Death by PowerPoint

Take a good look at this and imagine looking at it for 8 hours and then you will have experienced my day.  I mean, how many lectures can a person be expected to sit through in one day!?  And retain!?  I can say for sure that I managed to sit through (with some long, slow blinks) all of the lectures, but I cannot guarantee anything on the retaining information front.  The material is interesting and something I need to and want to learn, it is just a lot to handle in one day.  The room is freezing, the chairs are uncomfortable and the clock seems to forget to keep ticking.  My secret for making it through these days?  Keep refilling the water bottle - not only is hydration a good thing in general, but it also gives you valid reasons for having to step out of the lectures every hour or so.  Hey, a bathroom break is a break nonetheless.  So, needless to say, not a lot to report today.  Spent the morning in lectures, broke for lunch and spent the afternoon in lectures again.  We convinced one of our instructors to stay late and let us work on our liners so I was able to get caught up from yesterday.  Although, I must just be having an issue with liners because I managed to tear my liner, yet again!!!  And burn the first layer of skin off my hand, but that is secondary to the fact that this liner is getting the best of me.  More skiiving, some gluing, lots of cutting with a razor edge (also a very unsafe activity for me) and I at least have what resembles a completed liner that is ready to be laminated.  Yea, me!!

I think I might have to take this and frame it when this is all said and done...although I don't think that is how it works.  I cannot even imagine what it is going to feel like to have spent so much time and put in so much work on a leg and have the opportunity to fit in on a patient and give them back their mobility.  I am an emotional basket-case, I have a feeling I will get teary-eyed many times throughout my career.  Back to my current leg, one that is just for learning and not walking...I have such a love/hate relationship going on with this socket.  I was actually loving it when this picture was taken...I was hating it shortly thereafter when I could not get the tape off or the edges smooth to save my life.  I am hoping we make up soon and the relationship goes back to hearts and flowers by Monday because that is when I am supposed to be laminating this to make it look official and professional and real.  We had a two hour lecture/demonstration on laminating today - it looks very intimidating!!  Let the learning curve continue to expand and pass the epoxy acrylic resin, this socket is rounding the corner on it's final lap!!  The homestretch feels pretty good :)