Monday, November 30, 2009

Okay, two weeks to go and semester number one is in the books! My grades so far are pretty good. I have managed an A in Biochemistry, Anatomy, Problem Based Learning and Professional Seminar; a B in Clinical Medicine and Patho/Physiology; and a C in History & Physical Exam. My grade for Pharmacology is yet to be determined.

For a lot of people in my class this report card is A-OK, lucky for me I happen to be one of them. I sit in the back row and tend to be a lot more laid back. I don't ask a lot of questions because people who do that annoy me and I secretly think they just want show the rest of the class how smart they are by asking completely ridiculous questions. I don't study as much as a lot of my class which allows me to have some semblance of a social life. I am grateful for this! Sometimes I feel like a slacker but when it's all said and done I realize that getting an A in every class is not worth my sanity. "you know what they call the guy that got C's all through Med school? Doctor!"

Our instructors vary from being as annoying to me as nails on a chalkboard to being downright fascinating. One of our Clinical Medicine instructors (we have had approx 10 this semester) crams about 5 hours of lecture material into 2 hours. She uses abbreviations in her power points that none of us know and has given us enough handouts this semester to keep a cozy fire going all night long. Oh, and we're all pretty sure she makes her own clothes and was the inspiration for Dr Seuss' Grinch character. Key Point: I cannot stand her

Our Clinical Medicine class is this: 2 hrs on Mon, 3 hrs on Tues, 4 hrs Wed. We are never sure who is going to be lecturing because most of the time we have outside physicians and PA's coming in to lecture and it's always completely random topics. I posted something on facebook about our last test and I think we had well over 1000 power point slides, 14 handouts, plus the material from the last test. Each instructor gives our medical director 10 questions. The medical director picks the same number of questions from each instructor to put on the test. This means that if 70% of the material covered comes from one instructor, this instructor and the instructor that lectured for an hour will get the same amount of questions on the test. The test is 30 questions. I don't know, this just seems ridiculous to me. Also, you only pass the test if you stay with the pack. If you are more than 2 standard deviations away from the mean you fail. So if everyone does pretty good on the test (mean is 95%) and you got an 87% you could possibly fail the test. It's just craziness!

But...I am super happy to be there! I know everyday how fortunate I am to have gotten into this program. I just need to vent a little here and there. However, I am seriously wondering how a few of the people in my class got in. Seriously!! I think some files got switched around or some sort of foul play is involved. Also, a love triangle!!! Coming next on Kermster's blog!

Stay tuned :)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Yo Yo Yo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7jme2b0N0

This is a really funny "rap" that was made by the Emory University PA program! It's about the first year of PA school :)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A blog!

I was searching the PA forum and I ran across a PA student's blog. After reading it I am 95% sure that the student is a Senior at my school. That means he is currently doing clinical rotations while we, the juniors, are going though our didactic year. He never mentions the program specifically but he does talk a lot about the individual instructors, class schedule, ping pong tables outside the classroom and he mentioned that it snowed a foot a couple of days before Halloween. Makes sense to me.

Anyways, his blog gave me the idea that maybe I would do a blog about my experience in PA school. It seems these days I don't have much to talk about that isn't somehow related to PA school. I'm sure that a lot of what I post will not be remotely interesting to most of the people that read this blog but I think it might be a good way for me to vent. The guy whose blog I found almost got divorced during his didactic year b/c his wife felt that he was neglecting her so much and he had a 3 year old son. Reading his blog made me feel very grateful that I have no real responsibilities outside of the program and that my fiance' understands that we will have to sacrifice time together for a little while ;)

So, more posts to come.....

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Halloween Party!


For some odd reason I decided to have a Halloween party this year. It seems like every year since my parents stopped picking my costumes for me, my costumes have sucked and I have thrown them together the day before. There were so many Halloweens that I didn't even know what I was supposed to be. I put on random, mismatched articles of clothing from the thrift store, threw on a wig and called it a costume. Most of the time I was attending another persons Halloween party where I knew hardly anyone or I was freezing my ass off in some "downtown" Halloween craziness (Tahoe, Chico, Boulder, Berkeley?) The bottom line is...I always seem to let Halloween sneak up on me and then I am frantically throwing together a half ass'd costume and celebrating in a less than ideal way.
Well this year I decided to take the Halloween bull by the horns and plan a party! I have never planned a Halloween party before so I just went to the Halloween Super Mega Warehouse Store and bought a lot of cheesy decorations. I think it will be perfect and I'm so excited!!! I also invited my PA class to join the festivities and so far I have about 6 RSV P's. I hope anyone who is reading this blog is also planning to attend. :-D

Sunday, October 4, 2009

I know that no one really reads this blog anymore and I totally understand. I guess that blogging for blogging's sake is what blogging is all about...how many times can I use the word "blogging" in a sentence?

Anyways, I've been in school now for over a month. Here is what has suffered:
1.) My patience
2.) My social life
3.) My ability to find time to work out
4.) My pitching
5.) My trying new and awesome recipes
6.) My friendships
7.) My time spent with the new pup and the awesome Daisy
8.) My ability to talk about anything not related to the human body
9.) My ability to locate pretty much anything (keys, car, wallet, etc)
10.) My ability to have a meaningful conversation about anything other than physiological processes even when I'm trying

Here is what has strengthened:
1.) My ability to make friends in a new environment
2.) My ability to make choices about short term/long term gain and prioritize accordingly
3.) My ability to multitask
4.) My ability to accept that I am an intelligent person
5.) My ability to realize what is lacking and what is important in my life
6.) My ability to face most challenges and know that I can and will succeed
7.) My ability to recognize strengths I possess
8.) My belief that nurture can rise above nature
9.) My belief that my knowledge could actually help someone someday
10.) My belief that I can do anything if I want it badly enough

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Week Two



So I am officially in week two of PA school. So far...not so bad. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that the monster is merely luring me in and in no time, I will be fighting for my life...as a PA student. I don't know if any of you are this way but in order for me to put the time in to study a certain subject I need to have the EXAM lurking over my shoulder. I know that everything I have been told since being a PA student stresses the fact that I should be studying for tests that are 2+ weeks away. I just can't do it!! I need to know that test is in my very near future to be able to buckle down. It's how I've always been. I certainly don't "cram" but if I have a test in one week I sure as heck am going to study for it. Anywho, I know that the full force of the fire hose of information has not hit me yet but when it does I have only two words to say....bring it! :)

Saturday, August 29, 2009

A New Chapter

I have officially begun PA school! I am a mixture of emotions at present. I am excited, nervous, scared, anxious and overwhelmed. It was brought to my attention on Thurs that I am in fact the only person in my class of 30 who does not currently possess an undergrad degree. I realize that that should make me feel very proud to have been selected, which it does, but it also makes me feel very different from the rest of the class; kind of like an outsider. I will have to prove to myself that I belong there and that I can be competitive with the rest of the class. That will happen in time.

The classes that I will be taking this semester: Biochemistry, Physiology, Pathophysiology, Human Anatomy, Human Anatomy Lab, Clinical Medicine, History and Physical Exam, Professional Seminar, Problem Based Learning and Pharmacology....yikes.

I think I am also a little more overwhelmed than I normally would be because I have done absolutely nothing for the past year and now am being thrust into this type of schedule. I'm sure I will develop a rhythm and routine before too long and it will all be manageable.

Anyways, it was nice knowing everyone, see you in two years! ;)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Buddy

As most of you know, Paul and I have really considered getting another dog. We took our time making this decision because we knew it was not something to be taken lightly. After returning from Vegas we had our minds made up to go ahead and start looking for a dog. We first went to visit a 3 year old black lab girl that was being fostered in Denver. She seemed nice enough but when she was introduced to Daisy she began showing a bit of aggression. It didn't last long and as soon as she was convinced that Daisy was not going to threaten her, they began to run around together. We decided that this was just not the dog for us.

The next day I went to the Humane Society. I got almost the whole way through when I saw Bear. He had the biggest, most beautiful eyes. He was a 7 month old black lab. I took him out and played with him and he was such a sweetheart. He could catch a tennis ball in the air, sit, lay down, and liked to play with other dogs. I ran home and got Paul and we both went back with Daisy. They met and everyone seemed to get along. So we brought him home. At 7 months he was already bigger than Daisy! Also, I forgot to mention that he had already been diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia. He didn't really show it though.

After we got him home, he and Daisy ran around the house playing. It was then that we learned that he is probably one of the most slobbery dogs I've ever seen. Big, long strands of slobber going everywhere. Also, we notice that he did have some trouble going up and down stairs because of his hip. Paul and I began to question our choice.

He was a really good dog and very smart. I named him Buddy and by the morning he was already responding to it. It took Daisy and Buddy to the dog park the next day. Buddy was also great in the car. He just laid down for the duration. At the dog park a girl noticed him and asked whether he was mine. I told her the situation and that I was actually planning on returning him to the Humane Society that day. She said that she really liked him and wanted to take him home but that she was in the process of moving. I gave her my number and told her to call me if she changed her mind in the next few hours.

I drove directly to the Humane Society because I knew that if I kept him any longer it was going to be exponentially more difficult for me to give him up. After returning him I got back into the truck and noticed a missed call. It was the girl from the park asking me to hold on to Buddy b/c her boyfriend was very interested and wanted to meet him that night. I told her that I had just dropped him off but that she should call and put him on hold. She called me back a bit later saying that she had called and tried to put a hold on him but that b/c he had been adopted and returned he would not be available for a whole week! I think that is just crazy! Especially when later that night I received a mass email from BVHS saying that they were at capacity and needed people to adopt and foster if possible.

Anyways, I looked on the website yesterday and he has a hold on him. I really hope he goes to a good home because I really think he has a lot of potential for someone who doesn't mind a little slobber. It was very hard to take him back. It was through no fault of his own that it wasn't a good fit. He deserves a great home.

Monday, July 13, 2009

My Trip To Vegas

I drove out to Vegas on Thurs, July 2nd. I took Daisy, two over sized tubes, and a cooler. The drive took me 11hrs and I rolled in to Vegas at about 7p.m. I was super tired. The plan for that night was to do all the shopping for the boat outing the next day. However, the number of people that had committed to going on the trip originally began dropping substantially. I certainly didn't feel up to shopping for people who may or may not decide to join us on the trip. That meant that we needed to get up extra early and do the shopping in the morning. Despite our best efforts to get to the lake early, we didn't actually get on the lake till about 11. It was a complete zoo! The party boat we rented turned out to be an awesome idea. We kept a lot of the drinks and food on this boat and the power boat came and went as people wanted to tube. I had a blast! The water was perfect! Daisy made "jumping of the boat" debut and she was so cute. Later in the day Ethan and Amanda joined us and brought with them their black lab Missy. Daisy and Missy had a great time too.

It was such a great day until the clouds started rolling in. It took only about ten minutes from the visualization of the clouds until total downpour! We couldn't get off the lake fast enough. By the time we arrived back at the marina, so had every other boat on the lake. So once again, zoo.
It continued to rain for the next half hour or so. So all in all, $700 for five hours and two boats. Not really the best bang for the buck but it was fun and I'd do it again :)

The rest of the trip was pretty fun too. While Paul was playing in the main event, Katie and I did some shopping and played $1/$2 at the Luxor. On Paul's days off he would join Katie and me but instead of playing, he would sit behind us and critique our play. I was super nervous about this idea at first but it turned out to be extremely helpful to both of us. Katie won almost $1000 this last week and I was up about $150. She gets herself into the craziest all in pots but usually manages to have the best hand. Yay Katie!! The last night we were there Katie, Justin and I went to see Bruno at Red Rocks. It was really funny! Afterward Justin went home and left us ladies to bring home the bacon ;) We played for about 4 hours at Red Rocks and we both ended the night up about $130. I love playing live poker but it's even more fun when you win some money!

Daisy was extremely bored in Vegas. I felt so bad for her. I took her to the dog park one day and there wasn't a single other dog there. I threw the ball for her about three times in the 106 degree heat and it was time to go. I don't know how Zoe did it for nine months, she was a trooper. I felt so bad for little Daisy that one morning I got up early and drove her to lake mead. She found a pit bull buddy to splash around with (I swear, all the dogs in Vegas are pit bulls) and we left after about 90min.

Paul made a good run but unfortunately we packed up the car Sunday morning and headed for home. It was a nice trip but probably my last for awhile.

If anyone snapped any pictures from the lake I'd love to see them!!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Well, I think it is time. Paul and I are talking seriously about getting a brother or sister for Daisy. When we first considered this idea, Daisy was only about 6 months old. At that point we thought that maybe we should give a her a little more time to grow up and come into her own. Maybe she would not be the kind of dog that would benefit from having a doggie companion. She is now 13 months old and I'm afraid the she most certainly is the kind of dog that would love a brother or sister. Her favorite thing in the whole world is romping around with another dog. I'm starting to feel a little sad for her when she is wandering around the house searching for a toy to keep her occupied or when she just sleeps most of the day. I try to take her on a good, long hike or to the dog park at least once a day but I know that she would be so much happier with someone to play with.

I have been looking at some dogs on the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue web site. The woman who runs it thinks that there are three dogs that would be good candidates. Their names are Wilber, Gage and Bobbi. Take a look and tell me what you think :)

Monday, June 15, 2009



So I thought I would get a head start and buy the books that I will need for PA school. I just about fell out of my chair when I counted how many books I will be needing.... 21 to be exact! This is only the number of mandatory books I need to buy. There is a whole other list of "recommended" texts for the class. I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

My White Trash Family

Okay, the title is a little harsh but I would like to begin by saying that my mom is excluded from this category!

So this post is meant to be amusing because personally, I just think it's hilarious. I have 6 cousins from my mom's brother Ron's marriage to a woman named Terry. She had five kids when they were married and then they had another together. I don't believe Terry has ever worked a day in her life. She sits on her ass, smokes pot, has kids and collects welfare. I have four cousins from my mom's brother Steve's marriage to a woman named Becky. I spent a lot of time with all of these cousins when I lived in Oklahoma. At that time we were all fairly poor but not white trash. My mom, dad and I moved to CA when I was 8. My Uncle Ron separated from Terry and moved to CA with his son when I was 17. I did not see any of my other cousins again until I was 23.

During the time that I had no contact with them I at least got updates through my Uncle Ron. My cousin Jamie had a baby when she was 13. She had another at 16. None of my cousins graduated from high school and all of the girls had had at least one baby by the age of 18. Most of my cousins where either addicted to meth or in prison for meth posession at one time or another.

When I was 23 Terry and her kids Jaime and Keesha moved to Quincy and lived with my Uncle and his son Eric. Keesha was 21 at the time and had her 3 year old daughter with her. Inevitably, Jerry Springer like drama ensued, Jaime became pregnant, my Uncle went to prison and his son went to a group home. None of these incidents were related to each other! ;)

I think that most Terry's kids are living either at her trailer or a trailer down the street in South Carolina. Keesha and Jaime have since had more babies; all of their children have different fathers and neither of them are in custody of all of their children. My cousin Angela had her children taken away when she was arrested for meth. My Uncle Steve now takes care of them. I recently found out that she now has another 3 mo. old and is remarried but has never contacted my Uncle to see about getting her other kids back. She does not work either.

I could go on and on but you get the jist. The reason I think this is funny is because I have no relationship with these people and I don't think I want one. I have distanced myself from them and feel no sympathy for them whatsoever. I do, on the other hand, have a great amount of sympathy for the kids they are bringing into the world.

The reason I posted about this is because through the wonderful creation that is myspace, one of my cousins has contacted me. Turns out that 4 of them live in Vernal Utah and they want me to come visit. I'm just not sure if I should alert Jerry before I go or if I should wait until I come back. J/k, I'm just really not sure if I want to go. I have no idea if they are still doing drugs or what kind of living conditions they are in right now.

Anyways, thanks parents for moving me to CA!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

The Incident

Since Paul brought it up and then left everyone hanging, I guess I will fill you in on what happened. I think that I was sleepwalking. That is the ONLY explanation that I can think of. Since Paul and I got here we have both had a terrible time adjusting to the schedule. We sleep all day and are up all night. When I wake up I am never sure if it is dawn or dusk. On this particular night it was late and I was having trouble getting to sleep. Paul and I had split a bottle of wine (maybe more like 1/3 to 2/3) when he decided to go play poker. I remember sitting in bed reading and realizing that it was pointless b/c by this time I was just groggy enough that I wouldn't remember what I had read in the morning and would need to re-read everything. I don't remember putting the book down. The next thing that I remember is standing outside the boat watching it sail away.

On the rhine there are multiple "step offs" in which boats are basically lowered into the next length of the river. They enter a kind of shoot or holding area while the water level is lowered. When this happens, cement walls on both side of the boat are so close that you can actually reach outside the boat and touch them. There are ladders extending from the bottom of these walls to the top. My only guess is that I climbed out of our open window and climbed up one of these ladders while our boat was stopped. The wierd thing is that I probably could've climbed back down and onto the boat but didn't "wake up" until the boat was already down the river.

I realized that I was in big trouble. It was about 2:30 in the morning at this point. My first thought was to see if there was anyone around the levee controling the water and get their attn. I banged on a few doors but no luck. There was a road nearby so I thought I should make for that and try to flag someone down. I had to jump two very tall metal fences in the process. This was very painful as I had on no shoes or socks, just some sweats and a tank top. I made it to the road but there was hardly any traffic. I saw a town about 5 miles away (I was up on a hillside) so I started walking. After about 15-20 minutes a car passed by and stopped. I was reluctant to ask for help because I didn't really want to be abducted! I approached the car and the person inside seemed genuinely concerned. Luckily they spoke a little English and I explained the situation. They said that there was a watch tower type station up the road along the river and that they would give me a ride there. It was a hard decision but my gut said that it was safe, so I hopped in.

The very kind driver took me to the station and waited while I knocked on the door. The worker/guard or whatever answered the door. The driver helped me to explain (the guard guy did not speak much English) my situation. So, I stayed there until the French police came to get me. By this time I had no idea what was going to happen. I did not know if I was going to jail or what. When the police arrived they were very nice, however, they spoke even less English than the gaurd. Finally, it was decided that the police would drive me to the next "step off" on the river to meet up with my boat. We drove for about 20 minutes and when we arrived we went into a building where another guy was working the levee. I can only guess at what transpired between him and the police but I think he informed them that he had made contact with the boat captain and the captain was now aware of the situation. My boat was not going to be at this point in the river for another 90 minutes though.

The police then drove me back to their station which looked more like a fire station. They were apperently the only two officers on duty that day. They took me by a bakery and bought something for me to eat and they gave me some socks. We spent about 45 minutes at the station then drove back to the river. This station was way out in the country so at least the drive was scenic! We got back to the river and waited another 15 min or so, then the boat came.

I was escorted down the stairs and onto the landing. It was so embarrasing. I was standing there with my hair a complete mess, wearing a tank top in 50 degree weather with sweat pants that were ripped beyond repair.. The captain came off the boat and tore into me. He was so pissed! He wouldn't even let me explain that my little adventure was not on purpose. Paul told me later that the captain assumed I had tried to jump off the boat and get back on but that my plan had failed. Anyways, I just put my head down and let him yell. Once back on the boat, Paul and I made a bee line for out room and slept the rest of the day.

Paul thinks that I must have hit my head on the cement wall which is why I don't remember. I had the window open in our room and was singing along with my iPod when he left the room. But I definitley remember trying to read after that. Who knows. I guess it will always be a mystery!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

well we have internet for the time being so I thought I'd write a little. Its Monday and we have just arrived in the Netherlands. We get to go see an old Battlefield today which should be awesome! Paul as been doing a great job posting about the details of our trip so I'll just leave that task up to him. Overall, this trip has not been at all what I expected and I believe that if I had to do it again (pick a trip) I would choose a tropical destination. I'm glad to have been able to see these beautiful parts of Europe b/c I will carry away with me an intense appreciation for the history and beauty of this place. However, it has also made me aware of a fact that I was already fairly certain of....I really don't like to travel. I knew I needed to see Europe and I'm sure someday down the road I will be back. But if I am being completely honest with myself...I like familiarity and comfort, friends and home. Some people are not this way and I wish them many happy trails but I'm just as happy to be sitting on my back porch with my pup and a good book then galaventing across the world.

I know that some would argue that the experiences that one gains while being in uncomfortable, unfamiliar surroundings are priceless in shaping your outlook on the world and who you are as a person. I agree with that to some extent and for some people I am sure that it is priceless. But, I will be the same person that left Boulder when I return to Boulder...only maybe with slightly less patience for old people!

and a craving for Good Times!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

today we are in heidelberg germany. the trip is not going so well. paul and i are having a great time together but all the other aspects of the trip are...well, sucking! neither of us can sleep for some reason, i think i am getting sick, and the internet on the boat is out indefinitely. we get a total of 7 channels and 4 of them are in french or german. the tours have been ok but like i said before, they go at such an agonizingly slow pace that its difficult to get much out of them. paul and i briefly discussed ditching the boat and spending the rest of our time in europe doing our own thing. i dont think that it is actuallz going to happen but we were close this morning. i really hope the trip gets better. anyways, because we have no internet on the boat im not sure when ill get to post again. i miss boulder!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

We Made It!!

We got to Basel, Switzerland yesterday afternoon. We were driven to the boat which was docked on the Rhine River. We ate a quick dinner and hit the hay. We were both exhasted! One thing that Paul and I noticed immediately while eating dinner with the other 170 or so other guests....we are the youngest couple on this boat by about 35-40 years! We stick out like no body's business. I am actually quite bummed about this.

This morning we took a guided tour through Basel but because the avg. age of everyone in our group pushing 80...it was very, very slow. We really have nothing in common with anyone on the boat and the whole theme of the boat is most certainly catered to those who lead a "mature" lifestyle. O-well, even though I was informed by Paul that I am no longer allowed to pick vacations for the two of us, we are going to make the best of it.

Our room is nice and it is the last room at the end of the boat. We have a large window that opens up to the river. The top of the boat is a sun deck which I used a little bit today. Our purchases today: a very nice can opener, a scrub brush for the kitchen sink, and lemon zester. All three are very nice :) We will depart Basel this evening and arrive somewhere else that I can't pronounce tomorrow. I also have some pictures I am going to attempt to put up soon. I'm using Pauls Mac so I'm happy if I can figure out how to check email! :)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Don't Laugh

Seriously! The reason I haven't blogged much lately is because I am absolutely engrossed in a somewhat cheesy series of novels written for teenagers. But who says a 28 year old gal still can't appreciate the delicate dramas a young girl goes through in high school....with a few added twists ;) I'm not going to tell you the name of the saga but I'm sure most of you can guess....and remember, don't laugh!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Is this Hell? I'm incredibly hot, I have one bottle of water but it's also very hot, all the people around me are being tortured, every time I look up I see a horrible display, orders are being given and the heat...unbearable. Could this be...? Oh no, this is Bikram Yoga and I tried it for the first time today.

Let me tell you how excruciating it was but also how very awesome it was. I have never put my body through something like that before and I'm so happy I did. There are very few things that can compare to a "runners high" without actually running but this is one of those things. When you are done you feel like you have accomplished something. I felt like I pushed my body beyond it's comfort levels and that's what working out is all about. I probably left about 5 gallons of myself back there but it was an amazing experience. Many times I wanted to run out of the room just to feel the cool air on my very hot skin but I didn't. The instructor told us noobs that our only goal should be to stay in the room for the 90 minutes. Goal achieved!

I also really loved the comradery of all the yoga people. We all clapped at the end and I was congratulated by more than one person on my way out for sticking with it, being that it was my first time.

All in all, what a fantastic experience and I never would have done it ( at least not anytime soon) without Desirae there to coax me along! (sorry if I spelled your name wrong ;))

Tomorrow the plan is to do a little snowboarding. I tried snowboarding once in high school. I tried skiing the very next day. Let's just say, I chose skiing and got 31st in the state of CA in G.S. the very next year .... maybe tomorrow I'll get to find out what is so appealing about knuckle dragging :)

Hilarious!



Thanks for making me laugh Candice...I thought I'd share it with some peeps!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

What a gorgeous day! I'm kind of bummed that I won't be here for the weekend. I'm flying home for a few days but I'll be back on Monday. I hope the nice weather holds up!

I'm very excited about our first co-ed softball game tonight! It's weird how much I miss it when we don't have a game for two weeks. Hopefully we can break our streak of never winning the first game of the season. I have a feeling we will crush!

I just ordered two books from Amazon. The first is called Wild Justice. It is a non-fiction book about the moral lives of animals. The second book is actually a series. I rented Twilight and really liked it so I ordered the whole four-book series. Apparently the books are way better than the movie, as is generally the case.

Well, I'm going to get out and enjoy this beautiful day!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Aerophobia?

I have this vivid memory of my mom and me flying to Oklahoma. I was about 8 or 9 and had only been on an airplane a handful of times. I remember being really excited. At some point during the flight we started to experience some turbulence. I thought this was the greatest thing ever! It made the flight so much more fun! The turbulence got so bad at one point that my soda slid off of my tray and landed in my mother lap. She was not happy about that and seemed even less pleased with the bumpy ride we were having. As I think back on it now, I realize that my little nine year old brain could not process the idea that turbulence, it rare cases, could lead to disaster. My mother, from the look on her face, did.

As I have begun to use air travel more and more I have developed a fear of it more and more. I'm not sure why this is, but it seems as though it is getting worse not better. I have never even had so much as a minor mechanical problem on an airplane that I have been on so I am not sure where this fear is stemming from.

Paul and I are flying to Switzerland at the end of May and I am seriously dreading the flight. On more than one occasion the anxiety of the impending flight has made me want to cancel the trip completely. At times I have an overwhelming fear that something is going to go wrong. At other times, I laugh at myself for being so silly.

Monday, April 27, 2009

I'm such a loser




It's official... I am going to get a failing grade in my LIT115 class! How could this have happened?? Good question. Basically, I looked at our online grade book for the class. Under the absences column, the teacher would record our absences as: 3/7, 4/7, 5/7, etc. Silly me, I just assumed that after 7 absences I would have to face some consequences. Turns out that I misinterpreted this whole system and was given a failing grade after my 7th absence.

I'm really not that upset about it. This class has absolutely nothing to do with PA school. I put about as much effort into getting out of bed in the morning as I put into this class, so it's not like I devoted hours and hours to something just to fail it in the end.

I made a choice earlier in the semester when I found out that I was accepted to PA school. I decided I would rather have fun than go to class! I guess this is what happens :) No big deal though, I am retaking it online this summer and everything will work out in the end.....I hope.

I'm actually a little relieved as well. The final assignment for the class was going to be some ridiculous project that involved me coloring posters to hang up in the halls at school to advertise for a make believe literary event that my group and I were to put on. Didn't I pass the first grade already??

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Due to recent events I have changed my blog setting so that only those who have been invited can read it. So I guess if you're reading this blog you probably already know that :)

I wasn't originally going to take this kind of action but I just wasn't able to post freely knowing that a certain individual would be reading my words.

Anyways, more to come later :)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Bunnies in a Cup :)


Actually...I take my coffee plain

Sunday, April 12, 2009

VICTORY!


The Prairie Dog Dinner raised $44,000! Minus all of the overhead we walked away with $30,000! This is twice the amount we set out to raise! Last year I think we ended up with a little over $14k. This just goes to show...the economy my be struggling, but in Boulder, we're Summiting :)

Thank you to everyone who came and supported this tiny little hero!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Neat



I think I'd be a little concerned if I looked outside and saw this....

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Two posts...crazy!

Here's the deal...Global warming is real and we will see it's effects in our lifetime. Our gov't will try many things to curb the exponential temp rise that is beginning to happen. It will not be enough. The facts are very clear. As a species we are intelligent. Obviously...we have dominated our environment so that it fits our needs. For most other life on this planet, the environment dominates.

We were doomed from the beginning. Our species is curious and only somewhat intelligent. This is a very dangerous combination. It means that we are really only smart enough to create an existence based on instant gratification. EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW that driving cars is changing the very ecosystem we need to survive...WE STILL DRIVE CARS! Our gov't knows that as well. I hate admitting the fact that maybe our forefathers were wrong. They put so much faith in the people. But I realize now, people are stupid!

We know what we want and we aren't afraid to voice that..but what we need is a very different thing. What if our President came on TV tomorrow and said...." The U.S. has 90 days to stop driving cars. If you are caught driving a car after that date you will be arrested".

That seems CRAZY! But....like parents and children, like leaders and followers; what if he was, in fact, trying to save your life and the life of your children? It seems like an impossible request, to stop driving cars, but what if that was the only thing that would slow this inevitable warming we are facing. Maybe this is the only act that we could perform that would ensure a planet for our children? Would you stop driving?

And how do you feel about the evidence that the mere acts we perform on a daily basis are crippeling our planet? Would you be willing to change?

Theme Song

I've heard it asked many times. If you could pick one song that speaks to your life, what would it be? I have not been asked this question personally, but I've always wondered what my song would be. For those who know a bit about me, I think you'll know why I picked this song.


I Won't Back Down
Tom Petty


Well I wont back down, no I wont back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I wont back down

Gonna stand my ground, wont be turned around
And Ill keep this world from draggin me down
Gonna stand my ground and I wont back down

Hey baby, there aint no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I wont back down.

Well I know whats right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin me around
But Ill stand my ground and I wont back down

Hey baby there aint no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I wont back down
No, I wont back down

Monday, April 6, 2009

Vegas Trip

We just got back from Vegas and I must say, it is good to be home. Usually time flies while we are there but for some reason I was ready to come home today. Paul had been there for almost two weeks and I, only four days. We played a lot of poker which was fun. For the first two nights we played at the MGM. The first night we (Katie, Justin, Paul, Myself, and Katie's best friend from high school, Sarah) went out to dinner at the always delicious Mona Mi Gabi. After that, because Katie refuses to drink any alcoholic drink that tastes like alcohol, we stopped by one of those novelty frozen drink stands. After that, we drove to the MGM and played some 1/2. It was really fun! I was playing really tight, but aggressive and at the end of the night I was up about $200. Katie was up $500 at one point but then got very unlucky. She still ended the night in the black though! :)

On Sat. morning we all drove to the strip. Paul headed over to the Bellagio for some 5/10 and the rest of us went to Planet Hollywood. Katie and I entered an $80 tournament. We made it through the first three levels but then we both busted in the fourth. After that, we all sat down at a 1/2 table. It was terrible! I don't know if I made the poker Gods mad somehow but they were definitely not smiling on me that day, nor were they smiling on anyone else. I'm pretty sure we all lost that night! I only played about 10 hands during that whole time. My set ran into quads, my KK ran into a straight (I asked the guy if he had the cards that made the straight, I was proud of that at least!) and every other time I was in a pot I got the back end of the deal. I was only down about $300 so I guess I was about even for the trip.

On Sunday Katie and Sarah drove to L.A. for the day so I just hung around the house. I had a lot of fun on the trip but it was a little too chilly to do anything outside which is maybe why I was ready to come home. There is only so much time I can spend in a casino :) I'm sure we will be back in no time. I am looking forward to Lake Mead this summer and bumper tubes!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

My new years resolution this year was to be healthier. I planned to eat more "whole" foods and not much processed food, workout on a regular basis and cut down on partying/drinking. So far....so good. The year started out as any other year but this last month has been very different.

When I started out in Jan. I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill at a slight incline for 15 minutes and was exhausted. I then began to hike on days when the sun was shining, I got a little confidence and returned to the gym. I began my fitness crusade in the middle of Jan. and it is now almost April. I have progressively gotten more intense and more dedicated. I now do a minimum of 90 min of cardio and 30 min of weights every other day. I start out with the step mill for 30 min. Then I do the Elliptical machine at an "8" resistance for 30 min, then I run for 30 min. That was just today. The other day I ran for 55 min and added in some other stuff.

The point is..... Never in my life have I been in "good shape". Unfortunately I am, in fact, approaching the age of 30! Super scary. I want to know what it is like to be in good shape. I want to know what it is like to look good in a bathing suit. I want to know what it is like to shop for clothes without worrying about looking fat. But, above everything, I want to be proud of myself and know that physically I can do whatever I put my mind to.

Originally I began working out to lose weight. Right now I am the heaviest I have ever been and it does weigh on my self esteem. After working out regularly for the past month and a half I have not lost a single pound. When I realized this I was devastated ( and still am.. a little) But even though I have not lost weight (I know..I've gained muscle!) and my pants do not fit any better, I do feel stronger and healthier.

During softball last summer a full run around the bases would leave me winded for a good ten minutes. Now, I am out of breath for a few minutes at most. So I do see differences. Maybe not the ones I had originally hoped for, but I see that certainly my work has paid off in other ways.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

It's been a week since I posted last. I know the blog is getting a little dusty, it's wilting and needs water. Lately I am feeling a lack of things to blog about. Truman can easily blog about the most random everyday event and make it sound incredibly interesting. I, on the other hand, cannot. Perhaps it is because I have a difficult time being as blatantly honest. I feel like I should only post when something is going down; something exciting or different. I guess the whole point of blogging though, is to talk about your life and your feelings, views and whatnot.

I'll work on that :)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sorry, this was just too cute!

Posted by Picasa

Some Good News

Well, even though Paul did not make it as far in the tournament as he would have liked, he played some great poker, got to hang out with his friends and family in Vegas, and eat a really big lobster. I even won a little money playing poker!

Oh, ya...I also found out that I got in to PA school!!!




WooHoo!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Top Ten Reasons the Prairie Dog is the New Batman


The Prairie Dog Coalition asked it's members to come up with a "Top Ten Reasons Prairie Dogs Are..." list to help out with press for the upcoming fundraiser. I came up with this and it looks like they are going to use it! Yay :)


1. Prairie Dogs get blamed when things start going south.

2. Prairie Dogs carry the weight of the entire prairie ecosystem and
thus, are incredibly strong!

3. Prairie Dogs don't mind wearing silly outfits!(lots of pics online
of prairie dogs wearing outfits )

4. Prairie Dogs are cute, but if you are an evil doer and face to face
with one in a dark alley, just give up. Their teeth are quite sharp :)

5. Prairie Dogs have one of the most sophisticated communication
systems of any mammal known to man. They may know what you are doing
or thinking before you even think about doing it!

6. Prairie Dogs provide the resources that their neighbors on the
prairie need to survive. Without the Prairie Dog, you can say goodbye
to almost nine other species that call the prairie their home.

7. The Prairie Dog is not only an inhabitant of the prairie, but a
symbol of it's health an well being.

8. The Prairie Dog is unable to fight it's opressers on it's own. It
needs the help of people in it's community to educatet the ill
advised. The Prairie Dog needs this help in order to persuade those
that may make quick and unfortunate decisions regarding the fate of
the prairie dog.

9. The prairie dog is not only a hero, it is a role model in it's own
right. The prairie dog creates an expansive home that includes: many
bedrooms, a front and back door, a pantry of sorts, a bathroom (which
is cleaned regularly) and a nursery (or nesting room).

10. Prairie Dogs realize the impact that their population has upon the
environment in which they inhabit. Therefore, they breed only once per
year and practice their own form of population control if resources
become scarce.

11. Prairie Dogs tend to get the blame even when it is out of their
control. The Rock Squirrel is actually the biggest culprit in the
transmission of animal plague to human counterparts and even then it
has only effected 10 people in the last 13 years.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Well, I had my interview on Friday. I can't say how it went but I can give you a general idea of how I felt about it. First of all, walking into the interview it was hard for me not to feel like "what the heck am I doing here!". I know that I have good grades and all but I imagine that all of these people do as well (the nine people in my interview session). Over half of them have applied to this program before, this would be their second time interviewing. ALL of them have an undergraduate degree (except one). The first 3/4 of the interview goes very well. The entire process took 4 1/2 hours! The second one on one interview was a bit challenging. She really nailed me on the fact that I don't currently have a bachelors degree and asked me, basically, why don't you have a degree and do you realize that you will need one to be successful in this field. It kind of felt like a kick in the stomach. I mean, why did they even invite me to interview if that is a stipulation for entrance into the program? She also asked me about grades I got in college over ten years ago. Like I said, I really have no way of knowing how I did. It seemed like every person I was interviewing with was very qualified. I can really see them coming back to say, "you are a very qualified candidate but we really need you to have a degree. Go get that and then come back and reapply."

Can I blame them? Absolutely not. I was taking a real chance with this program. If this program had not existed I would have gotten my degree then taken the prereqs for whatever program I wanted to get into. I kind of did the it the opposite way, hoping I would get in on my first try.

I guess we'll see :)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

funny

P.S. Haha.... I just read this post and the last paragraph makes it sound like I'm not even feeding or giving water to the puppy. To clarify, I am not torturing the puppy into submission...for the analogy's sake, I am having a friend (Truman) deal directly with the puppy and I am receiving updates via test msg at fairly regular intervals ;)

I'm sure most of the people who read this blog have been following Paul in the LAPC. I have told him and a few others about my new strategy for dealing with the crazy ups and downs of railing him in a tournament. What has happened many times in the past is that I get really interested in the tournament from the get go; looking for online updates, bugging anyone there in person with text msgs, and thinking about it constantly. I know it's silly to get so invested so early on, I guess that is one of the reasons I am considered a "n00b", but it happens. Anyways, it is not beneficial for me because when I get that crushing text that reads "he's out", it is devastating.

So I have a new Paul Wasicka Is Playing A Tournament strategy/analogy. I will now look at the tournaments he plays in as a puppy that a roommate/parent/whoever has brought home. Sure the puppy is cute and I really want to hold him and cuddle with him but I won't allow it! What if, for some reason, the puppy has to go back? Maybe the person who brought him home discovers that they have allergies to puppies or that they are the devil and don't even really like puppies?! Then what? If I had allowed myself to grow attached to the puppy I would be very sad to see it go. Yet, had I waited a day or two, anticipating that my roommate was the devil and that they would inevitably realize they hate puppies, I would be much better off and not so crushed when the puppy had to go.

Analogy: I get overly attached to a poker tournament that Paul is playing in and then it is taken away from me and I am very sad...like with the puppy.

New Strategy: I will pretend that the puppy does not exist for at least three days. If after that amount of time the puppy is still around, I will acknowledge its presence and maybe teach it how to fetch.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Stupid Wind!

Thurs night I put out our recycling. I put it out at night because the recyclers come very early in the morning and I never get up in time. Our recycling bin was over flowing with boxes and cans and mail and whatnot because the peeps neglected to pick it up the previous week...I'm still not sure why.... Anyways, it was quite full.

I went to bed and woke up at 4:30 in the morning to a loud gust of wind. When I say loud, I mean Big Bad Wolf (I just read wolf's latest post!) trying to blow our house down kind of loud! I quickly remembered my recycling bin overly stuffed with paper products out on the street. I jumped out of bed, put my slippers on and dragged a half asleep Daisy with me outside to the curb. When I got there I found a half filled recycling bin. I searched as much as I could at 4:30 in the morning for my missing pizza boxes and red bull cans but no luck. Daisy was also not much help. I hauled the bin up to the garage and tucked it safely between the door and my truck hoping this would be enough of a wind breaker. I went back to bed.

Paul and I got up at 9:00 and as he was leaving for the airport I took the bin for it's second trip out to the curb. This time though, I was not going to let the stupid wind get the best of me. Before Paul got in the car to head off I had him grab a rock from the flower garden to place on the bin's lid. Paul made his way over to the bin with the big, heavy rock but seconds before he could get there the wind Gods caught us trying to be sneaky and blew a gusty blow knocking the bin over completely! So basically, what pieces of personal mail not already blowing around our neighborhood were now getting their shot. It was a sight to see. Me, Paul and Truman running around trying to scoop up whatever we could before it got away. The wind Gods must have been having a hearty laugh.

Okay so, I got my stuff picked up, rock on top, ready for the recyclers to come take the crap away. Yay. I left the house to run errands for the rest of the day and ended up at home around 4:00-4:30. I noticed that the rock was no longer on top of the bin and figured the peeps must have come and emptied it. I walked over and opened the lid only find all of my crap still inside. I was so mad!!! This means that this is the second week in a row that these guys have not done their job! As I hauled the bin back up the driveway I was thinking about what I would say when I called Western Disposal and yelled at them. I left the bin in the driveway because I was so pissed off. I headed for the front door.

Just as I pulled out my keys to open the door I heard a familiar grumbling coming from down the street. I turned to see what it was and coming down the street were the peeps. I put down everything I was holding in a heap on the stairs and ran for the bin. Unfortunately for me, I think it was near quitting time for these guys. They were hauling not only recyclables, but major ass! I made it only as far as the end of the driveway with my pitiful, half full bin of recycling before they were gone and on to the next house.

It was a terrible day for me and the recycling but there is always next Friday :)

Saturday, February 7, 2009



Even though I was invited to interview for the PA program I think it's still going to be an up hill battle. I was just informed that I am to show up to the interview with a resume. This totally sucks and here is why.

1.) Since the time I graduated from High school I have attended 6 different colleges and have no degree to show for it. I have been going to school on and off for 10 years. What does this say about me as a potential candidate for a very sought after program? I would almost bet money that I will be the one and only candidate there without an Undergrad degree and who has gone to 6 different colleges in 3 different states.

2.) My job history. I do have 3 yrs of EMT experience but what the heck was I doing for the rest of those 7 years since high school? Let's see... I've worked in a ski shop, a hardware store, a toy store, a coffee shop, a restaurant, a fitness club and a gas station. Not exactly jumping off the page with awesomeness!

3.) Resumes want you to list skills, interests and achievements that weren't mentioned elsewhere. The thing is...I don't have any skills other than what I learned as an EMT. I'm not proficient with anything computer related, I'm not an accountant or coach or artist in my spare time. I have never won an award or been "honored" for anything. My interests are cooking, volleyball, softball, hiking and prairie dogs. All of which have nothing to do with being a successful candidate for the PA program.

This just totally sucks. Before I wrote my resume I had an idea that it wouldn't be that great. But now that I've written it, I am truly disheartened.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009


Most people know by now that I did get invited to interview!!! I think I was literally in shock the first day I found out. It just didn't seem real to me. It still doesn't. So now what happens?

My interview is set for Friday, Feb. 27. It is a 4 hour long process which consists of an orientation, a group interview, two individual interviews, a timed essay and a tour of the campus. Man, I better eat a good breakfast that day! I guess I have about a 50% chance seeing as how there are 60 people and 29 open spots.

I have two pages of possible interview questions that I am going to study. I am also going to, as Natalie suggested, research the mission statements of other PA programs and compare/contrast them to the one I am hoping to get into. Truman and Natalie both have offered to do a mock interview with me which I think will be extremely helpful. I haven't had an interview since I applied for Paramedic school back in '04....I'm a little rusty to say the least.

Anyways, overall I am thrilled. I never in million years thought I would make it to this point. In the past when I have been on course to achieve something life seems to throw a big rock in the path and I have to veer. Life has been good to me lately though and I have capitalized on the lack of rocks :)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

What are You?


Inspired by Truman's latest blog, I decided to take the Myers-Briggs personality test myself. I googled it but found only tests that are based on that particular model (for free anyways). I took a test composed of 70 questions and at the end I was told that I am an "ESTJ". Of the four personality categories, I fall into the Guardian category which is further subdivided. Of these subdivisions I am a Supervisor (yick!) I had no idea. A brief description of my personality type can be found at:

http://typelogic.com/estj.html

I took the test at:

www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

It was kind of fun, you should try it :)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Bittersweet




I haven't posted anything in such a long time so I figured I needed to :) Still not a whole lot going on though. I had my first class on Wed.. I think it's going to be a snorefest but maybe it will surprise me. I was just notified today about my PA school application. It turns out that over 570 people applied for the 28 seats. 60 people were mailed letters inviting them to interview, over 500 people were sent letters telling them "better luck next time" and 9 people were put on an alternate list. Lucky me, I am one of those very special...very freaked out people on the alternate list :) On the one hand I am so happy that I wasn't one of those 500+ people who were outright denied. On the other hand, this next week is going to be a nerve racking one!! Basically, if any of the 60 people deny the invitation to interview, I have a 1/9 chance of taking their spot. I'm not sure what my chances are. I don't know on avg how many people deny interviews so basically....It's in God's hands :) Wish me luck

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

First Post of 2009!

Hi Peeps! Well not a lot has happened lately so not much to post about. I will be leaving tomorrow for Napa to visit Jessica. I think it will be a lot of fun! I just signed up for the last class needed to complete my Associates! Finally, after 10 years in college I have something to show for it :) Paul and I have decided to wait on getting another dog. Jazzygirl made some good points and I agree. Diasy has not had the chance to show us what kind of dog she really is and if we rush into getting another dog now, we may never know.

Anyways, I am actually getting excited about skiing this year! I decided that this year I am going to ski where I want to ski instead of making myself miserable trying to keep up with everyone who is better than me. When I do that I end the ski day frustrated and pissed off because I spent most of the day either on my ass or getting up from being on my ass. This year I will start out doing what I am comfortable doing and slowly push myself out of my comfort zone. I know it's impossible to get better if you never push yourself but I want to do it at my own pace, not other people's.