Intro to nursing

I had my first test in intro to nursing yesterday and it was a joke! The last question of the the exam is just an example of how silly it was.

How many tablets would you give a patient if each tablet had 250 mg of "some drug" for a total dosage of 1 gram per day?

a) 0.5 tablets
b) 1 tablet
c) 2 tablets
d) 4 tablets

Every week I spend 3 hours napping at the back of the classroom while the prof compares concepts on caring, health promotion and disease prevention. It's interesting stuff but it's not rocket science.

In the midst of mid-term week

I've had one exam so far, only two and a half more to go. So far my first exam went really well. The average was shockingly low, 64%! I was very surprised considering that the exam was fairly easy.

Here's hoping that the rest of my exams go just as well...

It's been almost two months since I returned from Korea. So far I'm really enjoying being back in Canada. Before I left Korea I had mixed feelings about leaving. I thought that I would have difficulty getting back into the swing of things once I retunred to Canada. After living on my own for a year and experiencing the independent life I thought that I would never be able to move back in with mom and dad. But in spite of this, we all seem to be getting along fairly well. We all take turns making meals, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, loading and unloading the dishwasher, and cleaning the litter boxes. But the best part about living at home is that as long as I'm going to school I don't have to pay for rent or food!!!

In the end, the transition back to Canada wasn't as bad as I thought and I now feel like I'm settled. Living with the family has been a treat.

Thanks mom and dad :) I'll take good care of you during your retirement.

Wireless!

Let me just take the time to say that, I LOVE WIRELESS!!!!! My house is officially running on wireless internet and it's great!

On another note, check this out...

Sweden church allows gay weddings

BBC NEWS

The Lutheran Church of Sweden - the country's largest - is to conduct same-sex marriages from next month.

Around 70% of the church's 250-strong synod, or church board, voted to back the move, making it one of few global churches to allow gay marriage.
Sweden's government introduced a new law in May allowing gay couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals.

Three-quarters of Swedes are members of the Lutheran church, though church attendance is low.

The Lutheran Church says gay couples can now get married by any of its priests from the beginning of November.

Individual priests will not be "forced" to perform same sex ceremonies, though substitutes will have to be found if they refuse.

The church - which split from state control in 2000 - backed the government's decision to legalise gay marriage in May.

But some clergy had questioned whether church ceremonies - and the term matrimony - should be reserved for heterosexual unions. Others opposed the move on the grounds it contravened the scriptures.

Limited opposition

In response, the Archbishop of Sweden, Anders Wejryd, told reporters: "For my part, the right decision was taken, but I can empathise with the many who believe this has gone too fast."

Sweden's largest gay rights group, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), welcomed the move.

"[We] congratulate the Church of Sweden for its decision. [The church's] homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," the group said in a statement.

Sweden was one of the first countries to give gay couples legal "partnership" rights, in the mid-1990s, and to allow gay couples to adopt children from 2002.
It become the fifth European country, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Norway, to recognise same-sex marriage.

Rant

Some of you may already know this and others may not, but I suffer from an undiagnosed skin disorder that causes my skin to flare up, mainly on my face, in the form of a sebaceous cyst.

I've been fighting these things since I started university 6 years ago. They come and go every 3 months, usually 1 or 2 at a time. Currently, the skin below my mouth has been very active. I have one right now in fact. I've been putting hot compresses on it to bring it to a head. Usually it takes about 2 weeks for the cyst to complete a full cycle (flare up, come to a head, pop, then deflate).

I sometimes get them beside my nose, between my eyes, behind my ear, on my forehead, on my back, and even on the side of my neck. The worst ones usually occur on my neck, beside mouth and beside my nose. Thankfully I haven't been getting them anywhere on my face, neck or back except for the lower cheek area beside my mouth. They usually swell up to about an inch in diameter, projecting almost a centimeter from the skin. They can be extremely painful.

A few years ago (a week before sister's wedding), I got one between my eyes. I went to a walk in clinic to get it checked out. The doctor at the clinic injected some kind of "steroid" into the cyst which helped to bring the swelling down. Of course it didn't happen over night, it took about 4 days for it to go down. But the best part is, is that I haven't had one in that area for over a year and a half now!

The best treatment for cysts is a hot compress because it is non-invasive. Although, it takes longer, it is very effective. An alternative to this is surgery. I usually steer away from it because I prefer not to have massive scars on my face. I already have permanent acne scars (red spots) on my face from previous cases, so I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.

I used to suffer from major depression as result of my cysts. When one would flare up, I would have major anxiety attacks knowing that I would have to show my face in public (ie: at school, in front of my friends). To avoid embarrassment I would stay home from school. If I had no other choice I would wear cover-up to hide my blemish. Knowing full well that it probably wasn't enough to conceal it, I remember acting very awkward in front of my peers, hiding the worse half of my face. For example, if I had a cyst beside my nose, I would pretend to scratch my eye so that I could hide the blemish. Or if some friends were hanging in a hallway, I would take an alternative route, avoiding social contact all together. My friends thought that I was absent-minded or something but the truth is, is that I was pre-occupied with something else (my skin!).

My focus has always been on my appearance. As a child I was made fun of a lot because I had a big forehead. Since then I've covered my face with my hair. I now regret that decision. Just look at my picture on facebook from 2003-2007. I had the worst hair back then. I still have really bad hair, but it's at least shorter now.

Anyway, I'm sorry about my rant. I just needed to get this off my chest.

I'm treating a cyst on my lower right cheek right now, so I will be house bound for a few days. Hope to see you when my face clears up.

Oh the irony

Watch this. haha.

Stormtroopers' 9/11

Back from Ottawa

What a wonderful weekend. Good company, good friends, and great food!!!

This past weekend, my sister Mary Ann and I flew out to Ottawa to visit Rob and Sheila. While we were there we drove out to the St. Laurence river and took a boat tour of the Thousand Islands area. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect as well, adding to a wonderful day.

On Sunday we spent most of the day preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner. Sheila and Rob, being the amazing hosts that they are, invited a total of 13 people to their tiny apartment for dinner! It was a little squishy, but we all managed and had a great time.

After dinner we played some games (Acquire) and a few rounds of Dutch Blitz. I managed to beat out R and S! Haha. Sweet, sweet victory :)

The entire weekend was a blast. It was so good that I'll have to mark it as one of, or possibly THE best thanksgiving ever!

One interesting thing that I observed on the way home from Ottawa today, was a well-dressed gay couple (in their mid-thirties) and I'm assuming their son (4 years old). When seeing them (in the flesh) I had mixed feelings about it, but after a while it seemed totally fine. You may think that I should naturally approve to such a scene given who I am, but like you, my upbringing and lack of exposure to such things triggered my initial reaction. Although, many people would not qualify them as a "normal" couple suitable to raise a family, from what I could see they seemed to be just as loving and caring as any other parent in the room.

I've always wanted to have kids. Could this be me in the future?

Gratitude

What: Thanksgiving
When: October, 11, 2009
Where: Ottawa, ON
Why: To eat lots of foodx
Who: Me, my sister, brother, his wife and friends.
How: By sticking a fork in it

I'm tired and sleepy.

Thanks for Thanksgiving everyone!!!

One exam down, 4 more years to go

I just finished writing my first exam in my BIO 1000 class. Although there were a few questions that stumped me, the exam was fairly easy. I only have about 3 years and 10 months left before I can become a nurse. Here's hoping all goes well.

I'm off to Ottawa this weekend to visit my brother Robert (Balto) and his wife Sheila. They're 20 weeks pregnant and are expecting a boy. I'm so excited to be an uncle.

Godspeed.

Haha

Possibly one of the best things I've ever seen on facebook!

Crippled Kids Walk With Jesus, Lefty Journos With Satan

- by Marian Wang, Oct 6, 2009

For as little as $130, fellow Americans, you can take home a canvas reproduction of this beauty of a painting depicting your country's noble roots. "One Nation Under God" is a new piece by artist Jon McNaughton of Utah, who says he got his inspiration from a vision he received during the 2008 elections.

Front and center, the painting features Jesus Christ, creator of the heavens and earth and bearer of the American Constitution. On his right you have the good guys—the farmer, the Christian minister, the US Marine, the handicapped child, the black college student, and the schoolteacher who vaguely resembles Sarah Palin. You also have the young white man who represents the rising generation.

On the other side—Jesus' left side—is another set of characters, including a professor holding a copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species, a politician, a lawyer counting his money, a liberal news reporter, and a Supreme Court Justice weeping over Roe v. Wade. Oh, and who could forget Satan lurking in the shadows.

No matter what your political or religious leanings, you have to admit the details and symbolism here are impressive and painstaking. My favorite part is that the website lets you explore the painting with your mouse and get detailed explanations of each element. If you're wondering why, for instance, the immigrant has his hand in the air, McNaughton explains: "I wanted him to have a look of shock when he realizes where the source of America's greatness comes from as he sees Christ holding the Constitution."

It is also worth noting that if you look very closely, there are minorities in the background! Yes, in the upper left, you have Sequoyah, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Black Union Soldier. American Soldier is also black, as is College Student, and then of course there is Immigrant, who appears to be of Asian descent. Enjoy.

Tip of my colonial-styled hat to Andrew Sullivan for this excellent find. And if you've just figured out what you're going to get your entire family for Christmas (not the holidays, you heard me—CHRISTMAS), well then, you're very welcome.

Original article

Gay penguins book is most banned

BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8284509.stm

And Tango Makes Three is the top most controversial book.

Authors, artists and musicians are due to gather at a library in San Francisco to protest against the banning of books in schools and libraries in the US.

The event, part of the 27th annual Banned Books Week, has been organised by the American Library Association.

Since 2001 bans on 3,736 books and other materials have been requested.

In recent years, And Tango Makes Three - based on a true story and centring on gay penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo - has had the most ban requests.

The book's authors are Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.

Reasons given by organisations and individuals for their requests to get it removed from public shelves, include "anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group".

Other works featuring in the most-challenged books list for 2008 include Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.

Parents' concern

Pullman told Britain's Guardian newspaper that he was glad to be on the list.

However he added: "Of course it's a worry when anybody takes it upon themselves to dictate what people should or should not read."

The association said the aim of the annual awareness week, which ends on Saturday, is to remind US citizens not to take their freedom for granted.

Among those at the San Francisco Public Library event will be authors and musicians Ben Fong-Torres, Richie Unterberger and Roy Zimmerman.

They plan to stage a number of performances and defend controversial books.

In 2008 the American Library Association recorded 517 ban requests. Seventy-four were successful.

The organisation recorded that the most common reason given was that contents were too "sexually explicit".

Other classic literature subjected to complaints include JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling also feature on the list.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that Harry Potter author JK Rowling missed out on the Presidential Medal of Freedom because some US politicians believed she "encouraged witchcraft".



Original BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8284509.stm