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My spring school schedule is set!

Darn it was stressful today. About 30 of us stood in the hall listening to people’s names being read, being accepted into Anatomy 25. With my heart racing, fingers tingling and shaking, I used what JTF taught me about my stress response to keep me standing. John, I wish I could slap you on the back and laugh about it. You see, I’ve got this plan. In this plan, I’ll be applying to the DMI (Diagnostic Medical Imaging) program at CCSF in August. But to make that happen, I need to get into all the right classes.

Turns out, Prof Guthrie let 56 people on the wait list into his class and I was. . . . #56. Phew! There were students that didn’t get in because of clerical mistakes. One hadn’t made sure to put herself on the attendance roster at a previous class. Another hadn’t shown up at another impromptu acceptance ceremony held last week and lost her spot. That kind of stuff is particularly crushing because I made my own mistake and missed the previous acceptance ceremony, but fate had it that my name wasn’t read then.

Last week, I was also the last person let into the Chemistry 32 class! So I have to give a shout out to the universe for those two bits.

My classes this semester:
Anatomy 25 General Human Anatomy and Lab
Chemistry 32 Intro to Medical Chemistry and Lab
Physics 10 Conceptual Physics and Lab
PE 200C Fitness Center Super Circuit
Volunteering at CPMC

Hurray!

Now I just need to pick up a Physiology class this summer (no one knows if it will be offered yet!), and I’m track for getting a shot at getting into the CCSF DMI program in January.

Oh yeah, and I’ve got to ace everything this semester.

My niece, cousin and I made this little ditty.

Leave a comment on Youtube for my niece!

I remember lending my C. Crane Radio Transmitter to a friend a while back. But I can’t remember who. Was it you? I’d like it back.

3 days of Exclamations: My personal journal from Sunday January 8, to Wednesday January 11.

Sunday January 8th, 2012:
See Delaney! +

Monday:
8am: Welcome to Foothill College, Los Altos, CA! +
8:01am: I locked my keys in the car! -
8:30am: Ack, classes are starting today?! -
8:45am: Quarters instead of semesters? What does that mean?!
9am: With quarters I can squeeze in Bio prereq, Anat & Phys 1, Anat & Phys 2 by July! + +
10am: Bio 14 class is fun and easy! +
12am: Bio 14 lab is fun and easy! +
3pm: Foothill campus is really pretty! +
4pm: Argh, I need Bio, Anat & Phys 1, 2, and 3, which would stretch into the fall!- – -
5pm: The college police can’t slim-jim my car! -
6pm: I’m #4 on the Chemistry waitlist! +
7pm: The Chemistry teacher is really bad! -
8pm: I won’t get into Chemistry anyway! -
8pm: The AAA guy opens my car in 30 seconds flat! +
9pm: Drinking at Lucky 13 with David M! +
1:15am: Getting harassed by the bartender to leave and drive drunk home! – - -
2:30am: Home! Not driving drunk! Still angry at the Lucky 13 bartender! + + -

Tuesday:
3pm: Welcome to the College of San Mateo! +
4pm: Drop in counseling says “You don’t need us, everything is online”! – +
5pm: Looking online, Contra Costa Community College’s no-prereq Anatomy class has 1 seat open and no waitlist! + +
5:01pm: I apply to CCCC!
5:30pm: I am accepted to CCCC! +
6:30pm I’ve figured out their website! +
6:35pm: Their registration computer says they have no open seats in Anatomy and their waitlist is full! – - -
Frustration sets in, I want to get off this crazy roller coaster! – -
8pm: Dinner with Delaney! +
10:30pm I’m home to pack for an 8:30am flight!
midnight: As always, I get pre-flight “stage fright”, packing and procrastinating until 3:30am! -

Wednesday:
Cat-nap til 6:30am!
I leave 3 minutes late and miss my train! -
There is another train in 15 minutes! +
Continental is now United?!
The TSA random bomb sniffing lady finds a 3′ whip in my bag and the supervisor calls it a weapon! – -
(I have visions of “We’re taking this plane to Cuba! [crack!]” with my signal whip) + +
They tell me to mail it or check it and send me packing! -
I repack and try to get it through a second time!
It occurs to me I might have, I don’t know, just committed a felony! -
They send me packing again! – (+)
I missed my flight! -
Checking my bag will cost $25 each way, but if I mail it I won’t have it! -
I repack and go through another line entirely… and go right through! + +
Egg and cheese croissants in the airport are $10! – -
A real breakfast is going to cost me $20???? – - -
Boudin Bakery clam chowder in a bread bowl is $7! +
I am the VERY last standby passenger allowed on the plane! +
Nap time! + + +

What is your favorite mechanical pencil? Comment below!

Since going back to school, and I’ve been taking notes a lot, I’ve been into mechanical pencils. I’ve now got a couple but I haven’t found one I’m completely in love with.

Here are the contenders:

Pentel Sharp Kerry: The Executive Pencil
+ cap covers point so it’s not sharp in my pocket
+ super sleek looking
+ hefty all metal feel
+ putting the (separate) cap on is this sexy, old school affair
? you have to use your thumb to advance the lead
- tiny eraser
- eraser has a cap you must remove to use
- 0.5mm lead breaks easily (it’s available in 0.7mm)

Bic AI: The Writer’s Pencil
+ lead retracts completely so it’s not sharp in my pocket
- to put the tip away, you need to push it against a hard surface
++ shake to advance lead, with the option of using your thumb
+ 0.7mm lead doesn’t break easily
? automatic advance, but it feels a tiny bit different when advancing, so I don’t usually use it
? nice appearance but not as super-awesome as Kerry
- tiny eraser
- eraser has a cap you must remove to use
- the “shake advance” sometimes advances incorrectly when you are erasing something unless you are careful not to shake the pencil

Pentel Jolt:
+ lead retracts completely so it’s not sharp in my pocket
+ 0.7mm lead doesn’t break easily
+ black eraser looks good without a cap
? fairly small eraser
? 2 shakes to advance lead. I guess that’s to prevent accidental shake advance when erasing. But I need to shake it pretty hard for it to work. Maybe I’ll get used to it

Papermate Logo II 0.7mm:
+ 0.7mm lead doesn’t break easily
+ big twist up eraser
– point pokes in my pocket

What I WANT is a mechanical pencil with:
+ lead that doesn’t break but doesn’t write with the variability in point size that a 0.7mm has (a 0.7mm Kuru Toga??)
+ doesn’t poke in my pocket
+ lead advance that doesn’t need thumb-clicking (shake or side clicking is nice)
+ a good eraser that isn’t hidden or tiny (twist-ups are good)

If the Kuru Toga came with a 0.7mm lead, that’d help, but… sigh… On a fetishistic note, some guy bored out his 0.5mm Kuru Toga to 0.7mm

Hmm. Maybe I could stick with the Kerry if I didn’t have to write so darn much with it and/or I had the 0.7mm. I spent an inordinate amount of time in history class last semester staring lovingly at my, the most beautiful pencil in the room. I broke points because, well, I was taking notes as fast as I could!

So what is your favorite mechanical pencil for serious writing?

This coming week’s calendar is smoother than last week’s. Tuesday is the deciding factor. I’m waiting to hear if I get into Anatomy 25.

Yellow= I’m registered, or an important timely thing.
Purple= Anatomy 25. I don’t know what section I’m getting so I’ve got to keep it all open
Blue= maybe classes
Gray= other stuff

Phew.

I got in to Chem 32 & Lab. I have Physics 10 but not the lab (I could teach the course but I need the stupid lab credit, feh!). I need Anatomy and I’m starting from 0 on that one.

Tomorrow… err 5 hours away… is going to be pretty crazy.

I just finished watching season 3, episode 12, of Breaking Bad, titled “Half Measure” (don’t skip to it; you’ve got to watch from the beginning). The show is a tight and twisted moral drama.

Wow. That is amazing television.

I just flew back from Boston and boy are my arms tired!

I went to a big reunion at a hotel and had a blast. Moreso, I saw friends I hadn’t seen in 7… 10… 12 years! Thank you Trav, Julie, Luke, Molls, and Adam! And thank you to everyone else who hugged me shouting, “Where have you been! I missed you!”

Luke and I at Dunks* in Woburn Center! That’s a -real- Boston Cream donut in my hand. (We also went to this pretty kick-ass Brazilian meat place)

*Dunkin’ Donuts, our last, best hope for coffee**

** Hat tip to Babylon 5

This is incredibly beautiful.

My heart is full and my intention strong.

Log in to Youtube to watch it, the video is age restricted.

Damn onions!

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I need to say Thank you to the people that made this happen:

Dr Seuss
Teddy Saunders (www.tedshots.com)
Parker Howell (www.parkerhowell.com)
William Walsh (www.wbwalsh.com)
Produced and Edited by Teddy Saunders
Digital Effects and Color by Parker Howell
Original Score By Darius Holbert
Sound Mix by Tyler Payne
www.facebook.com/tedshots