Nursing School

At this point in my education I am spending time in SIM with mannequins along with several hours each week in the hospital caring for Med/Surg or OB patients. I am learning so much info that my mind feels like one of the latex gloves I wear being filled with air! You know, the ones that medical people blow up and draw like a chicken or a face or something on them. I feel very neurologically stretched, but I enjoy the newfound knowledge.

One of my favorite study spots.

First and perhaps not the last

JoJo in her "work" uniform!

This past weekend, I accompanied Jo to work at the Coroner's office to experience my first autopsy. I was apprehensive to attend, but since I am very intrigued by the creation of our wonderful bodies, I forced myself to go. Though it was not one of my favorite ways to spend a sunny weekend morning, I am completely glad that I went.
Admittedly, the intrusion upon the human physique during the procedure is rude at best, the valuable experience gained from it far out weighs its lack of polite behavior. The entire procedure was absolutely fascinating. What a marvelous, infinitely fantastic mechanism our bodies are!! Seeing all of it up close and personal was amazing!
I was able to make it through the entire 3 hour procedure with out having to leave at anytime because of queasiness. Beforehand, I was wondering if I would be able to "stomach" the entire ordeal, not knowing what to expect. But, overall it was do-able. I made it through. I even assisted a little bit! At one point, Jo was busy doing something else and the Dr. asked me if I could assist him while he removed the right kidney!
Accepting the concrete, absolute-ness of death helps to accept the fact that this is just tissue. The spirit is gone, the soul is gone. Only the outer shell of carbon and organic matter remains. Thus, the body can be a tool of usefulness for others to learn from. Period. That's all it is after the spirit is gone.
What a unique opportunity it was for me. I treasure these days of exploring, learning, and experiencing new and fascinating things. I am thankful for each and every one of them.

Tracking Trails

Arbiter and I went on a fun adventure with our Mammology class last week. We spent a portion of the morning reviewing Habitats of local ground squirrels and chipmunks, then went out to look for some after lunch break. Here we have found some evidence of a California ground squirrel burrowing in the thatch searching for food.


Arbiter found this pine cone club that he carried around with him. I told him if we found any squirrels, he absolutely could not use it to subdue them!

These are a few of the many nests that we saw in the trees. Without closer observation, we couldn't really determine who the residents were. We suspected that they were squirrel nests.

This one could be a rat, but probably a squirrel
Who says you have to graduate High school before you can go to college?? Oh, and by the way, he (we) got a 94 on his quiz!

Some tracks of some sort in the soft sand. They may be fox tracks.

We are required to keep a field journal that contains narrative, photos, drawings and specimens all of our experiences and our findings. We have learned how to identify skulls and pelts of all different types of NorthCoast Mammals. Knowing all this information makes taking a walk in the forest a whole new experience. I go a lot slower than I used to!

Accomplishments

This day has been a long one. It began with an exam in Anatomy and ended with 3 hours of Algebra with a little nap on the Redwood Transit in between.
I am continuing what may be the longest, crookedest college career in history. I won't even shame myself in admitting just when this whimsical journey began. Let's just say it began in the beginning and it has yet to be completed.
When I signed up for a secondary Algebra class this semester I had to ask the counselor to vouch for me that I had already taken the primary class.... albeit many long years ago. It took him an entire day of phone calls and emails to another college I had attended in order to substantiate my transcripts.
To apply for another program recently, I needed my High school transcript. When I approached the woman at the counter to ask her for it, she wanted to know if it was for one of my children.
No, I said, for me.
She paused, then stated she was going to have to go down to the basement. When she returned, she said she had to blow the dust off of it and brush the cob webs out of her hair.
Very funny...
If my college experiences were a recipe, I would not only be cooking for an entire army, but I would have a most unique ingredient list. It began with a goal, a desire to prepare for a career and enrollment at the local community college. To which I soon added some dating, some romance and eventually a marriage. I stirred in a couple of kids and promptly threw in a couple more classes. Before long I had added several more children, a couple of surgeries, a fixer upper house, and a large variety of animals and of course, more classes. I beat all of this on high for several more years which quickly became decades. So now, after all of this preparation, I am ready to put it all into the oven. With time, the mix of my academic life has begun to take shape. It looks like I might actually have something worthwhile here.
Last week, I applied for a petition to graduate with an AA degree in....
what else!...
General Studies!
Somehow, somewhere along the way, my endless hours of lectures and note taking, staying up late studying after everyone else had gone to bed, and many hard earned dollars forked out for text books has earned me the right to receive a college degree. This last Math class was the only thing standing between me and that cap and gown. So it looks like a go.
Although I won't embarrass myself (or them) by putting on that cap and gown and walking across the stage with all of those 2o yr. olds, I am still feeling very gratified that I have finally, after all these years, graduated from college. But that doesn't mean that I'm done. There will be a sequel.
Never say never.

Gross? Or just ......necessary!

It's not that Anatomy is gross, though sometimes it is..... It is a class that I am attending. I need to take this class to further my pursuits in nursing. Jo and I are taking it together which is an entirely separate blog altogether! Jo seems to have some weird attraction to the human body after it's original occupant has departed. As a matter of fact, she just took on a job as a pathologist's asst. at the county coroner's office here in town. She is disturbingly giddy about it! Anyway, I guess someone has to do it, though not just anyone can. I guess you could say that it would have to be a special calling to actually be able to perform such a job.
As you can see from the photos, she actually would think of bringing the camera to class to record our prodding and probing of these specimens that have been generously donated by their previous owners who no longer will need them. I never realized just how generous it is to donate one's body for the use of scientific research. Apparently UCSF has a program that you can sign up to that would allow you to give your self when then inevitable time comes that you go on to meet your Maker. (For those of you that happen to be interested , FYI).
So, this being just another way to wile away the winter days...... That and intermediate Algebra. My kids tease me that I am experiencing a "mid-life crisis" but I like to think of it as a mid-life surge. I'm not ready for the rocking chair and the crocheting just yet!

Tests

I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone. As you can see from this photo, I feel pretty comfortable in the kitchen, doing what I do best in the kitchen; cooking, canning, that kind of thing. Over the years I have spent many long hours over the stove preparing wonderfully nutritious meals for my family. (No, I'm not gloating, I really have!). In recent months I have ventured out of the kitchen, so-to-speak, and into cyberspace. I am taking online college classes.
Along with taking online college classes goes taking online college tests. I have a class that has a test, sometimes two, every week. At first blush, this doesn't seem too difficult. But then, as they say, the devil is in the details. The test must be taken in a ten minute time frame. 10 questions, 10 minutes. In all fairness to my professor, I also get three attempts at taking this test in order to get a decent grade. Seems easy enough, except that each attempt at the test presents different questions! Sometimes a previous question will appear, but mostly, each time I take the test, there are new questions. So, the first few times I submitted my quiz, I did pretty lousy. I even emailed the teacher to tell him that his tests were too hard. (They really were!) Now that I have taken 6 quizzes, I am finally getting the hang of it. The last 2 quizzes I got a 10 out of 10 on the first try! I was so proud of myself, I just had to tell someone! So I decided to tell the entire blogsphere of my accomplishment!

I have also discovered the benefits of sharing my kitchen with the other women in my family. I figure if I make sure they all know how to cook I won't have to! Pictured above: Jo, me, Dallas & Evelyn making egg rolls, chow mien and crab cheese puffs.

Yes, that is a little belly on E! Little Tulula is growing quickly in her belly!!!!!! We now know that N & E are having a girl!

News flash!!!! Dallas and Nate are having another baby! Just found out last night! Our family is growing rather quickly these days!