Giving This Thing Focus

Thank you for reading this blog. Really, it does mean a lot to me to see those few people visiting it each day. I know that I don’t write that often. And I also know that I write about myself way to much. This wouldn’t be a problem if I just wanted my family reading it, but no offense Aunt Susan (Hi!), I would love to be able to reach a larger audience.

More “famous” blogs, if a blog can be famous, have a clear focus. They talk about or feature things that people are interested in. The Julie and Julia Project comes to mind, made even more famous by the movie this past summer (and by the book she put out, that’s very good by the way).

So here’s the mission: Give this blog a focus. “Room With a View Re-imagined”. I’m going to have to work on this and think of some ideas. I do love the Room With a View idea, especially since I’ll be moving to an actual room with a view (hopefully) in January. But more about all this later. As of right now, the biggest (and only) news is…

…70 Days till St. Kitts!!

Comrades….or Competition?

When I was an undergrad at Stony Brook, the competition in the biology department was fierce, to say the least. Probably more than three-quarters of the class where trying to get into medical school…or dental school…oorr a PhD program. Whatever the case, these people were often crazed about Mendelian genetics and mink muscle systems. Not helping this issue, was the fact that most (well, almost all) of the classes were weighted meaning that even if you got a 50, if that was the average for the class you got a C and were “safe”. So mainly, it felt like we were always competing for that safety. That passing grade that would give us our futures!

Now it’s over and thank god! My ticket to vet school has been won and on my way (in 81 days!). But as I’ve been getting to know my fellow future Ross friends, I’m wondering if I’m going to have to rethink my strategy. There’s a saying about vet school that I’ve heard twice now. “You know what they call the person with the lowest GPA in the class? Doctor.” It makes me laugh a little (and cringe if I think about it too hard) but it really does speak to the camaraderie I can look forward too. At the same time, vet school is going to be hard. Really hard. Like, I may need to sleep straight through my two week break just to catch up for finals week.

So what should I do? Aim to work with my fellow students, or try my hardest to succeed without them? Maybe I can do both, I don’t know. I’ll really have to wait and see. Still, I may have to change more than I thought when I move to the island….

Getting Closer…

Only 84 more days till I leave for Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on St. Kitts!

Currently:
Still slowing collecting stuff to bring down. The latest additions being new sheets and towels, and an assortment of things from CVS (like medicines and a tube of toothpaste). Still contemplating how I will be getting all of the stuff down there.

I joined a facebook group set up by Ross specifically for January 2010 incoming students. It’s been really helpful and useful for meeting people. There actually seem to be a good amount of Long Islanders, who I’ve been talking to and trying to set up a dinner and drinks night for sometime in November. Ross also posted pictures of the dorms on the group page.

Not to shabby, huh? Put aside the hotel/motel-esque bedding (which will be replaced very soon after I arrive, I assure you) and the room is pretty nice! It’s airy, and I like the warm color on the wall. Plus, they give us night stands, a big desk, and some kitchen appliances. The outside’s just as good.

Ok, maybe even better! =D

For the next 84 days I’m going to try to focus more on my health. I renewed my gym membership and since my mom’s kind of on an organic kick, the food in our house will be generally better. I’m not going to call it the “D word”, but hopefully I’ll be closer to beach-ready by the time I leave.

Hope everyone’s having a good fall! I know I’m loving these colder nights and the return of long-sleeve shirts. And by the way, I also know that I’m doing horrible in my 1 Year-30 Books project…*hangs head in shame*…I’ll just go back to reading now…

Update on “1 Year…30 Books 2009″

So we’re almost halfway through September 2009 and this year’s reading goal has been coming along very badly, to say the least. I’m up to 7 books now, I think , which means only 23 to go! Yay!…

But I’m not giving up. With no school this fall I will definitely have more time to read. My goal is to get up to at least 10 by the end of this month, leaving only 20 for the next 3 months. (eek!) Even if I have to read children’s books to reach this goal (hopefully not), I will get  there.

Stay tuned to see what happens!

Remembering the Fallen today. We won’t ever forget.

114 days till I leave for St. Kitts

Fall is (Almost) Here!

My favorite season, autumn, is on its way and for the first time in 17 years I WON’T be going back to school! I think that fact is actually blowing my mind a little. One of the reasons I like the fall is because it usually means new beginnings, and new school clothes, and new books…I might actually miss starting classes…a little.

Actually, most of my time’s going to be taken up by a new, busier work schedule and getting ready for Ross University. I still have to do a few things before going, including getting my rabies vaccine, organizing my financial aid, and figuring out how I’m going to get all my stuff down there in January. I’ll be flying alone this first time and with a max of  two suitcases and one carry-on, that’s pretty much the biggest issue on my mind right now. I mean, I don’t have THAT much stuff but still, it is a whole four months in a foreign country. A very small foreign country with expensive shipping (to their ONE post office, I might add) and limited shopping opportunities (so I’ve heard). There is good news though; I’ve started to receive more information from Ross regarding the campus residences which are, happily, more like apartments than dorms and somewhat stocked with needed day-to-day items (like pots and pans and, thank goodness, a shower curtain).

So truthfully there is a lot of “newness” going on for me this fall season. Add that to colder nights spent curled up by a relit fireplace, the changing leaves, sweaters reemerging from hibernation, and my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving!) and it should be a great next three to four months. Fall is a time to snuggle into more blankets and heavier clothes, and who doesn’t like snuggling?

Days till I leave for St. Kitts: 116

Year 21

Today is my birthday, dada dada dada da da. I officially turned a wonderful 22 years old at 2:06 AM this morning! I like the number 22! It’s nice and even and I feel like I’m finally over the 21 year old hump and officially in my 20’s. I just wanted to take a few minutes and look back over the past year of my life. A few pretty good things happened, and a few bad ones too. It was definitely eventful…

It started off in St. Augustine, Florida where I was on vacation with my family. I ordered my first (“legal”) drink and I wasn’t even carded! A little bit of a disappointment but considering I was with my parents, I figure the waiter didn’t have a problem with my age. Don’t worry though, I earned the privilege of being carded a few more times during the year…

The rest of the summer and most of the fall I was preoccupied with vet school applications. After all the time and stress I was invited to one interview (out of 13 schools! haha) and then actually accepted into Veterinary School! The whole process was freakin nerve racking! There’s no other way to explain it. Stress, essay writing, paying lots of money, MORE essay writing, WAITING, rejection and rejection and rejection (12 times total to be exact), waiting, doubt, anxiety, then exhilaration!! I’m getting out of breath just thinking about it! Thank goodness that’s over…

Two not-so-good things happened last fall too. I was in my first car accident. Fun. And then I failed a class for the first time (grumble, grumble…biochemistry…grumble). Two life experiences that I can now say I’ve lived through.

Toward the end of the fall semester and into the winter I guess I can say that I became more technology savvy. I started this blog! And then I got an iPhone! (Does that count?) Getting a MacBook Pro for graduation/birthday finalized my conversion to Apple and I couldn’t be happier that I’m finally free from Windows! Also joined Twitter, but I’m not sure that counts as an accomplishment.

Spring semester was pretty uneventful. It was actually nice to take mostly art history classes and have a break from all the science. I did attend the graduation ceremony which, I guess, was worth it. After that, I went on my first non-family road trip to Chicago! Not only that, but it was my first time driving off the east coast, first time actually in the city of Chicago, and first time going to a comedy club. Loved it all and can’t wait to go back someday.

All in all a good year. I’m sure there’s a bunch of other firsts I didn’t put in, but I think I covered all the major stuff. Here’s hoping for another eventful year, full of more firsts and adventures.

Including: Leaving for Ross in 151 days and going down to Florida again with family at the end of the month. Yay!

Also, 3 more exams for biochem. So far so good…eep!

Imaginary, umm…Friend?

If you have not seen the movie Fight Club, this is a warning. This post definitely has spoilers. So stop reading now……seriously, stop.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I have to mention that Fight Club is one of my favorite movies for many, many reasons. I was just thinking about it today and how the whole idea of Tyler Durden just twists my mind. Now, if you’re sure you’re okay with spoilers we can continue. Yeah? Good. The fact that the main character makes up his own imaginary friend who basically ends up taking over his life is awesome. I’m not sure if there’s a better word than that. I think I remember hearing that the movie is based off a short story, and if this is true I need to find it. The movie itself is brilliantly acted (Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena B. Carter), directed and, of course, written. I think the script is the glue that holds the whole mind-blowing thing together. Who can forget, “I am Jack’s raging bile duct.” or “The first rule of Fight Club is…”.

When we finally find out the truth about Tyler in the end, he says he was created in order to help Norton’s character get out of his Ikea filled apartment and his mediocre, mundane life. And down the rabbit hole we go, cause what I want to know is, is Tyler the result of a deranged mind, or is he just the result of the narrator’s desperation and extreme need for change?I don’t know about you, but more often then not I’m thinking about one way or another my life could go differently. Especially lately, with biochemistry thrown on top of all the vet school preparations. It’s just been a lot to think about. So far it’s all handleable and I wouldn’t change anything (yet) but I do wonder what would happen if I suddenly stopped, and decided to pursue other interests and life dreams. Hmmmm…

This whole path to becoming a vet is really hard, but I’m pretty sure It’ll be worth it in a few years. And no, I’m also pretty sure that I don’t have my own Tyler Durden pushing me to move to the city, or open a tea shop, or travel to Europe, or blow up banks, etc, etc. But if I did, I wonder if I’d go along with his plans willingly or if I’d question the change. Just something to think about. Give me a a few more weeks of biochem, and then we’ll see where I stand on the matter.

And of course, cough, cough: 164 days till I leave for St. Kitts

Colorful Money!

I got some Eastern Caribbean dollars from Dr. Casey today! She’s one of the vets I work with who went to Ross University. Long story short, I love colorful money.

It’s just…pretty! Much better than our usual green in the US.  I can’t wait to live in a country with pretty money for two years.

Speaking of which: 170 days till I leave!

Also, “Biochemistry: The Second Attempt” has begun….wish me luck!

Inspiration? Maybe One Day

I have a dream about someday becoming a published author. Nothing fancy, I don’t want to be the next big thing. Still, I think it would be amazing just to put something creative out there for people to critique and consider. I think it’s sort of glamorous in some way. I guess a music album works in the same way, but considering that I don’t sing or play an instrument well enough that I would want people actually listening to me, an album is definitely not going to happen. Also, I love books. Simple as that. For some reason they give me a feeling of old time nostalgia (Does that make sense? It does to me anyway.), and in these computer oriented times, it always feels great to hold an actual object with words and meaning in my hands.

I’m not sure what I would write about though. I’m not creative enough for fiction, don’t know enough about the world to write non-fiction. Autobiographies and stories based off of people’s lives are popular, but so far mine’s not THAT interesting. Maybe once I’m out of vet school I’ll have some good stories. Or maybe I should just write about whatever I’m interested in or whatever my beliefs are. We shall see. All I’m really saying is, I’m hoping that one day inspiration will hit and when it does, I hope I have the time and stamina to put into an actual book.

Days till I leave for Ross: 179

A Rant…About Plastic Bags….

I went to Pathmark for a few things yesterday (tomatoes, apples, cheese, and diet soda if you really wanted to know) and it really amazed me how many people are still using plastic bags when the cheap, good looking reusable one are sitting right there!! ARGG! So in honor of my frustration, here’s a short rant about this problem.

Plastic bags that we get constantly from food stores, clothing stores, etc. are horrible for the environment. Food stores in particular seem to be one of the worst culprits simply due to the huge amount of bags that people use there each day. I see them when I go, people with carts full of plastic bags only holding about 4 items each. These bags usually end up being ripped and thrown out, or if they’re really lucky, used in home garbage pails. Still, they all end up in dumps or are blown around our streets and eventually into our world’s largest garbage dumps, the oceans.

Now, I admit that up until this past year I was one of these people, but when the stores started selling the reusable ones I stepped right up. I actually love some of the designs on them and they hold A LOT more than the plastic ones. Also, they’re cheap! At least at Pathmark they’re only a dollar! And you get 2 cents back each time you use them so they actually pay for themselves (well, eventually, but still!). Even if you shop for a family like my Mom, they still work great. I might carry 1 or 2 bags into the store, but it’s not uncommon to see Mom carry her 8 in and store them in the cart’s basket until they’re needed at the checkout.

What makes me angry is that it’s so easy, yet it’s still so rare to see people using them. This shouldn’t be a fad. I think it’s a necessary change that MUST take place. Plastic bags are just wasteful and now alternatives have made them unnecessary. Sorry about the ranting, I just had to get it out. Thanks for reading. Now go buy reusable bags!!

Days till I leave for St. Kitts: 192

And a shoutout to my friend Dan, who linked my blog on his site! http://candashmar.com/