Babies

Hi. It's Tuesday morning, and that means coffee and toddler time. I really like watching the boy's niece (dinosaur). Sometimes she really is a handful (especially when her teeth are erupting), but then she does something really cute, and all is forgiven. When I was younger I never questioned whether or not I would have kids; it was just assumed that I would. Now I'm 24 years old, and have experienced my fair share of crazy babies, and seen the effects that they have on their poor parents, I'm really not sure whether I want to have kids or not.

The thing is that I live in the city with the boyfriend, and we aren't planning on moving out of the city, like, ever. Which means that we will eventually have to buy an over-priced house in a neighborhood that might not have the best inner city schools, thus making private school the only option. Add all that up and you're looking at a ridiculous price tag. It's not just the money, but it's the loss of free time that I'll probably mourn the most. I love sleeping, and waking up at 3 a.m. and then 5 a.m. doesn't sound like much fun. I know that it only lasts for 4-6 months, but still.

I love boyfriend very much, but he's not been around kids at all. Every time he's around the dinosaur niece he just stares at her, with a half smile that seems forced because he doesn't know what to do or say to her. I know it would be different if it was our child, but it if ever does happen, it's gonna be a wake up call. I have plenty of time to make up my mind. I'll probably be about 30-32 years old when it happens, and hopefully not any sooner :)

Ok, so change of subjects.... I get to register for my first 2 classes in the RT program next week. I'll be taking Pharmacology and Cardiopulm A&P. I want to go ahead a buy my books for the quarter, but I'm not sure what editions we are using. I will just have to wait. I still haven't heard if Cynthia got into the program, but I should hope that she finds out sooner rather than later.

Yesterday I spent a good amount of time just researching allied health jobs and messing around on the colleges websites. I'm really interested in getting my B.S. for RT after I graduate and start working. There are a few schools here in Georgia that do the bridge for A.S. to B.S., and some of them are even online. I know a lot of people say that I don't need a Bachelors to be an RT, and that they make the same amount of money etc. etc. I would just like to have the option of going to grad school if I want to, or maybe even move up in management with RT.

There's another option I've been considering. I've always had a thing for both the heart and lungs working together. The system is just ridiculously complex and so interesting. I would definitely consider going to perfusion school, but there are only about 21 schools, and none of them are in Georgia. The closest one to me is in Charleston. We shall see. I might want a good challenge later on in life.

I cannot believe that the dinosaur is still asleep. There are construction guys banging away at a new fence in the backyard and she's not phased at all. Sleeping right through it. Niiice.

Anyway. I'm going to pull out a book and catch up on my reading. I'll write more when there are actually things going on in my life.

sleep deprived

Last night I consumed too much alcohol and woke up dehydrated and really, really tired. I now have the privilege of watching the dinosaur who is currently dormant. I am beyond tired. I've had 3 cups of coffee, and I could still fall asleep in a second if allowed to. Unfortunately for me, there is a work man by the name of Dennis who is currently banging on the doors and causing a commotion. If he wakes up the dinosaur I will have some words for him...

Ok, so hangover aside, I do worry about my sleeping habits. Last night I slept for 7 hours and I can't concentrate on simple tasks like reading a book or keeping my eyes open. This is cause for concern. Typically I will sleep about 10 hrs if given the choice, but realistically I can survive on 8 hrs or so if I supplement my day with caffeine. I have 62 more days to figure out how to keep going on limited amounts of sleep.

When the program starts I will have to figure it out fast. Basically, my first quarter of classes will start at 8 a.m., which means I have to leave my apartment at 7-7:15 a.m. at the latest. I'm not much for morning showers, but I need to set up some sort of routine that allows me to shower, get ready, and eat breakfast in an hour's time (because there's no way in hell I want to be up before 6 a.m.). When I start clinicals the following quarter, I will have to be at the hospital before 7 a.m. Depending on where I am placed, my morning schedule shouldn't vary too much. Most of the hospitals in midtown are within 10 minutes of where I live, so I would still be waking up at 6 a.m.

If I have to be awake at that god awful time in the morning, then I'll have to really adjust my evenings. Normally I'll go to bed sometime between 12-1 a.m. That is really not going to jibe when I start classes, so at the very latest I should be in bed by 10 p.m. (which makes me feel really young, or really old). I do have difficultly going to sleep, so I might need to go see my doctor for some sleeping aides. Benadryl usually works for me, but I am pretty groggy in the morning if I take it (as with most sleep aides).

So far I'm the youngest student that's been accepted into the program this year. Most, if not all, of my classmates are over the age of 30, and have kids. That means that they are used to waking up at 6 a.m. to either go to work or to feed a hungry baby. In a certain way that gives them an advantage over me because they know how to function on lack of sleep. My friend Sarah wakes up daily at 7 a.m. and always looks put together when she came in for class. I however, woke up 15 minutes before I had to leave for class and probably in rough shape with smeared mascara and ratty old jeans and tshirt on. If given the opportunity to sleep an extra 30 minutes, or take a shower, I mostly always pick the sleep.

I know that I sound impatient for the program to start, and I really am, but I should probably use these two months of relative freedom to eat, sleep, and be merry because starting in late March I'll be a slave to the books again.

Anyway. The dinosaur is awake and growling at me to feed her lunch. Le sigh. I hope I get a nap this afternoon....

Elephant

I like that the word Elephant is spelled the same in English and French, with the exception of the accents.

I like that it finally stopped raining.

I like Betty and Veronica, but Betty more.

I like to read David Sedaris's essays.

I like the smell of my boyfriends new cologne.

I like having cold feet, and then warming them up with socks.

I like simple, classic sweater sets from Banana Republic.

I like having a cold so I can take a break from the world sometimes.

I like calling my mom crackhead crazy pants.

I like reading books in one day.

I like listening to Damien Rice when I'm a bit out of sorts.

I like jasmine oolong tea.

I like learning about evolution and anthropology.

I like watching the people in Starbucks watch other people, and catching them in the act.

I like Porsche 911 cabriolets.

I like the idea of running 4 miles a day.

I like the smell of gasoline.

I like my boyfriends constant five o'clock shadow.



Today was just a lazy Monday. I like Mondays these days because I don't really have anything specific to do. I can wake up late, and I don't have any school assignments due today. I went to The Bodies exhibit with my friend Sarah today, and got some new running shoes. I still have this weird snobbery with running shoes; I won't buy any other brand than New Balance or Nike. Weird, but those shoes are the only ones that work for me (and the only ones I would allow my mom to get me). I was counting on spending 70$ for some new running shoes to get me motivated for a 5k race in a few months. Technically speaking, a 5k does not require much training, but considering I haven't ran in about 4 months I might need to brush up a bit on it.

When I was competing for kayaking, I always had to cross-train with running and swimming in the winter. I wasn't particularly good at either, but I especially hated running. I guess it didn't help that we had to run up mountains and swim in ice cold water. Eeek. I really do need to go running down in the park today. I have this gigantic park at my disposal, and for some reason I just never go. I guess it doesn't help that it's pretty chilly outside, but there are gale force winds outside as well. I must suffer. I MUST.

63 more days until the program starts. I know I sound impatient right now, but when the program actually does start, I'm sure I'll be griping about how busy I am and how much studying I need to do. Anywho, see you kids later.

Closer. Really.

It's basically impossible for me to sleep right now. The fire trucks in this city have been circling the block for at least 30 minutes now. They are on their fourteenth lap, and I'm starting to wonder why this is. The city is pretty silent, with the exception being loud, blaring sirens every five minutes or so. I lost my ear plugs :(

Today was a good day. I woke up earlier than I have been, and got out to run some errands. I did get raped by my schools bookstore, but it's my fault because I just didn't order my books online. I'm disappointed in the fact that I have to pay for costly books for classes that I don't even need. I'm still playing that waiting game; around two more months to go.

I've started a trial few weeks without drinking coffee, and the data that I've collected leads me to believe I am a much more productive person when I drink coffee. Over the christmas break I watched two seasons of Lost, read 3 books, slept in 20 times, and watched countless other movies on netflix streaming. I did drink a lot of jasmine tea, but it just doesn't have enough caffeine in it. I think tomorrow morning will involve a dark roast from Columbia.

So I'm pretty excited about this year. I caught myself writing 2009 on a piece of paper today, and then I remembered that it's the new year. 2010. You know, I never really knew what I'd be doing right now. I guess the only memory I have of that is riding on the bus in 8th grade looking out the window thinking, "I wonder what I'll be doing when 2010 rolls around". Well, here it is, and finally the firetrucks have stopped.

Happy New Years Y'all

I think it's time for a little background information on myself. I posted a blog a while ago about random things to know about me, and I kind of left a hole where I talked about religion. I knew eventually I would revisit this topic, but I just wanted to think more about what I really believe (or don't believe). I kind of have to start at the beginning, so if you aren't into thinking outside of the box, and just want to read about RT then just skip this post.

I grew up in a very very very southern town about an hour north of Atlanta. Everything about my life was middle class. I had a bike, a nice neighborhood with friends, a chocolate lab named Maggie, and a loving family. The beginning of this story takes place while I was in middle school. I was 12 years old, and just trying to figure out why I was starting to like boys. I did all the normal things that my peers did, including going to FCA (fellowship christian athletes) meetings in the morning before class began.

I went to FCA because it was prime socializing in the morning, and it also meant I didn't have to wait in the gym before going to homeroom. It was basically my way of hanging out with friends. I never really put much thought into the religious songs we sang, or the talks about the bible. I just kind of did it, because everyone else was.

I didn't really go to church with my family. If I did go, it was because I had spent the night with a friend, and their parents made us go. The only thing I didn't like about going to church was that I had to wake up early, and everything else about christianity made sense to me. This all changed with two separate events.

The first thing that happened was an incident at a church. I was with my friends at a church close to my house one Sunday morning. I remembered telling my friends that I was unsure of the virgin birth, and a few other fairy-tale-sounding stories. I guess I scared my friends, because they ran off to tell the youth minister, who then had a little "chat" with me. Basically, I was put in a room with this youth minister while he told me I was going to go to hell unless I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart.

Now to a 13 yr old, the whole notion of letting Jesus save me was a confusing notion. What was he saving me from? My life that was already pretty nice? It confused me, and I pretty much stopped the FCA meetings and going to church at that point. I still considered myself a christian, but I just didn't feel the need to go to church and be berated by some metrosexual middle-aged dad in a mid life crisis.

Anyway, the next thing that happened was 7th grade biology class. I found my first love in mitosis. Me and Biology were made for each other. I really loved my teacher. She did such an amazing job of making science interesting and fun. I still remember this day; February 23rd 1998, I first heard of Charles Darwin and his amazing theory. It was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I started realizing that there was so much to learn.

As I went around learning more and more evolution, my peers started to notice. For a while I just told people I had morning kayaking practice, which is why I wasn't at FCA anymore. Eventually, someone asked me if I still believed in God, and I said no. I'm not exactly sure why I said no then, because I was still trying to decide what to believe.

Fast forward to the present tense. Im pretty much settled in my non-belief of the omnipotent, omnipresent,and omniscient God. I would consider myself to be Agnostic.

I am just not religious. It's cool if you are, but I am not.

I'll see you kids next week

Waiting some more...

Hello all. There's not a whole lot going on in my world right now. I'm just prepping for the holidays, and babysitting boyfriend's niece right now. Babysitting sure does beat having a part time mall job, or even worse... another restaurant job.

So, fall quarter wrapped up last week, and I've been taking advantage of my free time by watching Lost seasons 1-5 in preparation for Feb. Too bad boyfriend loathes Lost.

I have about a month off from school. I was hoping to take some sort of week long vacation, but it's looking like the only thing I've got on my schedule is a two day trip to the cabin with friends. The next quarter starts on Jan 4th. I'm taking 3 classes, mostly just to keep my loans coming in. I think I've got another computer course, study skills (oh joy), and interpersonal relationships and development. Computer course and Interpersonal classes are both online, and the study skills class meets once a week. I wish you could tell how enthusiastic I am about all of this.... but, oh well..

I just have a little over 3 more months until the program starts. I'm so excited that I could seriously pee in my pants. My first quarter in the program will be Cardiopul A&P and Pharmacology. I'm kind of scared of pharm, but cardiopul shouldn't be too terrible since I rocked the AP text on cardio and pul this past summer. I will probably bust out my AP book and brush up on both while I'm still waiting.

It kind of sucks that I won't have classes with any of my buddies this quarter. One of my friends will be taking classes, but all online, and the other one is just not taking any. I'll probably still hang out with them a few times a month, so not all is lost. I'm really counting on them for a good study group when March rolls around. I don't want to use their real names here... so nicknames will have to do...

The younger one (closer to my age), is Sarah. She is pretty wacky, and totally funny. I pretty much was her friend from day one, and most of our classes this summer were the same. I have lunches with her at least once a week. She and I have a lot more in common than the other friend... who I shall call Cynthia. Cynthia is fairly older than me (early 40's), and she is completely type A workaholic. She's absolutely hilarious and shares the same sarcastic sentiments towards terrible teachers like I do. Of the three of us, Cynthia is much more concerned with getting A's all the time. Part of that is just her, and the other part has to do with her acceptance into the program (she had to apply at the last deadline, when all other students applied too. I applied early). I really hope she gets in, and I've got my fingers crossed for her.

Anyway. The dinosaur (little niece) has woken up from her slumber, so I shall tame the beast with a bottle. I'll write soooooon...

Waiting

Wait

Wait

Wait

...and wait some more. Why not take some boring bullshit classes while you're at it, just so you can keep your parents health insurance?

Errr. Yeah, about next quarter. I have to take even more random and soul sucking classes. I just want 3 months off before the madness starts in March. I guess it's a little too much to ask right now. I will survive.

I probably won't be taking French next quarter because 1. It's expensive 2. It's super slow and not doing much for brain stimulation 3. I will probably be better off with a new rosetta stone and 3 or 4 days a week practicing it on my own and with boyfriend. I like my teacher, but it's just going to take forever to get through that, and well, starting in March I won't want to continue with the lessons while I'm in school.

I'm so glad that the holiday season is close. There's just so much stuff going on. Thanksgiving, My Birthday (24!!), Christmas, and then New Years. I'm really counting on those events to catapult me into the next year. Then, I'll only have a few more months to get through and then I'll be in the program. Le Sigh.

Yawn. I'm kind of sleepy. I have some work to do for my computer class tonight, so I'll probably just stay in tonight, or just go out to dinner w/ boyfriend. Last weekend we went on a random roadtrip, so I'm pretty content with just hanging out this weekend. I have to have just down time every now and then. The apartment is slowly becoming a mess, so I'll probably clean, and try to start decorating.

It's so funny that I started this blog for my journey though RT school, but now it's just evolved into a life style blog. I bet you're thinking I'm pretty lazy most of the time. Heh. You're probably right. Anyway, eventually it will get back to being about school, but right now school is about as eventful as watching a tomato plant grow.

K. Time to go for a walk. Later gators