The MedStud has TWO tests this week, one today and one on Friday! Ahh! After this however, he will be done with Microbiology. And he is so happy.
The week started off pretty bad. He drives a scooter to school because we only live 7 miles away (even though we have 2 cars) and the scooter completely broke down on Monday. Uh-oh. He was freaking out because he now prefers to study at the school and without his precious scooter, how would he get to school? My suggestion: drive the car (duh). We have money, it's not like we're destitute, and we're able to afford parking for a couple days. Then, get the scooter an appointment at the dealership, and get it fixed! Brilliant, huh?
He didn't think so.
"Well, the parking lot is such a long walk from the school, and I have to leave for home when it's dark...Plus the parking is $4 per day!! PLUS, the dealership is always super overpriced and I can maybe fix it myself!" (Can you feel the sarcasm oozing out of my writing?) So, he ended up trying to drive the scooter that can now only drive 20 MPH to school and it stopped working on the way home. He spent so much time trying to figure out what was wrong, and we even tipped the scooter over to pour the gasoline into a vase (much to my chagrin, as the gas was spilling all over the grass) to see if the type of gas he had put in was the problem. Finally, he purchased a brand new battery for it and it worked.
Hallelujah. My husband turned into a crazy person the few days his scooter was broken and I didn't like it. I'm sure this is what he thinks of me when I'm on my period... "What a crazy lady!"
Showing posts with label Studying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Studying. Show all posts
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Micro Test in the Morning
MedStud has been studying like there is no tomorrow! I really hope he does awesome! Then we are going to spend a deliciously long afternoon together once I wake up from working the night shift. Oh it will be lovely.
I've been wanting to organize the Medical Student Spouse Association for the MedStud's school. Do any of you participate in yours? What sort of activities or hang-out sessions do you do? I need ideas before I submit the group to the medical school student president.
I've been wanting to organize the Medical Student Spouse Association for the MedStud's school. Do any of you participate in yours? What sort of activities or hang-out sessions do you do? I need ideas before I submit the group to the medical school student president.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Busy, busy.
Well, adjusting to having the MedStud be gone basically all day, every day has been interesting. He gets up early to work out around 0600 and leaves for school at 0730. Has class until 1200. Studies at the school until about 1900. I'm really hopeful that his new study habits will improve his grades! He also just bought some study aids, specifically for Microbiology, Pathology, and the Step 1. He decided he's a visual learner (aka photographic memory), and these study books have lots of great visuals in them. I don't remember what they're called, just that he got them off Amazon.
I also had a revelation the other day. I kept thinking, "What if this is that last time we'll ever spend time together? What if I died tomorrow?" It made me so overwhelmed to realize that my time with the MedStud is precious. I knew this already, but the feeling was so powerful that I started crying. I love him so much, and appreciate all he is willing to go through to achieve his dreams and provide for our family. He is amazing. Go hug your MedStud tonight and tell him how much you appreciate him and how proud you are of him. :)
I also had a revelation the other day. I kept thinking, "What if this is that last time we'll ever spend time together? What if I died tomorrow?" It made me so overwhelmed to realize that my time with the MedStud is precious. I knew this already, but the feeling was so powerful that I started crying. I love him so much, and appreciate all he is willing to go through to achieve his dreams and provide for our family. He is amazing. Go hug your MedStud tonight and tell him how much you appreciate him and how proud you are of him. :)
Friday, September 2, 2011
I'm worried about the MedStud.
The MedStud had his first microbiology test on Wednesday, and it really didn't do well. I felt so awful, because the hurricane coming during his studying time was the worst timing ever. He studied all weekend and still ended up with a bad score on the test. What have you done to help your MedStud? Do you study with him? Quiz him? How does your MedStud keep his grades up?
He decided that studying at home presents too much distraction (i.e. League of Legends game) so he has been studying at the school all day every day. Yesterday he studied for 10 hours straight! Holy cow.
On a plus note, we have finally had our power restored after over 125 hours without. I am so so so happy!!!
He decided that studying at home presents too much distraction (i.e. League of Legends game) so he has been studying at the school all day every day. Yesterday he studied for 10 hours straight! Holy cow.
On a plus note, we have finally had our power restored after over 125 hours without. I am so so so happy!!!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Dealing with a hurricane.
WARNING: Alarmingly long post ahead! You have been warned!
Have any of you been in a hurricane before? If you haven't, let me tell you - it's terrifying. You can't just blow it off, and think, "Oh we deal with wind speeds like that all the time." No. No.
I worked Thursday night, tracking the progress of Hurricane Irene as she blew up the east coast. Weather.com updated every three hours, and I followed it religiously. The other nurse I was working with would recount story after story of several hurricanes she had survived, including Hurricane Isabel in 2003, a category 2 hurricane. She told me of trying to get to her mother's house to save her, only to have to turn around two minutes later due to trees snapping every few seconds. Together, we found several websites stating that this hurricane could be just as bad or worse than Isabel. I cannot express how terrified I truly was. There were several paths that the hurricane could take, with the scariest one being within 40 miles of Richmond. They were projecting that, worst-case-scenario, we would be without power for a week.
I left work at 0715 and drove the 40 minutes home and went to the grocery store. Based on what I knew about people in the east coast (they freak out at the littlest snow-storm and raid the grocery stores), I knew that I had to get there early so I could get the essentials. At 0810 in the morning, most of the bottled water was already gone. I was, fortunately, able to get 15 gallons of water (enough for one gallon per person per day). Food though...I was at a loss. I called my mom in a panic, and she was gracious enough to give me advice on what to buy: ice, canned dinner, canned veggies, applesauce, granola bars, etc. I was so grateful for her! She emailed me tons of advice on hurricane preparation. I got home from the grocery store and slept until 3.
Then I broke down to the MedStud because I was trying to express my terror to him, and how serious this storm could turn out to be. Literally bawling my eyes out. He said that he was just as worried as I was. I headed to Target, Wal-Mart, and REI to pick up essentials. The stores were MADHOUSES. Madness I tell you! Never go to the store the day before a hurricane. Always go two days before! That entire night, I prepared everything in case we needed to evacuate. Clothes, paper, propane stove, 15 gallons of water, enough food for a week, medical supplies, medications, blankets, hygiene items, flashlights, candles, radio, matches, cash, and important documents. It was all by the door so we could take it to the car in case the storm took a turn for the worse.
Friday night we went to bed and awoke to torrential rain. Sheets and sheets of rain. Power was still on, so we went to the gym, came home and got ready, ate lunch, and then the power went out at 1230. So it began. The weather continued to get worse. The rain never stopped. The wind never stopped. The wind was bending the trees over and pounding our house. At 1600 our flower pot was entirely full of water (over 8 inches). I just read that winds in our county got upwards of 71 miles per hour. The worst winds in our state were 83 miles per hour.
Can I express how B.O.R.E.D. I was without the Internet? Holy cow. I love to read, but man! I get tired of reading! We couldn't do anything! I had the MedStud print his notes out (because he had a test scheduled for Monday - what a great weekend, right?) so he could study. But literally, there was nothing to do.
We went to our friend's house for company and games around 1800. The wind and rain kept getting worse. Around this time, our city was upgraded from a flood alert (possible flood) to a flood warning (most likely to flood). Lovely. And to think - the storm really hadn't even hit us yet! It was set to hit even with our state at 2000. I called into work at 2030, with the trees leaning even more dangerously and the wind howling in our ears. Asked the nurse how bad it really was, and she told me not to come in. She said trees were down all along the highway and that there would be flooding from the river that is literally 20 feet from the hospital. She transferred me to the supervisor and I was shocked to her her say, "You should have come in early to work because the CNO said there are no call outs. We've known about Irene for a whole week and you should have come in early to work and planned on staying over if needed." Um excuse me!? First of all, no one told me that I was supposed to come in early. Second of all, if I thought it was safe to drive to work, I would have. Third of all, no one said there weren't supposed to be any call outs. Ugh!
We went home from our friend's and then went to bed. It's too dark at 2130 with a hurricane blowing outside to do anything. I found out from my mom that over 900,000 people were without power in our state.
Couldn't sleep hardly at all that night. People from the ward kept texting us saying church was cancelled. The rain kept beating on the window and wind howling, keeping me awake. At 0512, I was suddenly woken by a snapping, popping noise. By then, the rain had finally stopped after raining non-stop for over 24 hours. The MedStud and I got ready as best we could. We didn't want to use any of the water in the pipes for fear that it was damaged by the storm and we had limited water, so we did sponge baths and ate tons of cereal and milk to get through the milk before it spoiled. We walked around our neighborhood to survey the damage and found the source of the popping noise that woke me up - a ginormous branch broke off one of the biggest trees. Multiple small trees were torn up and branches and leaves littered the entire property. For the rest of the day, we read, studied, and played games. We went to the park to play frisbee and took lots of pictures of tall, uprooted trees.
Then we drove toward downtown to see where power was restored. Surprisingly, most of the capital seemed to have power. Except for our apartment complex! Stupid power grids! Around 2030, the apartment complex directly across the street from us got their power turned on. Dang the power company! Didn't they understand that it was 78 degrees outside and we didn't have air conditioning!? That our food was slowly getting spoiled?! And that we desperately needed the Internet!?! Gah!
I forgot to mention previously that the mailman even brought us our mail during the hurricane. Bless them!
We've been without power now for 79 hours. The electrical company estimates our power will be turned back on tomorrow between 5 and 11. Their estimates keep getting pushed back! Ugh. We were blessed to be able to take our "frozen" aka defrosted foods over to our other friend's house. My work gave every employee without power a bag of ice, so we'll use that for our refrigerated foods. The MedStud has stayed at school almost all day studying for his test tomorrow, and using the school's electricity and air conditioning.
This is so monotonous. I'm tired. Being without electricity is really draining, and it's hard to explain why.
Here's hoping that we get our power turned back on tomorrow.
Additionally, there is a tropical storm brewing out in the Atlantic Ocean, projected to become a category 3 hurricane. I really, really, really hope it doesn't head for us.
So, lessons I've learned:
1. I'm grateful for electricity, and all the things it powers. Internet, computers, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washer, dryer, AIR CONDITIONING, lights.
2. I'm grateful that we were prepared. In the event we would need to evacuate, we would be able to do so and live off what we had.
3. I know that I need to buy another large cooler and buy at least 3 10-pound bags of ice next time.
4. A full freezer will last for 48 hours if not opened, and a half full freezer will last for 24 hours. A fridge will only last for 4 hours if not opened.
5. I need to research what people did in the "olden days" before there was electricity! What did they do to fill up their days?
6. The MedStud and I haven't gotten through an entire bottle of propane yet. We conserve well.
7. When you know a hurricane is coming, buy supplies two days before, not the day before.
Have any of you been in a hurricane before? If you haven't, let me tell you - it's terrifying. You can't just blow it off, and think, "Oh we deal with wind speeds like that all the time." No. No.
I worked Thursday night, tracking the progress of Hurricane Irene as she blew up the east coast. Weather.com updated every three hours, and I followed it religiously. The other nurse I was working with would recount story after story of several hurricanes she had survived, including Hurricane Isabel in 2003, a category 2 hurricane. She told me of trying to get to her mother's house to save her, only to have to turn around two minutes later due to trees snapping every few seconds. Together, we found several websites stating that this hurricane could be just as bad or worse than Isabel. I cannot express how terrified I truly was. There were several paths that the hurricane could take, with the scariest one being within 40 miles of Richmond. They were projecting that, worst-case-scenario, we would be without power for a week.
I left work at 0715 and drove the 40 minutes home and went to the grocery store. Based on what I knew about people in the east coast (they freak out at the littlest snow-storm and raid the grocery stores), I knew that I had to get there early so I could get the essentials. At 0810 in the morning, most of the bottled water was already gone. I was, fortunately, able to get 15 gallons of water (enough for one gallon per person per day). Food though...I was at a loss. I called my mom in a panic, and she was gracious enough to give me advice on what to buy: ice, canned dinner, canned veggies, applesauce, granola bars, etc. I was so grateful for her! She emailed me tons of advice on hurricane preparation. I got home from the grocery store and slept until 3.
Then I broke down to the MedStud because I was trying to express my terror to him, and how serious this storm could turn out to be. Literally bawling my eyes out. He said that he was just as worried as I was. I headed to Target, Wal-Mart, and REI to pick up essentials. The stores were MADHOUSES. Madness I tell you! Never go to the store the day before a hurricane. Always go two days before! That entire night, I prepared everything in case we needed to evacuate. Clothes, paper, propane stove, 15 gallons of water, enough food for a week, medical supplies, medications, blankets, hygiene items, flashlights, candles, radio, matches, cash, and important documents. It was all by the door so we could take it to the car in case the storm took a turn for the worse.
Friday night we went to bed and awoke to torrential rain. Sheets and sheets of rain. Power was still on, so we went to the gym, came home and got ready, ate lunch, and then the power went out at 1230. So it began. The weather continued to get worse. The rain never stopped. The wind never stopped. The wind was bending the trees over and pounding our house. At 1600 our flower pot was entirely full of water (over 8 inches). I just read that winds in our county got upwards of 71 miles per hour. The worst winds in our state were 83 miles per hour.
Can I express how B.O.R.E.D. I was without the Internet? Holy cow. I love to read, but man! I get tired of reading! We couldn't do anything! I had the MedStud print his notes out (because he had a test scheduled for Monday - what a great weekend, right?) so he could study. But literally, there was nothing to do.
We went to our friend's house for company and games around 1800. The wind and rain kept getting worse. Around this time, our city was upgraded from a flood alert (possible flood) to a flood warning (most likely to flood). Lovely. And to think - the storm really hadn't even hit us yet! It was set to hit even with our state at 2000. I called into work at 2030, with the trees leaning even more dangerously and the wind howling in our ears. Asked the nurse how bad it really was, and she told me not to come in. She said trees were down all along the highway and that there would be flooding from the river that is literally 20 feet from the hospital. She transferred me to the supervisor and I was shocked to her her say, "You should have come in early to work because the CNO said there are no call outs. We've known about Irene for a whole week and you should have come in early to work and planned on staying over if needed." Um excuse me!? First of all, no one told me that I was supposed to come in early. Second of all, if I thought it was safe to drive to work, I would have. Third of all, no one said there weren't supposed to be any call outs. Ugh!
We went home from our friend's and then went to bed. It's too dark at 2130 with a hurricane blowing outside to do anything. I found out from my mom that over 900,000 people were without power in our state.
Couldn't sleep hardly at all that night. People from the ward kept texting us saying church was cancelled. The rain kept beating on the window and wind howling, keeping me awake. At 0512, I was suddenly woken by a snapping, popping noise. By then, the rain had finally stopped after raining non-stop for over 24 hours. The MedStud and I got ready as best we could. We didn't want to use any of the water in the pipes for fear that it was damaged by the storm and we had limited water, so we did sponge baths and ate tons of cereal and milk to get through the milk before it spoiled. We walked around our neighborhood to survey the damage and found the source of the popping noise that woke me up - a ginormous branch broke off one of the biggest trees. Multiple small trees were torn up and branches and leaves littered the entire property. For the rest of the day, we read, studied, and played games. We went to the park to play frisbee and took lots of pictures of tall, uprooted trees.
Then we drove toward downtown to see where power was restored. Surprisingly, most of the capital seemed to have power. Except for our apartment complex! Stupid power grids! Around 2030, the apartment complex directly across the street from us got their power turned on. Dang the power company! Didn't they understand that it was 78 degrees outside and we didn't have air conditioning!? That our food was slowly getting spoiled?! And that we desperately needed the Internet!?! Gah!
I forgot to mention previously that the mailman even brought us our mail during the hurricane. Bless them!
We've been without power now for 79 hours. The electrical company estimates our power will be turned back on tomorrow between 5 and 11. Their estimates keep getting pushed back! Ugh. We were blessed to be able to take our "frozen" aka defrosted foods over to our other friend's house. My work gave every employee without power a bag of ice, so we'll use that for our refrigerated foods. The MedStud has stayed at school almost all day studying for his test tomorrow, and using the school's electricity and air conditioning.
This is so monotonous. I'm tired. Being without electricity is really draining, and it's hard to explain why.
Here's hoping that we get our power turned back on tomorrow.
Additionally, there is a tropical storm brewing out in the Atlantic Ocean, projected to become a category 3 hurricane. I really, really, really hope it doesn't head for us.
So, lessons I've learned:
1. I'm grateful for electricity, and all the things it powers. Internet, computers, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washer, dryer, AIR CONDITIONING, lights.
2. I'm grateful that we were prepared. In the event we would need to evacuate, we would be able to do so and live off what we had.
3. I know that I need to buy another large cooler and buy at least 3 10-pound bags of ice next time.
4. A full freezer will last for 48 hours if not opened, and a half full freezer will last for 24 hours. A fridge will only last for 4 hours if not opened.
5. I need to research what people did in the "olden days" before there was electricity! What did they do to fill up their days?
6. The MedStud and I haven't gotten through an entire bottle of propane yet. We conserve well.
7. When you know a hurricane is coming, buy supplies two days before, not the day before.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Studying
The MedStud is in his second year of medical school. He is currently learning about Pharmacology and is really having a good time! It's so nice for me as well, because helping him study helps me remember certain things about medications and how they work in the body.
That is one very thing positive about medical school, that you as the wife/SO learn so much! It's great!
The MedStud goes to school every day from at least 0800 to 1200, and sometimes has extra classes in the afternoon and preceptorship every other Monday. He is precepting at an Internal Medicine doctor's office which specializes in diabetes. It's been so educational for him and insightful on the awful disease that diabetes is. After school and preceptorships, he studies basically the rest of the night. With second year comes studying and preparing for the first boards. These are killer, and although I don't understand them completely right now, I know they're super hard. It's a full time job! There is no way we would be able to survive if I wasn't working. That's one thing I stress to everyone considering this route - you need to have a source of income. True, you can take out all the loans that the government offers and get scholarships, but with capitalizing interest and the lovely government plan that just came out, all graduate students are required to pay their interest back much sooner than they were before. If you don't want a mountain of debt hanging over you, have some stream of income.
That is one very thing positive about medical school, that you as the wife/SO learn so much! It's great!
The MedStud goes to school every day from at least 0800 to 1200, and sometimes has extra classes in the afternoon and preceptorship every other Monday. He is precepting at an Internal Medicine doctor's office which specializes in diabetes. It's been so educational for him and insightful on the awful disease that diabetes is. After school and preceptorships, he studies basically the rest of the night. With second year comes studying and preparing for the first boards. These are killer, and although I don't understand them completely right now, I know they're super hard. It's a full time job! There is no way we would be able to survive if I wasn't working. That's one thing I stress to everyone considering this route - you need to have a source of income. True, you can take out all the loans that the government offers and get scholarships, but with capitalizing interest and the lovely government plan that just came out, all graduate students are required to pay their interest back much sooner than they were before. If you don't want a mountain of debt hanging over you, have some stream of income.
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