INTERESTING TIMES

A teenage girl sued her school to get a prayer taken down from the gym wall, and won. Local Catholics then showed how classy they are when challenged.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/us/rhode-island-city-enraged-over-school-prayer-lawsuit.html?_r=2

A single engine is idling on the track less than two blocks from my window. The wisteria is blooming purple and sweet outside the window, and the grape vines are just starting to leaf. It's 62.2 degrees F and dry. I went for my standard walk wearing my long gray coat, because it somehow feels really good to sweep along in it even though I don't need the warmth. I am slow to admit that spring has sprung here, because so often I will end up chilled by a dark drizzling fog sometime when I left home without enough layers.
( braindump )

There's a new bill before congress that would provide a mechanism to forgive the student loans of those who have paid steadily on the debt for 25 years. Seems like light at the end of the tunnel for me, given the ridiculous cost of higher education today in combination with the declining economy. The other light I see is that if inflation causes a mass devaluation of our currency, my debt will be nothing.

I want to serve humanity, and it is absurd that I am getting saddled with a debt that is more than I have earned so far in this life. It seems unlikely given the situation that I will ever be able to repay it, and just that thought is burdensome. Primary care providers are desperately needed. But I'm not sure I want to be under the gun for the rest of my life to do it. Or do I? Maybe I am a masochist.

HR 2492 is bipartisan and will be coming to a vote sometime soon, so your contact to representatives could make a difference. The Income-Based Repayment program sets lower monthly student loan repayments and forgives both debt and interest after 25 years. The amount forgiven would be taxed as income to the borrower. The idea is to wipe the slate clean for responsible borrowers.

Please take a moment to write to your representative: Urge him or her to support H.R. 2492 and ensure there's really a light at the end of the tunnel.

Click on this URL to take action now:
http://capwiz.com/ticas/utr/2/?a=13579871&i=94349062&c=

THANK YOU!

Phew. I am glad that's over. The pathology exam wasn't as hard as I expected, but then, I did study for it most of the day yesterday. I studied in my indirect way---find one thing that he said is important, and look it up until I actually understand it. There are lots of things I didn't even look at, but the things I did look at I believe I will actually remember, for a while at least. I was so engrossed in studying that I missed choir practice. I had meant to go but just didn't notice the time.... I will have to review the music on my own, since I have missed the last two rehearsals prior to the concert. My throat is not entirely better, but I think I can sing enough to contribute to the choir.

I had a pleasant weekend in good weather. Worked my hydro shift Saturday morning, then in the afternoon went up to Austin Hotsprings on the Clackamas River with M. The area of the springs has been recently rearranged by the owners using a bulldozer. The pools have all been filled with gravel and there are new concrete barriers blocking entry to the place. Rumor has it that a woman and two children were badly burned there about a month ago. Apparently the owner was trying to minimize his liability by destroying the pools, but somebody had already built a new pool and while we were there we were working on a second one. You can't stop a hot springs from coming up out of the ground, and you can't stop people from trying to get in it. People stay clothed at this hotsprings because it is so close to the road, and because a lot of Russians use it, and they are conservative.
( the rest )

I am supposed to be asleep but I haven't been sleeping well the last several nights. My TMJ is acting up such that I can't even put the backs of my teeth together, and I have to be in class at 7:30am tomorrow morning. There is something about the time pressure that makes it even harder to get to bed on time. It doesn't help that tonight I had a class until 8pm, and on Mondays and Wednesdays I'm committed until 9pm. It takes me a few hours to decompress after classes. I can't just go to sleep. I end up getting up at 11 or 12 and puttering around until I start to sag again.
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Suzanne left at noon today and here I am studying amoebae. I needed to keep busy, so I am. Will meet with students to study these critters tonight. The plastic sheets are down from the library. A classmate was here in the library telling me that his wife isn't happy here and she is moving back to her family, and taking their newborn. Med school is hard on relationships...hard on a person....just plain old hard. I hope I feel ready for it when it starts back up again. I have a month. I need to come back to this library on a regular basis until I have printed up all the syllabi and figured out which books I need to have, and which I can just use in the library.

Flunked a microbio exam yesterday. I was busy over the weekend and didn't even realize that there would be an exam. I was not the only one who bombed it: the format was a complete surprise and the majority of people probably failed. Today I came in for an Organ Systems exam, probably passed that one though it was tough. Then Organ Systems lecture was cancelled due to technical difficulties. Then in Intro to Clinic class we had an entertaining lecture on OSHA requirements for a clinic. Lots of work to do to fulfill OSHA requirements if you're going to open your own clinic. Now waiting for lecture to begin in Microbio. We didn't start class on time because some people were taking the test and the rest of us who took it when scheduled had to wait so that the late people could attend the lecture. The prof is a researcher and has no idea how to teach a class or write an exam, or deal with competing interests. He is showing the stress of being a pleaser when we can't possibly be pleased.

More hours of my day have been wasted by this school than have been educational. It is days like that that make me really wonder what on earth is going on.

Haven't really posted in a while. I've been under the weather. Not sure what's the matter, but something isn't right. Too tired. Barely keeping up with school. Today I probably didn't pass the organ systems test. I checked my answers and counted up, and I was unsure about more than half of the questions. Not a good average.

At least I don't have a test tomorrow. I needed a night off. There's a full moon tonight, and an eclipse. Should be complete right about now. Going outside to see.

1. I resolve to get aerobic exercise 3 or more days a week for 30 minutes or more in duration.
2. I resolve to meditate at least once daily.
3. I resolve to show my love daily.
4. I resolve to keep up with my school work on a daily basis.
5. I resolve to completely abstain from intoxicants at least 3 days a week.