So I thought I'd write a post about some of the stuff I've seen in the advising center this semester. This is my first year advising in the center, which advises mainly freshmen, new transfer students, and undecided majors. To protect the innocent, I won't post about particular students, but I thought I'd compile a list of advice that I've doled out over the past few months. If it's not useful info, at least it's funny...
- The course entitled "Walking and Jogging" is probably about...walking and jogging. No, I've never taken it - that's just my best guess.
- (stolen from a colleague) "No, you don't have to sing in Music Appreciation - I think you listen to music and you appreciate it."
- There is no math involved in Art Appreciation. Again, just a guess.
- I'm sorry, but I can't schedule all of your classes between 8am and 11am when you need 3 lab classes. No, this isn't because biology professors just don't want to get up early.
- I'm not a man. Sorry. If you want the "man advisor", see Dr. Moore. In fact, I would LOVE for you to see Dr. Moore.
- Canada, while technically a foreign country, still speaks English. So I know you don't want a "foreign professor", but really, as he/she is a Canadian, I'm sure you'll be able to understand him/her just fine.
- You've failed Principles of Biology 3 times. Have you considered other career alternatives? I'm just not sure pre-med is the right choice for you.
- Yes, I'm really sure you have to take class X to be a biology major. I'm sorry that you didn't realize earlier that being a science major would involve all that science.
- I realize that in high school you were an overachiever, but I'm not authorizing you to take over 18 hours your first semester of freshman year. Yes, I do understand that you don't want to "waste your time".
'
- I've seen a fair number of students flunking freshman seminar. Why? "That professor expects us to do stuff and turn it in" - wow. How unfair.
- I'm sorry that you're going to have to take course X because what you thought was the equivalent didn't transfer. My advice? Pick a college and stick with it - then you won't have anything to worry about!
These are just the instances that stand out in my mind from the past 8 months or so. As you can tell, I'm warm, fuzzy, and am likely to give you a hug and tell you that everything's going to be ok. Yeah, right. My other colleague from our department has told me that I just need to get zen before I go in there. I'm still trying to work on that. I think a solution for finding my zen might be to just drink heavily before I go in for my hours. I can't say that it's all bad, though. I've seen a lot of people with bright futures who have their act together. The staff there is terrific (shoutout to Davy!). But there are those who provided the examples above. Welcome to college...
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!!
Christmas cards. Then the Christmas photo card. The Christmas letter updating you on the fam. And now, because Dave and I are complete slackers and the internet is wonderful, the Christmas blog. So, if you are reading this, it's likely that you are a family member or a friend, because, well, I can't imagine that total strangers read this blog. :) So to all reading, Merry Christmas.
As I type this, it's 5am. I've been awake since 4:30am. Ian is asleep, so why am I up? Because I absolutely can't wait to see the look and excitement on Ian's face when he sees that the rather sizeable pile of presents in the living room is for him. And some of it wasn't under the tree before now. No, he doesn't really understand Santa. We've been letting him open a present here and there and he doesn't really understand why we're giving him presents, but I don't think he questions it too much. And he gets so excited when he opens them. I love watching him. So, really, I can't wait to see how he reacts to that pile. And next year, he'll probably start to realize that Santa comes on Christmas Eve and that will be even more fun.
So what's in my stocking this year? Have I been naughty or nice? Well, Dave and I are getting some pretty large things, like a new armoire and a dresser that my grandfather built being refinished and a new sewer line (just what I always wanted), but those don't fit under the tree. We have some nice new bedding and we took a mini-vacation to Kansas Ctiy. So overall, I'd say we're having a pretty great Christmas. What really excites me, though, really is the other stuff that doesn't go under the tree. The people. (Warning: I'm about to get mushy).
This year, I'm so happy that I have my husband, a guy who really does treat me like a queen. My partner in crime, the love of my life, and my biggest cheerleader. The guy that knows all my faults and loves me anyway. My son Ian. The child I really never thought we'd have. The most amazing, life-changing little person ever. I definitely don't think I'm one of those supermoms, but I do know that in the love department, I'm up there. So, yes, even though there are days when it gets old repeating "Ian don't touch" or "No Ian, don't pet the fish!" a million times, I'm still so unbelievably grateful to have him. My family. I have the most loving, supportive, wonderful family. We honestly have each other's backs. We're a small bunch, which probably prevents family feuds - not very impressive when a debate would mean 4 against 4. Even though we don't live close to each other, we're still extremely close. I know that we'll always be there for each other. I know that my grandparents were watching us in church last night, probably laughing hysterically that Ian was playing peek-a-boo and turning the pages of the missal of the person behind us, much to my chagrin. Dave's family. I married into a crazy, eclectic, great bunch of people who really treat me like family. My friends. I'm so lucky to have met so many awesome people in my life. I can honestly say that there are people who have touched my life everywhere I've lived. My friends are my extended family. They help me maintain my sanity, for sure. And the people who make my career a joy - my students. Ok, maybe not every single one of them, but I have taught some pretty amazing people. I mentor some really amazing people. And they're shaping me too. I'm lucky enough to have a career where I'll never stop learning. And I would mention my fabulous co-workers, but I already did - they're friends. What can I say - I work in a freakishly nice environment! Ok, so enough mushy rambling. I just consider myself to be the luckiest, most blessed person on earth. I have so much love and joy in my life.
I hope everyone gets what they wanted for Christmas this year. I will post later about our trip to KC and post pics from today. Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
As I type this, it's 5am. I've been awake since 4:30am. Ian is asleep, so why am I up? Because I absolutely can't wait to see the look and excitement on Ian's face when he sees that the rather sizeable pile of presents in the living room is for him. And some of it wasn't under the tree before now. No, he doesn't really understand Santa. We've been letting him open a present here and there and he doesn't really understand why we're giving him presents, but I don't think he questions it too much. And he gets so excited when he opens them. I love watching him. So, really, I can't wait to see how he reacts to that pile. And next year, he'll probably start to realize that Santa comes on Christmas Eve and that will be even more fun.
So what's in my stocking this year? Have I been naughty or nice? Well, Dave and I are getting some pretty large things, like a new armoire and a dresser that my grandfather built being refinished and a new sewer line (just what I always wanted), but those don't fit under the tree. We have some nice new bedding and we took a mini-vacation to Kansas Ctiy. So overall, I'd say we're having a pretty great Christmas. What really excites me, though, really is the other stuff that doesn't go under the tree. The people. (Warning: I'm about to get mushy).
This year, I'm so happy that I have my husband, a guy who really does treat me like a queen. My partner in crime, the love of my life, and my biggest cheerleader. The guy that knows all my faults and loves me anyway. My son Ian. The child I really never thought we'd have. The most amazing, life-changing little person ever. I definitely don't think I'm one of those supermoms, but I do know that in the love department, I'm up there. So, yes, even though there are days when it gets old repeating "Ian don't touch" or "No Ian, don't pet the fish!" a million times, I'm still so unbelievably grateful to have him. My family. I have the most loving, supportive, wonderful family. We honestly have each other's backs. We're a small bunch, which probably prevents family feuds - not very impressive when a debate would mean 4 against 4. Even though we don't live close to each other, we're still extremely close. I know that we'll always be there for each other. I know that my grandparents were watching us in church last night, probably laughing hysterically that Ian was playing peek-a-boo and turning the pages of the missal of the person behind us, much to my chagrin. Dave's family. I married into a crazy, eclectic, great bunch of people who really treat me like family. My friends. I'm so lucky to have met so many awesome people in my life. I can honestly say that there are people who have touched my life everywhere I've lived. My friends are my extended family. They help me maintain my sanity, for sure. And the people who make my career a joy - my students. Ok, maybe not every single one of them, but I have taught some pretty amazing people. I mentor some really amazing people. And they're shaping me too. I'm lucky enough to have a career where I'll never stop learning. And I would mention my fabulous co-workers, but I already did - they're friends. What can I say - I work in a freakishly nice environment! Ok, so enough mushy rambling. I just consider myself to be the luckiest, most blessed person on earth. I have so much love and joy in my life.
I hope everyone gets what they wanted for Christmas this year. I will post later about our trip to KC and post pics from today. Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Say hello to my little friend...
So, there's this new man in my life. He hasn't taken the place of Dave or Ian, but he's with me 23.6/7 (no showers for Bob). We sleep together, we eat together, I tell him what's for dinner and he tells me what to do. He's pretty awesome, and I'm in love...with my insulin pump.
Now, this love affair is a pretty new thing to me. Starting in college, I had a 6 year relationship with a pump that shall remain nameless (mainly because I never gave it a name). He was just a means to give insulin, really. There were programmable basal rates, but that was really it. He didn't have a brain or a soul like Bob. I had to tell him EVERYTHING. And putting him on was a pain - literally. The infusion sets were rather harpoon-like, long, and had to go in at an angle. Psychologically, I wasn't ready to be hooked to something 24/7 - it was a constant reminder of a disease that I tried really hard to forget that I had. So I gave it the old college try. And after 6 years, I decided to go back on shots. Me and shots, we're cool. I'm a pro. I will whip it out and inject table-side at restaurants before you even know what I'm doing. So going back to my comfort zone was nice. I was cool with it.
While I was pregnant with Ian, one of the evil bloodsugar nazis suggested that maybe I should go on a pump. I believe my reaction at the time was something like hanging up the phone and bursting into tears, convinced that I was the worst diabetic pregnant woman they'd ever seen. The relationship between me and that group is a subject of a whole 'nother blog. Suffice it to say that my endocrinologist thought I was doing great with MDIT (multiple daily insulin therapy) and said that if I didn't want to change, I didn't have to. Sold. I was already dealing with so much other stuff, diabetes-wise, I thought that if I had to learn one more new thing that I'd be giving birth in a padded room at a nice institution. Then I discovered this blog - Six Until Me.
This blog talks about a lady that could be my twin. About the same age, kids about the same age, same length of time with diabetes. But she has a pump and a CGM (continuous glucose monitoring). I started reading - WHY did no one tell me what these things were capable of? My inner geek was so excited! I had to have one! Fortunately, BCBS agreed to Bob, but not to the CGM (jerks). And now I have this pretty purple guy who knows how much 1 unit of insulin drops my bloodsugar, what my carb ratios are for different meals (I have two different settings), my different basal rates, AND gets my bloodsugars wirelessly beamed to him from my fancy meter. There were also no iPhones when I was in college - in fact, I'm pretty sure we used carrier pigeons - but now I have apps that tell me how many carbs I'm eating. I do a bloodsugar, tell Bob what we're eating, and he can correct for a low or a high (I set a goal range) and take into account what we're eating. It took a couple of weeks of doing a lot of bloodsugars, but he's pretty well set now.
The moral of this post, other than to introduce you to Bob, is that if you have diabetic friends *type 1* and they aren't on a pump and are adults (still not sure about how I feel about these for little kids), tell them to read this. If they have any questions about pumping, tell them to call me. Really, it's been life-changing. Or, you know, in the words of Wilfred Brimley - "If you have dibitis..." :)
Now, this love affair is a pretty new thing to me. Starting in college, I had a 6 year relationship with a pump that shall remain nameless (mainly because I never gave it a name). He was just a means to give insulin, really. There were programmable basal rates, but that was really it. He didn't have a brain or a soul like Bob. I had to tell him EVERYTHING. And putting him on was a pain - literally. The infusion sets were rather harpoon-like, long, and had to go in at an angle. Psychologically, I wasn't ready to be hooked to something 24/7 - it was a constant reminder of a disease that I tried really hard to forget that I had. So I gave it the old college try. And after 6 years, I decided to go back on shots. Me and shots, we're cool. I'm a pro. I will whip it out and inject table-side at restaurants before you even know what I'm doing. So going back to my comfort zone was nice. I was cool with it.
While I was pregnant with Ian, one of the evil bloodsugar nazis suggested that maybe I should go on a pump. I believe my reaction at the time was something like hanging up the phone and bursting into tears, convinced that I was the worst diabetic pregnant woman they'd ever seen. The relationship between me and that group is a subject of a whole 'nother blog. Suffice it to say that my endocrinologist thought I was doing great with MDIT (multiple daily insulin therapy) and said that if I didn't want to change, I didn't have to. Sold. I was already dealing with so much other stuff, diabetes-wise, I thought that if I had to learn one more new thing that I'd be giving birth in a padded room at a nice institution. Then I discovered this blog - Six Until Me.
This blog talks about a lady that could be my twin. About the same age, kids about the same age, same length of time with diabetes. But she has a pump and a CGM (continuous glucose monitoring). I started reading - WHY did no one tell me what these things were capable of? My inner geek was so excited! I had to have one! Fortunately, BCBS agreed to Bob, but not to the CGM (jerks). And now I have this pretty purple guy who knows how much 1 unit of insulin drops my bloodsugar, what my carb ratios are for different meals (I have two different settings), my different basal rates, AND gets my bloodsugars wirelessly beamed to him from my fancy meter. There were also no iPhones when I was in college - in fact, I'm pretty sure we used carrier pigeons - but now I have apps that tell me how many carbs I'm eating. I do a bloodsugar, tell Bob what we're eating, and he can correct for a low or a high (I set a goal range) and take into account what we're eating. It took a couple of weeks of doing a lot of bloodsugars, but he's pretty well set now.
The moral of this post, other than to introduce you to Bob, is that if you have diabetic friends *type 1* and they aren't on a pump and are adults (still not sure about how I feel about these for little kids), tell them to read this. If they have any questions about pumping, tell them to call me. Really, it's been life-changing. Or, you know, in the words of Wilfred Brimley - "If you have dibitis..." :)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
I'm not dead, just lazy...
Lest you'd given up hope that I'd ever update my blog (more likely you never noticed that I quit updating), worry no more. No promises, but I will try to update a little more regularly. This may be a multi-parter, since I haven't blogged since, oh, June. Or July. Awhile. Anyway...
On the Dave front, Hill's is going well! Really well. Which is soooo awesome. Last time this year, we were searching Chronicle of Higher Ed and I was getting teary-eyed during faculty meetings thinking about leaving ESU. Much better situation this year. He got his official uniform, too. He brought home one to show me and I immediately coined his uniform shirt a "stripper shirt" because it has snaps (no buttons in a plant - they could fall off). It's a nice uniform, though. The best thing is, he's enjoying it. And that is awesome.
Ian is a very adorable bundle of toddler energy. At his 18 month checkup, he was 33" tall and 23lbs. We're thinking that he's grown since then, because all those cute little jeans I got him in September are starting to look like high-waters. Time to move to 24mo jeans. I can't believe he's going to be 2 in February! His vocabulary is expanding by the second, he loves movies and books. His favorite things involve Cars or Thomas the Train. He's pretty good at telling us what he wants, which is great, unless you don't want him to have it. He's persistent, to say the least. But overall, I think we won the lottery.
Confession time - I started this post in OCTOBER!! It's December 20th, just for the record. It's been a little bit crazy this semester. The A&P course got a pretty big revamp with a night session on Mondays, more tests (which means more grading for me), and overall just a great class of people who ASK QUESTIONS! I always love my fall classes because it's made up of mostly nursing students. I always feel like I connect with them. We had a great semester. On the research front, my first grad student defended successfully and is now in Indiana working for a toxicology laboratory. Two more grad students should be writing this semester and leaving - one hopefully for a Ph.D. program at Alabama, and one hopefully for a teaching job. My undergrads are fantastic and two will be staying with me for Master's degrees (yay!). And my newest grad student will start her research this summer. Doing something neither of us really knows how to do. Hey, the blind leading the blind got me a Ph.D., so I'm not going to worry too much. On the whole, A&P and other responsibilities (LA&S Dean Search committee, learning the SAC office) kept me from being as active in the lab as I want to be. Thank God for amazing students! I've told them I wouldn't abandon them this semester.
So that's it for now. I will update you all on Bob, the new love of my life, soon.
On the Dave front, Hill's is going well! Really well. Which is soooo awesome. Last time this year, we were searching Chronicle of Higher Ed and I was getting teary-eyed during faculty meetings thinking about leaving ESU. Much better situation this year. He got his official uniform, too. He brought home one to show me and I immediately coined his uniform shirt a "stripper shirt" because it has snaps (no buttons in a plant - they could fall off). It's a nice uniform, though. The best thing is, he's enjoying it. And that is awesome.
Ian is a very adorable bundle of toddler energy. At his 18 month checkup, he was 33" tall and 23lbs. We're thinking that he's grown since then, because all those cute little jeans I got him in September are starting to look like high-waters. Time to move to 24mo jeans. I can't believe he's going to be 2 in February! His vocabulary is expanding by the second, he loves movies and books. His favorite things involve Cars or Thomas the Train. He's pretty good at telling us what he wants, which is great, unless you don't want him to have it. He's persistent, to say the least. But overall, I think we won the lottery.
Confession time - I started this post in OCTOBER!! It's December 20th, just for the record. It's been a little bit crazy this semester. The A&P course got a pretty big revamp with a night session on Mondays, more tests (which means more grading for me), and overall just a great class of people who ASK QUESTIONS! I always love my fall classes because it's made up of mostly nursing students. I always feel like I connect with them. We had a great semester. On the research front, my first grad student defended successfully and is now in Indiana working for a toxicology laboratory. Two more grad students should be writing this semester and leaving - one hopefully for a Ph.D. program at Alabama, and one hopefully for a teaching job. My undergrads are fantastic and two will be staying with me for Master's degrees (yay!). And my newest grad student will start her research this summer. Doing something neither of us really knows how to do. Hey, the blind leading the blind got me a Ph.D., so I'm not going to worry too much. On the whole, A&P and other responsibilities (LA&S Dean Search committee, learning the SAC office) kept me from being as active in the lab as I want to be. Thank God for amazing students! I've told them I wouldn't abandon them this semester.
So that's it for now. I will update you all on Bob, the new love of my life, soon.
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