Adventures in Life

Happy Birthday to Nicole!

Posted by at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Everyone should check out the spectacular works of the fabulous artist Maren Zabel. I actually purchased three pieces. One of them, "Tap Root", is currently on her webpage.

Posted by at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, Gabe and I are on the road again. This time we are headed off to Indianapolis to the Indiana Optometric Association Convention. He is actually registered, though I doubt that he will be participating in the continuing education (CE) classes. While I am taking CE classes on glaucoma, retinal detachments, and penetrating keratoplasty he will be in the hotel room working on his paper for school. Once again, I am typing this blog entry while we are on the road. I really do enjoy cell phone internet. It is after 11:00 p.m. and we still haven't had dinner. So far our choices have consisted of McDonald's, McDonald's, and McDonalds. I was joking about getting a doughnut at the Shell Station where we filled up with gas. I am beginning to think that I really should have. I always seem to forget that when you are on a trip with Gabe you don't stop for food. How I wish that I had the carrots from the fridge at home. I did bring water, but that just isn't doing the trick. Today wasn't super exciting. Tony, Ryan, and I began working on our paper for our Third year research project. It is on the effects of zeaxanthin on chronic light hypersensitivity. We began dividing up the work since this quarter is almost over and once we become fourth years we will not longer all be at ICOIEI at the same time. I am hoping that we can complete the paper before next quarter begins but I am not sure that we will make it. I also worked some this morning. Classes followed and then we left for Indiana. I drove the first portion of the trip so that Gabe could do some work. Now he driving and I get the computer. Well, I think that I am going to surf the net.

Posted by at 11:12 PM | Permalink

Yesterday I took my strab exam. We also received our scores yesterday. Usually we get a day or so to act as a buffer period before our scores are released back to us. Everything with the exam turned out fine. After the exam I went to my POP job. POP stands for Pediatric Outreach Program. We go to various daycare centers and perform comprehensive eye exams on pre-schoolers. The fourth years pretty much do the eye exams and I do a lot of paper work. It is part of the externship rotation. I do however get to do an occasional exam. After that I worked on the report for our Infant and Child Development practical patient. Class followed and then I came home.
Today I had clinic. Only three more clinic slots until I am a fourth year. Wow! Even though I count down the days I haven't really thought of it like that before...just three more slots. Finals are coming up soon...look for the number of posts to increase. Currently I am watching "Circle of Friends" while typing my blog entry. It has been a while since I have watched it. I still have some of the parts memorized and Gabe asked how may times I have actually watched the movie. I forgot how creepy Sean is. One thing that bothers me about the movie is that they took the backbone out of Benny. If you plan on reading the book or watching the movie and don't want the ending ruined, quit reading now. Okay, if you are still reading here it is...she would have never went back to Jack. He didn't deserve Bennie. Well, I am signing out for tonight...back to the movie.

Posted by at 9:15 PM | Permalink

I just finished watching 7th Heaven. Okay, so now all of you know the show that I need to replace since there are only two episodes left. Anyway, the last few episodes have really focused on Oreo cookies. I think that their marketing tactic is working, because I now find myself craving Oreo cookies and I am not even that big of a fan. Something funny did happen during the episode though. When Kevin and Simon were eating dinner Kevin asked for dessert. Simon said that he had some Oreos. At the same time and while they were eating the cookies an advertisement for Crest Health-Pro Rinse popped up on the screen. They were a sponsor for the episode. Funny thing though, the Oreo marketing worked but I don't find myself wanting to run out and by Crest Health-Pro Rinse. Okay, so now I really need to study.

Posted by at 8:39 PM | Permalink

Ever wonder which Scrubs character you might be? Take a quiz and find out. Thanks to the soon to be birthday girl, Nicole, for the link. I must be honest and say that I don't really watch the show, but a lot of people that I know do. I am looking for a new show to watch since one of the three that I follow only has three episodes left...this may be the replacement. I did watch part of Grey's Anatomy last night and it was pretty good. I am thinking about watching the first season...hmm if I had it now I might start watching. It is probably a good thing that I don't, I need to study. On a totally different wave length...I had a practical today for Infant and Child Development. It was the first group practical that I have ever taken and I must say that it was pretty relaxed. I administered the Intelligence Test. I hope that our group passed. If we didn't then we each have to repeat the entire practical individually, which also means that we each need our own patient by next Monday, when the repeat will occur. So, hopefully we passed since I have an allergy testing session scheduled for Monday...sounds like fun...maybe I would rather do the practical again ;) Well, enough stalling, I should probably get back to studying for my strab exam.

Posted by at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Happy 1st Anniversary to Shane and Stephanie!

Posted by at 8:18 AM | Permalink

I thought that I had heard about everything...I guess not. Apparently a man in Appleton, WI decided to sell his 18 month old daughter for $7,000 to help fund his remodeling project.

Posted by at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Today Gabe, Tony, and I are going to eat at the Hancock Building. To celebrate Earth Day, we will take the mass transit system instead of driving. Okay, we would take the train even if it wasn't Earth Day. Parking downtown is expensive and a pain. I do however recycle paper, plastic, and various metals. I attempted to find an Earth Day celebration downtown today. I was not successful. Apparently Chicago, keeping with its normal tradition of every other holiday, celebrated Earth Day early and not on the actual holiday.

Posted by at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

Okay, this is actually kind of funny since Gabe and I just visited Dublin in February. Check out the link and feel free to post your results :)

Posted by at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator.
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756 ....If you haven't, add 1755.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number.

The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are...YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

You could change the "Chocolate" to anything that you want...like how many times you actually attend class in a week. ;) Anyway about it, it is still a cool use of math. Impress your friends. :) Thanks to Hershie for sending this to me.

Posted by at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you are bored with nothing to do, check out this site. You can guess the age of a person off of a photo and see how close you get to their actual age.

Posted by at 9:48 PM | Permalink

Bored with nothing to do...maybe riding in a car to Chicago...check out Puppy War and vote for the cutest puppy. More of a cat person? Check out Kitten War. Thanks to Laura for the Kitten War info. May the cutest puppy/kitten win!

Posted by at 1:21 PM | Permalink

I have some good news for anyone that likes to post to my blog...you are automatically approved! Provided that when you posted you entered an email address. The important thing is to always enter your email address the same way, and yes, capitalization DOES matter. If you try to post and your comment doesn't appear, let me know.

P.S. I love internet via cell phone...I can have my internet fix in the car.

Posted by at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Happy Easter everyone!

Posted by at 9:26 AM | Permalink

Ever wonder which superhero you might be? Check out this quiz. Thanks to Laura for pointing this site out.
My Results: I am Iron Man
Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Iron Man 70%
Superman 65%
Green Lantern 60%
Robin 53%
Wonder Woman 50%
Spider-Man 50%
Supergirl 50%
The Flash 50%
Hulk 30%
Batman 30%
Catwoman 25%


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Posted by at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

We had Easter Dinner a day early since Gabe and I will be leaving to go back to Chicago tomorrow. Due to the lack of kitchen facilities, we grilled and it was good. We also picked up a few items from the deli that did not require cooking (i.e., potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, etc.). We actually managed to dirty very few dishes, which turns out to be a handy thing when you don't have a kitchen sink. Before dinner we cleaned up my Dad's truck. If optometry school doesn't work out I could always have a career in the car cleaning industry.

Posted by at 9:19 PM | Permalink

We went to my parents for Easter. The drive was long. It was made a bit shorter by the fact that Gabe drove instead of me. It was well after midnight before we pulled in, and everyone was in bed. Both Gabe and I managed to avoid waking up my parents, but Elsa (my dog) didn't. She jumped right into bed next to my mom and woke her up. Just a little side note: the thing that gets me about my dogs is that they will wake me up in the morning and jump/quietly bark until I get out of the bed and then they both go back to sleep. Anyway, today Gabe and I went for a run, went to the deli and purchased items for lunch meat sandwiches, and then we worked on the pool area (i.e., pulling weeds, potting flowers, etc.). It was actually a productive and relaxing day. We then went out to dinner at the new Italian Restaurant the next town over. It was pretty good, but I give it a year. Most of the restaurants in that location don't last more than a few years. So, you are probably wondering why we are eating lunch meat and out at restaurants since my mom enjoys cooking. My mom is having her kitchen redone. She currently has no water, stove, microwave, or basically anything that you need to cook. She does however have a fridge, hence the lunch meat. I am not sure what we will do tomorrow.

Posted by at 9:07 PM | Permalink

While in clinic today a doctor showed me this website. Aside from the fact that there are some major issues with the info (i.e., LASIK ablates part of the cornea not the lens and how does the flap get pulled back?), it is very funny. If it didn't cost $100 I would order one just to see what it is like, though I am not too eager to give them my credit card number and they don't take paypal.

Posted by at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday I did something that I would consider to be pretty interesting. I went with my friend, Tony, to Filbert's. Filbert's is a family run soda business just a few minutes from where I live. They offer a large variety of flavors, and you can mix and match a box of 24 bottles to suit your own taste. The internet sells Filberts from $30.00 to $40.00+ for a case of 24, but if you actually go to the bottling facility it will run you $9.00. I have not tried any yet, but I plan on sampling them all at my parent's house. I bought a case to take with me next time that I go and visit. If you plan on seeing me and you would like a case, let me know and I will pick one up for you, otherwise here is a website where you can order them. I don't believe that Filbert's has an official website, or if it does I couldn't find one. The flavors that they offer are (since no single website lists them all): black cherry, blue raspberry, cream soda, cherry, cola (which I was told by a worker contains triple the caffeine of a regular cola), diet root beer, fruit punch, ginger ale, grape, grapefruit, lime, Mr. Newport, orange, peach, pineapple, root bear, strawberry, watermelon, and sparkling water...wow that was a lot! Just for fun, filbert belongs to the hazelnut family and received its namesake because it ripens near the celebration of monk with the same name.

Posted by at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have a had a fairly decent week, minus the test. However, I had an extraordinary day a few days ago. I heard from a couple of friends (actually 3). It always makes me happy to hear what is going on in their lives, since I no longer get to see them on a regular basis. Also, we had an extra-credit quiz in one of my classes, and I got the problem right. Oh yeah, and the weather was great. I am really looking forward to grilling again this summer, and I am not talking about the George Foreman that we have used all winter.

Posted by at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In addition to my normal Monday through Saturday schedule at school I managed to squeeze in a Sunday lecture. I just returned from the Contact Lens Symposium. While I was there I was beginning to wonder why I signed up, this was my seventh day in a row educating myself in the wonderful building where I seriously believe that I have left a permanent imprint of my behind in the seat. It turns out that the symposium was pretty fun and I did learn a lot, I just want a little time to relax. I would like to think that I will get it next weekend when I have off for Easter. Well, I guess that the thing that I really like the least is that I had to dress up everyday and I was only allowed to wear jeans on Monday. I realize that I have to dress up for the profession that I have chosen, but I would like more than one day to dress down. I love my jeans! I have stalled enough...I need to study for my neuro test on Tuesday.

Posted by at 3:55 PM | Permalink

Well, I had to send something media mail again today. They were some DVDs that were sold on Amazon. Due to my last adventure at the post office, and since Gabe was with me this time, I decided to let him mail the package. There is one thing that I have left out...the post office ladies LOVE Gabe. I have never seen so much flirting going on (the ladies, not Gabe). Needless to say, no one questioned what Gabe was actually mailing. I have noticed that a lot of ladies in our neighborhood like Gabe. There is a particular grocery store near our apartment, that when we go to the deli one of the workers hides in the back. Then another worker will help him and go back in the back room and say things like "You are right, he is cute. You should have helped him." Well, I will say one thing, the ladies of the neighborhood are much nicer when he is around.

Posted by at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Construction has begun on the Dan Ryan in Chicago. They are going to be shutting down six lanes of traffic and IDOT is asking that cars use alternate routes and leave the remaining open lanes to the trucks. Well, people did a pretty good job of this today, and the alternate routes were backed up while the Dan Ryan was clear. So, as you can imagine, cars were taking the Dan Ryan. IDOT issued a statement saying that their goal was no cars on the Ryan and they were disappointed with the cars that were taking it. Well, I can't say that I blame the cars. If my commute time were going to be less taking the Ryan, then I think that I would take it over the alternate routes. There is also construction going on on at least one of the alternate routes and, in my opinion, it is not equipped to handle the extra traffic flow. Gabe said that most of the trucks were not taking the Dan Ryan, but instead were taking the toll road. I guess the toll system made a lot of money today. The Dan Ryan is the road that I take to school everyday, and unfortunately the alternate routes take about twice as long. Okay, so my commute is 20 minutes instead of 10, but a lot people have it worse than I do.

Posted by at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Happy April Fools Day! Anyone pull any good pranks?

Posted by at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

So, the scleral depression lab was yesterday. It really wasn't that bad...just a little uncomfortable. Though I have noticed that now things seem a "little uncomfortable" and before when I was not an optometry student and I was getting my yearly eye exams, some things just plain hurt. Like the drops that you put in don't sting or burn, instead you say that they just "tingle a little". Plus, I have had so many of them put into my eyes with all of the practicing that we do on each other, they really don't bother me anymore. Back to scleral depression...you dilate your patient and take a scleral depressor (a.k.a. metal stick) and press on the eyeball through the eyelid while looking into the eye with a BIO and a lens. You are looking for holes, tears, etc., in the retina. It is a little harder to do than it sounds until you get the hang of it. Gabe is getting an eye exam soon, so I told him if we weren't too busy in clinic I was going to practice scleral depression on him. By his reaction, he either thinks that I am kidding, or he isn't too thrilled with the idea. Could be a little of both. For those of you shaming me right now for saying that he is getting an eye exam soon, he said that I could put that on my blog. :)

Posted by at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)