I'm back!

So keeping in line with the whole theme of this blog (HINDsight)... I apologize that it takes me forever to post here sometimes. But just remember, I have to live through these mistakes before I can blog about it so you do not make the same ones!

The spring semester is finally OVER! I am so incredibly excited, you have no clue. But I am also quite disappointed in myself for the way I prioritized things and justified things to myself throughout these past 16 weeks.

For instance, WORK. I became a bartender about midway through the semester because cash-on-hand is a college kid's best friend. Waiting every week or two for a lump sum paycheck, then subsequently paying all of your bills with it leaves you very little pocket change to survive off of (this is where Ramen noodles usually come into play). So "what'ad'happened'wuz" I was working at the bar from like 8pm til 3:30am.... with a 9:30am class the next day. Then, on the other end of that, my last class would get out at 4:45pm and I would still have to get my you-know-what ready for work. Where does homework and studying come into play during all of this? EXACTLY. Needless to say, the two courses which required the most amount of studying I fell short and will have to retake ($$$$$$$$). So mad at myself for not giving them the time they deserved.

Keep in mind that I do not take out student loans; all I have are federal grants... and at the university level they do not cover the entire cost of my tuition or the cost of textbooks, a parking permit, online homework programs (which are so incredibly frustrating), clickers, clicker software, and the like. So I HAVE to work to make ends meet. Oh did I mention my own household bills like: rent, utilities, food/groceries, and cell phone? Also, start saving for a coffee fund. Yes, JUST coffee. You'll thank me later. Actually, I'm thinking about writing Starbucks and asking if they'd sponsor me since their iced coffee keeps me running most of the time. Eh, it's a thought.

Let's just say I've, as of now, used up all of my "outs" (i.e. grade forgiveness). I have the opportunity to make these up, have the new grade put in and have the old grades dropped from my GPA... but I'm seriously killing my chances at grad school!

Not to mention my mid-life crises through finals week... ugh. I'm stuck between my two majors: do I stick with the biomedical science route, or dive head first into the political science side? The most difficult thing about a double major, or at least those in which they are complete opposite concentrations, is being able to flip back and forth between them seamlessly. For instance, the day Hugo Chavez (Venezuelan President) passed away, I was on my way home from class and ready to study biology like crazy... I come home and turn on the news to catch the weather, and bam. There it was as a headline. I couldn't concentrate on sciences for at least 2 days because I was so deep in thought as to the gravity of that situation. *Now don't go thinking I'm some crazy vigilante; my dad lived in Venezuela per a contract job for about a year, and he had nothing but great things to say about the country and their people. If you are interested further, I HIGHLY recommend watching "South of the Border" on Netflix. You'll see South America and the US's stance on foreign policy in a whole new light.

Anyway, back to college.

We all go through ups and downs throughout this ridiculously expensive journey (if you're parents pay your tuition, grovel at their feet every so often... they've earned it), especially through finals. I'm sure I was not the only person going through some sort of personal crisis during the 2-3 weeks of balls-to-the-wall/24hr library/assignments-due-everyday, and don't think that this kind of stress will not get the better of you!

It will.

Not in some creepy "it's gonna getcha" ax-murderer style. It's all in how you deal with the stress, and how well prepared you MAINTAIN your studies throughout the semester. Keyword: maintain.

Do the work as it comes to lessen the stress towards the end. Don't be like me and make excuses to procrastinate on homework, papers, assignments, etc.

Also, another HUGE HUGE HUGE lesson.... every. point. counts.

Seriously! I was 10 stupid points away from having a good enough grade to advance to Organic Chem. I blame myself for 2 reasons: letting points go, and not buying the second homework program because "orgo doesn't need it, so why pay $120 for a program I'm going to use for one semester?" Um, here's why: because it will help you pass the *#^$ class!!!!!

So now I get the pleasure of re-taking chem over the summer, Monday thru Friday at 8am.

Don't be like me!

Woohoo!

So let me update you:

I quit my job at the nightclub doing bottle service last Friday evening on my own free will. Basically a manager ultimatum'd me, saying if I chose to take a weekend off then there was no guarantee I would be put back on the schedule immediately thereafter (probably thinking I'd be too afraid to lose my job or something... good thing I'm not a p*ssy haha).... so ultimately I thank that manager for giving me the push to do the right thing and get into my field of study.

Almost one week out of work I went on my first interview at a pediatricians office, aaand I got hired on-the-spot! As I skipped out of the office I went straight to the scrub supply store and bought my first pair, which (in case you're interested) I decided on a pair of hot pink scrub pants and a brown top with green and hot pink circles. I'll take a pic on my first day which is Wednesday =)

The office is a family-owned and operated practice run by a husband and wife team. I did a little research and they received numerous praise from parents, so I am excited to learn their procedures in order to maintain that positive image and experience for both the parents and their kids.

It's kind of ironic that the first medical office I will be working at is a pediatrician, because if you ask anyone who knows me they will tell you I don't seem to be fond of kids.. but really.. I am. Kids are little sponges that soak up their surroundings and actions given off by others..  Kids can be AWESOME! They're fun, cute, innocent, and it's a great feeling when you teach them something and they learn from it... so priceless. I guess really I can trace my distaste for certain kids to their parents who do not properly look after or teach their children.

I'm excited to work with a pediatrician because I will finally gain experience in a doctors office setting while also being a small part of that child's life to perhaps teach them something positive in which they can carry with them, all-the-while keeping them healthy and happy.

It sucks to say but some people aren't good parents/guardians to their kids.
Now I know I don't know the entire background on this kid, but seriously... WHERE DOES A KID LEARN THIS BEHAVIOR?! News story and video here.

~~

Moving on.....
I got my chemistry books yesterday as well. On FaceBook there is a page for students at my school called "For Sale/Free" and I found a girl who was selling her chemistry textbook and solutions manual for $100. The book alone (used) is $120+... quite the bargain.

Also, I'm not sure if I will be able to accept a bid (if given) from a Greek organization =( Now that I do not have a "disposable income" job, the money I make I expect to be very steady.. so an extra couple hundred bucks here and there (which is what I was relying on to pay dues) isn't going to happen. I already paid my registration fee, so I will still go through the recruitment process. Who knows, I hear some organizations have payment plans... there may be hope for me yet. Only time will tell, I'm sure.

Oh! Alsooo, because I am double-majoring in both biomedical science and political science, I am now a poll-worker for the Supervisor of Elections in my county! Nerdy excited, I know. Honestly I think I was one of the youngest people at orientation this morning.

Also related to political science, I read on the YAL FaceBook page (YAL: Young Americans for Liberty) that there is a Leadership seminar, aka: bootcamp for politics, up at the University of Florida coming up for only $15! It includes food and hotel (yea I couldn't believe that either, so I double-checked by asking haha)!



In closing,

MY ADVICE: One thing that I wholeheartedly recommend to all students who have a fairly good idea of what they're interested in... use social networking to your advantage! Find your school (or schools you're interested in) and add them.. add student groups, follow them on Twitter.. they'll keep you updated on events and such that you can choose to participate in.  For you to succeed, you need to surround yourself with like-minded people.. then you'll be surprised how much you'll grow/learn, and how far you'll get, and how many connections you'll make throughout the process.

Balance/Moderation

Balance and Moderation...

Two simple words each implying steadfastness and the mental ability to know when too much is really too much.

Work, course loads, obligations, promises, family matters, and the like... ALL require this. Too much of any can cause stress, irritability, fatigue, and hopelessness. Not enough can cause rifts in relationships, carelessness, and sometimes mild spouts of depression-like feelings.

Balancing all of your obligations, family matters, school work, job(s), and the nitty gritty details inbetween is, in fact, a challenge that everyone struggles with... even for those not in college. So you can imagine how hectic some of us students get when we have midterms/finals on top of all the other crap we have to deal with. Solution? Balance and Moderation.

When I went to orientation for the university, all the faculty members kept reiterating something like, "Hey we know how stressful it is to do what you do.. so we encourage you students to blow off steam and stress with some fun," whether it's college night at your local bar, concerts, zombie vs human chases (which was pretty cool btw!), and a bunch of other weird off-the-wall events that most universities sponsor for their students.

I'm still working on the whole Balance aspect myself.. except for me I do a different balancing act; instead of doing what most people would do (strategically plan and space out job times throughout the week), I'd rather do it all at once and have a few days to do absolutely nothing. No really! See why I said I don't really have it going for myself just yet?

Despite receiving the same suggestions from both my neighbors and my fiance in regards to my work schedule, I think this type of balance works best for me.

For example, here's my work schedule for this and next week:
Wednesday: Ybor job (10pm-3am)
Thursday: Ybor job (9pm-3am)
Friday: mall job (12pm-9pm) and Ybor job (9:30pm-4am)
Saturday: mall job (3:30pm-9pm) and Ybor job (9:30pm-4am)
Sunday: mall job (11am-6pm)
Monday: mall job (12pm-9pm)
Tuesday- OFF
Wednesday- gosh I hope I get this day off!
Thursday- mall job (12pm-9pm) and Ybor job (9:30pm-3am)
[repeat Friday thru Sunday schedule]

TOTALLY off balance, right? Geez just wait until the fall semester starts! I will definitely have to change it up when the time comes, but for right now this works for me. But, I know me. I hate doing something every single day. I love lazy days!

Everyone has different comfort and stress levels. I'd rather just be a caffeine junky for the weekend and then lay around my apartment in my jammies laying upside down on my couch while watching TV and eating Snack Pack chocolate puddings for two days straight (awesome visual, right?).

MY MISTAKE: I probably said it already and doing the WHAM-BAM one-after-another tactic, but so far it isn't turning out too bad.. and I'm banking in the meantime so that works out.

MY ADVICE: Even though we may balance our lives differently in order to moderate our time (and sanity), we must remember that each person is different with different obligations and goals. So do what you can handle without driving yourself crazy. So far my sanity is intact...