see? I pay attention in class.

"Say anesthetized."
"Uh... goes to sleep!"

Prof: "What would J be concerned about in a person without secondary sex characteristics?"
T: "Whether or not he would date her."

the revels now are ending

Sunday is the World Cup Final. It is the day Spain and the Netherlands fight for the right to be crowned the newest world champions. In 18 cups, there have been only 7 winners (I'm lumping Germany and West Germany together), and while the Netherlands were runners-up in '74 and '78, they have never won. Spain has never advanced past the quarter-finals, so it's a big moment for both Clockwork Oranje and La Furia Roja.

I am emotionally attached to both teams, especially since spending time in both countries, but I tip my heart to Spain. In all honesty, though, this is a dream final for me. I can't be unhappy. Pulpo Paul is predicting a win for Spain, but his rival, a "psychic parakeet" in Singapore, says it will be Holland. Does the wrong one get eaten? Stay tuned...

It has been a month full of early mornings and lots of beer. I found a soccer pub to haunt in Corvallis, at least two in Portland, and if I couldn't make it to either, I streamed the games in class. Don't judge me... some things are more important than (the mechanisms of) breathing.

I totally want a vuvuzela for my birthday.

Sunday is also the six-month marker of my adventures in nursing school. 13 months to go.

Med/surg clinicals ended (boo) but I'm happy to note that my med/surg 2 rotation in the fall will be on the same unit. I'm in the middle of pysch clinicals and hate them. I have evening shift clinicals and it is terribly boring and crazy people scare me anyway.

alegria e paixao

The World Cup. The event so full of beauty, joy and passion that it fills my tiny, bitter cold little heart to bursting.

Sometimes I get up at 4.30am to watch the game before I leave for clinical at 6, because it wakes me up more than half a pot of coffee. Sometimes I stream the games on my laptop during pathophysiology, because soccer is more important than breathing (mechanisms). Shhh.

Semi-finals and the final are during my mid-term break, thank you Jesus!

...my teams are:

Spain -because La Furia Roja is my heart
Côte d'Ivoire -the African Cinderella story
Brazil -because no other team makes soccer look like so much fun
USA -because I am American, after all. And Clint Dempsey is my man. <3
Holland -because 'oranje est de kleur van gekte'*

Naturally, I also support Yoann Gourcuff (and not the French, mind you, haven't forgiven Henry and his handballs), and the Argentines. I'm an equal-opportunity football slut in the name of the beautiful game

*'Orange is the color of insanity.' -van Gogh

sad day

Me: "I hate my life."
Friend and fellow classmate: "No, you don't! You know how I know? You don't HAVE a life!"

benjamin moore begs to differ

The first week of summer school is over.

Two days of eight hours of class per week. It's really hard to pay attention by the time we get to Mental Health at the end of the day. As a matter of fact, I pretended to be a T-rex through most of Wednesday's lecture. Mostly to stay awake, partially because of the sugar rush I was experiencing.

Med/surg clinical orientation was Thursday. I'm on a neurovascular unit.

Friday we got to do stuff. Attempted my first catheter, changed a trach tube and suctioned some lungs. So awesome. I think I'm gonna love this.

Then I drove home and we went to the beach because I just can't take the city and the traffic any more than I have to. We took the dog and some friends and had a load of fun.

Quote of the day:

Sam: "Excuse me sir, what color is your car?"
Motorist: "It's electric vibrant green!"
Sam (to us): "TOLD YOU IT'S NOT YELLOW!"
Motorist: laughs hysterically
Jessie: "I thought he said electric vomit green."

well, poop.

We were tested on pain, cardiovascular funtion and bowel today. Interesting combination, yes? I studied CV pretty hard, but I was surprised by the amount of crap on the test. Literally. Oh, my life is so awkward. I think the worst part is that people I barely know are sharing things with me that I should get paid to hear, if I have to hear it at all.

I am not a very enthusiastic promoter of nursing school this week. One class. One class left and then spring break.

I can do this.

I got my summer schedule. Lab on Monday, class Tuesday-Wednesday (from 0815 to 1720), clinical Thursday and Friday. Social life, I'm kissing you goodbye now.

Actually, that was a joke. I'm totally a hermit. That's why I have a blog.

stop saying 'cohort'

It's still February and the cherry trees are blooming. As well as the magnolia outside the desolate pharm class window. Spring break is a week away.

I just took a killer pharmacology test... my whole class claims to know nothing, but apparently I managed to retain at least one fact. I was reading something about Brittany Murphy's autopsy, and among the drugs in her system was propranolol. Anyway, this website was calling it a sedative. NOT! It's a beta-blocker, for hypertension etc. There you go. The one fact I retained.

I hate that the faculty refers to my class as "the cohort." Other students are picking it up. It's such an annoying word.

Cath lab on Monday should be super fun. Yippee.