Last week I went to the SF Flower and Garden Show with my sister. We mostly walked around the big exhibits gawking at the crazy stuff people can design. I can’t say I found what I want to do with my yard, but it sure was fun to look/think about the options.

Last night was almost my most productive night so far at school. I was on a tear. All those little pesky projects that build up over the weeks were tackled. I was so productive. Today, I’m making up for that. We actually don’t have any tests this week and one assignment due Friday, which I’m mostly done, so that means I don’t have a lot of incentive to work on it now. However, this weekend will be a hoot — 5 tests next week. yippee?

Field trip tomorrow — the VA hospital in Palo Alto. I think we’re going to go check out their molecular diagnostic equipment. Highpoint is a free lunch.

I’m counting my blessings:
1) as of the end of this week, the academic part is half over
2) I’m not failing, as a matter of fact, I’m doing surprisingly well in chemistry
3) I’ve lost a whopping 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks
4) I’m hoping to miss the cold that’s making the rounds of the rest of my school chums
5) tomorrow’s Thursday
6) I got lots of work done yesterday and I have cleaned my room today
—-that outta do it for now.

Peace.

William Osler

I’ve started walking to and from the train station as my new daily exercise. I could take a bus from the corner near my house to the train station, but it only takes 10 min to go down the hill in the morning and 15 to hike back up in the evening. Seems like a good workout. ALSO, I’m working on stairs. There are 114 stairs from the train station platform (under some hill) up to the entrance. I’m still puffing, but it’s getting a little easier to make the decision to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Jeanette and I worked out some code so I could talk smack about some of the folks in the program without them finding out, but I can’t remember what the code words are. J, if you remember, send me those. :) Not that I would ever do anything so uncouth.

I have talked Pat into making the drive down this weekend. So I’ll have a weekend off from driving. If there are any Chico friends reading this blog who happen to like shooting firearms and have the weekend free, maybe March 11th we can a) hit the firing range, or b) meet up for drinks or other.

OH, OH, here’s some exciting news. Just lost power. I’m sitting in the dark watching the battery light on my computer get smaller and smaller. The wind really kicked it up. I guess I can’t read any more tonight. YAY! (oh, did I say that outloud)…

So, I’ve had some thoughts on this blog. Basically, I’m venting. But after awhile, you guys are going to stop reading it because all I do is bitch. Mostly about working my ass off, taking tests, having no time, and so on. It’s going to get old quick. The other subject I might discourse on (can you have a discourse of one?) would be actual material we covered in class. While that may interest some of you briefly, it’s limiting. So, what do I do? Jason told me to make stuff up. That requires thinking.

So while I’m getting thoughts together on something interesting, I’ll insert the basic material we covered here. On to the white cells, at least the abnormal ones that is. So far we’ve covered acute myelocytic leukemias, chronic myelocytic leukemias, myelodysplastic leukemias, myeloproliferative leukemias and some acute lymphocytic leukemias. Can’t tell the difference among them? Welcome to my world! It’s a blast! (actually, that’s a pun. sorry couldn’t help myself)

Ok, here’s something odd. Muni. I think that about covers it.
Ciao!

So, what have I been doing for the past week, you might ask. Well, we’ve been doing lots of normal differentials. We’re looking at blood smears and counting the white blood cells by type. Basically, we have a little counter-thing that have a lever for each type of white blood cell (FYI: segmented neutrophil, banded neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, eosinophil, and basophil). When the total number of the counter reaches 100, it dings and we have percentages of cell types or a “diff” (which also includes a cursory exam on red blood cells-shape, size- and platelets - numbers). We compare these against a key. Since the smears are normal cells, basically we are setting ourselves up to recognize what a normal cell looks like (did I mention VERY quickly) so we can start looking at abnormal cells. That’s what I’m struggling with now.

Meanwhile, in lecture…

We’ve covered some basic anemias (aplastic, megaloblastic, hemoglobinopathies, thalassemias) with more to come. I’m two chapters short of what I should have read for today (however, I was studying for the quiz for today, so cut me a little slack) and three new chapters by Friday. However, I have a quiz tomorrow and tomorrow night I hope to visit with my friend Carol of Austin. Sooooo….the weekend is looking like a real bright place.

The blood indices are starting to swim. Also, I think I’m going to have to stab someone tomorrow. I mean, draw blood…

We took a field trip to Sunnyvale today. Biotech company sales pitch. However, it was a change of pace and they gave us a tour of their manufacturing facility. It was quite interesting to see how they actually put these parts together. Like, they order plastic parts for their special tubes then they seal them up to make the actual tube instead of just halves. I guess they do it for QC, instead of having the plastic manufacture send them already sealed together. Some parts were a bit like watching computers being assembled. Never really thought about who/how all those parts get put together.

Hump day’s almost over….

In the afternoon we started phlebotomy. I’ll probably have to do my first stick tomorrow or, more hopefully, Thursday. I need to practice finding veins…volunteers?

I met Pat in Fairfield for a puppy exchange and dinner. It means I have no time to study tonight. I gave myself 5 minutes to do this, then it’s bed.

Ding!
Snore…

Orientation went fine, mostly paperwork and some general housekeeping, as well as a general schedule for the semester. I think a nice checklist of things that we need to do would help (and maybe a list of my (lucky?) 13 classmates’ names — didn’t get them all in the roll call).

So apparently I have a student ID number that I’m supposed to have memorized. I couldn’t sign up for my locker until I paid at the bursar’s office and I couldn’t pay at the bursar’s office until I got my student ID and guess what you need for your student ID card? That’s right, your student ID number. I tried to get my number remotely by logging on at the computer center at the library, but guess what you need to show to use the computers? Right again, a student ID card! Starting to see the vicious cycle. Anyway, apparently they have designated one computer for losers like me to log into to find our number.

Ok, the MUNI monthly pass thing. I wanted to purchase a monthly pass for February for all of MUNI. So when I returned from school at the MUNI station there’s a booth with a live person in it. I asked to purchase a monthly pass. They don’t sell them there. hmmm…. that seems unexpected. Apparently they are a few stores locally I can purchase them, but not at the MUNI station.

Learn something new every day. :)
~k