Long Hello Again

I am return'ed! Worry not and rejoice! I am weary much and yearn for slumber but fight on valiantly in order to keep thou abreast of the situation. Haha That was fun! Get ready for a REALLY long post!
Yes, finals are finally over! Started out early last week with the madness of getting all of the last minute assignments done & turned in before deadlines (figures that we would have about 4 mini papers/assignments all due by noon the Friday before finals, right?)
Managed to get my last two math tests out of the way on Thursday afternoon (of last week) so I could avoid having it during actual finals week (we had to pass all 8 math modules with passing as a 90% or better; could do them early or spread out as long as pass them all by the end of finals week). He kindly allowed us that extra time Thursday to attempt to pass one module at a time so I spent about two hours either waiting for a spot to open in the test room or for my brain to get with the program & quit making 80%, which weren't passing. Not five minutes after I finally finished my tests, returned downstairs at the college and logged online to do a DDS assignment the fire alarm started going off. We've never had a fire drill so I had no idea what was happening since it sounded like it was far down the hall. I assumed it was one of the security alarms in a lecture room so just stayed put. Ten seconds later one of the administrators flys in yelling at me and the other P1 in the room to "get out of course, there's a fire!!" We get outside as fast as we can to avoid more yelling. And wait. And wait. No firetrucks. Nothing. Just an alarm. Then a lone police car pulls silently up and calmly parks. He sits there for several minutes while another 2 or 3 of his comrades arrive just as silently and unrushed. They mosey inside about twenty minutes after the alarm started ringing (there is a police station about 2 blocks away and a firestation roughly 8 blocks away, just FYI). It keeps ringing another thirty minutes before we're allowed back inside to collect our things. Noone confirms that there was a fire anywhere in the building or if was merely a drill. I grab my stuff, say to heck with that assignment, and start to leave. I get just to the exit to the parking lot when it starts going off again... Yay for the unplanned! At least I now know what a fire alarm sounds like!!
Friday morning we enjoyed a physiology test over endocrine and reproductive systems, pharmacy practice lecture over resumes & professionalism (for the umteenth time), a Kappa Psi meeting, and biochem class over endocrine again. Then the finals studying began...
During our KY meeting we held elections. I'm sure the least I say about that, the best, but it was planned with much the same degree of organization that everything else here is done... so it was quite the fun exercise in democracy. After some controversy between the two campuses (Tulsa is our "away" site; together the two campuses are counted as one, according to the frat, for the purposes of pretty much everything including elections. Which often means a split vote, imagine that!) that could have been easily avoided, we filled all of the officer positions for the next term. I was nominated for Rush Chair (which is two positions thus requiring two people and done by each voting member casting two votes total) and received, from what I hear, a unanimous landslide, the other set of votes showing a 4 vote difference between the next two leading candidates of the four of us nominated. It's a tiny job, I know, but it really made me feel better about pharmacy school. I won't be setting the bar in class anytime soon (unless you mean the mediocrity bar or the kind with drinks... but that's another story) so it was comforting to know that even if I'm not a stellar student anymore I can still communicate and bond with people so that they respect me well enough to let me coordinate something, no matter how small. I'll take what I can get! Yay!
Between studying early this week I managed to spare a few minutes to run to the grocery store with Mum. We enjoyed the various cartoon characters present and especially the little well-dressed boy "helping" his mother shop who innocently asked, "Mom! Mom, when can we go dumpsterdiving????" We kept the giggles in until we were far enough away so as to not mortify his mother anymore than she already was (she turned bright crimson in seconds as it was).
Dork's birthday was this week; He's an old man now at eighteen years old. Lots of fun at his birthday party with all of our family here. Even though, or maybe because, we are all so different we tend to have a grand time at birthdays, holidays, and random get-togethers. Reminded me why and how much I love the holidays and my family. I'm very blessed. Also, Mum made a truly excellent cheesecake that was the envy of all other cheesecakes ever made. Yum!
I keep mentioning finals... Well, I passed everything so that in itself warrants a happy dance! Biochem was the hardest by far, but I pulled out a 70-something (post-curve) so my semester grade was carved in stone as a C. Oh yes, there was a curve! My class is so special that we set new low class averages on the final in both biochem and DDS (Drug Delivery Systems)! Isn't that something to brag about?? We elicited slight curves in both of those... Still no word back about pharm practice grades/test scores but I went into the final with a strong A so methinks I would have had to actively pursued a failing grade to get less than a B in the class. As I see it right now, I have 3 C's (biochem, physio, and math), a B (DDS), and likely an A (practice).
Those aren't official, of course, but I am happy with them. I'm in grad school. It isn't supposed to be easy and I should work even harder at studying, yes, but I made it through the first semester. I've made a lot of new friends, grew as a person, and learned quite a bit too. In my life, by my personal values-system, that means the world. (And while there are peaks and valleys, I'm happy the majority of the time. So I say it's worth it) I may never be the poster child for professionalism that some of my professors seem to expect from us but I'll be a real life, happy adult-child who knows my limits, seeks to do the right thing, and does the best job I know how to do. If you expect more of me than that then I hate to burst your bubble...
(I am sad to report that I've heard rumors that a small few of my classmates did not pass every class thus there is a slight chance they might have to repeat the year. I pray they do better this spring & summer and continue with us all the way. I don't wish to leave anyone behind.)
After the physio final this morning a bunch of us pharm-ersI lo helped Julie (not sure I've mentioned Julie before... she's one of my P1 pharm friends, probably my closest female one. She's a real person and if you know me you realize that's a definite compliment in my opinion) move from her house in Norman to her spiffy new apartment in downtown OKC. Much fun, much packing/loading/being macho, as well as much harassing her cats, etc. Then I went Christmas shopping since the powers that be decreed that tomorrow would be our extended family Christmas party. I loath shopping but at least it's for those I love...
Dad's been working hard on the house these past couple of weeks. New floor down in the "breakfast nook" room as well as pretty new pictureframe paneling. When it's finished that room is going to be beautiful. (I'll try to remember to post pics when we're done)
Well, I think that's enough of my ranting for now. Much love to everyone and Happy weekend!!!

In youth and beauty wisdom is but rare! ~Homer (There's no hope for me??)