Tag: going-back-to-school

it’s oh so quiet

It seems like things are quiet on the internets… perhaps I am just tired from coming back to work after 4 wonderful days off? Who knows.

All I know, is that I was humbled by the amount of well wishes, and the AMAZING outpour of gifts that I got for my birthday. I got way more than I was expecting, and I appreciate all of it!!! Thanks to everyone who “hooked me up”!!

It’s funny, though, because now that I am the “dreaded” thirty, I don’t feel ANY different than I did 2 days ago when I was still 29. Eh, such is life.

In other news, I took the TEAS, which is the “entrance” test for application to the nursing program at Kennesaw, and I got an 83%. Considering that the average for other students in the program was at 68%, I feel pretty darn good about my score. I also got 15% over the national average for the test. Rockstar! I am glad that is out of the way; I REALLY hate standardized tests… especially when they are required. Now, my Kennesaw application is complete, and I am waiting on two letters of recommendation so that I can send in my GSU one. Fingers crossed people!!

I also had a bit of a revelation this morning; after some events that took place yesterday. I am going to work on putting up with less bullshit in the future. I have had many discussions with my therapist, as well as with other people, about problems that I experience with my own innate inability to let go of stuff that bothers me that other people do, because I usually don’t address it when it happens. I am going to start calling out bullshit, so that I don’t have to be the one to carry it around anymore. This really isn’t a big “oh shit, he’s gonna get mean” warning, but I guess it means a lot to say something like this publicly, in writing, that I am going to be more forward when I feel like I have had to put up with BS from anyone. Maybe something is different today… maybe 30 means that I will be a little more comfortable with myself by standing up for myself. Who knows… we shall see!

And finally… APPLE; release the goddamned new iPods already! I want a touch with more than 32GB… like NOW. Thanks in advance. Kisses and love.

it’s official…

Yesterday, I registered for two classes: Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with lab), and Intro to Statistics. Much to my surprise, and sheer delight, I was able to register for both of them as online classes!! I knew that statistics was offered as online, but imagine my delight when I found out that anatomy was as well! Now, I only have to go to the school one night a week!

Rock!

Now… the nerves really will set in… I haven’t been in school in years! Yikes! Wish me luck!

more tattoo, tetanus shot pain, and reflections on losing a loved one

Getting tattooed tonight… not looking forward to the pain, but I am very anxious about getting it done; the design is so cute. I can’t wait. I am worried that it is going to hurt like nobody’s business because of the all over the body pain I have been experiencing since I got a tetanus shot on Monday.

They said that I would be a “little sore”, but it literally feels like someone stabbed me in the arm, and that my arms and legs are in a vice. I just feel extremely uncomfortable in my skin right now. I hope that the pain from that subsides, and I really hope that it doesn’t make the tattoo more painful (which it sometimes can).

Other than that, there isn’t a whole hell of a lot going on with me right now. I am pretty much in limbo zone, trying to get these vaccinations squared away for going back to school. I will be glad when it is finished, and I can find out about my acceptance and all that fun stuff. I have to admit that I am excited about going back to school, but there are two things that are worrying me; I am worried that I won’t do as well as I want to, and I am stressed about the amount of time it is going to take to finish my degree. I just wish I could dedicate 100% of my time to it and knock it out… but we work with what we have, right?

Finally, last night I was watching Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List, and it was a pretty sad episode, because her father died, and she was very distraught by his death. At the risk of coming across as somewhat heartless, I found that I couldn’t relate to what she was feeling; even though I felt bad for her, and as a result got upset myself. What most people would have probably felt during the episode would have been about how they would feel (or did feel) with regards to their own father’s death; but again, I didn’t relate. I had nothing. This is not to say that I wouldn’t be sad if my dad did die, but I just didn’t feel anything when the thought crossed my mind. Again, at the risk of coming across as heartless, I really don’t think that his death would affect me that much, mainly because of how distant my parents have become over the past several years. I talk with them maybe once every two months, and it is always me calling them for whatever reason (asking about when I had chicken pox for my vaccinations sheet was the most recent). The distance may or may not be a lack of caring, but at this point, I have stopped trying to fix it, and instead am learning to just deal with it. They are who they are, and if they wanted to be involved in our lives more, they would be.

See, here is where I am coming from: I had an 8 minute conversation with him on Father’s day, 75% of which I have heard every time I have talked to him on the phone in the past couple of years (they are coming to visit in the fall, he misses us, blah blah blah). Now, I am not saying that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, and that I don’t love my father, because there is nothing farther from the truth, but I honestly feel an empty place inside me where these deep feelings for him “should” be. Will that change? Probably not, because I know that he doesn’t “approve” of my “lifestyle”, and he and my mother keep their distance with expert skill. If things could be different, perhaps I would have identified more with Kathy, instead of simply feeling bad for her loss. Perhaps one day, I won’t feel that emptiness, and will fear the death of my own father, but for now, it isn’t something that particularly bothers me, especially because of his continued absence in my life. I remember being little and one of the things I worried about the most was losing my mother or my father, and as time has progressed, those fears have been hushed so significantly, that they simply aren’t there anymore. I have become numb to that fear, and I honestly couldn’t tell you if I would even feel anything at all. It is strange how your relationships can change so dramatically, especially when you have little or no control over those changes.

I guess that’s how it goes sometimes. Nothing to feel bad about, really, I guess I am just reflecting. I am feeling sort of reflective with Pride weekend coming up and all, and the show just triggered this lack of a reaction, really. Just thought getting it out there would make sense.

Totally shifting gears, who all is going to be out and about during Pride? We should be having a tent, so please, stop by and hang out!

well, it’s monday…

And there isn’t much going on. So, here are some different thoughts that I have been thinking about this morning:

I was talking with my grandma on the phone this morning, and she is a hoot! She can make laugh at any time. I always love hearing her stories, and her dealings with people. It is weird to me how people will treat someone though; people are consistently rude to her, and I just don’t get it (especially since she is so much fun and so nice). Even her own son won’t stop smoking for 5 minutes to have her around, and since she can’t stand the smoke, they don’t see each other very often (even though they live within spitting distance of one another). People are just how they are, I guess, and sometimes, you just have to say fuck ’em, and do your own thing. She and I talk about that a lot, and it is something that I really treasure that we share; we love each other, and try not to focus on those that just want something from us, or expect us to be something that we are not. She loves me for who I am, and I really appreciate that, and cherish it. I am very thankful that I have such a great relationship with her, because other than her and my cousin, I don’t really consider much of my family, actually “family”. Sometimes, you have to build your own family from what you have; and even though I only feel close to two, that’s two that I can definitely count on.

I was thinking about (i.e., I definitely want to) getting another tattoo. I want something on my left calf, above the ankle band tattoo that I currently have there. I thought about a Japanese dragon, but the more I think about it, the more I want something kind of unique. I called Russ, and he has some open spots this week, and his new shop opens next week, but I think this week would be too soon; especially since I don’t have a firm idea of what I want. Since I am wracking my brain in trying to decide what I want, I have a question for all of you: If you could get a tattoo of anything in the world, what would it be and why? Don’t worry, I won’t steal your idea… that is, unless it is a good one! LOL No seriously, I want to hear your ideas. And none of this “you have too many tattoos” silliness, because you can never have too many.

Other than that, I had a pretty great weekend, hanging out with friends, and just enjoying life. I feel like I am starting to worry less about things that are out of my control, and really find myself focusing on being happy with what I have. I am applying to Perimeter for some classes in the fall, and that has given me this sense of purpose that I didn’t think would come from such a small step. I finally feel like, for the first time in 4 years, that I am moving forward. And that makes me happier than you could know. Let’s just hope we can keep this momentum going!

when I grow up…

I had my meeting at GSU yesterday, and I got more than I was expecting; I got a huge dose of hope. I went into the meeting a little bit apprehensive, because going back to school seems like the biggest step in the whole world, but I am more confident now, that I am going to make it.

Turns out, they are going to count many of my undergrad classes towards the admission guidelines (YAY!), and, of the courses that I have to take that are prerequisites, I can take them online, or at a another school. This is great news, as I was hoping to be able to knock out those prerequisites quickly, and doing them online will give me the opportunity to do just that. Additionally, I don’t have very many of those courses to take before I can apply to the nursing program.

This has been something that has been a long time in the making, and instead of feeling overwhelmed as I walked across the GSU campus, I felt excited. I am truly invigorated that I am making small steps at improving my happiness, and improving my life. My goals don’t seem so far out of reach now, and I honestly feel like this is something that I can do. I feel like I will be able to take the steps that I need, and never look back. I need to now focus on starting the journey, and realize that the end will come; as long as I keep moving.

It is funny, sort of, that I was so worried about going back to school. See, while I hated undergrad (mostly because of the school I was at, and just the issues of being in the closet), and didn’t do too terribly well, grad school was an amazing experience. I learned so much, not only about the world, and how people and culture adapt and survive, but about myself as well. I learned that I can really do anything I put my mind to, and I have to start believing that again. I actually liked school when I was in grad school, so it is funny that a BSN program seemed such a far stretch; when chances are, even though it will be tough, and probably difficult at times, I am sure that I will enjoy it, and I know that I can do it.

They are definitely right when they say that going to school later in life usually makes for a better student; you just don’t look at things the same way, and you have matured to a place where you know how important the whole thing is. Also, you REALLY know how much those classes are costing, so you take them more seriously (at least, that was the case for me).

So, now that I have made this step to find out what I need to go to nursing school, what next? I have a list of the prerequisites that I must fulfill, and I am going to begin doing some searching for programs and schools that I can take them at. I also would like to look into as many different options for nursing schools as possible; especially online programs, because of their convenience. Any help from any of you is much appreciated (hint hint).

Wish me luck. In fact, continue wishing me luck for the long haul; I am going to need it. Perhaps, in a few years, I’ll get to be what I want to be when I grow up…