Tuesday, March 31, 2009

the big one (x2)

this morning was stressful. the test of all tests. the big one. all of the things from this past year came down to passing this one test..i wasn't so much concerned about just passing the test, but if i failed i would have to keep dealing with this school, and i really don't think i could handle that. i read a 1200+ page book cover to cover and then some in prep for this test, if that shows you just how much i did not want to be stuck with them for any longer. and guess what...

i passed!!!!

my heart was beating way fast the whole test, how lame. i stalled out at the submit button at the end, may have freaked out a little, clicked it, and i passed! i cannot even begin to explain to you how excited i am. the freaking roller coaster ride is over. it's over! no more tests for this school! 6 more clinicals, 2 little assignments, then DONE!

thank god. thanks for the prayers. thanks for the encouragement.

so what's the plan now? well...ANYTHING I WANT! we're about to go to a movie, then to the Spot with some friends to cheer on the Baylor basketball boys who play in NYC tonight...tomorrow = floating in the ocean with laura and MA if the weather's nice. (oh yah, they passed 2! yaaaaay!!!) maybe fishing? sandcastles? no school? P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N. 

in other news, my favorite little girl turned the big ONE today! Happy Birthday to miss Kylie Brooke! look at how CUTE she is! she must take after her favorite cousin ;)


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

43,200

that's what stands between me and graduation. in minutes. this also translates to...
one month.
2,628,000 seconds.
30 days.
one HUGE test.
8 clinical days.
a million frustrating school employees.
and one impossible clinical instructor.

today is a good day, in that it marks the beginning of the end of all of this. for fear of being permanently labeled a "negative nancy" or "debbie downer" or some other equally lame and non-positive name, i hesitate to vent yet again. but i'm doing it anyways. 

i am so far beyond frustrated with my school, the administration, and circumstances beyond our control. it is hard to remain positive when our hands are tied and there's nothing we can do to change situations that desperately need changing. and yes, my attitude stinks now. it does, i know. but regardless, i'm discouraged. and still have a lot to deal with. also, i'm applying for jobs, trying to figure out where i'll be next year, and basically just having a bad attitude. 

so here's where the request comes in. a request i don't often make. prayer. pray that i don't explode. and don't blow up on these ridiculous people. ha. kidding...kinda. but really. i'm stressed, even if it is overreacting. and i'm just overwhelmed. i need to do well on this test, i need to feel at peace about career decisions, i need to know the best ways to handle situations with difficult people in positions of power, i need an attitude adjustment, i need direction, i need...

i don't know what i need. what we need. what my class of 34 needs. all i know is what we don't need. and that's anymore barriers. or disrespect. or discouragement. or this school.

one month. dear lord, one month.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

there's no place like home.

This time tomorrow, i will be packing my car and heading home! I'll only be there for 2 days, and have a lot to do while I'm there, but I still can't wait :) Why? Because I get to see these crazies...

    

see the family resemblance? 

Monday, March 16, 2009

it's colder than it oughta be in march.

I wish it would hurry up and warm up around here. (If you know me well, I'm sure your jaw just hit the floor after hearing that comment come from me, queen of "I'm Hot.")

It has been rainy and cold for days. To be honest, I really like this kind of weather, strange as that may be. But it makes my productivity and motivation levels plummet. All I want to do is lie around all day, wrapped up in a blanket, watching movies or something equally as non-school-related.

Current weather aside, I really just want it to be warm, sunny, and not raining. This is beach weather! And after March 31st, all I will have left is 6 clinical days and graduation. 



So in between my days at the hospital come the days of hanging out at the pool, fishing, floating in the ocean, crabbing, building sandcastles, running on the beach? Marking things off of our "GTown List". Hop a cruise last minute?  The possibilities are endless people, and I for one cannot freaking wait.

This was the topic of discussion yesterday on our way home from our 2nd day of 8 hour test review, the 2nd day of "spring break."  Of course, this is all assuming I can tackle the exit exam on the first attempt. That being said, I'm off for day 3 of the oh-so-fun 8 hours of test review. Tomorrow? Day 4.

Monday, March 9, 2009

A Box of 96!

Today marks the start of a three week marathon of mayhem and deadlines that I'm hoping we will all survive. The odds of survival are in our favor, but for the sake of being dramatic I'll leave it as questionable. 

After spending the first half of the day at Moody Library (UTMB, not Baylor's Moody Library, unfortunately) and getting sufficiently stressed out about, well, life in general I came home to a fun little surprise in my mailbox...some people just know how to make this pseudo-adult kid's day brighter. 



So in case there was any question of whether or not my grandparents are the coolest around, this should answer it. Yes, they're cool. Beyond cool. They send jumbo coloring books, jumbo boxes of crayons, and fun markers. And basically I just love them. A lot.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Crawfish Boil

4:20...After realizing just how much I have to do over the next couple of days, and just how much I needed to be studying, I signed off of facebook, to check my school e-mail. And this is what I get. An e-mail entitled "TODAY!! Free Crawfish Boil-MARDI GRAS PARTY!" It looked a little something like this..."FREE for all UTMB Students. Crawfish, Shrimp, Sausage, Potatoes, and Corn. Sodas, Hurricanes, Beer." After about 20 minutes of telling myself all of the reasons why it would be a horrible idea to go to this instead of studying, I walked out the door, we picked up Laura, and headed to good ol' UTMB. (I have to eat dinner, so why not a free dinner, right? Ha)

5:15...Shortly after arriving, the same person who interviewed me when I applied to this school asked me if I wanted a drink. Not the same kind of drinks Baylor offered us. I laughed, and had a "we're not in Kansas anymore moment." After waiting in line for a little while with a million future doctors, we got served HUGE plates of food. Laura and I just stared at the crawfish. They still had eyes. Weird. Mary Alice taught us the proper crawfish peeling technique, and we eventually figured it out. Well, we kind of figured it out. Laura probably still has shrimp poop under her nails. This was a big concern. But we managed to eat all of our little crawfish. And my first crawfish experience was a success! Messy, but successful. Now I'm back home. With the lingering fishy odor to remind me of my good decisions. And this time, I'm being serious. I'm glad we went. It was a nice break and a fun time :)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

What You Never Knew You Wanted to Know

I hate to say it, but I gave in to the infamous "25 THINGs" that has been making its way around facebook. I said if I was going to do it, I would just do it quickly, no big deal. Ha. Several hours later, here it is.

1. I love snail mail. More than that, I love getting packages in the mail. Love. All I get now are bills and pre-approved credit card crap. Where’s the fun in that? No thank you. I’d rather have a box full of fun, or a card that’s so lame it’s funny.

2. I like for the volume level on the TV to be set on an even number. Never an odd, evens only por favor. I don’t know why, I know it’s weird. I would rather have it just a little too loud and set at 18 or a little too soft and set on 16 than to have it on 17. And I have the kind of friends that after finding this out make sure it is set on an odd number at all times. It drives me crazy. They love it.

3. Little things annoy me. And the more I focus on not letting said things annoy me, the more I am painfully aware of just how truly annoying they are.

4. I’m a knuckle popper. Well, make that a bone popper in general. Shoulders, elbows, ankles, fingers, toes, knees, back, wrists, neck. You name it, I crack it. Often. It’s probably really disgusting for those around me, but I can’t stop. Oh yah, I bite my nails too. At least I don’t pick my nose.

5. In April 2007 I became a first time owner of a security system. A very thorough security system, complete with around the clock surveillance. A leaf blows across the porch, security alarm sounds. Wall creaks, alarm sounds. Shadow moves, alarm. Her name is Baylie.

6. I don’t like talking on the phone. Every now and then you’ll catch me in a phone-talking kind of mood, but it’s not often. I will text you a million times a day and e-mail you too. But phone calls? Eh, no thanks. Maybe I should work on my communication skills? Yah, I know.

7. I don’t really watch TV. The news, Law and Order SVU, and Jon and Kate Plus 8 are the only shows I’ve really watched at all in the past few months.

8. My mind works in 15 minute intervals, and I tend to schedule my life accordingly. Even if I know it only takes me 5 minutes to get somewhere, I plan for fifteen. If it’s 18 minutes, I plan for 30. And so the trend continues.

9. I grew up in the same town as my grandparents, aunt, and uncle. Our Waco family of 8. That is one of the greatest blessings in my life thus far.

10. I am shy. I am outgoing. I never shut up. I’ll go hours without saying a thing. I speak my mind, and don't voice my opinion. I am a million different things in different situations. I wish I were consistent.

11. I like books. I never finish them. Ever. Seriously. I wish I was joking, but I really can’t remember the last time I actually finished a book. I mean, how ridiculous is it to read a couple hundred pages and not read the last 2 chapters? Extremely ridiculous, I realize. Welcome to adult ADD and its many wonders.

12. I wish I could be a photographer. I got a new camera for Christmas and I love it. One day, I’ll get a digital SLR camera as well. I plan on being one of those moms that annoys the crap out of her kids by taking way too many pictures on a daily basis. According to my family, Baylie is the most photographed dog around, but hey, I’ve gotta practice.

13. I like my middle name. ANNE. The only time I don’t like it is when my brother says it. “Jessica Anne.” He said it just to annoy me growing up. Just because I told him he couldn’t call me that. I went by Jessica, and that’s what he needed to call me. Sometimes he included my last name too just for an added annoyance. This was usually when he had his nasty bare feet as close to my face as possible without touching me from the backseat on a family road trip. Or when he wanted to watch freaking Walker Texas Ranger and I just wanted to watch my favorite episode of Rescue 911 that I had watched a million times before. Oh brothers. Thank you, Jonathan Robert.

14. My memory is a weird thing. I can meet somebody one time, or have one casual conversation with a random person, and I will remember it forever. Give me a useless fact that I will never need to know, and I’ll tell you about it ten years later. Faces, names, anything people related…got it. Pay me $100 to tell you something I learned in a class last year, and it’s pretty safe to say you’re not going to be out any money.

15. Growing up, I loved new boxes of crayons and markers. New ones. All the time. I didn’t want the broken ones. No. No peeled off paper labels for me. No way. This was serious business. I would scan and copy the pages of my coloring book so that I could color them as many times as I wanted, making sure they were perfect. Outline in marker, fill in with crayon. That’s the only way to go.

16. I love jackets. And blankets. And bags. Somehow I find one of these three things at just about every store I go to, and think I have to have it. Good thing I have some self control, and a serious deficit in the bank account department.

17. I wish I could wear pajama pants or sweat pants 24/7. Let’s be honest, I pretty much already do. But I wish it were socially acceptable. Fashionable even.

18. I am a recovering PC user. In December, I saw the light, and the error of my ways. Now it’s Apple all the way. Goodbye Dell, hello MacBook. Once you go Mac, you never go back.

19. I love scrapbooking. In fact, I love everything craft related. Probably too much.

20. I’ve always wanted to adopt a kid. That plan has never been as real as it was today, as I sat through a lecture about childbirth. OHH EMM GEE people.

21. I want to run a marathon. Heck, even a half-marathon. The issue with this goal is the fact that I’m a horrible runner. You know that person you pass on the side of the road…the one whose face is redder than ever, is sweating like an obese old man, huffing and puffing like an 80 year old chain smoker, and looks like they could fall over at any given moment? Welcome to me and my running abilities, or lack thereof. I bought running shoes. Five months ago. I’ve worn them once. I’s a start? Like how I kid even myself?

22. School supply shopping. Why is it so great? Why am I obsessed with school supplies? Or office supplies? Or organization of said supplies? I am so ready for a break from school. But what will I do when I won’t have a reason to get a new pack of yellow fluorescent markers and post-it notes? Perhaps I’ll actually get a life. And stop being such a nerd.

23. I want to make a quilt. The problem is I can’t sew. And I don’t have a sewing machine, or a clue as to how to make a quilt. Maybe after I graduate, I should make friends with a group of gray haired old ladies who sit around all day and talk about what things were like when they were my age. They quilt, I’m sure of it. That’s probably my best bet for figuring out this whole quilt-making thing.

24. I think it’d be fun to go skydiving. Not bungee jumping. I’m way too much of a chicken to do either, but just saying that I want to go skydiving makes me sound cool and adventurous, right?

25. I told myself I would never do this 25 THINGS list. Nope, not going to do it. There’s no procrastination or boredom level that would lead me to this. See how well that worked out? What a disappointment I am. To myself. You’re welcome.