Things have been going unusually well lately. I am happy to say, I got a new car, I got a FREE ticket to the Florida vs Auburn game, I've been on top of my schoolwork (kind of), and, finally:
THE OFFICE IS BACK!
Yes...
The first episode aired yesterday. It was one hour long. It was funny but not as amazing as I'd hoped. My favorite line (by none other than Michael Scott):
"I'm not superstitious... I'm only slightly stitious." (paraphrased)
HA!
My new car is pretty nice. It's a 2008 dark blue Pontiac G6. Thank goodness for a father who is kind enough to wire me money and arrange it all. Yay Dad!
It felt pretty weird to have my dad do all that for me. I'm usually more independent, but school is insanely time consuming and I asked my dad to iron out the details for me. Again, yay Dad!
I'm freaking independent. FINALLY. Relying on people for rides sucks. Not having a car in Gainesville sucks sucks sucks. But now, that's allll over.
The other awesomeness: I'm going to the motherlovin' game! This game is the second to last home game. I missed Tennessee because of the stupid exam. I can't wait to tailgate. The game's at eight.
Something else that's pretty cool... I went to power yoga twice this week. I used to take yoga for credit in undergrad (how sweet is that?) and I've been in love with it ever since. Unfortunately,
power yoga is like yoga on crack. Fortunately, it's a great workout and it leaves you feeling wonderful.
What's not so awesome is the fact that I've completely succumbed to the fact that I will spend a lot of time studying. Somewhere along the way, I lost my "I will not let school interfere with my social life" attitude. I have always done above average, while never really setting high standards for myself. Suddenly, I find myself unable to settle for anything less than outstanding. Twice this week I could've gone out and partied, and both times I found myself wanting to stay in and study. Not forcing myself to stay in, but *wanting* it. This is so strange. Could I possibly be growing up???
NEVER!
At any rate, I hope it persists and that it pays off, because I'd better not be both lame and mediocre!
Tonight, I will not be lame. I am going out. I want to celebrate the end of the week. On that note, I should go study for a couple of hours.
See? WTF?!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Exam, partying, and Gainesville rant
We took our first exam on Friday. Our Anatomy professor calls exams "exercises" and he says that we have to keep swimming, and each exam is like a buoy.
It's really an annoying metaphor, because it is a feeble attempt to make the whole ordeal seem like a fun game. It should be something like: You are in a torture chamber, and the exam is like when your torturer comes in to check on how miserable you are and inflict an extra amount of pain/suffering.
As usual, I exaggerate.
But 3 computer exams and a 2.5 hour practical with both cadavers and microscopes is really really tiring. Not to mention the fact that everything was tough, minus one exam, Radiology. That professor's got an amazing sense of humor, and the class is pass/fail. This is the recipe for a ridiculously easy exam.
I didn't suffer too much throughout the whole experience, though. It's just a test. I did well enough to pass it all, and even if I hadn't, we've got 2 more "exercises" then shelf exams, which are some sort of standardized exams to assess our learnin'.
The absolute BEST part about taking an exam, however, is the unanimous desire to go have a ridiculously awesome time afterward. That we did. We threw a house party, and more than half of our classmates showed up. It was a grand old time. I woke up on Saturday morning feeling less than ideal, but I got online and had my good friend Papa John make me a pineapple and ham pizza and have it delivered. Best hangover cure EVER.
The weird thing about the first couple of days after an exam is the readjustment to being normal again. I got used to spending 80-90% of each day studying or in the lab. It's so strange to wake up and have the option to sit around and watch TV all day (which is PRECISELY what I did yesterday).
Last night we went to the mediocrity that is downtown Gainesville. The assholes at the bar charged an extra 4 drinks on my tab. It is Gainesville, so those drinks only cost about 3-4 bucks each, but that is still bull-crap! I argued with them and they treated me as though I was some crazy drunk bitch. I was not really drunk, but I was definitely being a bitch after 5 minutes of their crap. Screw them for overcharging me. They erased the charges, but it was like pulling teeth and their customer service was pathetic. I suppose dumbass drunk Gainesville kids try to pull this all the time, perhaps because they were so drunk that they forgot that they had ordered all those drinks. This was most certainly not the case for me.
Ok that's enough ranting. I'm trying to love this town but it's getting harder. Whatever, it's only the second month of many, and I am sure there are some better bars around here. Sigh.
Why couldn't UF be in Miami?! Oh, I know why, I'd NEVER study.
We took our first exam on Friday. Our Anatomy professor calls exams "exercises" and he says that we have to keep swimming, and each exam is like a buoy.
It's really an annoying metaphor, because it is a feeble attempt to make the whole ordeal seem like a fun game. It should be something like: You are in a torture chamber, and the exam is like when your torturer comes in to check on how miserable you are and inflict an extra amount of pain/suffering.
As usual, I exaggerate.
But 3 computer exams and a 2.5 hour practical with both cadavers and microscopes is really really tiring. Not to mention the fact that everything was tough, minus one exam, Radiology. That professor's got an amazing sense of humor, and the class is pass/fail. This is the recipe for a ridiculously easy exam.
I didn't suffer too much throughout the whole experience, though. It's just a test. I did well enough to pass it all, and even if I hadn't, we've got 2 more "exercises" then shelf exams, which are some sort of standardized exams to assess our learnin'.
The absolute BEST part about taking an exam, however, is the unanimous desire to go have a ridiculously awesome time afterward. That we did. We threw a house party, and more than half of our classmates showed up. It was a grand old time. I woke up on Saturday morning feeling less than ideal, but I got online and had my good friend Papa John make me a pineapple and ham pizza and have it delivered. Best hangover cure EVER.
The weird thing about the first couple of days after an exam is the readjustment to being normal again. I got used to spending 80-90% of each day studying or in the lab. It's so strange to wake up and have the option to sit around and watch TV all day (which is PRECISELY what I did yesterday).
Last night we went to the mediocrity that is downtown Gainesville. The assholes at the bar charged an extra 4 drinks on my tab. It is Gainesville, so those drinks only cost about 3-4 bucks each, but that is still bull-crap! I argued with them and they treated me as though I was some crazy drunk bitch. I was not really drunk, but I was definitely being a bitch after 5 minutes of their crap. Screw them for overcharging me. They erased the charges, but it was like pulling teeth and their customer service was pathetic. I suppose dumbass drunk Gainesville kids try to pull this all the time, perhaps because they were so drunk that they forgot that they had ordered all those drinks. This was most certainly not the case for me.
Ok that's enough ranting. I'm trying to love this town but it's getting harder. Whatever, it's only the second month of many, and I am sure there are some better bars around here. Sigh.
Why couldn't UF be in Miami?! Oh, I know why, I'd NEVER study.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Fickle Girrrl
Guys say "Girls are so fickle."While I cannot speak on behalf of my entire gender, I can most certainly admit that I'm as fickle as a pickle.
A pickle that once was a cucumber, to be chopped up and used as an ingredient in a freshly tossed Mediterranean salad, but decided to jump into a vat of brine instead, only to later realize that it wants to be a cucumber again.
For the most part, being fickle has not been a totally terrible thing. I've gained exposure to a handful of possible career paths, tried lots of beer, learned about lots of different belief systems, etc. The value of this for me: a broader perspective, a greater understanding. The only time it really bugs me is when it is at the expense of another person.
My official apology: I am really truly very sorry for being so fickle.
This weekend presented with one decision was extremely tough to make: Go out and party on Friday night and/or go to the UF vs Tennessee game today, or stay in and study, study, study instead. I am pretty shocked that I chose the latter.
In the words of a once great punk band: "Well I guess this is growing up."
Uh, don't get me wrong, I definitely will watch the game. But no tailgating. OH MY GOD IT BURNS. Must.... drink... beer.
Being responsible sucks ass. Getting bad grades sucks significantly more ass, though.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Chronicles of the Spazziest (sp?) Med Student of Them All
Two things:
1: Yesterday in class, I opened up my laptop so I could take notes on the wonderful world of diagnostic imaging. I generally hit "Hibernate" instead of "Shut Down" so that I can open up the computer and have everything I was doing before still there. Little did I know, Firefox was open with Pandora radio up and running. It takes a while for the laptop to show me Windows and let me move around and do stuff. It does not, however, take more than one second for the music to come on FULL BLAST in the middle of the lecture. The song that was playing? Christina Aguilera, Dirty. She's just YELLING in the song. It is definitely on the list of the top ten songs you wouldn't want to be playing full blast in the middle of lecture. I scrambled to shut the sound off, but the volume controls were completely unresponsive. I held down the off button for a very long time before it shut down. Everyone had a grand old time laughing it up. Luckily the professor thought everyone was laughing at some joke he had put up on the powerpoint presentation.
2: Yesterday in lab, while returning from the tissue disposal bin, where I was dumping out the 6th container-full of thigh fat, I noticed a breeze. My pants fell down.
Yeah, no lie. At my ankles.
Luckily, my lab coat is really long, and I was covered down to my knee.
Still hilarious, tho. Again, laughter ensued and everyone else in the room was wondering what could possibly be so damn funny about shoveling fat out of a cadaver's thigh in a desperate attempt to clean out the femoral nerve. (Worst lab EVER, by the way).
Neither of these can top the time I yelled "I HATE YOU" while walking into a lecture hall last year. That was a classic.
The morals of the stories:
1: Pandora radio is not all it's chopped up to be if it actually thinks I'd like that awful song.
2: They need to make better fitting scrubs. How 'bout an elastic band? Would that kill them?
1: Yesterday in class, I opened up my laptop so I could take notes on the wonderful world of diagnostic imaging. I generally hit "Hibernate" instead of "Shut Down" so that I can open up the computer and have everything I was doing before still there. Little did I know, Firefox was open with Pandora radio up and running. It takes a while for the laptop to show me Windows and let me move around and do stuff. It does not, however, take more than one second for the music to come on FULL BLAST in the middle of the lecture. The song that was playing? Christina Aguilera, Dirty. She's just YELLING in the song. It is definitely on the list of the top ten songs you wouldn't want to be playing full blast in the middle of lecture. I scrambled to shut the sound off, but the volume controls were completely unresponsive. I held down the off button for a very long time before it shut down. Everyone had a grand old time laughing it up. Luckily the professor thought everyone was laughing at some joke he had put up on the powerpoint presentation.
2: Yesterday in lab, while returning from the tissue disposal bin, where I was dumping out the 6th container-full of thigh fat, I noticed a breeze. My pants fell down.
Yeah, no lie. At my ankles.
Luckily, my lab coat is really long, and I was covered down to my knee.
Still hilarious, tho. Again, laughter ensued and everyone else in the room was wondering what could possibly be so damn funny about shoveling fat out of a cadaver's thigh in a desperate attempt to clean out the femoral nerve. (Worst lab EVER, by the way).
Neither of these can top the time I yelled "I HATE YOU" while walking into a lecture hall last year. That was a classic.
The morals of the stories:
1: Pandora radio is not all it's chopped up to be if it actually thinks I'd like that awful song.
2: They need to make better fitting scrubs. How 'bout an elastic band? Would that kill them?
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Britney Spears disappointed me tonight.
The VMA's seem to get worse every year. I shouldn't have sacrificed this past hour of study time...
"Sacrificed" pfft.
I heart Justin Timberlake though. And yeah, Britney has GUTS to come out and sing after all she's done.
Oh, back to why the VMA's are an insult to me. It's always poorly planned, people always read their cue cards incorrectly, and the technical difficulties are overwhelming.
Who am I to criticize this annual meeting of celebrities in a celebration of music? A formaldehyde drenched, very stressed out medical school student, who should have studied today, but for some odd reason couldn't find the motivation. Nearly failing last Thursday's quiz and an impending major exam in less than two weeks just don't cut it.
Oh, but I studied all weekend, so it's okay. NO NO WAIT, I DIDN'T STUDY ALL WEEKEND!
It was a fun weekend tho. I spent a couple of hours at school on Saturday kind of glossing over some Anatomy stuff, but I was too excited to get to tailgating (which was awesome). The game was cool too, but I was too tired to really care. Go Gators!
Tomorrow we have to interview a fake patient and we're getting videotaped. Later in the week, we will get into our small groups and watch ourselves. The stupid camera adds 10 lbs, and I am nervous as hell.
Bah! I suppose I should get to bed early. No use staying up and watching this garbage any longer.
The VMA's seem to get worse every year. I shouldn't have sacrificed this past hour of study time...
"Sacrificed" pfft.
I heart Justin Timberlake though. And yeah, Britney has GUTS to come out and sing after all she's done.
Oh, back to why the VMA's are an insult to me. It's always poorly planned, people always read their cue cards incorrectly, and the technical difficulties are overwhelming.
Who am I to criticize this annual meeting of celebrities in a celebration of music? A formaldehyde drenched, very stressed out medical school student, who should have studied today, but for some odd reason couldn't find the motivation. Nearly failing last Thursday's quiz and an impending major exam in less than two weeks just don't cut it.
Oh, but I studied all weekend, so it's okay. NO NO WAIT, I DIDN'T STUDY ALL WEEKEND!
It was a fun weekend tho. I spent a couple of hours at school on Saturday kind of glossing over some Anatomy stuff, but I was too excited to get to tailgating (which was awesome). The game was cool too, but I was too tired to really care. Go Gators!
Tomorrow we have to interview a fake patient and we're getting videotaped. Later in the week, we will get into our small groups and watch ourselves. The stupid camera adds 10 lbs, and I am nervous as hell.
Bah! I suppose I should get to bed early. No use staying up and watching this garbage any longer.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
QUIZ TOMORROW!
It is the first of many evaluations of my ability to take in new information, understand it, and be able to demonstrate that understanding by correctly answering a series of questions written by people who haven't been in medical school since before the discovery of electricity. It will define me as a medical school student.
No it won't. Hopefully it'll go okay enough that I don't fail, but not so well that I don't get the swift kick in the booty I need to get into high gear.
It is the first of many evaluations of my ability to take in new information, understand it, and be able to demonstrate that understanding by correctly answering a series of questions written by people who haven't been in medical school since before the discovery of electricity. It will define me as a medical school student.
No it won't. Hopefully it'll go okay enough that I don't fail, but not so well that I don't get the swift kick in the booty I need to get into high gear.
Before I know it, I'm going to have to choose a specialty.
I went to a Psychiatry Interest Group talk today. "Talks" by interest groups on campus are generally given during lunch time, and lunch is generally provided. But I seriously went to the talk with genuine interest.
Genuine interest in getting some pizza.
Oh, and also a slight interest in Psychiatry as a potential career.
I left with more than a slight interest. Psychiatry is one of the more humanistic medical career paths, and a lot more options exist beyond what most people think a psychiatrist is. I actually found the talk interesting, as well as very informational.
When one lady was talking, I got some really intense deja vu. Like, real deja vu. As in, I totally was here before, listening to these words, feeling this way.
Maybe it's a sign... In a past life I may have been a psychiatrist. Or a hungry medical student listening to a psychiatry interest group talk.
The speakers did/are currently doing residencies in psychiatry, and all of them said "I never thought I wanted to do Psychiatry." With my history of indecisiveness (switched career paths thrice), I most definitely have no clue about what I'll be doing in 4 years. But if I do end up choosing Psychiatry, I'll always remember this lunch talk, and perhaps when I'm a guest speaker for the Psychiatry Interest Group Talk for a bunch of new stinky first year med students, I'll tell them the story of what sparked my interest in Psychiatry. Maybe not.
On a totally unrelated, unnecessarily whiny note: I took a long shower and still smell like formaldehyde. There's a quiz on Thursday. I don't know what innervates the supraspinatus muscle, let alone what the hell it does. I don't know what mitochondria look like under a light microscope, or which proteins are involved in the zonula adherens of epethelial cells.
Perhaps I shouldn't think about residency when it's quite possible I won't even make it through year one...
Ok, that's an exaggeration, I hope. I'm just tired/cranky/stinky.
I went to a Psychiatry Interest Group talk today. "Talks" by interest groups on campus are generally given during lunch time, and lunch is generally provided. But I seriously went to the talk with genuine interest.
Genuine interest in getting some pizza.
Oh, and also a slight interest in Psychiatry as a potential career.
I left with more than a slight interest. Psychiatry is one of the more humanistic medical career paths, and a lot more options exist beyond what most people think a psychiatrist is. I actually found the talk interesting, as well as very informational.
When one lady was talking, I got some really intense deja vu. Like, real deja vu. As in, I totally was here before, listening to these words, feeling this way.
Maybe it's a sign... In a past life I may have been a psychiatrist. Or a hungry medical student listening to a psychiatry interest group talk.
The speakers did/are currently doing residencies in psychiatry, and all of them said "I never thought I wanted to do Psychiatry." With my history of indecisiveness (switched career paths thrice), I most definitely have no clue about what I'll be doing in 4 years. But if I do end up choosing Psychiatry, I'll always remember this lunch talk, and perhaps when I'm a guest speaker for the Psychiatry Interest Group Talk for a bunch of new stinky first year med students, I'll tell them the story of what sparked my interest in Psychiatry. Maybe not.
On a totally unrelated, unnecessarily whiny note: I took a long shower and still smell like formaldehyde. There's a quiz on Thursday. I don't know what innervates the supraspinatus muscle, let alone what the hell it does. I don't know what mitochondria look like under a light microscope, or which proteins are involved in the zonula adherens of epethelial cells.
Perhaps I shouldn't think about residency when it's quite possible I won't even make it through year one...
Ok, that's an exaggeration, I hope. I'm just tired/cranky/stinky.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Gainesville is just plain WEIRD to me.
So, today I got a ride to school from my good ol' pal Horacio, who came up here for the game (which I *did* attend... damn it feels good to be a Gator). Anyway, I don't have a car, but I live a little less than 2 miles away from campus. Last year, in DC, I used to walk 3.5 miles to and from school (uphill, both ways, in the snow). It was great because it let me get a bit of exercise, some nice quiet alone time, and the chance to be outdoors after hours of being cooped up in horrendous classrooms.
After printing a google map, just in case I needed it, I started what I thought would be a regular walk home. Campus was strangely quiet and desolate, and as I approached the normally full commuter lot, I kind of felt a little scared. There was only one car in the parking lot. Campus security. As I walked through the lot, I heard the driver of the car turn on the ignition and start driving. Three seconds later the car was next to me and I heard a woman's voice: "do you need a ride to your car?" When I explained that I was just walking home, and that home was a good 2 miles away, she damn near slapped me upside the head. She called for a police officer to come drive me home, and had me sit in her car with her. I felt like a 5 year old who had just stuck a bobby pin in an electric socket and was being scolded by the proper adult authorities.
Sidenote: I actually did stick a bobby pin in an electric socket when I was younger. I got a nice big jolt, and I vaguely remember that my mom went all kinds of crazy on me.
Moving right along, this woman let me know that I should NEVER EVER walk alone at night. Sounds like common sense, I suppose. But again, I used to walk in DC, one of the biggest cities with the most crime. I used to walk home at 10 pm, without a care in the world. It wasn't even totally dark out tonight.
Back to her lecture: "There are crazy people out there, you never know. Not to mention alligators. You are new around here, you're not used to the alligators. If one of those things gets near you, you're gonna panic, not know what to do. You might run into traffic. There are snakes around here too. And very little lighting. And also, think about the fact that there are lots of heavily medicated people walkin' around comin' out of the hospital."
She straight up scared the shit out of me. I don't even want to walk around Gainesville in broad daylight anymore.
So the cop showed up, and he was less than pleased. I thanked the maternally inclined security guard, and almost wanted to hug her. She cared, and it showed. The transition from sweet lady to pissed cop was an awkward one. He had to clear out all the stuff from the front seat, while I just stood there wondering if I should sit in the back. That would've been cool. I would've been like "damn it feels good to be a gangsta". But I didn't want him to think I was used to sitting in the back of a cop car or something weird like that. So I got in the front. He asked me "what happened" and I explained the situation. He kind of just nodded. I wanted to break the silence, and even contemplated making a joke, like "I hope this is the ONLY time I'm ever riding in a cop car" but I was so embarrassed that I didn't dare speak (me, quiet?!?! hard to imagine, I know). He made some small talk and I got home, safe and sound, without a gator bite in sight.
I was pretty annoyed at the situation, because I really like walking, and it's too hot to do it before dark. I'm annoyed because Gainesville had given me a false sense of safety. I mean, coming from Miami and having lived in DC, how could I be afraid of lil' old G-ville? Damn this town, and its lack of public transportation and adequate lighting.
The only good thing that came out of this is that I met my security guard savior. She showed that she really cared and that UF is all about taking care of its students. I would never *ever* expect half of that from the University of Miami or Georgetown, ever.
So hooray for UF, hooray for kindness.
This place is going to take some getting used to. And by some, I mean a lot.
Weird place, this Gainesville. It's only been 3 weeks, perhaps I'll grow to love it eventually.
Oh yeah, and med school sucks.
So, today I got a ride to school from my good ol' pal Horacio, who came up here for the game (which I *did* attend... damn it feels good to be a Gator). Anyway, I don't have a car, but I live a little less than 2 miles away from campus. Last year, in DC, I used to walk 3.5 miles to and from school (uphill, both ways, in the snow). It was great because it let me get a bit of exercise, some nice quiet alone time, and the chance to be outdoors after hours of being cooped up in horrendous classrooms.
After printing a google map, just in case I needed it, I started what I thought would be a regular walk home. Campus was strangely quiet and desolate, and as I approached the normally full commuter lot, I kind of felt a little scared. There was only one car in the parking lot. Campus security. As I walked through the lot, I heard the driver of the car turn on the ignition and start driving. Three seconds later the car was next to me and I heard a woman's voice: "do you need a ride to your car?" When I explained that I was just walking home, and that home was a good 2 miles away, she damn near slapped me upside the head. She called for a police officer to come drive me home, and had me sit in her car with her. I felt like a 5 year old who had just stuck a bobby pin in an electric socket and was being scolded by the proper adult authorities.
Sidenote: I actually did stick a bobby pin in an electric socket when I was younger. I got a nice big jolt, and I vaguely remember that my mom went all kinds of crazy on me.
Moving right along, this woman let me know that I should NEVER EVER walk alone at night. Sounds like common sense, I suppose. But again, I used to walk in DC, one of the biggest cities with the most crime. I used to walk home at 10 pm, without a care in the world. It wasn't even totally dark out tonight.
Back to her lecture: "There are crazy people out there, you never know. Not to mention alligators. You are new around here, you're not used to the alligators. If one of those things gets near you, you're gonna panic, not know what to do. You might run into traffic. There are snakes around here too. And very little lighting. And also, think about the fact that there are lots of heavily medicated people walkin' around comin' out of the hospital."
She straight up scared the shit out of me. I don't even want to walk around Gainesville in broad daylight anymore.
So the cop showed up, and he was less than pleased. I thanked the maternally inclined security guard, and almost wanted to hug her. She cared, and it showed. The transition from sweet lady to pissed cop was an awkward one. He had to clear out all the stuff from the front seat, while I just stood there wondering if I should sit in the back. That would've been cool. I would've been like "damn it feels good to be a gangsta". But I didn't want him to think I was used to sitting in the back of a cop car or something weird like that. So I got in the front. He asked me "what happened" and I explained the situation. He kind of just nodded. I wanted to break the silence, and even contemplated making a joke, like "I hope this is the ONLY time I'm ever riding in a cop car" but I was so embarrassed that I didn't dare speak (me, quiet?!?! hard to imagine, I know). He made some small talk and I got home, safe and sound, without a gator bite in sight.
I was pretty annoyed at the situation, because I really like walking, and it's too hot to do it before dark. I'm annoyed because Gainesville had given me a false sense of safety. I mean, coming from Miami and having lived in DC, how could I be afraid of lil' old G-ville? Damn this town, and its lack of public transportation and adequate lighting.
The only good thing that came out of this is that I met my security guard savior. She showed that she really cared and that UF is all about taking care of its students. I would never *ever* expect half of that from the University of Miami or Georgetown, ever.
So hooray for UF, hooray for kindness.
This place is going to take some getting used to. And by some, I mean a lot.
Weird place, this Gainesville. It's only been 3 weeks, perhaps I'll grow to love it eventually.
Oh yeah, and med school sucks.
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