My first cut

I got to dissect a cadaver Tuesday night. It may have been the single coolest thing I've ever done. I dissected out the upper arm on one and the gracilis on the other. Amazing. There are no words to describe how cool it was.

Lost

No, not the show. Me. I spent over an hour being lost yesterday - in commute traffic. You'd think I could follow simple directions but when those directions are cut off on one side and there's a detour and you can't make any U turns, it becomes a lot harder. Let's just say I know the Hayward streets better than I'd like to now. Good thing I had a new CD to listen to. I'm sure all the other commute traffickers thought I was pretty funny - dancing and cursing - dancing and cursing. It's a really fun CD.

We were introduced to our cadavers yesterday. You have to just love all the freaking out that goes on. "They stink" "Is this smell going to ruin my clothes" "Do I have to touch it?" "Don't leave me alone in here!!" "Gross". And these people want to be nurses?? One of our cadavers hasn't been dissected yet so my prof. asked it we wanted to - I am so going to love this!

By the way, I did manage to get to class on time (barely) despite my lostness and I did get a 95% on my first anatomy lab test. I am the WOMAN!!!!!

"Follow the River"

I read "Follow the River" for my book group this month. I'm going to spoil it so if you hate that, this is your warning.

It's a true story of a woman whose settlement was attacked by the Shawnee tribe. She was taken captive with her 2 sons (ages 2 and 4) and her sister-in-law. She was pregnant at the time. She gave birth to a daughter on the way to the Shawnee village, approximately 500 miles up the Ohio River. The entire trip she makes mental notes on how to return and determines to escape. After reaching the village she manages to escape, leaving her sister-in-law and children. She tells herself she's returning to her husband and will start over, have more children, rebuild, etc. She does make it back to her husband and many years later her sister-in-law and oldest son are found and ransomed. There is no information on the daughter and her youngest son died shortly after she left.

When I started reading this I thought, wow, what determination. She endured unimaginable physical and emotional trauma and not only survived but walked 1000 miles (roundtrip) of uncharted, uninhabited back to her husband. It's an amazing feat and shows tremendous courage and tenacity. Or does it? She abandoned her children and sister-in-law to a group that had, just weeks previously, massacred her mother, neighbors and infant nephew. At that terrible time of trauma her thought was not of how to protect her children and help them survive the ordeal but how to return. She was right, they would not have survived the journey back. In my estimation, that means she should have stayed. I think what she did was cowardly. Instead of protecting her children she wanted her husband and life back. How selfish. I can't imagine as a mother leaving my children to be raised by a group that had shown such barbarism so I could go to my husband. The thought makes me cringe. I don't want to take away from the indomitable spirit that she had, I just would have respected and admired her more if she had used that spirit to protect her children. I'd be interested to know what others think about it.

Update

I finished my first round of tests yesterday. No news yet on the last two. I felt really good about my chem test until the prof. said the average score was 68%. I really hope that does not apply to me.

Last night I stopped to get gas and ran into a friend from grade school. I know I haven't seen her since graduation and I honestly don't remember seeing her much after sophmore year. It was so good to see her. There's something comforting about people who knew you as a child. We're getting together next week and I can't wait.

1 Down

1 down and 2 more to go, then I'll be done with my first round of tests. I was most worried (a lovely trait inherited from my mother - don't worry, she freely admits it) about my anatomy theory test. Truth is, I've never received above a C in anatomy. Amazing, I know, but true. And on Thursday I took my first quiz and got a 70%. Hence the tremendous amounts of fear. I even looked in the newspaper classifieds. I have so much faith. So last night I received my first A on an anatomy exam. 94% and I would have done better had I not over thought 3 of the 4 I got wrong. Note to self: he doesn't do trick questions. I just may pull this off after all. Hee Hee.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow night is my first test of the semester. Anatomy. I should be nervous but I'm very close to just wanting it to be over. I just hope I've studied enough and I can keep my nerves under control enough to think.

I should be studying. I should have been studying for the last three hours. Okay, maybe only two and a half but, regardless, I should be studying. Last May my brother DJ went into the ER with abdominal pain. Turned into a 4 day stay for a ruptured colon caused by diverticulitis. While reviewing the CT scan they found a mass on his kidney. Yesterday they removed the mass. I haven't felt particularly worried, all the information led us to believe he would be fine, but when I talked to my mom today and she said he is awake, not in pain and the surgery was successful I cried. Guess I was worried. I just feel tired now. Like a big weight has been lifted but I'm tired from carrying it for so long. I can't express how grateful I am that he's fine.