Missoula, Montana

So, I am finally awake and rejuvenated after the crazy semester. I've been here in Missoula, Montana for the past several days celebrating the holidays with Zac and his family. Every single member of his family has been truly welcoming, loving, and all-around wonderful.

Today, Zac and I decided to brave the weather and go skiing at Snow Bowl, about 20 minutes outside of Missoula. When we left it was around 40 degrees and raining, but when we got the resort it was 20 degrees and snowing! Arg...lets just say it did not make for a great skiing day. The bad weather, combined with my painful ski boots and foggy glasses made for a miserable experience. I did one run, which was the longest run in the place, 3 miles, and was done. Finito. I left Zac for the lodge while he went and skied. About 30 minutes later, whilst I was warming myself at their far too small fire, Zac came in saying that the conditions over the top were really bad and that he wanted to go home too. So much for a ski day....

Ramblings

So here I am, late at night, thinking about the events of the day and feeling overall quite satisfied with myself. Well, sort of. I woke up early this morning to finish studying for my Biological Anthropology final and then proceeded to Starbucks for my morning Grande with whip latte. I walked out of the store and took one sip and realized that I had forgotten to put sugar in the darn drink. Blech! I promptly returned and put three sugar in the raws into the coffee deliciousness and was on my way....I somehow managed to study all the way to my final...though there were definitely things that I wish I had studied more. Oh well....I took the final (which was actually pretty easy) and went back to Berkeley.

Now, finals are supposed to be stressful. I realize this. But, isn't there something a tad bit wrong with the fact that everyone else and their mothers are done and I am not? In what sort of sick and twisted world does a lowly pre-med end up with BOTH her calculus and biology finals on the LAST day of finals, two days before Christmas, mind you. Oh right. Did I mention pre-med? It's not as though our schedules are already crazy enough. They now want us to be in school until the absolute last milli-second that they can. Oh how I am frustrated. I want nothing more than to be done. This little frustration, of course, has prevented me from actually being able to open my book to study for either of the two tests. I am too busy thinking about the day after, when I will be happily on my way to Montana.

That's right! I will be going with Zac to Montana. After a terrible week of agonizing about how to heck to come up with a plane ticket, I reluctantly called my father and explained to him the situation amidst copious sobs and tears and feeling sorry for myself. Given his less than stellar financial situation he lovingly said that he wasn't sure that he could help but that he would try to figure something out because he knew how important this was to me. We said our goodbyes and not 20 minutes later did I get a phone call saying that "yes" he would pay for my ticket. Woo hoo! I felt so relieved, overjoyed , excited, ecstatic, grateful, loving, etc, etc. I love my father so much but I know that he had to put the ticket on his credit card, probably maxing it out, making me feel absolutely terrible about that. When I was younger and we had money, being "Daddy's Little Girl" was so much better. I didn't feel too bad about getting my way...Now, though, I really just feel like shit about it on the one hand...I guess old habits die hard. Perhaps I will never grow out of hoping that my dad can bail me out.

So, yeah. I'm going to Montana. I've never been there so I have no clue what it is going to be like. All I know is that it is going to be freakin' cold. Really cold. Like below freezing. I have never been in that kind of cold before. We'll see how it goes. Zac and I went to REI tonight to go get a replacement wetsuit for him and some snowshoes (which I suspect are part of my Xmas present that will also be taken to Montana). While he was browsing for all that stuff, I found a super comfy wooly/fleecy hat and some super long stripey/wooley Smartwool socks. I'm excited about them . Yeah for warm toes. I think I would honestly die if I had cold feet. Really.

We spent the rest of the day at his sister's house talking about life and the upcoming vacation to Hawaii (yay fun winter break) and what her children want for Hannukah. Fun times. We then proceeded to go to Elephant Bar for some yummy dinner. I had their mandarin/avocado/something salad and their seared tuna appetizer. Both were only so-so. What was absolutely delicious, however, was their strawberry cheesecake. Yum. I hadn't had cheesecake in forever so it truly was indulgent and delicious. Such a treat.

Back to my original point...I should be studying. In fact I should be freaking out and stressing about my two upcoming finals. But, for whatever reason, I am not. I am too busy enjoying the cold weather and pondering whether to purchase the blue/brown stripey socks or the red/brown stripey socks....

Emergency Room Scribe Interview

So, two weeks ago I sent in my resume for an ER Scribe position at Seton Hospital in Daly City, not really knowing what it was. I thought, "Hey, it is advertised to the Post Bacs and SF State, and you get to work directly with physicians and patients! Awesome!." I didn't hear anything back until yesterday, when I got a phone call from the recruiter saying that my resume shows that I have the experience and background that lends itself to success in the position! Woo Hoo!! We talked for a few moments about the job and she said that she would like to give me a phone interview today at 3pm. We said our goodbyes, and now here I am...1 hour and 50 seconds away from the interview.

I figured that I should probably do some research about said position so that I fully knew exactly what is was that I was interviewing for. Horrible grammar I know....Anyway, after reading a few articles online, I am convinced that this job would be great for me! Not only would I get to work with the physicians directly, writing down their every word and treatment plan, but I would get to see how the ER actually works and how all of the different players interact. Talk about the perfect way to observe how the healthcare system actually works. Every day would be different and interesting, depending on the kinds of cases that came in. Apparantely, on the slow days, I would get to do some filing and lab report look ups, and all of that. Basically, I would do anything that I could to ensure that the physician had the most amount of time to spend with each patient. Truly a rewarding experience!

I am going to go research some more and think about exactly why I want to do this job so that I can ace my interview. ...Oh how I hope that this goes my way....

Day One...Welcome to My Life!

Well, I guess all I can really say is hello. I've been interested in the whole blogging phenomenon for years and I finally decided that it was high time to start my own. I guess this is pretty good timing considering it is the holidays and the whole New Year's Resolutions thing is coming up soon. Hrm. I figure, even if no one else reads what I have to say, at least I can chronicle what I'm thinking so that somewhere down the line I will be able to come back to this very moment and have a brief glimpse into what was going in in my life at the time.

Right now I am seriously stressed out due to the darn holidays. Having gone back to school this fall after having made many stupid, stupid financial decisions over the years, I have found myself quite broke and "moochy" as my boyfriend calls it and unable to procure a plane ticket for myself to Missoula, Montana where Zac (said boyfriend) will be for Christmas and New Years. Not only does this in and of itself seriously suck, but this will potentially be the SECOND year in a row that Zac and I will be apart for the holidays. I don't know about you, but being alone during the holidays is seemingly one of the most depressing prospects ever. I guess it really is my fault for not having saved up for the damn ticket, but still. I am not happy about it. Mopesville here I come.

I investigated all of my flight, rail, and bus options for this trip but all are far too pricey for me. I suppose I could rent a car, but it would still cost me $400 + gas!!! Ouch!!! If my car weren't in such bad shape I would drive it in a heartbeat. Gotta love road trips...I suspect, however, that I will decide in the end that being alone for the second year in a row is just simply not worth it and that risking breaking down in the middle of a snow storm in a car with bad breaks and an exhaust leak just might be worth it. After all, aren't the holidays the time to be with the people you love?