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Rule # whatever: Travel Light.

I think I do that well. That's probably close to half my wardrobe, and a few things I'm leaving at home anyway. Sure, it would have been easier to just pack my suitcase and have room to spare, but I'm trying to jump onto an earlier flight in Minneapolis, so carry-ons it is! I always gate check my duffel anyway. One, people with carry-ons that don't fit in the over head bin bother me, especially when they just leave them there, sticking halfway out and then THE PLANE CANNOT TAKE OFF, seriously, I hate those people) Two, then I don't have to baby sit it getting on and off the plane. And three, I am usually one of the last people to board, because my dad gets the cheapest tickets he can find for us (you would too if you had two kids who both needed to fly somewhere 8 times a year) so there's usually no room for it anyway.

On second, third, fourth, fifth, I don't know how many times I've repacked, I'm not going to bring the bear. I'll just have Drew spray his cloths with his cologne while I'm home.

It is snowing very very lightly right now. If that messes up my travel plans along the way I might cry.

15 hours

The ever-lovely Mara right before our Exercise Physiology exam.
Hopefully I did as well as I think I did.

Now I wait.

Today I sold back two of my philosophy books and found out the other one is sold for $80, but they were only going to give me $30. So I'm saving that one to sell to my roommate. At Sweeny's Used books, every time you sell something back, they let you pick a random prize. Yesterday I got 10% more on my books (my book was only $1.00, so they gave me another dollar instead of $0.10, which was nice) and today I got my choice of brain food. I choose and apple half as big as my head:

Seriously, this apple is huge.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!

Today is my Sarah's birthday! (yes Sarah, I do own you :P ) She is no where near 20 in this picture - only 17 I believe - but I don't have anyway of taking her picture today, which is sad. But here is a more recent picture, brought to you by the wonders of facebook stalking:


I get to see her very soon, which is great!

101

That's all the crap I need to study philosophy. Three books I don't understand, notes from class about the three books that don't make sense, and one study guide that is completely useless. Fucking Utilitarians.

Yesterday was my 100th post.

5 days

It's an awfully dreary day here in Milwaukee. But it is also the start of finals week, so it seems appropriate. It's amazing how many more people are in the library this week compared to last. Even up on the fourth floor all the little cubbies are full of panicked students. I myself have found a nice little place between two almost empty shelves, which is kind of strange, as I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop on a stool, BUT I HAVE A PLUG AND I'M NOT GIVING IT UP. That's the important part. You might be able to find somewhere to sit, but if there's not a plug it's kind of pointless.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I go though headphones like they are candy. I've had my ipod for three years and I've been through about 5 sets of earbuds. The ones Drew got me for my birthday in June are already shot. If you don't keep the wire at the plug-in part at the right angle, the music gets all crackly and you can't hear anything.

6 days

This banner now hangs in men's practice gym at the Al McGuire Basketball Arena.
I really want to go to a game while I'm home. That would be cool. I'd wear a Marquette shirt and scream when they announced his name. Maybe I'll send Westley a letter and be all "Hey, you went to Marquette, I go to Marquette. You live in Utah, I live in Utah. I'm in the Athletic Training program, so I know your previous trainer Ernest. You should hook me up with some good tickets mmmkay?" According to my mom, that's what you do if you want good tickets.
People on campus are all "Go Westley, go Utah Jazz," and I just want to be like, "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE JAZZ!!" But that would be rude.

We are Marquette.

7 days

TWICE! today there were times where I wished I had my camera and didn't. I need to get into the habit of carrying it around with me at all times. But I'm going to have my brother show me how to connect my phone to the computer via bluetooth, so I'll be able to transfer crappy cell phone pictures to here.

This next week is going to take forever.

haha

I'm eating an orange, and this little slice that was wedged in between two regular slices kind of looks like a baby chick.
I mean, if you use your imagination.
See it now?

This is a really blurry stamp. But stamps = mail, and not only for the usual recipient this time. :D You lucky duck you.


I've taken 999 pictures with my camera.


I know exactly what I want to be when I grow up, exactly what I want to do with my life.
It's just getting to that point that proves difficult at times.


I think Dr. Rueckert makes me sound like a dentist. So I'd prefer to be an Owens before I graduate.
But if I'm still Rueckert when I graduate, I can be Dr. Girlfriend. :)

shapes

Today I woke up and you could still see the grass under a very thin dusting of snow. I was confused, as we had been promised 14 inches, and where I am from, 14 inches means you can't see the grass or anything a foot above it. Marquette decided to go ahead and cancel any classes after 5:30pm, which was no help to me.

These are my feet. They are pretty uninteresting, but there is your picture for the day. And yes, I AM wearing Halloween socks, they were the first ones I grabbed from my drawer that would not fall down and scrunch up at my toes when I wear boots.

The angle between the top arch on the side of your pelvis (think hands on your hips - that bone) and straight up and down is called the Q-angle. Due to women having wide pelvises in order to give birth, the Q-angle causes a natural strain on the inside of the knees, where they bow in due to the angle. This is especially apparent in 13 and 14 year old girls who are starting to go through puberty but do not have any of the accompanying leg muscle mass or strength.

The normal Q-angle for a woman is 15 - 25 degrees.

*MY* Q-angle, measured in class the other week, is about 9 degrees. I've always had particularly broad, boyish shoulders and had an easy time gaining muscle definition, but I didn't realize just how boyishly I really am built.
I am now quite worried about having children, because between the two of us, Drew and I are not going to have small babies. :/

I'll be home in 10 days. Not soon enough.

This week started out with talks of a possible snow day on Wednesday (which would be great) due to the HORRIBLE MIDWEST STORM that is blowing through:


As of right now, my hopes of missing lab tomorrow are not high. I am not impressed Milwaukee. Not impressed at all.

My best friend Sarah goes to school at Montana State - Bozemen. It's pretty freaking cold where she is, so I guess I'm don't complaining about the 28* weather here.

KT got engaged. I'm jealous and confused and a little bit weirded out.

sleepy time yet?

As Athletic Training is one of those professions where it is good not only to know what you are talking about, but what you are DOING, I have a practical final on Monday. We have to demonstrate that we know how to test five different things in either the foot, ankle, knee, or hip. I feel like I know the hip best, so I'm hoping I get that one. Our regular written final a week from Monday.

This is the inside of your knee joint:

homeless

The library is all ready for Christmas. It makes me happy.

Originally, Campus Housing said that they would contact the people on the waiting list by Thanksgiving. Once that came and past, they said those on the waiting list would know by the start of Christmas break. Today, they told my roommate's parents they don't deal with the waiting list until AFTER we all get back in end of January.
As nice as it would be to live right behind the student union I've given up all hope that I'll get an apartment on campus. So I'm officially looking for a nice studio apartment for myself for next year, and it just so happens I am going on a tour this Monday. It's right next to the Dental School (thus, within campus safety patrol limits) $425/month, which includes internet and all utilities except electric, and this complex happens to be cool enough to offer 9 month leases to students.

I earned a whole $0.19 in interest on my checking account in the month of November! I'll surely be able to pay for school now!
Good think my savings account makes nearly 16x the interest my checking does. Thanks Utah Power and Light!

Ummmmm.... They are playing The Time Traveler's Wife today at the Varsity Theater. I think I'll head over soon.

Wednesday night I had about 15 minutes to kill. I originally was going to go for a walk around the east half of campus, because I'm never over there anymore, but it was cold, so I just went to work early.

Yesterday at about 11am it decided to be winter. I went from being able to wear a sweatshirt outside to having to wear a sweatshirt, my pea coat, a scarf, and gloves to go outside in one day. It's 21*, which is warmer than home right now, but the bloody windchill makes it feel like 5*.
Not cool.

The annual Athletic Training Ugly Sweater Christmas party is tonight. I wasn't able to go last year for some reason, and I have to work this year, so I'm going to be an hour late. Hopefully there is still pizza left when I get there!!
But really, I love the AT family. Cause there's only 50 of us or so in the entire major, so we are pretty close.

purpose

Armed with these rolls of tape, I can stop your arches, ankles, shins, knees, wrists, and elbows from hurting (or at least make them hurt less). I can poke your knee in one spot and tell you if you've torn a ligament or damaged cartilage. I can tell you what ligaments you tore in your ankle if you've sprained it. I can tell if there is something wrong with your hips and pelvis just by looking at you. I am saving the world one ice bag at a time.
I am an Athletic Training Student, and that is why I'm here.

While you think about all you may want for Christmas, remember that there are people that want what you already have.

mumbles

Last year I lived in a dorm called Cobeen. There was a dining hall on the first floor, so I ate there everyday. This year I live on the other side of campus, and since my dorm does not have a dining hall I usually eat at McCormick, but only things I can make myself (sandwiches, salad, cereal). I make it to Cobeen for food maybe once a week, which is sad, because they have the best food on campus. Not only that, the pizza there has the BEST cheese to sauce ratio in this city (besides Pizza Shuttle, but that is hard to get and expensive).
The cheese to sauce ratio can make or break a piece of pizza you know.

I'm pretty freaking stoked for next year when I HAVE MY OWN KITCHEN!!!

I could really go for a leg/calf/foot massage right about now. That would be AWESOME.

What do you do when you want to tell someone something, that you think would really help them out, but it's not the nicest thing to say and you're not sure if it's even your place to say it?

There is something about doing my own laundry that is very satisfying to the OCD part of me. I know $3.50 every two weeks for a load of darks, a load of whites, AND drying isn't that much money... but I would still rather not have to pay to have clean clothes. Being able to set a full basket on the counter in the laundry room and find it full of clean -and folded- clothes at the top of the stairs two or three days later was something I took for granted at home. I take a lot of things for granted at home. Like not worrying about my chicken still being pink in the middle and being able to go for a run at 9 o'clock at night.

Speaking of running, I fear I am falling apart from the waist down. Both my ankles bother me from being sprained and not taken care of correctly, my achilles tendons are tightening and hardening (they should be soft and stretchy), my left kneecap occasionally grinds on femur when I go up the stairs, my IT-bands are getting so tight you can feel the ligaments under my skin (not good), and my hips always hurt.
As I am not an athlete at Marquette I can't go to the training room and ask someone to fix me like I could in high school. As an Athletic Training Student I feel like I should be able to fix myself, but it seems like all I've learned so far is how to figure out WHAT is wrong and WHY, but not HOW to fix it.

More and more often I wonder what I am doing in Milwaukee, what I am doing at Marquette, what I am even doing in this major. More days than not I feel like I don't belong here, but I've already put $36,000 into my education (or my parents have)... that's quite a lot of money to throw away by transferring schools. Not that I even know where I would go or what else I would study.