Lake Minnewaska

This weekend was a nice mix of schoolwork and social time.  Today leaned less on the schoolwork side though... I went hiking with my best friend from high school.  I've been wanting to do a winter hike, since it's been so mild here.

Hearts and germs

Today we dissected hearts!  (Cow and sheep).  Then, prepared slides of/checked out E. coli and Staph.  I love learning this stuff.  :) 

Spring Semester

I'm now a week into being a full-time student.  I was actually really happy about school starting again.  I'm very interested in all my of my classes, except Organic Chemistry, which is one of those things you just gotta do.  My first weekly homework assignment for O Chem took up 12 pages in my notebook.  Writing "pre-labs" also seems like it's going to be a major time sink.  Hopefully I'll get better at them-- It's been a decade since I've done Chemistry labs.  Seems like this class will be "fun".. (ugh).  I'm just so psyched to be in it at my local college, where I'm taking everything else!  I feel very lucky.  The professor said that this is the first time that he's seen O Chem 1 offered in the Spring semester (in addition to O Chem 2), and he's been there about 20 years.  WOW.  That kinda hit me...    I'm also taking: Anatomy & Physiology II (which I'm very excited about), Microbiology for Health Professionals (germs), and Developmental Psychology (across the lifespan).  I was very happy to see some friends I made last semester (who are also doing career changes to nursing) in my A&P lecture and lab. 

I had a great time skiing this past weekend at a mountain not very far from me.  I went with some great friends.  It was colder skiing there than any of the trips I've done in the Rockies.  We had a heck of a time getting there.. as it was snowing pretty bad and the roads weren't cleared yet.  We got about 4 inches.  It's back to being warm again, so it's all melting. 

Winter Interim

I'm about halfway through a 3-week stay with my family in Long Beach, NY, taking Intro to Statistics, which is so far proving to be the easiest college course I've probably ever taken.  My professor is a quite stereo-typical Long Island woman.  I don't expect people to act a certain way based on certain things, but I do find it pretty funny when they really do prove the stereotype.  It's adorable; I enjoy her.  I'm also still prepping for the pre-nursing standardized test next month.  My strength for Math is obvious, but I'm being reminded of my weakness in vocabulary.  Science is mostly a matter of brushing up on some basics from long ago.

This past week has actually felt like winter, but now it's back to warming up again.  

I often think of my "mental hiatus": not being a "contributing member of society"/ loafing off my family, and not knowing if I'll get a job, or where the job would be after this is done.  I keep focusing on one step at a time, knowing I'm doing this for the "right" reason.  The increased freedom in scheduling my time is the part I do like.

Masterpiece!

This isn't just any gingerbread house! 

Just Some Books

Ready for the Spring semester.  That is, after my winter Stats class.  Everything should be interesting, except Organic Chemistry.  But I could see how it could be useful.

Holidelic Weekend

My finals are done. Straight As (in all of my two classes). I have a break until just after Christmas, when I take my 3-week long winter session class while living at my uncles'. I have a long weekend after that, and then its straight into the spring semester. I'm using my time now to prep for the standardized pre-nursing exam in February. It won't be hard at all, but I do need to refresh on stuff, as it's been a while.

Had another great weekend. On Saturday, I volunteered for a theater group for children who stutter. We filmed a music video at a high school in Harlem. My grandmother lived in Harlem, and it's changed a lot since I was a kid. The filming went well and my help was appreciated. After, we went downtown and saw a funny/satire holiday show called "Holidelic".

Sunday was "cookie day" at a friend's family's place, which has an amazing view. It was really cool; the family is very welcoming and fun. I'm very lucky to have some great friends, on two coasts. Some very creative cookies were made. Most had a holiday theme, but not all did.

Chrysler building cookie:

Here is the new "Freedom Tower" being built where the twin towers stood.  It sparkles on the East River from this view.

Pennsylvania

Everybody loves kittens, right?? 

I visited my mother, brother, and step-father this weekend.  They moved to central Pennsylvania about 5 years ago.  But I've never visited, since they're about 4-5 hours away from NYC, and I couldn't fit all that travel in my visits home (and still actually have quality time to spend with the people I'm visiting).  Mom and bro would usually come to NY and stay with me and our family.  So this past Saturday was my younger brother's 19th birthday, and so I made the drive out to visit.  This is their new kitten.  They already have a cat, and my mother has wanted to get a 2nd cat to keep her company, so my brother's birthday was a good excuse.  The grown cat didn't like him at first, of course, but very soon, they were playing chase around the apartment.  We had a nice weekend. 

D.A.

Right now I'm feeling like one lucky bitch.

That's an interesting way to feel, considering a friend of mine just died, and by his own hand.  This guy is one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet, and always had a welcoming, true smile for everyone.  He wasn't too good for anyone or anything, and made everyone he was around feel comfortable.  He was a very skilled skydiver, and yet would jump with an unskilled newbie any day, and be happy doing it (how I got to know him).  There was no one who did not like this guy.  And I'm not just saying that in an honor to him because he's dead.  It's true.  So, this event really sucks.  It's very tough for me, and earlier this week I had an angry conversation with him and a good long cry in the privacy of the basement of the house.  I was planning on going to CA next month, but I moved up my trip last minute, so that I could be at a memorial gathering for my friend at the dropzone.  

The skydiving community is full of a lot of different people, from all walks of life.  Some are very crazy and weird, and on the other end of the spectrum, some very boring, even nerdy.  But there is a common bond to live and experience life in a very full and unafraid way.  And that bond carries through quite a bit (not through everything, but quite a bit).  The community is a community that is in many cases, a "family".  So, I wanted to be at the memorial for my own closure, but even more, to be there for my family.  I would have felt like an ass if there was any way I could reasonably be there, but did not go because the last minute planning was inconvenient for me.  So, as I live on the edge with my hobby and my recent educational endevours, I (again), extend the excitement to my travels.  

I ended up having a wonderful weekend.  My feeling that I was very needed there was quite validated.  That was a reinforcer for me as to why I am changing my career, and helped make this feel more "right".  And it was good for me personally to honor my friend by showing my last respects.  And, in true skydiving fashion, we ended up celebrating and having a good time, despite the overwhelming sadness, as we KNEW our friend would want.  Maybe it was the sadness that just got to heavy and made us crack.  Maybe it was our friend's influence in spirit.  But after the memorial, in the bar, one person thew a cardboard coaster at someone, it got thrown back.. and there it went from there.. a full on coaster battle throughout the whole bar.. trench warfare and all.. for probably 20-30 minutes.  All the frustration and sadness that was pent up by everyone was being let out, and we were doing just what the man of the night would want us to do- have fun.  It was a silly, crazy, and damn beautiful thing.  This is why I like the sport, and that is why I came.

In my friend's spirit, the next day I did 6 jumps, health insurance be damned.  (Yes, I'm working on that, but decided I wasn't going to wait for it to jump).  And one of them was a very good friend's 1000th jump.  How lucky I was to be there for that.  I hadn't jumped in almost two months.. which for me is long, and man was I itching to jump.  I've felt that skydiving will always be a part of my life, but it really clicked this weekend.  I don't think there's any getting away.  I told a few people this weekend that they need to be strong for our friend.. that we need to pick up where he left off, do what he couldn't, and that he'd be pissed to see us not make the best of our lives while we're here.  And I need to live up to my own advice, which I do anyway (hence the career change), but it is hard at times.  But, I got quite the reminder.  

Sunday:

Continuing with the positivity, I attended the stupid and useless orientation today at the community college I'm at, and was able to register for all the rest of the classes I need after the winter Statistics class.  A department chair had held a seat for me in a full class after I told her my situation (and she realized that she scheduled a few less seats than she was supposed to for the class).  So, I am now officially all set for the remainder of my needed pre-reqs, and at the colleges I want.  So now I will NOT have to drive an extra four hours a week to that other school for O Chem.  This is a HUGE relief for me.  My life will definitely be much easier, which is especially great, considering it will be a busy semester.  I am grateful to the department chair.. she just did her job, but she did not have to hold the seat for me for a few days.  I thanked her numerous times.  So, lots of progress was made today and now I can stop planning plans and back up plans.  Now I can just focus on my classes, and also an [easy] standardized test I need to take in February.

I also submitted my application for the nursing program I want to get into.  That was some work, so I'm also glad that is done.  Now.. well, it's about that relax and have faith thing.  Although.. I don't have a back up plan, should I not get into this very selective program.

Thanksgiving + Birthday

I had a nice Thanksgiving/Birthday weekend.  

I signed up for a needed class, Intro to Statistics, for the winter intersession at the community college near my uncle.  So I'll be living there for three weeks after Christmas.  They had morning and evening classes.  I preferred the morning class, and got into the very last morning seat.  So, looks like it works out that I have not gotten a job, being that I will have to be living in a different area for three weeks.  So, I am all set for the rest of my needed classes.  I'm just waiting for admission to the community college near my father so that I can sign up for all my Spring classes there  and not have to drive so far for Organic Chemistry class.

I had Thanksgiving with family, which I haven't had in a while.  It was a great time.  My cousin's daughter even made us personalized placemats!  Here was mine:

I also had a nice birthday yesterday with my friends.