windows

I have a very large window in my bedroom. I think it is as wide as I am tall, and well over taller than I am. The light coming in is wonderful, but, the glass is not energy efficient. It is at least 10 degrees colder in my room compared with the rest of the apartment. Even with the vents in common spaces closed. At night it's not too bad, for I sleep under several layers of warm covers, but sitting doing homework, my fingers get cold. I guess I could leave my door open, but that increases distractions. Something I struggle with. Namely Leigha and the kitchen. To limit distractions, I go to school to study- either the library or study rooms. School is closed again today. Yes, it's Saturday, but the school is closed because of snow on the roads. Frustrating, because 1) I can drive on this stuff. 2) I have troubles studying at home. (chilly room, common area distractions, and laptop).

I scraped car windows a lot yesterday. Something I really never did in Nebraska. In Lincoln, I parked in the 17&R garage. When I was at home over breaks and new I'd need to scrape, Dad let me park in the garage, or cleaned the windows for me. My cheapy little blue scraper works quite well. We had about a 1/4-1/2 inch of ice/snow build up on our cars yesterday. I cleaned my roommate's car last night. She's from AZ. It wasn't really that cold out, but of course, to her it was 'fah-reeezing.' She doesn't have a scraper. She doesn't now how to drive on roads with a little slush and snow on them. So I drove to the restraunt. During the drive, she and our friend from Florida asked what the roads were like in Nebraska when it snows... I told them that they were snowpacked and a little slick, but able to be navigated... They asked what snowpacked meant. I responeded, well, snow is packed down covering the streets. Highways, not so much, but streets, yes. They were floored that it was possible to drive on it. So then I gave them a driving lesson: drive slow, give yourself plenty of space between cars in front of you, and don't make abrupt turns, stops, accelerations. Kristen then said... "It's white death out here!" (with a mere 1"-2" of snow/ice/slush accumulation) Oh my.

rain changing wintery mix changing to snow day

Good morning! It's Friday, my friend Jessie's birthday, AAAAAAND a "snow day." Funny thing about it? All I can hear is rain through the gutters and when I look - see ripples in puddles. So, for now we have a rain day. SCO has text/email alerts so at 5:45 I received a text saying NO SCHOOL TODAY!

I'm a little bummed out. We won't have theory now. And, I already had no lab this afternoon and one of my professors had canceled class because he was going to be out of town, so my "snow day" is getting me out of a mere 2 classes. Ah, well.

The forcast says that it's supposed to pick up soon, get colder, and start wintery mixing and snowing. Up to measurable snow, I hear. We'll see. I'm debating whether or not to go out now, get a couple groceries and maybe some cupcakes for J's birthday- gourmet cupcakes. delcious. downfall, it's across town, practically East Memphis. Big plus though, she LOVES them and if it does what they say it's going to do, she won't get any. So I'd be the hero! : ) What I might do is get ready, and if I slip as I'm walking outside, come back in and start homework and reorganizing my room.

wednesday. wiped out.

Week 4. Two tests. First real 100. Optics. Bam.

I think I've gotten the hang of this Optmetry school business. There's a delicate balance between caring and not caring-- you have to care to learn, but you have to go in to tests confident in what you do know, though it seems to be little, I think I usually know more than I think  I do... I've figured out how a few of my professors test, which makes studying more productive. Buuu-uuut the semester changed and we have a few new professors, so it will keep life interesting.

I've started a workstudy position in the Vision Therapy department. I make photocopies. lots of photocopies. and retype forms that are used frequently so there is a digital copy for Publications to process- put our logo on it, format it, and keep on record. In the future instead of making photocopies, the little people (like me) can send an email with "I need 2 pads of VT-2020" and voila the forms come from the sky, errr 9th floor. Later on, I will have the opportunity, hopefully, to do some research projects, and learn more about VT. I am a patient of one of the best VT Doc's in the country right now.

Some of you know a bit of the trouble I have with my eyes and others do not. Basically, I can see with both eyes, but my brain doesn't put the images from the two eyes together because I was born with a crossed eye-- alternating, though, so I use both eyes. BUT my brain shuts off the input from one eye so that I don't see double. Double vision is bad. But, because I can't use both eyes at the same time, I can't appreciate depth- like 3D movies, magic eye, etc. I've done pretty well for myself so far, but there are some things an optometrist needs to see in depth- like funky things inside the eye while looking through the biomicroscope.

Wednesday is my VT day. My feet tingle. My head hurts. I feel, at times like I'm going to throw up. BUT I saw depth. The clown's hand was reaching out of the wall at me (creepy, I know). I look into creepy looking instruments which flash bright lights and force my brain to pay attention. I baffle the third years and staff doctors from other departments. Dr. D thinks it's awesome, calls me a freak, and cusses when I don't see things the way he wants me too.  It makes me wonder-- how would I have been had I been able to go to VT when I was younger... If my ophthalmologist would have done surgery, if he would have been open to mixing VT with surgery. It makes me excited to learn more and want to help kids like me.

Hmmm. The words on the screen are starting to go fuzzy. Probably better rest a while.

Pop Tarts

I ruined a perfectly good Unfrosted Strawberry Pop Tart experience. Not by burning it... but by looking at the total calories in ONE... I ate it anyway, but was no longer as excited to eat it. Moral of the story: If you are excited about eating something, DO NOT ruin it by looking at the number of calories.

Back in the Saddle

Sheesh, it's been a while. Christmas break was excellent time away from school. Cold and snowy time, but good. We were able to just "be" at home, frankly, because we couldn't go anywhere else. Although I wasn't able to go to the "Big Family Christmases" I did get to spend some time with my godmother and gramma Mary when we took her to the retinal specialist. We also made a point to stop in and see both grammas when we found out I couldn't make it to Family Christmas.

So far in school it's been really hard to get back into the swing of things as far as studying and staying on top of things, not getting too far behind. It was great to come back and see everyone again, but sitting through 8 different classes, several meeting multiple times each week, ugh, not fun.

One of my classes is Ophthalmic Optics = optician stuff. I learned much of it already working at Shopko and taking the opticianry test. I really like the Doc that teaches that one ---a good ol' military man. Then there's another prof who has a thick Jersey accent with an obsession with his cats... eccentric.

I started training for a work study position in the Vision Therapy department in the Clinic. I'm really interested in doing VT when I'm an OD-- likely because I'm making pretty big strides as a patient. I've had some pretty trippy exercises and usually feel pretty woozy afterwards. My work study is, for now, simply making copies of diagnostics and therapies and keeping things tidy. Some of the docs have projects and stuff going on that they need us to help with... I could have my name on some posters and stuff if I really wanted to... kinda neat.