Chemistry Widow

This school semester has been particularly tough for both Jon and me. In addition to starting nursing classes, Jon had some prerequisites to finish up as well. Anatomy and Physiology 2 and an accelerated Chemistry class round out his course load at 17 credits. (A normal load is 12 credits.)

I started a Master's program in Technical Communication and am taking my first graduate class this semester, too. Being back in school has been a challenging adjustment for me. I haven't found the course work to be unmanageable, but those of you that know me well know that I like to do exactly what I want, on my schedule, my terms. I really dislike activities with compulsory attendance so until recently, Tuesday night from 6 - 9 pm just grated on my nerves.

The other thing I resent is the thought of homework that persistently lurks in my subconscious. I started having dreams about walking into class to find that not only had I not studied the material, I had forgotten to go to class for the entire semester.

With a little over a month to go, I am finally rounding the corner. I don't grimace when Tuesdays roll around and I feel like I am getting a handle on the course work.

I still hate Monday nights and Thursday nights, though. Jon chose a chemistry class taught in the Boise suburb of Nampa because former students said the teacher was excellent. We talked it over and decided that we could handle a semester-long break in our dinner routine but I think we both hate it. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, Jon leaves the house at 4 pm to get to class by 6 pm and avoid the stop and go traffic heading out to the suburbs. On these days I don't even see him until 9 pm and we both forage for dinner alone.

Our dinner routine is a favorite thing of mine. I relish the remaining nightly meals, but I long for the return of those few nights. Planning meals, cooking together, sharing the day's stories, cleaning up, and discussing the merits of the meal; these things anchor our marriage in a way. I think we will both be glad to have this semester under our belts.

Has Spring Sprung?

The weather seems to be a hot topic of conversation as of late. You see, it has been pretty nice here lately compared to our January stint of 8 degree Fahrenheit (-13 C) mornings and the abundance of snow we received. The morning mercury hasn’t dipped into the teens for about 2 weeks, and frankly I don’t miss it! Jumping on the bicycle to head downtown is much more enjoyable when you don’t have to freeze your ears off doing it. Our daytime temperatures have been in the 40s, and 40 in the high desert sun is pretty darn nice. Sunday we went for a walk in the foothills with the doggies. I was surprised to see how quickly the trails have begun to dry out. Of course there are several places that are muddy, but those places were easy to avoid.

I hope spring has not sprung yet, I want more time to play in the snow! The news reports are leading me to believe that we’ll be in winter for a good bit longer. There are reports of ski resorts and forest service negotiations to extend resort leases until late April because significant snowmelt is supposed to be delayed this year. Wahoo! We may get to play in the snow until May!


Speaking of playing in the snow, we recently had some visitors from Raleigh, NC. Our friends came up and got surprised by our little slice of Idaho. It was a great visit, plenty of relaxing, some fine dining, and some pretty heavy powder at Bogus Basin. I had billed Bogus as our “little local resort” because I didn’t want to set an expectation of a great western ski resort. I was informed that when compared to any of the southeastern resorts, it was a great resort. I think I’ve just become spoiled by the west and the terrain already. I picked up my 08/09 season pass yesterday, $199.00. Oh how I do enjoy being spoiled!

Tonight we may head over to the foothills trail meeting to see what is to be done about the apparent dog poo problem on the trails. My crystal ball tells me that we may have to drive a few miles further in the future if we want to let our pups run free on the trails. I guess we’ll see. How would you change the habits of those owners who refuse to pick up the poo of their pet? I don’t know if it’s possible to change those inconsiderate people.

Yesterday finished my first round of exams for this semester, and boy was it a tough one. Apologies for the lack of blogging on my part, I’ve been trapped in a room with an enormous stack of textbooks and lab manuals. I am spending considerably more time studying this semester than ever before. I don’t think my credit load will increase over the next couple of years but I’m certain my workload will when I start doing clinical rotations. At the start of the semester I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to maintain my GPA with my current class schedule, now I know I can do it. Although, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to maintain my hobbies at their previous levels. Biking and snowboarding have taken a distant second to class and studying ☹. The exam grades are well worth sacrificing some hobby time.

Shiver Me Timbers

Some Boiseans are serious about bicycle commuting. On a morning a few days ago, I sat in my truck at a traffic light on a snow-covered road with two bicyclists while the flakes rained down. Jon is no exception. He is committed to continue biking to school year-round and this is his get-up for riding in 19 degree temperatures. My heart swells with pride for him, but sinks just a little as I slide into the driver's seat of my truck. I'm still acclimating.

He Shoots....He Scores!!!!

No, I'm not talking about basketball. Those of you that know me are aware of my lack of interest in most team sports. I'm referring to acceptance into the Boise State University Nursing program, I'm finally IN. The thick envelope came in the mail today. After all the headaches, the wait is over. It's a pretty simple letter beginning with "Congratulations Mr. Dunn", blah blah blah, you can probably guess the rest. I did try to call several folks to share the news but it seems that everyone I know was pretty busy or call screening me today. :)

What a relief it was to get that letter. I wasn't left with much assurance after checking with admissions a few weeks ago about the list. They were working through it, but not nearly as fast as they thought they would. I'll admit I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to reapply next semester.

Big smiles... and big sighs.

I'd celebrate right now with a few beers but I've got class tonight so maybe when I get home!

One Down and One To Go

Today I finished Western Civ II, after correcting two questions on the test I should have a 100% on the final.

Tomorrow or Wednesday I'll finish Sociology of the Family, the completion of that test will bring an end to my first two years of college. The sociology class was by far my favorite of the two classes this semester. I learned so many things about myself, my wife, our marriage, and the way we communicate. I thought the most interesting thing was learning about how to deal with the differences in how men and women think, act, and communicate (and yes, fight). I would recommend this class to everyone that doesn't plan to be a recluse, it's definately a class I'll use throughout my life (I'm keeping the book too, surely I'll need it as a reference at some point).

I don't feel like adding up the number of years it took to get the two year degree. Maybe the fact that it has taken forever to do the first two years has something to do with my GPA, which should round out to about 3.97.