Back to the Books

I arrived home from vacation last night and immediately went into panic mode over school. Today was my first day of class. I always like the first week of school because they generally go easy on you by going over syllabi and possibly a short lecture. My first class of the day was pediatrics. We were instructed to write down 3 truths and 1 lie about ourselves. We then tried to guess who the author was as the professor read them off. It was funny how easily we deduced the source as well as the lie. I guess we really have gotten to know each other well over the last year.

It was really sad to miss 7 of my classmates who flunked out last semester. We're now down to a class size of 23. Then, much to my surprise, I discover that 2 of those 7 are in my Monday night World Civ III class. We caught up on the goings on of those who are having to repeat the semester. I found out that UT Knoxville's nursing school has lost its accreditation and UT Chattanooga is currently under investigation. I asked my source what would happen to us if they did lose accreditation. She thinks they would finish out the students currently enrolled but not take any more applicants. This is a relief because I don't want to have to transfer again.

I was a bit leery that I might be taking on more than is advisable by taking a class in addition to my nursing classes. However, I perceive this might be my best History class yet. The professor is really funny and interesting. We spent about an hour learning about the people in the class with her adding amusing anecdotes along the way. Additionally, we only have 2 exams and 3 out-of-class essays. I think I can handle this! I will be taking away from my study time, but hopefully I can handle it.

I've been puzzling over something tonight: Are there any men who enter the profession of midwifery? Men are in all other areas of nursing, so why not? And if they do, what would you call them, for "midwife" hardly seems appropriate.

vacation

I'm officially on vacation today. I've been in Kentucky since Sunday, but Sun/Mon were my days off. Today I would have been scheduled to work, so it's the first day I start using my paid leave.

Sunday night we pulled a late, late nighter with my dear friend Rhonda. It's always one of my favorite highlights of coming home. We just can't seem to get done talking. We eventually forced ourselves to leave in the wee hours of the morning.

My eyes were quite gritty the next morning which was not good thing considering I had an eye doctor appointment at 8:45. I also had to wear my CRT lenses before going which I don't particularly enjoy. I opened my case to put my right lens in and there was nothing there. I searched and searched for that lens, thinking I may have dropped it when I opened the lid. Sharon even helped me with a flashlight, all to no avail. Finally I decided I could at least wear my left lens since that eye is the weakest anyway. As I went to get my left lens out, there was a slimy sliding sensation to it. I discovered I had put both lenses in the left side. Now how is a person to figure out which lens is which? Thank goodness for my compulsiveness when it comes to routine. I figured since I always take my right lens out first, that should be the one on the bottom and the left should be on the top. So I put them on under that assumption. I couldn't tell by my vision if I had gotten it right because they irritate my eyes so badly that I generally just close my eyes as soon as possible after inserting them. I must have gotten it right though because I had 20/20 vision and only 1 step of correction in my left eye was needed for perfect vision. My doctor always raves at the success of his star guinea pig for CRT.

After my eye appointment, I stopped in at my favorite former auto mechanic to speak visit with Paula who truly runs the place. I enjoy my encounters with her so much. I was particularly amused at a change in her usual spiel. She always grills me on my love life or prospects therein and is continually frustrated at my ambivalence toward the matter. Yesterday, however, she told me that while she has always declared that there is a mate out there for everybody, and ones happiness must hinge on finding that person, she has discovered that maybe marriage isn't the ultimate answer for everybody. Her daughter just recently got married which made her ecstatic. It seems things aren't working out so well, and it did not bring her the happiness her mother was sure it would. So she admitted that maybe I was right about not needing to be married to be happy.

I then met a former co-worker from the BG REC for lunch. She's one of those treasures who will always be considered a dear friend. We talked for hours, and even after making it outside, we talked until the storm chased us to our cars. I really miss that sweet lady.
Today I'm going to take my car to get the windows tinted. My sisters had theirs done and declare it helps alleviate some of the heat buildup in these hot summer days. I most certainly need that in Chattanooga.

Tomorrow we leave for Virginia to see that special little niece of mine.

Shop til you drop

It has been years since I shopped like my sisters, friends and I did today. It is tax-free weekend in Tennessee for back to school supplies and clothing. This truly a big deal when the sales tax is 9.25%. A lot of places like Fashion Bug combined this with 30-80% off sales. A dream come true for college students. I totally turned off my penny-pinching mode for the day; I might have even lost some common sense. I tried on so many items of clothing, I was considering walking around in my underwear. Ok, not really, but it would have saved time. And it was so HOT, it would have felt good.

We were finally so exhausted we had to take a break to just sprawl out. We had our own mini-fashion show. Then it was off to the races again. I had to go to work, but I directed the rest of the crew to the hottest shopping area in Chattanooga.

Now I'm at work counting the hours until I can go home and enjoy my wacky family/friends again. I'll relate our awful night last night at a later date.

Quote of the day: "Like my favorite saying I always say....How does it go Lisa?" --Jolene (my sister)

A good weekend

A good weekend
My friend Grace from Kentucky came to see me. She arrived Sunday afternoon and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. We had lots of good conversations, watched some good movies, and went shopping. Now what better girl things are there to do?

I took her to the school supply store which she likes for her teaching supplies. We thought it was really big and well-stocked last year. This year, we discovered it had moved to a much bigger building so you can imagine her delight. That place brings back pleasant memories of planning for a new school year and trying to come up with inspiring ideas for the students. It's one of the things I miss about teaching.

The other major shopping spree was also a repeat of last year--McKays books. That place is absolutely fabulous. It's a used books/videos/CDs store that is bigger than some libraries. You can find some real steals there. My treasures included 3 books by Dee Henderson, one of my favorite Christian fiction authors. I had been eyeing them longingly at Lifeway, but decided I just didn't have the time or the money. Then I find them for half the cost and just couldn't resist snatching them right up. It's a good thing I don't go in there very often. Although I may have to continue making trips until I get the whole series. Now I'm faced with having to discipline myself to do those things which must be done, rather than reading.