April Showers & May Flowers

see any infection, he wasn’t allowed to prescribe the much needed antibiotics. He did, however, provide Vicodin for pain. I wasn’t happy about this, but I was in a considerable amount of discomfort (PAIN!!!), and took the prescription anyway. To make sure I didn’t abuse this, I started making phone calls to friends in my 12-step recovery program to keep them up-to-date. In the end, the Vicodin lasted longer than I expected it would. (In other words, it was not abused.) Unfortunately for me, the infection spread overnight and my jaw swelled up in a big way on the right side. Later Sunday evening I finally had a friend take me back to the ER as I was in no condition to be driving. This time I was seen by a Physician, who said, “Yep. You definitely have a fever and a visible infection.” She prescribed me 10 days of Penicillin and an antibiotic mouthwash. I had to deal with the pain for one more night as all pharmacies were closed, but got the prescription filled first thing on Monday morning. Now if you thought that Asparagus made your pee stink, you ain’t smelled nothing until you’ve been on penicillin for a day or two. Ugh. The benefit is that 3 days later I was able to start eating solid foods again. Today, the pain is all but gone, and I’m about back to normal… or whatever passes for normal in my life. There is one silver lining to this whole dental infection…. Two days before it all set in, I decided that I needed to start using LoseIt for iPhone again as I’d gained almost 10 lbs in the previous two weeks. Not being able to eat solid foods helped me lose 10 lbs over the course of three days. Yes, I know this isn’t a great way to lose weight, but when combined with my calorie tracking, I’ve been able to not only keep it off, but to continue losing weight. I’ve lost a total of 37 pounds since the middle of December. My immediate weight-loss goal is 200 lbs and my eventual goal is between 175 and 180. If I follow and stick with the weigh-loss plan, I should be at or near my eventual goal by the end of September. Having seen how I’ve lost weight in the last five months, I’m actually pretty certain that I can achieve that goal in that time. A couple of fun-facts I should mention:

  1. I’ve gone in six notches on my belt.
  2. I’ve lost at least four inches off my waist.
  3. My leather jackets now fit.
  4. I’ve had to take my watch in four notches. The next adjustment needed will require me to remove a link.
Another bit of exciting news is the letter I just got from the Mission College Alpha Gamma Sigma society:
Subject: Mission College Honors Eligibility Dear Ian L. Sterling: Congratulations! You meet the eligibility requirements to participate in your campus chapter of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society. Many students participate in this club to increase the appeal of their college transcripts. Although there are numerous benefits, the purpose of AGS is to promote service to the campus, the community, and the state aside from maintaining academic excellence and professional integrity. There is more information about membership requirements and benefits below. All you need is a 3.0 grade point average accumulated from 12 or more units and at least 7 units at Mission for Fall 2010. After being approved as a member, you must acquire a certain amount of community service, fund-raising, and general participation points in order to get the “Honors” stamp on your transcript. These point requirements are contingent upon your circumstances each semester, such as how many units you are taking and how many hours you work each week. There are several benefits for the extra work you do on top of maintaining your grade point average. Active membership in the honor society helps you network, aids you in your educational experience and career path, and elevates your chances for internships, jobs, and scholarships. Material benefits are nice, but from experience and group consensus, the greatest benefit of service is the experience of helping others in need.
This looks like a community service / philanthropic group. I’ve never been a part of something like that before, but I’m starting to consider it. I’m sure it’ll look good on a resume, but I’m not sure I have the time for it. It gives me a lot to think about, no? That’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks for visiting and Keep Coming Back!!!]]>

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