France and other things

So September came and left quite quickly. I feel like I didn't really get a good chance to enjoy my favorite month. It was just filled with moving, getting settled and making the trip over to Europe and back. I'm still drained a little. It's strange how you need a vacation when you get back from a vacation. I still have a lot of little things to do around the house to get fully moved in, and luckily I have the rest of this week off of work so I can really get down to it. That's funny to me, because currently I am laid up in bed with absolutely noooo intention of getting out of this comfortable mess of sheets until I really have to.

I have some good news and some bad news for you kids. The good news is that I spent A LOT of introspective time in France for myself. I broke down what really made me happy. I mean really made me happy. It came to me one day while sitting in Luxembourg park and just enjoying the day for all that it was. It was a highly emotional moment for me, that is so personal I'm kind of wondering why I feel like putting it on my blog. But, here it is, because I guess I just needed to tell a whole bunch of random strangers that probably don't care too much about my feelings anyway.

And that's where the bad news starts. I wrote a whole lot in my journal while on this trip, and I don't plan on stopping that anytime soon. It's uncensored, and I don't have to constantly worry about someone at work finding out (which lets be honest, some people that read this know who I am, and haven't said anything so far...), but I just don't want to have to keep looking over my shoulder. Or editing my potty mouth.

So I'm not officially closing the blog quite yet, but I thought long and hard about just letting it hang out on it's own for a while. Let it be inspiration for young RT students that wonder what it's like to get your life turned upside down by juggling class/clinical/personal life all while reaching towards that goal. That's mostly what I started writing on this blog for. I read a lot of the respiratory blogs out there that kept me a float when I thought things were bad for me. It kept me going, and I wanted to help in anyway that I could. There's also the student RT resume (that needs editing, I know, but the basic concept is there) that I'd like to leave up as an example for anyone that needs it.

Anyway. That's where we stand right now. My weird/funny/awkward sentiments about the career right now is just going to be written down somewhere else for the time being. I'll try to come back every few months and give little updates here and now.

Just to throw in some good news while all of you guys are weeping uncontrollably at the computer right now...

I did find someone special to love. It took a while to find him, but he's wonderful and fills my heart up. He's an upstanding guy that laughs and my stupid jokes and then turns around and has me cracking up too. He's compassionate, driven, and more importantly doesn't put any sort of conditions on who I am supposed to be. He likes me for me, not because i'm tough like dirty harry or can make him laugh like jim carey. And I'm so glad I found him once again.

Au revoir for now internets. I am putting a picture up of myself in France. I'm not so worried anymore if people know who I am, because if you work with me and read this blog, it's not so hard to figure the connection immediately. If you're wondering where I am in the pic, it's right over the bank on the lawn out behind Les Invalides (where Napoleon is buried).

trophy

Find house: Check

Do Laundry: Check

Play with dog: Check

Budget that monies: Check

Win trophy for being an adult: Check


I'm moving next weekend over the holiday break. I still have some things to get done before then, but basically everything is packed up. I do have to go to IKEA on a Friday afternoon with crazy pants (my mother) and pick up the bed, and dresser.

The house itself is pretty cute. 3b/2ba and it's in Decatur. The back yard is fenced in for cowdog (yayh!) and there are plenty of places to put a hammock. I get a good vibe from the house too, which is important for me. It kind of reminds me of my grandparents house a little which is why I find it comfortable. I'm not going to have a roommate for a while so that I can be a big girl and manage my own house. I honestly am looking forward to cleaning and mowing the lawn (GASP). Yes people, ladies can mow lawns in America.

I also altered my appearance just tonight. For years and years and years I blew tons of money keeping my hair blond. My natural hair color is something close to dark blond, and I probably haven't seen that shade on myself since I was fifteen. I have been highlighting it for close to ten years. I don't even want to write the math down for you kids, it's embarrassing. But this isn't really about the money.

I'll tell you a story, but there has to be no judging involved. Once upon a time, this young lady started dating a dashing business man. He was the perfect gentleman and even held doors open for the lady that she didn't even know existed. He told her she was lovely...stunning and meant everything to him. One day, this lady wanted a change in her life. She went and dyed her long blond hair a dark brown. The mister did not like it, and asked her to never change her hair color from blond ever again, or wear tshirts and flip flops and to try and be as perfect as possible.

The moral of the story? Don't date french men. Or something like that. For a long time after that all happened I didn't have the courage to do anything about my hair color other than keeping it blond. I thought that if I got it back to my natural hair color that people would not find me attractive. It took someone close to tell me that I'm beautiful no matter what is on top of my head. I should be much more inclined to focus more whats inside of my head. So that's what I'm doing.

France trip is impending too. I still need to do a TON of planning on that beast, but I kind of like the idea of having no set plans. I will have a list of things I'd like to do, but if I wake up one day and want to eat cheese and drink a ton of wine in a park I'm gonna rock that. Plus I'll save a ton of money if I just stick to grocery fair instead of sitting in a bistro alone reading a book on philosophy while the french rolls their snobby eyeballs at me.

Well. Now that I've been on that whole night schedule at work I have been staying up to ridiculous hours. I'll write more about work next time. I just had some words in my brain that I needed to get out.

Shiny new things

1. My number one pet peeve at work is when I'm walking down the hall and a nurse spots me and says, "Respiratory?". I want so bad to respond, "Yes, Nursing?" I have a really nice list of completely sarcastic responses for them, but so far I just haven't gotten the nerve up to test it out on someone. Has to be the right person too.

2. Just bought myself a shiney new pair of aviator Ray Bans. I feel severely important when I'm wearing them.

3. Started writing again. It's weird what inspires me. I write on this blog mostly to just get work junk off of my shoulders. I hope to get a few good short stories done while on vacation here pretty soon.

4. IKEA on Saturdays is evil. Almost as bad as apple stores.


5. Moving soon. Not sure on the details quite yet, but I'm looking forward to finally bustin out on my own.

6. Personal life keeps getting more interesting. I quit looking, and found something pretty awesome. Shiny and new.

Argh X3

It's two a.m. and I'm attempting to train myself to stay up late. I have been working mostly day shifts so far, but this week I'm on evenings, AND next week I have some lovely night shifts to fill in for a coworker. I haven't picked up any nights before... so this is going to be interesting. I think it's just going to require lots of redbull and dancing around in the ICU when no one is looking.

I had a really busy day at work today. I dealt with one HORRIBLE attending during a code. It was my first time meeting the "thorn". Thorn is one of those attendings that barks orders and is constantly trying to pin the blame on someone else. I survived only on the premise that I smiled and played nice when confronted. It's just easier to play into the ego, than to buck up against it.

Another life changing moment just happened yesterday. I've been having a lot of those in the last year and a half. I had no idea that the mid-twenties would be so volatile. I suppose it has something to do with finding out who I truly am. I still have a ton of adventures to take on. I still feel some residual pressure from family/friends/society to get aboard that marriage train. I was standing at the platform just recently, and you know what, I decided to walk alone to the destination for now. I'm glad I didn't catch the train before I was really ready to take that trip. You know me, looooove those metaphors.

Bed time. Good night respiratory.

Why are there no baby pidgeons in the city??

The title of this post has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter. So there. It is true though...

For the last several weeks I have honestly forgotten all about this lonely little blog. It's just been one work day after another after another and really weird hours. I feel like gumby most of the time. I am "officially" done w/ orientation this week. The breakdown of orientation is 1 week admin hospital HR bull-you-know-what, 2 weeks in all the ICU's (there are a lot of icus. also taken into consideration was that I had 6 months of exp. w/ my clinical rotations in the icu), 2 weeks on the floors (charting 101, time management studies, supply closest wandering, and learning 10 million nurses names), and last, but not least, 1 week in the ER.

Whew. I'll have pretty quirky working hrs for the rest of the summer because I said I could work basically anytime. I don't think I'll seek out another prn position for now. I know of a hospital that I can easily get prn a job at, but I can't see one of my managers letting me take 6 weeks off when I have been quite handy in scheduling.

I think most of my coworkers are now o.k. with me being a rrt because there are new students to look at, I'm not a terrible drain on their time anymore and sometimes prove to be helpful, and most likely just don't care. I'm learning so much from all of them, and I can't thank all of them enough.


Anyway. I'm drained from the fun-filled day of ER...I wish I could write a whole break down of my day right now but I need to get started on dinner and let my dog out. Adulthood is... trying to get enough sleep at night in....never seeing my friends....a juggling act...trying to be responsible and not killing my plants or my dog...realizing that I've got a ways to go before being an adult sinks in.


Future posts include:

-Paramedic that bagged and did compressions simultaneously (woh. props)
-Supply closets revisited
-How to address an NP or PA the right way
-My conversation w/ crackhead frequent fly guy(ESRD/HIV/Bacteremia/if it's a medical problem, he prob has it). He will be used as a case study to highlight my thoughts on why our medical system is currently messed up.


I'm sticking mostly w/ the clinical aspect of my life for now. I still would rather be anon. and I'm prob. going to re-edit some posts for more security. I don't think my rt blog would be a problem as long as all my patients are "jane doe" and OF COURSE entirely hypothetical stuff that is a combination of many patients. Gotta keep my tush covered and all that comes w/ that.

As far as the personal life is concerned... nunya. For now.

Work

It's been a while since I've posted, but I wanted to give myself some time to save up stories to share... but I can't say I've got a lot to report at the time. The hospital is really really busy, and I've worked my ass off trying to prove my worth. I feel like I do have to prove myself, even after being at clinical for so long.

Tomorrow's my first paycheck. Hopefully I will weep with happiness after being a broke college kid for faaaar too long.

Its...done?

Wait wait....

I'm finished? Like, completely done with my RT degree? All the tests taken and passed, you say? CRT and RRT??

Just like that. Two years in the making and I've got me a bran spankin new licence. Of course I'm still green as the grass grows, and have a lot of learning ahead of me. Ittttt's pretty cool though.

I'm one of the lucky ones in my class that got a job before graduation (about 1/2 if you're wondering). I'm sure some others will score some positions in the coming weeks. It's hard to come out of school when there's a lull in the hospital admit rate and the RT dept can't justify hiring new students now. A lot of the recent grads that were offered positions had their resumes ready, and networked while in clinical, and busted their butts while at the hospital. I'm sure some people "knew a friend of a friend," but it wasn't the case for the majority of my class.

Anywho (this is still my favorite non-word).

I've got an itch that's gone unscratched for a while... it's bugging me. I wonder how long it's going to take before I break and scratch it. But for now, it's onto orientation and hospital supply closet stocking for me...

job

I got a job!

Woohoo. Now, on to finishing the program and taking all of those tests...

I'm so very tired of going to "clinical" (ie working) 36 hrs a week and then also worrying about finals/projects/professor grumpypants and getting all my references together for the new job. It's a lot to deal with all at once. I'm sick right now too, so that only complicates things further. Oh well.

I have a lot to write on, but not much free time right now. I have some good stories on the nicu, and a few other little musings i was thinking about the other day. I'll try and write soon enough.

If there are any other students out there in the internets reading this right now and are going through the same stuff, I feel your pain. I'm so ready for graduation!

pooped

The patient pooped the bed, and the student is all pooped out.

It's strange how my opinion of bodily fluids has changed after working in health care for close to a year. I'm immune I suppose. Except for very pungent smells... I still get a little nauseous with that.

I have three weeks left at clinical, and just under a month left in the program. I've basically already hit rock bottom a few times this past year, so I'm keeping my chin up even after a series of set backs. If I don't get a job within a few months of graduating I am seriously considering going mia in europe for a month. I'm thinking of hiking a really really long trail in Spain, but that's still conditional on this whole job market. Right now it pretty much sucks. I just hope that some positions open up very soon.

I don't really know what else to say for now. My brain is unfortunately not functioning at capacity. I have two more days of work this week and then I'm out of the MICU. I'm going to go hang out with some babies for the remainder of the program and learn a thing or two, hopefully.

I do wish I could write a more upbeat post, but I have nothing right now. I'm just trying to run the clock down right now.

crazyface

I really really really want to write a whole lot about what's been going on, but I'm just tired. Tired of class, tired of not getting paid to do treatments/vent checks/taking care of patients, tired of coming home feeling depressed that my chances of getting a job are slim after TRYING so hard to be the best possible RT I can be, tired of coming up short in my relationship because i'm so tired and busy all the time. I keep telling myself that 'this too shall pass', and singing "mamma said there would be days like this" and venting to nurses and just about anyone else that will listen to me. I'm sure I sound pretty pathetic right now. Jeeze. Everyone goes through this whole working for free at clinical phase, but the silly thing is I'm actually paying the school to send me to work. Is that really the definition of masochism?

Perhaps my perception of how I've been doing at clinical is skewed. I got really excited about this one job, and I have to be ok with not getting it. There are other jobs out there, and I need to start getting serious about applying at my back up places. It will be all ok in the long run, but I've just got to keep pushing through the crazy to get to the other side of all this mess.

Sleeping pill is kicking in. It's time for me to get my clinical stuff together and get to bed early. I'll try and write a more upbeat post next time. I also want to be honest to other new students about how your life changes quite a bit while juggling all this stuff.

later gators

Respiratory Student Resume

Elizabeth Darcy

2345 Surrey Dr. • Never Never Land, England • Phone (555) 555-1234

mrsdarcy@gmail.com

objective
	Seeking a position as Board Certified Respiratory Therapist in a Hospital setting where I can utilize my education and enthusiasm to provide exceptional patient care, while advancing and improving my performance in Respiratory Care.
Medical Experience
	Meryton Hospital January 2011-May 2011 Clinical III & IV n ICU critical care, mechanical ventilation management & charting, ABG sampling analysis, patient transports, and arterial line placement & management n Neonatal intensive care rotation n Training and proficiency on the PB-840 & Bipap Vision
	Netherfield Memorial Hospital January 2010- December 2010 Clinical II n Introduction into mechanical ventilation parameters, changes, & charting Clinical I n Patient Assessment, x-ray interpretation, charting, administering respiratory aerosol medication, and pulmonary hygiene techniques n Training and proficiency on Galileo & G-5 ventilators
Education
	Austen College 2009-2011 n AAS., Respiratory Therapy n Anticipated Graduation: May 2011
Certifiactions
	n ACLS & BLS. n CRT & RRT -- Anticipated completion date May 2011
Awards & Interests
	n Reading and taking long walks n Volunteer for the British Red Cross n Respiratory Therapy Class President of 2011 Tah Dah!! This is for all you rt students out there that have no flippin clue how to write a decent resume coming out of school. I do have the word doc. on file so perhaps one day I'll put it on here to download (if I can figure out how one does that....). Anywho. Lots to blog about, but all in time. Look for another post later this week.

supply closets, a-lines and being annoying

Yesterday wasn't insanely crazy, but I had an amazing day at clinical. I was fairly busy with small tasks that kept piling up, but I made it through the day.

First off on my little rants tonight. Supply closets. They suck when you are a student. I've learned that it doesn't really improve much after you get hired either. I probably spent about a good hour yesterday rooting around through various closets looking for an HME, flex tubing, and an abg kit. I finally gave up after the other therapist and I couldn't find the flex tube at all. I guess it's just one of those things I'm going to have to get used to, and also spend time making mental notes of where things are located.

I got to put in an a-line yesterday. Of course I had help, but once we got it I was so ecstatic. Boom goes the dynamite. I'm really hoping I get the opportunity to do it again soon.

And the last little bit of rambling goes to the haters. I'm sorry if you are old, jaded, and have kids and can't go back to school. But you know what? I'm making the best of my life right now when I'm young and free, and if you want to laugh, roll your eyes and scoff at my dreams to further my education (PA school or whatever I choose) then that is your choice to be negative. Making fun of someone because they want to further their education and aspire to be something more than mundane is a choice, and it's just one that I haven't made.

Maybe I am annoying to some. I can't be buddies with everyone. I do what I think is right, and keep my head up because in the end it's my life.

endings and beginnings

Endings: Finally, after ten months of wavering, I stood up for myself and made a decision that would affect the rest of my life. Obviously it was the best choice, but I couldn't see that at the time. Sorry to be vague. Remember that ex that was toxic and dumped me right after my final exams over the phone last June? Yeah. I put that all behind me now. Anyway, I'm just writing this to give myself kudos. Toot that horn. Give myself props for choosing not to be miserable the rest of my life.

Beginnings: I started writing my resume this week!! I tried to research how a student should format their resume, but there aren't too many examples out there. Once I get mine finished I'm going to post it up on the blog. Probably still going to keep my name/clinical site out of it for various reasons, but hopefully it will be of some guidance for students trying to get out there and nab a job.

I'm "officially" on break for 2 weeks, but I have a lot to get done in the next few days and I'll probably go to clinical over the break. I've found that I get insanely bored if left to my own devices after a few days of relaxing. I honestly do need a vacation soon, but I'm kind of waiting until after I'm CRT, RRT, AND have a job before being a beach bum for a week. I just recently purchased a ticket to France in September with a rebate. Right now it's looking like I'm going off into the abyss solo on this one. I don't think it would be all that bad to just throw on a backpack and catch some trains.

So, I'm basically as single as one can be. One is the loneliest number? Perhaps if you are sitting around all by yourself thinking about it all the time. I can't say that I'm all too worried about it.

Ok, so here's a really funny story that happened a few weeks ago while I was at clinical. I was taking care of a patient that had xyz problems. The resident had mentioned to me that they were taking the patient on a sedation vacation for a few hours to assess if all the screws were bolted together upstairs. I guess I wasn't listening when he mentioned this. So here I am in the patients room, noodling around and about to give the patient an MDI treatment though the vent circut. The patient was trached too, so I was up close to their head. I was wrestling to get the mdi port opened up, all the while my tongue sticking out (possibly looking like Pee Wee Herman), when the patient opened their eyes with me being maybe TWO inches from their face. You know what I did? I smiled, and touched their nose with my finger and said, "Boop. Good morning sunshine." I don't know where that really came from, but I did some eye contact for a second. I doubt it really had any bearing on memories. I did get to brush their hair, and clean up some dried secretions around their mouth before I left the room. The patient died two days later, and I hope I was at least a little brightness to the cold world that the hospital can be sometimes. I may be kind of silly sometimes, but I really do care for the patients. Period.

Anywho. It's 9p.m. and it's mah bed time. Good night kids.

What kind of therapist are you?

I spent a few hours down in the post anesthesia unit with a previous grad from my RT program. He grilled me. I was not expecting that at all, and it made me realize that I've been slacking on studying recently. It wasn't that I didn't know the answers to his questions (because I honestly did), I guess I was just caught off guard. He must of thought me to not be one of the brightest in the bunch, that's for sure.

I've decided that when I get placed with a student eventually that I'm going to teach them instead of making them very uncomfortable. After my burn on the grill, I did retain the answers to the questions... but is watching a student squirm for the answers that much fun? Word to all of you new RT students out there, if a clinical instructor is asking you tons and tons of questions the best way to stop this is to ask questions yourself.

Anyway. The one RT did give me some insight. He told me that there are several level of therapists out there, and it's up to us as new grads to make the decision to be great, mediocre, or awful.

In my opinion this is the difference between the button pushers, and the therapists that actually CARE for the patients. They stay a little longer in a room to explain to the family what the ventilator is doing for their loved one. They make a point to communicate effectively with the whole staff and team in the hospital. They stock the supply closet when things are running low. They will stay calm when it's all going down hill. They will ask and give help when needed. They don't complain every second of the day about how this is a dead end job. And most importantly they are an advocate for the patient.

I'm sure I missed out on some other key elements, but those are the things that I strive to do every day when I'm in the hospital. Yes, I realize at some point I'm probably going to get frustrated with my job, but as long as I keep in mind the aforementioned list, I think I'll make a pretty good RT.

School is winding down this quarter. I'm going to probably spend this weekend studying for my neonate final next Tuesday and finishing up a case study that is due next week. I did speak to one of the assistant directors at my clinical site to let them know I was interested in a job, but no positions are open right now. I have my fingers crossed because I really want to work there, but I also have a few back ups just in case it doesn't' work out.

As far as the personal life is concerned... things are a bit muddled right now. It might become clearer once I graduate, but probably not. I think the key to all of this is to do what I feel is right. I sometimes wish that everyone would leave their opinion out of the mix, but that's kind of impossible these days.

I wish....

....that I didn't have to get up early tomorrow.

....that my stomach would stop growling.

....that I had more courage to stand up and make my opinion known.

....that I could see what my future holds.

....that I have a job post-graduation.

....that there were more people that think outside the box.

....that Atlanta wasn't such an expensive city.

....that my hands aren't constantly freezing.

....that spring would come faster


Wishing upon little starts is all good, but I really need to make some of those things reality for myself. Every now and then I loose a bit of confidence and falter a little. I just don't want to be pushed over, and taken advantage of in my moment of weakness.

I also wish that everyone has a happy Tuesday night :)

argh

I'm tired. My eye balls want to be draped with my eyelids for at least 8 hrs straight for once. Four a.m. is getting mighty old. I'm still loving my new rotation, but it's killing me having to get up so early three (five, if you count class too) times a week.

I decided to hold off on moving back to the city until I know for certain that I'll have a job post graduation. I just started working on my resume and will be leaving it w/ the supervisors when I'm wrapping up my last clinical rotation. I only have one more that's starting in March, and I'll most likely stay at my current location and go into the NICU. I think I can deal with tiny crying babies, but I'd rather not try to pacify an angry three year old that is supposed to be taking an Albuterol treatment who has a wicked right hook (true story, happened to a friend at a children's hospital).

Anywho. Things are moving right a long. Next thing I know... I'll have RRT behind my name :) Niiiiice.

Discovered?

Has the code been broken?

Did someone catch the euphemisms and connect the lines?

Am I that obvious?

Probably. Do I care much if someone knows who I am from face to blog? Nah. I once thought it would be harmful (professionally) to have people aware that I wrote a blog, but now it doesn't matter too much. As long as I keep the politics out of it and follow HIPPA guidelines I don't see why I can't write down my daily musings in the hospital. I probably sound like an eleventeen year old on most of my posts anyway. I'm harmless.

If you ask me in person, I won'd deny being the author. We can even play a little game of secret society. I'll bring the invisible ink, and you bring the inspector gadget belt, and we will convene at 2:13 a.m. on the 8th floor observation deck. I'll bring refreshments too. Cookies probably.

Yes, I am weird.

Four more months...

But really the program will only be about three more months considering that I have most of March off. Woah.

So. The race for a job is on. My TA scared the crap out of me last week by telling me there were basically no jobs available. Her words were, "How can you apply for a job at a hospital where there aren't any jobs listed?" Touche...

It's not just the people in my class that I will be competing with for jobs, but also another school in Atlanta. They graduate before us, and therefore have a leg up. I am pushing to stay at the current hospital I'm at right now, but I might be going back to the previous clinical site if there's a chance I might get a job there. It just sucks that I could be going up against a friend for a job, but I'm trying to not let that bother me.

Question for all you RT's out there, what does a Respiratory Therapist resume look like? Any help would be very helpful.

Well, I've got to get up at 4a.m. for clinical tomorrow. Night kids.

landmines

The new hospital rocks. I can already tell. I'm going to be doing/seeing a lot more things, and hopefully I will benefit from the experience. I'm kind of hoping that I can just stay there my last rotation. I was already planning to move back into the Atl this summer after I graduate, so it would work out if I moved a little earlier than expected and scored an externship w/ the current hospital.

Now, to find a place to live.... Argh. It's pretty annoying, but hopefully I'll find something that doesn't entail living with an absolute slob like my last female roommate. I would consider just finding a one bedroom apartment and it just being me and the pup, but it would prob be too expensive considering that I'll be living on student loans until May.

Interesting developments in the personal life section of this blog....
I'm in touch with my ex. Don't know what will become of it, but I think we are trying to fix the things that were broken. Who knows, maybe all it needs is a little super glue.


I'm off to fold some laundry.

cabin fever

You know what 6" of snow will do to Georgia? Practically shut down the whole state for a solid week because no one knows how to drive in the snow/ice, and there's like one snow plow in the whole state. I think the mayor of Atl even declared it a national emergency for a few days. I declared it something a little different: a miracle. I caught a cold sometime on Sunday night before this whole snowpocalypse started, and have been making good use of the time off. I'm pretty much back to normal now, but still have a lingering sniffle and cough.

I did venture out to the grocery store on Tuesday, which was pretty hilarious. People scrambling around and acting crazy over the last loaf of bread. The temp is finally starting to rise, so the roads are clearing up. I'm kind of getting a mild case of cabin fever, and will probably need to get out of the house again pretty soon. Dr. GP said we were basically off of school until next Tuesday (b/c Monday is MLK day), but I'm considering going in tomorrow if people are going to be around to try and catch up on some school work. We missed two days of clinical... kind of sucks because I was looking forward to being at the new hospital.

Anyway. I'm missing Atlanta more and more these days. I'm really looking forward to moving back to city life. I know it's going to be a pain to find a place again, and finding a roommate is going to be a nightmare... but I'm look forward to it regardless. I think if I spend a good amount of time looking for the right living arrangement I'll be better off than searching craigslist. I have a friend that might be moving back to the city around the same time, so I reaaaally hope that works out. He wants to live in a house too, so that's good news. A part of me thinks I should work for a year or two, save up some money and live at home, and then spend six months in Europe or elsewhere wandering around. I'm still young enough to be a vagabond, right? I am still working on finding myself. It's going to be a life long process, I think...

Happy 2011 Y'all

I don't think I've uttered that word, Ya'll, in quite some time. I catch it coming out of my lips in times of desperation and I've got to get everyone's attention quick, or because I'm making fun of a southern cliche. Anyway, there's another random little tangent from yours truly.

It's 2011 and I'm on my last day of break before it's back to the grind. I'm going to be cranky pants for the entire week while I try to readjust my sleep schedule back to normal land. I have a feeling it's going to take a lot of coffee and probably a few five hour energy shots. Which, speaking of these five hour energy shots... I've been wondering whether or not they are really bad for you. I haven't ready any journals on health issues associated w/ with drink, and basically it's just a ton of b6 and b12. Anyone have any idea about this stuff?

As I begin my last few classes that I'll be taking for my RT degree, a new set of little respiratory students will start the program. I do feel bad for these little sprites, because the school I attend is moving from quarters to semesters while they are in the middle of the program, and will be having to double up on some classes. Part of the whole reason that I started the blog was so that other potential rt students could get an idea of what the process would be like directly from someone that's in the process of going through it.

The crappy thing for them is that they get Dr. Grumpy Pants right away, and he's not going to play nice with the little ones until we are graduated CRT and RRT. I understand why his focus would be to us, but it's kind of daunting dealing with this teacher when you first are around him. His presence does take up the whole room, and he's very aware of it. It's normal for the sr. students to throw the newbies a lunch and kind of spend some time getting to know them and quieting their fears. Dr. GP also said something about placing a newbie with each sr students as kind of a mentor thing (which I think is awesome!), but I doubt most people in the class would want to do that.

Anyway, I was thinking that I had about 5 more months of school left, but after looking at the dates and stuff, I really only have 4 months of solid school left. I just past second base, and I'm almost to third with the ball no where in sight. Home stretch is getting closer and closer.

I don't really know what graduation holds for me honestly. I can always hope that I'll get a good position somewhere, but there's always the slight chance that someone else will beat me out of a job. That's why as soon as I've graduated I'll be calling RT managers for some interviews. I love having a plan for the future, but there's very little hope of getting things lined up perfectly before graduating. It's the unknown that's a bit frightening. Real life in general is a bit frightening, but it's time for the big girl pants.

I will say that I had a lovely Christmas and New Year, and kept it fairly low key. Nothing epic, but there was fight between me and a bottle of Makers Mark on NYE :) Good thing I'm getting back into the grind of things and won't be able to hang out with Mr. Makers Mark anytime soon. As a friend called it, "No more white girl whiskey wasted for awhile, ok?" haha.