Andrea's Blog

I can't believe we're already going on the 3rd week of school! How did that happen? This week not only marks Week 3 of school, but also the Tri Mixer. Friday night, members from all (I hope) tris will convene for a wee bit of team building. It never fails that I meet someone I didn't know from another class. It should be an interesting time. (Don't worry; I'll take pictures--but not incriminating ones.)

An egret at the Coffee Pot Bayou.

I'm still REALLY enjoying botanical medicine. It's encouraging me to review everything I've learned before. In fact, I'm reviewing old books and notes right now (as I'm writing this for all of you). I'm always amazed at what we can do with what comes naturally. Of course with each bit of reading that I do, the list for my medicinal herb garden grows. I should have a nice start here in a few weeks. Even with the Florida sun and heat I hope to put in some seed soon. My father was kind enough to contribute some mullein (lamb's ear). I planted it today, in fact. If you're not familiar with mullein, there are two parts of the plant that are commonly used: the flowers and the leaves. I like the leaves because they're VERY fuzzy and good for topical treatments (and also fun to pet). The flowers are used for respiratory tract issues. Don't try this at home without consulting some references first. Plants are medicine too!

A manatee at the Coffee Pot Bayou.

I'm happy to report that I'll be the student research assistant for Dr. Mabel Chang! I met with her last week about some of the projects she has going. One, in particular, I'm extremely excited about. She's collected a lot of information about scope of practice throughout the U.S. and provinces. I was thrilled when I found out! I've been starting to research where to practice myself--looking at scope, rights, and contemplating all the implications. I can't wait to get my hands on the data.

I wonder what will come next. Always an adventure...

The Coffee Pot Bayou.

Did everybody have a good break? Did you even get a break? Finals are over! We all survived (endured, even). From what I can tell, everybody did really well. Mostly, I think we're glad that we've made it through all the basic sciences and are now in clinical sciences. WHOOOHOOO!!!!! I can't believe we're finally in Phase 2! 

Treasure Island drum circle

All of our class scattered to the wind--Europe, New Jersey, all over the globe! I had an especially busy break. I spent the first week looking for a new place to live, and then the second week in Illinois. I drove to see my folks (and extended family) in Central Illinois. The trip was AMAZING! I've forgotten how much I miss the Midwest (did I just say that out loud?), and how much I miss my family.

I grew up out in the country, amidst farmland and such. I literally spent 2+ days up to my waist in dirt. It was pure heaven. I planted perennials in one of their flowerbeds that will hopefully take over and be low maintenance (and fodder for my mom to watch from the kitchen window). It's got me all psyched to do some gardening of my own (in between studying, of course). 

The first week of school was both a trial and a triumph. I received the go-ahead to move into my new place on Monday, so I started moving boxes and such into the garage. They are still fixing random stuff in the house. At 2am Sunday morning, I finished moving the last of the stuff out. Special thanks to my classmates and friends, Jacqlyn, Julia, and Alid for all of their help. Julia, Alid, Grey (my son), and myself moved ALL of the heavy furniture in less than 3 hours! They were, as Dr. S puts it, "machines!" I couldn't have done any of this without you guys--all my love and undying gratitude. I mean it! 

So, other than unpacking and getting things sorted, I'm back to school. The class schedule looks like it's doable, but it's gonna be a toughie! Two classes with Dr. S (although one is early in the morning when I'm not yet awake--I wonder if he's noticed), several other interesting ones, and my favorite: Botanical Medicine (Yes, I'm being serious). I've taken Bot Med under different headings/schools before, and I practice a little home chemistry in making my own medicine. I have for several years. In my not-so-humble opinion, you can never know too much about medicinal plants! I've already obligated myself to showing how to make hydrosols, which are like essential oils but can be made at home and not quite as strong. Now if I could just find that book. Where did I pack that thing?

I'm looking forward to an exciting tri--morning classes and all. 

Treasure Island beach

Incidentally, it's hotter than Hades' vacation spot down here in the old FL. Summer has definitely arrived. Stay cool and hydrated, kiddies. If anybody has any garden requests for me, let me know. I'll be putting seeds/plants in as soon as I can.

Welcome back! (I know I'm glad to be here!)

This'll probably be my shortest blog to date. I'm convinced that if I don't spend nearly every waking moment studying, I might miss something. There are 3 finals this week (including the E & M practical) and 6 next week. There's some switch that happens in my brain around this time. It's a cross between "panic" and "drive"--and it vacillates between the two of them. 

I always rethink what I've done over the trimester and how I could've planned just a little bit better (so there's less panic and more drive). I will always be compiling notes at the last moment. I will always be reviewing until right before the exams. I'm not sure how I could do things differently. Perhaps it's reading more, earlier, or writing notes sooner. I will probably ALWAYS wonder if there's something else, unless I come up with the "perfect" way to study (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA). 

But, as it stands right now, the schedule is set. I am behind in some things and ahead in others. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Trips to the store for fresh, healthy food have been planned. Gym visits are on my schedule. Notes are being compiled and edited. Checklists are being made (man, I wish I'd ordered that ink!) and things are getting done. 

I had the GREAT pleasure of reviewing for the E & M practical with Alid and Julia from my class, and Jacqlyn from another tri. It was good to review things that I've done before, and also good to get the critiques of my classmates. I think we'll be aptly prepared for Tuesday (when we all have our practicals) and then that will be one more thing to check off of our list; one more accomplishment; one step closer to graduation! So, special thanks to all of them for lending their expertise, their brains, and their support (and Julia for the use of her gorgeous home). 

As you're all studying for exams (and boards), remember to sleep, focus, eat healthy, and drink plenty of water. All of this will be over before we know it. 

I'm "off" for a few weeks. I promise I'll be collecting great pictures of my adventures over the break and hopefully be rested and revived for the next tri's adventures. See you all soon!

I hope everyone had a great Easter, a festive Ostara, and a Blessed Passover. It was a low-key weekend at my house. We didn't even make Easter baskets. Peeps were procured and cupcakes were made, but that was about it. I spent the whole weekend working towards finals. 

Finals start next week. Let the panic commence! NO. No panic! We will not panic. There will be NO panicking. OK. Now that that's done. Given that this is the last week before finals, it's time to get all my ducks in a row - practicing, note writing, memorizing, preparing, and everything else! 

Sometimes the organization and preparation for finals is just as stressful as actually taking them. The last week before the tests begin is when all the notes must be finished and the hardcore studying takes place. For me, I learn more in the last week than I do in the 14 weeks before. I know that it's not supposed to work that way, but that's how I work. There's something about solidifying everything and repetition, repetition, repetition. I will, actually, be studying up until I walk in to take each test.  

I'm doing my best to not repeat the events of last tri's finals. I existed most of the last finals week on caffeine and very little sleep. I don't remember whether I was eating or eating anything remotely respectable, but I suspect I wasn't. So, that will not happen this time. Here are a few suggestions that I'm pulling together for this tri's finals for myself--and all of you. 

Andrea's suggestions for finals preparation: 

1. Make sure all equipment is in working order. Charge those batteries. There's nothing worse than having to show up for a practical and your equipment isn't working. It's happened to me before. Not good. Also, you want to make sure you can use your own stuff. It's also difficult to try to walk in with someone else's equipment and do a timed exam. So. Charge 'Em!
2. Make sure that you have printer ink and paper. Inevitably, there will be a study guide that's about 50 pages long (what class is this for, Tri 4 kids?) and I'll need to print it out and write all over it. The worst thing EVER, is to have it be the night before an exam or the afternoon before an exam and not be able to print my notes. This reminds me. I need to order ink. It's so much cheaper that way.
3. Go to the gym. Every day. It's really easy to convince myself that I don't have time. I know that once I get home, there's no way that I'm going out again - it's like working a miracle. I know that I feel so much better when I go. It clears my head and gets me focused.
4. NO CAFFEINE. NONE. I don't drink coffee. Coffee + Andrea = SCARY. I've given up on Coke (New Year's Resolution still holding strong) and I don't drink anything else with caffeine in it. I know that I can exist for weeks on caffeine and no sleep. NO GOOD. Not gonna do it. (Don't do it!)
5. Food. Light. It's easier to focus (for me) when I don't eat anything heavy. That means lean meat and fruit pretty much exclusively. This is, of course, Paleo friendly and super easy gluten-free.
6. Sleep. At least 6 hours a night. I've done some all-nighters. I did one last tri (well, less than 2 hours of sleep pretty much counts as an all-nighter), and even though it worked in my favor THAT time, it's not something that needs to happen on a regular or semi-regular basis. We also know that less than 6 hours a night promotes inflammation. Inflamed brains don't work. So, I'm shooting for 6 ­hours during the week and as much as I can get on the weekends.
7. A bit of downtime for whatever. DVR exists for this reason. Pinterest (if you're not already on it RUN AWAY), Daylight. Check it out. It's good for vitamin D, too. 

OK. Enough of that. So I wish you all a happy finals preparation and a happy spring and all of that other stuff. If you're getting antsy while you're studying, take a break. It really will make things go smoother. See you all on the flip-side. 

Andrea

Well, you wouldn't know it by looking outside. We've had a few really nice days, but it's expected to be in the 50s one day this week. It's almost April! What is going on? I know everybody up in the Midwest has had snow. I just keep looking out the door bewildered and checking the Weather Channel on my phone. I never know what it's going to be! Bundle-up or flip-flops, or my personal favorite, blue toes in flip-flops? We just take it day by day. 

I thought for sure that I'd make it outside for something this weekend, but it didn't happen. I did, however, make a cameo at the Gluten Free Expo at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. Grey and I showed up about an hour before it was over, wondering if they'd have some great speaker at the last minute or some new revolutionary products. There were, of course, TONS of giveaways and coupons and brochures. I did grab a few business cards from vendors and talked to a health coach while I was there. 

I must say, though, that I was disappointed. While I'm grateful that I now have free snack fodder for the boys' lunches for the next month plus, I'm not sure how healthy it all is. There's just so much processing going into gluten-free products these days. Nothing they were giving away or selling was anywhere near simple or resembling anything homemade. 

I talked to a baker about Paleo cooking. She said that the biggest problem for them was cutting out the sugar. She wanted to substitute Stevia--which in some Paleo circles is forbidden (no artificial sugars or regular sugars). Although I'm not sure what other ingredients she was going to substitute, the sugar, I think, was the least of their worries. 

In Diet and Nutrition, Dr. S has been teaching us all the pathways and extolling the dangers of grains, sugars, and indirectly, processing. We've linked all these starches, Omega 6s, and sugars to everything from heart disease to Alzheimer's. Of course that doesn't make it all so easy to give up, but the argument is getting more and more persuasive. So I have to think--just because something is gluten-free, that doesn't make it healthy. Whether it's the canola oil, the high fructose corn syrup, or the ingredient that I can only dissect with a piece of paper and a chemistry textbook, it may still be gluten-free, but it's also a science/health experiment. I know for a fact, that gluten-free can still be simple. The more ingredients, the more likely that there might be a problem, and that doesn't work for anyone. 

I'm beginning to explore the ins and outs of the Paleo diet and trying to marry it with my own sense of nutrition. I suspect I'll be more restrictive in many ways than what the standards are. I still can't see/justify eating huge amounts of bacon. Something just doesn't seem right about that. I'm not sure whether it's the huge amounts of fat, the salt, or the nitrates. Yes, I know that all of those are available nitrate-free, but last time I checked--we were all students, yes?--I also know that I will never eat beef or eggs again. I think there has got to be a way to balance nutrition and our evolutionary developments with the limbic system. Otherwise, we'll all end up eating only 35 cups of Romaine lettuce with steaks wrapped in bacon. And between you and me, none of that sounds all that appetizing. 

Last but certainly not least, I want to congratulate everyone on making it through midterms. We finally had our last one on Thursday. I'll spare you all the drama involved, but I know we are all extremely glad that that is over. I want to offer Dr. Ott my undying gratitude for being, perhaps, the coolest-headed professor I've ever come across. I must find for you, Dr, Ott, 5 million gold toilet stickers. You deserve them. (And if you want to know the story about the gold toilet stickers, you can email me). 

Everyone also deserves congratulations for making it through Mercury retrograde. Thankfully, Mercury went direct on St. Patty's Day--and not a moment too soon. I was tired of fixing everything, fighting and mediating fights, and just generally being in a funk.

Happy First Full Week of Spring to everyone and Happy Easter, Ostara and a Blessed Passover to all who celebrate.

This week's pictures are from Lake Maggiore--which is not far from my house. I was hoping to get some gators in there, but it was a bit too cloudy. If you enter through Boyd Hill and take the trails, I PROMISE you'll see some BIG gators. To my classmate Lauren, here's where you (don't) want to go. :)