A Recommencing of Efforts. Maybe.

Hello again. Its been awhile, I apologize. I'd like to say that I've been busy the whole time, but, well, that just wouldn't be true. I have been busy, don't get me wrong. The last week and a half have been brutal, but really before that, there wasn't much going on. So there really isn't much excuse for the time periods between Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years. Frankly, I've just been lazy in regards to this little bloggity blog and to my very few, sporadic readers, I must apologize sincerely. However comma. Since then (and by 'then', I mean the last 10 days or so) I have been up to my eyeballs in 'busy'. I drove 1000 miles back to San Antonio with a truckload of crap (again) and began to overfill my apartment. I may not have mentioned this from before, but I have a tiny apartment. And I most definitely went overboard with the purchasing of furniture for said tiny apartment. Everything is big and nice, but big is bad in a small place. But I make do. I just have to do with some overcrowding in a few areas. Overcrowding. What a silly word. We know what crowded means. Is there really a need to specify more of it? I guess maybe there can be instances when its necessary. 'The elevator was crowded' versus 'the elevator was way too overcrowded' is a pretty big distinction, and if you've ever been in an overcrowded elevator, you know what I mean. So I guess there is a need for it after all. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah. So my place is crowded with stuff that I probably don't need, but, well, I want. So shut it.

Then I started school. F. M. L. Never have I undertaken something so vast and complex and challenging. My brain hurts every day and its only the first week. We have PT (thats physical training for non military folk) at 0600 (thats 6 a.m.) until 0700 (7 a.m.) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I try to also work out on Tuesdays and Thursdays at or around the same time, though I would much rather (and probably should be) sleeping. I also try to on Saturdays, which I did today. I don't regret it, though it feels like my body does. I almost died today. Seriously. I felt a mild myocardial infarction coming on. Or maybe just localized ischemia. Or maybe I'm just fat and out of shape and did a ridiculous workout that brought the lactic acid levels in my body to near toxic levels. Probably the latter. Who knows. I didn't throw up, which was a good thing. Though I wanted to. Fo sho. Anyways, I digress again.

So yeah, PT from 6-7 MWF, then we start class at 8. Now I should mention, too, that I am either getting up early or staying up later to cook breakfast and try to eat healthy, by which I mean make eggs. I know it isn't hard, nor does it take long, but just the mere extra effort of doing anything is highly taxing on my recently-developed fragile nervous system. So, class starts at 8. I've eaten a healthy breakfast, worked out vigorously, showered and shaved and changed and even gotten a little bit of studying in before the 'bell' rings. By 'bell' I mean the powerpoint has started and the teacher has begun talking. Same thing really. Though I wouldn't mind a bell. Would keep the teachers on a better schedule and give me something to yearn for, aside from sleep and death. But of course everyone in the building is on moderately different schedules, which would not make for a very conducive learning environment with bells going off every 10-15 minutes. Ah well. Its a thought. So yeah. 0800. Class starts. And 50 minutes of lecture, followed by a ten minute break...rinse and repeat...rinse and repeat...rinse and repeat...BREAK FOR LUNCH!!!! Yeah. 4 hours-ish of lecture with an hour lunch break. Most everyone stays in now, because there just isn't time to go somewhere and eat and make it back in that hellacious parking lot. So everyone brings there lunch. I eat my salad that I love. Picked chicken, mixed greens, raspberries, gorgonzola and vinaigrette. Yummy. Plus snacks. Lots of snacks. Apples, carrots, pickles, bell peppers, whatever. I just need to munch on things all day or else I absolutely will fall asleep, which would not be good. After lunch is always the worst. Sleepy sleepy time. But anywho. Try and study a little bit on lunch, but its usually too noisy to do much but chit chat, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Then its another rinse and repeat x 4. Sooo awesome. Though they have cancelled a class and said that happens frequently, which is exciting. Oh yeah...the classes. Right now I am taking Biochemistry (ugh), microbiology (fml), medical law and ethics (yawn), and research/eval (great teacher, boring subject). And thats just right now. Next week we add Clinical Lab in there, plus some other random ones, and then the biggie in a few weeks...A and P. Which will destroy us. But thats ok. So yeah, thats the first semester. Its four months long, and then a week off, and then back to it with even more difficult classes for another four months. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. And that will be our 16 month Phase I portion, and then on to Phase II at a military hospital near you. Or somewhere. Probably somewhere craptastic. Though Hawaii wouldn't be too shabby. But who knows. Thats a long ways off. I need to survive biochem and micro first. Both are sufficiently kicking my ass on their respective own. Teamed up, they might actually kill me. But that could also be my melodramatic side coming out. He's a whiny little effer who stays rightfully hidden in the corner as he ought. Apparently challenging tasks bring him out just to gnaw at my frayed nerves. I may have to kill him during this course. Which would be a good thing overall, but he is rather entertaining. Years and years later usually. And usually to other people. But whatever. The courses are difficult, as I knew they would be. And I will get through them. I just hate when I read my micro book and feel as though I am reading chinese. Its not cool. And wildly demoralizing. First micro test this Thursday. Yuck. First Biochem test next Tuesday. Then pretty much a test every two or three days for the rest of the 16 months. FML.

So thats been my life for awhile. You know. A week. I think it will get easier as I get into the groove of things. I need to figure out how to study better. One, I get distracted easily. Having a shiny new TV and the internet and movies and cable and Showtime and Weeds and Californication all serve to destroy my concentration. I usually win. Usually. But also, I don't take notes that well. I dunno. I need to figure out how I learn better. Do I need to make flashcards? There's an app for that. No really. There is. Or do I just need to highlight and review? Do I need to make diagrams and pictures or what. I don't know. But I damn sure need to find out. I wonder if Van Wilder's Topless Tutors is available somewhere? I need to meet some strippers and see if they'd be down to 'help' my class out. I'm sure most of the guys would appreciate it. Though there wives may not. Hmmmm. Back to the mountaintop.

So I think that's about it for now. Oh wait. Nope. Sundays. Cooking days. Good times. I cook all the week's meals and then refridgerate. Yeah. That's it. Nope. Just kidding. Forgot to mention that I study. A lot. Hours and hours. From when I get home until 10-11, depending on the day. This week didn't go so well, but I've been trying to get into it. Nor did today go very well, as my workout went on for awhile, then I dawdled at the mall for a bit, then I lollygagged home and finally started to study. And even then I didn't do very well. As evidenced by this blog posting. But I am going to eat dinner. Read one more chapter, and then head out with some of the boys tonight. I think we are celebrating surviving Week 1. Its a lot like Hell Week for the SEALs or Special Forces, only not nearly as difficult, challenging or inherently dangerous as that. But you know. Pretty close.

On that note, I'm out. Its 1850 (thats 6:50 P.M.) CST and I am exhausted. But I am still gonna study. And I'm still gonna go out. And I'm still gonna bitch about it tomorrow.

Rinse and repeat.