I know it’s been a long time since I’ve updated this.  Yes, I am still alive (most of you know that from Facebook, though.)  Facebook is one of the best things ever for someone like me!

So, I just started Spring Quarter last week – I have 19 credits, but I think it is going to be a breeze, especially compared to last term.  Last term I barely squeaked by, but it was a struggle… I had one teacher for two classes (as did most of the senior nutrition majors) and she killed us in both.  But, it is now over and I will not have anymore classes from her!  I have to admit that I learned a lot, though!  At the same time, I probably didn’t learn everything I was supposed to.  We were researching all the time – so much so that we didn’t have any time left to actually study the class material.

I think I am really going to enjoy two classes in particular this term – Medical Nutrition Therapy and the corresponding lab class.  I already had this class at CU, so it is going to be good to be able to just sit back and pick up on all of the things that I did not understand the first time through.  In the lab, we get to find out what percent body fat we are (skin calipers and the bod pod).  Tomorrow I am going to have my blood drawn and they will do a complete panel on it – for free – how cool is that (well I guess I am paying a lot for tuition)!  We are going to do diet records and analyze our urine.  Gross, I know, but kinda cool…ok, so I am a nerd!

Over spring break, I got to follow three RDs around in the hospital and I got to experience the variety of the job functions, even in the clinical setting.  I hate to admit this, but I don’t think I want to be a dietitian – which is not earth shattering to me.  I just wanted to learn more about nutrition – I’ve always liked the subject.  …Besides, my mom says that I would make a horrible dietitian because I don’t practice what I would preach, which is true.

It’s funny because sometimes it seems that all I’ve learned from the year of nutrition classes is to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  I get kinda frustrated about that because there is waaaaayyyyyy more to the subject than just that.  But then I think about all that I’ve learned about the micronutrients (that was an amazing class!) and more about how to research in the field of nutrition (which is totally different than in chemistry), and I am forced to come to the conclusion that maybe I actually did learn something this past year!  If nothing else, I just boosted my GPA for my application to pharmacy school!  ;-P

Finals are over (sorry for all of those still studying...one more week and you'll be done, too!)  Now I don't have any kind of structure because I don't have classes to go to and I am not working insane hours.

I am housesitting.  When I was a teenager, I babysat, but now I guess I've graduated to housesitting.  My friend Anna is staying with me sometimes, but right now she is in Canada visiting friends.  I think I am kind of getting used to cooking and cleaning, and I decided that I kind of like it.  Now when am I ever going to save enough money to move out?  I could be a RD as early as next spring, but I still have student loans to pay off...

My great aunt and uncle are coming through tonight on their way from Spokane to California to visit their daughter and family.  I haven't seen them in years, although the rest of my family saw them at the two family reunions that I missed.  That will be a break from the monotonous routine.

Hang and I are looking to go up to Seattle over the break, maybe next week.  I don't know how long we should stay there.  I've never been to Seattle and I really want to go to the Space Needle.  I've also heard a lot about the fish market.  Does anybody have any other suggestions?

So... school is officially boring.  It is not acutally the subject matter that is boring -- I've found few subjects to be boring.  It is the fact that it is way too easy and there is absolutely no challenge involved for me.  I don't study, and I still get As.  Boring.  For this reason, I wish I were back at Cedarville.  Maybe this is just a letdown after biochem (the best class I've had) and the fact that:

most everything is related to biochemistry

This is the simple truth.  Most people hate this fact, or try to ignore it, but it is true.  And this is why I love chemistry and biology!

So I'm in these nutrition classes that are teaching me biochem from a macro level.  I can already tell you every single substrate and enzyme in glycolysis, CAC, and electron transport chain, and they want me to know that glucose can be broken down to acetyl-CoA, which enters the CAC.  Needless to say, I am bored and this leads to not studying.  Sorry if I lost you...

So what am I to do to motivate myself?  I need to somehow challenge myself beyond what my teachers are requiring me to do.  But so far, I've just picked up more hours at work instead of studying.

And why do I think that I need to fill up every spare minute with something.  Why can't I just let myself relax.  By the way, I've been reading a lot for fun, too (something I haven't done in 4 years!  So, I think I've relaxed a little, but there is still the mindset of trying to cram everything into as little time as possible.

Alright, I'm done now...sometime I will have to write my opinions about the books I am reading...