Oh Romeo, what's in a name?

I know I haven't written in quite a while. A lot has happened...well not that much...okay maybe a lot.

I guess I will just list things off and elaborate where I feel it is necessary.

-I started my last semester of graduate school.
-I got the professor that I really wanted for Degree Project and I sit by my bestest buddy Jordan...so studio life is good.
-I am also taking a great class known as SLAM CO (Saint Louis Art Museum Construction Observation). I get to wear a hard hat, neon yellow vest, protective eye wear and scary butch/lesbian hard-soled shoes. It is such a great class!
-I had a professor ask me to write him a letter of recommendation for an award he was nominated for. I felt very honored to be asked to do that. I spent a good amount of time trying to write something that would do him justice.
-I got called to be a Relief Society teacher...seriously! I have only taught three times and they are progressively getting better. For my second lesson I put a picture of Megan Fox and Hugh Heffner up on the board...I am like no other teacher they've had before! ;)

-And the big one...my dad has had prostate cancer.
Over the last few years his Gleason score has remained relatively low (~6). This spring he went in for a biopsy and cancer cells were found. Surgery was scheduled for August to remove the prostate. He had a pre-op MRI and the doctors saw what they thought might be a metastasis on his hip. So that freaked everyone out for a good week. (I had even made the decision that if that was the case that I would leave school to spend time with my family.) The area on his hip ended up being a shadow from a previous injury and not a tumor because nothing showed up on the x-rays. After a lot of self-diagnosing and pessimistic/worse case scenarios he felt that he needed to just trust his doctors and that things would be alright.
So my dad ended up having his prostate out at Huntsman Cancer Institute (which is bizarre because I had used the HCI as a precedent for my Degree Project.) The surgeon was confident that the tumor/cancer was encapsulated and that they had gotten clear margins. Pretty much best case scenario all around. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father definitely heard and answered our prayers.
I called him twice a day to check up on him. We even skyped a couple of times while he was doped up and he was hilarious as usual. He was as happy as a clam because he was getting to eat salmon and drink fruit smoothies. So he was in the hospital for 5 days I think...then he went home with his "pee-bag."
The next few days were really rough for him, he wasn't feeling well both physically and emotionally. He went in for the post-op appointment, got the catheter out, and the pathology report back. The tumor was encapsulated and the margins were clear!
Over the next couple days his pain progressively got worse instead of better (7-9 on a scale from 1-10.) I thought he was just being a wuss or had just not been keeping up on his medicine, like he tends to do. Well the pain got so bad that Dina took him to the emergency room Saturday morning. A CT scan revealed he had two large abscesses where his prostate was removed. I felt like a royal jerk for not believing him. He was readmitted to the Huntsman. The doctors opted not to drain the abscesses and treat it intravenously with antibiotics. After four days of salmon and sleeping the abscesses had only reduced in size 20%, not ideal but going in the right direction.
It's been about a week since he was released from the hospital for a second time with another pee-bag. He had another follow-up appointment with yet another CT scan. The abscesses were a lot smaller and his doctor said he was confident that the abscesses were just fluid filled and that there was no need to go in and drain them. So my dad is supposed to finish the antibiotics and continue to rest and heal. Next week the doctor said they would remove the catheter because he wants to make sure that the bladder continues to drain and that there are no other issues.
As soon as my dad was well enough to sit at a computer he has been "researching" and reading crap on the internet. So every time I talk to him he is going on about how he could have the really bad kind of cancer and that his doctors don't know what they're talking about. That's when I have to gently bring him back to reality and tell him that his doctors really do know more about his condition and new treatments than the obscure quacks on the internet. He usually says "Yeah, you're probably right." I respond by saying "Not probably Dad, I am right. Now turn off the computer and go upstairs and spend time with the family." Most of the time he obeys. :)
That's what's been going on with my dad. I know that wasn't the most eloquent writing but you get the idea.


-This last weekend a friend that I met through school got married. So about week before the wedding I had kind of forgotten about it and I didn't have a date, oops. That next Sunday I taught Relief Society so I was busy preparing the whole weekend and hadn't put much thought into a date. Well, as I was leaving church after my lesson I just so happened to glance backwards and see a guy that I have only talked to a few times and have gotten along with. I had a small yet distinct thought that I should ask him. That just kind of stayed with me for the next several days. So I did.
He was really nice on the phone and said that he would be more than happy to go. Score! It's always a good sign when you're not rejected right off the bat.
I had a great time and was actually very impressed by him. It was so nice to be able to interact with somebody that is confident, polite, intelligent, with a sense of humor.
Something I was just thinking about...During dinner he had brought up what he "needed" in a partner which kind of took me off guard. I then quickly responded something like I don't know what I want or need (which is totally not true.) I think I was just thrown off because I don't usually talk about that kind of stuff or share it openly. I am a cornball/nut-job that will be completely honest with anyone but I am very reserved and private about some things. I need somebody with a strong personality that is able to take control of situations if needed, someone who is confident and sure of themselves, someone who can accept my strong personality and all my craziness and still think I'm wonderful. Anyhoo...I really hope no one else besides the three friends that I know of on here are reading this.

If nothing else, I have been given hope in this dreary singles existence just to know that there are guys like that in the world.

It's time to end this post.
I really should revamp this blog. It's very boring does not accurately reflect my "style." Maybe when I am procrastinating some night in studio I will give it a whirl.

Ohhh I also webbed my desk at school! I will take a picture and put it on here. In the mean time check out how awesome these things are... http://www.selkbagusa.com/ I totally want one so I can look like Gumby when I go camping.




BB.
-cassie

Sob worthy

This is a great story.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zwQ_7q-fU

Rambing Update

So there has been a serious epidemic in the singles branch...engagements. It's pretty messed up. Four couples are engaged and one couple got married on the DL, oh and one of the couples I didn't even know were dating. That's like half of our branch! I'm kind of glad I'll be moving in December/January because the dating pool is getting pretty shallow.
Phew.

My life has been pretty low key these days. I'm working at the Alumni and Development office at WashU as a student worker with the Law folks. I have been working on this scholarship audit which has been taking forever! I think I'm finally at a place where the gift officers can review the lists. After that I will start working on the fun stuff like the Law reunions with a fantastic lady named Julie. Oh it's also been really fun having Jordan working there too, sometimes we'll eat lunch together or get a drink upstairs. (And she always looks so cute in her dresses and "work" clothes.)

My roommate Matt got home last week from his summer semester in San Diego. It was really nice having him back, we talked and hung out at the pool several days in a row. He is such a sweet guy and awesome roommate! He's moving up to Chicago pretty soon because he finished the M.U.D. program so I'm kind of bummed about that.

This last Saturday morning I went on a tour of the Budweiser Factory with a couple people I know from church. It was awesome! Very cool facilities and interesting process. The tours they give are really well put together and official. They even have little trolleys that pick people up at the end of the tour and take them to the hospitality room back at the visitors center where you get 2 free beers! I of course opted for the soda. :)
We also went to the Soulard market after our tour. That is a fabulous market! I bought a pineapple, 2 nectarines, green beans, an onion, 3 bananas, 3 cobs of corn, and 4 limes all for under $10! Well the pineapple was gone by the next day. I had a very sore mouth. The only thing I have left is the corn, 2 limes, 1/2 of an onion. I should start going to the farmers markets Saturday mornings. It's so much fun and such a great deal. Jordan...want to go with me this weekend?

My 10 year high school reunion is in a few weeks. Initially I was thinking it might be fun to see some people so I thought I would make a trip home before school starts. But after looking at my bank account and prices of plane tickets coupled with the fact that I really don't care THAT much to relive the "glory" days of high school, I've opted to skip this one. Anyways I can do all of the facebook stalking I want and people that I want to stay in contact with, I do.
So that's that.

I'm also thinking about trying to find a job in New York after I graduate. I would really like to work in New York or DC so I would be closer to family. But I wouldn't mind working in LA, San Francisco, or even Chicago. I will pretty much go wherever I get a decent job. But I'm thinking New York and DC are definitely the top right now.

Oh yeah, I had two hair cuts this weekend. Yes, two. I will chronicle the experience in a separate blog post because the story is that awesome!

One more thing, I have CS5 now! I am officially a part of 2010 now!

Goodbye posters

These are some images that I put together of some guys in the Branch (church) for a going away wake that I "c0-threw." I printed 5 11x17 of each image and plastered them throughout the apartment.

I was talking to my little sister when I was making them and she wanted to see them. So here you go...

Scott just graduated medical school from SLU and is going to start a residency in Salt Lake to specialize in sleep medicine. (He was my home teacher for about 6ish months.)

Justin also recently graduated from the SLU medical school and is going to Boston for a one year general surgery residency. (He was my home teacher for 2 years.)

J.T. is a southern gentleman that is moving to Tennessee to help out his grandparents and go to school. (He was my home teacher for 1 month.)

And then...

To pick up...or actually another side track for tonight...

As I am laying on my bed typing this with only the light of the screen I look at my illuminated hands and begin to see how much texture my skin has. The single directional light is exaggerating the depth of the creases. The irregular fractures on my knuckles vary in distance from side to side. And the side of my thumb, that has a completely different texture, is more shallow and regular in pattern. The stripes from my thumb print fade as it moves further from the apex. I love that the veins on top of my hand are visible and bulge slightly from the otherwise flat surface. You can definitely tell that I have used my hands throughout my life. I would love to photograph this varying landscape that is my hand sometime.

I need to start using hand lotion regularly.

Something slightly more relevant: I am starting my new summer job tomorrow! Talk about a blessing from the Lord, this job (so far) is perfect. I'll let you know how it goes.

It's official...

The semester has ended and I have caught up on sleep.

I pushed really hard this semester and I am proud of what I was able to accomplish in studio. This is pretty much the first time that I can say that and truly feel it.

Of course I still have some loose ends that I keep dragging on and on. I still need to finish my Design Thinking book in the next two days and send it off to be printed. I need to prep and burn cd's of my cumulative studio work, cumulative Design Thinking work, and final studio diagrams and images for the school's Approach magazine. Oh crap I still have to go clean up the rest of my desk. It's pretty much all packed I just need to haul it down to my car.

I've been doing a lot of church related activities lately. It started with going with some people from my branch to the Cinco de Mayo celebration on Cherokee street two days after my review. (I referred to it a polygamy date because there were four girls and one guy and I referred to the girls as Dave's Harem.)

Side story: One of the girls on the polygamy date, named Angie, was just graduating from the accelerated nursing program at SLU, whom I had never met. Well it turns out she is awesome. We've hung out a lot the last week considering we just met. It sucks because she is moving back home to North Carolina, tomorrow, to take her boards and find a job. But if we ever find ourselves living in the same city or near each other I will have a non-drama oriented friend to hang out and complain about boys with.

Continuing on with Cinco de Mayo:

The male in the polygamy date was very insistent on me riding the mechanical bull. So after walking by the bull multiple times in two hours and one last jab from Dave I thought to myself "What the hell?!"

Dave went first and did pretty well. Then before I knew it it was my turn. I hopped onto the bull with a small crowd gathering and was actually embarrassed for the first time in years. With a flushed face and pounding heart I clenched my legs around that metal bull, grabbed onto the handle and with the knowledge that I could very easily die threw my arm into the air and took off. The bull operator was nice at first and much to my surprise I stayed on. I believe it was all the years of dancing that gave me the balance and strong legs that kept me on that thing. Eventually my inner thighs were getting really tired and I couldn't squeeze my legs hard enough to stay on so I gave in, accepting my fate I fell off. I hit the blue mat and to my surprise didn't die, the mechanical bull didn't trample me.

I did it. Seriously. I rode an #*&@ing mechanical bull!

So thank you Dave for doing that with me!

It's late. I'm tired. I will continue on with this tomorrow.

Quick Update

-The semester is coming to an end. My studio final review is next Thursday. I am excited because I really like my project this semester.

-I still have a few loose ends to tie up for Design Thinking...the never ending class.

-Side story: when I was talking to my Argentine professor I asked him about my board and what I could do to improve. He shook his head, touched his forehead and said in his little accent "Oh, Cassandra. Cassandra. Cassandra. It looks like an accountant did it."

Now, two years ago I probably would have been crushed. This year I just laughed because I knew my board was not up to standard, and really an accountant?! It's humorous. Sung Ho once said my project looked like a pregnant worm and during my final review for 318 I had the critics tell me twice that my plans looked like bad contractor plans (I then started crying and hyperventilated.) I've had to grow a pretty tough skin and now I find the humor in the absurd comments and metaphors, and actually appreciate the creativity.

-I have an assignment and quiz tomorrow for my Climate and Light class. The professor is this ~70 year old guy who is the driest funniest grandpa guy in the world. I actually really enjoy his class.

-Life is good. I still don't know what I am going to do this summer. Wish me luck in figuring it out.

-That's all.