Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in sarahsmiles17's LiveJournal:

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Friday, April 18th, 2008
7:51 am	So did anyone feel the earthquake last night? I sure did. I woke up because my bed was shaking, and my mirrored doors of my closet were rattling. I thought first, what are my neighbors downstairs doing at 4:30 in the morning. Then I thought maybe there was a big truck outside. But it lasted way longer than either of those options. Once it stopped, I checked outside and nothing was unusual. The only other thing I could think of was an earthquake, but I figured people would think I was crazy. Looked it up this morning on the news, and there in fact WAS an earthquake in IL last night. Current Mood: curious (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
10:22 pm	The End. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 13th, 2007
8:32 am	Hey guys, For my frat we are selling raffle tickets for an iPod Nano. Its 8 GB, and you get to pick the color if you win. If you are interested in buying tickets, I believe they are 3 for $2. Let me know, and we'll figure out a way for you to get me the money and I can submit the tickets for you. The drawing will be November 2. Thanks! (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 20th, 2007
11:48 pm	I'm studying for my Med Chem test tomorrow... and I think I just came across the longest most complex word I've ever seen: Benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline Yeah. This shit is crazy. Med Chem is a bitch. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 12th, 2007
5:41 pm	Thanks! Yesterday was my birthday, and I'm finally officially 21. I think I am by far the youngest person in my class at school. So yesterday was definitely fun. Since it was a weeknight, I didn't really go out late or anything. I went out to lunch at Stir Crazy with friends from school. I got something called a Banana Wonton - banana, ice cream, rum, and some cinnaminy-sugary wonton pieces on the top. Delicious! I went out to dinner with my parents and one of my brothers. Got a strawberry margarita, and when the waitress checked my ID, she said Happy Birthday and then told me they needed to get it double checked by a manager. (She said everyone under 25 they double check). The manager came over, saw it was my birthday, and told me my first drink was on the house. Yay! After I finished that one, I got an Apple Sangria, and the manager brought it over and said that would be on the house too. I had a good night! Thank you Suzie for the phone message and for the awesome card! I got the card today, and opened it as I was walking up the steps to my place. I had no idea it would be a talking card... or that it would talk for that long! I laughed so hard I couldn't walk up my stairs. Thanks dear! And yes... I definitely remember Fernando. : ) Andy- thanks for the voicemail - I miss you! Noah and Antonia - thanks for the facebook messages - that was really sweet of you guys to remember my birthday. Current Mood: content (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 6th, 2007
2:37 pm	how crazy is this? So I open up my mailbox today, and inside is something addressed to the previous resident. It was from UIC college of Pharmacy inviting all alums to participate in a CE course about infectious diseases. How weird is it that I, being a pharmacy student, would move into a place that a pharmacist used to live in... all without even knowing it. I think it's a little bizzare. I almost thought the brochure was for me, but it had the other woman's name on it. Crazy, eh? (Comment on this)
Friday, August 31st, 2007
11:43 pm	An interesting thing happened to me at work, and I'm still not entirely sure how to respond. As a refresher - I work at Osco pharmacy (because... duh! I'm in pharmacy school). Anywho... I was at the out window where people pick up, and I was working the cash register. This guy comes up with an armload of shit from Jewel - milk, frozen stuff, canned goods, etc. I ask for his name, as he's putting everything down on the counter. I grab his Rx and turn around and tell him that I'm sorry, but I can't ring up his other items. He says "But I thought you could" I tell him, "no, we can't ring up dairy or frozen, it really has to be Osco-related, like Tylenol or something". And it's actually true. In previous years, our managers told us we had to ring everything up because otherwise we'd get complaints. Here's why we dont anymore: 1) It's a pain in the ass. We don't have a scale. We don't have a belt to move things. Basically people put it on the counter, we ring it up and then have to hold it until they pay. There simply isn't enough room for us to ring up more than 3 items. I honestly don't mind doing Tylenol or HC cream, but doing your bananas and your Lean Cuisines? Come on! That's a little too much. 2) It's against federal law. The law prohibits dairy, meat, produce, flowers, and frozen from being rung up at pharmacy counters, in fact - from even being placed on our counters. Something to do with microorganisms, (esp with raw meat and dairy) causing problems in an area that is supposed to be clean and for patient's health. Anyway. It's against the law. 3) did I mention it's a pain in the ass? We're already busy enough, no, I'd rather not ring up your condoms, wine and flowers. kthnxbye. So I ring the guy up for his prescription only, and he then tries to get everything balanced in his arms again to go walk up to the front to pay. He's struggling a little but eventually gets it. Then he sighs all exaggerated-like and screams "MOTHER FUCKER!" and walks away. I was not really sure how to respond to that. I wasn't even sure it was directed at me. Cuz sometimes I say that under my breath just in general, not AT anyone. The next customer came up, a younger guy picking up birth control for a gf or wife. He asks me , "so, how's your day going?" and we both kind of laugh. And from then on I've just been laughing about it. No way in heck I'm going to take it personally. I just really didn't know how to respond to it. My friends and I were sharing pharmacy stories recently. I've witnessed a customer throw a basket at my boss's head. I've been called a racist by a Mexican. HELLLO! Alex is Mexican! But apparently, me calling his insurance company to figure out what's going wrong in order to help him and get his medication paid for is something only a racist would do. I'm still a little sore about that one. I've gotten death threats by a crazy woman who absolutely needed her Xanax right now even though she'd been pharmacy-hopping and was way too early. Her doc even said don't fill it. That was really the only time I was truly scared. She called about every half hour threatening us. I got walked out to my car every night for a few weeks after that. We also had a bomb threat called in to our Jewel. That was pretty intense too. Oh man- this just means life will be interesting for me once I graduate. It will be day after day of crazy crazy customers. But I have to say, some patients really are sweet. One guy calls me "Sweetie" every time he comes in. One guy knows my voice on the phone. One woman called a few times during one day and asked for me each time because "I helped her best". One guy even wants to take me fishing some day. We have patients buy us donuts and chocolates. Some make us pizzas (he works in a pizza place), some make us tamales. Some tell us every time they come in that we take good care of them. I know some customers by name, and they are really surprised when I don't have to ask them for their name, and I have their medicine ready. Those are the things that make the job worthwhile. I know there will always be crazy customers who will never be satisfied, and I've gotten my fair share of vile language over the years. But it's the sweet customers that make me want to go to work every day. Ahhh. I guess that means I'm happy with my life career choice. Ask me again in 5 years. We'll see if it's the same. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
12:46 pm	Lemme know what you guys think... Ok- if you don't already know, I'm a TA for a high school internship program on campus at my school. It's a program I did when I just graduated high school, and now that I actually go to school here, I'm eligible to be the TA, so I applied and got the job. My tasks include coordinating professors to get their lectures copied and ready for the day they lecture. I have to grade papers, create hand outs, and be the go-between for my boss and everyone else. I make copies, I buy goodies, I even ironed the white coats they got on the first day. I'm constantly doing something, and in addition to that - I teach 3 1-hr long lectures. 2 of the lectures are done with already, and I have 1 remaining. But anway- here's where I need some advice. Yesterday the kids were on campus (it's 50 high schoolers, and they are on campuse 2 days a week for classes. The remaining days they are either at Osco or Walgreens working as a pharmacy tech). This one kid, Joe, is really starting to get on our nerves. But I won't get into that. Yesterday we had a "reference hunt", and they were given a scavenger hunt, and a huge pile of books that they had to use. The point was to get them familiar with using the books to look up certain information, because they have a research project they must complete by the end of the program. Some of the questions were like "what is otitis media?" and they'd have to look it up in say, Stedman's medical dictionary, give the definition, the source (if it was something other than Stedman's) and the page number. We split up the group into 25 and 25, and one group went to the library, the other group stayed in the classroom with me. They each had the exact same books. Then, each 1/2 was split into groups of 5, and each team could work together to find the answers. They had a little over an hour to complete the hunt. The group that scored the highest (and if there was a tie, the group that finished fastest) got a prize, but it counted as a grade for everyone. So we graded the hunts during lunch and into the next class. When it was time for a 10 minute break, we announced that we had graded them. It was out of a possible 95 points, and the range was from 58.5 to 92. So some kids did amazing, and some did quite awful. We gave $5 gift cards to Starbucks to the winning group, and candy bars to the 2nd place group. Then, Joe raises his hand. (Keep in mind- he did not win, and he in fact did the 2nd worst out of everyone- a 66 or something in that area). He tells us how unfair it was because not everyone had equal access to all the books. And he tells us we never told him it was for a grade. We responded that everyone did in fact have equal access to the books- and the 2 winning teams actually came from his room. And, we reminded him that everything in here is for a grade, and that on the first day, our boss told him that anything that gets turned in is worth points towards their final score. He just kept whining. We decided that he was just upset because he didn't win. My boss told me that she had been near his group when they were working and he was just chatting most of the time with 2 other group members. He had been saying how he didn't even want to go into pharmacy, he was only in the program because his mom, who works for Walgreens (as an accountant, NOT a pharmacist) wanted him to be in it. Does it make sense to you that he would be whining so much if he really didn't even care? We think he just wanted to be the winner, and he's a pretty sore loser, so that's why he was complaining. Does that seem reasonable? So I'm really bored right now- I finished all my tasks for the day, and should probably still stick around until 4 today. I'm just so bored. I've checked my email like a dozen times in 5 minutes. I really don't know what to do with myself. Maybe I should just head home now? Oh- and also - this is REALLY unrelated... but I was thinking of having a little housewarming party- since I finally have my own place (even though it's a couple months since I got it). Let me know if you'd be interested in coming out to see me. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
8:51 am	I am so relieved. I finally have a day off. I counted - and i worked TWENTY THREE days in a row without a single day off. I have two jobs, one full time (40hours) and one part time (20-30 hours/week). So between the two, I'm basically always working. I've been totaling and average of about 60-70 hours a week. This past week was incredibly stressful. We had the students on campus for 3 out of 5 days, and I already taught 2 of my 3 lectures to them. So all the prep work for that, getting copies made, making sure that they are paying attention during class (we sit in the back and nudge any sleepers). It's really a lot to do. We also went to an intern training program with my boss, even though we are not Walgreens interns. I've finally gotten over my fears of sticking other people to do some basic blood tests. I gave my friend a cholesterol screening. It was awesome! I felt so proud of myself. I could always do these types of things to myself, so I know how to do them and we also learned again the proper technique, but I was always a chicken to do it to someone. I've never been so tired before. Last night I had a lot of fun though- we went to the movies and saw Evan Almighty, and then came home and shared a bottle of wine. I went to bed around 12, and set my alarm for 11 so I could still make it to noon Mass. But, my body is just so darn used to getting up early, that I was up at about 6, and forced myself to go back to bed. I finally got up again around 8:30, and decided that was good enough. I was so tired this week that Thursday night my eye muscles started really really hurting me. So Friday I called my eye doctor to find out if it was serious or if I really was just tired and my eyes were just exhausted. They wanted me to come in in 15 minutes! I couldn't, since I was at work and the kids were there and I still had a lecture to teach that afternoon. So I told them I'd call back Monday if it was still a problem. I've just been taking my contacts out early. I went to bed early and slept in a little yesterday, as well as today, and my eyes feel fine. I'm going to call Monday and tell them that, and that if they still need to see me I'll come in on Tuesday. So, that's been my life. Not too exciting. But I've never been happier. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
11:27 am	I officially start my new job/internship Monday, where I will be an intern/TA/research assistant. I went shopping and got some "professional" attire. It always feels good to shop for new clothes for something new like that. I'm excited- can you tell? PS - save a horse, ride a COWBOY! (Comment on this)
Friday, June 8th, 2007
10:51 pm	I just got a big box today from my Tio in New Mexico. At first, I didn't know who it was from. It was addressed to me, with another phone number (area code 505). Then, the return address was a latino name from California. So, I was very worried about opening it. And I mean, this box was not your average sized box- it was a pretty healthy sized box. I'm thinking- will it kill me and explode or something if I open it? So I called my mom, and the number listed under my name was my Tio's number, and she told me he had sent something to me, so it was safe to open. After peeling through layers of boxes and ribbons and packing peanuts, I received a beautiful Mexican pot, painted and hand-made from clay. (If you couldn't tell, my Tio is Mexican). It was very unexpected, I never ever would have expected a gift from them. I feel so special. In other news, I went to the Blues Fest today at Grant Park. Got a great t-shirt: on the back is "Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin too" a quote from the King, BB King. Today was just wonderful. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
12:55 pm	I saw Ms. Haleas last night. I knew she had a daughter, but I didn't realize she was in my brother's class (they graduated from 8th grade last night). It was nice to see her. Kinda made me want to be back in high school again. Not gonna lie, I really loved high school. Esp senior year. Yeah - I'd go back to senior year in a heartbeat. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
12:26 pm	It appears that my family and I are allergic to cicadas. They really started coming out on Monday by us, and now my entire family is sick, with it starting Monday night and Tuesday. It's all allergy-related: sneezing, runny nose, etc, which turned into post-nasal drip and coughing and headaches and just not fun stuff. I think it's weird that we are allergic to the cicadas. I wonder what would happen if we tried to eat one... (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
10:34 pm	Patient brought in prescription for scabies... for their entire family. Need I say it? ...EEEEEEWWWWWW I felt creepy-crawlies all the rest of my shift. I can't even tell you how many times I washed my hands. (Comment on this)
Monday, May 28th, 2007
5:53 pm	Don't you find it strange that in honor of our soldiers who have died fighting for America, we back here at home plan cookouts and drink and celebrate? Shouldn't we go to church or the cemetary and have a more solemn remembrance? It seems people just use this as an excuse to have a long weekend and party. Oh, and stores use it to put on massive sales. And in other news, working today was pretty brutal. I don't think a lot of people understood it was a holiday. They seemed baffled when I told them we were only open from 9am to 1pm. People got very angry with me when they called at 12:55 asking to pick up a refill today, and I told them no. Sorry- It's a holiday. I certainly didn't want to be there at all, much less stay late so you could pick up your meds. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
10:04 pm	Sometimes I really really hate patients It really gets on my nerves when patients threaten me with their health/well-being. Of course I care, but it's not really my fault, you know? For example: Patient brings in prescription vial for a refill. My being the good tech I am, type it in and find out that it is expired/has no refills remaining. I explain to the patient that we will call the doctor, because the doctor needs to authorize refills as there are none remaining/it's expired. Cue patient explosion: "WHAT!?! It says right here I have XX refills! I didn't know these expired! My doctor told me I had to take them for the rest of my life! You need to give them to me right now because I haven't taken my medicine in 3 days and it's for my high blood pressure/gout/thyroid/diabetes/cholesterol/penis and I could DIE because of you! This is an EMERGENCY!!!!!" *I take a deep breath* Explain again that I'm very sorry, but there's nothing I can do right now. The doctor needs to authorize refills. They usually continue muttering or screaming, depending on how irate they really are. I want to post a sign that reads "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Because truthfully, It says right on the bottle that you have X amount of refills before X/X/07. If you get to zero, or the date is past that "before date," then wouldn't you think you might need to get ahold of your doctor? We explain this to the patients every time, and they still insist on throwing a fit. Plus, it's most definitely not my problem that you waited 3 days before you realized you were out of meds. Not. My. Problem. It really irks me that people think we can pull prescriptions out of our ass and get their party packs (which in pharmacy-land means a group of 4 or more drugs, could be more depending on your pharmacy, that one person drops off and plans to pick up all together, in one group. Sometimes we even get husband-wife party packs - that would be 4 or more drugs each.) in under 5 minutes. Not. Gonna. Happen. And holiday weekends are even worse. Just because we are open, doesn't mean the doctor is open, much less answering non-emergency pages. I can't wait to work Monday. *rolls eyes* It's only a 9-1 shift, so hopefully it won't be too bad, and most people will be out BBQ-ing it up. I just really can't understand why people think (and not just some people - a whole LOTTA people) the world revolves around them always. Drives me nuts. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
9:22 am	Weren't these cicadas supposed to be out already? And if my balcony is on the third floor- is there any chance that they will get on there, or will i be safe? For some reason I'm really nervous about these stupid bugs. I swear- I thought they were coming out yesterday. What happened? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 17th, 2007
7:41 pm	just cuz Comment on this post, and I will: 1. Tell you why I friended you 2. Associate you with something - a song, a color, a photo, etc. 3. Tell you something I like about you. 4. Tell you a memory I have of you. 5. Associate you with a character. 6. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you. 7. Tell you my favorite user picture of yours. In return, I ask you to repost the questions in your LJ. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 30th, 2007
9:13 pm	Oh man! My brother is getting a live interview on the news tomorrow morning. I know, it's early- but he'll be on at about 6:40am on WGN (or whatever that channel is now- the CW or something? Channel 9). He had a whole day today of being downtown for the money smart events and his special winner's reception. This kid has it made! Some lady (who is up in charge somewhere at the stock exchange) told Chris he could take whatever seminar he wants, any time, for free, and that he can come and observe the floor when the stock exchange is open and get a tour and such. He's crazy excited. So, if you are up that early (or even that late) please watch! (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 29th, 2007
8:45 pm	My little brother is famous! Hehe- he was named the "Money Smart Kid" by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He's featured in the business section of the Sun-Times today: http://www.suntimes.com/business/currency/361737,CST-FIN-Terry29.savagearticle He'll be in the Trib on Tuesday - I think he'll be in the Kids' News section. He had to write an essay on how to manage your family's money. His essay will be up soon on the bank's website (they still have 2006 up right now). Then the top 6 essayists got chosen and had to interview. Get this- one kid up against EIGHT people from the bank. EIGHT!! I don't think I've ever been interviewed alone by a panel of EIGHT! That takes some major guts. They asked him questions about hedge funds and stuff I have no idea even existed. And he wowed them so well- he won! He gets a $5000 scholarship for college (to whatever school he chooses). He also got a laptop and a bag of goodies (like museum memberships). I can't believe it! Obviously we are crazy proud of him - and he's only 14!!! I'm just a proud sister right now! Yay! Check him out in the paper. (5 Comments |Comment on this)