Those Personal Triumphs No One Else Will Ever Understand

[Young Val]

I finally registered to vote in New York State!

I've been an active voter since the 2000 presidential election, but every single vote has been cast with an absentee ballot from Massachusetts.

This--more than my 3+ years (in New York City) and 4+ years (in Ithaca) of living here and paying city and state taxes here--makes me feel as though I finally, officially live in NYC.

[BonitoDeMadrid]

For the first time in about a year and a half, I did "regular" homework (AKA, homework that are given casually and do not cost more than 2-3 hours of time) at home, and not at school.

[Gravity Defier]

Even though my knee is still swollen and now slightly painful to walk on (which caused me to panic a bit at first), even though my not even 1.5 year old camera is taking sick leave on me just months after the warranty ran out, even though I'm back in Not-Phoenix and spent the early part of my day moving...I'm in a Good mood. Have been for 5 days straight. It's kinda awesome.

[Eaquae Legit]

I did not buy a coffee this afternoon.


(The variant more people will understand: I stuck to my budget even when I really, really didn't want to.)

[BonitoDeMadrid]

I did not buy a hamburger today.

(The variant more people will understand: We had a class trip and stopped for a break in a hamburger restaurant. Since I didn't have enough calories left today to buy a burger, I bought a salad instead)

[Rei]

I began writing another draft of that abstract.

Also, I've found true invisitype.For this coloured cell, anyway.

[Rei]

And I'm double posting to see if I can't find the other true invisitype colour. And I think it's the same as before.

[Jayelle]

I managed to get through my first morning with just me and Ginny - and I ate and did laundry!

(Ela, Steph and Tris might understand this...)

[Dobie]

Dear Brian,
How very creative.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I hope you enjoy - and please stay in touch.


Rabbi Mark S. Golub
Shalom TV

[steph]

I managed to get through my first morning with just me and Ginny - and I ate and did laundry!

(Ela, Steph and Tris might understand this...)

Wow! That was ambitious! Congrats.....I do understand!

[starlooker]

The intake worker I was shadowing all of a sudden realized she'd heard of me from my supervisor, "He was saying how you were working here and needing appointments, 'and she's nice',' he said. He said you were really nice. Like, I was going, were some of your other interns not nice?"

I wasn't sure if he liked me or not. And, yeah, I like it that I'm thought of as "nice." In this field, as an up and coming young intern, that's not a bad reputation to have.

[locke]

I've been tinkering at a script for the past couple weeks, the idea for the story came to me complete more than a year ago. I fleshed it into a detailed outline and character backgrounds over several days last year while it was fresh. then I let it get shifted to the backburner. It didn't feel right working on it.

until now

I revived it, and started on it. the first thing I did was try to force a bit of unimportant backstory to have a real explanation. That caused the entire thing to get side tracked by this incredibly compelling little girl who suddenly appeared because of it, changed all the characters, stole the show and completely changed the meaning of everything. I shut down for a week reflected on it, realized she is a spectacular character but belongs in her own story. she's quiet for now knowing that she'll get to be a star rather than supporting down the road. So I started the script again, after glancing over my outline to refresh a few things. since I started the script this time the way the movie's supposed to start things went along well until I suddenly reached a block. I literally set for five or ten minutes trying to think of a last name for my character. I couldn't write anything until I had that last name. finally I threw up my hands in frustration (names are by far the hardest thing for me, always the toughest thing) and typed in a generic (Greene) and moved on. but I knew it was wrong.

Then last night I was working on a new scene and a feisty character blurted out my main character's last name.

It sounded so completely real and right I felt I'd heard it/seen it before a million times and I was accidentally using it inappropriately (once did that with a character I accidently named after a simpsons voice actor) but google says it is not.

I am so grateful for my characters knowing each other better than I do. and at least I now have the correct name, quite the triumph.

and things are starting to evolve more naturally in terms of scenes. I just wrote a very short one page scene but it feels more right than the rest of the script and it sets up the next scene which I need a day to think over (plus I'm tired and supposed to get up early)

[Petra456]

Last night I got a tattoo! (although, i'm sure other people can understand that)

[ender1]

Last night I got a tattoo! (although, i'm sure other people can understand that)

I was there!

[locke]

tonight I came across the first problem of the season. whereas last year I would have been half panicked, terrified of calling someone and paranoid that simply coming across a problem would get me fired for being 'my fault', this year I got on the horn to tech support without hesitation, troubleshot it, discovered it was what I thought it was then called my boss immediately to let him know and sent out an email to the others that needed to know.

And it was almost reflexive. very calm routine actually.

I win at life.

[Oliver Dale]

I passed I passed I passed I PASSED I passed I passed I passed I passed I passed!

[Eaquae Legit]

What did you pass?

And congrats whatever it is!

[Oliver Dale]

Part 1 of my Board Exams! I now have the rare and amazing honor of being able to take the next test... next year, that is. And, if I pass that one, I'm eligible to take the third and final (oral) exam! And THEN, if I pass, I am board certified!

Spelled out like that, it seems less exciting. But still. I thought I failed. It was ridiculously difficult. But I passed!

[Young Val]

YAY OLLIE!!!!!

[powerfulcheese04]

Yay, Ollie!!



... I still can't decide if I want to try to get boarded in a specialty (lab animal medicine)... or if I'm content to just pass the AVMA boards for general vet med and the TVMA licensing exams...

The thought of, essentially, another 3 years of school after the 4 years for the DVM is a little much.

[Luet]

Yay Ollie!

And Kimmie, is lab animal medicine what it sounds like? Like mice and rats and monkeys?

[powerfulcheese04]

It can be a lot of things, but yes, it deals primarily with the animals being used in research... so there are a lot of mice and rats and monkeys, but also dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs...

You can also do a lot of things.. conduct your own research, monitor other people's research (either from a comparative physiology stand point or an ethical standpoint), you can write GLP (good laboratory practices, essentially a government-type role.)

Right now I think I'd like to go into the working with other people's research (so, like, I would work for a research hospital) monitoring their research, both scientifically and ethically.



... that is, if I decide the 3 year internship/residency is worth it.

[daPyr0x]

Words I never thought I'd hear the VP of my company say: "I'm glad to hear you're a stoner"

He was a stoner.
I admitted that I was too.
And dodged the question when he brought up stopping the habit...

[starlooker]

Part 1 of my Board Exams! I now have the rare and amazing honor of being able to take the next test... next year, that is. And, if I pass that one, I'm eligible to take the third and final (oral) exam! And THEN, if I pass, I am board certified!

Spelled out like that, it seems less exciting. But still. I thought I failed. It was ridiculously difficult. But I passed!

Congrats!!!

I so relate to that.

"So, NOW you're almost done?" is the question that invariably pops up after every milestone. Quals, comps, random points where people realize I've been in school forever. "So NOW you're almost done?"

Yes! All I have to do is work a one-year intensive internship, collect data, analyze and defend my dissertation.

"So, then you'll be all done?"

Yes. Except that to get licensed I'll have to have another year of supervised practice, possibly a post-doc, plus pass an insanely long and difficult test that I'll have to study very hard for, and an ethics board test. And getting on insurance panels.

"So, then you'll be all done?"

Yes. Except for finding another job (if I do the post-doc). And continuing ed credits.

AND THEN I'LL BE ALL DONE. NOT COUNTING THE CONTINUING ED.

[locke]

Congrats, Ollie!!

[Rei]

Awesome! Congratulations, Ollie!

[Oliver Dale]

Thanks all! My shoes are damn near worn out from all the happy dance they've experienced.

[Eaquae Legit]

I told my boss the grammar/spelling on his website leaves something to be desired. I like him, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but he seemed okay with it.

[powerfulcheese04]

Yay, Ali! *applauds*

[starlooker]

I took over and completed a treatment plan all by myself!!!!! I remembered to change the dates and remove the intake worker!!!! I am so totally awesome.

ETA: Oh. But I forgot an entire section of checkboxes. And the signature section. And I can't go back and put them in, at least not without a great deal of misery. So, okay, maybe I'm not so totally awesome. Maybe I'm just somewhat sort of awesome. Oh well. That's not so bad.

[starlooker]

*double post*

I had three of my five scheduled clients show up today. And I felt pretty well on my game with all three of them. I'm getting back in to the swing of this whole thing. It's nice.

[Luet]

I resisted all urges at self destruction today.

[zeroguy]

I am The Guy.

(Damn game froze 4 times after I beat The Guy! 4 times!)

I may have wasted a ton of time, but damn was it fun.

Edit: Almost forgot. I was spoiled by three things; I'm a little ashamed for that, but considering the more difficult sections were the sections I didn't have any spoilers for, I don't feel too bad. I'm not even sure if some of these qualify as spoilers, but I feel like listing them to get it off my chest (white-text because, well, spoilers):

I accidentally found out that: shooting zombies causes them to go underground, that you can go backwards after defeating Wiley to immediately save (I'm so stupid...), and you can turn on the fan after Ryu appears. But I did not look these up intentionally; it was by looking at gameplay videos for sections I'd already cleared. I'm specifically proud of not getting any hints at all on the labyrinth section; it took me a long time to get out of there.

[Eddie Pinz]

I am The Guy.

No way. You're just a kid. Maybe when you're older.

Man, I haven't gone to that website in forever. Good times.

[zeroguy]

Second section, fifth question.