Category: This ‘n That

Musings from a Peter Pan mind

An 85!

Well I am a little better today. I finished my Anatomy and Physiology test and received a grade of 85. That makes me feel a little better. A and P is a breeze compared to Chemistry. My brain does not think logically and that is why I think I am having so much trouble. It is all math, and I just can’t seem to keep the formulas straight in my head… not to mention they are all word problems. I feel as if my brain just shuts off when I see one.

A 48!

I can’t believe it! My brain was about to explode from studying. I took my Chemistry test and got a 48! A 48! I haven’t gotten a score that low since grade school. Luckily I still have an 85 average. This chemistry is my enemy. I hope that the rest of the chapters aren’t this tough or I will be repeating this horrible experience. Never let anyone tell you that taking courses online is easier. It is hell!

Chemistry and Anatomy

I haven’t written because I have been swamped with Chemistry and Anatomy & Physiology studies!  I have decided to go to Quincy College for my Nursing degree.  I need these two courses to be admitted to their Nursing program. I am taking them online through a Seward Community College in Kansas!  There is so much work and there is an exam every 5 days. To say I am overwhelmed would be an understatement! I used to be an “A” student, but given the amount of material I am covering, that goal seems completely out of reach! I think I am going to have a problem getting the “C” I need for admission! Why I decided to take two courses at once is beyond me. A&P is accelerated and will take 7 weeks, while Chemistry is about 13 weeks. Well, I am off to the home Chemistry Lab… where can I buy Lye in solid form?

Vote for Doug Obey…Not!

I am so sick of politicians bombarding my phone line, mailbox, and life. I get so many calls telling me to vote for this one… vote for that one. Candidate for State Representative Doug Obey is hands down the worst! He is everywhere! Signs on lawns, phone calls, and way too many fliers. My biggest problem with him is his name….Obey! I’m not voting for anyone that has a name with that much authoritarianism! Yes he says it sounds like oh-bee, but Obey, is oh-bay… no matter what you tell yourself.
Today, Mr. Obey really kicked it up a notch by appearing at my front door! Now this man was actually invading my personal space! I decided I must confront him and find out what he is about, or at least to try and stop his virus-like campaign. I knew I must proceed cautiously, lest my house might somehow be plastered with Obey signs… shutting out all my oxygen. I opened the door.

Mr. Authoritarian shook my hand and introduced himself, little did he know what he was in for. Being the gay activist that I have become, my first question was, “What do you think about gay marriage?” Mr. O. looked at me and said, “I think the people should vote on it.” Bzzzzzzzz, wrong answer. I told him how I felt that there is no way a majority should be allowed to vote on a minority’s civil rights. I told him that there is no way the gay community can compete with the money that is being poured into writing discrimination in constitutions across the country from the religious right. He told me we had the most money and power. I told him he was wrong. He told me I should have equal rights, but that it shouldn’t be called marriage, because it offends a lot of religious people. I told him we have separation of church and state. He told me he was against civil unions too, but says there should be something else that grants the same rights as marriage to gays and lesbians. I told him about separate but equal laws, and he had no idea there were such a thing. He told me that if it were put to a vote to grant the same rights to gays and lesbians it would pass. I told him he was wrong and naive. He told me that I was not legally married because the courts decided whether I could be married. I told him I was legally married in Massachusetts. He told me that if I was legally married then the people who wrote the constitution meant for gays to be married. I told him that was ridiculous, and that the constitution has changed since it was written, and will continue to change. He told me that marriage has not changed for thousands of years and was always one man, one woman. I told him that in some cultures it is one man and many women, that women were property, and that marriage has changed many times over thousands of years. He asked me what if men in the United States wanted to have more than one wife? I told him that is not the issue, they still can marry at least one person whom they love, while gays and lesbians cannot except in Massachusetts. He told me that discrimination doesn’t go on here in Massachusetts, I told him it most surely does. I told him that if one straight man stands up against the discrimination against gays and lesbians, he has far more power for change than 10 gay activists. He told me he has to represent his constituents, I told him that should include his minority ones also.

There was so much that I wanted to say and yet I felt so unprepared for the debate. I only like to state facts when I debate and it was clear to me Doug Obey was sorely misinformed, yet felt free to state things he knew nothing about. He really needs to learn about discrimination, the power of mob rule, and he needs attend a good course on the constitution, the founding fathers, and constitutional law. He is extremely out of touch with the needs of minorities and doesn’t even know that if the constitutional amendment passes… those of us that are married will still remain so. I wish that I could have studied some things before our meeting. The facts don’t support most of his arguments, but I didn’t always have the answers at my fingertips while he felt free to make blatantly false statements. I was so furious when he left and wanted to chase him down with other points. But my greatest fear is that this man will probably win. Our town is pretty conservative and will probably vote for him because he is fiscally conservative. And then there are those phone calls, signs, and fliers.

Nursing School? Which One?

Well I learned today that I have been accepted to Laboure College for Nursing. I just don’t know if I should go there or not. According to admissions at the college I can start my actual nursing courses in September of 2008. In the meantime I have to take 6 general education courses before then. I can go part-time evenings for the general eds. When the nursing courses begin, I can take those of Friday nights and Saturday days. The program will take two years from September of 2008! My other option is Quincy College. I can apply in October of 2007 for January 2009! In the meantime I can take the 5 general education classes that I need there all online at another college and transfer them in. This program will take 2 1/2 years from January of 2009, thus adding an additional ten months. The nursing courses for Quincy will occur 3 times a week at 2:30 in the afternoon for the first year, and then twice a week at 2:30. Quincy will also be almost 9000.00 cheaper than Laboure. I really am having a terrible time trying to decide. At 43, getting out 10 months early seems really inviting. The money I will start making at the earlier date will more than cover the 9000.00 difference. Knowing that the Nursing clinicals are Friday nights and Saturdays, seems to be easier to manage while I am at home taking care of my mom too. The downside to Laboure are some of the general eds that I have to take that I have no interest in such as World Literature, Religions of the World, or Christianity. The fact that I physically have to attend the college while taking the general eds takes me away from my responsibilities as caregiver to my mother as well.

Quincy is very appealing in that they will accept so many of my general eds from my days at Framingham State, and the only gen eds that I have to take are science courses that I can take online. I can be around at home whenever mom needs me until the Nursing classes start. The downside are the afternoon clinicals, which is when my mother may have doctor appointments and such. The other downside is graduating 10 months later than Laboure. Considering that I will probably want to pursue a Bachelor’s or Master’s while working, 10 months is a nice chunk of my quickly advancing age!

I think if Quincy got me out at the same time, I would probably go there. Taking online science courses with home labs is very appealing to me. I could also probably hire someone if need be with the 9000 dollars I would be saving to sit with my mother. 10 extra months at Quincy though seems like a lot added on when I am just trying to get an associates degree. I need to decide by Monday, so I am having a great weekend!

Rock Music

I have never been a fan of rock music. Tonight on American Idol they featured music from the band, Bon Jovi. I really don’t know why I never caught on to the rock craze. Growing up there certainly were enough bands that I should have liked. I found myself drawn to the sounds of The Captain and Tennille, The Carpenters, and Olivia Newton-John. My brother used to listen to The Beatles when I was young. I remember spinning like a record player in front of his full length mirror to the sounds of, “Listen, Do You Want To Know A Secret!”  I think I have always preferred a vocal solo to a guitar solo.  I also think  I have always been “melody crazy.” If it’s catchy… I’m all over it! I am still singing “You Had A Bad Day” from last season’s American Idol!

Nursing School

I know that I haven’t written anything in a while. I have been spending all my time researching nursing schools. For 15 years I have been taking care of my elderly parents. It began when my Dad had a terrible car accident in 1992. He was on his way to the dentist when he crashed into a Norwood Public Works truck. He was left with ten broken ribs, a punctured liver, a punctured spleen, and a broken neck. The broken neck was not diagnosed until three months after the accident! It was not long after that my father developed Alzheimer’s Disease. He needed constant supervision and eventually needed total physical care which my mother and I provided. He died in my arms one night as I was putting him to bed. Two months before his death in 2003, my mother suffered a devastating stroke during open heart surgery. The stroke left her unable to speak and she could not move her legs or right arm. I was devastated. Now the woman who gave me everything, and was my partner in care to my father… also needed my help. I am glad to say that my mother is much better now. She can walk with a cane, can speak somewhat clearly, and has some mobility in her right arm. She needs assistance with meals, and other activities of daily living, but in general she has mad a remarkable recovery. Our house is just like anyone else’s… two gay guys and a stroke victim!

My Dad worked so hard in his life that we have had enough money for me to stay home as “caregiver to the stars”! Unfortunately, the “financial well” is not as full as it used to be. Mike and I need to plan for our eventual “golden years!” Returning to an acting career is out of the question for me. I need a 401k! Nursing seems to make the most sense to me. I can go to school part-time now, while my mother is stable. If she is still O.K. when I graduate, I can work evenings and weekends when Mike is here. If I don’t at least start something now at 43, I am really going to have a tough time later. I will tell you later what a pain it is to get into nursing school!

HoHos vs Yodels vs Swiss Cake Rolls

As some of you know I have been on a quest recently to find my favorite foods that I remember as a child. This week I did a taste test between Hostess HoHos, Drake’s Yodels, and Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls… three versions of what would be known in the snack food world as swiss rolls. While it is interesting to note that Hostess and Drake are now owned by the same parent company, Hohos and Yodels do taste different. Drakes Yodels are some of the most artificial tasting snacks that you will ever eat.The chocolate coating tastes like hardened wax, and the cream filling is not plentiful enough. I would say that Hostess HoHos are a definite improvement. The outer coating tastes a bit like chocolate and the cream filling tastes better and is more abundant. By a large margin though, the winner is Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls! The chocolate tastes like chocolate and the filling is sweet and creamy. What I don’t get is that none of them taste as I remember them. They all leave an aftertaste that I don’t remember as a kid. In fact all the products from these companies taste different than I remember. I know that many recipes changed when companies started using corn syrup as a sweetener rather than cane sugar. I wonder if that has happened to snack foods and I wonder when did they make the change?  Perhaps my palate just prefers better food now, but I wonder if the recipes have in fact changed.

Next week…Zingers vs Twinkies!

Just Kidding, it is really time for an entry on how I am doing on my diet!