things I learned while making out with a dummy

Not that I recommend going into cardiac arrest, but if you do and I'm nearby- your chances of survival just improved. I'm now certified in CPR level C. Did you know that in only 2% of cases of cardiac arrest, the heart restarts by manual stimulation (CPR compressions) alone? CPR ultimately is just a stop gap to gaining access to advanced medical intervention (ie- a defibrillator). It sure is interesting what you can you learn when you lock lips with a dummy (relax, I used protection!).

I need a kleenex...

No, I'm not sick but I'm a mess and I feel like crap.

Sassy-our cute, quiet cat suddenly became ill so she's been at the vets' ever since Wed afternoon. They don't realy know what the deal is with her but she's not eating or peeing (and I know that being at the vet isn't helping the situation much- she gets stressed easily). On Thursday, a close family friend died of cancer. We knew it was inevitable, but she was doing really well for so long that this is still quite a shock for me. To top it off, my meds are doing very little to keep my ADD in check and my neck is so f'd-up right now that I can hardly move my head without experiencing shooting pains. I am a wreck at the moment. It's a good thing that I'm the only one in this computer lab right now because the keyboard is about to float away in a flash flood.

Somedays I wonder why I get out of bed at all.

Writing is torture - except this time around...

Remember me mentioning in my blog about the essay I wrote for my Psych class last term?
Well, I was finally able to meet with the Prof. a week ago. I wanted to hear his thoughts on some of the points I made and such. We chatted a little at first about the new term and how his classes were going. When I told him I was in Rehab Med this year, he was noticeably disappointed. He told me that with a paper as good as mine, he couldn't understand why I wasn't an honors Psych student!

I was dumbfounded...but thrilled!
I've never been very good at writing, mostly because of the excrutiatingly long time it takes me to write (so this is a very big deal for me). We discussed the research that I based my paper on and some treatments currently undergoing research trials etc. He said that he had actually revised material in two of the courses he teaches because of some of the points I made and the research I cited.
(I am still *squeeing* with excitement that I was able to change the mindset of an already great prof who's been teaching for 25 years! *squeee*- ok - I'm done...ok maybe not *squeee*!!)

Transit Etiquette and other fictious circumstances

Here's an email I sent to a friend because I thought he might need a laugh...

I was wondering if you could help me.

As a seasoned transit patron, would you please instill your great wisdom upon me so that I too can be wise and all-knowing. Thank you in advance – Oh Great One…

1) I am interested in all transit-related etiquette. (oopps…I just realized that perhaps you are not the best person to answer this question).

2) Is it possible to ride the same bus (in the same seat) for 1 hour and twenty minutes without your butt falling asleep?

3) Do you know how to sleep on a bus without (a) getting a really bad crick in the neck (b) sleeping with your mouth open (c) using the stranger beside you as a pillow (d) drooling or a combination of the above?

4) For high speed cornering situations, should I wear a helmet to keep my noggin’ from hitting the window too hard, causing brain damage? (…too late…never-mind…)

5) If I were to miss the last bus of the day (which leaves the U at 5 pm)- can I stay at your house instead of sleeping on a park bench?

Your humble minion,

Me, Myself & I

BTW - when people from "the Grove" get off the bus, either in Edmonton or the Grove... They actually 'thank' the driver as they get off the bus. I don't think I've ever seen any Edmontonians do that (they're too busy with their busy-busy minds). I'm sure at first, the ETS Grove route drivers must have thought it must be something in the water out here... but now that they're used to it, I bet they would be unwilling to transfer from the Grove route to a different one.

It's funny how just the simplest of things can make all the difference in the world.

Queen of the 5 minute or less hair, makeup & wardrobe - gets bent out of shape...

98 classmates, 90% of whom are female...

For some like me who has spent most of her life working in male-dominated professions, spending the next 2 years with the same group of people, most of whom are female is... uhhmm... rather daunting. This may surprise you - but I find a great deal of women rather intimidating (especially young, brilliant, attractive women who have more fashion sense than I will accumulate in a lifetime). We had a class get-together on Friday night at a bar on Whyte and I kid you not, I spent 2 hours getting ready...That's right me, Queen of the 5 minute or less - hair, makeup and wardrobe, got completely bent out of shape because of what a group of girls might think. The House Spouse even started to get concerned that I had a date. I could not have been more flustered about the whole damn thing. As it turns out I got worked up over nothing because I spent most of the time playing pool (poorly) and BS'ing with S., a really good male friend of mine (I asked him to come with- 'cause he's single & I figured his odds for a date were pretty good - & that I'd also be more comfortable with the 'crowd').

Two good things did come out of my brief foray back into the bar-scene...

1) I found one of the guys in class who really likes my idea for a reading group that splits up the readings to individuals, each person condenses them to just the main points and then presents them to the group. Yaaayy! Finally-someone else who has come to their senses about the amount of material we have to get through (and he's really smart too!).

2) My friend S. introduced me to some great music from bands that I hadn't been exposed to before- Panic! at the Disco & Death Cab for Cutie. Wow... I had no idea that there were still bands out there producing music this good.

As for school, I've made friends with most of the guys and few of the girls (most of whom aren't overly fashion-forward) in my class. I'm trying to be less anti-social than normal, 'cause I know that having friends in school I can count on is going to make the difference between going crazy or staying sane with the workload we're all suffering under.

Stay tuned...or not- doesn't matter to me either way.

Update or downdate...You decide.

Alright then, here's the scoop...

Wrote my Physiology final which was horrible-got a lousy mark too! Damn badly written MCQ's! The good news is that regardless of my poor exam performance, my GPA was still more than high enough for admission into OT this fall! (Yippee!!)

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You know the song Bad, bad Leroy Brown with the lyrics "meaner than a junkyard dog"?
Well I met one at work with what I would call a dissociative personality disorder. I must confess that I was warned to stay away from the dog, but he was so happy to see us (me and a coworker) that I couldn't help myself. I figured if I were to help feed him this would be a good way to get him used to me (This proved to be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had).

All was fine and dandy right up until his bowl of food was on the ground in front of him. My guess is he decided that he wanted an appetizer before his main course...and I was conveniently located just a few feet away...

I must say that it is truly a shame that G was not beside me recording for Orphans as I am sure that my scream was worthy of an Oscar (or at least a Tony). But really, I'm sure even the brawniest of guys would scream if a 140lb dog came after them and clamped down on their hand.

Ultimately the dog did some puncture damage but nothing really major. I've had previous run-ins with obnoxious dogs and know to give them the hand/arm that you aren't going to be punching them in the melon with. And after the shit settled at work, the going joke between me and the guys was that the dog misses me because he found me tasty... I told them too bad 'cause I wasn't wearing a 'BITE ME' sign that day...

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House Spouse and I went wheeling for the first time since Sept '04. We went with the association we belong to and had a really good time. We only took Yoda as it was too much work to get both the Toy and Yoda ready in time. The Man '0 the House fixed my Flintstone floorboards, and put the 33" tires on. He also put a real CB antenna on (instead of the crappy magna-mount I usually have which tries to jump off regularly). He even tweaked the carb a bit as well as an oil change and he also washed 2 years of leaves and gunk off of Yoda. For his efforts Yoda performed flawlessly, even on a very long 30% incline which would normally drain the float-bowl causing the truck to stall at a very inopportune time. I may post a pic or two later.

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OT3 Orientation started Tues @ 8:30 am and went until 4 or 4:30 (and yes my brain ached afterward-believe me). There are 99 of us (I think) and the admission GPA was the highest its been in a decade. I'm very thankful that I busted my butt last year! So far I've met some really great people and with no curve to deal with from now on, the collaborative energy of the group has already begun to show. As long as I can keep my head above water, then next 2 years should be very interesting!

I still haven't quite sorted out whether I'm driving or carpooling or taking the commuter bus, and this is really bothering me. It will probably end up being a mish-mash of all three this term anyway.

If anyone knows of a good (read cheap and close to Corbett Hall) place to park- please let me know!

I'm sure my next post will be something like- Holy crap have I got a lot of work to do!