Blizzards

As we wind down a very, very warm January it was nice to actually see a blizzard worthy of a North Dakota winter this weekend. Megan and Nico enjoyed the day off on Monday, and Andy was home with us for a change. This OB rotation hasn't been as bad as I feared, and in some aspects I even enjoy it. His call days are more often, but when he isn't on call he is home with us. That is a nice change. We see him for 2 days in a row, often during the week, rather than waiting 15 or 16 days for that to happen on his "weekend off." He does one more month of OB, and then is off to do something about cardiac care or critical care, or some other C word. I don't listen that carefully, I guess. The part I am excited about is that it is going to be a non-call month, so he will be home every night and every weekend. I'm not sure what we are going to do with him around so much!
In the beginning of the month Andy started the Biggest Loser with some of the other residents at his clinic. I'm proud to say that he has lost 24 pounds so far, and is doing very well and looking very well! I started the same time and have only lost 3. Apparently this is going to be a harder process than I thought!
I also started my new classes this semester. The study skill sections I am teaching are very different from each other, and that in itself is going to present a challenge. In one group I have students who were looking for extra credits or needed a class to fill in a general ed requirement. They need very little in the way of guidance, and it is a very laid back hour. The other group, however, is a much more needy bunch. For whatever reason, academics has not been a strong point for them, and it is my job to help them make the transition from how they are accustomed to doing things to how they need to do things in order to succeed. Given the time constraints on the class, I am not sure what I am going to be able to accomplish. At this point, I think if I can convince them that they need to be able to set priorities, make schedules, and take responsibility for their own lives - school and personal - then I will call that a success. I'm not sure how much beyond that I'll be able to take it. It would be nice if they walked out having stellar note-taking and reading skills, but I need to remind myself that with this group I need to rethink the skills they are coming in to the classroom with and build on those.
I am taking one class this semester. Dr. Leach, one of my favorite profs, teaches a class called Archaeological Lab methods. My deep affection for the good Doctor, as well as the subject matter, enticed me to take a class that is well beyond my comfort zone. First, I am not a lab person. I have known that since high school when every physic lab I did ended in epic failure. On top of my epic failure history, it is a rule in the lab that you must thoroughly wash your hands before every class and - hold on to your hats people - not put any lotion on after the washing. That in itself is enough to send my OCD into alarm mode. But for 2 weeks I have dutifully washed my hands and tried to ignore the little voice in my head and hands that is screaming for lotion. Finally, we spend most of our time in the lab sorting through small trays of shovels of dirt, looking for things that may have cultural significance. So I did through the dirt and look for artifacts and ecofacts, and in the process my hands get dirty. So not only do I have unlotioned hands, now they are dirty. It is a stressful, stressful 90 minutes! Other than that, I am enjoying the challenge of doing something that I am certainly NOT good at.
Tonight, Andy and I are looking forward to a pinochle battle with our neighbors. If you haven't learned the game, I must insist that you learn. It is good fun!