Monday, August 30, 2010

So it begins

This week is the first full week of grad school classes for the fall semester. I'm already completely exhausted. For some reason I haven't been sleeping well for the past week. Last Wednesday, on one of my first nights back in Richmond, I went to bed at 11pm but didn't fall asleep until after 1am, then had to get up at 6am the next day. The next night I also had trouble falling asleep, although I was even more tired than the day before. This past weekend I went to Lynchburg to visit some of my Liberty friends. I wanted to visit before I got bogged down in schoolwork, and although it was an incredibly fun weekend, it didn't help my sleeping patterns (or lack thereof) very much at all. [Let me just add here that I miss my friends from Liberty so much right now! Just spending the weekend with everyone again made me realize that Liberty is a place of fellowship rarely found other places. I miss it now more than ever.]

I don't know what it is that's keeping me up, but I know I'm feeling overwhelmed. It's not the class content that has me stressed out either, but all the little things that I have to worry about. We need to order lab coats for one class, a goniometer for another, blank Sony CDs to record our clinical test, and we have to remember to order nametags from the bookstore or we won't be able to do our clinical rehabs at the hospital. Then there's rent to pay, quizzes to complete on Blackboard (they don't even count for a grade, yet we have to do them), and grocery shopping, since I don't have anything to eat in the apartment! It just seems that they're a million things running through my mind when I go to bed, and I can't shut my mind off long enough to fall asleep. So the fact that I had class from 8am to 5pm today was rough for my tired body.

I'm sure things will get better as I fall into a routine (which will involve going to bed early and drinking lots of coffee in the morning), but for now, I'm just trying to get through each day one at a time. From the looks of it, this is not going to be an easy semester.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Grad school must-haves

These are some of the things (aka foods) that get me through the day:


McDonald's frappe- These things are just so good. They're the perfect combination of coffee, sugar, and whipped cream. And there's no crunched ice left in the bottom of the cup- it's perfectly blended all the way through. Delicious on a hot summer day.





French vanilla creamer- When I do make coffee myself (which is often, because I can't afford to buy it every day, even from McDonald's) it tastes so much better with a shot of french vanilla creamer. This is my favorite flavor of Coffee-mate that I've tried so far, but I want to try the peppermint mocha and creme brulee, too.








Diet Coke- Notice the trend here? I need lots of caffeine to make it through a day of PT school. Luckily Diet Coke has zero calories, so I can drink a can without any worries. I bring Diet Coke with me to class for lunch and it's a great pick-me-up for my afternoon classes.







Grapes- It may sound ridiculous, but grapes are the perfect snack for a long day of studying. They fill me up so I don't have to pack tons of other snacks, and they're so juicy and yummy. Plus, I feel good about eating a serving of fruit every day!







Hahaha- just kidding about this last one!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Give me a break

Yesterday I drove in to Richmond. As I drove, the sky got dark and gathering clouds loomed ominously overhead. It seemed that as I got closer and as the weather became increasingly more threatening, that my summer really came to an end. As the rain started coming down, my last few moments of summer melted away, disappearing into thin air.

It was too short. Breaks always seem too short to me. I usually have very ambitious plans for vacations and don’t accomplish half the things I intend to get done on my time off. For instance, I had several books that I wanted to read on my two week break; although I started two, I didn’t finish either of them. Still there are a lot of things I did get to do, and for that I’m grateful. I got to spend time with my family, time that becomes more precious the longer I live away from home. I got to spend a wonderful two days in Maine, on the lake. And I got to visit two very dear friends. All in all, I can’t complain about getting only two weeks off this summer, because the two weeks I had were filled with such cherished memories, laughter, and fun moments.

After helping my brother move into his college dorm at Liberty, I spent a couple days visiting Tristan in Harrisonburg. We spent some relaxing time by the pool, reading and swimming and chatting. One night we decided to have appetizers for dinner, so we made quesadillas, pigs in a blanket, and spinach dip. To top it all off, we had chocolate trifle for dessert. Tristan’s six year old sister Riley was visiting her at the same time I was there and we made the trifle together, layering the devil’s food cake, cool whip, chocolate pudding, caramel sauce, and toffee bits in what was probably a calorific- but absolutely delicious!- dessert.

I spent the next few days with my friend Julia, who is going to Georgetown this fall, and therefore is only a couple of hours away from me now. Julia and I are opposites in so many ways. My major involved lots of math and science, while Julia was first a music major, then English, and is now going on to grad school to study linguistics. I’m more of a rational thinker, while Julia is creative and artistic. We have many similarities too- our values, our faith, and our analytical approach to things, but the differences are what make our friendship fun and interesting. Julia and I did so much together. We went to the National Art Gallery and the Museum of American History, and even took a detour through the Sculpture Garden, which has indecipherable works of what I’m not sure can be called art. We toured Georgetown’s big, beautiful, imposing campus and walked along the quaint downtown area. One night we went to the Kennedy Center for a free performance and got to listen to jazz music by Michael Feinberg- I highly recommend him!

We also went thrift store shopping, but that deserves its own post later on. As for now, I’m tired and need to get to bed because my first day of school is tomorrow. I know the coming semester will be stressful and hard sometimes, but right now I just feel so incredibly blessed.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Every now and then

My summer of anatomy is finally over, and not a moment too soon. With the mold and the smell getting worse every day, I was counting down the days until I was done with the cadaver lab. The last section of material was on the heart and abdomen, which are areas that physical therapists aren’t generally concerned about, so that didn’t help with my dwindling motivation. Still, I enjoyed getting to see some of the internal organs finally and I managed to motivate myself with the thought of my upcoming two week vacation from school!

The same day I took my anatomy final, I took a plane to Portland, Maine and got to spend the next two days cramming in all the fun I missed while I was in school. I got to ride the jet-ski, go tubing, and swim in the lake. I also got to go sailing in our little Sunfish. The weather was perfect for sailing on both afternoons, so I took the boat out each day. There’s nothing like the feeling of flying along the water with the wind in your face and waves crashing over the side of the boat! When my mom and I went sailing on our last day in Maine, it was so windy that we were both hiked out over the side of the boat, trying to compensate for the fact that the wind had our boat at almost a 90 degree angle. It was awesome!

My time in Maine was all too short though, and on Saturday we had to pack up and clean the house for the renters. We came back to Massachusetts and I came home to a new house. My parents finally sold their house in Holden, Mass and moved to a smaller place in Gardner, Mass that’s closer to where my dad works. He’s had a 45 minute commute for the past 20 years and now he’s only 5 minutes away from the hospital.

I really like the new place, but it’s a little sad to leave the house that was our home for 18 years. At least I didn’t have to be a part of the moving process since I was still in class when my family moved out. I’ve had enough of moving and I’m sick of it! I’ve been helping my mom put stuff away and get organized though and I sort of love that part of moving. You get to start fresh and arrange things exactly the way you want them. I’ve also been having a lot of fun going through the boxes in the basement. One of the photos I found was an old picture of me and Leslie and our next-door neighbors Danny and Ashley sitting on a rock in my backyard. Both of our parents love that picture so much that last year they got us to pose on the rock for one more shot.
Then...
...and now

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What I know for sure: It’s never popular to be pure

Purity seems to be an especially rare and precious commodity these days, even more so than I thought while I was still in the “Liberty bubble” (and though I may have been pretty naïve, I didn’t exactly think the secular world had a lot of morals). I knew that drinking, drugs, and promiscuity were/are heavily prevalent in the college scene; I just didn’t know how pervasive their influence was and how far it extended. For instance, I always thought that a LOT of college kids liked to party, get drunk, sleep around, and experiment with drugs, but I also thought that there were some who didn’t participate in any of the above. I thought that some people avoided all that stuff in college and focused on their schoolwork (you know- the “smart kids”).

Now, after having talked to numerous other grad students from a variety of schools across the East Coast, I find that MOST college students take part in the college party scene- even the ones who are smart and get good grades. Drinking, partying, and sex are so entrenched in secular culture now that it’s become the normal thing to do- and everyone participates. The only real difference between students who do well in school and those who fail all their classes is that the smart kids manage their time well enough to both party and study (or they at least have the discipline to wake up hung-over and still make it to class). People just don’t seem to have morals anymore. Drugs and sex are “no big deal”

What’s more, people don’t care about their lack of morals. They’ll tell stories about getting drunk and puking all over the place, about trying drugs, about making out with a complete stranger. I know these things happen, but I never thought people would broadcast them to the world unashamedly. It’s just completely normal to them. In fact, they can’t comprehend the concept that there are some people who don’t live like that. I remember one night I was having a drink with some PT friends, and they started talking about their worst drunken moments. One of the guys turned to me and said “You must have some great stories.” I replied honestly, “not really.” His response? “Bullshit.”

Well, he may not believe me, but I’m glad it’s the truth. I’m so thankful I went to a school where I could learn and grow without the constant pressure to be a part of the secular culture. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve never tried drugs, didn’t drink till I was 21, and am going to save sex for marriage. When you give into this hedonistic culture and throw away your decency and modesty for a chance to fit in and be accepted by the world, you’re losing an important part of yourself that you can never get back. Purity, once lost, can’t be regained.

Read this article to get a better idea of the college atmosphere- and the dangers associated with it: Binge Drinking Entrenched in College Culture - ABC News

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thoughts on Inception

I saw Inception a few nights ago, and it was one of those rare movies that is a cinematic work of art- complex and unpredictable, with an intelligent story and brilliant acting. It makes you think and question things even days after you've watched it. I don't want to give too much away, but it revolves around secrets, dreams, and the birth of ideas. It raises some interesting philosophical questions- it makes you question reality and ponder what makes something "real". It also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who I consider to be one of the best actors of our time, and it's directed by Christopher Nolan, who directed another cinematic masterpiece- The Dark Knight. Needless to say, I think this movie is a must-see!

Just for fun, here are some of my thoughts during the movie:

1. I'm so confused!
2. Wow, there are a lot of layers to this story.
3. When's the damn bus going to fall in the water?
4. They better show his children's faces eventually.
5. The top is going to fall. It has to fall! Crap.

This movie was the highlight of my week! Other than that, I'm still rolling through anatomy. The last day of new material is tomorrow, then I have the weekend to study (including Monday, which is a day off), Tuesday is a review day, and Wednesday is the final!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The piano player upstairs

One thing my roomies and I have noticed about our apartment is that it’s not very soundproof. We can hear people stomping through the hallway sometimes and we can hear people talking if they’re talking loudly. However, sometimes we hear nice sounds through our thin walls. One of the best noises that we often hear is piano music from the apartment upstairs. Somebody up there practices most afternoons and it’s so pleasant to hear the piano music drifting down from the third floor. I like to listen to it when I’m studying. Somehow it motivates me and lets me feel that something is right in the world. I love it.

I was thinking today when I heard our piano-playing neighbor, how sad it is that music like that isn’t appreciated anymore. Nowadays we have rock bands and rap, and plenty of guitar music- and I like all of that, but wasn’t it nice and peaceful when people were entertained simply by piano music? I think it’s delightful in Jane Austen’s books when the characters retire to the parlor and gather around the piano in the evenings. Musical talent was valued so highly that a girl wasn’t considered fully educated if she couldn’t play the piano.

Now, I took piano lessons when I was younger and discovered that I had very little musical talent, so I can’t say that everyone should be able to play a musical instrument. I just think that more people should make an effort- especially if they spend hours downloading music or listening to songs on their I-pods. Why not actually develop your own musical skills? It seems to me that in this day and age we’re more obsessed with keeping track of the latest celebrities rather than developing our own talents and interests. I know I'm as guilty of this as anyone, but I'm going to try to expand my musical and artistic interests because I feel like the classical arts are so under appreciated. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the piano music as a rare and beautiful treat.

Click here to listen to some beautiful piano music.