Miscellany | An A, but barely!

Hello, hello! All I have in the tank for today is some miscellany, so buckle up for some randomness.

I got a 90% on my exam

WHEW. I was kinda expecting another 86% or so, but I pulled out a few extra points this time. Yay!

I have only two more big regular exams and then the final so maybe, just maybe, I will end up keeping my 4.0 through graduation.

I went into nursing school expecting to lose my streak promptly, but it’s never happened. And now that I am so close to graduating, I do feel a little invested in maintaining my GPA, if only for my personal satisfaction.

But the important thing is to graduate and pass the NCLEX, even if my GPA sinks a little on the way. 😉

The exact amount of time left, as of this typing:

 

I had an exam nightmare

On Monday night, I went to sleep just fine, but then I woke up at 3:00 am from a nightmare in which I opened my exam score and discovered I had only gotten a 68%.

Guys, I cried in my dream because I was like, “OH MY GOSH how did I work this hard only to get a 68%???”

I was so very relieved when I woke up from the nightmare and realized it was just a dream. And then a few hours later I got my exam score and felt even better.

Nursing school has taught me that I should never play poker

In almost every semester, a professor has called on me because they have seen an expression on my face that indicates I have something to say.

So I have concluded that I have the opposite of a poker face; my face always gives me away!

I want to do some protein and cost calculations

Ever since I worked with Ben last summer, I’ve been thinking about protein more, and you know what I really want to do?

I’d like to make a comparison chart for myself of various protein sources, their cost, and how many calories they come with.

I was thinking of figuring it out using, say, 10 grams of protein as a comparison.

I thought of this because I realized that an ounce of Parmesan has about 10 grams of protein and 110 calories, which is a better protein/calorie ratio than some granola bars. And I think it might be less expensive than some granola bars too, if I buy the big Parmesan block from Sam’s Club.

It made me curious what the cost/calorie/protein gram data is for, say, chickpeas, rotisserie chicken, cottage cheese, liquid egg whites in a carton, and more.

Anyway, if I do this, I’ll definitely share with you guys.

But it might have to wait until school is done!

I think I’m gonna buy myself a car soon

I have always said that once I got through nursing school, I was going to buy myself a non-minivan car. I have been driving a minivan since 2003, and since it’s just me driving myself around almost all the time, I think my minivan days can safely come to an end.

My plan has always been to buy a sporty little Civic (my Very Attainable Dream Car), but I need to test drive one and see if I actually like it as much as I think I will.

When I made this “buy a smaller car after school” plan, it seemed so far away. And now I feel almost surprised that it’s coming up so soon!

The good thing is…I don’t have to buy myself a car. So if the prices are prohibitively expensive when I graduate, I can just keep rolling along in my van until I find the perfect next car for me. 🙂

I forgot I was getting paid for my hospital shifts

I am so used to going to clinical and not getting paid, I sometimes forget that my patient care tech shifts are actually for pay.

The money automatically goes into those checking accounts that I opened to get a bonus, and I haven’t even looked at the accounts in months. But yesterday I looked and was pleasantly surprised at the little stash of money that has accumulated. 

I only get paid $20/hour and I only work a few shifts a month, but still, it adds up!

And this reminded me….oooh, I will get paid for nursing shifts too. Which yes, is sort of a “duh!” thing, but being in school gets you used to this weird situation where you work yourself to the bone and you pay for the privilege of doing so.

But after I graduate, I will get paid instead of being the one paying. SWEET.

Right now, though, I have three big projects I have to finish before clinical on Saturday. So I’m gonna go work on those even though Wednesday and Thursday are technically my weekend days this semester.

Thanks for attending this session of Miscellany with Kristen. 😉