Late this afternoon, I took an anatomy and physiology lecture exam. We were tested on the Lymph System, the Innate and Adaptive Immune System, the Respiratory System, and the Digestive System. That’s four systems in three weeks. That’s a lot of material to have covered.

My strategy had been to study for the lab exam, which was on Monday. The lab grade is just 25 percent of our overall grade. However, I decided to put my energy into this rather than study for the lecture exam because I figured that I’d do well on the more tangible lab identification material. I figured wrong. I bombed the lab test. So did everyone else. The class average in my section was a 62. I did better than average. And oh oh, the lecture exam was to be

Alys and Hirmmi at Grizzly Camp Trail

two days later, that is today.

Yesterday there was an in-class review. I didn’t understand why we didn’t have this on Monday, during lecture class. Rather, said instructor barreled through the next chapter, on Nutrition, Metabolism, and Body Temperature Regulation. There was what she called “some heavy physiology.” Huh – the Krebs Cycle. All I could think of was Maynard G. Krebs, the hippie on the Dobie Gillis show. Then ¾ of the way through the class time, teacher said that was all she intended to cover, that she’d pick up where she left off after break. Yippie skippy. Why, I wondered, didn’t we have the review then? Instead, we had the review yesterday. I had to make a special trip in to school because this was not during class time. And it gave me just one day to go over the review material that is before the exam. It was hardly enough time.

I took really good notes during the review, and after I made a list of the topics that were covered. Then this morning, after internal martial arts class, I hit the books, notes, and lecture material really, really hard. I quit a few hours before the test because I knew that I was on the verge of cramming, and all cramming does is stress me out. And getting stressed out tires me out. And when I’m tired out I cannot think straight.

There were 50 questions on the test. 50 questions that I initially told Cooper (my lecture buddy) that stood between me and spring break. And as I answered each one, I whittled away at the numbers. I was actually all over the place – I’d answer one question, go to the next page, answer a question then return to the first page. I was the second-to-last person to finish. The last person to finish was Kyle, who I have been studying with for the past week.

For those who’ve bared with me, and continued reading up until this point – I provided the above details in order to make a related self-observation. After I finished the exam I in a manner of speaking, lifted my head and looked around. I saw blue sky and melting snow. Two signs that spring is on the way.

I have a great deal to do this spring break – things that I let slide in focusing on studying for the lab practical and lecture exam. My upcoming list is going to be lengthy. And as well, it is going to include some anatomy and physiology tasks. But like I said before, when one is busy, some things take precedence over other things, and those things that take precedence change. Consequently, anatomy and physiology will take a back seat to some other things, which is before the final end of the semester push.

68. March 10, 2016: A Conversation with Sophie and Freebird