Wow....

Has it really been a whole month? Well, things here are kind of crazy, it could easily have been longer than a month...

So, I like lists, so here is an update, in list format:

*Three exams down so far, two 95s and one 97. I think I have a good format for studying pretty much down pat. I honestly had to relearn how to do this, since I didn't study much in music school (didn't really need to) and most of my 'coursework' was performing.
*School...is bleak but good at the same time. Budget cuts will more than likely change my job in some way next year, but I think I don't have to worry about actually *having* a job. Having a plan 'B' for my career is actually affecting my teaching in a positive way. Also having a positive impact is not having over 500 students every week, thanks to finally getting an itinerant (who, I have a feeling, will be cut next year). Guess I need to enjoy it while I can!
*Taking a bit of a break from leagues at the moment, at least until the big move is out of the way.
*Oh yeah, I'm moving! Out of the high rise, into a townhouse, and I will have roommates. Not exactly my cup of tea, but in this situation, I think it will work fine, and the price is RIGHT. The landlord is even adding The Tennis Channel to her cable line up for me!
*Moving is also giving me a chance to look at a lot of things and think 'do I really need this'? So, major purging is underway, and it feels good!
*I did not run the ATM due to a sudden and painful bout of IT band syndrome again (last time I had it was the last time I trained for this race!). I have since discovered the beauty of the foam roller though, and so far, it is doing the trick!
*Food is going okay, I actually dropped a bit of weight really fast in the first week or so of school, and put it right back on when I started succumbing to the temptations of candy and treats constantly in the faculty room. Need to get back on track, but still, I'm pleased with the progress I've made...and it would be just the 'icing on the cake' to finally drop the last bit of weight and be at a good fighting weight next spring for USTA season.

One down...countless more to go.

Wow, that title could apply to a lot of things.

It was meant to refer to my first exam in my journey to becoming a nurse. I took my first exam in Human Biology today, and received a 95 (A). Sounds great right? Should have been a 100!!! Why? Well, I didn't make stupid mistakes (which I did do on the practice exam and the quizzes), but I fell prey to deliberately tricky questions. Oh well...still, pretty darn good, and I'll take it! Especially after a long work day that included reading a whole bunch of IEPs (which, oddly enough, were not on my exam!).

It could also refer to the countless school days to come. I'm exhausted. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. But I'm getting through, I guess...no other option, right?

Onward and upward.

Back to School, Day 1!

Only, not as the teacher, this time as the student!

Monday morning I dutifully logged into our class site, and was a bit taken aback by the long list of assignments for week 1! Whoa! But, I almost gleefully dug in, made a list (because that is what I do best)...and got cracking!

Basically, we need to do chapter 1 in 3 of 4 of our books, and a couple other things (such as an intro letter and some online exercises). I got all the reading one yesterday, and now I'm working through the study guide and workbork. Then I will do the exercises and online stuff, and then hopefully be ready to do the quiz. I think this will be a good sequence, only I want to make sure I schedule the chapter reading for the weekends, so I'm trying to work a bit ahead this week. The course is self-paced, so I can completely work ahead if I can manage it. It would be nice to get it done early in case I can manage a trip to FL in early December.

The first chapter covers levels/structure of organisms, and all the vocabulary for anatomy...all the parts, sections, and directions. Whoo! I'm doing ok, but I am getting more wrong than I would like in the workbook...most of the time I'm just not working or reading carefully enough. It is a lot of memorization, but I figure I gotta get this down as then it will be used in the subsequent chapters.

There are a few others in my class that are taking the class as a prereq for A&P, too, just like me.

I also went into school today to work in my classroom. I got most of the heavy lifting done...moving instruments back in and moving the big stuff out of storage. It was just a few hours, but it gave me the head start I wanted.

I also talked to enough other people to know that my decision to move out of teaching is the right one for me. I only wish I could make it happen sooner.

Now, some pictures!

Sunday night I met up with my friend Janet for a quick drink. She is a tennis buddy, a fellow runner, and also a nurse! I wanted to pick her brain a bit, and then, of course, we always end up talking about men. I thought my hair looked good, so I took a few pictures.





It is also getting insanely long!

This is last night's dinner. Vegetarian chili (the Eating Right brand from Safeway) over romaine with some light shredded cheese, and some corn on the cob on the side (microwaved!).



It was very good, but the chili was too hot/spicy for me. I'm a whimp! I had some Tazo 'refresh' iced tea that helped quench the fire, though.

As 'back to school/the teacher edition' looms, I'm concerned about how to get my healthy meals reproduced at school. Since I went in today, I tried to see how well some things would travel/pack. I do have a microwave and a mini-fridge in my office, so I should be good to go!

Last night I put some oats, milk, yogurt, and vanilla whey in the fridge. I added blueberries (and flax after the picture) this morning.



Then I added some other snacks...raw almonds, sunflower seeds, and an apple.



It worked perfectly! For breakfast I had my current favorite egg white French toast with bananas, and then a Larabar.

When I came home, though, I was *hangry* (hungry + hangry, borrowed from a better blogger than me!)...I made a wrap with chicken, hummus and veggies, and then made some cucumber/onion/tomato bites!



And then I was still eating! LOL I guess all the lifting and carrying made me hungry? I had some popcorn and some peanut butter, too. Then I headed out to hit with Michelle, and just had some Trader Joe's Ohs with milk to tide me over until morning. I find if I actually go to bed hungry, I will dream about food. Sad, but true!

Good eats and good reads. Hopefully.

I finally have all of my books assembled for my class! Here they are!



The 'chemistry for biology students' book is really well put together, I think. I've worked through the first four chapters already, and it is slowly coming back. The book is set up more like a work book than a text book, and I feel like it is a more meaningful type of instruction.

Here are the books I picked up from Flames9 on the Allnurses board:



The Kaplan math review book was supposed to help me get ready for the math entrance exam (hoping to score high enough so that I do not have to take a math class)...but the book really sucks. I *hate* how it explains things...seems to make things more complicated than it has to be. And, I'm no math genius, but I found two errors already. Math for me, just needs to be simple...show me how to do that problem. That's it. That's all I want.

The egg white French toast idea really took flight this morning! I had my oats/yogurt combo early, before heading out to clinic, then came back and had a Larabar, did upper body work, and then...the French Toast (egg whites only with cinnamon using Ezekiel bread) topped with bananas that I threw in the pan a bit to get them a bit mushy and carmelizd...OMG!!! It was wonderful!



We have a winnah!

From last night...my Big Salad (/Seinfeld reference):



Now it is time for Fed/Djokovic, then LenaD vs. Shriekapova. Go Lena!!!

Whew! What a morning!

Started off the morning with a great idea, if I may say so myself!

Instead of my usual egg sandwich, I dipped the bread in the egg white/egg combo, and made french toast!



Fabulous! I topped one with cinnamon, and the other with Trader Joe's superfruit jam. I will be doing that again. Added a peach with cinnamon, and before I left for my errands enjoyed the Lemon Larabar.

My first errand was to pick up the last book needed for my Human Biology class at NOVA's Alexandria Campus. I have driven through the campus billions of times, usually to bypass rt. 7 traffic to get to Van Dorn ST. This is the first time I actually stopped, parked the car, and got out! I found the bookstore pretty easily and was helped by two marvelous people there. Props to Tony!

Then I headed to Office Max to get some 'back to school' items. LOL I'm such a dork, but I love it! I picked up a few binders, some cheap filler paper, a 2010 planner (cute and small and will fit in my purse), and a USB drive. I also spent some time playing with the laptops and netbooks. I have my eye on a few models of Toshiba netbooks that I may ask for come holiday time...I'm thinking it would be nice to have for the next semester (my class is online now).

Then groceries at Trader Joe's and Safeway. The guy at the bakery at Safeway gave me a free chocolate chip cookie! Score! And the guy behind me in the checkout line complimented my tan. LOL Seriously? I haven't even showered yet, just wearing shorts and a tank...I must be giving off some wierd vibes today or something!

Oh hey there!

Yeah, see, this is one of the reasons I hesitate to list my blog onBlogher, because I tend to go walkabout on posting.

But I do have some news.

We shall do the 'bad' news first.

Played my first singles match in the new LTL singles league. I lost 5-7, 1-6. This, after failing to serve out the first set at 5-4. Mentally, in the second set, I don't think I recovered from that disappointment.

The Bad
*Well, duh, not serving out the first set when I put myself in position to do so.
*Fading and not being as aggressive in the second set. Yeah, it was a billion degrees, but we were both playing in the same conditions.
*Not doing enough with my returns in the second set. Seriously, I hit them right back to her. Unacceptable.

The Good
*Improved serving. Even hit one ace. No doubles.
*Basically, the first set. I was stepping into my shots, and even coming to net. I'm still too hesitant when I do that, though, and it puts me just a step behind and makes the volley awfully tough (and I made lots of errors on finishing volleys).
*Footwork/movement in the first set. I pushed...*hard*. Maybe I used up my gas? I've been out in the heat a lot lately, and it drains you like you wouldn't believe. I don't know how the pros do it.

Thanks to Ian at Essential Tennis,, I have four new quickness drills. He almost killed me with them last Monday, but really, it was a *good* pain! Never got as close to puking before in my life, but it really drove something home...

I'm not working hard enough.

Which, honestly, is a bit of a bitter pill for me to swallow. ME??? Not working hard enough?

Yes. And, not doing the work the right way. I should feel exhausted and spent at the end of a practice...if I don't, I'm not working hard enough. I took that with me into WED clinic, and worked up a sweat that I haven't had in a long time in there. And boy, was I happy to be done! I need to do that, every time. I also need to do that on the quickness drills, and *push*. For some reason, there is something in me holding back. Maybe when I finally break through that, I will find the success in my matches that I am looking for.

*************

In other news....

I WON!

On a lark, I entered a giveaway (I think I found it through Cranky Fitness, but it might have been one of the other foodie blogs found on my list, but I won the $100 grocery card giveaway by The Juice!. The giveaway's theme was swap meets and parties, and the idea is that you would use your gift card to buy food for your swap party. Well, I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment in a building with no parking, so I contacted The People In Charge, and they said I could still have it if I didn't throw the party! Cool beans!

Now I gotta go play the lottery!

Though, it did get me thinking...wouldn't it be cool to have a tennis swap party? Where tennis peeps brought all that stuff they don't want/like, and swapped it for something someone else wanted to get rid of? Hmmm, I think the idea has merit!

************

I have all but one of my books for Human Biology (my prerequisite for my A&P prerequisite), and I plan to go pick that up tomorrow, along with getting my student ID.

Then another 6.5 combo match. I'm 0-2 in 6.5, and 2-0 in 7.5. I'm obviously better being the weaker player than the leader on the team.

Peachy keen?

I had my last peach this morning...nuked it with cinnamon first, then added yogurt, oatmeal, milk, whey, and blueberries. It was yummy!



Then I was off to clinic. For some reason, I'm really enjoying this Saturday morning, outdoor clinic a bit more than my others. I'm just a sub, though, so I can't rely on it. Just always seems to be a nice group, nice weather, and good drills. My frustration continues, as it seems I continue to work hard, do things right, and still loooooose. I'm tired of losing.

After clinic I scarfed a Lara bar (my favorite, cashew nut) and a banana and headed over to Kenmore MS to meet up with some TWMAC peeps. We had some fun!



We're a motley crew...





I also had a Peanut Butter balance bar (given to me by X) since I was still hungry while playing. We had planned to go out to eat or to the Asian Festival in Reston after playing, but we were all so tired, sweaty, gross, and bloated with water that instead, we just sat around talking a bit before going home.

I came home, showered, talked with mom on the phone (grandmother is home from hospital and actually doing ok for now, and my mom --->>> "Are you SURE about this nursing thing?" LOL), and ate my eggs, toast, strawberries, half of a banana I had in the fridge, and some edamame. And I'm still hungry! Planning some Trader Joe's mushroom risotto tonight, with some broccoli, and possibly more zucchini.

Need to get more peaches!