Random 25

This hit me from Facebook... 25 random, about me facts...

1. As apparently runs in my Kappa Psi family, I too am a little OCD… I MUST make my bed every day and things stacked in the “wrong” way really, really bother me. Oh, and people using “texting” jargon in real life (like LOL and IDK – just say the freakin’ words!!)
2. I met my boyfriend at one of his band’s shows… I’m so blessed that I chose to meet up with a high school friend that night! I shudder to think that I’d have missed out on all this if there’d just been an organic chemistry test the next day because I would have flaked on her!
3. I think I’m a different person than I was in high school but have not changed as much as some of my friends so I end up thinking maybe I didn’t change that much after all? I’m still a nerd, still baffled by the popular crowd, and still way too idealistic.
4. I actually didn’t hate high school. Am I remembering it better or was it really as bad as everyone else’s but I’m too scatterbrained to think that?
5. I really, truly love cooking. I sometimes wonder if I’d discovered this love sooner whether I’d have chosen pharmacy school over culinary school. (During horrible test weeks I really think being a chef sounds nice)
6. I cannot play a single musical instrument and am slightly jealous of those who can (especially if they can sing too).
7. The grossest food in the world is goulash. Cannot stand the stuff.
8. The respect for Dolly Parton instilled in me by my grandmum drives my mum crazy (she has tried and failed to understand it. I admit I don’t understand it at all but then I don’t try that hard. I don’t own any of her albums but if a song comes on the radio I don’t change the station, and sometimes I even sing along.)
9. I over-think most purchases that go beyond necessity. Sometimes to the point that they’re no longer in stock/style. (I'm working on this one though)
10. It would severely freak out my dad if I cut off my hair without warning him first. He would probably not talk to me for a day or two over it (if there was no warning).
11. I clean the kitchen when I’m stressed or sad. My parent’s kitchen, Skronky’s, heck – catch me at the right time and I just might clean yours! (It really freaks me out when the kitchen is a mess. I feel compelled to clean it)
12. My “backup plan” was getting a botany degree. To this day I have no idea what I would have done with one.
13. I don’t understand the reasoning behind deviled eggs. Why? Were the eggs not enough on their own that you needed to cannibalize them THEN re-stuff them with their own guts??
14. Sometimes I really miss living at our house in Norman from my Jr. year of undergrad. It was basically perfect and we got along in our own dysfunctional way just fine.
15. My best friend has pretty much moved from that title to sister. The way I figure it, we have each other to make up for me not having a sister and her having the one she does…
16. I’m darn impressed with myself when I actually complete a sewing project. I really enjoy sewing but since I don’t have much time to devote to it I let myself start something and put it off until I’ve nearly forgotten it even existed.
17. I’m loyal to a fault but if you cross me, my grudges are just as long-lived. (references on request)
18. I’ve always viewed my very close male friends as brothers. It rather cracks me up that now some of them really are fraternally related to me since I joined Kappa Psi. Also, that I’m referred to as their “brother”. Ha!
19. My grandmother collects chicken figurines and anything chicken related. I’m worried that this is some sort of dominant trait that I’ve got lurking in my DNA, ready to strike and over take my common sense any day now.
20. I read magazines from back to front. No idea why, but it makes me uncomfortable to have to read them the “right” way.
21. I’m really trying to like different kinds of wine but I’m still more drawn to the sweet, dessert-y ones.
22. I have trouble keeping myself from judging women/girls that have obviously fake nails (the longer they are, or obnoxiously painted, the harder I have to fight my bias). I don’t have a strong argument against them but still judge them.
23. When I start getting a bit of an ego about doing so well with my opportunities in life nothing brings me back to reality faster than thinking about the house where my mom grew up. My dad’s wasn’t a castle but just a tad better in comparison. Remembering visiting my grandparents when I was little brings me back to humble. I hope I never forget that, both the way it makes me feel and the way it really was.
24. I think myspace is stupid and am only on there to stay in-touch with a couple of friends from high school that I don’t know how to reach any other way.
25. I only have 7 first cousins, counting both sides of my family. Of the 6 I’ve met, I’m the oldest by several years. When I was little I used to be jealous when my friends got to go play with their cousins because I didn’t have any to play with me.

Catching up to the New Year

Finished out the semester well; 4 Bs & 2 As kept me happy since I promised myself before finals that all Cs would be just fine. Aiming low and achieving well - never would have thought that would be me, but here we are in pharmy school just as merry as can be. One semester left of actually-in-a-classroom classes followed by 9 months of a mythical beast called 'rotations' (assigned, spread out loosely into 12 months, somehow, that involves requesting sites that you'll never get, a white lab coat, and unspoken rules as well as several icky test things and "resume building" exercises that promise to reek of boredom). I am terribly ready to be done with school and out working. I honestly don't feel like I know much but I was always very, very good at looking things up quickly so maybe it'll all work out? (That certainly isn't very reassuring to anyone... Let's keep that part a secret, okay?) After finals Christmas hit home. No white Christmas here in Okieland but we had the freezing temperatures. The big family party with
Dad's side was fun with traditional Christmas fajitas, dirty Santa, playing spoons (which my female cousin & I are, apparently, really good at recently), and a foray by my mum & aunt into discovering how to make mulled wine at home (it seemed a lot like making hot tea to me?).
For my immediate family, on Christmas we did our usual laid-back thing at home with biscuits and gravy breakfast just after presents followed by lounging around the rest of the day, recovering from our paper cuts earlier in the day and drinks the night before. (I spent my Christmas Eve at work, since, after all, isn't saving lives a very merry thing?)
Christmas with Skronky, and later his family, was wonderful as well. I got him a cast iron dutch oven. I know what you're thinking... Horribly romantic of me. But that is what he wanted! Better than a tie, I suppose, since he doesn't often wear ties. (I "helped" him 'season' it the next day... I've never seen so much smoke billowing out of an oven!) It was nice to get to see his nephews at his family's party. The oldest one is just a few months past 2y and he's a terror (in a good way), running around everywhere and making friends wherever he goes!
This year for me the presents haul included, in no particular order: a leech jar (no leeches currently in residence), several shirts, a shoe rack, lots of candy, a flashlight, rechargable batteries, another charm for my charm bracelet (this time a celtic cross), cookies, a bird house that I won in my family's dirty santa, coffee & mug, and several books. Skronky got me the first book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer; I've read it twice since Christmas and plan to see the movie soon. (I prefer to always read the book before the movie, strangely enough.) But please don't count me in with the crazy, diehard fans. I like this author's style and artistry but do not have any misillusions or obsessions about vampires. Promise. You'll be the first to know if/when I do...
New Year's Eve saw me at home with the fam plus Dawn, her hubby, and their 3 week-old baby boy. Rocked out the end of the old year watching her hubby play Battlefield: Bad Company while the baby hiccuped in Mum's arms and Dawn & I gossiped. Am looking forward to this new year and all the wonderful things it'll bring. Best wishes to you and yours!

Yippy dog, bloody nose

That Sooners football game on Saturday was lovely... Almost as good as the week before...
Flag football started Sunday - We only have one Pharm girls team this year so we're extra good. (No, really. We are THAT good. Half of our current team were on the upperclassmen team last year which won the girls division of intermural flag football and the rest of us are fast learners.) We won our game against the Nursing girls ("Bedside Belles" is their team name, so the rumormill quotes) with a score of 26-0. Guess how many of those points I scored?!?
If you guessed none, you win! I managed to get headbutted in the nose on the first play of the game, spent the first half of the game waiting on my nose to quit bleeding (and convincing my teammates that I wasn't dying, also threatening my coach with bodily harm if he kept saying how much hottness all that blood and tissue wads up the nose added to my ' tough girl look'), the third quarter cleaning up all the blood, and the fourth quarter shakily cheering for my teammates, who of course were kicking butt! Great way to spend a Sunday! [I'm fine now with a slightly tender nose... It's swollen just enough for me to feel it and just KNOW that everyone is staring at it but for no one to actually notice it without first knowing what happened]
Mum found a little dog running in the street (Sunday morning??) that then followed her and our dogs home. She brought it in the yard since the last dog we found running in the street ended up getting hit by a car with a very negative outcome when we did not bring it home with us. Well, since it was Sunday the vet's office wasn't open so the animal that I will thus forth refer to as "Muttface" stayed with us until today. (I honestly did call it Muttface during its stay at mi casa. The rest of my human family were not as kind, in my opinion, as they refered to it as "Boner". The more furry faction of my family were either not on speaking terms with him (The Cat) or barely tolerated his yips (The Dogs) so I'm guessing they would have called him worse could I have understood their dialogue) Muttface's owner had apparently called Animal Control, the number for which was wrong in our telephone book, so when Dad took him by the vet, the vet quickly sorted the situation with Animal Control to get Muttface home safe and sound. Or as well as is to be expected for any furry, dirty, yippy creature. Fare thee well Muttface! I will not miss cleaning up after you!
Filmed the Rush video today... Fun but also frustrating. Glad that part's done - on to editing! Next week is our week so don't expect an update too soon after this one... I still have a slideshow to finish arranging, food to order, decorations to procure and hang, as well as nervous faculty to reassure, brothers to keep in line/humor, and a million other things I can't even remember right now! Yay! (This sounds like complaining. It's not. Ask Skronky; he gets most of my complaining about anything so he would be an expert on that...)
My goddaughter Marie may have the chicken pox. Let's hope not! I endured them around 17 years ago and don't remember it being a fun time... Woohoo for modern vaccines!

Breath away from school

Ran into someone (who is one of the few in our town to have the same first name I do) I went to school with, from elementary on up, in line at the grocer where we got to talking and doing the little catching up bit that is inevitable. The one thing that really stood out to me was the mention that with either school (me) or children (her) a gal can sometimes feel her life is on hold. I think it's funny that what both of us want for ourselves, eventually, is what the other is currently dealing with but not always enjoying. Isn't that the way it goes, want what ya can't have?
Just now I looked over at the Cat as she was breathing in but it looked like she was growing! I'm so silly sometimes when sleep deprived...
Actually ran into another gal at the grocer that same day who apparently knows me but for the life of me I can't remember how I know her or what her name might be! I'm embarrassed that I lied my way through that short conversation, leaning toward the advice that, "If you can't be kind, at least be vague," so I just went really vague but very, very kind/happy. Not sure if she accepted that as rude or good but it's what I've got to work with, blah!
Test on Friday was horrid. There is so much to learn about Insulin that testing on it sucks. Also "durable medical equipment" was gross since we were told we wouldn't have to know about billing protocal and most of the questions were billing related, of course. Argh! If I survive this class I'll be one lucky girl of a gun. (I did think it was funny that pamplets for dealing with stress and depression showed up in our school lounge the same day as above mentioned test and right before midterms week... They're so sneaky!)
My new pretty computer is running beautifully and has yet to act up (other than the brief scare last night when the battery ran out without a warning first, but that was my fault for indulging in the wirelessness of it for too long.) Vista seems to be working well for me so YAY! (note: Vista is very much like a Mac stepchild...)
Dawn married Friday evening to a high school sweetheart! Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs.! Small party yesterday in their honor was lovely and funny. Yay for happiness!
Well off to study biopharm for test Monday... Happy Weekend to ya'll and much love!

Busy First Test Block

Whew! Whirlwind update incoming! (I've been a busy little gal... So I have to talk about it or else none of it happened, right??)
I tried a new version of the lipgloss adventure in compounding = SUCCESS!! It is both smooth and moisturizing while at the same time distinctly chocolately, which is what I was aiming for! Yay! Comment me if you NEED the recipe!
Went to a lovely Super Bowl party out at Dawn's a week ago Sunday (on Super Bowl Sunday, no less!) We ate lots of freshly no-longer-alive pig with barbecue sauce and I helped Dawn make a Super Bowl cake that was an odds-on perfect replica of the football field (or something close... haha actually there was only the 50 yard line and each team's endfield... But it was yummy and beautiful anyway!) Marie was delightful and "helped" with the cake/icing/M&M players so much that we set her up with a plate of her own frosting to "decorate." A picture of it exists somewhere...
My Biostats exam 1 went well; ended up with a 92% which is very pleasing to me! (Pharm Practice the next day wasn't as lovely feeling though we don't have grades back yet so I can't really say...) Biopharm (i.e. Math) was today. I feel pretty good about how I did on it. I knew most of what I was writing about and calculating so I guess we'll see on that one, too. Still to come later this week: Principles of Drug Action (AKA - PDA), Immunology, and Drug Delivery Systems II (DDS II).
Thursday and Friday last week I got in ten hours of site visits at my first monthly rotation. I have now filled well over a thousand capsules with a capsule loader... Thank goodness it wasn't all by hand but it still took a long time even with lots of help. Six more hours there then on to a new site.
Happy Birthday to my Darling Mrs. Mel in W'ford! Her birthday was this last weekend so now she's old. But very loved so yay!!!!
Enjoyed a trip to the local Asian grocery store Saturday after a tutoring session at school. There are so many neat things to explore there that I hypothesize that I could spend hours poking around and never get bored. Brought back some goodies to cook dinner with Skronky - We made sweet and sour chicken with veggies and rice noodles. Very yummy. The best part about cooking is trying new things, right?
We tried a new restaurant (new to me anyway) for lunch too! Bison Witches in Norman (OK), which I knew was a nice bar but had never been to either bar or daytime restaurant, was great! Had the half sandwich with soup - fills ya up and tastes deliscious!
To finish off before I head back to studying: We're having a bake sale at the OUHSC Student Union this Wednesday (yes, Valentine's Day) in the morning and afternoon to raise funds to sponsor a kid for Make A Wish Foundation through our Kappa Psi Province. I'll be providing cookies so if ya get a chocolate craving Wednesday remember that I make a pretty awesome chocolate chip cookie...
Love, happy wishes, and a big smile to my internet Valentines!