baby steps

Made it through a colossal gauntlet of beastly deadlines for all my classes on Thursday through Saturday, and I had a test in basic nursing this morning.  After being fried on all the frantic desperation on all that other stuff, I had not much left over with which to focus on today's test.  I still managed to study, some, but it may be more important that I got some good sleep this weekend, and didn't have insomnia last night.  I made a high C, to my relief. Amazingly, half the class did worse than I did-- 19 students made Ds and 13 made Fs on that exam-- kind of staggering.

So I'm baby-stepping away.  My on-site clinicals concluded last week. I have a major assignment due related to that in a couple of weeks, but after tomorrow, I only have one simulation lab clinical remaining for the semester. The mile markers are passing and it's starting to feel like I may pull a squeaker after all.

*****
My house is a mess.  The dining/living area are actually not bad, except for two substantial piles of clean clothes and school papers strung across every horizontal surface. I've managed to smooth my feathers enough to deal with most of the clothes, and I think I can at least punch some of the papers into a semblance of order.  Even if there's a lot to be done, it feels much less manic if there's a  tidy place to work. I found an empty classroom this afternoon that was very quiet, and I made a lot of progress there, so there must be something to that.

For now, though, baby steps, and watching the mile markers go by...

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: little miss doopie-drawers

If you had such cuddle-bugs to snuggle up with, you'd still be in bed, too. I am ready to be judged!

Bit by bit

I managed to get my final assessment for my clinical submitted Thursday night. Friday afternoon I completed my pharmacology mid-term and finished compiling the data of my research group's project. I need to add my findings and get that submitted Saturday and Bob's yer uncle. After all the grind of the week, I had nothing left over for studying the 150 or so pages for dosage calculation, the quiz being due before midnight on Friday. I took an intense hour to skim through the book, doing quiz questions here and there to make sure I understood  how the calculations were done. To my bafflement, I whizzed through with an 80. *whew* better than I had a right to expect. 

I really need an A on my pharmacology test, and I hope all the hours I spent on it pay off. 

Sorry- I just realized that me fretting out loud must be crushingly dull to read. I'm just relieved that the heaviest deadlines of my weekend have been met. 

I decided that one reason I'm so fried lately is that I have no down- time to recharge my batteries. Decided I'm going to insist on this. Starting to read a Neil Gaiman book on Saturday. I think this will help me break out of the perpetual feeling that life had become one big pressure-filled series of world-crushing dominoes. 

So. Yeah. Puppies! I have sweet, furballs. Life is good, anyway. 

Whelmed some kind of way

I had 4 major assignments due in a 48 hour period, one which is a final for one segment of one course- if I don't pass that, I have to take the entire course again.

Foolishly, I agreed some time ago to have this week as my turn to lead a group project for Research.  Ugh.

I was up working on school until midnight last night, and woke up and hit it again.  I'll probably be up until Midnight again, but soon I'll have the 3rd of the 4 things submitted.  The remainder of the 4th thing will be just to submit the final work for the group project.  I'm so tired.  I hope I pass all of this.

I'm not gonna crack.

What I've learned lately:

Buttermilk is probiotic!

Yes, it keeps your gut flora healthy while your antibiotics do their thing. 

Dad always liked an occasional glass of buttermilk, and I thought it was gross. Now I get it-- love this stuff. 

I'm ready for stopped-up ear and ear ringing to go away. 4 days of horse pills and still I have that. Meh. 

Taking a pic of my glass, Chuy took a swipe, and he likes buttermilk, too!

I was careful thereafter to drink from the unmolested side of the buttermilk. I love the streaks on the glass as it dries. 

Where did Spring break go?

I hoped to end spring break with a cleaner house, but I think I just about broke even. Got sick last week. I can deal with the head cold, and I'm grateful the antibiotics have knocked out the pain a bit, but I'm seriously tired of the tinnitus related to the ear infection. I hope it's gone when I wAke up in the morning. 

Major test in pharmacology in the morning. Ugh. 

Can't wait for this semester to be in the rear view mirror. 

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: my sweetings

When I'm feeling ill, these puppies are more sweet and attentive than you can imagine. Love my furballs!

I did it!

I went to a blog for 5 minutes and I actually posted a comment. I wanted to do more on Spring Break, but maybe I'll get to make the blog rounds this summer. For now, that's all I've got.

I have no time for the rounds. No time for social life. No time for anything. Can't believe I'm in school with dozens of people all the time and this is the most isolated period of my entire life. I felt more sociable working from home. I at least had occasional conversations with people. I'm grateful for the opportunity, but I thought at least with school I'd have a sense of striving toward a common goal with people, but I really don't. I just feel like I'm barely keeping the water out of my lungs.

Speaking of, I've had allergies for a couple of weeks, but today this feels like a headcold. Blarg.  My knee is better. I did have a phone convo with my dear FarmMom, and I will be going to the dr about my knee. 

For now, though, I'm back to studies for the rest of the day.

The Voices Of Spring

I'm sure it's purely coincidental that I've killed the first mosquito of the year today.

Lucia Popp was at the top of her form when this was recorded in 1965. Normally I'm not a big Strauss* fan, but this is the most visually pleasing rendition** I've seen, and it's the only one I found with a chandelier.

Frühlingsstimmenwaltzer by Johann Strauss II



*none of the Strausses, really, Richard, whoever.  They are superb, I admit and glorious, just not my preferred flavor

**though I truly wish she'd left out that very high note at the end - it goes a bit thin and pushed, and a proper vocal coach would have discouraged its inclusion

A comfort level with contradictions

I have noticed on Facebook that people I know who are anti-vaccination fanatics are also big fans of Obamacare.  This seems a massive contradiction to me. They go off on rabid tirades about the louche/illegal/unsafe practices of the entire pharmaceutical industry and the FDA allowing them to get away with it, and yet they are comfortable with another federal agency running every aspect of their healthcare?  There's no polite or delicate way to describe this order of stupidity.

The idea of something is more easily managed than the actual fact.

Since the second week of January, I've had this fantasy about the mighty, hallowed SPRING BREAK.  The idea of it was a vast, uncommitted week that would stretch out for a whopping 9 days and I'd get so much done, including cleaning/reorganizing stuff in my house, I'd do some sewing and nap until noon every day and knit a sweater for every puppy on the planet.

Today is technically day 4 of that 9 day stretch.  The first two days were entirely consumed by a commitment at an antique shop, but that was productive, as well. Yesterday my primary accomplishment was study, but I didn't sleep til noon either yesterday or today.

My knee is presenting a major obstacle, so I'm going to be a trifle less of a domestic Tasmanian Devil than planned. Settle for minor cleaning and probably nil on the organizing bit. I have SO so so much study to do for my pharmacology test on Monday. I hope to do well on this test-- I've already put in a great deal of very productive study-- but it's so dense and there's so much to remember. Not easy. I've been feeling pretty discouraged about that one, and profoundly stressed about it. Nursing school is an endurance test, I've decided. A load of towels is drying on the line and another is in the washer. It's dry, breezy and warm today, so I should be able to get several loads done today.  This week is all forecast for sunny and 50/60/70s, so it should be a nice, relaxing week, somewhat. 

The pups are hale and hardy, and the same great joy that brightens every day. I'll put my book on the coffee table for study today so they can make their little horseshoe formation around me on the sofa. 

I'm off to Do Things.  The puppies of the planet will have to forego the pleasure of sweaters from me for the time being.

Ugh. My knee!

Best I can figure, I wrenched my knee sometime last week. It hurt at the time, but the real killer was several days (like sim lab clinical) where I had to stand for hours without being able to move around much-- until that, even a fair but of walking didn't feel bad. Trying to rest it up this week. Monday seemed much better, but I keep waking up with ouches. Took half a pain pill to sleep tonight, and it's helped a bit, but not much. I'm awake now at 1:15.  Hoping this is not the harbinger of major knee problems to come. I can't afford infirmities! 

:(

Say hello to my leetle Fran!

His name is Fran.

At an antique market this weekend, someone put this up at the register to purchase, but never claimed him. Between his impish grin and orange fingernails, I decided Fran needed to come home with me.

 

Funny thing. A lady at the checkout deliberated about buying him. She seemed as taken with Fran as was I. She vexed and vexed, and said "I would take him except that I don't like that it says WHISKEY on the bottle." I assured her that this little fellow has been sober for a very long time. (bottom of the bottle says 1972).  I went on to say that having this in her home wouldn't be to promote whiskey. She finally walked away and I took him home instead. I later learned she was a preacher's wife, and he would have looked askance at this impish vessel entering his humble abode.

 

Tee hee.

Well, all the better for mine. I think he's adorable. 

I've tons of booze of various stripes that have been collecting dust on a shelf for years, and I've been planning to clear off all but the occasional fliers from the shelf.  That'll make more room for this little guy.

 

I'm not one to go in for wearing green or big holiday themes, etc, but in this case, I'll make an exception. :)