Finals.. Summer

I'm now also officially done with my pre-requisite courses.  I took my last final today.  Now, I just wait for my grades and then have my transcript sent over to the nursing program.  I have to say that community college exceeded my expectations, at least the one I attended.  The classes are easier, but I did have some cool professors and peers/other students.  Now I'm getting some other little odds and ends for the program done: comfortable "healthcare" shoes, ID picture, vaccines, etc. 

I have an interview next week for a summer job (West Nile Virus Surveillance Study) at the community college I've been taking classes at.  It seems like a fun job of field and lab work.  We'll see if I get it.  The only bad thing is that it's not full time.. probably about 20-hrs a week. I will also see if I can pick up some hours tutoring math and biology.. which is usually "hit or miss" as far as need/hours.  If both of those things worked out, I'd get a fair amount of work, and still have free weekends for friends and family.  So, I hope it works.

So, now that I have a break in school, I have a little more mental energy to sit back and reflect a bit.  I'm pretty impressed that this crazy plan is all working out.  I expected it to.. or I wouldn't have gone for it.. but it proved to be harder to carry out that I'd originally imagined.  I still feel weird in this "regressed" state of being a student and living with my father.  Still not crazy about the student life again, nor the constant changes, like worrying about finding some summer work or where I'll live in the fall.  But I'm trying to focus on the good aspects of it while I have it.  Luckily, I do well with change.  But under it all, I do still feel solid about my decision and feel that all this is for the best for me, and I just gotta keep putting one step forward.  Time will go by fast.. as it tends to do.

IN!

I'M IN!!!!!

I am officially accepted to the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing Accelerated 2nd Degree Program!  I'm so relieved!!!  

All the hard work, running around coordinating everything, making everything happen, etc... is all worth it now. I feel very, very relieved!  I was confident in my choices, but made a bit of a [nerve-wracking] gamble by putting all my eggs in one basket.  (And I don't like to gamble).  I feel that I won this one.  (No more gambling).  My ridiculous plan is officially falling into place. :)  Now I know I'll be going where I want, and the coordination will all be set up for me.  I just do what they tell me.  And I'll be in a program with a very good name, for a damn good price.  I am even going to get most (all?) of my books from a friend who did the program a couple years ago.  Score!  

I'm still not confident on my original living plans, so now need to look into to other options.  I'm not excited about that, but I'm confident that I can, and will, make something work.  There were drawbacks to my original plans as well (but it was the right price), so maybe I'll find a better fit.  Whatever the case, it will work.  I'm nervous about this last puzzle piece in a good way. But for now.. relishing in my moment.

Hands

This was on my hands!!

Specifically, it is bacteria from a colony which grew for a week in an incubator on nutrient agar, which I inoculated from swabbing my right index finger, in the crook under my nail.  Hot!  They're everywhere..

In other news, school continues along just fine.  Organic Chemistry is still the only class that is challenging to me. The rest continue to be very interesting to me.  I have a month left of this semester, and things will be extra busy till then.  Still working on the personal stuff.  I'm not an impenetrable rock yet, but I do feel I'm growing.

I'm nervously waiting on the edge of my seat right now for Mid-May to hear the admissions decision from nursing program I applied to.. to see if my one egg hatches.  :-/   

Pictures

I made a Picassa album for my new little "photography" hobby/mental therapy:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lsanmartin2

Bugs

Say hello to Micrococcus luteus. This is my (and my lab partner's) "pet bug" in Microbiology lab.  This obligate aerobe is the Gram-positive, not-so-tough bug that is responsible for body odor.  Even more impressive than all this is my awesome streak job-- resulting in isolated colonies in the 3rd, and even some 4th, quadrant.  

School is going along just fine.  I don't find out about the admissions decision for the nursing program I applied to until mid-May.  (Ugh).

There's a lot of personal stuff going on in my life right now, which I won't get into on a public Internet page.  I'll just say that I'm doing my best to learn some good self-management and "emotional-stability" skills, and making sure to focus on me and the little joys in my life.  These are some "grown-up" skills I'm sure will be useful in my future work as well.  I've only just very recently been experimenting with "photography" (more like just experimentally taking pictures) a little, which I really enjoy.  Pictures uploaded onto here don't do justice, but below are a couple anyway.  

In other news, it hit 72 here yesterday and will be 61 on Sunday.. and the dropzone is open this weekend and my gear is current.... :)

Long Beach, NY:

 Building where my Organic Chemistry lab is.  Middletown, NY:

Random location.  New Hampton, NY:

Stuff

I had three tests and two quizzes this past week, so spent a lot of time studying lately.  I'm happiest about doing well on my Organic Chemistry test, as that's my challenging course.  It doesn't get necessarily progressively harder at this point, so I'm "getting it" and have an idea of what to expect for the rest of the semester, which is good.

This weekend I caught up on some reading for school, played around on my father's drum-set (which was pretty hilarious), and also spent some quality time with some great friends, including more hiking.  I also picked up my rig from getting some maintenance done on it at the local dropzone.  If the weather happens to be nice one weekend, I'm ready to sneak in a jump.  I won't be able to afford to jump very much for a while, but I'm very much looking forward to doing a few here and there when it warms up, and also meeting some new friends.

DC

I finally got to visit Washington DC.  I've actually been there before- from one end of the metropolitan area to  the other via the subway, but not getting above ground in between.  A friend from CA is near the area for some work training, so I took a trip down.. via bus of course, so that I could get some studying done during the weekend.  Worked out great.  It was a "raw" and cold day, but we made the best of it.  I have a lot more traveling to do once I start working again.  Already making my list...

At the Smithsonian "Air and Space" museum:

Test and Polar Plunge

Friday I took the RN pre-admissions exam I've been prepping for.  I was more pressed for time during the test than I expected to be.  It was web-based (that's a first!), and so you get your results the same day.  And I did great- 99th percentile. !!!!  (And 100% on the Math..)  Even though it's not a particularly difficult test, this is better than I thought I would do, especially with how pressed I felt for time.  So, I was very, very, VERY pleased.  This test counts for half of the admission criteria, so it's a big deal.  

This Super Bowl Sunday, I celebrated by jumping into the Atlantic ocean in the middle of winter.  Yep.  They do it every year in my uncle's town.  I always thought it was a horrible and stupid idea.  But this year I decided it was a good idea.  (I suppose this may be what happens when a skydiver has not jumped from a plane in over a month...)  It was 37 degrees, very sunny, and very little wind.  So, it was a nice day to do it. I doubt I would/could have done it if it were a shitty day.  It was damn cold, but no where near as bad as I expected!!

Before, and scared:

Running back in after my dip:

Did it!

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.  :)