Well, some of the good cheer of the entry from just moments ago is now gone.
I went to the kitchen to make coffee and found the front door wide open. I wondered why someone was standing there holding open the door... and as I exited the hallway, found that it's been propped open by someone's shoe. A bunch of them are huddled around the table playing Risk or something.
That was a bit irritating, because when the bugs come in, they'll go straight to my room. They'll wait and hang out undetected for a few days or weeks, but come out of hiding the night before I need to get up ridiculously early for something terribly engaging and important.
,..kind of like what happened (several times) last term!
The most memorable night was just before an organic chemistry exam. It was about 11 p.m. and I'd successfully made my roommates shut up so I could sleep. I was just about drift off when I started hearing a sound like rain hitting my blinds. "Oh, how lovely," I thought, and smiled as I listened to the soothing rain.
"Hey, I don't have my window open..."
"...so what is making that noise?"
I lift my head and see the shadow of a roach crawling around on the backside of the blinds. The window is RIGHT NEXT to my bed.
I went into battle mode.
The only item I had readily available to deliver a much-deserved punishment to the intruder was a dressy type of shoe...I'd rather have used something a bit more disposable, but I didn't want to go hunting and take my eyes off of that vile creature.
I waited until it emerged from behind the blinds to launch my assault. My anger at this point was about an 11 on a scale only meant to go to 10 and I let loose with a savage strike.
...and missed.
The devilish thing jumped off of the wall and ran under my bed. So, I took off the two-piece mattress thing and kicked around all of the things I stash underneath...nothing. My closet is right next to this, and if it went in there, I was never going to find it. My anger reached 12 out of 10 and now an hour had passed since I'd first been engaged in this affair.
Eventually, I found it under a little box and thought that it was dead. I gave it a good bash, just in case.
...and it took off running up the wall.
20 out of 10.
I beat the hell out of it. Absolute demolition. Came close to spitting on its carcass and strutting around like some sort of macho man, but instead I began the long clean-up process.
After piecing my room back together, over two hours had gone by. Three (plus) hours had gone by when I finally fell asleep. Four hours later, my alarm went off.
I got a 60-something on the exam.
Looking forward to more,
J.O. Morris
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The "stomp and drag" technique was taught to me in India as the only way to kill a roach.
ReplyDeleteUggghhshhhshhhhsssshhh. I cannot sleep in a room if I know something creepy-crawly is in it with me. Hence my complete sleep deprivation in tropical countries.
What are ye going to be doing in the hospital??
Ahhh, the thought of "stomp and drag" sent a sharp chill up my spine...or down my spine...or both. Too traumatised to say for certain. heh. Ordinarily, my weapon of choice is a fly-swatter with an extended handle (I attach a hanger). The greater the distance between me and that bug, the better.
ReplyDeleteYou and I are certainly alike on that point. I don't even want to go to tropical countries because of the bugs...and the heat. haha. When I lived at my parents' house eons ago, there were several occasions in which I received an unexpected midnight visitor whom I was unable to successfully apprehend. My only course of action, then, was to retreat to the couch in the living room, sometimes to stay for another night or two. It's kind of ridiculous from this vantage point, but once in the situation, there isn't any way I'll spend any measurable amount of time locked up with some nasty bug! =P
My gig in the hospital is to be a helping hand to the nursing staff on the weekends. I'll do some office-type junk (answering phones, etc.), doing a bit of straightening up and restocking around the unit as necessary, and the best part, hanging out with patients and making sure their needs are being met. I'll spend extra time with those who've not got many family or friends coming to visit...talking, playing games, reading to them, etc. I can't wait! I obviously don't get to do anything at all doctor-ish, but there are apparently a few doctors who love to take pre-meds under their wings and let 'em sit in on a bunch of different procedures. Wahoo! I get to work in the neuro ward, too, which is just a dream come true!!
That is soooo great! Congrats on the job.
ReplyDeleteIt will be such a wonderful taste of what is to come, not to mention how great it looks on a CV/application.
It actually sounds like the ideal thing, better than volunteering folding towels and wheeling patients to procedures as a porter or something. And yes, I've come across many-o-doc who are more than happy to show-off...er...I mean share their knowledge to premeds. Oh that is wonderful. You'll love it.
It's so much easier to learn as well when you have some experience to attach the learning to. It'll come in handy more than you think, even just being in the hospital and getting exposed to med-speak is a huge advantage. It'll make you look super smart when you are the only person who knows what dyspnea, hematemesis, and melena mean! ;)
You might want to look into a nurses aid type gig as well--that'll get you used to touching patients and dealing with that whole realm of things. Just a suggestion. Plus then you can nose through charts and get exposed to more of the patient side of things...
How exciting!!! You'll be in medicine before you know it.
Thanks for matching my enthusiasm, and thanks for the tips! I had my first day today, which I shall write about shortly.
ReplyDeleteHeh, and actually, I know what dyspnea and hematemesis are froma medical terminology course I took a while back. Melena seems familiar, but I'd have to cheat and look it up =P