Day 444: The end of Calculus!

My multiple-choice Calculus final was today. It came. It went. It may have conquered. We'll see how it all worked out. Let's all be grateful that it's over though, okay?

Me neither cavemen. Me neither.

For those of you wondering why I'm taking Calculus, all of the in-state California med schools require a year of math (to be comprised of Calculus and Statistics). Thus, high-school-Jessica was lied to. She was convinced she would never take math again after high school. Ha! Big fat lie. Luckily, all I have to take is Statistics and Bio 2 and my life will be set.

Now that Calculus is out of the way, I can focus 110% on my MCAT. Also, I can finally tend to my beleaguered personal statement. You know, I didn't use beleaguered properly at all. I just wanted to use it 'cause it's a pretty word. My personal statement is more along the lines of incomplete, haha. I just need to give it the final few touches (and numerous edits) and off my application goes! Yikes!

Also, why is it raining? This is California. We're all puppies and rainbows and sunshine. Not rain in August.

Day 325: Fun facts and general randomness

I received a free perfume sample and decided to read the ingredients/make-up of it and I was terribly amused.

It's all made up of crazy compounds no one understands...but I do! It's weird to think that scent can be synthetically produced. And that I could potentially create it. Potentially being the key word. If anything, I know the chemistry behind it.

Anyway, we're learning about the kidneys in Physiology. Next week's lab correlates. It's actually pretty funny. We're going to pee throughout lab, collect our own urine and analyze it.

I'm totally not kidding. I'm going to smell like pee all day. I'll be sure to blog about it afterwards.

Funny story about this lab though. One week last semester, I remember seeing a ton of girls in the bathroom peeing into cups. I was completely dumbfounded. I sincerely thought drug-testing was going on in the school (and in the New Science building of all places) and it was all just extremely amusing to learn (after the fact) that girls were peeing for lab. Oh man. This is going to be so good.

P.S. It's storming today. And all I ever think about when it rains is my dad telling me how much he loves the rain. Well, I love my dad so I guess I love the rain too.

Day 285: Cold studying

It's cold out...and in my apartment. To avoid utilities overages, I set my thermostat to 65 degrees. Apparently I have to keep it at that temperature so my pipes won't burst. Anyway, I'm feeling especially cold right now, so I'm wearing four layers of tops, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks and a hat. ...I look amazing.

In other news, I ran eight miles today. I'm aiming for double-digit mileage. (And then a half-marathon?)

I've got a lot of studying to do this week. I'm not that worried about it for some reason. I think I just know I'll get it done. And Organic seems less daunting this time around and Physics is Physics. Physiology is just cool. We're being quizzed on muscles -- skeletal (the ones we can see and feel) and smooth (the ones that make up blood vessels, airways and abet digestion). Hmm, what can I tell you about muscles that won't put you to sleep?

Oh, this is interesting. When there is a blockage in your blood vessel, pressure on that blood vessel increases. This increased pressure causes your body to produce more (vascular circular) smooth muscle to support the blood vessel (so that it doesn't burst = aneurysm). If the blockage (aka plaque) doesn't move, too much muscle is built around the vessel and this creates even more pressure on the blood vessel. Eventually the plaque will enter the vessel (rather than just hang out on its outskirts) and that could lead to a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Crazy right?

The body is crazy freaking cool. I can't wait to cut one open!