All that studying makes Harley a tired pup.

Very Scary Text Message

"Armed men have been reported on WKU South Campus"

Taking the Human for a Walk

Harley and Yella Dawg thought I needed a little exercise.

End of a Long Week.

This week has been a different week for me. I found out my little passing out episode in class the other day may actually be something totally unrelated to the procedure that was taking place. Thursday night, at about 3:30 in the morning, I get up to go to the bathroom and end up fainting again and winding up in the bathroom floor. In the process, I manage to bang my knee up pretty good and knock a little table we have in there all over the place. I was pretty tempted to just lay there and go back to sleep considering how I really didn't feel like standing back up at that point, but then I remembered I sometimes don't have the best aim at 3:30 in the morning and didn't know what I could be laying in. I managed to make it back to the bed, and it was probably a good thing since Amiee got off work a few hours early and I'm sure it would have scared the shit out of her turning the hall light on and seeing me sprawled out in the bathroom floor.

I had a scheduled appointment with my cardiologist the next day, so I mentioned what had been going on to him and he said he was 99.9% sure it was a vagus vagal (or something like that) but drew some blood just to be sure. I'm still waiting for the results on that.

So what else happened this week? Oh, yea! I got my first patient assignment at the hospital. That was definately an experience I don't think I will ever forget. My first patient was on an every 15 minute suicide watch. The instructions I recieved from the unit tech was to just keep them talking and and write down where they were at and what they were doing every 15 minutes. If anybody knows me, I'm usually pretty shy around people I don't know and I'm not the greatest conversationalist. Now, I'm expected to keep a conversation going with this person for the next two or three hours, and I'm totally terrified I'm going to say something that could send the person over the edge! Turns out, once I got them talking they kept going pretty well on their own. I've known people in my life who have killed themselves, but have never been around any one while they were in the stages of actually wanting to go through with it. Listening to this person talk, it was kinda surreal how matter of fact they were with everything. From the way they had tried to do it in the past, to how they would probably try and do it again when they were released from the hospital. It was definately an eye opening experience.

Well, it's now 1:00 am and I really need to be getting in bed. Have to be up in another five hours and I'm going to need the energy to study for my clinical check off which I quess is now technically tomorrow morning. There's going to be a lot of sore hot dogs and oranges tomorrow! Wait, I quess that would actually be tonight? I don't know, I'm tired dammit.

Gourmet Recipe of the Day

The Ultimate Grilled Ham & Cheese!


(So good even Yella Dawg can't resist!)

2 Slices Wheat Bread
Around 30 Sprays of Fat Free "I Can't Believe it's not Butter" Spray (To keep it healthy)
2 Slices Sharp Cheddar
2 Slices Baked Ham

Spray both sides of bread liberally with spray butter and top each piece with cheese. Spray small frying pan with non-stick spray. Over medium high heat, lightly fry ham until hot and slightly bubbly. Sandwich ham between cheese bread and then transfer to pan. Toast each side lightly until golden brown (but not dark) and cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy!

I think it's time to call it a night...

I've been hanging out in this library now for the last three hours and I think it's time to call it a night. Been reading up on patient education in between visiting the 11'O Clock comics forum, Twitter, playing a game of chess on yahoo and reading an issue of The Immortal Iron Fist. You can say it's been a pretty productive night. I do like studying up here in the library at Western. I can usually get quite a bit done (except for when I bring my laptop).

It's been a pretty decent week so far. I did pretty good on my second nursing 100 test, so that was cool. Today was the first day of not having to go to my Wednesday Nursing 110 class, so that's really cool. Kinda looking forward to my clinicals tomorrow. We will be back at the psych ward at the Med Center. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't pass out again. Hopefully, that was just a fluke thing. I've never been the squeamish type.

My goal for the rest of this week is to start hitting the books a little bit sooner to prepare for my next test. There is a comic convention in Nashville next weekend that I'm looking forward to checking out, but wouldn't you know it, I have to work all day on Saturday and have another test on Monday. That leaves Sunday to try to get the con in, then cram all night for the test. At least at this point I've got two good grades on both of my test, so I have a little wiggle room I've I don't get all the studying in that I need to.

Snorting Baby

I need just one more day.

I am really not looking forward to tomorrow morning. First thing, right of the bat I have my second Nursing 100 test which if I would have studied a little bit harder probably wouldn't be a problem. But considering the fact that I goofed off a little too much this weekend, things aren't looking promising. It's not that I didn't study, it just my study time to study break ratio was tilted a little bit more towards the study break column. I know I keep whining about this, but I have got to get my ass in gear and buckle down and start taking this a little bit more serious. Starting tomorrow, I am going to start making a daily to do list with study time factored in each day and start following it. I've worked too hard and spent too much money to start going back to my old habits from my first few collage years. I'm a big boy now. It's time to start acting like it. Dangit.

True Adventures of a First Year Nursing Student

Time to get motivated!

Made it through my mental health nursing test with a B today, so that's a relief! Now I got five days to cram for my fundamentals test on Monday. At least I will be able to sleep in for a little bit tomorrow since it's fall break this week. I pray my 1 year old niece will sleep til at least 8 tomorrow. Then Amiee's heading off to Jazzercise and I get to babysit. I may have to get my studying done to the soothing sounds of Elmo's World played over and over again. I can already tell it's going to take forever to get that damn Elmo song out of my head again! I don't know what's worse, the Elmo song or that new Sugarland song that she's addicted to. It is kinda cute when she tries to sing along with Sugarland, though. I just wish she would have picked a less annoying song.

They warned me, but did I listen...

Before starting the nursing program, everybody warned me that it was like nothing else I had ever been through. Man, they weren't kidding. I can usually do pretty good with studying pretty hard for a test about two days before taking it, and I figured I could get by doing the same thing here. Not a chance. It is starting to feel like every free second I get I need to have my nose buried in my notes and text books or else I'm going to get behind. I've got the absolute worst study habits of anybody to begin with, and that is really setting me back. I have seriously got to learn some organization skills. I had check offs for physical assessments today, my second mental health nursing test tomorrow and then my second Nursing 100 test on Monday. Not to mention all the other homework I have due Monday. I have got to learn to start setting priority's and organizing my time a little better. I just pray I can make it through this first semester, and re-prioritize the next one. At least time seems to be going by quickly. Boy, December can't get here quick enough. I seriously need some alone time with my comics.

First Tests are over...

and I can finally breath a sigh of relief!

Robbers Beware!

My back door is guarded by highly trained and lethal attack spiders!

Just another busy day at the office!