Ode to my cat

Some people are dog people. Some people are cat people. I’m a cat person.

(Can you guess which one is me?)

Cats are pretty amazing. They keep themselves clean, require minimal attention, and are born knowing that they need to deposit their poo into the sandbox in the laundry room.

This is my cat Scout.

She showed up in our backyard about six years ago, and has been my faithful companion ever since. Sure, she throws up hairballs under my bed, licks my eyelids to wake me up in the morning, and sleeps on all the clean laundry she can find. But I wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Whenever I overload on nursing theory, I take a short break and head to this site.

www.icanhascheezburger.com

They have funny photos of cats with even funnier captions. Here is an example.

Oh, I almost forgot… Happy Presidents day!

Monday, February 11th

Sometimes when it rains it smells like dead fish outside.

Today was the first nursing test of the semester. You can always tell its nursing test day by the group of students standing outside the south hall, honking like angry geese.

I am just thankful that was the last obstetrics test I’m ever going to have to take. Pregnant women and babies are my least favorite subjects.

Nursing School Equals….

Nursing school = staying home all the time studying.

Nursing school = Never seeing your friends.

Nursing school = Being broke all the time because you’re too busy studying to work.

Nursing school = Assuming you have developed the disease you just finished studying.

Nursing school = Gaining twenty pounds because all you do is sit and read and eat Cheez-Its.

Nursing school = Judging people in public restrooms because they do not wash their hands properly.

Nursing school = Having random people roll up their pant legs and say, “Does this look like a boil to you?”

Nursing school= Spending twelve hours at the hospital doing the dirty work and not getting paid.

Nursing school = having some idiot customer say, “What? Not smart enough to be a doctor?”

Nursing school = knowing that the cigarette you’re about to light up is going to kill you, but being too stressed out to care.

Nursing school = getting to know some really great people.

Nursing school= Getting a job where I don’t have to say, “would you like a delicious blueberry muffin to go with that?”

Nursing school = a time in my life I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Weekend in Review

So what is this, the fourth week of school? I guess I have already lost count. I’m going to try not to dwell on the fact that there are 96 long days till graduation. I am going to think about fun things, like the roller coaster I rode this weekend.

I finally got to ride the Bullet down in Kemah. It was a blast. Even though rain was in the forecast, my friend Rachel and I took a chance and headed for the boardwalk. For a relatively small coaster, this thing packed quite a punch. A punch in the neck!

I knew that fourth ride was a bad Idea, but I wanted to feel like I got my money’s worth. What I got was a headache and a neck that won’t turn to the right anymore. Rachel was lucky, all she got was a giant purple bruise on her arm. If I ever ride this thing again, I’m wearing a cervical collar.

The final day of Activities Mart is tomorrow. Stop by and see the variety of organizations and clubs your alma mater has to offer. You can probably pick up some free candy too. Just don’t expect free candy from the Student Nurses Association. As future nurses, it is our job to promote healthy lifestyles, and everybody knows that candy rots your teeth.

Super Bowl Plans

Someone asked me today what I was doing for the Super Bowl. It was like being asked what I was doing for Christmas or new years eve. When did this become a national holiday? I understand that it is the most watched television program every year, but you don’t hear people asking, “What are you doing for the finale of American Idol?” Or, “Where will you be watching the season four premier of Lost?” I hate football. If I watch the Super Bowl at all, it’s only for the commercials, and they have been going downhill since that chick threw a hammer at the movie screen and the world was introduced to the Macintosh computer.

This is what I will be doing on Super Bowl Sunday.

That’s right, I’m heading down to Kemah to ride the Boardwalk Bullet.

Ever since I was a wee lad, I’ve been a huge fan of roller coasters. When they tore down Astroworld a few years ago, I was really sad. Sure, it was dirty, expensive, poorly run and filled with gang members, but it was my home park. How Houston, the fourth largest market in the United States, cannot seem to support a theme park is beyond me. But last year The Kemah Boardwalk opened The bullet. Now people such as myself don’t have to drive to San Antonio or Dallas to get our fix.

I have not ridden The Bullet yet, but I have heard on some of the roller coaster message boards that I frequent that it is quite an intense ride. I’m taking my camera and will have a ride review and pictures to post next week.

I will be spending the rest of the week studying complications of pregnancy.

I’m “Tomball” Famous

So about two years ago I was walking through the courtyard at school, when I was approached about appearing in a commercial for the college. Being rather modest, it took several seconds for me to agree, run to the bathroom, check my hair and sign the model release. After about fifteen seconds of filming, the whole experience was over, and I quickly forgot all about it.

Fast forward two months, I’m deep in thought, studying the liver or the pancreas, and I get a text message from a friend proclaiming that she has just seen me on the “big screen” at the Willow Brook movie theater. “How amazing,” I thought, “I’ve finally been immortalized in celluloid!”

My parents saw my commercial a few days later. They were so proud. I’m pretty sure my dad was more proud of that than the fact that I was a straight-A nursing student or that I had never been to rehab.

When I finally saw the commercial, I was crestfallen. I was on the screen for approx. 0.8 seconds. Oh well…

That summer, the college sent out a flier. I never realized that the college advertised by mail, but I had never really had a reason to pay attention. But I did this time. On the front of said flier, there I was, once more immortalized, only this time in print. It was a red-letter day!

(Thats me in the Orange; My nose is not really that big)

As you all have probably noticed, the college has changed names, and the commercial, which has been playing continuously for the past 2+ years at the movie theater had to come down. I was kind of sad…. I wouldn’t get any more random texts saying, ” I just saw you at the movies!” All good things must come to an end, right?

NO!

I just saw the new Lone Star College System commercial, and I’m still in it!

Thats right… I’m Tomball famous

BUSY!

My friends and family used to ask me, “How are you doing?” They don’t anymore because the answer is always the same, “BUSY!” Although the slow pace of the holiday break was a nice change, I was beginning to itch for some structure and something to challenge my brain. Asking, “Do you need room for cream in that?” 300 times a day just wasn’t cutting it.

Today was the first day back at school, and looking at my schedule for the next week, I’m beginning to wish it were the holiday break again, when all I had to do was stay up all night watching Iron Chef reruns. But, nobody ever saved the world sitting on the couch, so I’m ready to get this semester started. Here is what I’m doing for the next week.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I have class all morning and work all evening. Thursday I have hospital orientation all day, and on Friday I have my first clinical from 6:30a.m. to 6:30p.m. Clinical time is actual hands-on training. We give medications, start Iv’s, clean bedpans, all those glamorous things nurses do. Most Nurses work twelve hour shifts and these long hours are aimed at preparing us to work in the real world. I still haven’t ruled out torture. All I have to do on Saturday is smile and serve coffee for eight hours, so my brain will get a much-needed rest. Sunday is my day. I can do what ever I want after I clean the litter box, get caught up on the laundry and study.

 Monday it starts all over again. Is it May yet?

Now Let Me Introduce Myself…

My name is Ryan Gibbons and I am a student in the Nursing Program here at Tomball College. This is my first experience blogging, and I hope everyone will enjoy reading this as much as I hope to enjoy writing it. Who Knows? I may be the next Perez Hilton, only without the rainbow-tinted hair and horrible things to say about other people. I’ll keep those to myself. J

I have been attending Tomball College for three years, and will graduate in May with an associate’s degree in nursing. My experience here has been wonderful and I am thankful to all the amazing instructors who have made my academic career enjoyable and educational. I am the Vice-President of the Student Nursing Association, which has taught me a lot about leadership and politics. I also work part-time as a supervisor at a local coffee shop. I love/hate my job, but more on that later I’m sure.

I have a really full schedule this semester: Studying, class, clinicals, work, applying for internships, preparing for my licensure exam, and preparing for graduation. But, I felt this was an opportunity too good to pass up. I hope over the course of the semester I can give you guys some insight into the nursing program and into the graduation process. I also hope to enlighten and to entertain, but don’t hold me too that. J

Feel free to leave comments as I look forward to your feedback. I know this is going to be a great semester!