Better Know A Classmate: Michelle W

You're married. How happy were you to ditch Wapelhorst for the greener pastures of Ronsick?

Obviously, my married name is easier pronounce, and leaves less variety for those dishing out nicknames. However, Ronsick seems to have it’s drawbacks as well. 1) The “n” and “s” are frequently transposed, leaving “Rosnick”, even by some of my own relatives after more than 5 years of marriage. 2) I still get asked if I’m related to the Ronsick that played football for K-State, even as recently as this summer when the exterminator paid us a visit and turned out to be a superfan. Superfans are the worst, as they seem to think that I should divulge insider info from Mike’s tenure on the team, and some people even think that we still have an intimate knowledge of the team that we are dying to discuss at length.

Your husband was a punter for K-State. Does he still do any punting in his leisure time?

Ah, a sore subject in the Ronsick house. Does he go out onto the field to test his leg strength and flexibility? No. Instead he picks up anything in the house that resembles a ball, and kicks it around the house. This has left me with several broken pictures frames and the like, yet he persists despite my request that he stop. The worst part is that he has by example taught Keira, our 18 month old, to do the same thing. She goes nuts if she even sees a football, and “football” was literally one of her first words. My little angel in ribbons and lace doesn’t care for dolls, but is close to throwing a spiral.

My revenge? When we meet new people who I suspect might be K-State superfans, I am sure to let them know that Mike played for 5 years under the newly retired Coach Snyder. The impending slew of questions aggravates the hell out of him (might be something to remember for the reunion).

Please describe an average workday in horrifically mundane detail.

I will describe two average days, as I ordinarily am home with Keira all day, but on Thursday and Friday afternoons I work at Galichia Heart Hospital.

On a non-work day, I wake up about 6:30AM when my husband kisses me goodbye as he heads off to work. I nearly drift back to sleep when I am serenaded by Keira at about 7:15 or 7:30 AM. She doesn’t cry, but starts singing to me. I then let her lay in bed with me and we watch the first of many episodes of Little Einsteins, Keira’s true obsession. For those of you who don’t have toddlers, LITTLE Einsteins is the preschool version of BABY Einstein, in which 4 kids fly around the world to exotic destinations in their friend, Rocket. There is a different classical song played in every episode, such as The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, along with a work of art, such as The Scream by Edvard Munch, included in each episode. They set their own words to the songs, which have a real knack for sticking in my head (read on).

Anyway, we have breakfast about 8 AM, which consists of a rotation of pancakes or oatmeal. Then, I ask the question that I ask at least 58 times per day, “Keira, do you need to go potty?” We are getting close to being fully trained, though now she drops to her knees and acts like a ball of Jello when I take her hand to lead her into the bathroom. We then play games, color, dance, etc., until snack time at 10:00, when Keira eats a banana. We then usually spend some time outdoors, either running errands, going to the park, playing by the lake in our neighborhood (Aberdeen), walking to New Market Square for some shopping, etc. Home in time for lunch at 11:30 or 12, then another episode of Little Einsteins before a nap around one o’clock. Naptime is a new luxury of mine, as she did not nap AT ALL until she was 12 months old. She now sleeps anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, so I at least get a little time to catch up on chores, emails, read all the bitchy comments on the 10 year reunion website, etc.

After nap, yet another episode of Little Einsteins, followed by an afternoon snack, and sincere anticipation of Daddy’s return from work between 4 and 4:30. We then cook supper about 5:30 or 6, and the evening activities vary from more games, to a trip to my parents pool, to a trip to SuperTarget, etc. Bathtime and bedtime prayers come at 8:30 PM, followed by a FINAL episode of Little Einsteins, and then she goes down shortly after 9. I then get about an hour or so with Mike for activities that I shall not share here, and then I cash in after the nightly news.


NOW, I do work on Thursday and Friday afternoons for Galichia Medical Group as a physician’s assistant. For those who don’t know about this profession, I am licensed under a physician to see patients, write prescriptions for any and all medications, perform minor surgical procedures, first assist at surgery….basically my protocol states that I can perform any duties that my supervising physician designates, with the one exception of performing abortions. My supervising physician has to be reachable by phone within 30 minutes, but need not be onsite.

You may be asking “why not just become a doctor”? Several reasons 1) The cost of my post graduate education was miniscule compared to that of medical school, 2) the PA program is 2 years in length, 3) studies show that it takes an average of 13 to 15 years for a physician to make enough money to surpass that of a PA, given the longer length of medical school, the lousy resident pay, etc., 4) And the most important reason for me is that I am able to work part-time so I can devote the majority of my time to my family. Did you know that 50% of female MD’s are currently not practicing medicine but instead have chosen to raise their families?

Anyway, I am scheduled to work from 12:30 or so to 5 or so on Thursdays and Fridays, during which time my husband comes home to be with Keira. I ordinarily work at Galichia Heart Hospital, and primarily help the other PA’s to catch up on their work. I am what you might call the all purpose player…I dismiss patients, see patients being admitted from the office or ER, go to Wesley or Via Christi to see Galichia’s patients who are there, etc. Have had 2 code blues, and both patient’s survived! One drawback goes back to the Little Einsteins, however. With the multitude of classical music ringtones that fill our hospital, I find myself singing the words from the Little Eisteins when I hear the ringers.

I also work PRN, which means that if people take vacations, etc., my boss asks me if I can help fill in those days. If I want to do it, I do, if I don’t, I simply say no. Works out well for them and for me, as I can gain a nice amount of cash for my family, while only being away a short time. In fact, I think that this situation is a blessing as it gets me out of “Mommy Mode” if only for a short while.

How did you decide on your daughter's name?

In considering names, we repeatedly found that any name suggested was already taken by either a member of my or Mike’s family. I have 18 aunts/uncles that are almost all married, along with over 50 first cousins……not to mention all of Mike’s relatives.

So, while watching television, we saw a clip from Pirates of the Caribbean featuring Keira Knightly. We both liked the name, and thought she was pretty good looking, so we went with it.

She is huge, by the way, taking after her father who is 6’2” and 195#. Greater than 100th percentile in height, and 80th percentile in weight, and nearly as big as me already.

On a scale of 1-10, how attractive do you find Keira Knightly? How attractive does your husband find her?

Based on appearance alone, I would probably say 7 or 8. Her teeth bug me, and she’s had some funky hairstyles of late. I do not think that she is anorexic as she has been accused, and also sympathize with this assumption as it has been made about me in the past.

Mike says a solid 8, on appearance. He hates her voice and is easily annoyed by her, though finds her easy on the eyes.

"Normal" Keira

"Funky" Keira

Your father does a lot of woodworking. Is your home full crap that he's fashioned?

I would hardly call it crap given that people pay hundreds, even thousands for some of the pieces he has done. Anyone who went to my parent’s home in high school knows that if termites hit we were screwed. Woodwork everywhere, mainly “intarsia” which is the official term for this type of art. My house isn’t at this extreme yet, though I am blessed to have a lot of my dad’s creations (including an ostrich egg with intricate carvings that he crafted), as well as pieces by Mike (graphic designer and illustrator).

Don't take it personally -- I also call faberge eggs "crap". We took Human Parasitology together. Do you remember much of the material?

Sadly very little. Mainly a bunch of terms and pictures of eggs and such connected by arrows that formed circles of life for the parasites and their hosts.

You seriously don't remember any parasite life cycle? Not one?

If I really tried, I could probably dish one out. However, the material from that course had to be removed from my limited memory in order to make room for things like medication dosages and treatment protocols and such.

What sound or noise do you love?

The sound of the garage door opening when Mike arrives home after a long day with Keira.
The sound of Keira laughing and giggling when I do a backflip in my parents pool.
I enjoy listening to James Blunt.
I like the silence of a midnight skinny dip swim in Colwich, Kansas.

What is your favorite curse word?

Little Bastard. This is because when my mom was still teaching middle school in Colwich she frequently without hesitation referred to her students as “little bastards” when recalling the events of the day for us.

What have you been reading?

A lot of online medical journals and coursework for CME (continuing medical education). To maintain certification as a PA, we have to complete 100 hours of CME every 2 years, as well as take a recertification exam every 6 years. Galichia pays for me to go to whatever conference for this that I want, but it is more convenient for me to do most of it from home.

What was your favorite class at BC? Why?

Tough to pick an overall favorite, but probably chemistry with Dostert. I fondly remember him pelting people with marshmallows that he had put in his “vacuum”.

Is there anything you would have done differently in your time at BC?

Studied less, and relaxed more. Didn’t realize how much fun life could be until college. Made some good friendships in high school that have lasted through the years, but many more from college. Probably had a lot to do with the fact that I didn’t enjoy the pleasure of a bottle of Captain Morgan until I had graduated.

Show Me Your MySpace

I'd like for this site to be the Class of '97s online nexis. If you have a MySpace page, website, blog, etc., please email the link to me or post it in the comments. I will add your site to this page's right sidebar.

On a somewhat related note, please contact me if you would like your name to be removed from this website. I know we've been writing a lot about certain individuals, often times giving their first and last names as well as their job title. I can't know when these mentions are welcome and when they are not, and I appreciate the fact that some folks would like to remain hidden from Googlers.

Unfortunately, I don't have the power to delete specific words, only entire comments. If several people are listed under a single comment, and one person wishes to have his/her name removed, the others' names will also have to go.

As a matter of policy, I suggest that we all avoid using surnames. Millie V, Dan N, Frank T, etc., should provide a nice balance of specificity and privacy.

Better Know A Classmate: Mr. Tra

This is the first in what should be a 159 or so part series, wherein we catch up with our old classmates. If you would like to participate in this Q&A, please email me.

With that said, here is my interview with Frank. Or should I say, my frank interview? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

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Ahem. I would first like to thank Dan for asking for this interview. My original plan was to jump straight into a healthy dose of "Dan-bashing". Start out by making fun of his K-State roots. Not that I'm against K-State. My in-laws are both professors at the fine institution down the road from the first and greatest university ever to grace the plains of our fair state (KU). Move on to shaming Dan for attempting to "be-himself" on the site of our impending awkward night of comparing how much weight people gained(I gained 60 pounds but it's all muscle. Promise.). Finally, I would end with telling off the president by wishing that I had never voted for him seeing as though its been soooooo long ago that I cannot truly remember if I ever voted for any election in high school. I tried to think back and remember maybe approving for Millie as secretary though I have the odd feeling that she ran unopposed. Either way, my initial plan was to burn Dan in verbal effigy before the entire class of '97 (or the 20-odd people who have actually visited the site).

1. You were Asian in high school - are you still Asian?

...yes, I am a rice eating Asian(Vietnamese-American)...still.

2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how Asian are you?

I was a 5 but now I am a 7. Initially, get three points for looking the part. I had a few more for being able to speak the language and for driving a Honda. After I lost the Honda, my rating slipped a bit. So I took up martial arts. Which made me a 10 since I took to it so naturally. Then I stepped into my first tournament where I kicked, punched, and yelled at this guy to the point that he limped off of the mat but LOST because I showed a "lack of control". So I turned in my orange belt, married a white girl, and so now I am a 7.

3a. You used to go to The Bottleneck a lot when you resided in Lawrence. What band(s) made the biggest impression on you?

College was the best 9 years of my life! Everything that I could not do in Wichita, I found the ability and initiative to do in Lawrence. I saw some pretty cool shows like Dashboard at Liberty Hall and Better Than Ezra at the Granada but whenever I had a free night, I would be at the Bottleneck. Some bands of note that do not exist anymore are the Anniversary, Ultimate Fakebook, and the Get Up Kids. Emo bands mostly. Though I wouldn't tell it to their faces. Three bands that I'd risk failing a test for every time are Reggie and the Full Effect, Hot Rod Circuit, and the Alkaline Trio. My most memorable concert experience would have to be Tenacious D. I had no idea what I was getting into and I still feel dirty. The worst concert? The Pfunk Junkees. Imagine Korn doing the Beastie Boys while channeling Metallica...all the while while with a straight face.

3b. What Lawrence restaurant do you miss the most?

India Palace. My wife wrote that. Last time I ate there I was infected by some anaerobe and its extended family of about 10,000 toxin producing hillbilly cousins. After mitosis set in I swore never to eat there again.

I miss the Mad Greek. You don't find flaming cheese like that just anywhere.

4. Please describe an average workday in horrifically mundane detail.

A lot has changed since I recently gained employment. This is the ideal day:

I wake up at 5 A.M. and get to Wesley Hospital by 6. I assist in checking medication and fluids set to go out to the hospital floors. Then I make my way to the neonatal intensive care unit where I take care of the orders from the NICU, Peds floor, and the Labor and Delivery ward. In between orders, I waste narcs. That's right. Being that I have no vices let alone substance abuse issues, it is my reponsibility to dispose of every drawn-up but unused or leftover high concentration narcotic syringe. I also calculate and double check every neonatal TPN(total perenteral nutrition) bag that gets sent out to KC to be made. I set-up meds to be made up. Trouble shoot with the nurses. Do a couple of chemotherapy orders. Check dosages. Sounds ho-hum but saving babies is pretty exciting/challenging/satisfying work. So if you ever deliver at Wesley or have kids that get hurt and sent to Wesley. I will likely be your pharmacist.

I get done with my shift around 2:30, make my way to Bishop Carroll and run a couple of miles before wrestling practice starts.

Make it home by six. Have dinner with the family. Do some writing. From 7-10, I try to get in 100 push-ups every hour. In between I field a couple of calls from Hollywood about my comic. I make it to bed around midnight. Then I restart my day. I have enough to do between pharmacy, coaching and writing that I usually take the weekends that I am not at a tournament to decompress with my familly. Lift some weights. Mow the lawn.

Pretty full life for someone that Millie quoted as,"Slept his way through high school." Amen, sister.

5. You've commented on this website about your appreciation for the band The Killers. The Aquila tells me you've also written a graphic novel called "The Killers". Did the band influence the story? How so?

By name only. I was approached on the web by an artist who was a manager of a McDonalds in Canada about doing a WWII comic book. This was after I had a short story published and did some small comic book anthology work in KC. This was right after the Killers(band) had a single out. So I took inspiration from the name the Killers and dreamed up a story where a band of Nazi SS were running around Germany still killing after the war had ended. I took more inspiration from the Crow. I wanted villains that you would begin to get to know. Maybe even feel a little sad after they get killed. Which they do. Thus the name. Pretty much everyone dies.

I also took inspiration from George Schneller. By name only. I needed a really German name for my lead villain. While doing research(watching Saving Private Ryan), I heard an American yelling, "Schnell!" I sat up in my chair(figuratively) and decided I would use George's family name for the lead baddie. No I do not think George is a Nazi or that he would run around Germany on a killing spree. I just think that Schneller sounded very German. So you could also say that George is an inspiration to me. I also throw in a Keiter. The character with Keiter's may actually be the only character alive after all 96 pages is done and I blow up 5 city blocks in Berlin.

6. The story involves Nazis. Will there ever be a better villan than the Nazis?

I once dated a girl in college that every time she smiled her eyes got REALLY big. After a nightmare or two I decided that it didn't matter if she had a great personality or a killer bod or an original sense of humor or was loaded with cash or drove me around campus. People should squint when they smile.


7. Do you plan to write more graphic novels?

Yup. I was actually asked to write the Killers into a screenplay but studying for my last board exam will probably make that impossible. My next graphic novel will probably be Spy School. Cheesy Nickelodeon title but the book will be more dark and serious. It is mainly about a teenager that reads the daily obituaries to find names of recently deceased individuals. He then hacks into their email accounts looking for ways to break into their financial holdings. Naturally he should work for the intelligence wing of the government. Yet somehow our lead ends up being sent into the field. Pandemonium ensues. I will probably work with Eric Z again on this one.

I am working on a pitch with Stefano Raffaele called Manticore Sunset. We had previously worked on an A.I.M. pitch for Marvel www.stefano raffaele.com/AIM/ . I did a Batman pitch with Paul Gulacy for DC. I also have some work lined up with Alias and Warpton Comics. So having the Killers on the net www.speakeasycomics.com has helped tremendously with my exposure as a writer.

8. Your wife's name is Katy. Do you ever make fun of the way she spells her name?

No but I make fun of the town where she's from. I once spent a month in Manhattan doing a veterinary medicine rotation. I assisted on correcting every sort of prolapse that you can imagine. First look up prolapse. Then imagine having to try and assist in the reinsertion of a prolapsed anus, eyeball, and uterus. That was the extent of my month-long K-State education.

9. On a scale of 1 to 10, how Asian is Katy?

Physically? 0. Metaphysically, since we are now one in the same? 5. She enjoys curry.

I feel that you should marry up. The moment you hear someone yelling,"She's too good for you!" I suggest pulling out all the stops and trying to get the girl. I even attempted a Better Off Dead "ski to impress the girl" trip. "Go down as fast as you can! If you see something...turn!" I ran into a cardboard cut-out of a pink hippo.

My wife is brilliant. National Merit Scholar. Multiple time state math champ. Perfect SAT score. Top of her class in Chemical Engineering. Took Organic Chemistry and Differential Equations as a freshman. She's spunky. Opinionated. Very uber-Catholic. Easy on the eyes. Most importantly, she squints when she smiles.

10. How did you decide on your daughter's name, Amber?

It was Katy's to choose. I had once sold the right to name our firstborn so that Katy would go buy me a gallon of OJ. I sold the next naming rights for the one that we are expecting in December so that Katy would buy me some Taco Bell. Then I suggested the name Amber and Katy thought the name was perfect.

11. As a pharmacist, if you were going to abuse a prescription medication, what drug would you choose and why?

Methadone. Stays in your system forever. S'why doctors prescribe it to get people off of heroin. Can't get high if all of your opiate receptors are full of Methadone. Your voice also sounds cool like William S. Burroughs(Lawrence resident). I'm sure a lot of people other than I decided to go to pharmacy school after watching Drugstore Cowboy. Right? Tricia Gosche, I'm looking in your direction.

12. What was your favorite class at BC? Why?

Chemistry. Why? Because I failed it. Got myself a big fat "F" in Diepenbrock's class. Nothing against the teacher. I was the most self-unaware student that I knew. Daydreamed or drew in almost every class. The failing grade that I earned and that Mr. Diepenbrock was more than happy to give angered me greatly. So much so that it woke me right up from my haze. High school was odd for me in that my core group of friends all took to drugs and dropping out and sleeping around. The very things that we set out not to do when we got to BC. So I was lost but then I was found. Took Chem I my first year of college. Got a B and then continued to take chemistry every semester that I was in college. Woke up one day with a Doctorate in Pharmacy.

If it wasn't for my failing chemistry I would not have had the inner drive to get out of town and take chances. Does passing 16 college chemistry courses and their coinciding labs ease the pain of failing high school chem? Not so much but I have found numerous distractions for my time. Paychecks are nice as well.

13. Is there anything you would have done differently in your time at BC?

Applied for scholarships. At least a single solitary application would have been smart.

No, like I said, high school was what it was. A time where I lost my closest friends and woke up just shy of my senior year to my lack of ambition in life. People were friendly enough to me and I was hopefully cordial back. I was going to say wrestling but I helped coach the team last year that won its third state title so I have a nice ring to put those ghosts to rest. So I guess if I could go back and do a single thing differently it would be to make an attempt at stopping my friends before they got too deep with drugs and alcohol. I may not have been able to change any outcomes but at least I would have gotten off of the fence and tried. Looking at the blessed life I lead now and comparing it to theirs, its too bad.

In conclusion, I hope this catches me up with everyone(that cares, mind you. I apologize to the rest). I look forward to reading about what everyone else has been up to. I think that Dan has come up with an excellent vehicle for information gathering, future planning, and friendly conversation(I even wrote that with a straight face). I feel that the sight will be up long after the first reunion comes and goes.

It's A Date (Still)

I've been out of commission for a while -- "Dark Territory", as they called it in Under Siege 2. There are a few reasons for this.

1. It's been really hot. And when it's hot, you slow down a bit; sometimes, you don't feel like doing anything at all. You might think that this is where the stereotype of the slow-moving, rocking-chairing, julep-drinking Southerner comes from. Not true! Instead, that image may have been influenced by the prevalence of hookworm in the American South. Barefoot Southerners would walk to the outhouse, hookworms would penetrate their feet, infect them, and take some of their body's iron. "Lazy" Southerners were probably just anemic!

2. I've been reading. A lot. Largely because

3. My internet connection has been flaky -- not related to the router issue earlier this summer. Instead, I can't access Blogspot https for some reason. It's weird!!! But it's just as well, because

4. My right wrist and arm hurts. It hurts to type, write, and grip a Playstation controller. As a result, I'm in a self-imposed exile from such activities.

4a. If you're wondering how I'm typing this, given #4, it's through an annoyingly hybrid method: normal left-handed typing and hunt/peck with pinky finger right-handed typing.

4b. Feel free imply that my wrist injury is due to chronic masturbation!!

Now...

I understand that the Thanksgiving date won't be convenient for everyone. I know that the holidays can be busy!! However, there is upside to having the reunion near a holiday. Many people will be off work that Friday, and won't have to take additional vacation time. Many will already be travelling to Wichita that weekend.

Knowing that any one date would be imperfect, I wanted to set the date as early as possible, to give everyone plenty of time to make arrangements. The annoucement, 16 months in advance going by the internet date and 15 months in advance measuring from the Fall '06 Aquila date, meets that goal.

I hope this lead time will give everyone a chance to rearrange their schedules as needed: asking off from work, switching the Thanksgiving/Xmas trip to the in-laws, getting a cheap flight in from South Africa or from the pineapple farm in Hawaii, etc.

I hope we have a great turnout in November '07!

(Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my spider hole.)