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! ;)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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.
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!!
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 :)
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!!
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!
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!
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