Mythology

I have recently come to a realization.  I really enjoy mythology.  Particularly Greek mythology.  I took a course when I went to the U many years ago and it was one of my favorite classes.  My mom lent me the first 3 of the Percy Jackson series earlier this year, after I watched the movie, and I read them in just a few days.  Then I got the last 2 in the series and read them just as quickly.  I was so sad when the series ended, because I wanted to read more. 

This is what I'm asking for for Christmas, although I am pretty sure I won't get it. 


I'm currently watching Clash of the Titans (the new one, not the old one) and thoroughly enjoying it :) 

I also can't wait to pick up the newest Rick Riordan book  I so want to get it on my Nook, but I have to wait until our next pay period.


I am also seriously wanting a book with just the Greek myths.  You know: the Titans, and how Zeus took them over.  Maybe the stories of Perseus and Jason and Theseus and all of the Greek Heroes.  I don't want anything too textbook-y.  I really would prefer something more story-ish.  Does that even make sense?  My mom lent me her copy of Mythology  but I found it too textbook-y for my liking.  So, what I am in need of are some suggestions of books that might fit my Mythology-loving needs.

Yes, they assign homework to Preschoolers

Marshall starts preschool officially tomorrow.  We had orientation on Thursday, and his teacher assigned homework.  She handed out an "All About Me" booklet with some of the pages to fill out, and a boy-shaped stick for Marsh to decorate to look like himself.

We went camping this weekend, Labor Day, up the canyon.  I took the homework with us, but Marshy was having so much fun riding his bike and playing with the other kids that we totally forgot to do it until tonight, at 9 PM.  I know, I'm such a good mom, right?

Anyway, here are some pictures of what he did:

The stick is actually one of the better pieces.  I love how big he drew the eyes.  I told him just to put dots, but he had to have circles!

I had to hold his hand to draw the 3.  Is that cheating?

Dad is on the left, Marsh on the right, and I'm the big head right in the center.  Gee, thanks!

His favorite TV show is Phineas and Ferb.

His favorite toys are his toy cars

If he could have any pet he would have a puppy.

His favorite food is Froot Loops (they actually look pretty accurate!)

We showed Mike once Marsh was done, and Mike tried really, really hard not to laugh.  Drawing has not really been Marshy's strong point.  Need him to do something on the computer?  He's your guy.  Draw?  Not so much.

I hope his teacher appreciates the artwork as much as I do!

Pre School

Looking for a really great preschool to send Marshy to this fall. The one I wanted to send him to just filled up last week. I was 3 days too late! BOO!!! I am on the waiting list, but she won't know until May.

I don't want to just sit and hope and pray that someone drops out of her preschool. Because what if I wait and I don't get him in, and then everyone else is full? So, does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to drive too far, so if you know of anyone in the Springville to Payson area (preferably Spanish Fork or Salem), then let me know, please!

THANKS!

How my mom spent her summer vacation

My mom teaches at a private school in Salt Lake/Sugarhouse area. She is very smart and very talented. She has been teaching at this school since 1995 (I was in 6th grade there when she started.) She has taught kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade. They move her around each year. It's not unusual for her to have the same students several years in a row.

Anyway, this year she is teaching 5th and 6th grade history and geography, and then having study halls for the rest of her class periods. She has had timelines up on her walls in the past, but never like this one. This one is HUGE!

I tried to take the pictures in order....apparently that didn't happen, or Blogger screwed them up when I loaded them (which wouldn't be the first time). Anyway, She started at 3500 BC, but I don't know where in this set of pics it is. Anyway, isn't it awesome?! She has dates and events and pictures, and each color strip is a different continent.

See? Like I said, so not in order! I don't know what happened. Anyway, you get the picture.

So far everyone who has seen it has LOVED it (All except for 1 teacher who gave a backhanded compliment, but only because she is jealous she isn't as talented. haha). I can't believe how much work she went to to do this. CRAZY lady! :)

Tuesday

Went to Jimmy's for breakfast. Mmmm yummy! Then we bought some shirts. 2 for me, 2 for Marsh. Mike wanted to buy a Hawaiian shirt, but they were like $100! YIKES!
Stopped at Build-a-Bear. It's tradition. Marshy picked the "dinosaur" - he can't say turtle for some weird reason. Or maybe he chooses not to! Yeah, that's it.


Blew out my flip flop....just like the song. Yes, I am serious. On the elevator flashing in the Coke store. Bought some new ones. They are comfy :) Also tried the Flavors from around the world. 16 different drinks for $7. Not too bad. Wanted to try it last time we were here, but Lola and I were pregnant, and not feeling so up to trying new things. TOTALLY WORTH IT. Lola - I'm dragging you down here to make up for not doing it last time we were here! haha :)

Went to M & M world. Marshy threw his sippy full of Sprite and it exploded everywhere. Yes, kind of funny....but not so much. Mike laughed. I was so embarassed! I think the lady who cleaned it up understood though.

Back at the hotel now. Marhsy is tired. Hopefully he'll take a nap. That would be nice.

Oh, yeah, and I umm...kinda didn't finish my class I've been working on for 6 months. Yeah, I know. I'm such a failure! I studied for 20 hours on Sunday and didn't even get close to finishing. Tried to study last night, but it just didn't go too well. Class was due today. Yeah, I'm so not done. Oh well, right? It was only $65.....and a bazillion hours of hard work!

New Friend??

I have aroun 90 Clinic Notes to finish today in my Medical Transcription class. Yes, 90. I have to finish today because tomorrow I am going to VEGAS!!!

Hopefully this 5-hour energy stuff works. Some of these doctors can be extra boring with their extra-monotone voices and their mumbling. For some reason it just lulls me right to sleep mid-typing. Yes, mid-typing. I know. It honestly is a miracle the laptop hasn't crashed to the floor into tiny bits yet.

So, will this 5-hour energy be a new friend? We shall see.

Back in 5 Days

I have about 230 Clinic Notes to finish transcribing for my class. I have to finish by Monday when we leave for Vegas. Probably won't be around in bloggerland. See you in 5 days!

Woo Woo!

So I am so proud of myself! I have studied so much today!! Woo Woo! I finished the last 30% of my proofreading module (which was REALLY hard), and did the first 30% of my Introduction to Transcription module (which is REALLY hard). I'm hoping to finish the last 70% of the module tonight so I can get started on my actual Clinic Note transcription tomorrow.

No joke!

So I am studying, and one of the exercises in my "wrong words" module was this:

"The woman was seen here for recurrent sick as hell anemia."

NO JOKE!

It's really supposed to be sickle cell anemia. They take actual mistakes from actual transcriptionists....some even have 20+ years experience. I couldn't believe it! It still has me laughing! haha

Well, back to studying with the hopes that there are other funny mistakes like that one.

Rough

Trying to study tonight.


Learning about different kinds of medical records.


Currently working in the radiology field.


All of the samples have to do with people with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).


Yeah.


This is rough.

Alumni

I got an email today from a company putting together an alumni book for my high school. Normally I wouldn't care, but I still have some school pride. I felt it my duty as an alumnus of the Cottonwood High School class of 2002 to update my info.

I called in. It didn't take very long to update the info, even though everything was wrong. I was almost home free. Then it happened.

The Sales Pitch.

CSR: And now, Mrs. P, we would like to reserve your copy of this special alumni book of alumni from 1970s to 2008. Can we reserve you a copy?
me: Not today. Can I get one later?
CSR: No, sorry ma'am. We only print enough for the reservations. We can offer you a paperback version of this alumni for two easy payments of $34.95. Can we do that for you?
me (trying not to express my astonishment): Ummm...no thanks.

2 payments of $34.95! Are you kidding? That is $70!!! For a paperback?? YIKES!

I have until June to order one, but I don't think I will.

Some stress relieved

My class is scheduled to end on the 24th of February. HAHAHAHA. Yeah, not even close to finishing.

Last night I emailed my counsellor asking if I could maybe register for part 2 in April instead of March, especially since I would be losing the better part of this week with the move (and work, but I didn't bother her with that information).

She emailed me back and said I could either:

A) extend until March 28th, but because I was "still at the beginning of the coursework this would require a lot of hard work and dedication to finish because the clinic notes take around 130 hours to complete" (I think she was trying to scare me).

OR:

B) I could re-register for part 1 in March, giving me 16 more weeks, but I would have to retake everything I've already done.

Ummm.....

Yeah........

I opted for the extension until March 28th.

I also informed her that I study until around 2 AM every night, and this extension would enable me to not kill myself.

Mike seems to think I can finish the course by the end of February. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yeah right!

Especially since I am now working on "resources" and learning about word history, etc, and my medical dictionary (the one that weighs like 20 lbs) is packed away in the bottom of one of the many boxes stacked in one of the many rooms of our apartment. I am not going to unpack everything just to find this book. That would be crazy.

So, this defnitely takes some stress off my shoulders. Maybe now I can focus on getting over this blasted cold I have suddenly gotten (that has totally kicked my trash - I came home from work, put Marshy in his high chair with his dinner, and fell asleep on the couch for 40 minutes!).

Funny

Found his old Bumbo while I was packing up his things yesterday. Funny how when they're big enough to use the thing they HATE it, but now that they're too big they want to play with it. It's his favorite new chair. In fact, he threw a fit when I took it away and put it in the "to be boxed" pile.

He's having a hard time understanding what's going on. I packed up almost all of his toys yesterday while he was eating dinner. When he got to his room and saw the pile of boxes he didn't understand. He saw "Horton Hatches an Egg" (only one of his favorite books of all time so far) through one of the hand holds in the boxes. He flipped out until I opened the box and pulled it out. He can still see part of one of his trucks in there, but I am not getting it out for him. He'll just have to deal with it until Saturday.

Mike is going out of town on business tomorrow (Idaho this month), so it will be just me and Marsh packing. Well, really just me. This means my days will consist of something like this: get up, get ready, go to work. Work until 5 or 6, go home, eat dinner. Put Marsh to bed, pack until 9 or 10. Study until 1 or 2. Yeah, so much fun. All by myself. Oh well, I can do it. I think I have half the house packed up already! YAY for me!! :D

My class is supposed to end on the 24th. I'm not even to the midterm yet (but I am close!) I emailed my counselor to see if I could register for part 2 in April instead of March, since I am not finished with part 1 yet. Hopefully she says yes!

So......Sleepy....

It's 3:15 AM.

I can't finish my Pharmacology unit because I need my foot pedal, which happens to be on the now empty bookshelf in the bedroom where Mike is soundly sleeping.

I really wanted to finish Pharmacology tonight. They started us on actually transcribing...or at least practicing it. It is HARD! VERY VERY VERY HARD! Some of those doctors speak so fast that I have no idea if they're saying US-193 or an actual drug name!

Since I can't finish studying my unit, I guess I'll go to bed.

Before I go to bed, I'd like to leave you with this:

He was watching Toy Story 2 on Mike's Blackberry Storm on the way home from work today. One minute he was chatting away at the movie, the next he looked like this. Seriously, he went from talking to totally out. It was funny.

I am now going to assume a similar position, only one that is a tad bit more comfortable, in my bed with my down pillows and hopefully manage to get 5 hours of sleep. Hoping that Marshy doesn't wake up at 4 AM again!

Hard

School has gone from being super simple to REALLY HARD all of a sudden! It's crazy. They're throwing words that sound the same at me, like ilium and ileum (which are two completely different things). It's nuts. The closer I get to actually having to transcribe something, the scareder (yes, it's a word!) I get!! I feel like my brain is giong through a mental overload at times. Also, I find that no matter when I study, I have to eat carbs whilst studying so that my brain will continue to function. As of right now, I am out of carbs!! I am so tempted to just jump in the car and go grab a Coke somewhere, but I have been 2 weeks without any caffeine. Do you know how hard it will be to quit again if I slip up and have one now?? This is harder than when I quit caffeine because I was pregnant. And that was hard! Back then I needed my early morning TCBY cappucino milk shake with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and a cherry to start my day off right. Ooh it was so tasty! And so fattening. But ooh it was tasty!

Can't.....Give.....In.....Must.....Resist......Urges.....Don't.....Need.....Coke.....Anymore.......

ANYWAY... It's a little after midnight, and I have to take a quick study break. Fortunately for me, I decided to browse housing on craigslist, and I think I've found a good place. 2 bed, 1 1/2 bath, $650 a month. And it's close to the family and my work. According to the ad it's 1130 sq ft, which is 30 feet bigger than where we are now. That must mean extra large living areas?? (we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath at 1100 sq ft right now) The great part is that it isn't available until mid-March, and our contract is up end of March, so that would be PERFECT! I'm going to call on it in the morning. Oh please let it be nice (or at least not a rat-hole) and still available!!

Today in a nutshell

Marshy woke up at 4 AM. Wanted to watch "Buzz". We watched Toy Story 2....twice. He fell asleep at some point during the 2nd showing, because he was out when I woke up!

It snowed. ALL DAY. UGH! I hate when it snows. Had to dig my car out. Well, not completely out, but I will tomorrow I bet. It's still snowing!

Went grocery shopping at the Sunflower Market. Bought a lot of healthy foods. Went to Sam's Club. Spent more than we expected to on food and other items.

Marshy fell asleep during the shopping trip. Came home, had sushi for lunch. Marshy ate 1/4 of a quesadilla. That is better than ever before! He never eats real food. YAY!

Took an unplanned, brief nap on Marshy's floor, in the doorway, half in the room half in the hall. Was rudely awakened by someone laughing because apparently it's fun to stand on mommy's legs and wiggle back and forth between the bones and the muscles. Yeah, painful.

Cooked a healthy dinner. Put a tired, worn out Marshy to bed at 7. Marshy didn't get out of bed like normal. He went right to sleep. YAY! Worked out for 2 hours for the second consecutive day (my goal: 2 hours a day for the first 2 weeks and increasing from there).

Am now going to study and hopefully finish the chapter on endocrine disorders, respiratory disorders, and maybe coronary disorders.

Going to work tomorrow to finish the NYD Mystery Quilt 2009. Hopefully it will turn out well. :)

Night Off

I stayed at work until 7 tonight. I am taking the night off at home. Yes, I have a quilt back that needs to be seamed. Yes I have borders that need to be sewn on G-ma's quilt. Yes I have mom's present to finish, and brother's present to start. But I am starting to get a stress cold. You know, the sinus pressure/congestion, the cough, the constant usage of kleenex (I prefer Puffs plus with lotion and aloe....guess what though? Wal-mart was OUT OF THEM! I am stuck with regular Puffs, which are better than Kleenex, but my nose is starting to get red now. boo hoo!) all caused by stupid stress. And not so much work stress, as personal "Oh crap I'm not going to get all my presents made" stress. I also stocked up on Sudafed. And by stocked up I mean bought 1 box because that's all they'll let you buy now. Stupid druggies making it hard for me to get my medicine!

I also have studying to do, laundry to finish and fold, and a lot of housecleaning that needs to be done. Yeah, I'm taking the night off from that too. I ate some popcorn, and watched You've Got Mail on tv. Now I am lazing around in my comfy jammies. Ahhhh. This is the life! Well, it would be if I weren't starting to get sick! :(

It's just after midnight....maybe I'll take some Ny-Quil and go to bed early. Hahah! Early! This is my normal bedtime...well, it will be in 45 minutes. Well, that said, I think I will go to bed. Maybe I'll start reading Persuasion again. It's not like I started it back in February or whenever, and haven't gotten past the 2nd chapter. And the language is such that I'll probably fall right to sleep reading it. That sounds like a nice plan. Okay then. I'll do it!

Good night, ya'all!!

Dr. Muse and the Ketones

Remember them? Weren't they great? Some people say yes. Some people say no. Some people are undecided.

Lately I've been listening to their "Number Ones" album, and it's okay. Not as good as I remember, but maybe that's just because my music taste has changed.

I was listening to the CD the other day, when "From me to you" came on. Remember that one?
If there's anything that you want

If there's anything I can do

Just call on me and I'll send it along

With love from me, to you.

Well, boy did that bring back memories! Imagine, if you will, that it is the spring of 2002, and there are three senior girls standing on the enormous high school stage (the biggest stage this side of the Mississippi....it was our claim to fame. Well, that and our state winning drama department). Imagine three senior girls standing on this huge stage armed with nothing but three microphones, two guitars, a keyboard, and an orange. The orange was a shaker thingy that looked like an orange. I was really good at it, too!

We were the Ketones. "Charles" played lead guitar. "Cher" played 2nd quitar. I played keyboard and orange. We all sang. WE WERE AWESOME! A few feet behind us was a drum set. A few feet behind that was the curtain. And behind the curtain? Another drum set and some kid from band. I think his name was Jake. He was our drummer.

"But what were the other drums for?" you ask. Well, our principal, Dr. Muse, just happened to sport the mop-top hairstyle! YES! He totally looked like one of the BEATLES! It was AWESOME!

We walked onto the stage, followed by the Principal. When he sat down at the drums the entire auditorium (filled with most of the school) started screaming. We sang "From me to you". It was great. We had practiced for weeks, and it had paid off. We were the hit of the senior talent assembly. And I'm not just saying that because I was in the group.... everyone loved that we got the principal up there pretending to play the drums. It was a whole new side no one had seen of him. It was GREAT!

Instead of...

I cleaned the whole "storage" room out today.

Not so much out, as tidied up.

And not so much up as moved things around.

And not so much the whole room as 1/4 of it.

And I did it at 11 PM.

Instead of studying.

I really should've studied.

Then I watched TMZ while binding Marsh's quilt.

Instead of studying.

And now I'm blogging.

Instead of studying.

Maybe I'll just go to bed.

I can always study tomorrow.

Right?

A little Pre-Game song

I am a Utah man sir, and I live across the green. Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen. Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star. Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.

Who am I, sir? A Utah Man am I. A Utah Man, sir, and will be 'til I die; Ki-yi! We're up to snuff; we never bluff, we're game for any fuss, no other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss. So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky, we'll fight for dear old Crimson, for a Utah Man am I.

And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row, and arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go. No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown, the people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.

Who am I, sir? A Utah Man am I. A Utah Man, sir, and will be 'til I die; Ki-yi! We're up to snuff; we never bluff, we're game for any fuss, no other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss. So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky, we'll fight for dear old Crimson, for a Utah Man am I.

We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere, but while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer. And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh, with parting breath we'll sing that song: "A Utah Man Am I."

GO UTES!

Just thought I'd spread a little red school spirit on the {very} early morning before the BIG GAME! While I most likely will be unable to view the game (I'll be working) I am wishing them all the best of luck against the Cougars. Go team Go!