I am so proud of myself right now. I just took my 2nd practice GRE test and I went up a total of 300 points!!! My scores are now above average (not hugely above, but still above) and I have 3 GRE classes and 2.5 weeks of more studying before I take the actual test. I feel like a bunch of stress just lifted and floated away.

t taps foot, waiting

isn't that the best feeling GC?

I took a practive test about 2 or 3 days before my actual test and was happy about that score, which is good, because I scored exactly the same on the test itself...

I'm back. I'll live.

I love my small hospital - in and out and back at work in just about an hour.

They cleaned and glued the ear wound (holy @$*&#%&# ouch), gave me a tetanus shot, and a prescription for antibiotics.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Whew, glad to hear you're okay, Suzi, and that it wasn't a long wait. Sorry for the ouchies. (Glued your ear? Ouch!)

I just got to talk to my little sister, with whom I haven't spoken in several months. It was so nice. She's doing really well (this is the one who is a recovering crack addict/alcoholic). She's living near my and her boyfriend's parents and they're both working and they have a little house they love. It's great to hear her happy and normal sounding.

isn't that the best feeling GC?

It certainly is :) Are you in grad school now or starting in the fall? If you're in now, how's it going? Are you liking it? Is it crazy hard?

I'm all about "Well, I don't have a sense of humour about that, anyway." There's shit you can rib me on until the cow's come home, and there's shit that if I've already told you is raw territory, I can do nothing but assume you're now deliberately trying to piss me off, or just don't care enough to pay attention to who you're talking to.

GC, I started my first class toward my Masters in Higher Education this semester. I like it, and it's definitely an adjustment. I feel like I haven't used this part of my brain for a long, long time, and the cobwebs are still being dusted off.

I wish I could go to school full time but we cannot afford to either front $26K or lose a year of my income, and we'd be doing both if I left work to go to school. My work is currently paying for the degree, at least a couple classes a year. At the rate they are paying, I'll get my degree in 5 years, so I think we'll end up sharing the cost, and maybe knock it out in 3 years.

Glad to hear Suzi and Annabel are both okay. I had never heard of "nursemaid's elbow" so I wasn't all that worried until I heard Susan's report.

I hate mean jokes.

You're doing exactly what I plan to do. Work will pay but I will supplement and plan to finish the coursework in 3 years while working full time. Of course, I have to actually get admitted first. I'm looking forward to having all of the application crap done (mid-December is the due date).