Hurry Hurry... Read All About It: She Actually Is Nice

It was a very busy day, but exciting none the less. I really enjoyed everything today!! LOL. I sound like a nerd. That’s me. I not only went to class, but I was glad that I had. First class, counseling techniques… This was my first time in the class, since I played hooky last week. I loved it. So the whole concept of the class is learning how to talk to patients, gain their trust, and overall make them feel comfortable with you. So today we gathered in groups and took turns playing therapist, client and observer. Trying to emote was difficult during the first exercise. I wasn’t feeling any one emotion, so to sit there and try to conjure one up proved to be quite a task. The second task was a little easier. I just decided to talk honestly. I can’t concentrate on improving my skills if I’m occupied with making up a situation (plus all the emotions that might come with the situation). No thanks. So playing client was fine. I just started running my mouth (simple enough for me to do). When it came time to play therapist… here came the challenge. What am I supposed to do? Both of my partners have been doing this for a minute and are damn near pros. They even dress like shrinks. Anyway… I do pretty good for the first five or six minutes and then I freeze. What else am I supposed to say? Do I give advice? Do I just keep digging for more from the client? What the hell am I supposed to do? I’ve got nothing else to say. FAIL!!! LOL. At the end of it all, I learned quite a bit about myself. I plan to make the appropriate changes. So here’s an interesting part of the class. The professor (same one from Psychopathology) asked to hear from the therapists and to express their thoughts about the exercise. I raised my hand and shared my anxiety about the exercise and my frozen moment. The professor stated he understood my predicament and said it would get easier as time went by. Then he said that he just had to add one more point: when I listen I am intimidating and he thought that I was pissed at him when he was talking. I think I am showing concern and being attentive. He thinks I’ve got the angry-black-woman-face on. He went to say that when I opened my mouth, his thought was, “damn, she actually is really nice”. You’re kidding me, right? You got to be grinning all damn day to not appear angry. I thought it was hilarious.
While I was playing observer the fire alarm when off and I spent the remainder of the class on a bench outside. Why couldn’t it have been during Biochemistry? At least that is what I thought. Biochemistry was pretty interesting today too. We took a break from the typical boring lecture and had a clinical case presented to us. We listened about sickle cell: the symptoms, diagnosis and treatments. It was great. It was the most I have paid attention in a long time. Great stuff!!!! Ok, I’m done ranting about that. I could go into further detail, but I would be here entirely too long.
After class, I went upstairs and finally got my schedule down in stone (that was a mess). After that, I made my way to Charles River campus and got my money, baby!!! Now I can officially move out of here. I’ve got a few viewing scheduled for the next couple of days. Cross yo fingers.
Ok, let me go. I spent all day running around and I haven’t looked at one book. I at least need to prepare for lab tomorrow. Then I’m going to bed. I’m sleepy!!!

Waking Up to Chaos and Confusion

I’m not in the best moods right now. I have been awakened from my slumber. I came to the house and made my way upstairs because I had a headache. Off to bed… About an hour later, I hear singing, running, screaming, all at once. The house is full of small people and they are all making noise. I’m afraid to go downstairs and see just how many there are. I hear one in particular, she has taken over the piano and is singing some song to her heart’s content all while banging on the poor instrument. Another one is yelling at the soloist to shut up and another one is just running. Now I hear L yelling too. Is there no rest for the weary? LOL. I am sure my headache is about to get worse. Thank goodness… I hear goodbyes. Peace and quiet once again!! I have got to get a place of my own.
I’m starting to see the same people on the subway everyday now: the fat Latino girl with the tat on her neck who seems to always find a home in her nose; the short ethnic (don’t know what she is) chick with the glasses who constantly squints and chews her gum like a cow; the tall old man from up the street who sleeps the entire route. I’ve got a whole list of regulars. Oh… I have to tell you about my first girl on girl experience. It was just terrifying. I get on the bus towards the school. A minute later, a resident runs to the bus flagging it down. She was too busy getting her coffee to get on moments earlier. Anyway… she gets on the bus. The bus begins to move forward and it jerks (they all do). She comes flying into me. This is the closest I have been up on another female before. I felt her damn breathe on my neck. GIRL… GET OFF ME!!! I just froze and turned my face to avoid a possible kiss. I let her get her footing and she apologized for the awkwardness and moved on. Geez…. Wasn’t expecting all that!! I would have worn a different outfit had I known I was going to be jumped on. JUST JOKING!!!!!!!
Classes are moving along pretty well. The material is starting to get pretty thick. Who would have imagined that? I’m trying to keep up my reading so I don’t end up with chapters of information to learn days before the exam. So far, so good. I had my first class of Psychopathology yesterday. I really like it!!! The professor is interesting and I think I will leave it to that until I get my final grade. The class is pretty small and discussion is a major portion. I was afraid I was going to hit the desk when I realized the class was three hours long; however, I not only managed to stay awake, but I actually enjoyed it. Who knew?
I think my mood has picked up. I no longer am on the bed scowling. Ok… let me go. I’ve got to do some apartment shopping, some reading, and I must go look for food. I am HUNGRY. L has stopped banging those pots. I’m sad!!! Stouffers pot pie here I come…

One of Those Days

Another day… not much to report. I did learn something new and partially interesting. Boston University’s mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier. Why Rhett you ask? The mascot was named after Rhett from Gone with the Wind. Why? No one loved Scarlett more than Rhett. Scarlet is Boston University’s primary color. Isn’t that cute?
It seems that a few of my folks back home are having rough days. D isn’t feeling well. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I’m getting a little worried. I’m trying to get in contact with her now. KT is tired from his trip and worried about a sick friend. RW is stressed from his job. It must be one of those days.
I’m in a weird place today; can’t really explain it. Everything still seems foreign to me and I look around some times and ask myself, where am I? I keep looking at this year as a long business trip. I came to handle some business to improve the company. This sacrifice will make a positive change. This is how I am trying to look at things. At the same time… I really wanna go home. I think I’ll stop right there, cuz I’ll start crying if I continue.
I think I’m getting a cold. Today I started coughing again, but this time it was accompanied by light sneezing and the desire to blow my horn. I hope I’m not getting sick. I think I’ll drink the whole carton of juice in the morning and see how it goes.

What Happened to Sue???

Can you tell I’ve been home??? No posts since Wednesday. I was too busy hanging with my folks. I had a great time at home. Miss it already. I’m back in Boston right now; nothing has changed. H is on the couch watching the US Open and L is upstairs changing her clothes so she can go back to evening services at church. Some things don’t change. LOL. Back to my Atl return… Wednesday I got in Atl around a quarter to eleven. After waiting on my bags and getting the rental car, I didn’t get to my destination until something after 12. I was pooped. I still managed to socialize though. Thursday I went to the dentist twice. I showed up to the office at 11 only to find out that my appointment was at 2. So I went and had lunch with the CDC crew. It felt so normal; us having lunch, escaping from work. That wasn’t the case though. After leaving them and going back to the dentist, I met up with KT. I’ve got more to type about that but guess what? You won’t be able to see it.
Friday, D and I hung out. We had lunch and caught up. Then we just hung out all day. It was nice. The night ended with alcohol and if you have been reading my previous posts you know that was exactly what I wanted. Too happy!!!! The rest of the weekend was just more chilling. Rich and I went to see Dark Knight at the IMAX Theater. That movie was ridiculous, as in good. I loved it!!! I will be getting that as soon as it comes out on DVD. Now I just need that flat screen to play it on. Anyone offering???
Ok, I’m out. I’m going to grab me some dinner and then I’m going to go study. I need to catch up since I played hooky last week. I am half way there. I started studying last night and did some on the plane. I just have a little bit more to do.

And So It Begins!

Today was OFFICIALLY my first day, even though classes started yesterday. What can I say after the first day???? Oh my goodness!!! This is going to be a hectic year!!! I went to two classes today. I went with an empty tote. When I got on the bus to come back to the house my bag was overstuffed. My shoulder is going to ache tomorrow. I think this weekend I need to find me a backpack. Not just a regular ole book bag but the machine of all book bags. Check this out… got two syllabi: one for biochem and the other for physio. How about one is like 400 pgs and the other is like 600 pgs. What da hell???!!!! Then I bought books. I have spent entirely too much money this week. Thank goodness CDC/ORISE pays you the way they do and I ended up with a check for the month after leaving work. If I didn’t get paid the other day, I would be shit out of luck because my refund check was being held up for a dern signature. Anyway… I bought books, my T pass card for the semester, a plane ticket (not cheap), and a rental car. I will definitely be calling all those who claim to love me and asking for donations of any kind. That’s about it. I’m going to chill for a few minutes, shower and then get ready to go to the airport. I’m so excited to be going home. KT and I are going to hang out tonight and tomorrow, D on Friday, and (sad face)… I don’t know who on Saturday and Sunday. I know I have to go by E’s house for some wine (yeah baby). Side note here: I will be partaking this weekend because being in this dry house has had an effect on me. I would be much more pleasant and social if I could sip every two or three days. That’s my alcoholism speaking now. Back on track… I told Mom I was coming home. She said she may come and see me. I hope she know this will be it until Turkey time. This is my October trip that I’m taking. Gotta go make sure the choppers are in place and working as they should. Aight… later!!!

To Tired to Type...

On my way to bed... trying something new.

"A Day Off For the Working Citizen"...

Labor day!!! Today is the last official holiday of the summer. Sniff sniff. I guess I have a couple more weeks before I’m freezing down to my bones. Better enjoy the warmth while it last. Every single person who has found out I’m from the South has warned me that I’m not ready for the weather and that it will be COLD. Ok… ya’ll are scaring me now. Am I going to curl up and die of frost? Oh boy!!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Sam’s house. She is working it!!! Her house is beautiful. That’s what I’m talking about. One day, baby!!! I’m trying to get where she is. We sat around for a while, until the sisters realized that it was 60 minutes night. We had to leave to make sure we didn’t miss that. No, can’t miss that!!! While we were sitting in the yard, I kept eyeing the alcohol. Here’s where I sound like an alcoholic. It had been more than a week since I had a drink. Not that I drink all the time, but I like a lil something now and then. I was on the verge of swigging back my Listerine. Just joking!!! Anyway, I was surrounded by bottles of Heineken, Goose, wines of different flavors. Awww, ya’ll killing me. I wondered how my new aunties would take to me throwing some back. I sat for a while watching all the grown folks do their thing. I finally decided… hell I’m grown and I wasn’t in their house. Give me a cup. I finally decided to get me a cup of wine. AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! I’m not sure if they knew or not what I had, but at that point I didn’t care. Finally, a drink!

I bought my ticket to go home last night. I am spending entirely too much money to go home one week after leaving. Arg. I didn’t plan on going home until next month. Now I don’t think I’ll be going back until Turkey time. Oh well. You gotta do what you gotta do. Dr. Talley gon have to hook me up or something. Toothpaste for a year or something. It’s ok though. I get to hang out for a bit. It will be nice to sneak in for a few days. I’m anxious to see a few folks. I’m scheduling my time with them now.

Today I got up kind of slow. I woke up around 9 and talked on the phone, but when I got off I rolled right back over. When I finally walked downstairs it was full of folks. Ms. L decided to cook-out. I spent the majority of my day on the back porch with food on my plate and the wind in my hair. Speaking of hair, mine has got to be done. I asked Ms. L if she would put her hands in it tomorrow. She said she would get back to me. I’ve got to ask her again cuz if not I will be seeing Kristy when I go home this weekend too.
That’s about it for today. I’m about to go get me another plate of food and transfer myself upstairs. Ummmm, chicken, ribs, potato salad. I better not put my weight back on. I’m doing so well with my weight. I plan on being fine when I return in November. Moving on… I’m downstairs right now. Ms. L turned the TV to the news and went to sleep. I’m bored so it’s time to go.