Jalapeno Moscow Mules

So, once again, I have fallen off the blogging train. After thinking about it, only slightly, I have decided to change my aim a little. How am I surviving pharmacy school? I have an awesome boyfriend, who shares my love of cooking and trying new things, while taking over when I get too swamped with school and work. So here is the first of what (cross your fingers) will be many of our own recipes and some fun little tricks for people on the go.

Jalapeno Moscow Mules

Vodka Infusion:

1.75L Vodka (we used Svedka, but it doesn't really matter)
1 good sized jalapeno
Slice the jalapeno lengthwise and drop it in the bottle. Let it sit overnight, and presto! You have delicious spicy jalapeno infused vodka! Couldn't be much easier. If you like it spicy, leave the seeds, if not, clean them out first.

Moscow Mule:

1-2 shots of jalapeno vodka
1 shot lime juice
plenty of ice
Fill your copper mule mug (or other glass) with ginger beer
g
arnish with slice of lime

I hope I have made this pretty foolproof for you. So delicious, you will want to make them all of the time!

New Direction; Apologies for the Previous Lameness

Ok, so I had come to the realization, quite some time ago, that my blog was pathetic. It had no vision, and lets face it, the year spent living with my parents was not by any means worth reading about. So, I stopped writing, forgot I had a blog, and now, much much later, realized I have a blog, and should do something with it.

I am in the final stretch of my first year of pharmacy school. Had I blogged about my admissions process, I may have had some interested readers. But, I didn't. I could have blogged about transitioning into a graduate school program. But, I didn't. I have left my page dormant, and now it is time to get things moving again. I am unsure of what direction I am going to take, but my life is very much different from when I last posted.

1. I am in a completely different town. (Still in Iowa)
2. I am a P1 student at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
3. I live with my wonderful boyfriend, and our amazing dog, both of whom were not in my life as of my last posting.

Only 3 big changes I can come up with, but hey, at least I don't live with my parents anymore ;)

So what is the biggest thing happening for me right now? I just spent my entire day trying to teach myself about antibiotics and feel like I have only absorbed about 1/3 of the material for my exam tomorrow afternoon. You may think, antibiotics? Not to bad. Well let me break down the complexity of antibiotics briefly:

We are focusing on 3 broad mechanisms for action. Within those 3 sections, there are several classes. Within each class, there are many specific drugs, some with several generations dividing them even further. Every class has its own specific way of working, its own ways of building resistance in the bacteria it is meant to deplete, and several ways of being toxic to our bodies.

So, I got to spend a lovely, 70 degree, sunny day, sitting inside at my desk studying with one major thought in mind... Only 3 weeks until summer vacation. What then? Work full time, rotation in Colorado, and maybe a little extra vacation we are in the early stages of planning. Any suggestions?

Long Time No Blog

Well, it has been over a month since my last entry. Apparently blogging has not been a priority. Things have been quite busy in the meantime. Mary's wedding was a blast. I had such a great time, and am so glad I was able to share in such a special moment. I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Work has been brutal. People have been yelling at me for a couple months now, and its all starting to take its toll. It has been subsiding now that I am trained a little better. But, as with any job, you will always have a few cranks in the bunch. With Thanksgiving coming up, I must admit that I am thankful to at least have a job in this tough economic climate. I will be running the Turkey Trot with some family and friends this Thursday. GOBBLE GOBBLE. We were going to do costumes, but as is life, we were too busy to get it together. Regardless it will be a good time, and a great workout to prep for some holiday feasting.

I have submitted my pharmacy school applications, and all I can do now is wait and pray that the admissions committees like what they see. The deadline is Dec. 1 so hopefully I will hear something soon after. I have been getting quite nervous though. I have been looking for back up plans and have found some extremely interesting graduate programs that I would be happy to apply for if I was not offered a spot in one of my pharmacy schools. But, lets cross our fingers that I don't have to worry about that.

Living at home has been a bit lonely, I haven't had time to make friends like I thought I would. I have made a few, but haven't really had time to get out with them. I guess its probably for the best if I will be moving in August, but I really miss my old life and my friends that go along with it. We keep i touch, but I cant wait to head out to Colorado in a couple months and see everyone again. Hopefully my next entry wont be so far from now, but what can I say? I'm a busy girl!

Survival Run

This evening I tried to run out at Swiss Valley nature preserve. What I remember as a nice 2 mile loop with hills and flat stretches through fields was nothing of the sort. Because of all of the rain that Dubuque got this summer, the trails were washed away, bridges were missing, and parts were still a bit flooded. First I tried the way I though was right, but thought that there was no way when I saw the flooded plain. So I tried another, but after running for about 5 minutes, I realized the trail wasn't going to be turning around anytime soon. So I went back and braved the swampland. After treking through giant mud puddles and running up a rather large hill, I realized that that too was the wrong direction. So again I braved the swampland. While running, I somehow managed to get a bug right in my eye. And how it burned. I was almost immobilized. It was starting to get dark and I realized I needed to get back to the car. With a watering eye, and muddy shoes I kept running. When I got back to the point of frustration, which was already midway through the 2 mile loop, I realized that the bridge leading to the right path was missing. So, I made my way across the creek. Somehow I managed to leap across and keep myself dry. The once smooth, grassy path, was rocky and uneven. Finally I made it to the woods and found the all to familiar hill that 4 years ago had kicked my butt into walking the rest of the way to the car. But not today. I kept going because I was starting to get worried. Yes, I had my pepper spray bracelet, but you never know if anyone or anything is in the woods. And then a deer darted across the path in front of my scaring the crap out of me. Thats when I really took off. And when I made it back to the car, I was so relieved, because then it started to sprinkle, and I realized that if I had screwed around any longer looking for the right path, I would have been stuck in a rainy dark swampland in panic mode. Lets just say, I will not be revisiting that trail until next summer when they have a chance to make some repairs.

Sick Weekend

Well its been quite a while since my last entry, but I have finally started working and trying to get myself into a routine. Since Carson and Madison have been back at school, I havent had much to do during the day but unpack, run, and watch tv. With no money, and friends with jobs and school, it gets old pretty fast. Its great not feeling so useless. I've started working at the pharmacy, and my coworkers have all been great so far. Pretty welcoming and helpful. All I've been doing so far is counting pills, but this week, I get to move on to some more thought stimulating areas. I have also been working for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the suites. That should turn out to be good money, and the girl I work with is pretty cool. Nothing too exciting happened this weekend, since I've had a pretty bad cold the entire time. Madison's birthday was Friday, and poor girl, mom was in Minneapolis, Carson got to go to the Wisconsin Dells with a friend, and Nicole and I were working. Just her and dad for her birthday. But luckily, sick or not, I was able to stay with her for the rest of the weekend. Yesterday while she was at a friends party and I got to veg on the couch the impossible happened. Spice World and Austin Powers were on tv!  Aside from that, nothing too exciting happening yet. We have family coming over tonight for Maddy's birthday, so maybe that will be eventful. Or not, but there is potential. New work week starts tomorrow.

Settling In

Getting settled isn't quite as easy as I'd anticipated. Partly because I don't want to be settled in, and also because my time is being bombarded by the rest of my family. Yes, its exciting for Carson and Madison to have me back, but I think they really underestimate just how long I will be here this time. We had a fun weekend though, and I would have rather spent it with them than cleaning and unpacking. This morning I finally got my lazy butt out for a run. It felt great, aside from some knee pain. When I got home I was determined to get some work done on my room so I decided to pump some Enrique. Well, that was a failure because I ended up booty shakin around my room instead. Time for a new plan of attack I suppose. I will let you know how it works out.

The Move

I made the big move Friday and Saturday. I made it to Ames an hour earlier than expected. I think the fantastic CD that Sarah made had me zoned out and cruisin along. But somehow I feel like  I stopped for gas much less than normal as well. Its like an hour of driving and a tank of gas just disappeared somewhere along I-80. When I got to Ames I stayed with Mary and Trevor, which was fantastic because it has been so long since I had seen them. All of this wedding talk was getting old on the phone and computer. I needed some real face time. Bridesmaids dresses have been decided on as well, and I am excited to wear it. Luckily she chose lapis, a color I can wear pretty darn well if I don't say so myself. But we didn't spend too much time with wedding stuff, and just hung out and had a good time. Watched some YouTube videos, drank some beer, tried to play f the dealer. It was great to finally sleep in a real bed again. Although it did take a while to fall asleep because I was too comfortable after spending the last month on an air mattress, Vegas excluded.

The drive from Ames to Dubuque was a bit brutal. It rained the entire way, and my windshield wipers are not the greatest. But as I entered to house I was "greeted" by my two golden retrievers. My legs are still scratched up today! Then came the family and we had a nice lazy day watching Rango and Rio. I had never seen either, and am already thinking about when I will watch them again. Rango isn't the greatest movie for kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rio, is just wonderful for everyone. And of course I enjoyed it more when I realized that Nigel, the bad bird's voice was done by Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords. Fan-freakin-tastic! Now today I will spend my morning unpacking and doing laundry. Until after lunch of course when we get to go water skiing and jet skiing. Time to get my butt moving so it doesn't take two weeks to move in!