Posts

Showing posts from November, 2015

My Twenty Russian Besties

Image
     Something strange is happening.  You see, I have three ardent blog fans.  (Shout out to my niece and two sisters!  I love you guys!!)  They are the only ones who read this blog, which is just fine with me because I didn't start this crazy thing for anyone but myself.  As I have mentioned before, writing helps me process my thoughts, and make sense of my experiences.  Well, the strangest thing happened the other day, someone on campus told me they liked my blog.  Whaaat?  What blog?  My blog?  How is that possible?  I chalked it up to a fluke, but then it happened again.        After being freaked out for about a week, I decided to see if I could tell who was looking at my blog.  Don't laugh, I had never blogged before and didn't really know how this whole thing worked.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself just for figuring out how to post to the blog.  I hadn't looked beyo...

Fun Two

Image
     For inspiration on me remembering me, here's my Digication "Welcome" page.  For those of you who are lost because you are reading this blog backwards - see blog post, "Fun is a tricky word, use it carefully".        My name is Susan and I am a student at Boise State University.  I am working towards my Bachelor of Arts degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with certificates in Leadership and Human Relations, and Dispute Resolution.        I have had a wonderful, full life, but I'm ready for a change.  I am excited to be back in school, and I look forward to using my life skills, in combination with my newly acquired educational skills for a successful career in leadership.        In my spare time I like to ride my bike, a 696 Ducati Monster.  Lavender no less.  I moved here from Portland where I was involved in a motorcycle club.  I look forward t...

Fun is a tricky word, use it carefully

     This time last year I was pretty depressed.  OK, scary depressed.  Not to the point of having an exit plan, but more to the point of hovering between functioning and non.  I was talking to a friend about this one day and she asked me, "So what do you do for fun?"  I didn't know.  I'm serious, I had no idea how to answer her.  And after a few days when I still couldn't answer this question, I knew I was in trouble.  Being the good psych nurse that I am, I had a keen understanding that if one is to have a decent mental health status, then one really ought to be able to answer this question.  Still, nothing.        I figured this was a key to understanding my current serious depressive state.  Fun is multi layered and could mean many things.  For example, anything from party girl, to meaningful moment with a loved one.  But I believe that at the heart of the kaleidoscope of funful ideas, is t...

If you're gonna go big, go Burnside

Image
     As a psychiatric nurse case manager, I would have to go to court from time to time, if one of my clients ended up in the judicial system.  Which unfortunately, is not uncommon for folks with major mental health issues.  I'm not going to touch that particular subject just now - it's an issue that's critically important to me and to society, but way too complicated for this little post.      Rather, I was thinking of a particular experience I had with one of my clients.  She had been arrested for walking down Burnside naked.  Now, if any of you have been to Portland, you know that Burnside is a hoppin' place pretty much 24/7.  I'm sure she had quite a bit of exposure before the police showed up.        She and I had a fairly good relationship as I had been meeting with her at least twice weekly for nearly a year.  I hadn't really grilled her about the incident because I knew she had been very psyc...

Tiara Count

Image
         Anyone who knows me well, knows that I want a tiara.  Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for sparkly things.  Or maybe it's because everyone secretly wishes they had one, but I'm the only person brave enough to admit it.  (I lean towards the later)      I had a mental health client once who wore tiaras.  As a psychiatric nurse case manager, you really ought not to covet your patient's possessions.  But I did.  More importantly, I coveted her ability to wear them.  I may be brave enough to say that I want one, but my hutzpah stops there.  I rarely saw Stephanie without one of her mini crowns.  She would always come to the office fully decked out in hair, clothes and make up.  She was a sweetheart and I adored her.        I soon realized that I could gage, with a fair amount of accuracy, her level of psychosis by the number of tiaras she wore.  One was ba...

Moratorium

Image
     I haven't watched TV for years.  This has been good for my soul, and my brain, and my general good health and well being.  Don't get me wrong, I totally check out the Flixs, but I can't stand commercials, and I can't stand bad (most) TV.  Also, I want to watch when I want to watch, which is usually at crazy hours, and quite possibly in segments - especially since school.      There is one unfortunate down side to this blissful way of life, I am totally ignorant of certain pop culture.  You'd be surprised how many times people refer to commercials, for example.  It's like they revert momentarily to a foreign language mid sentence and then back to English again.  While I'm thinking, "what did she just say?", everyone around me is laughing at the reference.  To be popular and hip, or to be TV ignorant?  I think I'll continue my moratorium and take my changes at being dull and missing the point.

Pi/Pie

Image
     Is it just me or does anyone else think that there must be a correlation between the two?  You know, Pi - circle, and Pie - circle.  Or is this a common factoid that all humanity knows except me?  If so, be kind and don't scorn.  I didn't even know what a Pi was.  And isn't that just the freakiest thing you ever heard?  How does it do that?  3.14159 every  time!  My mind is officially blown.      So, who's gonna research this circle comparison thing for me?  I just don't have time - too much math homework.

The Pop Tart Demise

Image
     As in, my demise via Pop Tart.         I've got an allergy to gluten...among other foods.  But I tell you what, I'm in gluten free heaven these days as everyone seems to be on that band wagon and suddenly there are so many grocery store options.  I don't even need to make a special trip to the health food store any more.  Even Winco has a gluten free section now.      I tend to eat pretty health: organic when I can find and afford it, only ingredients I can pronounce and nothing that can survive a year on the shelf or a nuclear blast - which ever comes first.  I didn't always eat like this.  I grew up with your typical American diet of canned veggies, sugared cereals for breakfast, and processed everything.  Remember, I'm a child of the 60s.  I was well into my 40s before I understood the word, "tofu".  So my nostalgia, comfort foods. . . well let's just say, they shouldn't really be...

Introducing, Boise State University's newest organization!

Image
     One day, not long ago, I was sitting in my Leadership 325 class when the professor was talking about vulnerability and connection.  Can I just say again, what a thrilling surprise it has been to talk about these kinds of aspects of a leader, in school - not what I expected, but so happy to fine them taught in the leadership field.  Included in this particular lecture, was the TED Talk by Bene Brown about vulnerability.  All of a sudden I had one of those intuitive moments where clarity dawns and I know, without any sliver of a doubt, what I am to do next.  I have learned the hard way over the years, not to ignore this feeling.  Even if it doesn't make any sense (and to tell the truth, these kinds of moments rarely do make sense).  I now know to just jump in head first.  The moment of clarity?  I am to start a women's spirit drum circle on the BSU campus - duh.    ;)      I have been involve...

Author, Denis Johnson

Image
     I've always been awed, and a little bit afraid of authors.  I mean, who are these guys/gals?  How do they do what they do?  Do they even live in our human realm, or just visit it on occasion?  I got to glimpse one of them last night as he made a visit.  Geesh, I'm even nervous writing about an author.      His name is Denis Johnson and he spoke at BSU last night.  He's an acclaimed writer and is currently teaching at BSU.  I kept thinking all night, how do I get into one of his classes?  But I know I'd never have the courage to do something like that.  I'm quite sure it would require a whole lot of prereqs and a bunch more talent than I posess.  Ah, but to be a fly on that wall!      But back to my God-like-awe of authors.  I was somewhat surprised to find him seemly shy, personable and humorous.  Very humorous, but in a subtle kind of way.  He mostly read some o...

She's Rockin' the Trinomials!

Directions - Simplify your answer ( 4 x - 7 w - 5 )  ( 6 x + w + 7 ) The answer 24 x 2 - 38 wx - 2x - 7 w 2 - 54 w -35 And yes, that is the correct answer.  And yes, I came up with it all by myself.  And yes, I'm feeling pretty damn proud of myself right about now!

Gibberish

The instructions say, Multiply a univariate polynomial by a monomial with a positive coefficient.

Swirl

Image
     I haven't mentioned it yet because I was hoping if I didn't talk about it, it would turn out not to be true.  But alas, no amount of supreme avoidance behaviors on my part has made any difference.  I got a 65% on my last math test.  This is doubly bad.  Not only is that not a good grade, but I honestly thought I was going to get a grade in the 90s.  How could I have been that far off?  30 percentage points off.  Can you say math clueless?  I am now spending two days a week in the math lab - more on that later.  In the mean time, I'm watching my pristine, BSU, 4.0 GPA, as it goes swirling down the toilet.