GRRR...Hear me ROAR!

I feel about...GRRRRRRRR.....right now!

I have my life on my laptop. By life I mean it feels like a lifeline for me. This statement seems somewhat sad when I say it out-loud but it is too true in this day and age when everything is done electronically. My laptop is my connection to the web, to this blog, to my friends/family, to my classes, and pretty much the world. The laptop stored my pictures, my music, my class notes, my resumes, my CVs, my essays, my grade book, my power point presentations, my financial spreadsheets, my electronic records or passwords or account numbers, copies of online verification pages, and ALL of my gosh darn HARD WORK!

Unfortunately, last Wednesday, my laptop decided it was time to go. The hard drive on the laptop crashed. As Murphy's law would have it, I had been talking about backing up all the information on my laptop for about a month prior to this traumatic day but had not yet gotten to doing that file copying. So sadly, I LOST EVERYTHING! I am crushed that all my hard work could be taken away in mere milliseconds in a day and age where electronics can store information indefinitely.

The moral of the story... I MUST back up all of my information on future electronic devices and I rely on computers TOO MUCH! I will just blame my generation and current society for the later fault.

So this week I feel like GRRRRR..... HEAR ME ROAR!!!

PS. If you know anyone who can retrieve information from hard drives or has an extra computer I could use temporarily....LET ME KNOW!!

St. Nicholas Day Early!

My family is completely Polish, with both of my parents born and raised in Poland. That heritage was passed on to my sisters and me through many traditions, one of which being the celebration of St. Nicholas Day. Many Europeans celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. It is suggested that on that day, St. Nicholas went around and left little gifts at the doorstep of good children. Some children put out shoes, some empty plates, and others just a light left on so that St. Nick would know where to stop. St. Nicholas (St. Nick), brought gifts earlier in December, so that later in the month, celebrations focused on religious traditions rather than gift giving.

My family has celebrated the Polish Swienty Mikoli (St. Nicholas) for as long as I can remember. Even when I went off to college I still got something in the mail from St. Nick. This year, St. Nick came a week early to drop off tickets for my siblings and I to see the musical Hairspray today! I am EXCITED to see the musical, especially with my siblings and especially in the spirit of our family tradition!

Cost of Living In the US

In class the other day, we received a lecture on post college planning including information about the varianc in the cost of living across the US. The lecture seemed somewhat silly but it made me realize that I can negotiate higher pay, bonuses, or favorable contracts depending on where I plan on practicing pharmacy. So I decided to do some investigation and found how different the cost of living across the US really can be. Most of the differences were due to housing costs or taxes. Some of what I found:

$100,000 pharmacy wage in Des Moines, IA is comparable to:

$ 156,840 in Chicago, IL
$ 204,041 in New York, NY
$ 205,795 in Washington, DC
$ 100,000 in St. Louis, MO
$ 129,287 in Phoenix, AZ
$ 117,338 in Tampa, FL
$ 119,250 in Austin, TX
$ 221,280 in Honoloulu, HI
$ 141,576 in Anchorage, AK
$ 232, 229 in San Francisco, CA

I think Des Moines and St. Louis have some perks...cheaper cost of living!

Hair Color

Lately I have been thinking about doing something different with my hair color. I have never colored, let along highlighted my hair so I am not sure what I really want to do with it. I have a mousy brown hair that is wavy, frizzy, and sits down to about mid shoulder blade but now I want to do something fun! I do not want anything super permanent as I just want to try something out. I found some colors online:

Roasted Cinnamon

Auburn

Midnight Spice

Fire Red

Mandarin Cream

Caramel Delight

Light Ash

Dark Strawberry

Platinum Blonde

Butterscotch

Copper

Light Wheat

Golden Brown

Off Black

Honey

Silver

Ginger

Chestnut

Chocolate

Sable

Dirty Blonde

What do you think I should do?

Blue? Pink?

Some of these sound like deserts not hair color!

I think I will stick with a color not from the circus or from the desert cart, like chestnut or auburn!

This is NOT a True Representation of Drake!!

MEMORANDUM

To: Drake University Campus Community
From: David Maxwell, President
Date: 11/11/2009
RE: Alcohol Poisoning Incident

---

Drake University's response to recent allegations of hazing in connection with severe alcohol poisoning reflects the University's deep concern for the safety and well being of our students.

The University immediately began investigating the incident in which a first-year Drake student was rushed to the hospital early Sunday morning for alcohol poisoning after his mother notified University officials that he had been drinking as part of an alleged hazing ritual.

The student, a new member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, was severely incapacitated and in dangerous condition after his blood-alcohol level reached .50 during a gathering of fraternity members at 1311 33rd St.

Fortunately, the student is recovering and was released from the hospital on Monday. He plans to return to his classes later this week.

Des Moines police yesterday charged two students with hazing as a serious misdemeanor in connection with the incident. They received citations and were released on their own recognizance before appearing in court.

Drake Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari notified the president of Phi Delta Theta on Monday that his office was investigating the fraternity for possible violation of Drake’s Alcohol and Hazing Policies, which are part of the Code of Student Conduct. The investigation is continuing, and appropriate action will be taken by the University on the basis of the investigation’s findings.

University officials contacted officers and alumni advisers of the Drake chapter of Phi Delta Theta and the fraternity's national headquarters. The fraternity has suspended three members in connection with this incident. In addition, the fraternity has canceled social activities and educational sessions with new members until further notice.

Phi Delta Theta officials released a statement Monday night that said the fraternity has a no-hazing policy in force for all of its alumni and collegiate chapters.

Today, the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity released a statement expressing concern for the student who suffered alcohol poisoning and promised a thorough investigation. "After our investigation is complete, the chapter and all individuals involved will be held accountable for their actions," Executive Vice President Bob Biggs said in the statement.

The student's family also has released a statement to the local news media, which concludes with this comment:

We hope this tragedy can raise the awareness of the role of alcohol in fraternity initiations. We want Nate's experience to provide a catalyst that allows students to become more educated about the power and destructiveness of alcohol.

The Dean of Students Office is continuing its investigation. All University non-academic misconduct disciplinary proceedings are separate, apart and independent from any criminal proceedings that may or may not be ongoing.

Is It Just Me?

Is it just me or...

Have there been a lot more shootings going on lately?

Has the weather been crazy (snow in October and 70s in November)?

Have there been more stories about plane incidents?

Does everyone, age 5 or age 40, have a cellphone nowadays?

Are music videos and movies more racy?

Are drivers getting worse?

Are colleges getting more unbearably expensive?

Are pressures on individuals to be great and look good increasing?

Is the amount of depressed or mentally unstable individuals increasing?

Does the sun make everyone happy?

Where Can Drake Students Go?

Drake is committed to offering you a wide range of study abroad options for interim, summer, semester, and full-year programs throughout the world.

Though not every site has options appropriate for every student, possibilities include:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Balkans, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Panama, Poland, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Southern Cone, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Vietnam and Wales

Could you Believe?

Pharmacy work can present some suprises.

For one, I get these little old ladies that come into the store to pick up their prescriptions. While they're at it, they get other stuff, too. Logical. But what is it with the little old ladies that buy an 12 pack of Keystone light three times a week?! The poor girl doesn't even look strong enough to carry it for crying out loud. "That looks a little heavy for you, do you got it?" "Yeah, I got it. It gets a lot lighter when you're drinking it." Alcoholic eighty year old.

The other day, a script came in for prenatal vitamins for a 15 year-old girl. It is true that kids are having sex and getting pregnant younger and younger these days. But, on the script, the doctor wrote "Patient needs chewable tablets" - Yes, some companies make chewable prenatal vitamins... Maybe the doctor and parents should have thought ahead and gotten the girl chewable birth control pills.

Another day, a teenage boy came into the pharmacy with what looked like a swollen and inflamed right ear lobe. The boy was picking up antibiotics. As I asked the boy if he had any questions about the medication, he asked how long will it take for the infection on his self-pierced ear lobe would heal. After I explained a little bit more about the medication, the boy started to leave with his friend by his side and said, "Tonight I are piercing the other ear!".....REALLY?