as opposed to waking up and doing it the morning of the day it was due. We haven't had internet for the entirety of me living here. It's sucked. I only can use it at work, which is limited, and at the library, which isn't far but is still inconvenient to walk to more than is absolutely necessary. But suddenly I was using Roomy #2's laptop in the living room, and a little bubble popped up saying it was connected to the internet. I tried it; it was. So I was able to learn all sorts of interesting things, in my pajamas, from the comfort of my couch. Right now I'm in my room, which is also exciting, but I should be sleeping. I think it's entirely too likely that this connection won't last long (because it’s low and I’ve already lost it once), which is why I decided to do this now...when I should be sleeping. So now I've done it, and I'm going to bed.

Wasn't that miraculous?

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Already Looking Up--At What I'm Not Sure.

So today I was happier than I've ever remembered being before. I said I'd feel better. I think the main difference was getting actual exercise this morning, thus endorphins. It might also be that I decided to try my ADD medication again, and I did so this morning. Plus, I had no work, or school, so it was largely about doing what I wanted to.

I started off the day playing racquetball for at least an hour. I have huge bruises on my knees to prove it, because I can't play most sports without unconsciously diving whenever the need arises. I also got little holes in the knees of the pants I was wearing. Anyway, I didn't black out like last time, so I see that as an improvement. I didn't do too badly, but I did lose, considering I was playing against 3 different guys I work with: Leon, Harold, and Tricksome. Tricksome always shoots us with rubber bands at work, even though they're now strictly prohibited. He wants to get fired so he can get unemployment, but Gregory will never fire him, or anyone else for that matter. So then I did a terrible job at ping pong, followed by a two on two game of basketball that was not bad at all. I need to work on my free throws though. I'm not "not good" by any means, but my dad tore out our basketball court when I was younger, so I rarely got to practice that skill. All in all we were at the field house for 2 and a half hours.

Anyway, the day started off well. I also cleaned my room partially before that. I had a major laundry day, and I feel pretty good about that. I went to run errands after the field house. In So Jo. I had to return my broken phone, return/pick up stuff to/from the library, get a package and my mail from my parents house (I now have my W2 so I can finally do my taxes), steal peanut butter from my parent's house, and get my pictures developed (from Fun Week especially). Maybe I'll modify and post some of those when I post my Fun Week synopsis sometime soonish. I have Anatomy stuff to do till Thursday though, so there you go.

So all of the pictures that will be developed by Thursday, my package of cds I ordered and received, the cds and movies from the library, my W2, and of course the peanut butter--made me really happy today. I smiled at strangers. I had a friendly, and not at all brief, conversation with my 80 something land lord. He was taking an old 10 speed that was missing the front tire out of the garage, and when I asked him about it, he said he was training for the Olympics. He's the most adorable old man, and when you look at him from behind it looks like he doesn't have a head, because he's so hunched backed. I want to put him in my pocket sometimes.

Anyway, I had my Institute class today, "The Gospel and World Religions," which I absolutely love. We get so many hand outs with a wealth of information in them, and my professor is just so good and funny to watch, and in addition to that I love the people I'm taking it with: Sheidi, Gus, and Distracting. Distracting does just what his name implies, and his whisper is pretty unwhisperish. But man does he make me laugh. We learned about Judaism today, and I think it was my favorite so far. Kind of a side note: last week I discovered, to my amazement, that Russia was in my Institute class. I haven't seen her since her dad's funeral when she came back from her mission briefly. I think she lives in SL, and is just working around there. I need to get her number next week.

Yeah, so lastly I studied in the Biology building with my roommate for an hour, working on our problem sets (I didn't even know the biology building had a 3rd floor, and I may have found my new study spot), then we went to the Review Session in the cadaver lab tonight. It was informative, and I've got to say, I was altogether very focused today, which is irregular for me, but highly pleasing. Proof of that is that I just sat down and wrote an entire post, then posted it right away. So now I'm in the library, researching a few final points for my problem sets, and tomorrow is looking to be pretty good, minus the statistics part.

Monday, January 29, 2007

I think the best name for this post is actually a sound in my throat that I can't quite articulate, but which "blaaaah" might begin to describe.

So I know now why I held out for as long as I could in not updating to the new blogger. I don't so much like it, but whatever.

Today I had the worst day I've had for a while. Most of it I would like not to dwell on, but it was very reminiscent of those days in the past that made me question why I wasn't quiting. But I'm okay now.

For starters Statistics is killing me. In the sense that I'm in a stupor of not-quite-sleep whenever I go to class. It's a piece of cake class, only I'm pretty sure I would enjoy eating cake. So basically it's like eating cardboard. Yes I can do it, quite easily at that, but will I enjoy it? Not a fat chance, not a slim chance...Not even a moderately overweight chance.

Pretty much this whole week I've had instruments breaking down on me here at ACME Labs, but today was an all-time low. Both broke down just as I was almost caught up, and here I am at almost 7 pm still at work waiting for my run to finish. I didn't finish some of my homework last night, and all today people at work have been plaguing me with all sorts of problems to deal with. If my opposite doesn't call me next week with left-over problems, I will be shocked. I think I would have rather hit two lexus's today. Then there's all the stuff I won't write about, but will instead repress. I think I may have already done so to most of it. Only the bad taste in my mouth remains from the events of today. Part of that is it being my Friday, and I don't have school tomorrow. I'm going to play racquetball with friends in the morning, but in my current mood I almost wish I didn't have to. Blah.

On the bright side, I will be in much better moods next week. I need to clean my room, which will undoubtedly be a happy event, and I'm going bowling at least once. I think sushi is in order, but we'll see. I also need to find a place for my giant hand chair, so that will be exciting.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Something to tide Pinkie over.

Still putting off my long posts.

Last week I managed a variety of feats that my roommate decided meant my car is cursed, then led to a revision that I was simply cursed. After driving my car into an embankment a few days before, I followed the act up by again parking in the pay lot at the library of the school, only
this
time I found I had run plum out of gas when I went to leave. So I walked home, got the 2 gallon gas tank out of our garage, and my roommate drove me back to the library. I think that was Thursday. It was freezing. Earlier that week my phone broke. I borrowed my sisters until a new one arrived. That was obnoxious.

We went to Dees sometime that week, maybe on a Wednesday? FF was there, and randomly so was Brian, who I was sure had fallen off the face of the earth. It must have been a two for one on that account, because Socially Retarded also showed up. Also there were FK, Duckling, Pinkie, Corn Flakes, The Big One, and Farley. I haven't decided if I quite like that name for him yet, but I don't want to think of another right now.

I then locked myself out of my car at the dollar theater on Saturday. I saw Stranger than Fiction with my London friends, which I'd already seen, but it was definitely worth seeing twice for a dollar. Very funny, and an excellent soundtrack by Spoon. My roommate and I snuck in kettle corn in a ziplock bag. Then I ate a strawberry streudal pizza while #2 ate an actual meal, and we talked. Directly after that I went and ate sushi with others, and spent 30 dollars doing so. It was worth it, but I'm getting steadily more broke. We also went in the apple store and Virgin right before eating. Afterwards Duckling, Pinkie, FK, and Farley drove me back to the theater to pick up my car, with my spare key in hand.

Sunday I went to FK's ward, due to mine being so ridiculously early, and I locked my keys in my car yet again once I reached my parent's house. I finally finished our Christmas puzzle, on account of my father becoming increasingly more annoyed at it's presence on a card table in his living room as the days went by. It's still there, but done. I also saw my nephew, who thought it was very funny indeed to poke me with a giant stick that had what appeared to be a large pipe cleaner on the end. The things you find at my parents house. (I went to an auction with them on Saturday, and they were auctioning ipods, but I wasn't willing to spend what they went for. Sadly I missed out on noise canceling headphones I wanted, but I did get a large chair shaped like a hand--fulfilling a childhood dream of mine. Now if I can just get a monkey... Speaking of which...) I called my nephew a monkey while he was visiting, and for the first time ever he informed me, "I am not a monkey." Normally he gets made at me for calling him Churtis Ja-mames, but this was new. He informed me that he wasn't a monkey because he has power ranger action figures at his house. I asked him what that made him. He replied, "Really, kind of happy." So now that that's cleared up...My dad luckily had, not a spare to my car (I stole that and it's now in my backpack), but an adequate replacement. Good to know that in addition to being able to drive away in my car with no keys, a stranger can also open it with several keys that are not mine. Luckily I have pink/purple and old on my side.

I went to FK's house finally after the debacle, to play games, and stuff my self silly with cookies and pie. I showed up earlier than most I guess, because I also got an actual meal of chicken, rice, and salad. Then I sat down and studied my skull for my upcoming skull and bone practicum (I brought my skeleton Rolfe's head with me). We played a lot of trivia, and I still rock at Harry Potter trivia, even when it comes to the movies. But not 80's music. We lastly watched and episode of the Office, and I fell asleep last night doing my Statistics homework. I woke up just in time to finish it and go to my Statistics class, which is boring beyond belief. My professor must have said "arrow" instead of "error" at least 12 times in the course of the lecture. She's from Romania or something, and actually has very good English, but man almighty it was distracting. The "margin of arrow" just doesn't mean anything to me.

And now I'm in the Marriott library, and I hope you're happy Pinkie.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Best Day Ever

I have not written in quite some time. Scratch that...I have written, but I haven't published anything in quite some time. I have two other half finished posts I started, but which I have yet to finish. I decided after reading Frogkisser's Best Ofs that I needed to set the record straight. Just kidding; but I do have a set of my own. I also wanted to state my resolutions, but since I've already broken all of the ones I've considered, I decided to scrap that idea entirely. But on the same note, I will give up caffeine some time soonish.

The other post was the highlights of Fun Week, but I think I need to skim it down. Both features will materialize some time in the future, but for now I'm in a pretty good mood, and I've had things happen, so I thought I'd write about the recent recent.

Wednesday I drove my car into a ditch. More like an embankment, but the point is that I couldn't get out. This was on my way from work to school, but I drove from work to my house so I could walk from there to school. So basically the car parked on the other half of our driveway (which we share a driveway with next door, because we're a duplex) was slanted and the back end of it was slanted like so: [ //. The first line (or bracket) is the left side of the driveway (which is our half of the driveway), the second two represent their car. The period represents a period. As you can imagine, my car did not fit within the confines of the driveway (which is ramped and has an embankment running underneath it where the driveway inclines), and so trying to drive around them and into my driveway--with the help of the icy road--I actually had my front left tire slip off the driveway into the embankment; my right tire on the other hand was still higher up on the driveway, along with the back left tire, all of which caused my back right tire to be entirely off the ground. Though one tire was in the embankment, it could not touch the ground completely with my other front tire held higher up on the driveway, so only having 2 wheel drive my car wouldn't move period. I was late, so I just left it like that and went to school. Then I called my dad. He said to me "Something, you do find yourself in the most interesting predicaments;" this happened to be my second "ditch" predicament. Due to the weather he couldn't come pull me out, so I ended up using the jack in my trunk to elevate the left front of my car, then took some boards I happened to have in my room and ramped them underneath that tire of my car, which I was then able to back out of the ditch. All of this was while it was blizzarding, so I was soaking wet besides.

I think that was the most exciting part of my day. My statistics class, that basically caused the whole event, was definitely anything but. I found myself thinking throughout the whole thing, "I drove my car into an embankment for this?" I was bored beyond belief. I can't believe they even took the time to teach something so instinctive, but I have to take it as a pre-req for my major. I imagine it would probably weed out people just as effectively as an insanely hard class.

That same day, only later and on my way to my Advanced Anatomy class, I ended up swearing for maybe the third time in my life. The first was at the age of 6, when I meant to call my sister "Ash"--due to it being her name--and instead had a very similar word come out. Her 3 year-old-self gasped, then I ran into my parent's room and exclaimed the travesty that had just befallen me. They only had time to look puzzledly at each other before I ran back into my room to pray. I don't think the repenting was necessary, given my baptism didn't take place for another two years, but whatever. The second instance was just last year, and in front of elementary school children. I was at Duckling's work (where she and her mom work as Resource aides) helping the kids with Reading. Their assignment clearly illustrated that they needed to replace the vowels in 3 letter words with other vowels to make other words (ex. "cat" to "cut," "lab" to "lob," etc.). I was helping them, and the word was "fox." So I went through that word with all of the different vowel choices, asking them if a word was made each time. I didn't want to start out with the answers, so I skipped fax and fix, and instead went straight to fex. Then I proceeded on to the next non-answer. That was a mistake. Duckling and her mom gasped in surprise, then started laughing uncontrollably. I felt stupid, and all of the children, perplexed by the reactions asked, "Did she give us the answer?" No I did not children.


So Wednesday afternoon I was driving to school. I left on time, but somehow I was late. I decided walking from my house would take too long, so instead I pulled into the pay lot, because I could not be late for Anatomy. We basically write our own book from the lectures as we go, so it's imperative to be there for the whole class to pick up all of the information he wants us to know; and the class is hard, so that's a good idea. But lucky for me a semi truck was 1 car in front of me. He decided it would be a good idea to park in front of both gates leading into the pay lot. People were behind me and in front, there were also people on the left side of me because he considerately didn't block off the booths and gates coming out, and there was a brick wall on my right--I was stuck. It was a narrow road to nowhere essentially, and I can't think of any reason why he would have needed to enter it, but I sat there for 15 minutes with no action happening on his part at all, and was subsequently late to my class. I let out a string of profanities, which surprised me because I never even think swear words. All in all I had the best day ever.

Actually I wasn't all that put out about any of it. Other than the semi annoying me to a degree, and Statistics boring me quite a bit, it was a fairly pleasant day.