College

Tomorrow is my first day of college. It's very exciting. Actually, I wasn't excited at all until earlier this evening when I was talking to Greg and he had been teasing me about whether I'd picked out what to wear yet. The fact is that I hadn't, and normally this would have been something I'd done already. I hadn't thought about it at all, really. I didn't even know what to tell Emma earlier in the day when she asked what my classes were.

Now I've packed my lunch (left over stir fry, a fruit cup, and a granola bar, whee), put the things that I'll need in my backpack, although I'm largely guessing. They didn't give out a "what to bring on your first day of massage therapy college" handout. Paper, pens, clipboard. I understand that we get a package with sheets and towels and lotions, so I won't need to bring any of that. There were lockers in the building. I imagine I get a locker. Should I pack my own lock? Hmm. I'll add it just in case.

College is a completely different process than university. I have orientation starting at 9 tomorrow morning (45 minutes later than the usual start time), and then classes in the afternoon. Starting Tuesday I have classes from 8:15 to 2:15 every weekday. Much different from the university 18 hours of lecture time a week.

Now I have picked out my clothes: cool jeans, one of those black t-shirts that comes down low over the bum - this is helpful when massaging, because otherwise your shirt tends to ride up - and bright red socks with Curious George on them. I figure you have to have your mix of stylish practicality with just plain fun.

I've also checked my classes. Although I don't know what time in the day I'll have them, I now know that I'm taking:
Anatomy and Physiology 1
Professional Development
Massage Theory and Techniques
Regional Anatomy 1
Palpation Lab 1

All looks pretty good. There's a fair amount of what amounts to chemical/cellular biology, and lots of medical terminology. No use baby stepping us into these sorts of things if we're going to have the same mastery of anatomy as an M.D. at the end of these 18 months.

Well, I'm off to get my 7 hours of sleep. Wish me luck!

Goodbyes

Today was a day of many lasts. It was my last shift at the campus restaurant. It was the last day that Foot Patrol ran. It was the last day I will likely see many of those footers, particularly those graduating, and they have been some nice people to know. Some of them, of course, that I am closer with I'm sure I'll stay in contact with, but the majority, the realist in me says, I will likely drift from.

Today was the last day that I had to step onto campus, or will have to, with the exception of graduation later this spring. Today was full of goodbyes and steps towards an uncertain future. I baked banana chocolate chip muffins today and brought them in to share with the foot patrol people, and while it was wonderful to see all the people there (and there were many others just stopping in as well), it was all the same a little hard, tinged as it was with endings.

I'm glad to be back at home, at the end of this day, with my roomie and my cat. Sometimes at the end of a day when many goodbyes have been said it's nice to have something stable and normal to come home to. My cat eating a plastic bag is just that: normal, and reassuring, even if he does seemingly have a death wish.

Is that a...

I didn't work today during the day, so I spent some time doing some spring cleaning. I vacuumed, I swept, I mopped, I dusted, and somewhere in the middle of it all I saw something. Something that had me crouched with my nose inches from the floor, staring at a fleck. Could it be what I thought it might be? Carefully, I transfered the tiny thing into a ziploc bag, locked the apartment, and walked up the street.

Ten minutes later the woman behind the desk confirmed my suspicions.

"Congratulations," she said, "it's a tapeworm."

EW EW EW EW EW!!!

Rumble and Malika now have an appointment with the vet on Thursday.

(Somewhat ironic that this happened on the same day as I got a letter for college from my doctor stating that I was free of communicable diseases)

Intelligence is counting in Spanish

I was on the bus today, on my way home from picking up a few groceries, and there was a little girl, maybe 5 or 6, sitting on the seat next to me. Her mother was across the isle with a younger girl in a stroller. The girl beside me was chanting:

uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, seite, ocho. uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, seite, ocho. uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, seite, ocho. uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, seite, ocho.

It was kind of cute. Periodically she'd stop and say, "Mom, what's nine in Spanish? Mom?" Mom would say, "I don't know", and the little girl would resume chanting. One time she stopped to ask again, Mom gave her unhelpful response, and I said to the little girl, "it's nueve."

The girl turned to me, obviously seeing me for the first time, and with a look of awe asked, "you know Spanish?" I smiled and told her I knew a little Spanish. She nodded. Then she said, "I guess you must be really smart. I was asking my Mom because she's really really smart." She paused, and sighed, and then, "but I guess she's not that smart."

Existence

Here's a funny thing that happened that I forgot to tell you about. In the process of applying to college I had to provide them with a copy of my high school transcript. I called my high school and put in an order for them, only to cancel it a couple weeks later after realizing that I had a copy already left over from my graduation ceremony. That's not the funny part.

I got a phone call from my high school guidance department, going something like this:

Her: Hello, Haley? This is Ms. Someone from the guidance department at Your High School. I received a notice that you were looking for a copy of your high school transcript.
Me: Well, yes, I was, but I no longer need it anymore.
Yes, I realize, however I'm having trouble actually finding you on file.
Oh. That's...strange.
When did you graduate again?
2003.
You didn't transfer from another high school, or graduate at a different high school?
No. Only there.
Hmm. Can you spell your name for me?
H-A-L-E-Y. P-...
Interesting. No, I don't have you on file as ever having attended this school. In fact, I don't have you as a student in the board at all.
Well that is odd. Guess it's good I don't need my transcript after all.

A week later I got a letter from her saying that she'd been looking in the wrong student list. So don't fear people, I do exist! I have a record to prove it!

Baha.

Done University

Well folks, it's happened. I handed in my last university paper. This means that barring any unforseen failures, I am officially done university. Done, and finished. I wonder, am I an alumni now, or do I have to technically get my grades and my degree first? Am I supposed to be happy? I just feel rather numb, and nothing.

It's a very strange feeling. Like I should still have something to do. A paper, or studying. I've forgotten how to live except as a student. I've never done it, actually. Perma-student. I don't really have to worry about it now anyways, since I start college again on the 30th. Back to the student life, in a different way, at a different school.

Some day. Some day I will be done being a student.

New Band

I've recently come to know and love a new Canadian band, which you should all also know and love. They're called Crash Parallel, and they sing folk rock. They played for my concert at the Turret, and were absolutely amazing live. Unfortunately they don't have a cd out yet, but it's coming. Also somewhat unbelievably, they're not yet signed to a label. I have trouble comprehending the blindness of record labels.

Anyways, I've been listening to Rain Delays over and over for about a half hour now. You should check them out at their myspace. Then you can listen too. And love them. Because I sure do. I get shivers when he sings that one line "I need someone to believe in". Something about his voice. I won't put up any of the other lyrics, since they don't have them up on their own site, but they're so good. Love it.

In other news, I'm writing my last essay of university, due Wednesday. I want it done now!!!

Finals, and Coloured Cats

It's time for finals, once again, here in University Town. Jackie and I have become rather antisocial of late (me more so, methinks, as she still finds time for Scavenger hunts and such) all in an effort to get our never ending papers done. The cats have been becoming increasingly loud and demanding. I believe they are lonely. Eventually they got used to the limited attention, and decided to do something to make their lives more entertaining.

Rumble decided that the best thing to do would be to help me edit my papers. Both by closely monitoring my scratchings in red...

and by kissing the pen for good luck...(I think it worked too! I got an 88% on that one!)
Malika, on the other hand, decided that rather than contribute to the productive team, she would entertain herself by hugging and bunny kicking a stray marker, thereby colouring herself purple.

Both rather fantastic activity choices.