My lumbar vertebrae region aches from overworking my psoas muscle. Sternocleidomastoids aren't doing so well either because I flex my neck most of the day, hunched over reading and studying.
The first week of school was hectic as I expected. I was signed up for ochem and speech MWF and hoping to add anatomy for TR. Yes, it was a crazy plan. I added anatomy successfully since the teacher said half the class usually drops before the semester ends (scary). I dropped speech, thinking it would be better to go for 2 rigorous classes. By the end of the week I felt dead! I hadn't even touched anatomy material and the only reason why I was on top of my ochem work was because I had a little of it in Davis. I only got 14 hours of sleep that week. So, I knew later on in the semester I would suffer because the lecture instructor was crazy! One chapter per day, but she only lectured about certain topics. She lectured poorly too! She made us do all the problems in the chapter and at the end of the chapter! A chapter has ~50 problems but each problem has ~20 parts! We had to read the chapter (and I mean read because she gave out reading quizzes) and understand too! Also, I don't really like chem labs and it was horrible having it 3 hours, 3 times a week! So, on Monday I said "screw it" and drop ochem. Ochem isn't a subject I want to teach myself. I need a good instructor to teach me chem. Plus, I didn't want to stop work or volunteering.
For anatomy, the teacher doesn't teach. He says "learning from your classmates will be more beneficial than having me lecture you for 4 hours." He sometimes has notes for us, but they're really sketchy. We watch videos of a British anatomist showing us stuff on a cadaver for about an hour or two, then the rest of the time is used collaborating with our classmates. It's pretty cool, since the majority of the class are going to be clinicians. We'll have to do this in our field, so might as well start now. The thing is, since the teacher doesn't lecture, we don't know what to expect on the exams. So, we have to study everything! He even said "study everything because if I tell you to not learn these 10 bones then would it be okay for me to also remove those 10 bones from your body?" I mean, he gives us a rough outline (like learn the shoulder, forearm, leg, etc.) I think this class is the most challenging course I've embarked on thus far. I've joined a group that has 12 people in it. That's like 1/4-1/3 of the class. It's a good group. We clash sometimes but that just makes us process the information better when we straighten questions out. On of the guys is an EMT, which is really amazing. He majored in physiology, so he knows a lot of the stuff. (bad thing is, people like him will screw up the curve for people like me :( )
The first exam is next week and I'm studying my gluteus maximus off. It's putting a sore spot on my ischial tuberosities. Just decided to take a break because I think my brain has stopped processing information for the rest of the day. Hmm..I think I'm crushing my common fibular nerve by crossing my legs. Wait, is it possible to crush the artery?! I don't know if having if having your limb fall asleep is due to constricted blood flow or crushing a nerve!!
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Edit: It involves both blood flow and nerve sensation! Ok..I think that's where the genicular artery is.
Oh! We got to see the cadaver at Canada College in Redwood on Tuesday! The teacher only brought a few gloves and I (of course) snatched one! Some of my classmates were curious and wanted to see the face so I unwrapped it! I sort of got scared before unveiling the eyes because I didn't know if they were opened or closed. (They were closed! :)). I would never consider having my body donated for students to poke at, but the body was really cool. The chemicals made the room smell like ham. I was sort of hungry during the time too. (No...cannibalism x.X). We get to go see it again before the second midterm! Ok, back to studying!
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