It's already exam season, which may be why my creative Fridays have already been stifled.  This weekend has been especially busy.  Friday, I rode in Critical Mass for the first time.  It's a huge bike ride that goes through the city at the end of every month.  It was awesome.  I wish I had taken my camera with me - I wasn't prepared to see so many bikes in one place!  It was a little surreal to be a part of something so big (and slow, by the way) but it was also pretty fun.  Afterwards, a few of us that had ridden together ended up having an impromptu dinner party at a nearby house.  I had to leave early because I had already committed to a birthday party, but I hear that Kevin stayed pretty late.

Yesterday was spent largely studying and practicing phyiscal
 assessment.  I took the evening off  because I had a date with Kevin.  He took me to a great dinner - the best we've had in New Haven - and then to the first play of our season passes, Richard II.  It was a long and a little depressing, but the acting was great and it was good to be out of the apartment together.

Today is mostly preparing for my test tomorrow and the assessment skills check off later in the week.  It's so nice to have a willing model in the apartment.  Whenever I need a break from the books, Kevin gets a physical exam (just head, neck, heart, and lungs though since that's all we've learned).  
 

After Kevin and I watched the video I posted Monday, we really started getting an itch from the travel bug.  Do you know there are deals online to travel the world for $999?  (Granted, their idea of "the world" is two continents.) Still, it might make a nice little three month break after I graduate...

Where the Hell is Matt?

There won't be any creative writing today because I have a test on Tuesday and really ought to be thinking more about HEENT than stories.   There will be a quick update, though.

Kevin had a couple of dental procedures done this week and now has to wear mouthgear at night.  I'd never have believed it, but I think mouthgear is kinda cute.  

I had a slight scare this week that kind of jump started me back into study mode.  I was being arrogant and careless and failed something I shouldn't have.  Until I thought  I might lose it, I never realized I wanted to be here so badly.  I know Kevin hates New Haven, but I love living here right now.  I would also kind of like that degree I'm paying so much money for.  Lucky for me, the professor was extremely understanding and I'm in the clear.  It gave me an excellent reason to kick study mode into high gear.

So, anyone need an earache assessed?  A sore throat?  Swollen glands?  Give me a call...  I need the practice.

I kept telling myself how much easier this semester was going to be and I was shocked to find myself with more reading than I would ever want to do in a weekend.  I want to be a good nurse practitioner and I know I'm going to love my job.  I'm just not sure I'm going to love all the time I'll be spending with my books in the next two years.  Specialty years may be more interesting because it's more focused on what I'm going to be doing, but I've discovered it also involves a lot of studying.  Did you know that to diagnose someone with an illness, it's necessary to know all the kinds of illnesses that are out there?  That's crazy!  I'd better get to work.

We had our apartment complex BBQ today.   It was raining this morning and I was a little worried (I went apple picking with some nurses and we almost froze!) but by the afternoon it was sunny and beautiful.  We had a pretty good turnout - I met lots of interesting people, but we were so busy churning out burgers, we didn't get much time to talk to them.  Now that faces are more familiar, maybe there will be more visiting in the future.

I'm a little exhausted and I'd really like to collapse into bed.  I know I should probably hit the books for a while, but I promised a friend I would stop by her house party (she just bought one - yay!) and while I don't relish the thought of her neighborhood at night, a promise is a promise, right?  

Most Useful Advice I've Received about Marraige:

It's ok to go to bed angry if it keeps you from saying something you shouldn't.  Things always look better in the morning.  

Make time to go on a date together every week, even if it's just renting a movie.


Most Successful Self-Improvement Projects:

In the last year, I've made a conscious effort to smile more.   People are friendlier.  

In the last month, I started riding my bike instead of driving.  I feel more awake.

Just wanted to write a quick post to say I am really diving into classes this semester.  It turns out I am pretty excited to learn how to be an NP.  The professors this year are enthusiastic and engaging - which makes it a whole lot easier to learn.  The textbooks aren't bad either - I'm actually reading them for the first time in my life.  Imagine that!  

The second piece of good news is that I got into the medical Spanish class.  It will be great if I move to Arizona, but even out here I've encountered a lot of Spanish speaking patients.   I'll be starting that next week - hopefully I'll learn as much from it as I've been learning from my other classes... 

         I was never afraid of spiders. They eat insects, keeping the house a little tidier. They make homes for themselves as beautiful and intricate as any work of art. And sometimes, if they’re named Charlotte, they save cute little pigs from slaughter. What is there to fear?
         A lot, as it turns out. Have you ever actually been bitten by a spider? Do you know what those clever little beasties can do? They look small, sure, but their tiny teeth pack some serious punch.
         My first experience with a spider bite was personal. I was out backpacking with three boys in high school. Two of them shared a tent, the third had his own. It was a warm, lovely weekend so I decided to go without a tent. That was my first mistake.
         After the boys went to bed, I read for a while by the light of my flashlight and then slipped off into that deep sleep that a good hike and a warm campfire will give you. I woke suddenly with a sharp pain on my face. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep. I reached up a felt a welt on my lower lip. This was not good. I didn’t think anything could be worse than the stinging pain. I was wrong.
         It started to go numb. The tingling sensation spread quickly from my lip over my left cheek and down my neck. I jumped of the sleeping bag, terrified. I grabbed my flashlight and started surveying the area for anything that could have caused this.
         I saw an angry black spider in my sleeping bag and I promptly killed it. That was my second mistake. Here’s a tip for you: If you are bitten by a spider, especially one that causes any part of your body to go numb, you should capture it and take it with you to the emergency room. That way, they will be able to identify it and treat you appropriately.
         I was not thinking of this at the time. Since the spider was dead, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Should I slowly wait for death? Should I be saying prayers? Was there some kind of medicine I should be taking? Why had we hiked so far in? I needed answers to all of these questions. I walked over to the tent of the boy sleeping alone. Let’s call him Sean, since that’s his name. I shook his tent a little. Then a little more.
         “Sean,” I said, trying to keep my voice quiet but finding it difficult seeing as how these were probably my last few minutes on this earth. “Sean!”
         I finally got him awake and made him aware of the situation. He pulled out his emergency guide for campers, packed in among sixteen bottles of Purell. I thought surely, this guy would have my answer.
         Once again, I was wrong. So very wrong. “It doesn’t really say much about spider bites. What kind of spider was it?
         I was losing my patience. “I don’t know.”
         “Well, I could try to suck the poison out…”
         “No.”
         “Well, then I’m going back to bed.”
         And so I sat, alone, reading my book, praying a little, trying not to fall asleep, just in case. It was a very long night, but the good news is that in the morning, I was still very much alive. This may be obvious to you since I’m telling you this story today, but at the time, this was a great and wonderful surprise.
         The moral of the story is, though spiders can be helpful and are capable of making lovely little houses, don’t be tricked. They may care about saving Wilbur from the slaughter but that doesn’t mean they give a hoot about you.

Update in Pictures

Over the weekend, we stayed with my friend's parents. They live on a small island off the coast of Maine. There are no cars on the island (it's really not big enough to need them) and it feels like stepping back in time. The photo above is their backyard. That little path goes down to the beach. Can you think of a more lovely place to spend a long weekend?

We took those kayacks around this island. The water was calm, the land was beautiful. I was in heaven.

This is my new haircut for the three people that would care to see it. It's a "stacked bob." The stylist said she saved me from another boring bob. It looks exactly the same to me.

And finally, my quilt! Isn't it cute? I'm very proud of this one.

My first official day of classes was today. I had my first Principles of Aging class today and I lucked out - it's awesome! I had to buy textbooks for the first time since coming here and guess what? It was not so awesome. I think it will be good for me to start building a resource library though, so I'm trying to see it as money well invested.

I've decided that I need to do more creative writing. About a year ago, I bought a book about blogging because I thought it would help me in this area. I have not used it once. Since my semester is a little light this fall (with no clinical), I'm going to give myself a writing assignment from this book every Friday. And you lucky ducks get to read it, if you're so inclined. I promise nothing good, but I'm hoping it will get my writing juices flowing again. I might need them in the next couple of years...