Finding Balance Between Son's Life & Mine

Today, my son needed to be at his very new job at 7 AM. Totally bunks up my typical Sunday of planting my butt in the library conference room at the school and hunkering down to do homework problems and study. Generally, after 9 hours of sitting in the library, I've completed all the next week's assignments so I can focus on life instead.

Son needed to be at work at 7 AM. I was still groggy. Went back to bed. Son gets off work at 3 PM and of course, wants a ride home (we live about 1.5 miles from the job site). So, to mix it up a little more, I take Concerta.

I'm a mindless, wandering mess without it. "Ooooh, look it's sunny outside which means the ray is about 560 nm which is calculated using Planck's constant, speaking of which the constant in my life is the great dane and the golden retriever who really needs a trim and like, wow, maybe I should go blonder for the summer" all in the span of maybe 5 seconds. Yeah, that's my brain OFF Concerta.

Anyway, the side effect of Concerta is that I'm... focused. Very focused. Once in that zone, it is hard to break the concentration and also, once the concentration is broken almost impossible to get back on track. If I take the medication after 10 AM, I'm unable to sleep at night essentially pulling a physically exhausting but mentally stimulating overnighter of which, I do not want.

So, I'm sitting in a coffee house right now, typing on this blog, wondering if at 12:30 PM I should take a Concerta, get started on my homework problems, get caught up and assignments that are late into the instructor OR if I should "well, it's a sunny day out, take the dane for a run, and check out the new shoes which would be awesome because Asics came out with new Nimbus' this year and once this year is over I will be applying to med school, not merely looking at it and like wow, my eyes are bad, I should get new cheaters which I hate by the way because anyone who cheats should be kicked out of school..."

You get the picture.

Grrr. Guess I'll take it, get the work I can done, pray I can get back on track after picking him up, and pray that he doesn't have another early morning shift anytime soon!

Opening Up My Blog To Other Writers

There are a fair amount of hits per week on this blog, getting close to 1000 per week (I know many of you are that per day but... you probably live far more interesting lives than I do).

Anyway, I thought maybe it might be fun to open up my blog, once per week to another author.

If you would like to submit your writing to be posted here, along with a link to your blog, website, ebay, etc, send me an email at:

adoc2be@yahoo.com

My preference would be ideas on med school, pre med, political related to medicine, nursing v. doctoring, MD v DO v PA v NP v DN (or whatever they are going to call a PhD in Nursing), dogs, cats, rescue, volunteering, community service, or you know, if you just have a huge contract for someone with my background, that'd be awesome too!

Any writing containing utter profanity, anything not PG-13 rated, will be ignored and deleted. If you'd be embarrassed to have your mother or your father reading it, don't send it my way. :)

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. And no, this doesn't mean others will write this blog it just means that one time per week I'm brainless and lacking any creative energy to post something and maybe on that day, I'd channel someone else's energy and writing thereby giving them a shout-out and exposure to his/her site.

Make it a great day!

Ochem 1 and Biology During Summer

I'm thinking about it.

Ochem is without lab. The lab comes after 2nd semester of ochem and is worth more credits than either ochem 1 plus ochem 2 lecture.

Biology is every night M - Th.

Ochem 1 is every day M -Th.

That would allow me to focus on ochem 2 in fall, and physics with lab, plus an American Indian studies class (humanities requirements filler that will be new, and no included in old ugrad GPA).

It would also allow me to toss in biochem at the UD level in fall... which would be ideal because then come spring it'd be:

ochem lab - 4 cr
physics 1 - 4 cr
MCAT prep

Now for a little contract to come about so I can pay for it all!!! And not be scrambling to pay the rent.

Sorry...

So, apparently my venting on a fairly anonymous forum has upset a few folks and they have quit being regular readers. For that, I apologize. I'm trying to keep my blog helpful and insightful. Helpful in giving links, ideas, etc and insightful with how hard this journey is on an emotional, mental, and physical level.

Sometimes, I overstep my boundaries.

Hope you will continue to read and just give me a little nudge when I've gone too far.

Make it a great day!

Contract Went Poof (edited)

I thought my financial challenges were finally over. Not so… I was contacted by a hiring manager who needed two people for contracts that are with other VERY LARGE companies, companies like the ones I worked for; before I went crazy and embarked on my path to become a doc. He tendered both the full time position and contract to me and told me to pick. I chose the contract...

After all I can't be full time until I'm in residency (yes, I really said that). Anyway, contract it was. It would have been awesome to finally get back on my feet with money in the bank and to ending my near term financial challenges (my long term challenges are another story)... So did it happen? Noooooooo. The HR department caught wind of this and got upset that a mere VICE PRESIDENT went around them to get what hire whom he felt was the best qualified person for the job (i.e. me).

How DARE he!!!

So in a flash, like Santa up the chimney and FiFi's hair piece at the Westminster Dog Show, my contract went pooooooof! That really really sucks, but a good friend of mine always says “things always happen for a reason.” I know he’s right but dang it, I really needed that money. I was looking forward to not having to wrap pennies to afford a $5.00 pizza from Hungry Howies for my son and I to share. But I guess situations like these build character and helps prepare me for those 36 and 48 hour shifts I’ll no doubt be dealing with during my residency and internship.

How much can I take before I break? Go ahead and bring it on…but while you are at it, a nice job offer where I can balance work and school and pay my bills would really be nice too (hint, hint).

Okay, I'm done ranting. Just bummed. The contract would have been awesome. Great Dane puppy is... still available too. Dang. Arooooooooooooo….

(thanks mr pac... I owe you; actually, my future patients owe you but just for giggles, can I, once I'm divine, be like dr. grumpy and just let loose?!?!?)