NBEO--- the thorn in my side

Ok so NBEO stands for National Boards of Examiners in Optometry. Their mission is: "Advancing the Assessment of Competence."... which in plain language, making me study 4 hours a day for 3 months...

So I have Part 1 (Applied Basic Sciences) of my National Boards March 20th and March 21st... Right now Boards is practically ruining my life...

I have been studying NON STOP for boards since January 1st of this year. As the  month comes to an end and March is quickly approaching, I have mixed emotions. It is literally an emotional rollercoaster. Some days I'm feeling great and motivated and ready to knock it out the park and then other days I want to crawl under the blanket and come out in May.

Oh speaking of May that is the other crazy thing, although I take boards in March we don't receive our scores back until MAY!! That is such a long time to wait in anticipation... sigh.

It's 500 questions spread out over 2 days; one of the crazy things is those 500 questions are not broken into categories, but they are ALL random, in no particular order.

So what does it cover...basically everything I have learned in Optometry school up until this point and then some...

So here goes:

-Ocular Disease
-Systemic Disease
- Ocular Anatomy
-Systemic Anatomy
-Ocular Pharmacology
-Systemic Pharmacology
-Physical Optics
-Geometrical Optics
-Ophthalmic Optics
-Low Vision
-Contact Lens
- Binocular Vision
-Vision Perception


Crazy...huhn? So basically I have become a hermit that has forgotten how to enjoy life. Study, study, study. Oh and did I mention there are actually 3 parts to boards...but first things first and also Part 1 is supposedly by far the hardest If it wasn't for my BF, I would probably be screaming, running naked in the streets somewhere (gone crazy), but luckily he keeps me somewhat sane. lol.

Ok back studying... Until Next Time...

Week 11 of Classes

::hangs head in shame::

So this is like a bad relationship, I promise to do better, but then I fall back into my same skiddish ways. It's been almost 2 months since I've last written. I really can't believe it has been that long. My life has been zooming by, but certain parts have just been moving s..l..o..w..l...y... ie this week. 

So..how's 3rd year?

Hmm...3rd year is -_- 

For some reason, I was under the impression that 3rd year, I would be living it up, partying, enjoying the good life, laughing at the 1st years (ok I do that). But in fact, 3rd year is just blah... maybe if I wasnt too busy randomly planning stuff for NOSA life would be less intermittently stressful. Also I manage to work a couple hours a week. I can't pay my rent off it, but it does supplement my gas money.

I work for our Clinic's dispensary. I love my job, but honestly some days stress me out more than taking a test. Speaking of taking a test, most of my grades have fared well so far. ::knocks on wood, tree, and linoleum (for good measure)::

All in all, I can say life is indeed good (intermittently).

So I do this rather compulsive thing where I label each day we have been in class and countup each day/week. Well it's week 11 and I am in disbelief. Excited, but nervous for what is ahead. Anywho... just wanted to type a few words. Hope yall aint mad.

Until Next Time...

America: I Am

So this coming Friday, I will be attending an Exhibit called, America I Am: The African American Imprint Exhibition. It apparently is supposed to chronicle important achievements by Black people (you guys know I prefer the term "black" to "African American").

Here is some more information about America I Am:

So apparently it is the 6th stop in a 4 year tour of the exhibit. Also it is hosted by Tavis Smiley, thats what reminded me to blog about it..

AMERICA I AM: The African American Imprint 

is mounted as the broadest museum exhibition of its kind. An assembly of poignant artifacts 

representing nearly 500 years of American history, the exhibition will convey and celebrate the 

undeniable imprint African Americans 

The exhibition examines four themes in particular: economic, socio-political, cultural, and spiritual impact on America. These themes serve as recurring touch points throughout the galleries, as visitors discover how our experience as Americans has been shaped by African Americans throughout history.

The 15,000 square-foot exhibition is divided into twelve galleries, leading visitors through time 


on a journey from struggle to triumph.

-

Featuring more than 200 artifacts culled from every period of U.S. history, the exhibition  includes objects, texts, religion, music, narration, and media. An interactive component of the exhibition allows visitors to leave their own video “imprints,” and this collection will grow throughout the life of the exhibition with the potential to become the largest recorded oral history project in U.S. history

Anyways, I think this will be interesting. I'm going to try my 'darndest' to write a follow up post about my thoughts, reactions. I'm going with an open mind, especially since the tickets are free. lol.

Until Next Time...

"Too Important to Fail"

As you all know, I do not have cable television. This is the second year that I havent had cable and if you told me that I would be able to live and thrive without it a couple years ago, I would have called you a liar. lol.

SO I have been watching a lot of PBS. I have never watched so much PBS in all my years alive combined compared to this year. I have watched so many awesome documentaries on PBS world. I'll try and list of them as I remember them.

As we speak I am watching a documentary on why so many Black males are struggling in the education gap. I guess this is now a mini series I have started. I didnt do it on purpose, this is just things that have been in the media lately...kind of like the phenomenon of successful single black females.... but here is the link to a previous post I did on "The Boy Crisis" a couple weeks ago.

I am halfway through the documentary and it is indeed informative. Check it out below. 

Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.

Until Next Time...

We are going to make you EARN it

"We're flying first class... up in the sky, living the life,in the fast lane, and it won't change... oh the glamorous...the flossy flossy."

I have no idea why that song just popped into my head. But it did. lol. I am the opposite of glamorous, but I am right where I want to be and need to be.

I am currently taking a break from all of the "hecticness" of life. Second year was coasting along fine and then all of a sudden everything picked up all at once. So as a collective everyone has been pulling their hair out. Not only do we have to worry about actual tests, but proficiencies. Our proficiencies test our clinical skills to insure that we are compete in certain procedures before we enter clinic this summer.

The culminating proficiency is our "White Coat Proficiency"... We have to do a full exam while one of our professors watches us and grades us. It is really nerve wracking, because it is 2 whole hours with a 25 page grading sheet. My White Coat is next week. And once we pass that we have our White Coat Ceremony, and that is on May 12th. I will be smiling from ear to ear across the stage. :)

I know a lot of medical, dental, optometry schools receive their "white coats" when they first enter, kind of like a hey you made it to ___ school. But I actually like the way my school does it. They make you EARN it, so they haze the heck out of you for two years and then when they feel like you deserve it, they give it to you in a ceremony. So that is pretty awesome. As of now my parents and my aunt are coming.

I am anxious to get the rest of my proficiencies over with. I had my contact lens one today that went really well. 2 more next week and then 1 the following week. Wish me luck guys... Until Next Time..

Snow +Finals = Cold

In keeping with my goal to reach 110 blogposts before the end of the year, I figured I would squeeze another one in. I just got in from taking my Monsense (Monocular Sensory Processes) Final.. It really kicked my butt. Some of the questions, I really don't even think were in our notes. Sigh... Oh well, what can you do. I have two more finals left and then I'm chucking the deuces to St. Louis... The snow outside is ridiculous. It took me 45 minutes to get to school, not counting the time, I had to warm up my car, get all snow and ice off of it, wait for my windows to semi defrost. Oh and my front door has been doing this thing where it is extremely difficult to lock and open and it is even worse with gloves on.

So I studied/ flash cards while stuck in traffic. Yup.. Well glad that final is over, I have two more left, Ocular Motility and Ocular Disease. Yeah... I have a really borderline grade in Disease so I'm really going to bust my butt and keep praying for a miracle. So my initial reason for getting on here was to mention the cute t-shirts that I have been lusting after, but I just can't bring myself to buy. Now that this post has gotten longer, I am just going to make it a separate one. Oh yeah have you checked out the sets that I have made on Polyvore.com... Love it!! I've been meaning to find that youtube video that shows how you do it. Oh well, I'll search for it soon.. Tata! Stay warm out there.

Until Next Time...

No Stress November

Yo! So I'm in the computer lab, typing a paper for a class... So I have a lot going on, my to-do is overflowing (my cup runneth over), but those seem to be the times that I find time to write on my blog. It is the 2nd to last day of November. Overall, I will say that November was indeed a lovely month. As you all know, Autumn/Fall is indeed my favorite season. Not only is it the only season with 2 names, but it is just beautiful. I treated myself to a mani the other day, and I got this cute orange color!! It makes me smile every time I look at my nails.

Today is the first day back from Thanksgiving Break. My break was wonderful, it was nice to get home and spend time with family and friends. A much needed hiatus from all of the hustle and bustle that school presents.

Also happy belated birthday to me. Lol. I'm 23 now... weird! I don't feel old or young...I just am. So I used to post my weekly "frisky"scope, but I stopped that many months ago. I think I am going to resume that. Once I get over these next 3 weeks, I will have a WHOLE MONTH off.. I won't know what to do with myself.

So I declared this November as being "No stress November" and for the most part, I will say it has been rather stressful, but I have managed to turn all of my distress into eustress. Yay for me! So I'm still chipping at the side of the huge iceberg (caught a glimpse of Titanic the other night..love that movie).

Until Next Time...

Eek!

First let me start off by saying I have NOT abandoned my blog. I just have had a "writers" block this past month. I can't believe it has been a month. Wow. This semester has really flown by. Maybe it's my "count up" that I have implemented. Currently it is Week 8, Day 38...woohoo! And for those of you that don't know, there are 16 weeks in a semester, so I am more than halfway.

So far this semester is wayyy better than last year. I guess I don't hate St. Louis as much and I made it out of the "hood"...lol. But I feel like I am becoming more and more like an optometrist everyday. For the most part all of my classes are really interesting, some teachers are more boring than others. And it sucks when teachers "dim" the lights to look at powerpoints...ugh. Good thing I sit on the front row, and I have my handy dandy coffee right next to me, faithfully every morning.

So hmm...why haven't I written, don't know. I said I was going to be better about it this semester also, because I didn't really write much this summer either. In other news, I am approaching post 200!! Yes...almost 200 posts. I plan on having a post/blogging explosion tonight, because I don't feel like studying, so at least I will have something to show for the next half hour or so. Also it's kind of weird, but I think the more I tweet the less I blog, so I am going to have to work on balancing the two.

Yes the temperature has started to drop, but it is up and down, like today I studied outside...Which was great! Gosh so much has happened in the past month it will be almost impossible to share everything. Well I will share as I think of it. There are a few posts that I am itching to get out though. So enjoy!

Until Next Time...

Classes Fall 2010

2 semesters down, 6 more to go...Geesh. Doesn't really feel like I'm making much progress. Oh well..Here are my classes for the semester:

1. Ophthalmic Optics w/ Lab
2. Ocular Motility w/ Lab
3. Foundations of Ocular and Systemic Disease and Management 1
4. Monocular Sensory Processes
5. Clinical Optometry II w/ Lab
6. Interpersonal Communication

Clearly it should be a fun filled semester.

Until Next Time...

Here We Go Again...

 So I told myself I wasn't going to become one of those bloggers, who gets all excited about blogging initially then starts to do the slow drop off. Yes the summer is officially over. My second year starts tomorrow...serious WOW! I would say I don't know what to expect, but I have a pretty good idea...

So many people have asked me if I am excited to be starting again...and my honest answer is no. It kind of catches people off guard, but I'm good at doing that.

I moved into my new place last week. And I love it. It's very me. Not too small, not too big. Just right! So I'm pretty happy about that. I am still looking for a desk chair. I guess in the meantime I will stay on campus and study. Oh study...Yikes!

There has been quite a few things that I've wanted to share on here, but I was just lazy. I am going to try and write two blogposts a week...and if that doesn't happen..I'm not going to stress it too much. Hopefully I will write more. But blogging is kind of like working out. The hardest part is starting, ie. making it to the gym, once you get there you feel like you can exercise all day. I just need to start a blog entry and then I'll just keep going.

I need to make out my budget for September. I have been putting it off, but gotta whip out the excel document and make sure I have enough money for anything extra. Yikes! Can I just win the lottery already? Geesh... I am going to post my classes for next semester in another post.

Until Next Time...

2 semesters down, 6 more to go...

So as I sit lazily on the couch, watching Gilmore girls, with no particular plans for the day. It feels good to think that I am a second year optometry student. This past year has been a whirlwind. From moving out of the glorious south to the midwest.. (yikes), to learning an abundance of information that I knew no idea about before entering opt school. I was going to make a list of all the things that I have learned, but that would take forever. So, I'll just type freely with whatever comes to mind, hopefully you can follow:

-I feel as though I have learned just as much about myself in the past year as I learned information.

-Leaving the womb, Atlanta, helped me grow in sooo many ways, its hard to even try and isolate them.

- I know for sure that I want to raise my family in the south... the midwest thing is not happening. The neighboring states just suck...my classmates and I were looking to go on a mini-vacay and all the states were boring. There were no beaches or warm weather or fun cities or great attractions...thats ok, i'll stay in the south.

- I think it's funny that whenever I tell people how excited I am to leave St. Louis they always tell me that I will miss it, umm they have no idea. Doubt if I will miss it at all this summer...guess we will see...

- I think I learned more actual school information these past two semesters than I have learned in a very long time...I honestly am not sure why so much info was crammed into two semesters, but whatev..

- Whenever I tell someone I am in Optometry school or they know you are in opt school, there is bound to be an eye question...last semester it used to be a little weird because I kinda knew stuff, but not really...NOW I know sooo much more information. I get soo excited when I actually kinda know what the person is talking about, and even better when I can answer the question with a right/definitive answer. Yes I know I have a lot more to learn, but more information than I think...

- This semester I was able to make new friends, go to many different places, and basically just venture out a lot more. I was able to appreciate St. Louis a lot more (even though I still don't like it), but it is just a different city, it cant be compared.

- School wise, I was able to study a little more comfortably... I still wrestled with myself though...I was never really able to study effectively in my apartment, but honestly I was just too lazy sometimes to go to the library, especially when it was cold and snowing.. I didn't get the exact GPA that I wanted this semester, but it's all good.

Wow so I blabbed on a lot...basically I am a much more mature, aware, and smart person after these two semesters.. I guess that is what life is all about.. I thought a rearview mirror picture is appropriate for this post (especially since I learned so much about mirrors and lens in my Optical and Geometric Optics classes)...Whew another post down...

1. Toms Shoes follow up
2. 1 year blogaversary (Recap)
3. First Year of Opt school (Looking Back)
4. Diversity/ Janelle Monae
5. St. Louis/Midwest

Until Next Time...

The Best Place to Start is from the Beginning

Hmm...where do I start? I have been home for about a week and a half now. I have wanted to write, but I think I've had a little writers block. I've seen a lot of articles/randonmness that I have wanted to post, but just haven't had the motivation to do it. So I figured if I just log into my blog and start writing it will all come back to me.

Well it sure does feel good to be home. The last 2-3 weeks of school was pure agony. I was tired of going to class, waking up early, studying and studying some more. And then finals just wiped out all of my energy I had. And then when I thought I had no more energy I had to pack and move in less than 24 hours.

These past couple of days I have just been chilling. Going to bed late, sleeping in late. All the good things in life. It has been nice catching up with friends and family. I have also been watching lots and lots of TV. Thanks to Comcast "OnDemand."  Gosh I have sooo many blog posts to write. Hopefully they will just start flowing..I'm going to make a minilist, because my memory has been failing me lately.

1. Toms Shoes follow up
2. 1 year blogaversary (Recap)
3. First Year of Opt school (Looking Back)
4. Diversity/ Janelle Monae
5. St. Louis/Midwest

Ok five is a good place to stop...we will see how much of those I get done. It's weird because one of the things I like is the flexibility. I have/used to have a bad habit, where I start things and then rarely finish them...I think the idea of starting a new project is exciting, but the actual follow through doesn't happen.. (eek) Yeah this update is pretty vague, but as the title suggests, "The Best Place to Start is from the Beginning"

Until Next Time...

Stressed? Study Says Calling Mom Helps

So I am currently taking an extended study break before I head to the library because the final I had this morning drained me. I decided to check out CNN and they had this interesting article about how calling your mom actually lowers your stress level and releases oxytocin,"the bonding hormone", (which I can go on and on about because I learned about it in A & P).... Anyways, just thought it was interesting. I generally call my mom a lot, lol..but since it is finals week, and I am stressed out of my mind. A whole lot of mom calling has been going on. lol. Well here is the link to the article...and some excerpts that I thought were particularly interesting...

It's a situation every mother has been through: Your child is stressed out or upset, but she's at school or summer camp--too far away for you to give her a hug.

That doesn't mean she can't be comforted, however. According to a new study, talking on the phone with Mom is nearly as good as getting a hug for helping stressed-out kids calm down.

At least for young girls, talking on the phone with their mothers reduces a key stress hormone and also releases oxytocin, a feel-good brain chemical that is believed to play a key role in forming bonds, the study found.

"Mothers know without being instructed how to soothe a child," Campbell says. "They know because they come from a long line of women whose genes remained in the gene pool because they kept their kids alive. The challenge is for scientists to illuminate how mothering works--and that's where oxytocin comes in."

Even though Pollak's study was conducted on young girls, the findings are relevant for older children and even adults, Dr. Strathearn says.

Oh and I love the fact that CNN decided to include a picture of a black female with a fro on the phone...lol. CUTE! Until Next Time...

That time of year....

So that time of the year has come around again...Finals! I already feel like I am going out of my mind and I have only taken 1 final (which I got an A on..woohoo), 4 more to go..
Tues- Ocular Optics
Wed- Anatomy and Physiology of Disease
Thurs- Physical Optics
Fri- Ocular Anatomy

Anyways...I was taking a quick study break to check out what time the library closes... I need to write a blogpost sometime about all the things I miss about Emory/took for granted. The first would be the 24 hour library. It is so baffling to me that the library is not 24 hours... In undergrad I did all my best work/studying between 11-3 am. lol. Now the library closes at 10/10:30pm, even during Finals time...ugh! So I'm beyond stressed, mostly because my grades are all borderline... A/B or B/C... so darn sad. Anyways... I just wanted to write a quick post, before I got caught up in everything (then again I am good at utilizing every hour of the day..FYI- Deltas make a 24 hour day, 25 hours..lol) ...Until Next Time...

Making Glasses for Haiti

So last week was just one of those weeks... it wasn't necessarily bad, but I wouldn't want to do it over again. Anyways yesterday turned out to be a good day after I volunteered with NOSA. So NOSA (National Optometric Students Association) is one of the organizations that I am a part of; actually I'll be President next year, which is kind of exciting.. (I'll make another blogpost sometime about NOSA, in the meantime check out the link) Anyways we volunteered with a local black optometrist in St. Louis and made glasses to send to Haiti.

So hmm...how do you make glasses? I didn't know until yesterday. Here is a rough outline, hope it isn't too confusing.

1. The lens were marked with the optical center (which was done with a lensometer) We had a lot of prescriptions lenses ranging from (-.50 to -6.00 D) that were all one large circular shape.

2. So we got trial lens frames, frames with lens without any prescription (that were donated from various optometrists)  and popped the lens out. This took some force, it took me a while at first with some coaching from the optometrists cause I was scared I was going to break the frames...lol.

2. Anyways once you pop the lens out. You put the frames in a machine that traces the shape of the glasses frame.

3. Set the interpupillary distance and mount the lens using the optical center marking that was done earlier. Then that machine sends the information it to the lens grinder. It literally cuts the lens with water and sand and this other stuff.

4.You pull the lens out, heat up the frame and then pop each prescription lens back into the original frame.

It was so crazy!! It was like man I just made some glasses. I know this might sound confusing, because at first it was, but once you got the hang of it, it was pretty easy. Between the five of us, we ended up having an pseudo-assembly line going... and ended up making about 20 glasses. we didn't finish all, but we had been there for a while.

Oh and the Doctor who had his own practice was pretty cool. He was an UMSL graduate and his practice was pretty afrocentric. I He had lots of black figurines, african print, an african drum, portraits of Malcom X, MLK, this Choices portrait that really stood out to me, it was a tiny bit cluttered but really different. like seeing people's practices so I can get more ideas for my own. I loved it!

After that we headed to the loop to get some "Mexican food" was pretty cool. It is nice volunteering and feeling like I am making a difference instead of studying for tests/exams all the time. Needless to say, this is one of those times that I am so happy that I am in optometry school. It helps me stay motivated and exciting about my career choice. In 2 weeks I will be 25% of an optometrist...lol. Just 3 more years..

Until Next Time...

Quick Update and some Uplift

Well let me start by saying I'm feeling pretty stressed...only 19 more days until I'm back home, but I feel like this is going to be the longest 19 days ever. Anyways..I am working on a scholarship application (among other stuff) for the Georgia Optometric Association and I was looking for a quote to start off my essay. I found some pretty good quotes. All of them didn't apply to what I was writing, but these are the ones that stood out to me.


I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. – Edward Everett Hale

Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light. ~Norman B. Rice

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.-Margret Mead

This is the true joy in life - being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. ~George Bernard ShawThousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. ~Buddha

Until Next Time...

One for One- BareFoot

So I recently discovered the company TOM's shoes.. About two weeks ago, one of my classmates came to class without shoes. This seemed a bit odd, especially when he went to the restroom without shoes (yuck!). So instead of completely judging him, I decided to ask him why he didn't have on any shoes and he told me all about TOM's shoes and what a great company it is and how for every shoe you buy, the company donates a pair of shoes to a child in a country that is unable to afford them. Then he told about the "Day without Shoes" which occurs on April 8th. It is exactly what it says it is...the day is supposed to bring awareness to the millions of children/people around the world that are unable to afford proper shoes. I thank my classmate for having the courage to participate in this movement, in spite of the judgment that people in professional school may pass on him.


I know that in the morning when I am getting ready to go to class, I don't stress out about NOT having shoes to wear, I am usually more concerned with what shoe will look better with my outfit...Honestly I want to purchase a pair a Tom's shoes, but maybe later on in the summer, when I start making some money. Below is some facts that I got from their website. Enjoy!


One Day Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. On April 8th, we ask people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.

It’s Hard Without Shoes

Through everyday encounters with domestic poverty, we are reminded to appreciate having food and shelter, but most of us all but forget about our feet. Food, shelter, AND shoes facilitate life’s fundamentals. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.

The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 8th, communities, campuses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.

Take a walk with us on April 8th, 2010.

Facts:

• In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
• Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
• Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
• In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
• Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with proper foot hygiene.

Until Next Time...

Ann Cooper: Food= Health, Part 2

As I continue the series on school lunch and it's importance on the epidemiology of Disease and the future of our country, Ann Cooper is name that must be mentioned. I saw her speak on TedTalk Tuesdays and it was even more fact filled and riveting than Jamie Oliver. If I tried to summarize and present her ideas I am sure that I will be unable to do her justice. She is definitely a trailblazer for the type of reform that needs to take place in school across America. Below are some quick facts about Ann Cooper and below that will be the video... A must see!!

Why you should listen to her:

Ann Cooper has a frontline view of the daily battle to keep kids healthy -- and of the enemy, the processed-foods industries that, it sometimes seems, want to wrap every single thing that children eat in a fried coating and then a plastic bag. As the director of nutrition services for the Berkeley (California) Unified School District, she's an outspoken activist for serving fresh, sustainable food to kids. Her lively website, LunchLessons.org, rounds up recipes, links, and resources for food activism.
Cooper's influential program in Berkeley involves kids in every stage of the food they eat, from growing to disposing of it. And along the way, eating some delicious cafeteria lunches.
She's the author of several books, including Bitter Harvest, an examination of the food chain, and her latest, Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children.


















Until Next Time...