What the Fuck is 'PC LOAD LETTER?'

Silence filled the pharmacy is if all of the air had been sucked out of it. To be honest, it seemed as if the air had been sucked out of the area.

Plastic littered the floor and the smell of a hot printer head radiated my nostrils. Confusion slowly evolved to amusement as a smile crept across my face. As my eyes drifted up from the mangled pile of white plastic pieces stood a man in magnificent pose.

He was my pharmacist. And I was damned proud of him.

You see if look up "Cheap Ass Sonofabitch" in the dictionary, you will see a photo of the owner of the company I work for. It honestly goes to levels I really did not think were possible. Sadly this spills over to the technology aspects of our work day.
Thus, the 'newest' printer in our stores is only slightly younger than I am, myself being almost 24 and 1/2 years old. Many of them habitually display "PAPER JAM" when there really is no paper jam.

On this day I found out that this printer actually does have paper jams. Only those paper jams occur on every other patient ed form printed. An enviable situation it was not.

Apparently on this day the pharmacist had had enough. I had presumed he was going to clear another paper jam. It wasn't until I heard the loud crash that my attention was diverted.

"It fell off the shelf," was all that was uttered.

For it to be in so many pieces it was clear that it had fallen from a much greater height than the shelf.

Alas I cannot be angry, but be proud of the pharmacist that day. It was something that I, and many others, have wanted to do countless times over the past several years. As odd as it may sound, it also removed all of the stress built up from the day.

So to that particular pharmacist, I salute you. I think we can all drink to that.

Nine Years Ago Today....

Repost from last year:

That being said today is a special day, although not in a good sense. Nine years ago today my sport lost its leader, its champion and by all rights its greatest driver, Dale Earnhardt. After nine years it still kind of feels as if a family member is gone, which is rather strange. Then again those of you who did not follow the sport prior to that day will never quite understand. But if there is any of you out there who does read this blog and does understand what this day means... well then you'll understand the accompanying video as well.

I Have An... AHEM... Size Problem

Around my first interview, for whatever reason, I finally got a bug up my ass and rediscovered the gym on campus. I had grown rather lazy over the past few years, I think some of that can be attributed to the stress I put on my self, and naturally it began to show.

Actually it was the fact that most of my t-shirts were becoming close to spandex like material on me and I didn't feel like buying new clothes.

Four months later I've dropped 30 pounds, am finally running sub-8 minute miles (I was a runner when I was younger) and my clothes are hanging off of me. My pants damn near fall off me on a constant basis, to which I apologize to the American public, as I am not used to always having to wear a belt now.

There has been an unforeseen side effect to this whole endeavor. It was something that everyone I mentioned to would not have considered either.

You see, my wedding ring no longer fits me. I originally bought it a bit larger than I wanted, with the logic being your fingers will increase in diameter over time, and I went for a stylish Tungsten ring. It's really pretty damn sweet looking. They warned me that I would not be able to resize it, but I couldn't imagine my finger changing so severely that I would need it resized.

Welllllllllllll looks like I was wrong. Who'da thunk I had that much weight to lose in my fingers. I mean seriously you can look through the thing:

Kinda hard to see in the small pic, but if you click it the larger view gives a better idea.

So now I am left with the proposition of buying a cheaper, way less cool, ring that actually fits. An oversight on my own part, I realize, but it still rather blows.

Thus, I just wanted every one to know that I am male, and I have a size problem. At least one of us can admit it.

A Twist to the Waiting Game

Much like the rest of us who work in a pharmacy and are applying to schools this time of year, chances are you know several other people who are applying to the same set of schools you are. It is just the nature of the beast. In fact I have become really good friends with one of them to the point where I refer to her as the little sister I never wanted.

However I discovered a bit of a twist to the waiting game I am in now. You see a couple of people I work with, including my friend, were all accepted to my favored school today.

It's an odd feeling because I am immensely happy for them... yet selfishly I feel jealous and a tad angry. More so, why couldn't I have been accepted right off the bat like them.

I already know the answer and it comes down to my foe in this whole process, the dreaded GPA, but it still makes me feel like an ass for thinking that way.

Oh well, hopefully my day will come soon.

Pharmacy School Interview Round-Up

Man that's a weird title for this post. My mother-in-law is obsessed with Bonanza, maybe its running off on me.

I thought I would go over the five schools I have interviewed at over the last few months. Those of you thinking to apply to just one school, I implore you to consider otherwise. Needless to say I was shocked at the overall variation in several aspects between the schools. It doesn't hurt to have a well rounded selection if you ask me.

As always, no school names will be mentioned for anonymity's sake. This is to give an idea of what a collection of schools can offer.

Pharmacy School Interview #1

This is probably still my top choice. The program best fits what I want to do over my career. One of the things you discover as you travel around is how pharmacy schools can have vastly different focuses. This one was focused on patient care which I can relay into my retail aspirations.

By far, the students here were the most friendly. Not only were they kind during the Q&A sessions and able to stick around to chat afterward, but when passing students in the hallway they were spontaneously offer support to all of us. It was a small token at the time that I came to realize is a strong reason why I like this school.

Pharmacy School Interview #2

This is easily the my least favorite choice out of the schools. It had a vastly different interview schedule, which I now believe to be far too short. One of my interviewers stated she hadn't looked over my application nor even knew my name prior to sitting in the room with me. I briefly covered the experience here.

The students were nice, but they appeared frazzled. At times it seemed as if they were forcefully saying nice things about the school and the program. It wasn't until we ventured over for pizza and drinks, yes drinks, that they finally seemed relaxed.

It also didn't help that this school has a strong focus on clinical and research pharmacy, two areas I do not wish at this moment to go into.

Pharmacy School Interview #3

Whoever scheduled this interview is an asshole. I had to be on campus by 7am, by FAR the earliest out of all of the interviews. It was also my first experience with an interview essay, which went okay despite the fact that my brain is not fully functioning this early in the morning.

Didn't really get to meet too many students during this interview, but the ones I met appeared content with the school and the program. Some gave the impression that they did not really wish to be here, but it was 7am and during winter break so I will let that slide. I was VERY impressed with the way the curriculum was laid out over the four years as it had the most logical progression out of all the schools. The faculty was very laid back and VERY willing to help you, a nice touch.

Plus the location of the school, and the city it was in, gave it major points for living conditions. That is another factor I did not really think to consider when this all started.

Pharmacy School Interview #4

This school had the most beautiful and well thought out campus. Actually, you could say their campus was rather innovative in many aspects. The students and faculty were all very cordial and did their best to make you feel at home. I left with really no negative feelings, but also really no overtly positive feelings.

Easily, this school presented the most thoughtful essay out of the three I had to write and I found the topic to be rather enjoyable. The way the graded you throughout the day was also very considerate as it relied not only as you as a student, but how you are as a person. I would have no qualms about going to school here.

Pharmacy School Interview #5

This one was... well strange. No tour of the school was given and when I asked some questions about the program the response was, "Well you can look that up online." This was, by far, the farthest I traveled for school, so I really did not appreciate that response.

The essay was rather self-promoting in nature, much like the essay from school #3, but simple. I really don't like a self-promoting essay as it is forces you to sensationalize yourself. Honestly, I do not think you should have to do this, but I suppose it is not my choice.

Perhaps the most unusual portion of the experience was the interview itself. The questions were unlike anything I had had previously and it really through me off my game. One of the questions that really bothered me was whether or not I had a moral or ethical problem with dispensing Plan B. It was one of the questions, since it is a such a hot topic with some people, that I was not comfortable answering because of the strong views some individuals have on it. I rather felt like it was an inappropriate question given the circumstances.

That being said the faculty was overly enthusiastic, but the students only acknowledged us during the defined meeting time. They appeared content with the program, but also appeared rather distant.

Thus, the waiting game has begun. I have five chances to find out my fate between now and May 1st. The experience as a whole has been illuminating and I hope I have shown some light upon the process the last several months.

To be honest I am not sure what program I would decide on, if I'm lucky enough to have the option to decide. It's a decision my wife and I shall have to come at together, but as long as I get in somewhere, that's all that matters.

And trust me, there will be one helluva celebration if an acceptance letter arrives. And y'all are invited!

Everyone is as Cool as Me

Since this blog began on that chilly Fall day in 2008 there have been several underlying themes to my posts. Sure there are the rants on pharmacy, college, motorsports and the likes. But there is one theme, which I mention off and on on a semi-regular basis, that has recently garnered national attention.

I don't want to say I was the first one to state it, but I do think I deserve some recognition for it. Especially since several people over the years have said I was down right nuts for thinking it.

What is this mind blowing fact?

That Betty White is the greatest senior citizen in the history of mankind.

Proof is as follows on posts from March 24th, 2008 (Back when no one read this little blog) and June 12th, 2009.

You guys can send all of your congratulations to: iwanttobeapharmacist@gmail.com

I thank you for supporting my awesomeness in this spectacular time.