Cadavers--Oh MY!

So I'm in a beginning Anatomy and Physiology (A&P)class this semester. It's a prerequisite for dental hygiene. And I am lucky enough to be going to DVC for this class. You might ask, why does that make me lucky? Well, it's because DVC is one of the only schools in California that has cadavers for A&P students! Most pre-meds don't see a cadaver until their first year of medical school, but at DVC, any dental hygiene student taking pre-reqs can dissect one! Yeah, that's pretty exciting!
Yesterday was our class' first day of dissection. I was in the first group to work on the cadaver, who we nicknamed "Scarlette". I volunteered to be in the first group of five. I think it's pretty cool to dissect living things, as long as I don't have to eat them afterward. (This is why I don't watch when Jason cuts up the free-range chickens I buy.)
The dissection wasn't really too bad. Our job yesterday was to cut very shallowly into the skin and----well, maybe I won't post it here. I don't know if anybody's squeamish. If you're curious, just ask me.
I have also recently learned that the heads of the cadavers, (which are covered while A&P students work on the bodies) are saved for dental hygiene students to pratice on. Now that is something I am not looking forward to.

Second Day of Finals is Over

I took my first final on Friday. Today I had two more--Sociology (an essay exam totaling about 7 pages, handwritten)and my math final this afternoon, which stretched from 12:30 to 4:30. It was only supposed to be a maximum of three hours but since so many of us were still working at the end of the time limit, our teacher stayed until we all finished. I know I did better because of it, but come on! A math final that lasts four hours? I took my Soc final in under an hour. Anyway, be impressed that I survived.
I'm gonna head home now and relax a little. Jason and I have plans to watch "Death Note" a Japanese show, when Jason gets out of class tonight. (For those of you who don't know, Death Note is an addictive subtitled animated show. It's a real thriller, and full of psychological plot twists. Jason's friend Jim recommended it to us.) Our local theatre is showing a Death Note movie this Wednesday, so if we want to catch it, we'll have to watch like 4 hours of episodes over the next 2 nights to catch up. Between that and studying, we'll be pretty busy!

Yeah, It's Been A While...

Ugh. Finals again. I met with my counselor today and found out that the math class I'm taking isn't required for my course of study. That sucks. On the positive side, I found out that I can get rid of all my bad grades from when I was 18 and better at ditching than attending classes, including an gnarly F in a class titled "Study Skills". Ironic, eh? But anyway, I can do academic renewal after this semester, and get rid of all those bad grades that have been dragging my GPA down. Since I returned to school at 22 I've gotten mostly A's, and it will be nice to see my GPA reflect it.
Also, I am thrilled that my sister will be visiting soon! (I am posting this on my blog because I know Lesley is one of the three people who have ever read my blog. Hi Sis!)I also want to give her a birthday shout-out, because my phone battery died this morning before I could sing her the Birthday Song. Love ya Pook!

Today Is A Good Day...

Tonight the Relief Society is having a Soup and Bread Social. I decided to contribute Potato Chowder, a crockpot recipe I haven't tried before. I started it this morning before I left for school and thus I have the wonderful feeling of knowing what's for dinner, and that it will be ready at a reasonable hour. I have really fallen hard for crockpots this winter. I've been using them once a week this month. You can cook almost anything in a crockpot, I've discovered.
Also, today is the day that Campus Police Services give away all the stuff that people lost last semester, and never claimed. I scored two pairs of nice sunglasses and a jacket. Saves me from having to buy them!

In answer to Lesley's comment on the previous post

How to organize a syllabus in a lovely way:

--Be concise.

--Set office hours and place them at the top of the syllabus, not embedded deep within it. As to contact information, both a phone number and e-mail are necessary. While discussing the syllabus, let students know which is the best tool of contact, and how quickly they can expect a response.

--Post your exact policy for attendance, late work, and make-ups.

--Include the percentage breakdown of final grades into attendance, homework, exams, papers, final, etc.

--Include a time line with firm dates for all assignments, readings, and exams. This helps students plan their time, and asses how much effort to allot to the class.

--Do not cover all possible scenarios in the syllabus. Use bullet points for each subject likely to come up, and discuss it in class, so students can take notes on the topics most important to them, and use the bullet points for easy reference.

I really do feel strongly about this. I am much more successful in classes that are well organized, beginning with the syllabus. I changed history teachers yesterday because (in large part) of the syllabus' vague and rambling style. When the instructor refused to explain the questions I had--well, that was the death knell. Why waste my time with an instructor who irritates me on the first day?

Gretchen

I ran into my friend Gretchen today at DVC. She and I went to school together for like 10 years, from grade school to high school. She had been living in Idaho, but moved back to Martinez this summer. This is also the Gretchen who surprised me by coming down from Idaho for my wedding reception. I have such great, sneaky friends! (This also refers to Scott, who came up from Southern California, just for the reception!)
In other news, I am almost done with my current event assignment for Political Science. This paper has been driving me nuts! I haven't written a lot of papers in MLA, so I am a little nervous. I had it checked out at the Writing Center today, and the tutor said it was great, with excellent transitions, and a clear theme. Now I just have to polish up my Works Cited page. The paper is due tomorrow morning, and it will be so nice to have it over with!

Busy With School

I have been so busy this week! A major test today, a major paper in a week, and in Math we are studying the chapter that strikes fear into the hearts of grown men--Word Problems! I'll try to post some more soon, but I just wanted y'all to know that I haven't abandoned you.