What I started to write December 3, 2009

Well here it is, more than a month later and I haven’t been able to slow down enough to update my blog since Halloween. I completed two of my classes in November, Basic Health Skills and Health and Wellness. I got A’s in both classes. That gave me a month to focus on completing A&P. Although I was getting A’s on lecture exams, unfortunately, I had a B average on my lab quizzes. I ended up with a B for the course. I may have to repeat it, but am not planning to immediately. I’ll be taking A&P II in Spring 2010.

Wintermester (2009-2010) Update January 8, 2010

I’ve decided to retake several core classes, including Speech. I got a few B’s and one C in some undergraduate work that I transferred. I need to get some or all of those up to A’s, by retaking the classes. I will not be retaking College Algebra! That B is staying!

I finished the Speech class today with an A on the final and an A for the class. Yeah! It wasn’t as easy as I was expecting. I had to learn how to deliver a speech, the instructor’s way, which was not very close to what I’d learned through work experience and Toastmasters. It was quite an experience, one I will refrain from commenting further on. Suffice it to say, I got an 87 on the first speech. I then figured out what the instructor wanted and got a 98 on the second one.

I took the HESI Admission Assessment Exam in December. This exam is required for admission to any of the health occupation programs at El Centro College. In an attempt to get the highest possible scores on all 4 sections, I'm allowed to take the exam up to two times per year for the Sonography program. I want a minimum score of 90% on all sections. Close to 100% on the Reading Comprehension section would be great! I did it! And what a shock it was that my highest score was a 98% on the math section! I’ve expressed my sincere thanks to Felix, my fellow Speech student, for helping me review math. Felix helped me brush up on fractions and ratios, which was obviously a big help! I got 97.87% on the Reading Comprehension, which is a very important score for getting into the Sonography program. It's one of the criteria used to rank students to choose the top 30 who will get an interview. It was also rather surprising that the sections I expected to get the highest scores on, I got the lowest scores on. I got 96% in Vocabulary and 92% in Grammar. I’m sure not complaining. I won’t have to repeat any sections of the exam!

What’s Next?

I have a break from school for over a week! Yeah! I’m tired. Hopefully, this will give me a chance to get rested and caught up on some things, starting with this blog update. I start the Spring 2010 semester on January 20th. I’m taking Anatomy & Physiology II, Pathophysiology (the study of disease) and General Health Professions Management. That’s a total of 8 credit hours, which is what I completed in my first semester, last Fall. These are all pre-requisites that must be completed prior to applying for the Digital Imaging Sonography program. The A&P instructor has recommended that we get a head start, before the semester starts, working on the digestive system. Another student and I are planning to work on that next week.

On the fashion front, I colored my hair a really bright, vibrant, glowing red! It’s way cool and lots of fun!  I've posted a new pic.

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

For those of you I didn’t share this with. I was visiting my friend Laura yesterday. Her daughters are Ashley, 4 and Taylor, 8. Here's a little conversation I had with the Ashley, the 4 year old.
I was telling the girls about something I had done when I was young. Ashley asked me, with an openly surprised expression, "You're not young now"?! I was flattered, momentarily, until she followed immediately by exclaiming, "You're younger than God"! : ) Oh, how Laura and I laughed!

About Mom

She is still in kidney failure and is undergoing dialysis three times a week. That process has its challenges. Overall though, she seems to be feeling well and is maintaining a positive attitude. She is still being given some hope that her kidney function is and will continue to return to where it was a few months ago. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers and support!

About Bruce

There’s great news for Bruce. He quit Harley-Davidson in November. The Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse recruited him back to work for them, something they wanted to do a year ago, but they had to fill the position internally at that time. Now the job is his! Although he isn't the demonstrative type, I know he's just jumping for joy! He's got a few days off before starting his new position. He had two 4-day weekends in December. He hasn’t had so much time off in 3 ½ years.

My Pain in the Foot : )

Well many of you know I’ve had a chronic pain in my right foot for coming up on a year now. They did an x-ray last June, an MRI in July and a second MRI in December. The results on all have been negative. There is no arthritis. There is some tendonitis, but I have no pain where it was indicated. I’ve seen an Orthopedic Foot Specialist and a Podiatrist. It seems that they have tried everything. I’ve tried different shoes with better arch support, orthotics, orthopedic shoes, physical therapy and an NSAIDs pain patch. They’ve tried injecting alcohol to stop possible nerve pain. They’ve also injected steroid into two different places. I’ve worn a cast for about two months. I tried crutches for all of one afternoon. They’re very hard to use and I gave them up. The Podiatrist has told me that he does not know what else to do. I’m considering seeing the Orthopedic Foot Specialist again, just to confirm that he has nothing else to recommend. If they don’t know what else to do, I sure don’t know either. : (

In the News!

Check this out, if you haven’t seen them already. Mom and I were both on the Channel 8 news on the same evening in two totally unrelated segments. Here are the links.

Aging in America: Emergency response systems

http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/Aging-in-America-Emergency-response-systems.html

Downtown Dallas wind farm could power El Centro College (You’ll have to watch closely for the shot of Dr. Allen’s class. I’m in the first seat on the front row).

http://www.wfaa.com/home/El-Centro-looking-to-create-wind-farm-in-downtown-Dallas--69687682.html