Day 2125: The strangest day.

Okay. Before I finally get in to my clinical exam and reasoning (CER) studying, I must tell you about my day.

9am: Exam. Ooph. I did okay, which is to be expected. I kind of let pathology go to the wind this block mainly because I am scared sh!tless for my cumulative pharm final on Thursday (so soon).

11am: I go to Sephora to pick something up for my sister and the item they said they had in stock was not actually in stock. Lame. It's fine. I did this to my nails while I was there. (This = painted them different shades of blue. Then I came home and painted the bases gold. Eureka.)

12:30pm: My friend CM decided to make fudge on a whim. It was delicious and she was kind enough to send me some so that a) we could be little fudgester-pudgesters together and b) she was sending me a sweet little exam-week gift. Well. This is what I received in the mail.

Instead of fudge, I got a paperback 2012 Annotated Brothers Grimm. I sent CM a text (being confused about the package and sending her a picture of the book) asking her if I was missing something, and you better believe that girl was pissed. Where is the fudge? See those green stickers? Someone opened my box, took my plastic containers filled with fudge, put this book in, and sealed it with stickers. What? What?? WHAT??? She is Type A (like me!) so she called USPS Customer Service and let them know what happened. The USPS Customer Service woman said she had never heard something like that happening. WHAT???? Where. Is. My. FUDGE?!

12:40pm: I open an unknown package to discover this!

Danny bought me these coral pillow covers that I have been lusting because I desperately need some more colorful pillows to make my boring mauve-gray couch more exciting. I LOVE THEM. (I have been making strange grunting sounds of joy whenever I see them haha)

4:30pm: Where has the day gone? I think I studied. It's hard to say.

5:00pm: I dropped my phone (what's new?) and the speakers freaked out. All the sound coming out of it was garbled, like it was underwater. Then, after a few shake-shake-shakes, it was fixed! I kissed my phone so hard to thank it for believing in me and staying alive!

Until Now: I finally got focused and unafraid to tackle the large, large amounts of pharmacology I have to learn/relearn/refamiliarize myself with by Thursday.

Now: it's time to actually learn my stupid CER bull-malarkey.

Day 2124: I'm so bored.

I am sure I have posted this title before. However, it doesn't stop it from being true. I have been studying all weekend and with rainy, dreary weather to accompany me, it's amazing I haven't tried to sleep my life away.

Anyway, I am so bored with every aspect of my life that I am blogging to pass the boredom (and in hopes of getting my last bit of motivation together to review my last few topics).

Train of thought blogging. Go! I spoke to my pal LC (whom I met at my friend's bachelorette/wedding) and I adore her. We spoke for an hour and my life was just about complete. I perused eBay all day and didn't win some jeans I bid on. But then I won some other jeans. Here are (Instagram) pictures I have taken today to try to evade studying...

This is how I study...with recycled paper and lots of writing.

Study food. Savory oatmeal = almonds, beans, onions,
cheese and a bit of garlic powder. Amazing.

I am so everywhere right now. I'm sure you can't tell. I hide it veryyyyyyy well. Okay, I have obviously lost my mind. I'm going to go search for it in the recycling bin.

Day 2121: Chugging along

Oh hey! Fancy meeting you here!

I am taking another break to blog because the way my life looks right now (see below) would make anyone go crazy.

Anyway, my eye has stopped twitching. I realized a few days later that it was twitching most likely as a result of a slight corneal scratch. I have to tell you, when my eye was twitching, I was convinced it was stress. So, all of Sunday and Monday, I was a sh!tshow (study-wise). The twitching eye felt like a constant reminder of how stressed I was and, as a result, my studying quality was greatly diminished (and my stress level probably increased exponentially because I was so stressed about not being able to study well).

It's okay. In spite of it all, there is, somehow, time in the day to learn drugs. And some pathology. But a very small amount. Right now, it's pharm pharm pharm. Path will start tomorrow (afternoon) at the earliest, and then continue throughout the weekend until my exam Monday morning.

Boring update over. Back to studying. Gym at 10pm with a friend. Rinse. Repeat.

Day 2116: The countdown begins

I feel like this post title will be recycled. I will have lots of countdowns in the next six months, this being the first one -- the countdown to finals/winter break. In the next 13 days, I will have completed my first semester of my second year. I have a pathology exam, CER (Clinical Exam and Reasoning) exam and the dreaded cumulative pharmacology final. At this point, I am taking a much needed study break to blog. Exciting. I know. I am amidst learning the last 100-or-so drugs for Block 4 and then I have about 10 days to review the previous 400 drugs. No big deal. (INTERNAL FREAK OUT IMMINENT.)

PS, my eye has been twitching non-stop for two hours since this post. I need to de-stress/calm down.

Day 2105: Greetings from Southern California!

Hello! After my exams last week, I have taken a bit of a breather to see some friends (my best friend in Indiana to be exact) and take studying a little more slowly in preparation of Thanksgiving (can you believe it's here already?).

Anyhoo, I am currently in my sister's bedroom in her soon-to-be-old-house doing things like this:

I watch these lectures in lieu of my actual pathology lectures because these are wonderful and I have found myself pulling a McKayla Maroney (unimpressed) with how my course has been taught.

Anyhoo, I'll post fun pictures (which I'm sure will continue my mother's (and probably father's) delusions that all I do is have fun and not study) in the near future!

Day 2077: The weeks ahead + catching-up

As expected, medical school waits for no one. I am elbow-deep in school stuff. Four pathology lectures, three pharmacology lectures and a bunch of required classes/sessions to attend tomorrow and Thursday.

For whatever reason, the teaching staff has decided to make Block 3 two-and-a-half weeks long for pathology and three weeks long for pharmacology. So, what does that mean? There is no time to lollygag!

It's a good thing I have friends coming in to town, that's always a great studying impetus! My pal Alex is visiting from home to hang out with me (and possibly some med students) for Halloween. She is, unfortunately, coming right when the weather drops to the mid-40s (as a high!), but it should still be a fun time. We're going as fairy-tale themed people so look out for those pictures next week!

A good friend of mine informed me that her boyfriend and she would be renting a car while they are in Chicago next week so they plan to come up to Milwaukee! Yay for friends! Yay for more intense studying...? ...!

Also, Jess and I caught up today via our free iMessage (apparently she got an iPhone while we were being poor keepers-in-touch). It was lovely to get the updates on her life. Miss you!

Day 2072: This is what I did today.

Painted my nails for my friend's wedding on Saturday.

Wrote every drug (from memory) required for tomorrow's exam.
Some of these pages are double-sided. Welcome to hell med school.

Day 2066: Exam preparations

Hi all! I want to forewarn you that exams are next week so expect minimal(er) blogging. Then, Danny and I are attending a wedding that weekend so expect fun pictures in about 10 days!

Pharmacology is a gigantic b!tch. I am focusing on pathology because that is my first exam but I need to be reviewing pharm everyday (which I haven't in the past two days) and I am SO stressed. I am not a big drinker, but the open bar at my friend's wedding looks like a grand ol' prize, whether I kick the exam's ass (which I will) or it kicks mine (unlikely).

Back to obstructive congenital heart diseases...

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 2044: Better late than never

Here, better late than never, are some pictures from my life.

New highlights!

My wonderful classmate helped me pick up my new couch.
Uhh...I may have forgotten to tell him I live on the second floor :\

There she is, my gray/mauve beauty of a sectional couch!

Also, I am finally starting to get my studying act together. Granted, I have already missed 30 something drugs in pharmacology, but it's fine. That's what weekends are for, right? Like I said, I'm glad my studying bug kicked in better late than never.

Day 1837: To snow/study or not to snow/study.

Snow/study. What the heck is that Jess?

Welllll. Thanks for asking. It is 10:15. I have been awake since 8am, studying for my physiology exam tomorrow. I will leave for a quick run in about 40 minutes because it is 50-degrees outside. 5-0. Not 20, not 30, but 50. FIFTY. Remember this? That was two days ago. Most of the snow has melted and the weather is confoundingly warm.

Also, I am tired of studying. I know I need to. In order to review. And I'm sure I could use the studying (even though I have been way on top of studying for physiology this block, it's still a lot of information). But I am lazy. Luh-hey-zee.

Let's hope this run helps me get my act together and reinvigorates my desire to learn. As we all know, medical school waits for no one!

See you all tomorrow! Post-exam, home-free and very soon after, home-bound! :)

Day 1344, Part 2: How to study.

I have found a new routine for studying.

    1. Read over whatever subject I am studying at the time.

     2. Type/Write out what I just went over to see how much I know.

    3. Check the notes again for whatever I don't know.
        Next, write in bold the stuff I don't know.
        CAPS things that are important (that I also did not know).

      4. Repeat.

 (A secret step: Blog about it when you are on studying overload and want to procrastinate before you get back into it.)

This method has actually been working pretty well for me thusfar. Except when I get too sick of studying. Then I write things like this to keep it interesting.

Day 1303: Home, tomorrow!

Monday, 12/12/2011. Biochemistry exam. Fine. Could have gone better. I'm not too stressed about the results of this exam or my performance in the course.

Tuesday 12/13/2011. Lots of studying. Much less stress. I'm at the point where I have to royally screw up my exams to move my grade in a negative direction.

Wednesday 12/14/2011. Anatomy lab practical. They tagged a few structures more than once (which they never do), but I knew the body so I wasn't fooled. Studying for my written anatomy/human development test tomorrow and then I fly home! To California! Whee!

(Be on the lookout for back-dated posts of my sister's visit!)

Day 1280: Hello, I am a medical student.

I want to tell you about my sleeping tactics. Before most of my block exams (I can't remember, have I described what block exams are? In case I haven't, here it is. Unlike normal undergraduate semesters/quarters, with midterms and quizzes and final exams, we have blocks. Blocks usually range about 3-4 weeks in length. We learn so much information that unless you are in medical school it's hard for me to describe and have you understand fully. The depth and detail with which we are required to regurgitate information is flabbergasting. Anyway, at the end of each block, we have an exam. So, depending on when the professor chooses to end that block, we have exams roughly every three weeks. No, this is not a quiz. This is an exam. That usually runs for three hours. This is no joke.) ... anyway, where was I? Oh yes, sleep.

Before most of my block exams, I am doing one of two things. 1) I am studying in bed and eventually fall asleep with the light on, or 2) I actually choose to sleep the days leading up to the exam instead of learning things late into the night.

I am praying for sleep tonight (before my human development and anatomy exams tomorrow). I studied from, no joke, 11am yesterday (Sunday) to about 2:30? 2:50am(?) this morning. I took one nap from noon to 12:40pm. I went to the anatomy lab to look over some last structures today (/last night) from 12:15am to 1:40am. I came back and got ready for the night (brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on pajamas) and got back into studying. I kept falling asleep on my couch until who-knows-when and decided to actually lie down, take a quick nap and then wake up again to finish drilling this information into my head. I opened my eyes to see it was light outside, which means I fell asleep with the living room light on. I woke up, turned off the light, checked the time (7:49am) and have been awake studying ever since. My desired late-night/all-semi-nighter became Jessica's 5-hour sleep and now I am back into it until I take my lab practical at 1pm today. After that? More learning until my 9am exam tomorrow (AND THEN HOME).

It's official. I am finally a professional student. I have begun to have late nights. Not because I have a deadline (like my parents who have real jobs), but because I have exams (which is sort of like a deadline). I used to sleep on a normal schedule. Now, I just get sleep when I can.

My living room/bedroom/current place of studying-residence

Day 1188: Learning galore

As previously stated, it has been go-go-go since day one of medical school. I have been reviewing my genetics like crazy (see pictures below) because of a quiz we have tomorrow. I have heard that genetics is fairly easy course, but that doesn't stop me from being prepared. Who goes into a test feeling cocky? Confidence, fine. Cockiness, you're asking to fail.

In other news, I forgot how distracting the internet can be. I do love having it though. It's especially nice to be able to look up school stuff at my whimsy instead of waiting until I get to school to do it.

Also, I have chit-chatted with some pals. Case in point, my friend M (whom I visited in Ohio earlier this year). She is just so light and wonderful and level-headed and we're so similar! She understands how much I don't want to socialize with my classmates and how much I would rather stay in and be lazy than go out and drink-and-party on a Friday night. I love being understood. Sigh. Anyway, she's got some tough stuff going on, and she's dealing with it like the amazing woman she is. It's just nice to reconnect with people who get you and, hopefully, you get them.

Anyway, back to the studying. On the agenda for tomorrow:

• Run before class
• Shower, prepare my snacks for school, caffeniate
• Arrive at school early, ace my quiz, have two more genetics lectures after the quiz
• Free lunch during student organization presentations
• Lots of anatomy (and lots of feeling overwhelmed)
• Home. Studying. Lots of it.
• (Probably lollygagging on the internet at some point)

Day 525: A little honesty

Okay. So. I got my exam results today. They weren't great. They weren't bad, but they definitely weren't great.

I think I need to be honest and say that I haven't given a hundred percent to this class. It all boils down to lack of interest, lack of other meaningful coursework to get me in the proper study mode and med school applications. I'm so focused on answering secondary/supplemental applications genuinely and swiftly that I don't spend nearly enough time learning about gene flow or natural selection or Darwin.

It is completely my own fault. I need to get my study back on.

Day 359: An update

For the wonderful few of you who have commented and/or emailed and/or been generally grand people, here is what is going on in my life:

Lots and lots of MCAT-ing. Today I calculated that I need to do about 200 questions (at least) per day in some subject or other. I take an online MCAT (a portion of it anyway) everyday. And I just go through as much of these books as possible. I have actually acquired more since I took this picture (a couple of months ago).

I looked into where I'm taking the exam next Friday (!!) and it's a 7 minute drive so I'll try and get there a bit early. I think I'm going to work out that morning so I'm clear headed and have all my stuff ready the night before (food, and that's about it. I don't think I get a pen/pencil.) I am so hyped for this test.

All of you have been incredibly supportive of this journey and it's all coming together next Friday. Thank you for believing in me even when I wasn't believing in much of anything. It means the world to me.

Day 346: Some updates

My Organic exam went well enough today. I was for-serious about acing it and I hope I did.

My Physics professor finally handed our exams back. It was pretty terrible. I mean, I did well enough but it was by no means an A. It's okay, he seems really fair about the whole situation so I'm really not that worried about my grade. (I may have just hit an "I'm-over-school" plateau)

Lastly, I think you should all know I'm in love. I informed my family today. I totally heart this kid. It's so crazy. But in all seriousness, he's cute and smart and driven and he's a man-with-a-plan. Too bad he doesn't like me. But that is just a minor detail ;)

Studying for my last Physics test this weekend. As well as completing my final organic labs (I'm so done with this notebook business). And cleaning my apartment. And all these other good things.

Day 297: An eye-opener

I took a practice MCAT today. Um, yeah. It could have gone better. A lot better. I'm just frustrated with my application of my knowledge. Surprisingly (for this MCAT anyway), my Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) was better than my Biological Sciences (Organic Chemistry and Biology). A lot of it was luck really. I just happened to have learned most of what was on the Physical Sciences portion and I hadn't learned a lot of what was on the Biological Scienes section. Oh well. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it, but I'm actually extremely disappointed in myself.

In other news, New York was wonderful. I really miss my NYU pals and I'm so very impressed with how far they've all come. They're all working gals with plans and significant others and bills and other adult things. I'm still in student-land :P

Let's see, in pure idiocy news, I washed my iPod. Yes, washed. As in put in the washer. With my clothes. I guess I was anxious to get my dirty clothes from pre- and post-NYC washed that right after I worked out yesterday, I just tossed the jacket (holding my iPod) into the wash. I'm an idiot. I know. Huge freaking idiot. Ugh.

My waterlogged iPod :(

Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I want a new iPod Touch or a new iPod Nano. Any suggestions?

Lastly, I got an A-minus on my Physics exam. That's fine. All of my friends and I decided that the test was terrible and some of us (not me) were ready to cry when it was over. It was a bad test. Thus, I will take my A-minus and run with it. The Organic exam from Friday went fine. It felt like one of Dr. Red's usual exams so I'm sure he'll grade it more difficultly this time around.

I really need to do well on things to boost my academic ego. Physiology's been kicking my butt lately and then with this practice MCAT and washing my iPod and general badness... I just need something good (that I earned) to come my way. At this point, I can only move forward so I'm going to study more. That's really all I can do.

Day 242: And I'm back!

So I'm back in North Carolina and it is cold. I love that California is having a warm front and the east coast is having a crazy cold front. Love it.

Anyway, I got back to NC Tuesday night. It's taken me some time to get acclimated. There was a little issue with the apartment (involving someone staying in my room even after my roommate left...yeah...don't worry about it) and that was settled pretty quickly. Even so, I can't quite get back into studying. It's taken longer than anticipated? I think this is why I gave myself a week. It's been a slow process -- waking up earlier, getting back into science, et cetera.

Let's see, since I've been back I have...

• Cleaned my room and bathroom (quite necessary)
  
  
• Done laundry (today actually! Needed to wash the slept-in-but-not-by-me sheets)
  
  
• Bought $100-worth of groceries (I'm eating healthy this year, promise.)
  
  
• Researched and applied to summer internships (I'm not expecting anything, but I'm hoping like crazy!)
  
  
• Worked out (thank goodness! I want abs this year too!)
  
  
• "Studied" (quotations are key)

Oh! My Physiology professor has emailed the class a few times. It's going to be a ton of work but I'm excited. Now I'll have to learn to split my time between Organic and Physiology. Physics will get it's time...eventually :P Anyway, one of her e-mails said that by the end of the semester, we will know what they're talking about on shows like ER and CSI.

Um, I watch CSI. So does my mom. My sister watches Miami. How sweet will that be to go home and tell them exactly what's going on -- in layman terms? Pretty frickin'. Besides, someone has to know what's going on (since the actors obviously don't, ha!)

I'll let you know how life goes as I head back to no social life (I've dropped all those losers), lots of school (LOTS) , MCAT prep (I need to get that organized) and working out (my form of sanity).