Thursday, August 25, 2011

Blogging Focus

It didn't take Mack long to figure out how to get to his favorite spot in the new house.


Well, friends, as you've no doubt astutely observed by now, I'm getting into the full swing of nursing school. I'm taking 11 hours this semester, which is about 4 hours more than I'd been expecting, and for those of you who don't speak college terminology, that's 1 credit hour short of a full-time load. Honestly, I've had semesters of 18 hours that were less busy than this.

This week alone I've spent an average of 4 hours a day studying, and on Monday night it was more like 5.5. Between Anatomy and Physiology and my nursing courses, there's just a ton of information that has to be crammed into my brain, and the sooner it's stuck there, the better.

I'm a textbook visual learner, which means in order for this stuff to sink in, I have to write it over...and over...and over... Unfortunately, since my wrist surgery, my right hand can't keep up like it used to, so I'm having to teach myself how to make the same visual/memorizational connections with typing. And then I make flashcards.

The good thing about this method is, once I'm done making all my notes, I've pretty much memorized it, so studying is just supplementary. The bad thing about this method is that it takes a ton of time.

As you know, I've gone from pretty much zero commitments to class 5 times a week, plus 4 hours of driving time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and all this studying--not to mention figuring in time to work. Gotta pay those bills.

Sadly, this means I don't have time to write. Which is good, actually, and you know--it's like my subconscious knows (duh) when my active conscious is really invested in something very definitely not writing. All the urges to write fade away, tucking themselves up neatly in the back of my head, just waiting until the day I can open them again. Same thing happened during my college years, part one. I rarely wrote, and when I did it was just snatches here and there.

I'm going to be blogging once a week, most likely, and since I started this blog way back in the day for the purpose of having a writing regimen, it's going to have to suffice for now. I'll more than likely be keeping a nursing school diary, more for my own sake than those reading. However, I'll always keep the audience in mind and try to share anything funny, interesting, or pertinent. Posts about writing will be few and far-between (like they weren't already).

I don't really have time to read blogs anymore--that used to be my breakfasting activity, and these days breakfast is a five-minute affair between running and showering.

That being said, I still pop into Twitter and Facebook regularly, so if you're dying for a fix (haha), you can find me there!

My twitter handle is @summerbp, and on Facebook...well, I'm loathe to put it here, as it's my real name. I'm friends with many of you there already, so if you're not friends with me, you can probably find me through someone else. My real name is Summer, though, so you can identify me through that and my picture.

Tomorrow will likely be a Nursing School Week 2 post.

You're all lovely. I can't wait to palpate you, auscultate you, and assess your vital signs. I have warm hands, promise.

7 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Summer, school is your focus now - we understand!

Unknown said...

You're going to be an awesome student and later a fantastic RN. You have a gentleness about you, too, that will go far with your future patients. I noticed that when you took my blood pressure the other day. Did I say it out loud to you? Don't think I did, but I was thinking it!! Best of luck with the studies!

Shain Brown said...

Nursing school is so intense. The information load alone is enough to be mind numbing. We understand writing will have to take a temporary backseat. Just know we are all cheering for you.

Lola Sharp said...

You will be a wonderful nurse and I support you, my dear friend, completely.

But, I'm sad you aren't writing (though I totally understand the impossibility of it right now). You left me hanging! WTF! ;) Srsly. You left me hanging. It was GOOD. Really good. I tell you this all the time, but, you are talented. Your first drafts are very clean. And your verb choices are uber strong. If you had completed this last one...I'd have written your query for you and sent it out for you. You'd have been all, Why are these agents all calling me? ...It was that good. *sigh*

Love you,
Lola

Katie said...

Glad nursing school is going well! Sorry to hear that you have so much work to do, though. I've got lots of friends in the nursing program here, and they all complain about how hard it is. Good luck!

And on a side note, it's crazy that I never see you on campus anymore. haha I even have a class in HNS.

Old Kitty said...

Yay for your warm hands! LOL! Glad you are well and truly in the swing of things with your nursing classes!! Good luck, enjoy it, tell us about it and just continue to be as lovely as you are! Hello to Mack looking very very happy indeed! take care
x

Sarah Ahiers said...

i wasn't reading blogs for a while, but now i'm hoping to try to get back into the swing of things, now that my actual mad dash of writing is over (thank god)