One down......27 to go....

Yup.  Hard to believe that one month has already passed and that we're into February.  Of course, since February is a short month it's going to be over in a flash too.  Funny how that works.  At first I thought school would never start and now it's just starting to pick up steam and I bet this semester will be over in the blink of an eye.

So, it hasn't been bad so far.  A bit of a change of pace.  Just getting back into the swing of full-time school has been challenging.  I'm trying to treat this like my job for the next 27 months and get into a routine - get up at the same time, if I'm not in class then I'm in the books.  Surprisingly it actually is working out nicely.  I'm less stressed than I thought I would be and enjoying the learning (mostly!).  Most importantly I feel like I still have time to spend doing other things which I really thought I wasn't going to be able to do.

Creating has fallen by the wayside.  I'd be lucky to get in a day of torching every few weeks I think.  I did spend this past Sunday doing some sewing.  Just needed to get away from the books for a while and do something non-educational :)  The upside to that is I'll be swimming in scrub caps by the time clinicals start.

No pics for today.  Maybe I'll try and see if I can get back with a more detailed post about what my days are like and the courses I'm taking.  For now, I'm back to the books.  Yay ;P

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

First day of school.....

I wanted to post after my first day but was super swamped and never got around to it so this is just a bit late. 

It's official. I am an unemployed, full-time student.  And on my first day of school I felt like the kid in the picture above.  It's finally set in that yes, they did indeed mean to offer me a spot in the program and no, they did not make a mistake :)

Last week was orientation so we spent a good deal of time just dealing with logistics and administrative stuff.  I think that might have been the worst week.....you're ready to get going and yet it's dragging by because you're not really in "school mode".  Well, if I wanted school mode I certainly got it this week. We jumped right from the frying pan into the fire!!!  Never-ending reading. Concepts that have my brain screaming for mercy. More paper, more assignments, more reading....more, more, MORE!!!

But I LOVE IT!!! And I'm so totally excited about it.  Today we finally got to the good stuff.  The anesthesia gas machine (AGM). Yeah!!!  It makes sense!! It's awesome!! I can't wait to drive it!!!  Instead of dreading it (like I thought I might) I'm totally stoked about this....about all the learning and the challenge.  There's something to be said about being an adult learner.  I think you take it all so much more seriously and it's more meaningful somehow.

Anyhow, I'm rambling but it's because I was up way too early this morning and have already put in a full day. And my brain is fried because I can't comprehend pKa, pKb and all the other p's.  ;P

I hope that I get the chance to take you all on this crazy journey with me but I can't promise frequent updates. I'll do what I can.  In the meantime......keep calm and carry on!

Yes....I'm still here.....

Isn't it terrible of me to drop off the face of the earth for months at a time? I can't believe the last time I updated it was the beginning of July.

Once again I bring you numerous updates - one which is kinds HUGE.....at least...to me :)

Let's see.....

1.  I FREAKING GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL!  And not just any ol' grad school.  I'm going to DUKE!! And not for just any wishy-washy thing.....I'm going to be A NURSE ANESTHETIST!

So that's my big news :D :D :D

2. The Dude has finally made headway on the stairs (which have been in limbo for the last, oh, 6 years) and this weekend I hope to have the first 6 stairs - treads and risers - fully installed.  YAY!!

3. I got an iPhone 4.  Is that news anymore?  Maybe not but I have to say I love the thing. What can I say? I'm a gadget freak.  Yes. I have an iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod....you name it.  If the device is named i-something or other I've probably got one.  Yeah. I know.  I'm spoiled.  You can blame The Dude.

4. I've been working on lots of simple beads lately. Mainly because I've developed a totally unhealthy fascination with the variety of silver glass available for lampworkers and since I'm just slightly OCD I've determined that I must catalogue all the color combinations that I use so that I may duplicate them in the future.  Here are a few pics from the first test batches:

Fun stuff, eh?

I've been working like a fiend trying to build up the coffers before the insanity (school!) starts in January so I haven't had much time to be the social butterfly but I did get to see my favourite gals this past week.  Here they are:

Life is so sweet.  I almost don't even mind that I'm working 5 in a row next week.  Almost......

Hen party tonight with another bunch of lovely gals.

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

Adrenaline rush...

It only lasts so long. I feel like I've been on an adrenaline high for the last week or so. I guess I really needed it to get stoked over finals. Well, our final exam for the class was yesterday and I have to say I'm really feeling the effects of the rush wearing off.

I leapt at the chance to be put on call today. If all goes well I won't get called in. In the meantime I'm just puttering. Surfing the 'net. Trying to get started on my personal statement for my application. Looking at the half finished hat I'm knitting thinking I should probably finish it. Debating whether I want to turn everything on in the studio for some beadmaking and risk being called in. I'm just all over the place.

Now that the class is done I have to shift my focus to the next task at hand - the GRE. Can I tell you how much I'm NOT looking forward to this? I know it's a necessary evil but darn it! Tests suck!! Thankfully I think I've got it under control and besides focusing on one more test and finishing my app all I've got is work (have to admit it's difficult getting back into the swing) and just life stuff to deal with. Not so bad, right?

It's kind of overcast today. Feels appropriate. Hope you're having a sunny day wherever you are!

Giving it my all....

Goodness. I can honestly say that I've never felt so compelled to work this hard in my life. Since making this decision to pursue an advanced nursing degree I've really been working my butt off to put my best foot forward for the application process. In hindsight....if I would have known what exactly I was signing on for I might have decided to space things out a little. In any case...it's too late. I'm 100% invested. I've never studied so hard in my life. Never felt so pressed to achieve a goal. Some days I'm not sure I'm cut out for this.

Not only do I have high expectations for myself but it seems that everyone else around me has the same high expectations. I guess I put on a good face :) If only all the people who think I'm the schiznicks could talk to the admissions committee on my behalf I'd be in like Flynn!

In the meantime I'm buried in the books. I've got physiology coming out of my ears and when this first test is over on Wednesday I'll be able to gauge whether or not all the effort was worth it. But no time to mull it over...I'll be busy preparing for my certification exam.

Whose idea was this again???

Slightly overwhelmed...

I have this tendency - not necessarily to rush into things but more to sometimes bite off more than I can chew. In the last few weeks I've been thinking maybe I'm attempting to do something that might be more than I can handle.

So...let's step back. About mid-December I decided that I was actively going start the process of possibly going to anesthesia school. That started me down this path of craziness that's going to last about 6 months. I registered to take an advanced physiology course, registered and scheduled to write the CCRN (certification for critical care nuses) and GRE (graduate records exam), and have to get all of my application stuff done before July 1st (really am shooting for June 1st). The course and the certification I am doing to boost my chances of getting into school. The GRE I don't have a choice on for grad school. Oh...did I mention I'm also working full-time?

So....I know it's doable. I just have to focus on meeting each target and not over-thinking the whole thing and becoming overwhelmed.

Yeah.

Easier said than done. Will I have a life between now and then?