The ABCs of Starting Over- OR to KY Roadtrip + WDW 50th Ann. Trip 9/28-10/4; Day 6 and REPORT COMPLETE!

[DaisyDuck001]

I am still curious where you went on your way back to Kentucky! Looking forward to when you get a chance to tell us.

 

[Steppesister]

I am still curious where you went on your way back to Kentucky! Looking forward to when you get a chance to tell us.

Then I guess it is time for a very brief update!!!

I took my PRE-exam for this monster class on Wednesday and did quite well. You have NO idea how overwhelmingly relieved I am at that. I was given a personalized study plan to brush up on weak areas with some additional quizzes and am fairly confident I will pass this exam the first try. I only get 2 so as you know this is a VERY high stakes exam. If I fail both attempts I am out of the program forever with no opportunity to re-apply.

Anyway, I am weary. I am tired and my entire existence has been 12 hour days on the couch with my textbook, Power Point slides, copious amounts of videos on disorders of every body system, etc.... I've made posters, flashcards, and a notebook of hand-written notes. I've learned my lab values, signs, symptoms, treatments, when to refer, what tests to order... you name it. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. After I pass this exam, it's some silly busy work to finish up this class and then one more class that oughta take 3-4 weeks or so. Then FREEEEEEEEDOM!!! 2 glorious months off of travel and relaxing.

So, I am alive! And just very focused. I have a bit more to go on this TR and will finish it, but first my nose will be in these books a little while longer.

 

[vamassey1]

You're doing great!

I know you can finish it in style!

 

[juniorbugman]

With your grit and determination I am sure you will pass the first time.

 

[pkondz]

If I fail both attempts I am out of the program forever with no opportunity to re-apply.

Yikes! But... I've been there (several times) so understand the feeling quite well.

my entire existence has been 12 hour days on the couch with my textbook, Power Point slides, copious amounts of videos on disorders of every body system, etc.... I've made posters, flashcards, and a notebook of hand-written notes. I've learned my lab values, signs, symptoms, treatments, when to refer, what tests to order... you name it.

Then FREEEEEEEEDOM!!! 2 glorious months off of travel and relaxing.

And well earned at that! Where are you traveling (and relaxing) to?

So, I am alive! And just very focused. I have a bit more to go on this TR and will finish it, but first my nose will be in these books a little while longer.

Good luck and... we'll be waiting when you're ready!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Best of luck in your exams ( not that you’ll need it as I’m sure you’ve got everything covered)

 

[Steppesister]

G is for: Guitars and Gunny Sacks​

We last left off with this intrepid duo in a boat amongst the swamp creatures. It had started to rain just as our 3-hour tour was finishing up and by the time we reached the dock, we too looked like our fellow Bayou Friends- wet and soggy. It was perfect timing, and we were both ready to be back on the road. By now we were feeling a bit travel weary and to be honest kind of just ready to be “home”. However, we had a few adventures left to enjoy and were determined to make the very most of them. Let’s head northwards and see what trouble we can find!


Our destination lay 370 miles north; Clarksdale, MS to be exact. When I was planning out our route a million years ago, my friends Greg and Marcia told me about the famous “Blues Highway”- one of America’s most notable roads with a colorful history centering on music. It was along this highway that the famous names of early Blues stopped to play in the Juke Joints and where many made a name for themselves in the formation of a solid part of the Americana music scene. Humble, obscure, and often hidden along remote roads out of the small towns along the Mighty Miss, were shacks that lit up on Friday nights with the farm folk looking for a respite from work. Most, as you may guess, were sharecroppers. There isn’t a single juke joint that has survived and now the Blues music scene is focused in Clarksdale at the several clubs in the small, has been, run down, Southern town. Nevertheless, the ghosts of Elvis, Johny Lee Hooker, and Etta James oversee the nightly shows that can still be enjoyed should one make the stop.





The shell of Po’ Monkeys, one of the most famous and last to close Juke Joints, is all that remains of the rich history of the birth of Blues, and I thought it appropriate to make the pilgrimage to see it while it was still standing.





Just about dark, we made it into the outskirts of Clarksdale and didn’t have too much trouble finding our hotel. That word is used the most loose possible way. While The Shack Up Inn IS a place to sleep, a “hotel” it is most decidedly NOT. But it is an extremely creative model where folks can immerse themselves in Blues Culture as well as the sharecropper lifestyle of the 1920’s and 30’s. They’ve transported about 30 shacks from the surrounding area and put them around the still standing cotton gin (did you know that's short for "engine"? I was this years old when I learned that.) All the shacks and the rooms in the Main Gin House are restored but only to what they would have been originally. So, this is NOT your Comfort Inn.






The writing on the walls is a modern pop culture weird thing. Whatever.

I stand by my philosophy that to appreciate history we need to SEE it. This whole nonsense of tearing stuff down because it offends us is sad to me. I cannot change the past, but by seeing it I can ponder on it and change the future. Without these visual reminders, it risks “out of sight, out of mind”. I do not romanticize, but I do contemplate and appreciate.





In addition to the shacks and rooms, The Shack Up Inn offers Blues music several nights a week, has a busy bar, hosts Blues Workshops for musicians, and is generally a super interesting place to poke around with TONS of cotton gin antiques and junk to explore.





Should you care to spend 20 or so minutes laughing pretty hard, their website is WELL worth reading. It’s hilarious with plenty of tongue and cheek, dry humor to enjoy. The FAQs page is my personal favorite.

https://www.shackupinn.com/ourstory







After a bit of entry drama (the key didn’t fit the door we were trying to get in), we headed to “downtown” Clarksdale. The town guarantees that you will find live Blues every night of the week in at least one of the various clubs. Tonight’s venue was The Bluesberry Café. The band was already playing on the back porch of the place which was in an alley behind the club. It was gritty, casual beyond description, and while a bit on the grunge side, it was just good ol’ folks enjoying some pretty good music. The band was from all places, Argentina! But the guitar was on point, and everyone was tapping their feet and bobbing their heads to the beat. We ordered up some Italian food (yeah, I know, this scene couldn’t possibly get any weirder) and some wine and lost ourselves in another round of live music. I was disappointed to have missed out on the Zydeco in Louisiana, but this was quickly making up for that. (I will come back to you, Louisiana, for your Zydeco; I hope you will pull through!)







Tired from a long drive and early morning, we headed back to the shack and were out fairly quickly.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

After hearing so much news about severe flooding in Kentucky, it's good to see that you're doing well! I agree with your comments about learning from history.

 

[Steppesister]

And now, for the news you may have been waiting for. You may have guessed that since I found time to quickly write up a chapter, I have indeed passed (with an exemplary score no less!) my giganimous, big, scary exam for Pathophysiology. All of my long 12-hour days camped on the couch, missing family dinners, outings, and all that paid off and now I just have one much easier class to pass to finish off this first of 5 terms for NP school. You have NO idea the relief that washed over me to see that "PASS" score pop up!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

A hearty congratulations!

 

[Steppesister]

After hearing so much news about severe flooding in Kentucky, it's good to see that you're doing well! I agree with your comments about learning from history.

Thank you for thinking of us. It's awful how much Kentucky has suffered with the disasters this year. Between this and the tornadoes last winter, we've really lost a lot of lives and the property damage is immense. My folks and I drove around town a couple of weeks ago, and they are literally STILL cleaning up tornado damage and stringing line in some neighborhoods. Whole blocks were wiped out and just now some of those foundations are being poured. When they said it'd take years to rebuild they were not joking or exaggerating.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Congratulations
What a relief for you! The next exam will be wee buns (easy peasy) compared to that last one so no bother at all to you clever lady.
I am glad to see you here posting and sad to hear in the news about all that Kentucky has suffered. It sounds devastating.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Checked out the link “The Ritz we ain’t “ had me laughing from the start. Loved your photos especially the winding stairs and agree with you that we need to preserve some of history in order to fully understand it and to ensure that it is not forgotten. That way we can make sure the future is better for all.
Now I’m away to find out what a sharecropper is/was.

 

[buzzrelly]

And now, for the news you may have been waiting for. You may have guessed that since I found time to quickly write up a chapter, I have indeed passed (with an exemplary score no less!) my giganimous, big, scary exam for Pathophysiology. All of my long 12-hour days camped on the couch, missing family dinners, outings, and all that paid off and now I just have one much easier class to pass to finish off this first of 5 terms for NP school. You have NO idea the relief that washed over me to see that "PASS" score pop up!

Awesome! Congratulations!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

While The Shack Up Inn IS a place to sleep, a “hotel” it is most decidedly NOT. But it is an extremely creative model where folks can immerse themselves in Blues Culture as well as the sharecropper lifestyle of the 1920’s and 30’s.

You sure do find some interesting places to visit, as well as what I would consider scary places to stay. But when you think about it, all you really need is a clean room with a bed and a bathroom.

I have indeed passed (with an exemplary score no less!) my giganimous, big, scary exam for Pathophysiology.

Congratulations! That must be a huge relief.

 

[vamassey1]

Congrats on passing with flying colors! I knew you could do it.

Kentucky has been in my thoughts. It has seen more than it's fair share of mother nature.

Really enjoyed this last update. I appreciated it more having seen "Elvis" having just read "The Saints of Swallow Hill". The book didn't have sharecroppers but turpentine workers living in shacks and owing the company for everything. Their release on the weekends was the juke joint.

 

[MommyTaraLee]

Congratulations!

 

[pkondz]

We last left off with this intrepid duo in a boat amongst the swamp creatures.

Ah. So not eaten by gators.
I wasn't sure.

It had started to rain just as our 3-hour tour was finishing up and by the time we reached the dock, we too looked like our fellow Bayou Friends- wet and soggy.

So you're saying you fit right in.

It was perfect timing

Um... wouldn't perfect timing be if the rain started after you were back on dry land and in your car???

When I was planning out our route a million years ago, my friends Greg and Marcia told me about the famous “Blues Highway”- one of America’s most notable roads with a colorful history centering on music.

Huh. Sounds interesting.

I get it's named after him, but... they might want to rethink their name?

The shell of Po’ Monkeys, one of the most famous and last to close Juke Joints, is all that remains of the rich history of the birth of Blues, and I thought it appropriate to make the pilgrimage to see it while it was still standing.

Cool!

the still standing cotton gin (did you know that's short for "engine"? I was this years old when I learned that.)

I had no idea!! I just assumed it had something to do with alcohol. Huh!

this is NOT your Comfort Inn.

Looks a tad... rustic.

I stand by my philosophy that to appreciate history we need to SEE it. This whole nonsense of tearing stuff down because it offends us is sad to me.

I agree. "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it"

Cotton!
I've never seen a field of cotton in bloom.
Arctic cotton, but not this.

The Shack Up Inn offers Blues music several nights a week, has a busy bar, hosts Blues Workshops for musicians, and is generally a super interesting place to poke around with TONS of cotton gin antiques and junk to explore.

Sounds like a pretty cool place.

The band was already playing on the back porch of the place which was in an alley behind the club. It was gritty, casual beyond description, and while a bit on the grunge side, it was just good ol’ folks enjoying some pretty good music.

Bet you guys had a great time.

The band was from all places, Argentina!

Oh, sure. When I think "Blues" I always think Argentina.

We ordered up some Italian food (yeah, I know, this scene couldn’t possibly get any weirder)

Of course you did!

I have indeed passed (with an exemplary score no less!) my giganimous, big, scary exam for Pathophysiology.

Hey! That's great! Congrats!

You have NO idea the relief that washed over me to see that "PASS" score pop up!

Again, congratulations!

 

[Steppesister]

A hearty congratulations!

Thank you very much!! It feels so good to be done (almost!) with this term! Thank you for sticking with me too!

 

[Steppesister]

Congratulations
What a relief for you! The next exam will be wee buns (easy peasy) compared to that last one so no bother at all to you clever lady.
I am glad to see you here posting and sad to hear in the news about all that Kentucky has suffered. It sounds devastating.

Yes, indeed! I still have one paper in evaluation but it should pass, or if not need only minor corrections. I'm certainly ready for some downtime as I have loads of projects that I've wanted to get done... some that I've not been able to get to since moving to Kentucky.

Kentucky has really been through some difficult things lately. More people died in Eastern Kentucky last week than did in the Bowling Green tornado in December. Just so awful.