So our 6-week minimester started pretty quickly right after great syndromes ended, and it has been keeping me busy. My research project is off the ground, and I'm getting my stuff together to submit for my IRB approval. Sounds easy, right? First, we had to come up with an idea. If you have ever had to start a research project at a Master's level, you know what I mean. That first step can seriously be the hardest. Then sometimes you find an idea, but hate it once you do all the literature reviews, so you trash everything and start anew-which I had to do this time. But now, we have an idea, a good literature review done, and am working on my proposal to convince someone else that 1-it's safe and 2-it's worth their time and mine for me to do my research. I am also now ACLS certified, which I am super proud of! That means not only am I "basic" certified to do stuff like CPR and use an AED, but now I am certified on drug administration, cardioversion, pacing, and other fancy stuff involving EKG analysis in more advanced scenarios. I told you-big kid stuff now! In the past 2 weeks, I've also been to the operating room, passed a clinical exam review, and got a briefing on catheters, wound care, IV starts, and injections. By the end of the week, I will have added some serious suture work to that list, too!
And for some reason, I was perfectly convinced that having all this on my plate was not enough, so I've been taking horseback riding lessons. For those of you who aren't familiar, I quite enjoy horseback riding and have since I was little, but it's always been an "enjoyment" thing, and I've never really had much proper instruction. It was just one of those thoughts I had (kinda like how I took the MCAT the weekend before my wedding...I get an idea and just jump on it!), so I contacted a local place and we started working pretty quickly. This was entirely new for me-horses I didn't know, horses that were trained in disciplines I'd only seen on TV, a different kind of saddle (i.e. I had to find a new balance!), different steering mechanism (direct vs neck-reining), etc. So my first day, I was really just glad that I didn't fall off. I progressed and improved on some of the basics, then my instructor upped the ante...and I realized how much I didn't know! I jumped a small fence one day. I wasn't supposed to. My goliath of a horse was supposed to step over the little rails and box, but he knew I was in foreign territory and apparently thought it would be funny to pull a fast one and just up and jump the things...but I stayed on! He and I had to have a discussion after that. My instructor is starting to get a feel for me, so we are communicating better and I'm definitely leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when we started. I'm more confident, more balanced, and stronger now. This was definitely one of my better "spur of the moment" ideas! I really want to continue working, but I'm afraid clinicals are going to keep me too busy. I'm able to take a lesson every week now, and I just don't foresee that happening once I'm in clinic for an unlimited (not really, but it will feel like that...) number of hours every week. Oh well, you never know! BTW, if anyone was wondering what to get me for my birthday, Christmas, or just a "hey, happy Tuesday" present, you can definitely get me that pony I've been wanting since I was like 2. :)
What else...?
I tried Nutella! It's basically peanut butter (only it's made with hazelnuts instead of peanuts) and chocolate...only better. You know how on the commercial, it says "with just a hint of cocoa," well unless hazelnuts taste like chocolate, they lie. I swear it's more chocolate than nuts, but that's not a problem if you ask me!
My Earth day tree is still alive! I haven't killed it yet! Yay!
My little sister completes Pre-K this week. I can't believe it...she starts Kindergarten in August. That's just absurd.
I guess that's about it for now...I'd better get back to that IRB proposal anyways...don't be too jealous of this exciting life I lead, hah!
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