Update: J-Term Break

On Monday, I had a check-up appointment with my neurologist in Rochester, MN.  After seeing me and doing a quick exam noticing my left side is slightly weaker, he was like, “Well, I want you to get an MRI to make sure nothing else is going on here.  Plan on staying the night.”  Wonderful!  So after some blood tests and stuff, my dad and I (who had been planning a daytrip) ran to Target for necessities.  Then, I got to meet the one and only Ashley C for supper!  To see her and catch up—fun stuff.  We went to Noodles & Company.  =)  On Tuesday morning I had my MRI.  Now, most of the time, when I have an MRI, I sleep.  It is a long time of lying still.  But I couldn’t very fast today and moved a bit too much (had to redo one of the scans).  When I finally felt like I could fall asleep, we were done.  So I went and got some coffee instead.  If you have never been to the Mayo Clinic, there are subways and everything is connected.  All the buildings are connected, as well as a hotel, a bank, some restaurants and little boutique stores in the walk-through part.  Mom and I once walked in some skyways a pretty long ways, and in the adventure found a Barnes and Noble.  But that is besides the point.  It’s cool that it’s all connected, cuz if there is a blizzard outside you can stay warm and cozy.  But the sun was outside and it felt like spring…or fall—your choice.  What is with this January weather?  But I’m not complaining.  I’m getting off topic.  Where was I?  Oh yes, we went and got coffee in the subway. Then we went upstairs to be a checker—a checker is a person who waits for a while to check and see if they can get their appointment done early if someone cancels or there’s a spot open or the doctor has some free time.  Which means, most of the time, the doctors at the Mayo?  No free time.  Just letting you know, all you pre-med people who want to work at the Mayo someday.  But, you probably know that doctors are busy all the time anyway.  What occupation isn’t?  I’m getting off topic again.  Checker.  Right.  Well, the doctor that I was scheduled to see Thursday wasn’t in at all today.  I was glad they told us this right away, because then we could leave and start the drive home.  So, dad drove out of Rochester and into Mankato to visit his aunt, then I drove the rest of the way home.  We got back about 5.  Yay!  No having to drive in the dark (which I hate, btw).  So, the plan is to leave Thursday morning again with the other parent to get to my appointment that we could not get in for today.  We were thinking: drive to school in the dark, get back late, go to my three classes tomorrow and drive back home in the dark again right away OR save the gas money, the stress of driving in the dark and the hurry of getting-there-leaving without a breath, miss that day of classes.  Well, I had been given a toned-down lecture on taking care of myself, but I get it every time I see my neurologist.  And frankly, I wouldn’t be doing that grand of a job.  So, I shall stay home tomorrow (to make up for missing my last day of break?  Not quite), and leave Thursday morning with mom.  And I don’t have anything until 10am on Friday, so I’ll drive back Friday morning.  Pretty sure.  You know, it’s a lot better to miss the first day of classes than the last.  Still not great, but doable.

So, the other things I did over break?  WRITE AND READ FOR FUN!  Yeah, that’s right.  No papers and no textbooks for me.  It was novels and free-writing for days and it was AWESOME!  We found some of the books that had been saved from last year’s basement flood and I read some of the books I have read many, many times from start to finish just ‘cuz I wanted to.

So, this was just kind of me talking in my typical whirlwind on paper.  Just letting you all in on what’s been going on and what’s up.  I love you all!

Smiling despite annoying schedules, Anna =)^2