Coming up on 2 years…

It will be 2 years at the end of November that I’ve owned an Apple computer. I used to own one when I was a little kid, but my parents gave that one away. I miss my Apple IIC. That was my pride and joy, even for someone who was absolutely clueless about computer and technology in general. I took great care of that machine, and if I still had it today, it would probably be running. That’s how much I miss that machine. But you know, 20 years later, I’ve gone back to my roots and now own a Macbook. Sure, it’s 2 years old. It’s definitely NOT clean, from all the typing I’ve done, eating while typing, eating while typing my homework, etc. But it’s done everything I’ve wanted it to do. However, like any computer, regardless of manufacturer, it has it share of problems. Yes, programs have crashed on me, but not so much in comparison to using the Vista machine. I had hoped to run XP on this Mac, but I felt that the hard drive was too small (only 80GB) and was better suited to keeping it strictly an Apple machine.

I have never doubted this machine, even after 2 years of use. I want the new Macbook Pro (the backlit keyboard will be amazing in class), but I’m willing to wait a few more years because I know this machine, with my good care, will last another few years. I’ve enjoyed this machine very much, more than I ever enjoyed any Windows machine. I know that Apple’s toys can be overpriced, but if you wait, prices do drop. You just have to wait. I have so many good things to say about this machine, and how it has changed my outlook in education ever since getting it 2 years ago. It does everything. Sure, compatibility is the huge issue in Mac vs. PC, but it’s not like Windows programs can’t run on a Mac; there are just other ways to do it. It’s not the end of the world to own a Mac, but rather the beginning of an entire new world. But that’s just in my opinion.

It makes me wonder all the people in the Apple stores, if they just go in the stores to touch everything, and walk out without a single purchase. I think it’s worth it to own a Mac, and I’m proud to own one. I wouldn’t change it for anything. However, an Apple tablet would be nice, because I like the HP tablet PC a lot and it was a possible consideration as a new computer before deciding on a Mac. Nowadays, my Mac does everything for me. It may seem “outdated” in comparison to what’s out on the market today, but it does everything I need it to do – music, anime, internet, word processing, etc. It does have it’s “slow” moments, but those are rare and don’t happen much anymore with the new Snow Leopard operating system. It’s not even a new operating system; it simply upgrades Leopard with better functionality. It also saved me a bunch of space on my hard drive. It starts up and shuts down faster, and Leopard was a bit slow on that.

I think the only thing that weirds me out about the new Apple laptops is the lack of the click pad. It’s just a huge touchpad that does everything, and it may take some time for me to get used to it. Not to mention, if anyone else wants to use it, they are definitely going to get frustrated. In the end, I’m glad I switched.

Until next time…

PS. The holidays haven’t even started yet and the decorations are up the day after Halloween. Western culture is so obsessed with holiday marketing. *sigh* At least pharmacy doesn’t have to deal with it.

Not writing much…

I know I haven’t been writing much because there hasn’t been any motivation to write. School is in full swing; I’ve taken several exams (I don’t like tests but it shows how much of the material you’ve retained), and I’m already thinking about the classes I want to take next semester. I’m moving forward with pharmacy school, although I STILL don’t have a job working at a pharmacy. I still have to ask Target, and although I don’t want to, Rite Aid is my last choice. I’ve nearly given up on the independent pharmacy in Concord because I haven’t gotten anything back from them – no emails, no calls, no nothing. I’ve called them, but the last thing I was told was something about paperwork with the Board of Pharmacy. They were planning to open a new branch in Walnut Creek, but if it’s taking this long, I’d rather work in retail. Some hospitals are hiring, but when it’s listed as “on call,” it frustrates me because pharmacy shouldn’t be an “on call” job. I’m not a doctor. Doctors are on call, not pharmacy technicians. Pharmacists, maybe, but not pharmacy technicians. I just don’t know what to do anymore because the economy is so bad, and while retail stores are hiring for the holidays, pharmacies are apparently not including in the hiring process. It’s like they do everything separate from the actual store. Safeway is not hiring; I’ve already asked two different stores. I still have to go back to CVS to see if I have any luck there. They say there are job openings, but no one is hiring.

I’ve decided that UCSF is not going to be one of my choices for pharmacy school until later. That one human physiology class stands out so much by itself that I can take everything else first then worry about this class. So, at this point, I’m taking everything else I need to take (including those 2 years of chemistry, which is the only thing schools agree on) while putting UCSF on hold as I finish pre-requisites for other schools.

As for my buddies back at the technology program, many people have scored higher than me on the national exam. The only reason why they did better because they got help from people who already took and scored well. I scored the highest out of my class, but was bumped off the high point from other people who scored higher than me. But did anyone get a perfect score on any of the sections? I did. And that was my inflated ego talking.
Anyway, that’s my catch up for the times I didn’t write. I should write more often, but I’m getting lazy. Oh well
Until next time…

Going back to school…

School starts Monday. I spent the entire summer accomplishing absolutely nothing, except managing to hold onto a temporary job at night. The first 6 weeks of my summer were spent in a pharmacy, so I didn’t have much time to myself during the week. Now that it’s all over and I’m looking for a job (or trying to), it’s hard to believe the summer passed by so quickly. The weather was definitely NOT summer-like, with some cool temperatures and fog in the city (oh wait, that’s typical in SF).

I -kind of- look forward to going back to school; it’s better than sitting around at home and doing nothing (or playing hours of Maplestory until the game tells you how long you’ve been playing and suggests that you take a break). I’m hoping to add another class in addition to the two other classes I’ll be taking: microbiology and plane trigonometry. I’ve always enjoyed science, but it takes a certain kind of person to teach science, and it should always try to be a hands-on experience. I’ve had my share of teachers who just tell you the material but never apply it or provide any examples. I’ve done my research for my teachers; I wouldn’t take a class with a random teacher not knowing what he or she was like.

I’ve always liked school and I know I’m smart, but when the material is too easy and the information isn’t presented in a way that I’ll be able to retain to use later, I get lazy and don’t pay attention. I could have done better in high school if I applied myself, but I was far too lazy. I know that people learn in different ways, and teachers should learn to provide information in different ways. Telling how it is one way is going to lose a number of students, if not more.

Having been in student teaching in a massive school district, I’ve come to understand how much the K-12 education system SUCKS. There is no money to do anything at all, and students aren’t able to enjoy school like I did. History reenactments in 4th and 5th grade? I was lucky to have that, but I doubt schools even do that anymore. It’s all sponsored by parent volunteers. I know when I have a kid, I want the to enjoy school the way I did. It wasn’t even about the money – at all. Moraga wasn’t a yuppie town like Danville and Blackhawk.

Going back to school is probably the best thing right now, even with the tuition increase. It’s better than staying home accomplishing nothing.

Until next time…

The Waiting Game…

I know I didn’t update that much during my externship, mostly because I got home so late (after 11 in the evening).  It was extern in the morning until the afternoon, then work at night.  There was no time to update at all.  Not to mention, there was no internet at the pharmacy, so updating on lunch or at break was nearly impossible.  Even the 3G network was spotty so getting the news was impossible.  The IV/chemo room was the reason why there was no network in the pharmacy; apparently there is metal sheeting in the walls to prevent the chemotherapy chemicals from leaking into the actual pharmacy or outside, or something like that.  I don’t really remember.

Anyway, I worked with a great staff and really enjoyed my externship at the Department of Veterans Affairs.  However, there were some things I wish I was exposed to that weren’t available at the outpatient or inpatient pharmacy: compounding and insurance.  There was some compounding in the inpatient pharmacy, but adding a powder to some sterile water was not what I had in mind for compounding.  But I guess it works – for now.  As for IVs in the inpatient pharmacy…attaching a vial to a bag isn’t what I had in mind for making an IV, but at least you can’t make mistakes unless you attach the wrong vial to the wrong solution.  No calculations, really, unless you’re making an IV that requires needles and syringes (which were very few).  There was no insurance to worry about because it was a government facility, so it feels like I missed out on a enormous amount of what pharmacy technicians have to do in a retail setting.

I am currently in the process of volunteering for the clinic, but due to jury duty (which is a pain to deal with), I have to put off getting my second TB skin test.  I thought only one was needed, but I was told that I needed a second one; I guess they just want to make sure that I don’t actually have anything.  I’ve tested negative everytime, but it’s a government facility, so I’ll let them do what they need to do.  I’ll have to call them to arrange an appointment, while hoping that I don’t have to stay for jury duty.  I know it’s a duty as a citizen, but you don’t get paid unless you come back a second day.

For now, I’m waiting for my license and trying to do some job hunting.  I’ve been a bit lazy and trying to enjoy my summer before I have to go back to school in August.  I’ve had a temporary job since January, so I don’t know how long I’m staying at the office job.  I guess they’ll keep me until they don’t need me anymore, but it’s not like I’ll know when that will be.  With my school schedule, I’ll take one night off (I have one class at night), and probably work the rest of the time.  Technically, I can’t work until I have my license, but I guess the certification works for now.  It is a waiting game, since the Board of Pharmacy is one of the government offices that is going to be closed on certain Fridays.

As for school, I’m going pre-pharmacy, basically taking the classes required so I can apply to pharmacy school.  Books for my fall classes aren’t available until the beginning of August, but it looks like they are available as a digital copy on a website where I got my pharmacy technology textbook.  I didn’t get an actual copy of the textbook, since I was towards the end of my program, but having a digital copy made it at lot easier to take notes and find the information I needed without having to do a lot of reading.  Not to mention, I used the printing ability to basically print a PDF copy of the book, so when the book expires (which should be sometime next month), I’ll still have a copy to read. =)  It took about 2 hours and 800 pages later (the program only allows 10 page to print at a time).  It’s a great website because you pay so much less for a digital copy of the book and I don’t have to carry textbooks around anymore.

Anyway, that’s all for now.  Until next time…

Serious issues…

California has officially screwed herself over.  No one will want to go to school in California.  There is no money (not like there was any money in the first place), and there’s nothing out there to generate money.  First there was the announcement to close government offices 3 Fridays a month.  When did the governor make an announcement like that?  Why was there no time to prepare for it?  Now it’s going to take even longer to get my license, provided that they are even processing the paperwork at all.  The Cal State University system isn’t taking new students for the spring 2010 semester, but how is that saving money?  The fact that California was against legalizing gay marriage means there is a loss in income.  I don’t know how much a marriage license costs, but if you think about all the gay couples who want to get married, that’s a lot of money that could be made.  But no, people voted against it, thinking about what’s right rather than what’s good for the overall state.  I thought about the big picture, and how California has a huge debt and no budget.  This is why I avoid practicing any religion because religious beliefs affect people’s decisions, and I want my decisions to be affected by my environment and what I’ve learned over time.

Anyway, I have one more week left in my externship.  Inpatient is nice, but I get bored easily because there’s not a lot to do.  The drug filing system is a complete disaster, especially when patients leave and we have to return their drugs to stock.  Some bins aren’t even big enough to accommodate the number of pills that aren’t used by patients.  Not to mention, the pharmacy is far too small for the amount of things they have in there – 2 medication carts and a repacking machine.  I don’t think I’ve learned as much as I would like to, in all honesty.  I haven’t made any real IVs yet; attaching a vial to a bag is not making an IV.  Not to mention, most of the time I’m waiting around for something to do, and then I get bored.  The guy who is supposed to be my supervisor is never at the pharmacy, so it makes me wonder who is going to do my evaluation at the end.  I’m hoping to do some volunteer work after my extern is over, but I’ll need to catch up on some lost sleep first.

Until next time…

The beginning of the end, part II

I’m supposed to be on my pharmacy technology externship right now.  But instead, I’m at home, blogging and doing laundry.  Why is it that I’m at home?  It’s because I was placed at a government facility for my externship, namely the Veteran Affairs hospital in Martinez, and they have required paperwork.  I’ve already sent everything in, so I’m supposed to start the following Monday after my original start date.  This means I’ll be ending my externship a week later than scheduled.  Some people got interviews before going to the externship site.  The two of us who were placed at the VA went to visit the facility just to see the location and to make sure we knew how to get there on Monday.  I’m nervous, but not as bad as my friend.  I look forward to working there, even if it means I don’t have a life Monday through Friday for the next 6 weeks.  I don’t even know if I’ll be able to work because I’ll be so busy.  I’ll be pulling an 18 hour day if I do the externship and work at the same time.  I would like to work, but I doubt I’ll have the energy to do so.  I don’t want to leave my job for 6 weeks, but I’ll need the sleep (I’ll be getting up at 6 in the morning).  This is a week of catching up on lost sleep – going to school, then more school, then work.  I don’t know how I got all that done and survived.

I’m glad to be done with school – no more nagging and people asking me for my notes.  I still have them posted online, but since the school was recently purchased by another company, the lecture format has changed.  I’d stop by to visit, but it would be strange because I’m supposed to be on extern.

I’m taking more classes in the fall, as I make the progression through pre-requisite classes for pharmacy school.  It’s a lot of work!  It’s going to take at least 4 years, if not more, because I’m not taking classes this summer.  I would like to, but it’d have to be at night and I would barely have time to study.  So, I’m taking classes in the fall – a math class and a microbiology class.  I did my research and looked up the professors; I’d be ignorant not to.  The schools I’m thinking about applying to have similar requirements, but the University of Hawaii, who just got their accredidation, has far more requirements, including the PCAT, which is the exam you take to apply to pharmacy school.  It’s similar to the MCAT, which is for medical school.  The schools I want to apply to don’t require the PCAT, which will save me the $150 (the price of the exam).  It’s going to be a tough road, but being a pharmacist is an in-demand job, and since I still have the time and science is my true calling (in comparison to teaching), I’ll put in the required time and effort.

As for other things, Mt. Diablo Unified School District is planning to lay off up to 400 teachers.  They are the biggest school district in Northern California (second would probably be San Ramon), and that hurts a lot of teachers, students, and families.  As big as this district is, there is simply not enough money.  The article said the lay offs were by seniority, so people like me, who just started, get laid off first.  Now I’m glad I didn’t become a teacher because if this is my job outlook, I’d rather be doing something else.  Health care keeps growing, even though there’s no money.  People require medication and care, and there are simply not enough people to do it all.  I’d tell people to go into nursing because there are not enough nurses to go around.  It’s a demanding job, but it pays well and you can get hired just about anywhere.

In the end, this economy continues to go downhill; car companies are going bankrupt, and people are still being sent overseas to solve another country’s problems.  I want the troops to be withdrawn; they deserve better and that means more money will be spent on important things, not on another country’s problems.

I hope to blog about my experiences at the VA, but due to privacy and stuff, I can’t really go into detail about it.  However, I’ll do my best to write about the experience.

Until next time…

The beginning of the end…

I started the pharmacy technology program just over a year ago, and in two weeks, I’ll be finally done with the program.  I’ve made a lot of new friends, but I’ve also noticed those that I wouldn’t want to work with nor would I want to be friends with them.  Of course, I’m not going to name anyone.  I know who I don’t like because I don’t get good vibes from them.  It doesn’t get any easier than that.  After I passed the national exam (with the highest score among my incoming class), I’ve gotten progressively lazier in class.  I still pay attention in class (to an extent), but I still try to be a good student with the least amount of effort.  I don’t know where my externship is going to be, and I’m already behind on getting things done because there are so many other things to do.  I know people will miss me, but how much?  I won’t have much of a life once extern starts, but afterwards, things should get better – hopefully.

I’d write more, but I’m at a loss for words.  Until next time…

Spring allergies are here…

I couldn’t find a better title name for this post.  There are more than enough things going on, in life and in society.  For starters, it is officially spring, and with that come my allergies.  Dust, pollen, and whatever else might be in the air.  Sometimes I’m so miserable that I can’t even function.  People have asked me if I’m sick because my allergies make me look I have a cold.  No, I’m not sick, and no, I won’t give you anything.  People have to realize that allergie are not contagious.  However, if I have something (and I don’t know about it), then I might give you something, but not intentionally because I didn’t know about it.

It’s also spring break from DVC, so a week without chemistry.  However, I’m still going over the hundreds of recommended problems I have because reviewing them is the only way I’m ever going to figure them out.  The class isn’t difficult, but I struggle because the class is at the most inconvenient time in the afternoon, thus making it a nonconducive environment for learning.  I also happen to fall asleep in class because the lecture gets so boring.  I know I shouldn’t be falling asleep, but nothing else keeps me awake.  If I eat, it can’t be anything noisy or everyone in class looks at me.  Another 2 months and this class will be done.

It’s hard to believe that nearly a year ago, I started the pharmacy technology program, and in less in 2 months, I’ll be on my way to externship (unpaid, of course).  This coming week will be the last week in my 8th term.  I am also taking my national exam at the end of next week, on Friday, after all my classes are done.  Passing means I have less things to worry about, but I’ve heard that the state is behind in processing licenses, so it could be awhile after sending in my paperwork to get anything back from them.  As for pharmacy school, I’m considering Touro University in Vallejo.  It’s a Jewish-based school, so there are many holidays.  It makes me wonder what the non-Jewish students do when there’s no class, since the school is essentially closed.  It is a potential candidate in my pharmacy school options, mostly because it’s closer than any other school, not to mention it would be a way to honor my boyfriend’s best friend’s Jewish heritage.  It doesn’t hurt to learn a little bit about someone else’s religion; I just don’t want to practice anything.

As for the economy, I’m glad that I still have a job, since the end of January.  I didn’t think I would be going back to the office, but it’s a job and I am grateful for it.  However, even if I keep this job into the summer, I don’t know how it will work with my externship.  Career services says that we’re only allowed to work 8am to 5pm, but I’m probably going to be too tired to head to the office after that.  But it all depends on where I get placed.  The hospitals aren’t hiring, and the county hospital doesn’t take externs. =(  Gas prices are going up again, and the tax got raised too.  It makes me wonder if this will help California’s debt, since the state always seems to have problems signing a budget.

As for gaming, there are new rules, but no one wants to test them.  They are all interested in another game (which I won’t mention by name).  It makes me wonder if all the printing I did was worth it.  I nearly killed my dad’s printer!  Not to mention, my printer is nearly out of ink, and I don’t want to put in the new color cartridge until I can get a black ink cartridge at the same time.  I do a lot of printing in pharmacy, but after classes are over, I shouldn’t be printing as much (unless it is for DVC classes).  And because of extern starts in June and ends in the middle of July, I don’t have the time to take summer classes.  At least it will be a break and I won’t have to think as much.  If I get hired (somewhere), I’m going to start making plans to move out.  As much as I like living at home with the free food, parking, and laundry, I’m getting a bit old to be staying home with my parents.  At this age, eveyone else I know has moved out and moved on.  I’m still struggling behind to make a career for myself.

Anyway, until next time…

Today’s education system

Before I got into the credential program at Cal State Hayward, I had no idea what I was getting myself into – at all.  I liked kids, but I didn’t realize that teaching itself took so much planning in advance.  If I could do things without planning, I would, and being spontaneous makes things more fun.  I like structure, but not so much in a way that it makes kids just learn without the ability to apply to real life things.  Schools expect so much out of their students, as does the government.  This “No Child Left Behind” crap bothers me because there is so much emphasis on math and reading that all other subjects are severely neglected.  Students should be well-rounded in a variety of subjects, but they’re not.  Kids are lucky if their school provides an after school program for music or art, which is even better if it is during the school day.  With no money in the state, these programs simply disappear.  After the arts are cut, next are athletic programs.  Soon, schools will be filled with fat kids with no exposure to music or art.  There’s barely enough time in the day for physical education, much less anything else.  Science and history are maybe what, once a week?  It should be every day, just like math and reading, but it’s not.  I’m not trying to harp on the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, but I don’t understand why all their students K-12 have a half day on Wednesdays.  I NEVER had short days – EVER. Every day was the same.  With that lost time, students could be doing other things, but instead, they’re hanging out at the movie theater, mall, or anywhere else they feel like going.  It makes me wonder if they have the one short day to save money, since teachers don’t have to work the full school days.  The school might be saving money, but then teachers get paid less.  How it all works out, I don’t know.

I didn’t finish the credential program, but it doesn’t matter anymore because now I have more opinions since I’ve been inside the system.  There’s a lot of things people don’t see when it comes to student teaching and having to prepare everything in advance.  School is supposed to be fun, but now all they do is sit and force kids to learn the material.  There’s no application of anything they learn in the classroom.  I was fortunate at my school, which was majority middle class, to have to re-enactments, with many parent volunteers.  Some schools in MDUSD don’t even have parent volunteers because their parents work all day just to keep the family together.  The first school I went to was mostly middle class and maybe a portion of the upper class, so there were parents all the time, and they HOVER over their child like a helicopter.  I don’t like it when parents do that, but it’s not something we can avoid doing because I know I’m probably going to do it too when I have kids in school.  The second school was the complete opposite, with hardly any parent volunteers.  There were high school students volunteering, but that’s about it.  It consisted mostly of lower income families, so it gave me a wider perspective on two very different elementary schools in the same school district.

Do I think I could have made it as a teacher?  I’m being honest about this, so no.  I may have liked kids (up to a certain extent), but I don’t have the personality to control an entire classroom of students.  And I probably have teaching methods that older teachers would not approve of.  I believe in adhering to state standards, but it doesn’t need to be forced into the students.  They’re CHILDREN, and they’re supposed to HAVE FUN.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it takes a certain kind of person to become a teacher, regardless of the subject(s), and not everyone who wants to teach can actually do it.  I enjoy teaching in a way, but not in a structured setting where everything has to be a certain way.  Not to mention, not every kid learns the same way.  Some teachers don’t realize that, or don’t use methods of teaching that apply to all types of learners.  I am a visual/kinesthetic learner, which means I learn by watching and doing.  If you tell me how to do something and have no visuals or examples, I’ll never get it.  I am horrible at learning the rules of a new game, if I do it myself. However, if someone else explains the rules to me while using the game, then I’ll get it.  So, there are some minor adjustments to my learning methods.

When it comes to controversial content in school, I think it should be covered so that students can gain a better understanding of why it is controversial.  Avoiding the topics only makes it worse, and students get more curious and try to do the research on their own.  Overall, if I’m going to teach anything, there should be research and facts to provide the information.

Anyway, that was a nice rant about education, since California ranks nearly at the bottom for it.  Until next time…

Neglected blog, part II

I realize that I don’t write much on this blog anymore.  I should, though, because it’s a way to let my thoughts out, whether people agree with them or not.  As of late, I’ve kept a lot of things to myself; being emotional has gotten me absolutely nowhere.  I’ve just tried to be myself, that’s all.

School is still school.  I have 3 months left until I’m done with this pharmacy technology program, not including the externship.  At this point, I don’t even know how long I’ll still have a temporary job because funding is so limited.  It’s a waiting game, and as much as I don’t like waiting, I don’t much of a choice. 

Even now, I don’t have a lot to write about because I’ve kept a lot of things to myself.  I don’t even have the motivation to write about my trip to Egypt, even though I said I would.  I don’t even have the motivation to paint my models, which is pathetic.  That army should have been done a long time ago, but as my priorities are mostly school and the relationship, I’ve put a lot of my hobbies aside.  I haven’t played with my miniatures in months, as I gave up my Sundays for studying in order to stay out all day on Saturday.  Now I’m wondering if the trade was worth it.  Even at home, I don’t accomplish much until later in the day because I sleep in past an unreasonable time. 

I guess I could talk about school…
I’m the last one in my incoming class to take the national exam.  I’ve mentioned that I would take it in April, when the testing facility has a new method of taking the test whenever I want to.  It’s a $130 test, but it’s worth it.  I’ll be a certified pharmacy technician with an associate’s degree (while doing only half the work).  I say this because I already have a bachelor’s degree and don’t have to take the general education classes required for the associate’s degree.  And while I go through the pharmacy tech program, I’m also taking the pre-requisite classes to apply to pharmacy school.  If I get in on my first try (which I highly doubt will happen), I’ll probably be one of the oldest students, if not the oldest.  I’ll already be 30 or so years by the time I apply to the program, and by the time I graduate, mid-30s, and working maybe 30 years before retirement.  Of course, this is all going according to if I am accepted to the school the first time around.  If not, everything will be put off for an entire year.  I don’t want that, so I have to work super hard to get the best grades.  I’ve been slacking off in chemistry, not studying until the last possible moment.  I know it’s a horrible habit, and I need to fix that.  As much as spend time reading the textbook, I have to do the recommended problems also to understand the material.  And at this point, I’ve only done problems for the first exam and not the second exam.  And I just took the second exam, which I felt wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. 

In the end, I can only work harder.  Pharmacy school doesn’t like lazy people and I need the best grades possible.

Until next time…hopefully I’ll write more often…