see protected

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OMG…last weekend, at work, i had the queen of the biotchy
pharmacists.  And usually the morning IV shift makes up bulk
dilutions of iv solutions.  But they prepare enough based on the
amount the patients needed the day before….so it’s a rough
estimate.  So the evening IV shift uses those bulk dilutions and
makes the patients’ individual doses.  but if there were new
orders written, sometimes there won’t be enough of the drug, so we will
have to dilute some drugs ourselves.

so that was the case last week for this one antibiotic I was working
on.  And we have this binder that tells you exactly how to
reconstitute the drugs, because they come as a powder and you have to
add water or what not to make it a specific concentration. 
So…the book detailed reconstitutions for a two gram vial.  But i
couldn’t find any two gram vials in the stock room…only one gram
vials.  So i used that…and just cut the amount of diluent in
half to get the same concentration.  Makes sense right?

So the biotchy pharmacists tells me that the one gram and the two gram
aren’t necessarily formulated the same because they’re from diff
manufacturers….and so my dilution was wrong.  even though i
remember them being from the same manufacturer…but whatever.  so
she threw out ALL the IV’s i made…including the ones made from the
bulk bottles that morning because she said she couldn’t be sure which
ones were made from the “correct” stock. And then she had me dilute the
vials HER way (totally different).   i had to remake 5 bulk
bottles AND redo all the IV’s  (that meant reconstituting FORTY
vials from powder to make up the 5 bulk bottles…because we dilute it
further). 

The thing is, i had a huge pharmacology exam the next day and i wanted
to get out early to study…and we were doing really well on
time…until this little thing.  so i was pissed…especially
since i didn’t think the dilutions were wrong in the first place. 
AND, if the dilution procedures for the one gram vials WERE different,
wouldn’t it make sense to ADD the procedure in the binder?!!!!  So
that we KNOW it’s different?!  AND if no one knew the “correct”
dilution except HER….wouldn’t the original bulk bottles be made “incorrectly” in the morning as
well?!

Anyhow, today we get an email clarifying the one gram vs two gram
dilution.  And guess what….i was RIGHT the FIRST TIME. 
AND….because she made me dilute it differently, i think the batch the
we redid was not exactly the correct concentration…i think it was too
dilute.  Which we kinda noticed when we redid them…that it was
paler in color than it normally was.  UGH.  i TRIED to
explain why i diluted it the way i did, but she wouldn’t hear it. 
she kept harping on the manufacturing thing, even though i kept saying
it was the same company…therefore they would manufacture both the
same way.  UGH.  it took us an extra HOUR to remake that.

ok picture time:

Here are the poor pigeons that i was talking about.  They look like the Goodfellas on Animaniacs.  Notice the net

And HERE is more of Bundchen…he is such a camera whore!

Bundchen LOVES his mayo jar.  He likes to clean himself and
roll around on his back in there.  Sometimes he’ll nap too. 
but he LOOOOVES his oranges even more.  He’s smart…he won’t eat
the rind….only the pulp.

So, i got my hair cut …. and i like it! i think i have found my
stylist up here.  this is a rare occurrence.  i always put my
first visit to a stylist to a little test.  I tell them i want a
bob with a little bit of layers…..and i see how they do it. 
yes. yes. a little masochistic, i know.  But i know my hair grows
fast enough for bad things to be gone soon enough. 

Anyhoo…when i was in c-town in New York, all the gay, canto men would
go razer happy…and start stripping my hair down from the roots down
to the ends.  So the bottom was always really thin compared to the
top…it would be a mini-mullet if it weren’t for styling products.

All the white stylists would be too timid…and i’d leave with a flat out bob.

ALL the stylists would cut my hair at jaw length….i guess the classic
bob length…even though i KNOW it looks better when it’s a little
longer than that.

So today’s girl, B, was a very rare find.  An asian stylist at a
white salon.  Plus i had a coupon.  So i went.  And got
my hair did.  And emerged with a slightly shorter than chin length
rounded bob…with razored ends (ONLY the ends) and long bangs. 
Very much like Catherine Bell on JAG (the dark haired one).  
okay fine, it looks pretty much like how i always get it cut. Actually,
it looks like my profile pic, but with more texture!! hahahaha 
BUT, i’d always have to grow it out a little before it turned out the
way i really liked.  The girl pretty much got it right on the dot.

Before she cut, she took the time to ask important questions like, “do
you usually blow dry, or air dry”…”do you want to tuck your bangs
behind your ears”.  I said yes to that at first.  But after
she cut it, i thought it looked dumb that my bangs were only an inch
shorter than the rest.  But i didn’t want to sound stupid and be
like…um…can i change that to a no.  I just thought i’d cut it
myself when i got home.  PUAHAHAHAHA  ANyhow, after she blow
dried (blew dried?!), she looked at me and was like um….are you sure
you don’t want me to cut your bangs shorter?!  a MIND READER to
boot!

And my final test…i always ask them how soon they think i should
return.  All the money hungry ones say one month.  This girl
said 10-12 weeks….THREE months.  I was sold.  I’m totally
going back. 

I know this all sounds very shallow because it’s just hair….but it’s not JUST hair…. it’s HAIR…and hair is very important.

but me like my short hair…aaaaaaaaaah…it feels so comfortable not
to have it touching my shoulders.  i feel sassy now.  
SASSSSSSSSSSY!!!!

so….as you may or may not know, i have pigeons that reside on our
window sills and pseudo fire escapes.  there’s a small space that
separates my building from the next and pigeons love to fly in and
perch and take dumps.  anyhow, we used to have a netting up that
kept the pigeons out, but it had ripped….hence the pigeon infestation.

BUT…recently, i looked out and someone had put up a new net. 
BUT…i guess they didn’t check to see if there were pigeons still
around….because now the net’s up….but there are like 5 pigeons that
are stuck inside!!!!!  i have NO idea how they’re going to get
out.  poor pigeons.  they always perch on my pseudo fire
escape because i live on the top floor .   And i can see them
try to fly upwards…but then they hit the net and they’ll fall down   sometime they’ll land on my AC and i can hear the pitter
patter of little pigeon feet against the metal.  SO SAD!!!

So for our Communications class, we are going to be tested on our
patient counseling skills since all the “communication skills” we’ve
learned all semester is supposed to culminate in astounding patient
counseling sessions.  So the professor is taking this VERY
seriously….complete with a page long checklist of all the areas we’re
supposed to cover when educating patients on their meds…and with a
discussion of appropriate professional wear.  *rolling my
eyes*  I’m sorry, but i’m pretty sure that we all are aware of
what professional attire constitutes.  So anyhow, on her list was
No hats except for religious requirements.  EXCEPT, when she
wrote it out, she wrote “No HATE, except for religious
requirements”  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  Anyhow, i thought that was
pretty amusing.

anyhow speaking ofcommunication skills (or lack of), yesterday we had a
Law
exam at 3:30…and the class before is Virology and is supposed to end
at 3:20.  But someone had to make an annoucement before class, so
the virology prof started late…and she was a guest speaker, so she
only had that day to present her material.  So it’s 3:20 and she’s
not done yet….and this is the HIV module, which is really really
important to know as pharmacists because their drug regimen is so
complicated.  Then it’s 3:25 and she’s still teaching and i
start glancing at the clock…but i don’t really care cuz we get 1.5
hours for what’s basically a 30 min. exam…and our law classroom was
literally across the hall.  THEN, this girl raises her hand and
goes, “We have an exam at 3:30 and it’s now 3:25.  Can you PLEASE
tell us how much LONGER you’re going to take?”  like with a LOT of
attitude.

HOW RUDE…i’m telling you, i have a bunch of immature morons as
classmates.  This is probably why they have that communications
class as a requirement.  Not even in ELEMENTARY school have i EVER
heard anyone talk to the prof that way.  I was so disgusted that i
blurted out, “OMG, who SAID THAT?  Just LEAVE if you have to.”
really loudly…hahahahahaha.  but the girl wasn’t sitting close
enough to hear.  The poor prof was like 8.5 months pregnant too
and had to teach sitting down…so she was doing the best she
could….it’s not like she could come back again and finish up what she
didn’t cover.  At least she was TRYING to finish…and wasn’t
like, oh go home and read it yourselves.  GEEZ…That girl was so
lucky that she wasn’t sitting near me.

so i was browsing the housing market, because i always like to see what size house i could afford. And….from the looks of it, it seems as though i will not be able to afford ANY house. Housing prices are SOOOO freakin high…especially if you live in a decent neighborhood…doesn’t have to be a rich one, because we all already know houses there will be super expensive.

so like small 2-3 bedroom houses in fresh meadows are selling for like 6-700K+ . WHAT?!!! fresh meadows isn’t the ghetto by any means, but i wouldn’t consider it a rich neighborhood….i’d say it’s your average, safe commnity. Some of the houses are like two story,, but have very sloped roofs, so the second story isn’t even a full second story. And granted the school district is excellent, but still…that is a LOT of money for a small ass house.

I think i’ve seen the smaller houses in my area sell for almost 800K because it’s safe and very close to the subway. the houses the are in central jamaica estates….those are big….those are easily over 1 million.

Even to live in a separated house in the ghetto will cost you at least 3-400K (which is how much houses were selling for in my area maybe 5-10 years ago).

That is CRAZY….no wonder real estate people are so stinkin rich. That’s the field, man.

At this rate, i don’t think i could ever afford to live in a safe,detatched, decent sized house on a decent sized lot anywhere in NY. Even on my pharmacist’s salary….unless i want to pay back my mortgage for the rest of my life….literally.

looks like i’ll have to live in jersey if i want my 3+ bedroon house….it’s not fun to decorate small spaces….and my garden in my backyard….and *rolling the my eyes* the outdoor basketball court!! hahaa! we should all live in jersey and form a Not-Rich-Enough-To-Live-In-NYC community. We’ll have our own asian supermarket, a noodle house and bubble tea shop….namely, everything essential for an asian community. And since we saved so much money on housring, we can have a community swimming pool and we can all chip in and hire hot cabana boys to wait on us. And on the weekends, we can go outlet shopping or just shopping in general….and we’ll fill our homes with ikea stuff…..and free sheets from je-Yi. HAHAHAHAHA.

WHO’S WITH ME?!!!

so for the past two days, it was near 50 degrees….i didn’t wear my
down coat for the first time in a LOOONG LOOONG time.  ANd
tonight….it will snow 4-7 inches.  HOW CAN THAT BE?!  i
don’t get it! it’s almost april…APRIL.  It has snowed here EVERY
SINGLE weekend for the past month and a half.  I am not
exaggerating…But alas, i am now sick…AGAIN…this time with a mild
fever.  This constant change in weather is NOT good for me.

And now, to postpone studying for my pharmacy law exam tomorrow…i
shall post up pictures of Bunchen the hamster….now a very old 0.5
years old  (that’s old in hamster years).  Please excuse his
hamster droppings….Bundchen is very anal about his house and he
cleans out the poop and old food every day.  He carries them out
with his mouth, then pushes it underneath the house.  SOOO CUTE!

Bundchen loves oranges

Bundchen trying to escape into his house….he exits and enters through the WINDOW because he plugs the doorway up with tissue

my eyes get SOOOOOOOOOO dry from wearing contacts now.  i can only
tolerate them for an hour MAX before they start feeling like they’ve
been in for three days.  What to do?!!!! i wear my black “emo”
glasses a LOT now…but ugh, glasses are still SO annoying because i am
quite blind –> heavy lenses….even though they’re super high
index.  AND i miss quite a lot of peripheral vision with glasses
since everything outside the lenses are blurry.  Looking up, down
or to the sides would require me to move my head. I guess getting
super large frames would solve that….but we all know how cruel kids
can be about people wearing LARGE (red) glasses.

anyhow, i hear that Acuvue Advanced is supposed to have more water
content that others.  Anyone use that?  I do have a very
slight astigmatism, which went uncorrected until recently, when the
optometrist suggest i try toric lenses.  And i do see much better
with the toric…however, the Advanced doesn’t come in “my size” for
their toric line.  I think i can only wear their regular
version….but i don’t know if i want to sacrifice my vision while i’m
in school.

anyone have any good contact brands to recommend?!!!

I picked UNC to go all the way.

So…i have finalized my choice of classes for fall 2005…i
think.  So at the end, as much as i wanted to have an excuse to
spend my time on a hobby, I decided against taking photography for two
main reasons. First of all, class and lab time alone would constitute 6
hours of my week….and that doesn’t include the time i need to shoot
pics.  And probably more importantly, i kind of have a problem
with people “grading” creative works because it’s so subjective. 
Like when i took creative writing in college…my professor was this
old, traditional guy who liked poetry in prose and proper forms. 
None of us wrote poems that way…and we had to spend all day listening
to how he didn’t understand the poems…and then we had to explain it
to him.  It was just very annoying.

And so, here is my list of classes and a brief description so you guys
will know what i’m talking about when i complain about them next
semester!
1) Disease State Management
    A whopping SIX credit class and is probably the
reason why most kids fail out their fifth year.  It’s basically
teaching us about all the disease states…and how to manage them
therapeutically.   Hence, the name disease state management.
*Fun factor on a scale of 1- 10: hmmmm….if it’s taught well, possibly a 5.  If not, -10

2) Pharmacotherapy Seminar
    This is sort’ve the lab section to the above
course.  We get cases that we have to “treat”….then we meet in assigned groups to discuss and
present.  Can i just say that i absolutely DESPISE assigned
groups.  I always get at least ONE retard that pisses me off to no
end.
*Fun Factor: depends on the group

3) Advanced Practice Management
    This is the class that i needed the palm for. 
Basically i have to oversee two little third years as my techs while I
act (and i do mean ACT…muahahaha.  i’m JUST KIDDING!)
like the pharmacist for 3 hours, complete with verifying prescriptions
and couseling the “patient” (who is actually the prof waiting to ask
difficult questions).  Notice, i did not say FILL the
prescription….because unlike common misperception, it’s usually the
techs that fill….pharmacists do NOT (unless they’re really backed up).
*Fun Factor: 3…only because i get to boss around the third years.
MUAHAHAHAHA.  i love being the boss.  BUT grading is really
strict…they deduct points on increments of 25.  yes TWENTY
FIVE.  so 0′s are quite common.  It’s how they instill
responsibility in us….by scaring us into thinking we might fail.

4) Drug Literature
    In this fun filled class ,we learn how to read
medical journal articles…although i don’t see why we need a class on
this….and if we do, why we do it so late in the curriculum,
especially since we’ve had to read articles for our previous
classes.  oh yeah, we get to do journal clubs too. 
*Fun factor: 0

And now for the electives…….
5) Global Infectious Diseases
    I think a self explanatory title.  I think it
would be nice to know stuff if i ever do a medical missions type thing
overseas…..not only for the people there, but also for me, seeing as I
am the world’s unluckiest person when it comes to illnesses and will
likely contract some sort of weird illness myself.
*Fun Factor: 6

6) Pediatric Pharmacotherapy
    Again, self explanatory.  I don’t think i’ll
ever specialize in pediatric pharmacy because it’s WAY too scary for
me.  All their meds need to be individually dosed….it’s SOOOO
easy to OD a peds patient.  AND when they’re sick and certain
things don’t work…oh boy…it’s just a big mess.  But again,
good stuff for me to know because most hospitals do have a peds ward
and i will have to be aware of things.
*Fun Factor: 7 (get’s an extra point because i like the professor)

So…i can not seem to muster up a fun factor score greater than
7.  Even 7 is an optimistic reach.  Sigh.  If only
pharmacy school was just a series of photography classes…..without
grades.  It would be 10′s across the board.