Heartbreak and success, in equal measure

Of course, it's too soon to tell, but based on how I think my exams went today I have cause for both celebration and intense mourning. See, I had an exam in each of my major courses today (Principles of Drug Action and Integrated Organ Systems 1), but over the weekend I only studied for one (PDA), and foolishly chose the one that occurred later in the day. So I was immensely underprepared for my morning exam, and my score is certain to reflect that (unless I'm an extremely lucky guesser). On the other hand, I smoked the afternoon exam. It's almost guaranteed to be my highest test score of the semester, and it's certainly the best I've felt on the way out the door in some time. I'll let you know if my gut was right, but I can pretty much guarantee that the PDA score will be the higher of the two.

I interviewed for a pharmacist intern position at Kaiser a couple weeks ago, and they offered me the job. I wasn't really expecting that. I don't have pharmacy experience and I made a terrible mess of the first half of the interview. Then I let them know that my availability to attend orientation was restrictively limited by my vacation plans (going to Seattle over Spring Break to celebrate my birthday) and my school schedule (I can't skip classes on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday). Also, I will still need to work my casino job three nights a week to pay the bills. Despite all that, they offered me the position, and even made it seem (in our phone conversation) that they wanted me pretty badly (not like they were settling to fill a spot). So I felt honored and validated by that, and accepted the offer. I'm not sure when I'll be able to start, but I'll finally get some experience in a pharmacy (which I desperately need).

My wife recovered most of the way from her illness. She's not 100% yet, but she's probably 80%, and that makes a big difference when you're caring for a toddler. In related news, I don't think my son caught the bug (knock on wood). It'll be a small miracle if he makes it through without incident, and reason to praise the Lord.

Speaking of reasons to praise the Lord, I'm constantly reminded of the many that I have. Last week I rode a bus with a man on crutches. He was using crutches because he only had one foot. I had to give a prayer of thanks when I saw that. I ride the bus to save money on gas and parking; many people ride the bus because they can't afford to or legally aren't allowed to drive. And I have full functionality in each of my limbs, and a working mind, and a healthy body. I got my cholesterol numbers on Wednesday, and they're all in or very close to the healthy range. My medication is definitely working. When I take stock of my life, I can't help but feel extraordinarily blessed.

That's all I've got today. Thanks for stopping by.

Here we go, Cubbies!

Well, it took long enough, but that Cubs rally beard finally worked! I don't think that was it; it was probably the return of Aramis Ramirez and a mental adjustment at the All-Star break, but they are now a half game ahead in the NL Central. That's what I'm talking about. And in the meantime, the Rockies went ahead and took the Wild Card lead! Even after today's loss (and Giants win), they're a game up. That's sweet.

So there's this deal in Colorado - when the Rockies score seven or more runs in a game, Taco Bell will give you four tacos for a dollar. Last year there was no other condition; this year you have to buy a drink. It's still a good deal, but I think it's probably a major factor in my high triglycerides. I think I've missed it six times that they've qualified, and for three of those I was in Hawai'i.

We have two more weekends before school starts. I'm freaking out. We also put our house on the market today. I'm not thinking it'll sell, but if it does we have the chance to chop about 50 grand off our mortgage by moving into a cheaper house. That would certainly ease some of the financial strain of going to school full-time.

Just a quick one today; go Cubs!

2 months to go!

My cat's been hunting. A couple days before we left for Hawai'i, he left this on the floor by the front door (inside). I don't know what he thought we wanted to do with it, but apparently it was only fun while it was still alive. Then the next day I found another one in the driveway, with the same squish out the back but otherwise pretty much intact. Gross, huh?

Hawai'i was exactly what I needed. I feel so refreshed. It also knocked almost two weeks off my countdown. We're two months to the day from our first day of class. Tomorrow will be 60 days. Friday will be eight weeks.

How about those Rockies? If me going out of town is all they need to start playing better, I'll leave more often. Today's win gives them 11 in a row, which is enough to close the gap in their division to a measly ten and a half games. They probably shouldn't have lost so many earlier. My precious Cubs are a different story altogether... I started growing a "rally beard" - basically not shaving until the Cubs are back in first place - and they promptly started losing. The Rox helped them out, too, sweeping the Cardinals and the Brewers. I'm starting to think I'll never shave again. If I have two months' growth at orientation, I'm going to be known as the guy with the crazy beard. So, let's go Cubbies!

Apparently the first people to submit their aid paperwork are now getting their award packages. I'm looking for mine in the mail every day now. It'll relieve some stress once I know what our financial situation will be for next year, and by extension, how much I have to work. I'm pulling for none, but if you've read my earlier posts, you know that's just not possible. Well, maybe I can win some sort of large cash prize between now and August 14th.

Sunday will be my first Father's Day as a father. I'm excited for that. I love being a dad, and I'm especially looking forward to future Father's Days and getting cards made by Xander (and hopefully by his future brothers and sisters, too) in that sloppy kid handwriting. I know that's not too far away. I just hope pharmacy school doesn't make me so busy that I miss all of that stuff. I would hate to have a four-year block of Xander's childhood missing from my memory, and even worse, to have four years of his childhood missing a dad in his life. I keep telling myself that won't happen unless I let it, but it still frightens me. I guess just being scared by that is enough to prove it won't happen. At the very least, I'm glad I'm doing this now and not when he's a few years older. If I disappear from his life for the next four years he'll barely remember it by the time he's 10.

Tomorrow I get an EMG on my legs. I don't even know what an EMG is, really. At my physical in April, I mentioned to the doc that I've been feeling a sort of uncomfortable pressure in my legs, especially after sitting for a few hours in a row, but lasting long after I stand up. I was worried it might be a blood clot. First thing they tried was an venous ultrasound; that didn't show anything. Oddly enough, the feeling went away for about a month after the ultrasound. It's been back the last couple of days, coinciding with my return to work from vacation. My self diagnosis is that it's a chiropractic issue, and that pressure on the nerves in my spine is creating a phantom sensation. If the EMG doesn't show anything, I'm going to get an adjustment and see what happens.

This has been a really long entry! Congrats if you've made it this far. I'd better stop here for now. I'll be back for a 50 day update, if not sooner.