Emergency Priorities

 I was thinking about the ABCs (Airway - Breathing - Circulation.) The other day, our professor said that they were essentially listed as priority: 1st = airway, 2nd = breathing, 3rd = circulation.

I was just thinking about that and started with a disagreement: in CPR, circulation is priority (the body needs blood circulated more than it needs the breaths bc there is usually a couple of minutes worth of oxygen stored.) 

Then I thought about the idea that, if we identify a person who may need CPR, then we'd first check on their airway to see if there is an obstruction, which could solve the problem. If the airway isn't obstructed then I would check to see if the person is breathing. If not, then I would check for a pulse (circulation.) If none is identified, then I would start the CPR process (call for help, body position, etc.)

Food Failure

 I realized the other day that there is not one meal that I can think of that I can cook the exact same for all four people in our house that we all would eat. 

Actually, that's not true. I think that if I served plain hamburgers with French fries and glasses of water, we would all eat that. 

It makes me sad and reflective on how this came to be and I can only look in the mirror. 

There are lots of other successes that I can point to and say that I influenced that positive outcome. This is not one of them.

If I have any advice to a young family, it is to reduce the number of snacks in your pantry. Snacking between meals is unnecessary and a symptom of boredom. Make meals that everyone can tolerate and that are balanced. Introduce new foods in small amounts but frequently and prepare them simply. Wait to introduce condiments. 

Finally, there is no such thing as "kid food." Foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat are tasty to all humans. We (yes, I include myself) are just preparing our kids to be diabetics. 

That is all. Good luck, because I know it's easier to type in a blog than it is to do in real life.

Cravings no more

 I've been on a ketogenic diet (really, carb sensitivity diet) for about 4 months. The reasons for doing so were weight gain and cravings for sugar.

The latter was the main problem. At 6'5", 218 lbs, I was a bit overweight, but not too bad. Still, it had been creeping up. And I am almost 100% certain why it would have continued to tick up. 

Because of cravings.

I would get addict-like cravings for sugar, especially at night. When I'm in it, it feels like an uncontrollable, out-of-body experiece. I'm looking at myself from outside of myself, saying that this is stupid and that I shouldn't be eating all of this junk food. But my body would be incontrol and do what it felt it needed to do. 

Now that I've been eating a carb-restircted diet, my cravings are almost zero. I can be around foods that would have made me cave and maintain my discipline. 

In other words, it's not just psychological discipline, but my body has better chemical discipline. It's not demanding this food.

Case in point: this past weekend was that of Halloween. I love chocolate. Love. I love chocoalte candy. Love. So, I told myself that this weekend I would be able to eat anything I wanted. And I did. Pizza, candy - whatever. 

This morning, there's candy all over the place and I'm not interested.

Since starting right around July 1st, I have lost 18 lbs. I do wish that I'd done measurements and blood work before starting (adipose fat and blood sugars and other levels,) but I didn't.

That's all. If you want to learn more, these are the resources that have influenced me:

Tim Ferris

Peter Attia

Phil Maffetone

https://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html

A better way to pay for journalism

 I really don't know why I share my thoughts, but here's another one.

I hate macro data collection. I think it's a gross invasion of privacy and completely goes against the 4th Amendment (The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.) 

The fact that said data collection by big tech is not technically done by the government but by said industry with the blessing of our government is tantamount to the same. That's my opinion, anyway.

Btiching without suggestion is not my style.

Here's my latest big idea that I'll never fulfill. 

If I were a web developer, I would create a news and non-fiction content search that facilitated easy transactions for reading content. Let me explain.

Let's say that I want to read the Wall Street Journal article about the gigantic profits of the world's premier widget manufacturer. The Wall Street Journal wants me to be a subscriber, however. They need to pay their staff and all of the overhead that is required to run a company, of course. 

In the olden days, the drivers of revenue were ads in the paper and classifieds in that dedicated section. 

Craig's List, job listing sites like Monster, and Facebook marketplace have destroyed the classifieds stream. (These assertions have been widely reported.)

That "nobody" reads the print versions of these means that the ads that one would find in the printed pages are no longer as valuable. (This assertion is a logical assumption of mine.)

Instead, like the rest of the internets, data is collected as we go through sites so that companies can figure out what to market to us (not necessarily a bad thing - I've dealt successfully with targeted marketing) but also how to keep us engaged for longer. 

Can we agree that data collection is a bad thing?

And, what if there was a better way for the written word to be more valuable to produce?

What I propose is this: an account that pays for articles that we read. Let's say, for example, that we want to read the reporting on the Pandora Papers . The ICIJ does have a donate button, but what if there was an easier process? What if I had a small, dedicated amount of money, in a digital wallet that was for the sole purpose of paying for these articles. Furthermore, if we are "all" paying, then we actually wouldn't have to pay very much per person to make a huge impact. 

How would it work? I have an I-pass. When I drive on the tollway, I can roll right through the tolls because I have an RF transmitter that pulls a fee from an account for which I have pre-loaded money. Why not with articles?

But I don't want to pay $1.00 per article!?! My response: we shouldn't need to! I think the average price per article would be in the $0.01 to $0.05 per article. Let's say 1,000,000 people read an article: that's $10,000 if it's the penny price and $50k for the nickel. And, if it's a debit transaction as opposed to a credit transaction, then it's a cheaper transaction price. 

I'm sure there is a lot that I don't know about e-commerce that would make this complicated, but I do think it could work.

That's my idea. If you like it, take it and make it happen!

Physiology and psychology of Mobility dysfunction

 That's a fancy way of saying that, when it's hard to move, problems of the body and of the mind can result. 

Here's the thing that my book pointed out that I'd never considered. Are you ready?

A dysfunction in mobility can make is difficult or impossible to leave an uncomfortable or undesirable situation.

Can't get up and go? Then you can't get away. You're stuck being in and around environments. 

People who you don't like? You're stuck. 

In a conversation that you don't like? you're stuck.

Want to go to your happy place? You're stuck. 

Want to go to the place you go when you're sad? Depressed? Angry? Horny? Dreamy? Feeling creative? You're stuck.

The main factors that contribute to mobility include strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. You can immediately imagine what a reduction in function in any of those can have on the ability to get from one place to another - even something as simple as getting out of bed and sitting in a chair that's right next to the bed.

Or go to the bathroom. 

Or go for a walk.

Or get something to eat or drink.

Or get dressed.

Or go to bed.

And so on.

To go back to the original thing that blew my mind - the ability (or inability) to get out of a situation that I don't want to be in... What a fundamental function that we take for granted. 

Even if it's just being done being at a place. Let's say, a friend's house. You've been there for a couple of hours. It's been great, but you're ready to go. Nope. Gotta wait till the method of transportation is ready to take you. Done with your meal? Gotta wait. Done with your TV show? Gotta wait. Done with your game of cards? Gotta wait. Done taking a piss or taking a dump? Gotta wait. 

Oh - and lest we forget that being immobile is NOT just for the elderly. Want to masturbate? Ha! Menstruating and need to change your pad or tampon? Ha! 

You want to get out of a situation and you're stuck.

Take care of your body, people.

The Work Cascade

 Maybe it has to be meaningful work? 

I have found that, even when the work is daunting, once I get going, I get into it. Today, for instance, I had been putting off a couple of assignments for my Clinical section of Nursing 101. 

We had a break from clinical rotation. Our professor used it for two things. First, we were able to have a conversation about our experiences, which lasted about an hour. It was a really good exchange about our experiences and any questions or comments. 

For those who know me, I am not afraid to speak aloud about my impressions. The major thing that I mentioned was how nursing in practice is different from how I was observing it over our two clinical sessions. 

One instance was about documentation. According to the book, it is supposed to be done after seeing every patient. This is to ensure the least amount of information loss. In practice, the nurses would do their rounds, then go to the computer and document. 

The second instance happened on our first day. The nurse needed to get a blood glucose measurement using a tool called Accucheck. First, you use a tool to make a small prick in the patient's finger. Then, you use a special strip that's attached to a small handheld gadget to gather a drop of blood which is analyzed in just a few seconds. The patient did not want to have it done to them, so the nurse had one of my classmates hold her so that the nurse could do the procedure. According to our book, there were several problems with that, both moral and legal.

Part of our discussion dealt with the idea that we sometimes have to do things to ensure the patient's health. In this case, it could possibly have been rationalized that, without the measurement, proper medication and nutrition could not be provided. My main issue, though, was that the nurse didn't use any communication skills with the patient. She didn't ask the patient why she was so opposed to the procedure. Did the patient understand the importance of the procedure? Could we have come back a little later?

Sorry - waaay off track on what I first brought up! 

After we all talked about our experiences and had our discussion, the professor was going to give us time to work on some projects independently. First, though, he went through the projects and we were able to talk about them one at a time to understand what was needed to complete them.

Once I got going, I was hooked. I took a couple of short breaks to walk the dog and have lunch, but I kept thinking about my assignments and wanted to get back to it.

It's like that, too, when I start organizing a room or painting a fence. I'll find any excuse to avoid those things. But, once I get started, I get focused and want to do a really good job. 

That's why I called it a cascade - once I start, I don't want to stop because of the momentum that I've built.

Do you ever have that experience?

The Teaching Process

 Imagine you're a young person and want to learn a new skill. Let's say you're going to help your parent put together a table and chairs of the new dining room set. As a child, you're new to using screwdrivers, but are eager to learn. You go with your parent to the place where the assembly will take place. 

However, you're surprised when your parent doesn't hand you a tool. Instead, they open up their laptop and proceed with a history or tools, especially screw-driving tools. 

How exciting. Sigh.

Or, scenario B: 

You start opening boxes with your parent, who shows you first how to use a box-cutter knife by demonstrating it, then hands it to you or you do it hand-over-hand and then you get to do it by yourself. Then you get the parts sorted and start assembling; again, your parent demonstrates where the screw goes and how to use the screwdriver, then you do hand-over-hand, and eventually you get to turn it yourself a few times until it gets too hard and your parent does the last few turns. 

Which was a better learning experience?

This is my criticism of my nursing program education. We're definitely doing some hands-on in our first weeks, but the book starts off with history and national organizations. Sure - we need to understand HIPAA since we are going into healthcare settings to do clinical rotations. Otherwise, we need to focus on what to do when we get there! Then, you can interweave standards of practice, scope of practice, and the like. But starting us off with Florence Nightingale? I mean, I'm a history guy, but SNOOZE.

I look forward to learning more about her later. In the meantime, teach me how to be a nurse!

Dealing with rejection - from the rejector's side

In my Anatomy 2 class, I have found myself having become a class leader. With that, a group project was assigned and we could form our own groups. I found a couple of people with whom I felt that I shared similar level of engagement and we formed our group.

Since then, I have had many requests from other classmates asking to be in my group.

First, it's a nice compliment to have people want to work with me. At the same time, it doesn't make sense to make our group so big. 

I'm trying to recall where I heard the following strategy that I used. It may have been from Tim Ferris (tim.blog).

Anyway, I have had to learn how to say no to people. Being a "people pleaser" is something that has both benefitted me as well as create situations where I fail to fulfil responsibilities to their completion. 

My response has been, "We have enough people in our group. A couple of other people who don't have a group have reached out to me as well. Should I connect you to them?"

In this way, I've said no. I want to be helpful, so offering an alternative is still being true to being helpful, an important value to me.

Fun Fact: Blood Vessels

 If you laid out all of the blood vessels in a human body, they would stretch between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. (Child vs adult.) Yes - miles.

https://www.fi.edu/heart/blood-vessels#:~:text=But%20if%20you%20took%20all,arteries%2C%20veins%2C%20and%20capillaries.

Mask your lungs

Painting my front fence and stairs has been something I've been putting off for far too long. 

It's the cleanup. 

I hate it. It's the worst.

And, I could just as easily buy throw-away stuff, but that goes against my principles. Which, of course, is why corners of my house are cluttered. Brutal.

At any rate, I finally wrap my mind around getting the project done. Calculations of square footage are done, sanding and scraping are done, gathering supplies, and finally buying the paint. 

While sanding and scraping, I realized - why am I not wearing a mask? 

One thing that I hope we've all (most of us, anyway) have realized is that small particles get in the air. While we absolutely cannot avoid all particles, regardless of what level of mask we wear, we can reduce the quantity - or load - that we inhale.

So, I grabbed my gaiter and went to work. I also put it on while painting because, my logic told me that, while rolling paint on, there would be droplets invisible to the eye that would get in the air that I certainly didn't want to breathe. 

Am I certain that I'm right? No, as I have no way to test my hypothesis in a practical way. Err on the side of caution? We all measure risk. Protecting my lungs from harm is something that makes sense to me!

Study Habit Flow Chart

 The best study habit that I've developed through suggestion and experience is the ability to read without understanding. 

What???

I think that's one of the biggest challenges that I've faced in my limited time as a science student. My chemistry professor in the fall '20 semester said to read the chapter without working hard to understand it.

That is really hard for me.

What I'm learning, though, is that if I can plow through it and just read it and maybe learn some of the vocabulary before the lecture, that I can then go back and it will start to make sense. 

For example, in studying for a test, I'm going back and filling in my notes from class. The class moves way too fast to make detailed notes during the lecture. I find myself missing important information and discussion if I take too many notes, so I just try and get the highlights and make "bookmarks" of where in the PowerPoint it can be found. 

Now that I've laid that foundation, I am going back and filling in notes and making compare and contrast tables and it's all coming together.

Again, though, it starts with that first step of reading without understanding, which actually takes a good amount of fortitude because you keep saying, "What???" to yourself and the desire to go back and read and reread until you get it. 

Oh! And make questions about the things you don't understand, even if it's just, I don't get X main topic. Those become bookmarks for your mind and will actually help to reinforce the learning that comes from the lecture.

So: read without fully understanding -> form questions from the reading to take to lecture for discussion ->  take notes on the lecture and ask when your questions aren't answered in the lecture -> reread and make flashcards for vocab with new understanding -> review notes and fill in missing info and detail -> tables to compare and contrast concepts and processes -> flow charts to show the steps and components of a process

Dad pushed me out of the snow

Dear Dad, 

Thank you for telling me to have boards in my car in the winter. Because of your advice, at 1:30 in the morning, on my way home from a hockey game, when I was stuck in the snow in my alley, I had the wherewithal to remember the boards in my trunk and was able to stick them under my tires and get out of a bad situation. 

I love you, and I miss you. It is times like this when I know that you are still with me and always will be.

Pumping protons in the electron transport chain (ETC)

 I was having a really hard time with one aspect (okay, a few aspects) of the Electron Transport Chain.

Quickly, the ETC is a process by which most cells manufacture energy storage molecules called ATP. 

The whole point of the ETC is twofold: first, to move electrons across a series of complexes along a membrane (eukaryotes -> mitochondria; prokaryotes -> extra-membrane space); second, the action of the electrons "pumps" protons across the membrane which creates a proton gradient.

The point of having a proton pump that uses the energy released by the passage of electrons enables the process without expending chemical energy. Rather, it uses the attractive forces between electrons and protons through special proteins. 

NADH called an "electron carrier," although it actually contributes protons to the process, as well. The NADH drops two electrons into a protein complex. In a separate action, the complex is then able to take a hydrogen proton (the H in NADH) and, using attractive forces, pull it across the membrane space. 

By doing so, the electrons are used to pull the electrons to the ATP synthase complex where protons are forced back through the membrane and are picked up by an ADP to create a molecule of ATP.

If you care to read more, here's a good source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26904/

Biofilm & Quorum Sensing

 Did you know that bacteria make the antibacterial medications (antibiotics) we use? That's right! 

Bacteria in nature make antibiotics that enable it to outcompete other bacteria. 

Biofilm is one example of how different bacteria work together for survival. It is a structure made of one or more species of bacteria that adhere together and form a colony that is covered by a polysaccharide substance, or EPS (extracellular polysaccharide substance.) 

As the bacteria collect, they perform a few collective functions. First, they establish channels they use to communicate (using chemical information), share nutrients, and pass waste products. 

Note that some bacteria use waste products as their nutrients! Does that seem gross? It does until you stop and realize that WE do that all the time. The best example is oxygen. Oxygen is a waste product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants (and other photosynthetic organisms) convert water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight into stored energy. 

As the biofilm accumulates, it also senses the environment in which it has found itself. Different bacteria have different genetic properties, such as the types of enzymes and antibiotics they produce. Once they have accumulated that information, growth ensues.

They can also pass along genetic material through the channels that enables the group to take on that trait.

Once growth ensues, the biofilm will actually deliberately shed some of the cells which then form another biofilm, and so on.

Biofilm can be both pathogenic and symbiotic. While they form on our teeth and can cause tooth decay, biofilm can be found in the gut and are integral to our digestive system. 

However, the biofilm does not become helpful nor harmful right away. We go back to the idea that they consider their environment which has a direct effect on what genes are used - think about enzyme production; they may need certain enzymes in one environment both another type in a place that has different nutrition, water availability, or other environmental factor. When the bacteria have all communicated their agreement, they will suddenly activate. This agreement through chemical communication is called "Quorum sensing." 

If you want to watch a really cool video about Quorum Sensing, this TED Talk discusses it through the phosphorescence of certain squid. https://youtu.be/KXWurAmtf78

Skeletal Classifications

 Skeletal bones can be classified based on their location on the body.

Axial bones are part of the head, neck, and trunk.

Appendicular bones are part of the appendages, or limbs plus "girdles."

The one thing that surprised me was that the hips, or pelvis, is part of appendicular, not axial.

Pneumonic Device - Non-Polar Amino Acids

 The flashcards just weren't working this time. I could not, for the life of me, remember the names of the non-polar amino acids. So, I've turned to a pneumonic device.

The initials for the 10 non-polar common amino acids are

G A V L I P P T C M

I had heard about pneumonic devices that the dirtier they are, the better.

So...

Get a very large individual penis photo to call mine

Glycine

Alanine

Valine

Leucine

Isoleucine

Proline

Phenylalanine

Tryptophan

Cytosine

Methionine

All from memory!

Hooray!

Adipose tissue

 I promise to never compliment a woman (aside from my significant other) on her large gathering of adipose tissue ventral to her thoracic cavity. 

That would be rude. 

But I can't help but notice. I'm just a guy 🤷.

Study Music

 I've fround that I enjoy listening to music while studying. However, I've also found that it almost exclusively has to be instrumental music

Some may think of classical (orchestral / symphonic) of as instrumental music, however there are many other forms.

There are two types that give me trouble while studying. First are songs that are covers of songs with lyrics that I know.

Second is Rodrigo y Gabriela. They are a guitar playing duet. They get going so hard that focusing on studying can be challenging because I just want to rock out. 

Mozart and Beethoven are probably my favorites, but I've created a playlist of overall favorites. If you subscribe to Google YouTube Music, you can find it by searching "Instrumental Playlist for Studying."

What White Privilege Means to Me

As a white male who grew up in an affluent area, I've struggled with this question. It gets talked about in some of my social circles. 

One of those circles features a group of about 15 white guys around my age (40s and early 50s). They are overall a pretty right-leaning, conservative bunch. Based on that description, it's not a surprise that they balk at the notion of white privilege. 

"I worked for everything I have," is the consensus. 

And that, from one perspective, is probably true. They rose on their merit, saved their money instead of spending it, invested wisely, and have reaped the benefits. All admirable and desirable qualities.

Here's the flip side: were people with different skin color, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender excluded from competing with them for the education, employment, and financial systems that helped them in their success?

And, did their families and ancestors have access to education, employment, property, and financial systems that excluded competition from the (probably incomplete) list of people in the previous paragraph?

That's all. It's not that they didn't work hard, it's that others who may have worked just as hard and been just as productive and innovative weren't invited and were excluded from doing so.

Divine or random creation?

 A much more sensitive topic and probably controversial to some people is the complexity of the body and how that came about. Those who believe in the letter of the Bible and creationism believe that God created life and therefore every structure and function therein. 

The staggering number of components and functions that are interrelated is staggering. Take, for instance, epithelium. There is the apical-basal polarity (crudely, that's the top and bottom of, for instance, skin tissue) but then there's also the basal lamina which is a noncellular sheet just beneath / outside of the basal surface which acts as a border crossing for molecules - it determines what gets into the epithelium from surrounding connective tissues. 

Then there are the fluids that connect or lubricate. 

And so on. 

Is it divinely created - every single atom placed in perfect order to create each molecule which were then placed in perfect order in combinations to create each cell (and all of the components of each cell, which is an incredibly complex body in and of itself) and then each cell placed and ordered into tissues and each tissue placed and ordered into each organ and the organs placed and ordered into systems which together function as the being? Did God do that?

Or, did billions of years of random evolution go from one organism to another, slowly mutating due to environmental circumstances to grow into all of these components, failing and succeeding zillions of times to end up as the wildly diverse population of humans that we are today? 

Tissue study: making epithelial flashcards

 I'm currently studying about tissues. A classmate asked me about my methods of studying. I mentioned flashcards and pneumonic devices. Another thing that I just thought of as I was creating a flashcard was opposites.

For example, there are 6 main functions of epithelium:

1. Protection
2. Absorption
3. Filtration
4. Excretion
5. Secretion
6. Sensory reception

However, not only for memorization, but understaning the funcions better is to group them. The easiest pairs to make are absorption & filtration and excretion & secretion. 

While epithelial tissues can absorb beneficial nutrients, they also filter out bad stuff (we hope.)

While epithelial tissues excrete waste, they also secrete beneficial fluids.

I also think that protection and sensory reception can be grouped together. After all, while protection can be a barrier to harmful elements, those outside elements can be sensed to trigger a response from the body (hot stove -> pull hand away.) 

So maybe I'll reorder them on my flashcard:

1. Protection
2. Sensory reception
3. Absorption
4. Filtration
5. Excretion
6. Secretion

***

In making flashcards, one of hte hardest things to do is decide what goes on a flashcard. For example, I'm in the first section of the topic and already have 11 cards because, for example, there are different kinds of epithelia, then each type of epithelia has its own composition and characteristics, and those components have THEIR OWN components and characteristics. 

Receptors, Feedback, and Effectors

 I like that my Anatomy prof is constantly phrasing her questions as critical thinking questions. For example, what does oxygen do for the body? Someone answered that it helps keep us alive. Yes, but how? I thought for a sec and recalled that it is an integral part in respiration (creates ATP) and deals with the exchange of electrons and protons to help maintain homeostasis.

Feedback is interesting - negative feedback vs positive feedback. It's part of maintaining homeostasis. There is the receptor, the control center, and the effector. The control center determines the set point or range for a set point of a variable (such as temperature.) The receptor monitors the environment and responds to stimuli by sending signals for needed changes. The control center receives the input from the receptor and sends output to the effector on what to do.

Negative vs positive feedback cannot be thought of as good vs bad. It is simply the type of process the body uses to keep itself in balance. Negative feedback goes in the opposite direction as stimulus and is more common, like shivering to warm up or sweating to cool down. Positive feedback responds in the same direction as the stimulus, like platelets coming to plug a cut.

Here's something cool - do you know what platelets are? They're the things sent by blood that clot a cut. Platelets have receptors that activate when they attach and send signals for more platelets to come and attach. 

Q: do they also send signals for the healing chemicals?

A: platelets send signals for the growth signals / hormones - growth factor. Once the wound is healed, then signals are sent that break down the platelets.

Other positive feedback: labor contractions get stronger and stronger. If it was a negative feedback, the body would try to stop that process.

Temperature signals are sent to the hypothalamus section of the brain.

We're talking about positive feedback and thinking about birth when the following quesion occurred to me: if gestation is typically 40 weeks, why are babies that have gone through the same duration of gestation different sizes? If cell division is cell division, then why wouldn't a smaller baby be born just at an earlier date? Shouldn't all babies go through the same growth within the same time frame?

Modern Learning Platforms

 One of the best things about modern education is the online learning tools. Both McGraw-Hill and Pearson have tools that allow you to use drag and drop to rank or label. Even better is "check my work." 

For me, getting a problem wrong is annoying (and sometimes infuriating,) but knowing why I got something wrong dampens the blow. And that's what the homework provides: instant feedback on problem solving. 

Old / traditional way: do homework. Turn in homework. Teacher grades homework. Teacher gives homework back days or weeks later. 

New way: do homework getting constant feedback about my progress.

I can't find a way to make the old way better. Can you?

***

Oh, Pearson calls these "dynamic study modules." I forgot that you can not only answer questions and get feedback, but you can rank as either 

I'm sure

I think so

Not sure

I don't know yet

It also then tells you were to find the answers or where your weaknesses are and where to focus your studying. 

McGraw-Hill also would create practice tests for me, so hopefully Pearson's app will do that, too.

Second Day of School: BIO 226 Anatomy & Physiology

 So far, so good! I was pretty happy last night after doing my pre-lab questions for 233 and getting 10/10. It wasn't rocket science (it's biological science, ha!) but it's nice to get off to a good start. I definitely had good grounding from last semester. It's terrible 

Right now, my 226 prof is going through the syllabus. Seems straightforward. Defining, identifying, and understanding interrelationships of various tissues, structures, and processes in the body. I actually looked at the book and one of the labs is to dissect a rat. I'm pretty disappointed that we won't be able to do that in person. 

Reality check: if I'm going to be a nurse, I'm going to have to grow accustomed to the insides of bodies. 

***

As we've been going through the course syllabus, Prof started talking about the books needed for the course. The students overwhelmingly either don't have the book yet or don't know how to deal with that.

It is one of those times when I have to summon a lot of patience: not all of my classmates had my school experience where it was expected that the book(s) should be purchased ahead of time and ready for the first day of class.

***

I'm getting antsy. We're 100 minutes into class and still going through the syllabus. I get it - course policies for tardiness, assignments, etc. Another self-reminder that my classmates are probably not already college graduates and still have to be reminded about this stuff. Still really annoying (sns). I'm ready to start the course. I know that I can't be late to class, that I have to be present for class every day, that I have to do all of my homework, that if I'm having problems that I shouldn't wait until the last day of class to talk to the prof. Seriously - if these people are planning on being nurses, how isn't this already natural?

I guess it's part of the education and training - the learn how to learn and how to be accountable for one's actions. 

***

Ugh . . but shouldn't reading the syllabus be up to the students? I'm going nuts.

She's talking about failure to communicate when things are going wrong. Life skills. I guess it's good to teach for those who simply haven't had these lessons growing up. 

***

We got into the class. Like most classes, the first day and first couple of weeks will be review. We talked about definitions of anatomy and physiology, about the hierarchy of the organization of life (chemical < cellular < tissue < organ < organ system < organismal; the less than sign is used to show that the list is actually bottom-up.) 

Then she talked about necessary life functions: boundaries, movement, responsiveness, digestions, metabolism, excretion, reproduction, growth.

Then she showed us a picture of what's called a "simplified body plan" which was a neat way to organize the systems that work together for life functions: air, water, food which circulate and then excrete air, water, and waste.

One thing that I'm fairly certain that I should learn as I get into these classes is how to draw anatomy. Not that I need to be Davinci or anything, but just to be able to make drawings of the parts and systems. During my CNA class, we had to learn all of the pulse sites on the body (temporal, carotid, apical, radial, brachial, femoral, popliteal, pedal.) I found that I was able to learn it much faster by making a stick figure diagram, then fill it in. If I can do that in a better way for more detailed body parts, then I think I'll not only memorize for assessment, but learn them so that I know them for professional application.

First Day of School! Microbio 233

 First day of school of my second semester. 

I can already tell that this is a more committed cohort than either of my BIO / CHEM 121 classes. In those classes, people didn't turn their cameras on nor were they particularly willing to engage. 

Today, people have their cameras on and are forthcoming with their experiences and goals. 

That makes me really happy. It was hard feeling like I was either the only person or one of just a couple of people who were engaging and taking things seriously.

***

Update

That didn't take long! Almost the entire class reverted back to turning off their cameras after the introductions. As soon as the lecture started, the cameras turned off.

Oh, well.

2021 Blog Goals

 Have you ever seen the movie, The Social Network? The beginning of the movie is perhaps my favorite part - when Jesse Eisenberg playing Mark Zuckerberg creates the FaceMash site that compares the pictures of girls around Harvard.

Putting aside the politics of the site, I love how he blogged simultaneously to his hacking and coding. 

In my first semester, I found myself often using the class discussion boards to think aloud about problems. Therefore, I'm going to use this blog as a way to think through my classes and anything else I want to ponder aloud. 

Feel free to contribute! 

Transitional Realities

 My kids, like most or all of your kids, have been learning "remotely" since March 2020. CPS (Chicago Public Schools) has a plan to return on February 1st 2021. We have all been looking forward to that for a very long time.

It's not exactly that we're sick of each other, but that it would simply be nice to spend some regularly scheduled time apart. 

However, there is definitely going to be a cost to everything going "back to normal." 

Today, I took a picture of my daughter working on her iPad with our dog asleep at her feet. That will be a thing of the past. Eating lunch together. Hearing what they're learning. Seeing the teachers on the screen along with the other students. It has been a rare peek into the school lives our my children.

So, if you're like me and the kids will be going back soon, make sure you take a few pictures - both with your camera and with your mind. We will not get this time back. It will be a time that we look back on fondly in many ways. We'll miss the time that we spent a year together.

Back to School!

 Long overdue is the "announcement" on this blog that I've begun my pursuit of a career in Nursing. 

Helping others is something that comes naturally to me. While never up for Homemaker of the Year, caring for my wife and kids for the last 14 years has been some of the best life experience I could have gained for this career. For real - I've handled a lot of body fluid over the years. A lot of brown, yellow, and red. And probably some white. 

This coming Tuesday, January 19th 2021, I will begin my second semester at Chicago City Colleges - Malcolm X college. In the fall, I took and was able to get As in BIO 121 and CHEM 121. It is my goal to not get anything besides an A in my classes all the way through. Humble, huh?

While those were challenging courses, they were merely intro courses. This semester, I'll take BIO 226 and 233 - Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology, respectively. My ability to maintain that high level of academics will tell me how realistic that pursuit of perfection is.

On top of my two courses, I also achieved a certification as a CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant. It was a 5-week intensive course. Unfortunately, I came down with COVID-19 the week of the final and had to not only delay my final exam for a month, but that cost me the possibility of officially entering the RN program this spring. The good news is that I'm still able to take courses that I would have had to take for my degree. Perhaps that will allow me to work as a CNA while I'm in nursing school.

That is the other side - that I am going to start looking for work. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something close to home, but we'll see! Wish me luck!