During my freshman year in high school, my science teacher assigned us to interview people in the community about how they use science in their careers. Although I don’t remember most of the people I spoke with, I can tell you that I spent meaningful time with a local community pharmacist who changed my life.
What I saw was a man who loved his career and truly cared for his patients. In an instant, I knew that I wanted to become a pharmacist, and I never wavered from that goal throughout high school.
Knowing what you want to be when you grow up at age 14 is unusual, but it is very liberating. I simply had to work backwards to figure out how to achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist.
After high school, I chose to attend Ohio Northern University (ONU) because it had a unique pharmacy program. Rather than attending college for 2 years and then applying to the pharmacy program, ONU students were admitted to the College of Pharmacy from day one.
Although it was expensive, being in pharmacy school from day one and avoiding the risk of rejection made it worthwhile for me.
In college, I spent a lot of time in the library. Although the classwork was difficult, I did well with one exception: organic chemistry.
I did fail organic chemistry—a notorious “weed out” course—but I successfully retook the class over the summer and graduated on time with the rest of my classmates. Failing a course is a difficult stumbling block, but I stood strong and persevered.
Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful pharmacy profession for so many reasons.
First, I’m thankful that community pharmacists are the health care professionals most accessible to the public. If my local pharmacist wasn’t accessible to me, then I likely would have taken a different career path.
Second, I’m proud of the work we pharmacists do, the diversity of our career options, and the relationships we share with our patients and fellow health care providers.
Pharmacy is a profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives. It certainly has made all the difference in mine.
California, Engaged, Fresno, Health & Body, home, Ignoring & Inattentive, USA | Romantic | January 26, 2019
(My sister has MS and can be a little clumsy. One day she is sharpening kitchen knives and misses the sharpener. She ends up slicing her hand severely. She wraps it in a towel and walks to a back room where her fiancé is playing a multiplayer, fantasy-based computer game.)
Sister: “Hey. I cut my hand and you need to drive me to the emergency room.”
Fiancé: “Okay.” *yet continues to play the game*
(She figures that he needs to establish a stopping place, so she leaves to wait by the door. After ten minutes, he still hasn’t come. She gets up and goes back to the room.)
Sister: “[Fiancé]!” *places her hand in the bloodied towel next to the keyboard* “I need to go to the emergency room now.” *points to the towel*
Fiancé: *seeing the blood* “Oh, my God!”
(He rushed her over to the emergency room and her hand is fine. He now has to live this one down with the family because we all ask, “What did you hear the first time?!”)
Australia, Health & Body, home, Perth, Silly, Spouses & Partners | Romantic | January 25, 2019
(I am a young woman with multiple health problems, which have left me in a wheelchair currently. On top of that, my left eye is light-sensitive, red, and watery. I’ve had it checked out by the doctor, but they think it was just a bit of dust, and it’s fixing itself. However, I get to look like I’m crying from the left all the time until it goes away.)
Husband: “Aw, is someone a widdle sad?” *makes mock-crying noises*
Me: “Yes, that is what you’ll sound like… after I shank you in the kidney!”
Husband: “Oooh, ouch. It’s a good thing I love your adorable violent streak.”
Me: “I wonder how much you’ll love it after peeing blood for a few weeks.”
Bigotry, California, Extra Stupid, home, Los Angeles, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 24, 2019
(I’m over a friend’s house, hanging out with her, her husband, and their mutual friends who are also a husband and wife. The other husband is sort of a “macho” guy, someone who was a complete jock back in high school. My friend recently had to fix their backyard’s door. I’m not sure what they did, but it made it somewhat difficult to open, so you have to push on it harder than usual to get it to move. I visit often so I know how to open it already, but this is apparently the first time the other couple knew of the door change. I need to use the restroom, and the other husband notices me shouldering the door open.)
Husband: *laughing* “Did you seriously have to throw yourself against the door to get in?”
Me: “It’s hard to open!”
Friend’s Husband: “We recently fixed it so it’s, uh, sturdier now, to say the least.”
Husband: *condescending baby voice* “D’aw, so it’s too hard for the ‘wittle’ girl to get through now?”
Wife: “Don’t be an a**, [Husband].”
(I roll my eyes but ignore it for the most part. Though he’s not the type of guy I would’ve ever hung out with independently, I know they’re still friends of my friends, so I tolerate it. It’s not like he’s a real pain or anything, and I get along with the wife well enough. When I come back out, he makes another teasing remark, but we get over. Not much later, he gets up to use the restroom, as well. He’s not paying attention, still talking to the group as he walks up, turns the handle of the door, and completely smacks against the door mid-sentence.)
Husband: “What the f***?!”
(Naturally, the rest of us burst out laughing. There are even face smudges on the polished wood that he tries to rub away without success. His wife is practically in tears and is still getting bouts of giggles even after he returns. When he sits down, he makes eye contact with me, and he must see the mischievous twinkle in my eye because he holds out his hand to stop me.)
Husband: “No! Don’t. Not another word.”
Me: *grins* “I didn’t even say anything!”
(The wife’s fit of giggles starts up again. The night goes on, and eventually, it is time for the other couple to leave. As we are saying our goodbyes, the husband gives a “one moment” signal to his wife. He faces the door, puts his hand on the handle, turns it, and then practically RAMS into the door! While it’s difficult to open, it’s not THAT hard. He, of course, ends up barreling through as the door swings wide open, tripping and face-planting onto the inside carpeting.)
Friend: “Dude!”
Friend’s Husband: “Oh, Jesus.”
Wife & I: *bursts out laughing again*
(The guy’s not a lightweight when he drinks, and since he only had two or three beers, there was no explanation as to why he did this. Thankfully, his wife was driving, anyway. I haven’t seen them since, but my friend tells me that it’s a running joke that his wife opens the door for him now.)
(I’ve been in a crabby mood all day due to lack of sleep the night before, so my boyfriend’s usual perverted jokes throughout the day have been irritating me. This happens right before bed, after he’s kept me awake for three hours past when I wanted to go to sleep.)
Boyfriend: “You wanna have sex?”
Me: *groans tiredly* “Honey, I’m sorry. I’m so tired, and I’ve been in a bad mood all day, so we haven’t really been getting along. I wish you’d asked earlier while I was still awake, at least.”
Boyfriend: *sweetly, but disappointed* “It’s okay, sweetie.” *gives me a kiss* “Goodnight.”
(He rolls over to go to sleep. After about three full minutes of complete silence, he rips a huge fart.)
Me: *laughs for the first time all day*
Boyfriend: *cutely* “I love you!”
Me: *laughing so hard I can’t even respond*
(Somehow that fart, his cuteness that followed, and him making me laugh managed to undo my day’s frump, and I happily honored his request for sexy time. When I told him later that what had put me in the mood was his fart, he made a grossed-out face and told me how weird I am, but that he loves me anyway.)
Car | Kitchener, ON, Canada | Romantic | June 30, 2016
(My boyfriend and I are sitting in the car after spending the day together for our nine-month anniversary. He’s never really been afraid to fart in front of me, because he knows that I don’t care if he does unless I can smell it.)
Me: “That was charming….”
Boyfriend: “What?”
Me: “I can smell that.”
Boyfriend: “But why are farts gross? They’re really just butt sneezes! They should be blessed, like regular sneezes!”
Me: “Wait… What did you just say?”
Boyfriend: “They’re butt sneezes! Think about it! People should say bless you when you fart!”
(My husband has always earned more than I have, and I do feel bad about that sometimes. For Christmas, I usually get him one or two presents that he wants, a stocking full of sweets and fiddly bits, and a few craft beers to try and make myself feel better about my lower budget. I even made the stocking a few years back. We go out shopping today, Christmas Eve, to get some drinks for a party with his family, and I notice him looking at my preferred ciders while I wrangle our toddler.)
Husband: *looking up sheepishly* “I was trying to quietly get some for your stocking.”
Me: “Joke’s on you; I don’t even have a stocking!”
Australia, Bad Behavior, New South Wales, Office, Spouses & Partners, Sydney | Romantic | January 21, 2019
(A coworker just told us that she’s discovered her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and has left her. We are full of pity for her, but she tells us not to worry as she hasn’t loved or even been attracted to him for a long time and that she hated the fact that he treated her like a slave. Six months later, we’ve returned to work after our Christmas break.)
Coworker #1 : “[Husband] left [Ex-Best Friend] and came home on Christmas Eve.”
Coworker #1 : “Yes, he was upset with the disgusting way [Ex-Best Friend] was treating him. Would you believe she expected him to get his own coffee when he wanted one?”
Coworker #1 : “Oh, that’s not the worst, either. He had the day off on Christmas Eve, and she went to work without making him lunch before she left. Then, when she got home, he told her he was hungry, and she told him he knew where the kitchen was. Then, she had the hide to ask him to make her a sandwich because she was tired. He packed and moved back home right away.”
Chicago, Flirting, Ignoring & Inattentive, Retail, Strangers, USA | Romantic | January 19, 2019
(I’m at a large home and garden store with my mom, buying a wedding gift for a friend. We head up to the cashier, an attractive guy around my own age. Please note that between my Asperger’s and personal issues, I have some difficulty picking up on certain social cues and whatnot.)
Sales Guy: *smiling widely* “Your total is [amount lower than I expected].”
Me: “Huh? That’s odd. I’m sorry, but are you certain that’s right? I thought it’d be closer to [actual price] with some tax.”
Mom: “Shhh!”
Me: “What? I don’t want him to get in trouble for an oversight.”
Sales Guy: *still smiling* “Nope, it’s fine; your total’s still [lower amount].”
Me: “If you’re sure…” *pays and leaves, totally baffled by the discrepancy*
(As we’re walking to our car, my mom turns to me.)
Mom: “I think that guy was flirting with you.”
Me: “Wait, seriously?!”
(I’ve never been back to that location, but whether he was just being nice or flirting, I wish I could say, “Thank you,” for the extra discount, sir, and sorry for the obliviousness!)
Coffee Shop | Orillia, ON, Canada | Right | January 28, 2016
(This happens to my coworker who is taking orders and doing cash on drive-thru window.)
Customer: *over speaker box* “You made my tea wrong! I want an extra large steeped tea with two milk and two sugar.”
Coworker: “I am very sorry about that. Come on up to the window and we will have that ready for you.”
(When the customer arrives she thrusts the tea at my coworker who accepts it.)
Customer: “You are not allowed to take garbage through the window. You should be ashamed of yourself!”
(It is our policy not to accept trash if people try to hand it to us but often if a customer hands an improperly prepared beverage back we check the mark on the lid to see what was wrong.)
Coworker: “Oh. I am sorry about that.” *hands her the new drink*
Customer: *reading notices on the window* “You should have a sign on the window saying that you cannot take people’s trash!”
Coworker: “Sorry, we can only post notices approved by head office.”
Customer: “You should have an allergy warning for lactose! Your products contain lactose! You need to warn people!”
Coworker: “Um… sorry?”
Customer: “IT IS NOT ME THAT YOU SHOULD BE APOLOGIZING TO!” *drives off*
Stunned Coworker: *to me* “Didn’t she have milk in her tea?”
Me: “Yeah. Apparently we now need to warn people that the milk or cream that they add to their drinks may contain lactose.”
(The next customer arrives at the window.)
Customer #2: “Did you just get yelled at?”
Coworker: “Yeah. She was mad that we didn’t have sign saying that some of our products may contain lactose.”
Customer #2: *stunned* “Are you serious?”
Coworker: *nods*
Customer: “What the f***? I’m lactose intolerant and I don’t need a bloody sign to tell me that!”
Me: “I am lactose intolerant, too.”
Customer: “And we know god d*** well that milk and cream have lactose! We just don’t order it! Who the h*** needs a sign to tell them that!”
Coworker: “Apparently she did because she ordered milk in her tea.”
Me: “One is vegan-friendly and safe for those with lactose sensitivity.”
Patron #1 : “I don’t understand. Which should I get?”
Me: “I assume after the chicken you just had that you are neither vegan nor lactose intolerant, so I would suggest the ice cream made with cow’s milk.”
(I bring them their ice cream. Half an hour later I am asked to bring the bill, and [Patron #2 ] offers to pay with a card. I take him to the reader.)
Me: “Are you sure he’s all right? I don’t want him to get sick.”
Patron #2 : “I don’t think he knows what it means, so I think it’s safe to assume he’ll be fine.”
Me: *worried* “Oh, I thought you knew each other. I shouldn’t have suggested the cow’s milk.”
Patron #2 : “No, seriously. Even if he is lactose intolerant, I doubt there’s enough going on in there to make the connection. I think I’ve actually gotten dumber just spending the night with him.”
Me: “Oh, I see. Well, please let us know if there are any problems.”
Patron #2 : “Sure, although I doubt I’ll see him after tonight. I don’t know if I’ll ever use Grindr again!”
California, Extra Stupid, Great Stuff, home, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 18, 2019
(My husband has just had some dental work done. He wants to brush his teeth, but we use electric toothbrushes, and he thinks those will be too harsh on his tender gums.)
Husband: “Babe, do we have any non-electric toothbrushes?”
Me: “Yes, I think so, behind the bathroom door in the cubbyholes.”
Husband: “Oh, darn. None there.”
Me: “Well… you could use your electric one and not turn it on?”
Husband: “Oh, jeeze. I should have thought of that! I think the dentist injected Novocain into my brain.”
Bosses & Owners, Comeuppance, Harassment, Non-Dialogue, Noord Brabant, School, The Netherlands | Romantic | January 17, 2019
This happened in 2003. I am male and had one male boss who was in his sixties and about 1,50 meters — five feet — tall. We were the IT-guys at a school.
One day we got a trainee, a lovely and beautiful girl about 18 years old who would be helping us for the next ten months. My boss was notorious for his sexist and creepy “compliments” he gave to women. He already had received several warnings but sadly, there was no way to fire him because his behaviour was just annoying but not considered sexual harassment at that time.
My boss began hitting on the trainee with all sorts of cheesy remarks. The first time I heard it, I immediately told him to shut up or I’d tell his wife. Visibly embarrassed, he left the room and I thought that was the end of it.
A few days later I found the trainee in tears behind her desk. You’ve already guessed it: the boss wasn’t planning on stopping his creepy behaviour. I really felt sorry for the girl because as far as I could judge she could become one h*** of a sys-admin.
That evening I spoke about this to my wife. She had some creepy and sexist remarks from my boss when she sometimes came to school to pick me up, so she could imagine how the girl must feel. Suddenly she began to laugh, took some paper, and wrote some lines down.
She gave it to me and said, “Have your trainee learn these lines by heart. The next time he’s bothering her again, she must say them in a very loud voice.”
The next day I gave the paper to the trainee and told her what to do. She read the lines, began to laugh, and said she couldn’t say those things to the boss. I told her that if she wanted to stay here without the crap my boss was giving her, she had no other options. We could report my boss, and he would get another warning, but nothing would change. The trainee wanted to stay at our school so she began to memorize the lines.
It was Friday, and she said she would study the lines over the weekend. The next Monday we started work and my boss phoned that he wouldn’t come in until lunchtime. Fine. Lunchtime came and the trainee and I went for a coffee in the break room. Most of the teachers and the principal were there, too, so we had to wait in line.
The trainee poured herself a coffee, and as if on cue there was the boss, saying, “Oh, such a hot girl shouldn’t drink hot coffee. I can’t handle you if you’re too hot.” The trainee turned around and yelled at him:
“Now, you listen, you oversexed, over-aged, undersized albino smurf! I don’t want to hear your foul mouth ever again. I’ve had enough of you, creep. Leave me alone or I’ll drown you in the first toilet bowl I can find. It would take just one flush to get rid of the body.”
The room went silent for a moment, and next, there was hysterical laughter and clapping.
The boss made an exit and the principal went after him. When we came back from lunch, there was a note on my desk that the boss had decided to take some time off to evaluate his career.
The last we heard was that he had applied for early retirement without a goodbye party. I asked my wife where she got those lines from.
She said, “You know how sometimes you only come up with good lines long after the fact? I’ve had these lines prepared just in case I ever met your boss again. I never expected them to work so efficiently.”
Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Car, Health & Body, Proposal, Silly, USA | Romantic | January 16, 2019
(I am on my second day of severe food poisoning when my girlfriend and I decide we absolutely have to go to the urgent care to get me feeling better, knowing I have to get at least an IV. Two weeks ago, I purchased an engagement ring and had been planning on proposing the day I got sick. Being overly romantic is something I have never been accused of, and this time is no different. We are halfway down the highway to urgent care when I painfully shift towards her in the car and pull out the ring. She takes one look at it and nearly drives us into the wall in shock… and holds out her right hand.)
Me: “No… I actually do mean the other hand…”
(She starts crying and hands me her left hand, all the while trying not to crash, and I flop back down weakly into the seat.)
Me: “So… is that a yes?”
(Luckily, yes, it was a yes. When we tell the story of how we got engaged, we like to say it was only because I didn’t think I was going to live long enough to “have to actually get married”!)
Chicago, Fast Food, Love/Romance, Parents/Guardians, Punny, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 15, 2019
(My parents rarely show romantic affection towards one another, particularly out in public. We’re all in the family SUV, and we’ve just gone through the drive-thru at a fast food place when I notice my order’s not right.)
Me: “Oh, geez, they forgot the honey for my chicken nuggets.”
Dad: *pats Mom’s leg* “I’ve got my honey right here.”
Mall, Nebraska, Silly, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 14, 2019
(My husband and I are walking through the mall, on our way to buy a birthday present for a friend. My husband and I don’t really have a preference for fancy jewelry. For example, my engagement ring had an opal instead of a diamond, and our wedding bands are sterling silver with acorns and oak leaves. We are laughing as we walk hand in hand. As we pass a jewelry store, this happens.)
Sales Lady: *with a huge smile* “Helllooo!”
(My husband nods back as we are walking.)
Sales Lady: *waving us over* “Come on over! We have some great deals for the holidays!”
Husband: “Nah, she’s not worth it!”
Sales Lady: “What did you say?”
Husband: “It’s fine! SHE’S NOT WORTH IT!”
(The look of horror on the sales lady’s face is priceless as we merrily walk by.)
Me: “Next time tell them I’d just pawn it for drugs.”
home, Maryland, Silly, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 13, 2019
(My partner has recently suffered a nervous breakdown and their therapist has ordered them to take a day off — absolutely no work, and nothing stressful. My partner is a huge fan of surprises and hates finding out about presents early.)
Me: “If I find out you’re doing work, I swear, I will send you photos of your birthday present.”
If You Still Have Underwear By Sunday You’re Not Doing It Right
Health & Body, home, Massachusetts, Silly, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | January 13, 2019
(My husband has two hearing aids, and I often forget about them in the early morning before he puts them back in after showering, which makes for some interesting conversations. He is also terrible about sorting clothes when he puts laundry away, so things like socks and underwear always end up in the wrong place.)
Me: “Tomorrow’s Saturday, right? Do we have anything going on?”
Husband: *not hearing, and pulling something out of his drawer* “I have a pair of your underwear.”
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