Day 3 post-surgery: someone get me out of this bed.

I didn’t think it would be possible for basic cable to be so lousy every time I turn on my TV. How many times can someone bear watching Paula Deen, Judge Judy, and my mother’s soap operas before tossing the remote aside after five or six rotations through the channels? I’m getting a little cabin fever. I can get to other parts of the house in about 10 minutes or so, but I refuse to. Even just getting myself to and from the bathroom is a process. And once I get there and back, I’m shaking and nauseous and I’ve broken out into a sweat that makes Richard Simmons look like an amateur.

The further into recovery I get, the more I hear about my friends in Oswego working Orientation. I had to resign from my position as a Laker Leader this summer after learning about the surgery that I would have no choice but to undergo. While I adjust the straps on my immobilization brace, the LLs are adjusting to their new surroundings. When they get Bev’s ice cream for some team bonding, I’ll be making good friends with my pill bottles and my CPM machine. I know it’s inevitable, but man do I miss them. Orientation takes a special kind of person who has a knack for making people smile while keeping them interested and informed. I have so much faith in the current Summer 2010 staff and I know they’re going to create for themselves one of the best summers they’ll ever know.

I wonder what the sunset looks like up there tonight. I could go check out the webcam on the Oswego main page but I can’t help but wonder if there’s finally something good on TV.

But if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.

November 26th, 2006. I was in the outpatient facility in my operation gowns and my hair french braided by my sister for the occasion. The IV in my hand poked and prodded at my vein with each motion I tried to make. I winced with each movement. Before I knew it, I was being led down the hallway into the operating room, and told to get myself up on the operating table. Not very accommodating, I thought. Once I woke up, I found myself the subject of my parent’s entertainment: put the kid’s glasses on crooked and snap some camera phone pictures of my droopy, anesthesia-stricken face. It’s all in good fun. 🙂

Physical therapy soon followed, and by March I was back behind the plate, catching for my school’s varsity softball team. We won leagues that year, but since then my health has deteriorated. Day in and day out I would experience my knee giving out and buckling on me, and I knew that my lifestyle was never going to be normal again. It took a lot of discomfort and daily knee dislocations and buckling to finally get an MRI on my knees shortly after finishing out the Spring 2010 semester.

So, here I am. I haven’t moved from this bed except to use the bathroom and I’ve finally figured out the perfect cocktail of painkillers and time to make recovery go as smoothly as possible. For 4 hours each day I have to strap myself into a machine that automatically bends my knee for me at a set degree (today was a pretty intense 40 degrees). This is to keep the joint lubricated, the blood flowing, and most of all to prevent scar tissue from building up. I also have a pad wrapped inside the bandages that is connected by a hose to an ice cooler. Ice water flows through the channels in the pad every 2 minutes or so to help cool the area. It stays on 20 hours per day and constantly needs more ice after an hour or two of running. Guess I have a hot knee!

It’s day three of recovery. Getting to the bathroom is getting a little easier each time; my brother and my mom have been helping me and I’m no longer in excruciating pain trying to crutch my way down the hallway. My dad is being so supportive too. He took Monday off to be with me for my surgery, and has been helping me every step of the way, even when he’s at work. I’m really itching to get out of this bed and I keep having dreams of walking again but soon enough I’ll be training for that marathon. Baby steps, baby steps….

Every day during our training for Orientation, we are reminded that we are chosen out of the best and the brightest. We represent the best of Oswego and define what a good student is. So what am I?

I am a Jr. Public Relations major with a minor in Marketing. I’m the president of Alpha Phi Omega the National Co-ed Service fraternity on campus and a second year Laker Leader. I’m an avid member of the Downhill ski and snowboard club, and a student. But, what does the best and the brightest mean?

It means I’m lucky. I get to spend my summer in Johnson Hall, on the beautiful shore of Lake Ontario with my best friends. Day in and day out getting paid to represent the school I love, and helping new students to love it too!

It also means my summer is a total of 3 weeks in June and 3 weeks in August. It means I get to see my boyfriend twice, and tell my parents Happy Birthday over the phone. My days turn from Monday through Friday to Day 1, 2 and so on. We work a lot of hours, and get to know each other very well.

From being “The best and the brightest” I have learned a great work ethic and a lot about people. So I guess it means I’m a people person. And by missing my loved ones it just proves it more. Let the programs begin!

Everything happens so fast, one day I was living in Oneida Hall, and then it felt like a few months later I was living off campus. After graduation my whole world felt like it was moving so fast, everyone was so concerned about what was next in my life. I had answers but not definite ones. For a long time I felt a little lost, lost in all my possibilities, first I was accepted to all six of my graduate programs, when I thought I would not even get into one. It was really hard for me to make a decision on where I wanted to be, and although all of these schools wanted me to be apart of their program, I was still uncertain, I guess all these feelings came from anxiety. After graduation I was so uncertain although I had already knew where I was going to school and what I was going to school for. Everyone said Sherrifa you will be fine, everything will work out. But I wasn’t so sure it would, I was uncertain, and had a little self doubt. But finally, I am starting to find my way, starting to see a much brighter future, I registered for my graduate courses, I am starting to feel much more confident about my future, and most importantly things are starting to work out. Even after you graduate, and you have great plans for your future, there is still anxiety of starting over, and entering the “real world.” The only thing I would recommend is to take your time and find your own way :-).

I am now full fledge into my internship at target and I couldn’t be happier! I love target and their team so much. They are exactly what I always want to be Fast Friendly and FUN!

GMAT’s didn’t go so hot, I got a 410. AKA bad…I have never been able to take standardized tests. I spent over a year preping for these GMATs and alas to no avail. I couldn’t master the SAT’s either though, I spent over a 1000 dollars in prep to be able to get into the right school and none the less…not so good.

It is a good thing that Oswego saw me for who I really am.

I don’t know what I am going to do about my MBA, perhaps Fisher will take me. I hope they do, they score MBA students primarily on their gpa, so that is where I can score some points with them.

I spent some time yesterday on Target’s roof. It was awesome, I love my team and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow.

In addition I made blueberry crumb muffins, I ate them at work. There could be some blueberry crumbs on that roof.

Be Ozzy!

Jeez Louise..

I am just catching up with the end of the semester now, about two weeks after it officially ended! The month of May just FLEW by, and every single class decided to take up every little second of my life.

BUT, it proved fruitful when I just checked my grades yesterday. Got some badass grades! Much better than expected. I was worried about Investigative Reporting and French 202, but I managed to succeed. Woot!

Late last Wednesday night (the 26th), I got back from SCOTLAND. Sick, right? I went with GLS 316 Fermentation Science a.k.a. learn how to make whiskey and beer and then consume it to make sure it has the right consistency.

It was a quarter class, started right after spring break and met once a week for 2.5 hours. My professors, Dr. Schneider and Dr. Raymond (not related to me), were the best teachers. We had a lot of fun in the class, but tenfold the amount on the trip.

We left the 17th at night. At first we were nervous about flying because of the ash delays that closed Heathrow airport in London 12 hours before our flight was supposed to go off. Luckily we managed to get out of JFK and in London without a hitch. Then, we flew to Glasgow where we would spend the next two days.

We got to tour around the city and see the sights, but we also got to visit a brewery – West brewery – and do some taste testing. I’m not a huge fan of beer, but I found two out of the four that we tried that were pretty good.

Then, we went to Oban, which is right on the west coast and about three hours by train from Glasgow. It was GORGEOUS there. Foggy shores, green rolling hills, historic fishing village buildings, and Scottish people with their awesome accents.

In Oban we got to visit a distillery, which was pretty cool. The Scotch Whisky is pretty good. Pretty flavorful, especially if you know what to taste for. Then, we went to the Isle of Mull where we visited the Tobermory distillery. That was a lot of fun. A lot of traveling too, but still cool.

The drinking age in the U.K. is 18 🙂 Needless to say, all of us had our full share of imbibing alcoholic liquids. What was pretty exciting was that they sold liquor in the grocery stores, unlike in the States. They also sold pre-mixed mixed drinks. You could buy a can of Jack and Coke, or you could buy a Margarita (just add the salt and ice). Delicioso!

Our group got along really well. We had a blast. I recommend anyone who wants to study abroad but either can’t afford it or doesn’t have the time in her/his schedule to take a quarter class. You learn a lot, you get to take a vacation that’s filled with learning and fun, and it’s a fraction of the cost of studying abroad.

I’d like to do it again next spring. There might be this comparative media class that goes to Paris. That would be bomb. Anyway, my personal computer is broken, so I have to wait to put up pix! Stay tuned!

I am so bored and tired of studying for GMATs.

GMATs-graduate admissions tests for business majors.

Let me translate-twice as hard as the SAT with half the time.

I guess I am not bored, I just want my test to come. It is June 5th and I am spending 8 hours a week day reviewing material and few hours during the weekend. It may seem excessive, but it is so hard, I am just not fast enough yet. Hopefully within the next few weeks I will be able to make the cut.

My parents have just discovered Walmart. They never had a Walmart near them and now there was a new one put in. They have always known about Walmart and have read books on it and stuff but they refuse to leave a 5 mile perimeter of the house for grocery shopping. So now, we are walmartians, and I don’t think I like it. I was so excited to shop locally.

Next year I am going to try and shop at Bosco’s Grocery once and a while, it is a local Oswego grocery store. I just found it, hopefully Walmart won’t run them out of business.

Be Ozzzy