Day 3292: Happy Birthday Aleja!

Alex came a day earlier than my family, which meant we were able to spend her entire birthday together!

Aleja (as I like to call her) has been one of my biggest supporters throughout medical school. She has visited me once a year since I moved to Wisconsin in 2011. She has sent me numerous gift packages. She has hosted me at her place when I was on interviews last year. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who care about me. Anyway, enough of a lovefest about Aleja. Here is the only picture we took (sad!). But luckily it was at Kopps, her favorite place in Milwaukee.

We love custard!

Day 3291: The beginning of the end.

I feel like I have named several posts with this title but this is very much the end of the road for my blog "On to an MD." The MD is 4 days away! !!!!!!!!

Anyway, my exam for my "Preparing for Internship" course was today. I made the woman grading them, grade my exam right there on the spot. I didn't want to be concerned about failing and having to retake the exam tomorrow. I mean I studied, of course, but still. It's been a long time since I've taken a test. Since you are all dying to know, I passed! Hello graduation!

My pal Alex comes in tonight, to begin the influx of friends and family who will be coming in for this momentous occasion. My sister and parents come in Wednesday. My best friend and her husband come in either Wednesday or Thursday. Hooding is Thursday. Graduation is Friday!

This week is going to FLY BY!

Day 2976: Consented pictures

Our first picture together!

Found a new little park by the river and across the street from MKE Public Market

Tiff loves Moscato

Behind this guy in the red shirt was the stage for Jazz in the Park

Danny was here too ;)

Kandinsky & Tiff, two of my favorite things

Hanging out at the Milwaukee Art Museum

With the Milwaukee Art Museum

Lakefront gals

The big ol' beer I never saw on previous tours

"Ladies, why settle for a six-pack when you can have a keg?" - John, our tour guide

Day 2974: BFFs & one week left!

Can you believe in less than one week, I will officially be a fourth year medical student? I am an "Em-Duh" -- get it? Three-fourths of my way to an "Em-Dee"!

One of my closest friends Tiff came to visit this weekend and it was sheer and utter perfection. I really needed to see her after some drama that occurred the weekend before. She is such a calming presence and this weekend confirmed a) our similarities, b) her absolutely amazing self, and c) how much I miss her in my everyday life. It is both a blessing and curse when friends from different aspects of my life come to visit. Blessing-wise, I am reminded how loved I am and how I have found some truly awe-inspiring people who honor me with their friendship. Curse-wise, it reminds me how difficult it has been for me to find these people (see here, excluding D of course) in one of the more critical periods of my life. Medical school has been a mental and personal struggle (with the occasional triumph) and connecting with others who have experienced it has been a surprisingly arduous undertaking. I was beyond elated to spend this time with Tiff and I hope (desperately) that I can see her soon and more regularly.

Anyway, pictures to come of her visit/our lovefest. (I need her to sign the release form ;P)

Day 2056: Oh hi!

Hello. I am postponing my post-gym shower (which I already did by making my lunch for tomorrow, making an entire bunch of kale chips that I proceeded to toast-too-much and therefore had to eat them all, and talk to Danny) by blogging. It's been 12 days. I really need to be a better blogger.

I have a lot to blog about! I was having a crappy first week post-exams, focus-wise. I was uber-focused last week because my best friend in the entire world came to visit me! We had a ton of fun eating, hanging out, gossiping, doing our nails and being awesome best friends. I LOVE HER!

Let's see, this week is more focus and more work. I feel like I had actual emotions to discuss but they have left me. I am in a wedding in three weeks (luckily after exams). I am volunteering at the Saturday Free Clinic this weekend. I am studying a lot for exams. I am exercising.

Oh my gosh. Homeland is back on the air. I may have cheated my way through Season 1 (coughreadallthesynopsesbecauseDannywouldn'tletmewatchalloftheminarowalsoknownaskeepingusupallnightcough) but Danny and I are officially hooked on Season 2. I live for Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. I kid you not. At the end of the premiere episode on Sunday (don't worry Mom, I am studying. Let me have one hour of TV a week) I shouted, "I am only alive one hour a week and that hour is 9pm central!"

Later this week, pictures of my life!

Day 2010: The work never ends, post-NYC

Ooph. Med school really just goes and goes and goes.

New York was fabulous. Here are some pictures.

This kid loves to mug.

Life moves on, later in the day of the Empire State shooting.

Birthday dinner!

The new World Trade Center (the funky shaped one)

Danny's favorite picture of me. Studying makes me pout.

Danny and I are disappointed we got so few pictures together! Still, a great trip. I love seeing friends. It only makes my entire world.

Today was a crappy day on a lot of counts (socially/friend-wise and family health-wise) but all the right people called me today to make me feel loved and cared for and reminded me that despite all the downs in life, there are lots of ups around you if you look for them. I love you BFFFH (et al :P)!

Day 1979: ED & IN

Today, I will be working with/shadowing a doctor in the Emergency Department. My usual Friday doctor is off on vacation so she scheduled in some time for me to work with some of her colleagues at the nearby hospital. I have to be at the hospital at 7am, so I will be out the door by 6:20am.

Why am I blogging this early you ask? Because thanks to Danny and using my actual brain, I think I have figured out what the deal is with my computer! I will update you all this weekend, while in Indiana. Yes people, it is that time again--best friend time! I am driving to Indiana this weekend to visit my absolute best friend in the entire universe and I cannot wait! It has been much too long and the visit I'm sure will be much too short!

Okay, I have to change and wait for this stupid thing to finish deleting!

Day 1953: Happy birthday Jess!

I am so proud of all you've accomplished thus far and I know there are only more good times ahead for you and us! Happy birthday!

Day 1947: Happy birthday BFFFH!

Belated, I know, but I always remember. It's the 25th. NOT the 27th, apparently...

I LOVE YOU.

You are the unobnoxious Carrie to my...well, everybody.

Day 1273: Best friends are the best.

Probably to my mother's chagrin, I went to Indianapolis this weekend to visit my best friend in the entire universe. It was perfect. A quick five hour drive through Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana and there we were. In her beautiful house with her adorable pups and her significantly-thinner husband. It was a low-key weekend of her working and me studying, with movies and meals-out in between. I forget how much I a) love this woman, b) miss this woman and c) need her in my life more regularly.

I think what was great about being with her was how much I love someone who knows me and knows to be honest and real with me. She gave me her honest opinions about my approach to medical school and my stress about school and it was wonderful. It's a short post, but the important thing to know is, I LOVE (BEST) FRIENDS. And I feel very lucky to have her in my life and I am so incredibly excited that we are only five hours apart.

Day 1201: School is hard.

Genetics final on Tuesday. First anatomy block exams (lab portion on Tuesday, written portion on Wednesday) next week. Lots of eating delicious food post-exams (I have never been a big drinker.)

In other news, my best friend Jess is coming out to Chicago the week after my second round of exams and we're trying to convince our other best friend to meet us there. I might die of joy if that happens.

I wish I had more fun things going on this holiday weekend. I mean not really. I need to study. A lot.

Ok, we'll talk later.

Day 1123: Indianapolis

After Columbus, I went to visit my best friend in Indiana! Let me tell you a little something about her. If any human being on earth could follow a plan as perfectly as she did, I can promise you, this person does not exist. Only one person has her act together and her name is Jessica's Best Friend (we shall here on out call her JBF).

So, JBF graduated law school, passed her bar exam while in law school (which is practically unheard of!), got sworn in to the bar, and is now saving the world from law-breakers! Did I mention she married her middle-school sweetheart last year and owns a home? Not some closet in the back room of a bar. A house! A home!

Why can't my life come together like this?

Alas, our time together was so taken up with celebrating her (which was absolutely wonderful), that we didn't get too much one-on-one time (which was absolutely dismal). It was fantastic to see her and reconnect since it had been awhile. I was just reminded how great she is and how lucky I am to have her in my life. Good thing I'm moving to the midwest so we can be closer, both geographically and metaphorically.

To keep this from being the most boring entry of praise ever, here are some pictures from my trip:

The rest are actually of her and her family and that's just Facebook on crack (posting things without her consent/breaching her privacy by posting pictures of her). So. You have a highway sign and building. Suck it up and enjoy it.

Day 569: Sad chubby puppy

This is the title of the picture-text I sent my sister yesterday.

That is because I looked like this...

Sad and pale and a little swollen. I was quite disappointed my face didn't swell to the point of a goiter, but a friend pointed out that that just signifies what a good oral surgeon I had. So, I guess there's that. Or, my face is already so round there's no where for it swell to. One of those.

Anyway, I had my final on Tuesday. It went okay. We'll see. Then my surgery yesterday...which was prefaced by a rejection email from Tulane University, which said...

Dear Applicant:

We regret to inform you that your application will receive no further consideration for the class to enter the Tulane University School of Medicine in 2010. As you know the class is limited to 177 students, and the available places do not go very far in accommodating the large number of highly qualified applicants who have applied to the Tulane University School of Medicine. We hope that you receive an acceptance to a medical school of your choice and that both success and happiness will be yours as you continue your training.

Sincerely,
Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs

I must say. I was not a fan of this rejection letter. Others have been somewhat nicer. This one is just poorly worded. I wasn't even sure I was rejected after the first read-through (granted it was at 6:50AM, the morning of my surgery). Anyway, at this point, I am resigning myself to the fact that I will not be getting in this cycle. This is because I have not been invited to an interview where, numbers-wise, I fit in perfectly with these schools.

No worries, no despondent Jess here. Just a statement of facts. When you've got a grandmother who enters other people's cars and a father who helps ice your face and get your meds and a mother who drives back two hours to see you recover from wisdom teeth removal and friends who care enough to stop by to check up on you...what's a rejection or five? There are certainly enough good moments to cover the bad.

Day 421: Have there really been 421 days?

It's a little weird to think that I've been writing in this thing for more than 400 days! I barely sleep that consistently ;)

Anyway, updates!

• My lab cohorts, 9 1/2 and J-Town, and I are so inefficient and ineffective that our boss has separated all of us and placed us with different lab people.
• I have my second (of four) calc tests tomorrow.
• My best friend is home from Ireland for the week! Jubilation!
• I start my MCAT prep class this weekend. -- You know, I was kind of against this class for some reason. However, upon being signed up for it and registering that I'm really taking this class, I'm rather grateful. It'll be nice to have someone teaching me instead of me teaching myself.
• I realized I only need two quarters of calc and one quarter of stats (for a year of math, total) so once I finish this class, I'm done! (With Calc anyway) ...then, all I have to take is stats and Bio 2. Holla!
  

I think that's all really. Oh. There's one more thing. I'm getting braces. Okbye.

Day 410: Happy Independence Day!

Hello my fellow Americans! Happy Fourth of July! Fun question, does England have a Fourth of July?

Moving on, I hope you're all enjoying your freedoms and liberties and all that other mumbo-jumbo that's expoused in our Declaration of Independence :)

This is the first (sort-of) week of my new routine and it's gone quite well. I figured out where to park at Stanford (after receiving a lovely parking ticket from the university, thanks Stanford) for my new internship. Since I see the internship people at least five hours a day, I've already developed small rapports with each of the people there. I've been learning about the research they do and I had the opportunity to guillotine a rat's head the other day (vive la France!) We cut off its head in order to slice its brain to see the effects of our experiment. Too gory? I'll move on.

My calc class is moving at a decent pace. I was worried it would pick up where things left off, and it has in some ways, but it's done so in a way that I can certainly manage. My first test is this upcoming Thursday. I have a test every Thursday (four total) and then the last one will be a final. The professor seems fair enough and he makes cute academia/nerd jokes that amuse me.

Aside from that, my best friend comes home Wednesday (wee!), I need to start working out again (sooner rather than later) and I also need to get my personal statement together. Things to do, things to do.

Day 395: Home sweet home

I know, I know. It's been a while.

I'm finally home in California and I have the boxes in my house and the mileage on my car to prove it! My dear friend Tori and I drove through 8 states total to get from North Kakalaky to Cali-Cali and it was quite a trip. Here's a brief rundown of my trip -- check back later for pictures.

• North Carolina: This involved a really beautiful drive through the Appalachian mountains.
  
  
  

• Tennessee: Not much there. Long as heck state.
  
  
• Arkansas: My friend Joy warned us it wouldn't be that pretty but the fact that we were visiting her made it all the more worthwhile. Joy's a blast and her whole family (hers and her husband's) are loads of fun. Oh, and Tori and I almost died in a hurricane. That was fun.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Oklahoma: Not a fun state. We didn't get any pictures of Oklahoma-related signs. Boo.
  
  
• Texas: Ugly. Desolate. Boring. Moving on. (Granted, we drove on I-40 through northern Texas. Maybe the southern part is better. ...we weren't holding our breath.)
  
  
• New Mexico: Much more lively, better scenery.
  
  
• Arizona: Since it was along the way (sort of), we stopped off at the Grand Canyon. I hadn't been for ages. It was honestly breathtaking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• California: Tori was amazed at LA traffic. LA wasn't as terrible and soul-sucking as I remember. We stayed a day and we drove home Wednesday. Tori and I went to a winery in Napa yesterday and we had a complete blast.

Currently, Tori and my sister are asleep on the couch and I'm here, blogging. I need to upload pictures, clean my room, get skinny, and prep for more friends heading out west :)

I love being home. I can feel sanity and general contentedness seeping back into my soul.

Day 361: A few events

Let's see, I have a new MCAT schedule.

6am (ish) : Wake up
6:15ish - 7am : Workout
7amish : Shower, prepare for day
8am : Begin MCAT online
1pmish: Complete full MCAT

Afterwards, relax a bit.

After relaxation, get back into MCATing. Review what I did not understand/could not answer. Learn. The whole shebang.

You know, I forgot how long and draining a five-hour exam is. Whew! I was pooped yesterday!

The plan is (for my parents who are ever so pressed about it) to follow this schedule until Wednesday. Thursday (5/21) I'm not doing a darn thing. I'm going to sit around and be lazy. Just get my head on straight.

For those of you who read this and would like to encourage me, please don't. I have heard/read that the day before a big test (of any sort, e.g., LSAT, MCAT, GRE, etc) that there should be no mention of the exam whatsoever. So, please don't wish me luck or ask me how I feel or any of that. I need to get relaxed and mentally ready. Spankyouverymuch.

Friday is the big freaking day. Eep!

Anyway, to inform you of the most recent events in my life:

• Went running with my friend's girlfriend at 6am! That was sweet. Workout buddies truly are key to sticking with it.


• My friend (who has left for home) called me in a drunken stupor last night. That was pretty enjoyable. I was completely amused by it and even though he woke me up from a formidable slumber, it was worth it. He was completely wasted.


• Skype-d with my BFFFH last night, she's the best.


• I'm in a fight with my sister (which is never good)


• The TV I have been watching has finally been taken back by it's owner so now I'm TV-less. Which is fine. Luckily, I got to see my season finales Thursday night before she took it.
  
• ohmygodohmygodohmygod. The Office.
• I'm almost done reading "Pride & Prejudice" (I never read it in high school even though I was supposed to :\) ... I finally get what all the fuss about Jane Austen is about.

Day 333: Revelations and some good (and not-so-good) things

After many talks with ma mere, we have come to a conclusion. I think way too much. I've been getting ridiculously overwhelmed lately because I start one task, and then realize all these other things I have to do, and then I can't focus on the task I'm doing and just start getting frustrated. Hence Day 330's new plan, which is to take everything one day at a time.

To build on that, I'm taking every single thing at a time. Task, minute, thought, and just focusing on being present because who knows where I am anymore. The past, the future, the fourth dimension...anywhere.

So the good things are:

• a little R&R courtesy of the 'rents
• a regular SIP attendee cried after getting her exam back. She proceeded to thank me (even though she's the one that got the A and not me). It was very sweet.
• school is over in three weeks!
• best friends who let you call them and use up all their minutes (while you're hysterical)
• a birthday surprise that went off with only a few minor glitches (Cheesecake Factory surprise and yummy in my tummy)

Not so good things:

• exams galore in the next three weeks (including finals)
• overwhelming myself
• my SIP professor (for Chem 1) is pissing the heck out of me