That's it... less than 12 hours till showtime.
This exam is sucking the life out of me. There are no nails left to bite, no chocolate left to binge on.
I am worried. Like, I know anxiety is bad, mmkay, but there is a definite cause for alarm. Or at least definite cause to prepare oneself for the possibility that this exam will be difficult and that an A is not likely to happen.
It's not just me freaking out. Everyone is.
Why? Because no matter how many times you read this material, it's still confusing as hell. What happens when you increase potassium conductance, they ask. And you stop, you think, you have your answer, and it makes sense in your head. You reason it out 2 more times. You circle the choice that corresponds to it, and flip to the answer sheet, only to find one of four things:
1) your reasoning was completely flawed, and your answer is incorrect
2) you didn't know about a new twist that was conveniently NOT included in the professor's lecture/class notes/powerpoint, and your answer makes sense but it's not the best one, and so it's incorrect,
3) you mixed up + and -, and- guess what- your answer is incorrect
4) by some miracle, you were right (Very, very rare. Often accompanied by disbelief and a squeal of excitment. Brings about a strong desire to high-five yourself).
What possibly makes it all worse is.... you go back to the same damn questions the next day, and you get some wrong that you had gotten right the day before. And you don't know why. This just makes you realize that you DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL. You're not grasping it. It's like trying to stab spaghetti with a fork. Only worse.
I am not exaggerating. And I'm not the only one. These past few days have been spent sending/receiving frantic instant messages asking... "why is the answer to number 4 D?" and stuff like that. Everyone from the group of classmates I associate with regularly has, at one point today, told me that they are experiencing the same issues with answering questions (see list above).
This is scary. But at least I'm not alone. I can only hope the medical students are suffering this much, because our grading scale is based on their performance...
See what this class is doing to me? It's got me wishing suffering on other people. That's SO not my style.
Go up to ANY doctor and ask him what happens when you increase potassium conductance in a smooth muscle cell. I'll bet he has no clue. WHY MUST THEY TORTURE US THIS WAY!??!?!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?
And to think... if I get into med school I have to take physiology all over again.
Ah! Speaking of getting instant messages... I finally got one today that has nothing to do with the exam. Just one minute ago, my friend Anna decided to IM me with some extremely disturbing images. My question to her is... Was the swelling caused by an increase in osmolarity in the area?
And now it's time to stop blogging and start flogging (myself) because I deserve it for not studying more.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Just when you think things aren't going your way..... something pleasant happens
YAY!!!
I found my gloves!
My silly self went out to CVS earlier last week and when I got home I was so desperate to pee that (I guess) I threw my gloves in the CVS bag, threw the bag on the floor, threw my jacket on the couch, and never looked back. I pretty much throw stuff all over the place when I get home, and then I wake up some mornings in shock of the disaster-zone that I have created.
Anyway...
Today, just a few minutes ago, in the middle of learning about muscle spindles and gamma motorneurons I decided I wanted to organize the ocean of papers I am drowning in. I reached under the coffee table for the CVS bag to grab the new binder I bought and- lo and behold- there were the wonderful black gloves that my mommy got me.
Yes, they're just gloves, and their total value is less than 10 bucks. But for some reason this made me really happy. Maybe it's all the caffeine.
Another good thing: the studying is going nicely so far. I've been at it nonstop since noon. I woke up super late (11 am) but the day is young and I have all night and all day tomorrow. I think I've reached that point where it's all finally coming together...
Hopefully the glove discovery is indicative of more good stuff to come. Like, an A in physiology. That would be sweet.
Thank you, Universe, for not picking on me anymore... at least for the time being.
And now, I'm going to stop writing, because I know that this is me just slacking. This post should've been one sentence long: "I found my gloves."
Sidenote: yay for Super Mario Bros. Is this broad's name Princess Peach or Princess Toadstool? Whatever it is, she looks happy.
OK... back to intrafusal fibers and proprioception. Say that ten times fast.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Once again, not my idea of an ideal blog topic....
There is something wrong with me.
For about 1.5 weeks now, I have reverted to a bitch-like state. At least once a day, something makes my blood boil. You'd think that's a good thing, considering the weather, but it's really not.
I don't like this, blogging complaints and stuff. But I feel I must.
I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but I've been pretty irritable. Perhaps it's the excessive amount of caffeine? Anxiety of getting in to medical school? The incredibly important and frightening physiology exam (Monday, January 29) that I should be studying for instead of blogging? (And to all those stupid guys out there, NO IT IS NOT PMS. I hate it when guys just throw that acronym out there, as though they could even begin to know how annoying it is. UGH!) See? Look at how bitchy I am! Plus, PMS wouldn't THIS long. That would be a cruel, cruel joke.
Anyway, I am really really irritable for no good reason.
Take, for example, today. Today we had a "review" for the exam. Two hours of the teacher making us feel as though we know nothing by giving convoluted explanations to simple problems. A friend asked me to take notes for him, and so the pressure to take good notes was quadrupled, of course. So, I'm trying my best to take awesome notes, for myself and my friend, and I find myself frustrated, unable to get everything down. To make matters worse, the two girls sitting behind me decided to chat it up.... LOUDLY. And the worst thing is, they were giggling about boys (what an unworthy topic!) Ten minutes into it I thought my head was going to explode. The last sentence in my notes reads something like "the action potential is slowed... I missed the rest because there are people behind me talking loudly." The slight relief came when I saw that most of my classmates left the review early (good indication of its worthlessness). I stuffed my laptop in my backpack and stormed out. It took a good 10 minutes for me to calm down and get over it. The combination of not understanding anything the teacher was saying, the pressure of taking notes for my friend, and those annoying chatty mac chattersons behind me just really really got to me.
Now, those who know me well have experienced my firey temper at one point or another (I know Aldo's reading this saying YUUUUUP). But, I'd say I've improved greatly over the past couple of years. I've learned to not get so upset over silly things. I learned to control my scary temper. I learned to not sweat the small stuff. Now, I'm not saying it NEVER happened, but I generally saved the rage for stuff that was sort of a big deal, and it was significantly more controlled. Most people I interact with on a daily basis have no idea what kind of beast lingers behind this big cheesy smile.
But lately, I feel like I've gone back... waaaay back.
Sidenote: I'd be a hypocrite extraordinaire if I said that I never talk in class. And my voice really carries- a lot. Now, I'm not saying I'd be as annoying as the girl behind me was being today, but I am admitting that there have been days where I may have been disruptive in class. For this reason, I'm usually way more forgiving about people chatting it up around me in class. I'm not shy, I'll throw out a "SHHHHHHHHHHHH" if it gets ridiculously loud... but today I didn't have the balls to do it. Maybe cause one of the girls is actually nice, I've talked to her a couple of times, and I'm not one to confront and piss people off like that, either (in other words, I'm a pussy). Plus, it was her friend being loud.
I digress. The point is, any other day I'd deal with that situation just fine... moving seats if I had to (maybe a little bit of eye-rolling). But today, I just couldn't handle it with even a molecule of grace.
It's been like this for the past 1.5 weeks or so, and I don't like it. Every morning, I tell myself that I will be in a good mood all day, but somewhere between breakfast and getting to school I forget it all. I even tried the "force yourself to smile and then you'll feel better" thing. Nope. Nothing.
I find that I'm happy/relaxed when I'm cooking, though. I also noticed a few weeks ago that I really enjoy cleaning things... I realized this when I was cleaning the stove. I took apart all the take-apartable parts and cleaned them well, and the stove was shiny, and my soul was shiny too.
Combine these symptoms with the undeniable desire to be around babies all day, and all I can think of is that I am SO ready to be a bitchy barefoot and pregnant housewife.
NOT!
But I really do like cooking and cleaning.
I'm hoping that this whole psycho Mariana alter-ego will disappear soon. I've also been having lots of weird dreams (none as weird as the boob job one, though). It's not that they're really that weird, it's more that they are so realistic. Vivid. And I can recount so many details from them. They flow smoothly, they lack the usual lucidity and disjointedness (is that a word?) that dreams usually have.
My self diagnosis:
I have a condition known as "awesomitis." Since birth, I have been producing more of the awesomeness protein than the average human, and my body finally can't keep up with it all, so it's reacting negatively.
The remedy: it has been shown that awesomitis symptoms will be exacerbated during periods of high stress, but the consumption of chocolate and fried foods such as onion rings will significantly decrease the occurence and severety of symptoms.
So there. Problem solved (sort of). In the meantime, don't look at me wrong. As a matter of fact, don't even talk to me unless I initiate conversation. Ok? THAAAANKS.
One more thing. I really like physiology even though it's making me crazy. It's so interesting. We learned about electrocardiograms and I thought that was so cool.
Ok leave me alone.
There is something wrong with me.
For about 1.5 weeks now, I have reverted to a bitch-like state. At least once a day, something makes my blood boil. You'd think that's a good thing, considering the weather, but it's really not.
I don't like this, blogging complaints and stuff. But I feel I must.
I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but I've been pretty irritable. Perhaps it's the excessive amount of caffeine? Anxiety of getting in to medical school? The incredibly important and frightening physiology exam (Monday, January 29) that I should be studying for instead of blogging? (And to all those stupid guys out there, NO IT IS NOT PMS. I hate it when guys just throw that acronym out there, as though they could even begin to know how annoying it is. UGH!) See? Look at how bitchy I am! Plus, PMS wouldn't THIS long. That would be a cruel, cruel joke.
Anyway, I am really really irritable for no good reason.
Take, for example, today. Today we had a "review" for the exam. Two hours of the teacher making us feel as though we know nothing by giving convoluted explanations to simple problems. A friend asked me to take notes for him, and so the pressure to take good notes was quadrupled, of course. So, I'm trying my best to take awesome notes, for myself and my friend, and I find myself frustrated, unable to get everything down. To make matters worse, the two girls sitting behind me decided to chat it up.... LOUDLY. And the worst thing is, they were giggling about boys (what an unworthy topic!) Ten minutes into it I thought my head was going to explode. The last sentence in my notes reads something like "the action potential is slowed... I missed the rest because there are people behind me talking loudly." The slight relief came when I saw that most of my classmates left the review early (good indication of its worthlessness). I stuffed my laptop in my backpack and stormed out. It took a good 10 minutes for me to calm down and get over it. The combination of not understanding anything the teacher was saying, the pressure of taking notes for my friend, and those annoying chatty mac chattersons behind me just really really got to me.
Now, those who know me well have experienced my firey temper at one point or another (I know Aldo's reading this saying YUUUUUP). But, I'd say I've improved greatly over the past couple of years. I've learned to not get so upset over silly things. I learned to control my scary temper. I learned to not sweat the small stuff. Now, I'm not saying it NEVER happened, but I generally saved the rage for stuff that was sort of a big deal, and it was significantly more controlled. Most people I interact with on a daily basis have no idea what kind of beast lingers behind this big cheesy smile.
But lately, I feel like I've gone back... waaaay back.
Sidenote: I'd be a hypocrite extraordinaire if I said that I never talk in class. And my voice really carries- a lot. Now, I'm not saying I'd be as annoying as the girl behind me was being today, but I am admitting that there have been days where I may have been disruptive in class. For this reason, I'm usually way more forgiving about people chatting it up around me in class. I'm not shy, I'll throw out a "SHHHHHHHHHHHH" if it gets ridiculously loud... but today I didn't have the balls to do it. Maybe cause one of the girls is actually nice, I've talked to her a couple of times, and I'm not one to confront and piss people off like that, either (in other words, I'm a pussy). Plus, it was her friend being loud.
I digress. The point is, any other day I'd deal with that situation just fine... moving seats if I had to (maybe a little bit of eye-rolling). But today, I just couldn't handle it with even a molecule of grace.
It's been like this for the past 1.5 weeks or so, and I don't like it. Every morning, I tell myself that I will be in a good mood all day, but somewhere between breakfast and getting to school I forget it all. I even tried the "force yourself to smile and then you'll feel better" thing. Nope. Nothing.
I find that I'm happy/relaxed when I'm cooking, though. I also noticed a few weeks ago that I really enjoy cleaning things... I realized this when I was cleaning the stove. I took apart all the take-apartable parts and cleaned them well, and the stove was shiny, and my soul was shiny too.
Combine these symptoms with the undeniable desire to be around babies all day, and all I can think of is that I am SO ready to be a bitchy barefoot and pregnant housewife.
NOT!
But I really do like cooking and cleaning.
I'm hoping that this whole psycho Mariana alter-ego will disappear soon. I've also been having lots of weird dreams (none as weird as the boob job one, though). It's not that they're really that weird, it's more that they are so realistic. Vivid. And I can recount so many details from them. They flow smoothly, they lack the usual lucidity and disjointedness (is that a word?) that dreams usually have.
My self diagnosis:
I have a condition known as "awesomitis." Since birth, I have been producing more of the awesomeness protein than the average human, and my body finally can't keep up with it all, so it's reacting negatively.
The remedy: it has been shown that awesomitis symptoms will be exacerbated during periods of high stress, but the consumption of chocolate and fried foods such as onion rings will significantly decrease the occurence and severety of symptoms.
So there. Problem solved (sort of). In the meantime, don't look at me wrong. As a matter of fact, don't even talk to me unless I initiate conversation. Ok? THAAAANKS.
One more thing. I really like physiology even though it's making me crazy. It's so interesting. We learned about electrocardiograms and I thought that was so cool.
Ok leave me alone.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
WTF?
No, honestly though... what the hell is going on today?
I hate to be a Negative Nancy/Debbie Downer, and I apologize for blogging about this. I am in a poopie mood, stressed about the exam. To make matters worse, the Universe is plotting to make my life miserable through a series of small, unimportant- yet frustrating- events.
After writing this post, I have promised myself that I'll stop with the self pity, figure out what I'm eating for dinner, and study study study.
But first, the bitching.
I present to you two lists.
List 1: Things that went wrong today
-My eggs were overcooked this morning. And by overcooked, I mean that the yellows were not completely liquid. Yes, I realize, the egg is still edible, and that most normal people eat their fried eggs this way. And, for the first time in my LIFE, I ate the eggs that way (there weren't any left to cook, and I was starving!). The issue: the texture of the yellow when it's cooked makes me gag usually, but I tried my best to balance it out with just enough egg white. I realize this is weird. I have worked on it a lot, though. I used to not eat bananas, beans, or mashed potatoes because of their texture either, but I'm over all that. The yellow part of the egg-whether hardboiled or fried- was one I could never deal with. So after all that yuck,
I patted myself on the back for this great feat, and promised myself that the messed up eggs fiasco was not God's way of foreshadowing an annoying day. See? I stayed positive!
-I forgot my wallet at home. This never happens to me. EVER. I also didn't pack lunch. No biggie- that's what friends are for. The honorable Anna was kind enough to throw me 6 bucks. Yay.
-I had no energy at the gym. I'm talking, pooped out. I did some cardio and was able to do some other stuff, but I was feeling really weak and tired. I think I got a decent workout nonetheless.
-I lost my gloves. My mother got me a nice set: scarf, gloves, hat. I lost the hat on Saturday, which was fine cause I have 2 more. On the other hand (no pun intended) I only had one pair of gloves.
-After realizing that I had lost my gloves, I was on my way home planning out what I'd buy from the grocery store. I desperately need to get groceries. Then it hit me. How could I buy groceries WITHOUT MY WALLET? So now I can either waste time walking all the way to the supermarket, getting groceries, coming back, then being too tired to study, or I can just make do with what I have in the fridge (baking soda and mozarella sticks, anyone?)
-The CD/DVD drive on my less than 6 month old laptop has decided to stop working. Whoopie.
-Plants in my apartment keep dying. Not only have I killed most of the plants belonging to the owners of this apartment, but I've also managed to kill the new pretty flowers I bought. That's what I came home to, dead flowers. Too much water, I guess.
And now, for list number 2: Things that went well today
-N/A
No, honestly though... what the hell is going on today?
I hate to be a Negative Nancy/Debbie Downer, and I apologize for blogging about this. I am in a poopie mood, stressed about the exam. To make matters worse, the Universe is plotting to make my life miserable through a series of small, unimportant- yet frustrating- events.
After writing this post, I have promised myself that I'll stop with the self pity, figure out what I'm eating for dinner, and study study study.
But first, the bitching.
I present to you two lists.
List 1: Things that went wrong today
-My eggs were overcooked this morning. And by overcooked, I mean that the yellows were not completely liquid. Yes, I realize, the egg is still edible, and that most normal people eat their fried eggs this way. And, for the first time in my LIFE, I ate the eggs that way (there weren't any left to cook, and I was starving!). The issue: the texture of the yellow when it's cooked makes me gag usually, but I tried my best to balance it out with just enough egg white. I realize this is weird. I have worked on it a lot, though. I used to not eat bananas, beans, or mashed potatoes because of their texture either, but I'm over all that. The yellow part of the egg-whether hardboiled or fried- was one I could never deal with. So after all that yuck,
I patted myself on the back for this great feat, and promised myself that the messed up eggs fiasco was not God's way of foreshadowing an annoying day. See? I stayed positive!
-I forgot my wallet at home. This never happens to me. EVER. I also didn't pack lunch. No biggie- that's what friends are for. The honorable Anna was kind enough to throw me 6 bucks. Yay.
-I had no energy at the gym. I'm talking, pooped out. I did some cardio and was able to do some other stuff, but I was feeling really weak and tired. I think I got a decent workout nonetheless.
-I lost my gloves. My mother got me a nice set: scarf, gloves, hat. I lost the hat on Saturday, which was fine cause I have 2 more. On the other hand (no pun intended) I only had one pair of gloves.
-After realizing that I had lost my gloves, I was on my way home planning out what I'd buy from the grocery store. I desperately need to get groceries. Then it hit me. How could I buy groceries WITHOUT MY WALLET? So now I can either waste time walking all the way to the supermarket, getting groceries, coming back, then being too tired to study, or I can just make do with what I have in the fridge (baking soda and mozarella sticks, anyone?)
-The CD/DVD drive on my less than 6 month old laptop has decided to stop working. Whoopie.
-Plants in my apartment keep dying. Not only have I killed most of the plants belonging to the owners of this apartment, but I've also managed to kill the new pretty flowers I bought. That's what I came home to, dead flowers. Too much water, I guess.
And now, for list number 2: Things that went well today
-N/A
Monday, January 22, 2007
Freezing Weather, Cold Pizza and Real Boobies
It's really really cold.
Too cold.
I even turned on the radiator last night (first time ever!) and it's still cold as hell.
It's supposed to be 40 degrees Fahrenheit by noon today, which is not so bad. That is, quite possibly, the only thing that's got me still getting ready to go to school. Otherwise, I'd be curled up in bed underneath the covers.
To make matters worse this morning, I feel as though I was grinding my teeth all night. Ah- telltale symptom of STRESS!
Also, it could have been the crazy dream I had. Get this: The dream begins with me sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office with a very tight sports bra on, and my boobies are sore as hell. I somehow realize that I had chosen to get a breast augmentation (something I would never do unless I were unlucky enough to get breast cancer and have my breast(s) removed). The thing is, I can't remember why I was at a plastic surgeon's office and how I arrived at the decision to do something so unnatural and unnecessary. So, I'm sitting there in the waiting room with a friend, I can't remember who, and I just keep asking her, "what happened?" and she has no clue. So I go to the front desk and I ask the lady what the hell I did to myself and she tells me that I got breast augmentation and I "had my lips done." I run to the mirror and my lips look just a little puffy with some horrendously tacky pink lipstick all over. I decide to go to the bathroom to check out my new rack- I mean hey, it's been done- and much to my dismay they are uneven and there's some kind of crazy going on with the areolas. So alls I'm thinkin is OH MY GOD I'M LIKE TARA REID BUT NOT RICH! Then I start thinking that maybe the doctors did something crazy like steal my kidney or something (Nip/Tuck influence, for sure). I also worried about the content of the fake boobies, since the total cost, according to the lady at the front desk, was only $299. I thought, are these saline or silicone (which was recently made legal again)? Will I be able to breast feed my child? The dream lasted a little while longer... Somehow the dream jumps to me asking my mother (best mom ever!) if she breastfed all of us and then I lost track from there.
I had a bunch of other weird dreams but I didn't stay in bed long enough to remember them (thankfully). I am glad I woke up with my own boobies, and my own lips, which are puffy enough if you ask me.
I usually have vivid dreams with a lot of detail, but this one was just crazy! It's nuts that I even remember so much of it.
So now that I got that off my chest (ha-ha... oh Jesus I crack myself up) I should go enjoy my cold pizza breakfast. Blogging sort of warmed me up a bit. I will probably have flashbacks of the rest of my subconcious' eventful night, because that always happens. Something will just trigger a thought and then you realize, "hey, I dreamt about this..."
PS- recollecting a dream can be a grammar nightmare because, as we learned in middle school English, you should stay consistent with your tense. I went back to my dream story and found, much to my horror, that I had begun in past tense and somehow swithced to present tense. It's actually present progressive I believe, because it's a moment-by-moment recollection, but I might be wrong! Either way, you don't need to know what the name of the tense is to know that you're using it. So, I had to go back and change all my verbs. I'm slightly disappointed in my writing. But hey, at least my areolas are still intact!
It's really really cold.
Too cold.
I even turned on the radiator last night (first time ever!) and it's still cold as hell.
It's supposed to be 40 degrees Fahrenheit by noon today, which is not so bad. That is, quite possibly, the only thing that's got me still getting ready to go to school. Otherwise, I'd be curled up in bed underneath the covers.
To make matters worse this morning, I feel as though I was grinding my teeth all night. Ah- telltale symptom of STRESS!
Also, it could have been the crazy dream I had. Get this: The dream begins with me sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office with a very tight sports bra on, and my boobies are sore as hell. I somehow realize that I had chosen to get a breast augmentation (something I would never do unless I were unlucky enough to get breast cancer and have my breast(s) removed). The thing is, I can't remember why I was at a plastic surgeon's office and how I arrived at the decision to do something so unnatural and unnecessary. So, I'm sitting there in the waiting room with a friend, I can't remember who, and I just keep asking her, "what happened?" and she has no clue. So I go to the front desk and I ask the lady what the hell I did to myself and she tells me that I got breast augmentation and I "had my lips done." I run to the mirror and my lips look just a little puffy with some horrendously tacky pink lipstick all over. I decide to go to the bathroom to check out my new rack- I mean hey, it's been done- and much to my dismay they are uneven and there's some kind of crazy going on with the areolas. So alls I'm thinkin is OH MY GOD I'M LIKE TARA REID BUT NOT RICH! Then I start thinking that maybe the doctors did something crazy like steal my kidney or something (Nip/Tuck influence, for sure). I also worried about the content of the fake boobies, since the total cost, according to the lady at the front desk, was only $299. I thought, are these saline or silicone (which was recently made legal again)? Will I be able to breast feed my child? The dream lasted a little while longer... Somehow the dream jumps to me asking my mother (best mom ever!) if she breastfed all of us and then I lost track from there.
I had a bunch of other weird dreams but I didn't stay in bed long enough to remember them (thankfully). I am glad I woke up with my own boobies, and my own lips, which are puffy enough if you ask me.
I usually have vivid dreams with a lot of detail, but this one was just crazy! It's nuts that I even remember so much of it.
So now that I got that off my chest (ha-ha... oh Jesus I crack myself up) I should go enjoy my cold pizza breakfast. Blogging sort of warmed me up a bit. I will probably have flashbacks of the rest of my subconcious' eventful night, because that always happens. Something will just trigger a thought and then you realize, "hey, I dreamt about this..."
PS- recollecting a dream can be a grammar nightmare because, as we learned in middle school English, you should stay consistent with your tense. I went back to my dream story and found, much to my horror, that I had begun in past tense and somehow swithced to present tense. It's actually present progressive I believe, because it's a moment-by-moment recollection, but I might be wrong! Either way, you don't need to know what the name of the tense is to know that you're using it. So, I had to go back and change all my verbs. I'm slightly disappointed in my writing. But hey, at least my areolas are still intact!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
SNOW!
It snowed today. I didn't go outside, though, because it was a super serious study day. I didn't study nearly as much as I had wanted to, but at least I got something done.
To celebrate I treated myself to pizza. I deserve it!
This week is going to be filled with pre-test anxiety and psychosis. I hope the daily walk to school will help me be calm. I also hope I can get a 100 on the exam. Sigh.
Today when I realized it was snowing I was just like *meh* which is weird for someone who has only seen snow once before (NY, last year). It's strange that I wasn't more excited about it. That changed slightly when I got my first glimpse of snow up close when I went to get my pizza (I had to go downstairs and get it because this STUPID apt complex can't figure out how to program my name into the directory to let people in). The snow looked so nice and white, so pure, so fresh and so clean. I'll take pictures tomorrow during my walk.
Time to rest.... Good night cold world.
It snowed today. I didn't go outside, though, because it was a super serious study day. I didn't study nearly as much as I had wanted to, but at least I got something done.
To celebrate I treated myself to pizza. I deserve it!
This week is going to be filled with pre-test anxiety and psychosis. I hope the daily walk to school will help me be calm. I also hope I can get a 100 on the exam. Sigh.
Today when I realized it was snowing I was just like *meh* which is weird for someone who has only seen snow once before (NY, last year). It's strange that I wasn't more excited about it. That changed slightly when I got my first glimpse of snow up close when I went to get my pizza (I had to go downstairs and get it because this STUPID apt complex can't figure out how to program my name into the directory to let people in). The snow looked so nice and white, so pure, so fresh and so clean. I'll take pictures tomorrow during my walk.
Time to rest.... Good night cold world.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Helllloooooo blog world.
Last night I held game night part deux. GREAT SUCCESS *Borat Voice*
Game night is so much fun! I LOVE GAMES! I get really excited and pretty competetive and it's just a lot of fun. Also, I really like having people over. I live out of the way and far from Georgetown, so it's a rare event.
Speaking of how inconveniently far away I live, I have walked to school 3 times so far this week. I guess part of my "New Year's list of Resolutions and Revisions to the way I live" would include walking to school instead of relying on public transportation. The advantages are three-fold: 1) exercise, 2) it's freeeeee, 3) it's quality alone time. I hope I'll keep it up.
Speaking of New Year's Resolutions, I did not tell anyone person what my real New Year's Resolution is. Things like that lose value to me when I tell other people (I don't know how to explain that). Either way, it is an important exercise in shutting-up, and I am much more willing to stick to the resolution now (and more serious about it).
Some good New Year's Resolutions I've heard from those around me so far include: Giving up french fries for a year (yikes!), having better posture, not smoking pot anymore, saving money, and doing well in school (that one applies to everyone around me right now, probably!)
I like hearing what people have resolved to do and watching their execution of it. It's interesting to see who sticks to it, who doesn't, who cares that they stuck to it, and who forgets about their Resolution come February.
But the "Doing well in school" resolution is definitely one that people really do stick to, especially in the Stressful Masters Program- er, I mean, Special Masters Program (a wonderfully expensive one year program where you spend a year proving that you are medical school-worthy). It's crunch time. Everyone is pretty much freaking out right now. This is a tough semester, it's NOW when we're supposed to hear from medical schools. People who have gotten interviews and haven't heard back are freaking out. People who haven't gotten any interviews are freaking out more.
So, basically, I think anyone in my program who hasn't been accepted yet is basically in OH MY GOD I MUST GET AN A+ IN EVERYTHING mode (including myself). It's not cool. I can't bear the look of the white hair on my head, or my devoured nails. I can't imagine the thought of waiting until April or May to know that I am in somewhere.
And I am not going to lie, it's getting to me. I spent the greater part of last week annoyed, frustrated, and anxious. Even before people came over for game night, I was like BLEH. But after things got rolling, the fun-filled excitement brightened up my day. I went to bed feeling nice and I woke up ready to study all day.
So, my January 20 resolution will be to have game night again sometime soon. I know I can stick to this one. : )
Last night I held game night part deux. GREAT SUCCESS *Borat Voice*
Game night is so much fun! I LOVE GAMES! I get really excited and pretty competetive and it's just a lot of fun. Also, I really like having people over. I live out of the way and far from Georgetown, so it's a rare event.
Speaking of how inconveniently far away I live, I have walked to school 3 times so far this week. I guess part of my "New Year's list of Resolutions and Revisions to the way I live" would include walking to school instead of relying on public transportation. The advantages are three-fold: 1) exercise, 2) it's freeeeee, 3) it's quality alone time. I hope I'll keep it up.
Speaking of New Year's Resolutions, I did not tell anyone person what my real New Year's Resolution is. Things like that lose value to me when I tell other people (I don't know how to explain that). Either way, it is an important exercise in shutting-up, and I am much more willing to stick to the resolution now (and more serious about it).
Some good New Year's Resolutions I've heard from those around me so far include: Giving up french fries for a year (yikes!), having better posture, not smoking pot anymore, saving money, and doing well in school (that one applies to everyone around me right now, probably!)
I like hearing what people have resolved to do and watching their execution of it. It's interesting to see who sticks to it, who doesn't, who cares that they stuck to it, and who forgets about their Resolution come February.
But the "Doing well in school" resolution is definitely one that people really do stick to, especially in the Stressful Masters Program- er, I mean, Special Masters Program (a wonderfully expensive one year program where you spend a year proving that you are medical school-worthy). It's crunch time. Everyone is pretty much freaking out right now. This is a tough semester, it's NOW when we're supposed to hear from medical schools. People who have gotten interviews and haven't heard back are freaking out. People who haven't gotten any interviews are freaking out more.
So, basically, I think anyone in my program who hasn't been accepted yet is basically in OH MY GOD I MUST GET AN A+ IN EVERYTHING mode (including myself). It's not cool. I can't bear the look of the white hair on my head, or my devoured nails. I can't imagine the thought of waiting until April or May to know that I am in somewhere.
And I am not going to lie, it's getting to me. I spent the greater part of last week annoyed, frustrated, and anxious. Even before people came over for game night, I was like BLEH. But after things got rolling, the fun-filled excitement brightened up my day. I went to bed feeling nice and I woke up ready to study all day.
So, my January 20 resolution will be to have game night again sometime soon. I know I can stick to this one. : )
Monday, January 15, 2007
Last week in review: A Victory, An Interview, and A Birthday
The week kicked off (no pun intended) with the Gators winning the national championship... Not only is this a great moment in Florida football history, but it provided an excellent setting for my first medical school interview in Gainesville.
Got to Thursday I drove to
the wonderful institution, the
Tangent: some people count to ten, some people punch a wall, some people hyperventilate, and others just hold it in… when faced with an emotionally charged moment, I invariably cry. It’s annoying sometimes and even embarrassing. For example, while watching a movie with friends, the last thing I want them to see is me crying over one small semi-cheesy scene. I’m just a big baby!!!
The next day we attended a pep rally at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (AKA The Swamp) to honor the Gators. What a nice stadium!
Sunday (yesterday) I woke up with hopes of going to the beach, but the sky was cloudy (boooo). I purchased a new cell phone, because I misplaced the old one somewhere in
I was ready to get a new one anyway. I chose the tiniest phone I could find, and it sure is tiny. It looks like a toy. Like the phone Derek Zoolander carries around, only in silver. I love it! It is actually the smallest camera phone in North America. Can you tell which is the new phone, and which is the old??? I think that the phones are represented to scale (sort of?) to give the idea of how small this tiny little phone really is. Let's see how long it takes me to lose this one. Chances are it'll happen soon, since I dished out the extra cash to buy it instead of getting the phone that came free with upgrade.
Anyway, I proceeded to have lunch with the lovely and talented Monica. There is never a dull moment with her.
In the evening, after a devastating two hour nap, I threw together a last-minute birthday celebration for the honorable Aldo, whose birthday is today.
Last night was a lot of fun. I really enjoy spending time with my friends, and I’m sad to leave. I know I won’t be back for a while, and I’ve been in
Whatever, that’s not even something to be thinking about right now…
Stress!
Yikes!
Pow!
And so now, I’m sitting here at the airport, mentally preparing myself to get home and get busy. I have to do groceries and laundry, cook, go to the gym, and study. Of this list, I’m sure I’ll do groceries. That’s about the only thing I’m sure about.And now, we have to switch gates. I hope the flight isn’t going to be delayed, because then FOR SURE I won’t do most of the things on the aforementioned list.
It's 9:47 pm. I did groceries, and I cooked. I'm going to study a bit then go to bed. See? I did almost everything on the list! YAY ME!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Yesterday's walk proved to be exceptionally nice. I wandered down Connecticut Avenue looking for an outdoor coffee shop. After walking for a while, I remembered that during my walk home on Thursday, I had seen a sign pointing toward the National Cathedral somewhere on Connecticut Ave. I found this sign, and figured the Cathedral would be a short walk away. It was actually 2 miles away... It didn't matter, the weather was so nice that it was worth it. The Cathedral is gorgeous! We learned about Cathedral architecture in AP Art History in highschool, and I always loved that stuff!!! I didn't get to go inside because it wasn't open to the public after 4 pm. I am glad I spontaneously decided to swing by.
On the way there I had a lot of time to think about stuff. I also got to see lots of people walking around, enjoying the weather. I saw so many children, which is always nice. I am convinced that my biological clock is ticking very loudly right now. Every time I see young children, I can't look away, and a silly grin comes over my face. I can't help it! I always dream about babies, too.
But I know I won't be having kids any time soon. Until then, I will oggle other people's babies and sigh.
And now I should try to be productive, It's 6:30 pm. I should AT LEAST study for an hour or two. Hit up the gym, shower, and sleep early.
hah!
More like: browse the internet, talk on the phone, cook, browse the internet, shower, sleep.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
It's a beautiful day!!!
It's like, 70 degrees outside.
Global warming!!!
I will take a nice long walk until I encounter a place to sit and read for a while. I rediscovered the fact that I have one of my favorite childhood books, A Wrinkle In Time, sitting on my bookshelf. I would like to read it again. I have the memory of a 98 year old woman named Ethel, and so, I never remember anything about books besides "I liked it" or "it made me cry." I may also study a bit. This semester is gonna be stressful as hell and I should get a head start.
Speaking of stress, I was sitting here eating my breakfast (omelette with mushrooms,onions, cheese, and turkey bacon... yum!!!) and I decided to "stumble" through websites. I found this link. It's about how to deal with stress. A lot of the stuff on the list is stuff that I learned in the 4+ months I've been in this program. The rest of it I either learned before that or still haven't quite mastered (ie write everything down). It is a good list. StumbleUpon is awesome. It has exposed me to so many interesting sites. It has also been the reason for much of my procrastination, and therefore stress. Luckily for it, it redeemed itself today by showing me this website. I forgive you, Stumbleupon toolbar!
Moving right along, last night I hosted the first ever "game night" at my inconveniently far apartment. It was fun. I hope to have many more, but I fear all social activities will come to a screeching halt once this semester gets rolling.
Now is the semester of our discontent! It will be an ass-rape semester. It's not a joke. Not funny at all. Very scary. YIKES.
On that note, I should get started on my walk and enjoy this weather while there's still time.
It's like, 70 degrees outside.
Global warming!!!
I will take a nice long walk until I encounter a place to sit and read for a while. I rediscovered the fact that I have one of my favorite childhood books, A Wrinkle In Time, sitting on my bookshelf. I would like to read it again. I have the memory of a 98 year old woman named Ethel, and so, I never remember anything about books besides "I liked it" or "it made me cry." I may also study a bit. This semester is gonna be stressful as hell and I should get a head start.
Speaking of stress, I was sitting here eating my breakfast (omelette with mushrooms,onions, cheese, and turkey bacon... yum!!!) and I decided to "stumble" through websites. I found this link. It's about how to deal with stress. A lot of the stuff on the list is stuff that I learned in the 4+ months I've been in this program. The rest of it I either learned before that or still haven't quite mastered (ie write everything down). It is a good list. StumbleUpon is awesome. It has exposed me to so many interesting sites. It has also been the reason for much of my procrastination, and therefore stress. Luckily for it, it redeemed itself today by showing me this website. I forgive you, Stumbleupon toolbar!
Moving right along, last night I hosted the first ever "game night" at my inconveniently far apartment. It was fun. I hope to have many more, but I fear all social activities will come to a screeching halt once this semester gets rolling.
Now is the semester of our discontent! It will be an ass-rape semester. It's not a joke. Not funny at all. Very scary. YIKES.
On that note, I should get started on my walk and enjoy this weather while there's still time.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Random Stuff
The Office is one of the best shows ever. One of my all-time favorites, for shizzle. Yes. I watched every episode, EVER, during the Holiday break. That translates into: I was a lazy fat ass during the whole break.
Anyway, the show is good comedy, with a little bit of romance here and there. Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott, is so obnoxious that he's loveable. He constantly makes pop culture references in an attempt to be funny and cool. He's really really really abrasive sometimes. It's too funny. Dwight is my absolute favorite, though! He's an Uber-Dork. I could go on and on and on about this show, but I shouldn't. Just watch it!!!
During the Holiday Break, I went to the BODIES exhibition (second time) with my buddies Monica and Randi. It is
incredible!!! Super cool! Totally Rad! (there you go, Joe!) There's a lot of controversy surrounding the exhibit because the bodies are those of Chinese prisoners and it is questionable whether or not the individuals on display consented to have their bodies preserved and put out there for the world to see. Yada yada yada, it's a really cool exhibition! You get to see lots of bodies with different sections cut, giving a very good idea of the orientation of the organs, etc. Also there are glass cases with clinical examples, such as a smoker's lung and the brain of a stroke patient. Very interesting!!! The pic on the right is an example of what we saw. Disclaimer: This exhibit, though tastefully done, is not for the squeamish or easily freaked out.
Moving right along, today was day 2 of the new semester. Yikes! We are currently on
ly taking one class, Neuroanatomy. It is just a preparation course for the real deal: Neurophysiology. We will be tested on the material, but the class is pass/fail which takes a lot of the motivation out of it (but makes me a little happy). This is my first pass/fail class. Oh, how I hope to end up at a medical school which uses the pass/fail system!!!
Anyway, the neuroanatomy professor is pretty silly sometimes which makes the class slightly more bearable. We are in there for 3 hours each day, looking at images of the brain and spinal cord and learning about every freaking nerve ever! (Trochlear, hypoglossal, accessory, oh my!)
I like it but I am easily distracted. I zone out once every fifteen minutes. That's 12 times a day! This semester is gonna be tough! But a life with no challenges is no fun, I must say.
Speaking of challenging myself, my newest "thing" is to walk. A lot. Today I walked from school to Chipotle to Dupont Metro station to my house. Total distance: 5.4 miles. The weather is absolutely sexy and I need the exercise. Yesterday I walked a total of about 4 miles (not all at once). Why spend money on metro fares and bus fares when I have my Chevrolegs? Plus, like I said, I need the exercise. Really.
Back to the weather, it's unusually warm! In Miami the weather was reminiscent of a normal day in June. Here in DC, the weather is like a normal cool winter day in Miami should be. Global warming is breathing down our necks. But heyyyy, let's keep buying SUVs. Let's keep contributing to the hole in the ozone layer. Why the hell not?!?!?
Grrr.
Enough environmentalism.
Today I went to a Mexican restaurant, Lauriol Plaza, with my buddies Jose and
Arjun. We then proceeded to a Hookah bar, where we enjoyed wonderful, delicious apple-flavored shisha. Yummmm. Smoking Hookah (aka "arguileh" in arabic) always reminds me of my spectacularrific summer in Lebanon. *sigh* It was my first time going out since getting back to DC (I've only been here since Wednesday, give me a break!!!) I guess I'm kind of glad to be back. Sort of. Maybe. Ok not really!!! Maybe it's the fact that classes started and I'm still recovering from last semester. Maybe it's the fact that I miss my homies in Miami. Whatever it is, I've got to just suck it up and deal with it!!! Walking around DC for an hour today at least helped me remember that I'm in a pretty nice place, with lots of stuff to do. My next adventure: the National Zoo.
Okay, time to hit the hay!
The Office is one of the best shows ever. One of my all-time favorites, for shizzle. Yes. I watched every episode, EVER, during the Holiday break. That translates into: I was a lazy fat ass during the whole break.Anyway, the show is good comedy, with a little bit of romance here and there. Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott, is so obnoxious that he's loveable. He constantly makes pop culture references in an attempt to be funny and cool. He's really really really abrasive sometimes. It's too funny. Dwight is my absolute favorite, though! He's an Uber-Dork. I could go on and on and on about this show, but I shouldn't. Just watch it!!!
During the Holiday Break, I went to the BODIES exhibition (second time) with my buddies Monica and Randi. It is
incredible!!! Super cool! Totally Rad! (there you go, Joe!) There's a lot of controversy surrounding the exhibit because the bodies are those of Chinese prisoners and it is questionable whether or not the individuals on display consented to have their bodies preserved and put out there for the world to see. Yada yada yada, it's a really cool exhibition! You get to see lots of bodies with different sections cut, giving a very good idea of the orientation of the organs, etc. Also there are glass cases with clinical examples, such as a smoker's lung and the brain of a stroke patient. Very interesting!!! The pic on the right is an example of what we saw. Disclaimer: This exhibit, though tastefully done, is not for the squeamish or easily freaked out.Moving right along, today was day 2 of the new semester. Yikes! We are currently on
ly taking one class, Neuroanatomy. It is just a preparation course for the real deal: Neurophysiology. We will be tested on the material, but the class is pass/fail which takes a lot of the motivation out of it (but makes me a little happy). This is my first pass/fail class. Oh, how I hope to end up at a medical school which uses the pass/fail system!!!Anyway, the neuroanatomy professor is pretty silly sometimes which makes the class slightly more bearable. We are in there for 3 hours each day, looking at images of the brain and spinal cord and learning about every freaking nerve ever! (Trochlear, hypoglossal, accessory, oh my!)
I like it but I am easily distracted. I zone out once every fifteen minutes. That's 12 times a day! This semester is gonna be tough! But a life with no challenges is no fun, I must say.
Speaking of challenging myself, my newest "thing" is to walk. A lot. Today I walked from school to Chipotle to Dupont Metro station to my house. Total distance: 5.4 miles. The weather is absolutely sexy and I need the exercise. Yesterday I walked a total of about 4 miles (not all at once). Why spend money on metro fares and bus fares when I have my Chevrolegs? Plus, like I said, I need the exercise. Really.
Back to the weather, it's unusually warm! In Miami the weather was reminiscent of a normal day in June. Here in DC, the weather is like a normal cool winter day in Miami should be. Global warming is breathing down our necks. But heyyyy, let's keep buying SUVs. Let's keep contributing to the hole in the ozone layer. Why the hell not?!?!?
Grrr.
Enough environmentalism.
Today I went to a Mexican restaurant, Lauriol Plaza, with my buddies Jose and
Arjun. We then proceeded to a Hookah bar, where we enjoyed wonderful, delicious apple-flavored shisha. Yummmm. Smoking Hookah (aka "arguileh" in arabic) always reminds me of my spectacularrific summer in Lebanon. *sigh* It was my first time going out since getting back to DC (I've only been here since Wednesday, give me a break!!!) I guess I'm kind of glad to be back. Sort of. Maybe. Ok not really!!! Maybe it's the fact that classes started and I'm still recovering from last semester. Maybe it's the fact that I miss my homies in Miami. Whatever it is, I've got to just suck it up and deal with it!!! Walking around DC for an hour today at least helped me remember that I'm in a pretty nice place, with lots of stuff to do. My next adventure: the National Zoo.Okay, time to hit the hay!
Christmas in Miami : Pictures
Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas tree...Yes, that's our tree. It's fake. I know, I know...a fake tree seems tacky, but it's actually a lot easier to manage. Plus it's environment-friendly. HAH!
Said Fake Chimney from last post. No one really has a real chimney in Miami. For crying out loud, the temperature was like 90 degrees today. Anyway, I think this is so dorky, but my mother enjoys putting it up so whatever. It's kinda cute I guess...
Baby Jesus and his whole crew.
***it's nice to be home for Christmas***
Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas tree...Yes, that's our tree. It's fake. I know, I know...a fake tree seems tacky, but it's actually a lot easier to manage. Plus it's environment-friendly. HAH!
Said Fake Chimney from last post. No one really has a real chimney in Miami. For crying out loud, the temperature was like 90 degrees today. Anyway, I think this is so dorky, but my mother enjoys putting it up so whatever. It's kinda cute I guess...
Baby Jesus and his whole crew.
***it's nice to be home for Christmas***
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas and stuff.
And so, this is Christmas.
Psychotic shopping. Traffic. Decisions. Jingling Bells and Decked Halls. Wrapping paper. Decorations. Credit Card swiping. Holiday parties. Nice lights. Neighbors one-upping neighbors with bigger, more ridiculous inflatable lawn ornaments (it's quite amusing, actually). Wrapping paper. Traffic.
Christmas seems to lose its luster a little more each year. I didn't even bother reading the labels on the presents in front of the fake chimney my mother puts up (it's quite cheesy, really). In my youth, I used to spend hours searching the house for presents. When they were wrapped and placed under the tree, or, in front of the fake chimney, I would carefully peel off one specific piece of tape which would allow for just enough lifting of the wrapping paper to see what I was getting. I somehow got caught and the maternal unit adapted through several different strategies:
-wrapping the presents such that pulling off one piece of tape wouldn't reveal their contents
-no more labels on the presents (meaning that peeking would just give me a 1 in 4 chance, at best, at figuring out what was going on in there)
-mislabelling the presents and/or claiming that my presents belong to another individual
-extremely careful hiding of presents (ie aunt's house or somewhere we couldn't reach)
That mom of mine, she's sneaky. Despite her measures to keep things a surprise, I still found ways to figure out what my presents would be. One year she got really crappy wrapping paper that was see-through. HA! Victory!
...and now? I'm not even excited. My mom still gets us lots of stuff. Nowadays, it's usually stuff we need (ie socks) and lots of clothing, which is great.
Although the excitement for presents on Christmas morning has subsided, I still appreciate Christmas. It's a nice time of year and it's all family lovey-dovey and the decorations and lights are always pleasing.
I must say, although we didn't have much money when I was growing up, my mom always got us tons of stuff on Christmas. Nice memories.
One more irrelevant thing: I cried when I found out Santa wasn't for real. I dread breaking this news to my child one day, although it'll probably be easier on the wallet.
So yes, Christmas is great and all. But the holiday season is really hectic. It's what America's all about. Buy stuff buy stuff buy stuff! Work your ass off all year, and spend your hard-earned money on stuff! Your credit sucks! But you have awesome designer sunglasses! RUN RUN RUN SHOP SHOP SHOP.
This rant. It's going nowhere.
I haven't blogged in a while.... I've been too busy doing... oh, NOTHING AT ALL! I kept the present giving simple this year. 3 people. 3 gift certificates. DONE. My love is all they should need.
Anyway, this break has proven to be quite unproductive. I've watched nearly every episode of The Office. What a great show!!! I heart it!
Speaking of which, I want to watch an episode or two before I go to sleep. It's 3 AM. December 24, 2006. 3 AM.
Oh!
Happy Birthday to my brother Christopher (codename: Christina). He is 20. Born on Christmas Eve. He is a victim of the gift-and-a-half phenomenon, where someone buys you something slightly better and claims it is "for both your birthday and Christmas." I've always felt as though it is like getting 1.5 gifts instead of 2. He makes me appreciate having an August birthday. There aren't even any major holidays in August. Except my birthday, of course.
Irrelevant Sidenote: A lot of people say that they "don't believe in blogs." Ummm... I don't know how to break this to you, buddy, but.... blogs do actually exist.
No, no. They usually mean that they think blogging is dumb and they'd never do it (the number one reason: "why should I write about myself and put that stuff out there for anyone to see?").
Maybe these people aren't blogging cause they have not mastered the English language such that they can tell the difference between saying "I don't agree with blogging" versus "I don't believe in blogs." Hmmm??? Ok, I'm being nitpicky cause I get a little defensive.
It makes me think.... "Why do I blog? Do I think I'm so interesting? Do I totally put myself out there?" and after thinking a little I get kind of tired and take a break, have a little snack... then I start thinking again. I blog cause I like to blog. I don't think I really get very personal in the posts. One on one, in real life, I'm usually a pretty candid person. I'm an oversharer.... and it makes people uncomfortable sometimes. Pretty amusing, I must say. ANYWAY, back to the point.
I blog cause I like it. I don't think I'm particularly interesting, but it's a way of sharing stuff with friends, like embarassing stories and my latest theory on something unimportant.
I should hit the sack.
Maybe watch an episode or two of The Office, first!!!!
And so, this is Christmas.
Psychotic shopping. Traffic. Decisions. Jingling Bells and Decked Halls. Wrapping paper. Decorations. Credit Card swiping. Holiday parties. Nice lights. Neighbors one-upping neighbors with bigger, more ridiculous inflatable lawn ornaments (it's quite amusing, actually). Wrapping paper. Traffic.
Christmas seems to lose its luster a little more each year. I didn't even bother reading the labels on the presents in front of the fake chimney my mother puts up (it's quite cheesy, really). In my youth, I used to spend hours searching the house for presents. When they were wrapped and placed under the tree, or, in front of the fake chimney, I would carefully peel off one specific piece of tape which would allow for just enough lifting of the wrapping paper to see what I was getting. I somehow got caught and the maternal unit adapted through several different strategies:
-wrapping the presents such that pulling off one piece of tape wouldn't reveal their contents
-no more labels on the presents (meaning that peeking would just give me a 1 in 4 chance, at best, at figuring out what was going on in there)
-mislabelling the presents and/or claiming that my presents belong to another individual
-extremely careful hiding of presents (ie aunt's house or somewhere we couldn't reach)
That mom of mine, she's sneaky. Despite her measures to keep things a surprise, I still found ways to figure out what my presents would be. One year she got really crappy wrapping paper that was see-through. HA! Victory!
...and now? I'm not even excited. My mom still gets us lots of stuff. Nowadays, it's usually stuff we need (ie socks) and lots of clothing, which is great.
Although the excitement for presents on Christmas morning has subsided, I still appreciate Christmas. It's a nice time of year and it's all family lovey-dovey and the decorations and lights are always pleasing.
I must say, although we didn't have much money when I was growing up, my mom always got us tons of stuff on Christmas. Nice memories.
One more irrelevant thing: I cried when I found out Santa wasn't for real. I dread breaking this news to my child one day, although it'll probably be easier on the wallet.
So yes, Christmas is great and all. But the holiday season is really hectic. It's what America's all about. Buy stuff buy stuff buy stuff! Work your ass off all year, and spend your hard-earned money on stuff! Your credit sucks! But you have awesome designer sunglasses! RUN RUN RUN SHOP SHOP SHOP.
This rant. It's going nowhere.
I haven't blogged in a while.... I've been too busy doing... oh, NOTHING AT ALL! I kept the present giving simple this year. 3 people. 3 gift certificates. DONE. My love is all they should need.
Anyway, this break has proven to be quite unproductive. I've watched nearly every episode of The Office. What a great show!!! I heart it!
Speaking of which, I want to watch an episode or two before I go to sleep. It's 3 AM. December 24, 2006. 3 AM.
Oh!
Happy Birthday to my brother Christopher (codename: Christina). He is 20. Born on Christmas Eve. He is a victim of the gift-and-a-half phenomenon, where someone buys you something slightly better and claims it is "for both your birthday and Christmas." I've always felt as though it is like getting 1.5 gifts instead of 2. He makes me appreciate having an August birthday. There aren't even any major holidays in August. Except my birthday, of course.
Irrelevant Sidenote: A lot of people say that they "don't believe in blogs." Ummm... I don't know how to break this to you, buddy, but.... blogs do actually exist.
No, no. They usually mean that they think blogging is dumb and they'd never do it (the number one reason: "why should I write about myself and put that stuff out there for anyone to see?").
Maybe these people aren't blogging cause they have not mastered the English language such that they can tell the difference between saying "I don't agree with blogging" versus "I don't believe in blogs." Hmmm??? Ok, I'm being nitpicky cause I get a little defensive.
It makes me think.... "Why do I blog? Do I think I'm so interesting? Do I totally put myself out there?" and after thinking a little I get kind of tired and take a break, have a little snack... then I start thinking again. I blog cause I like to blog. I don't think I really get very personal in the posts. One on one, in real life, I'm usually a pretty candid person. I'm an oversharer.... and it makes people uncomfortable sometimes. Pretty amusing, I must say. ANYWAY, back to the point.
I blog cause I like it. I don't think I'm particularly interesting, but it's a way of sharing stuff with friends, like embarassing stories and my latest theory on something unimportant.
I should hit the sack.
Maybe watch an episode or two of The Office, first!!!!
Monday, December 11, 2006
"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lakeYou dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor!
Such wonderful things around you, what more is you looking for?"
-Sebastian the Crab, Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.
*Special thanks to Eyna for getting the song stuck in my head.*
Hi there.
Haven't been frequenting the blogging world as often as I used to, reflecting the ridiculous level of business I've been experiencing. Not business like a corporation, but the state of being busy. Busyness, if you will. I'm starting to think "business" cannot be used that way. Whateva, I do what I want!
Last week, Lourdes, my childhood best friend, left sunny Puerto Rico to come visit me. She and I became friends in sixth grade, and she moved away at the end of ninth grade. We've managed to stay close although we suck at keeping in touch. She's like family.
We had lots of fun! I somehow managed to take her out every night despite it being the coldest weather I've ever lived through and having a massive cold. That's noble, if I must say so myself.
The first night she got here we went to a massively overcrowded club in a not so great neighborhood to see DJ Tiesto. It was a night of crowdedness, waiting in long lines for coat check, and crazy people, but it was definitely fun. The rest of her stay was all bar hopping and pistol popping.
Just kiddin' about the pistol popping, I just get a little tingle when stuff rhymes.
Moving right along, it was a much needed trip for her, to escape her routine and the stress surrounding her. It was also theraputic for me to have a good pal around (she washed the dishes too!)
We visited some monuments, as well as the National Gallery of Art (nice!) and the Holocaust Musuem (sad).
This is the last week of the semester. There is an exam on Thursday. After that, it's off to Miami for two weeks of sloth and gluttony, warm weather and having a car, friends and family. I intend to be slightly productive and complete my application to Georgetown medical school, do some tutoring, and maybe even look over some of the material I'll be learning in the spring.... big maybe there.
My mind is exhausted from last week's exam and my body is exhausted from the virus and nonstop partying. I'm trying to muster up the energy to study for this exam. Instead I'm blogging. It's okay. This exam should be ridiculously easy.
Besides studying, this week's activities include: Tutoring and girl's night (tomorrow), making food and care packages for the homeless and distributing them (Wednesday), taking the exam then working hard to forget everything I learned (Thursday), packing my bags and partying a little more (Friday) and finally, flying to Miami and getting pampered by mommy (Saturday).
I am excited about doing the homeless thing on Wednesday because I think it will be a great learning experience.
I am pretty much excited about everything on the list minus studying. The test will be exciting because it will signal the end. Speaking of signals, there are signal transduction pathways waiting for me to learn about them.
Love, peace, and little geece.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
I have class at 1:00 pm today.
It's WAY TOO EARLY FOR ME TO BE AWAKE! (6:40)
I'm having some major insomnia. It's been this way all week, but today's has been, by far, the worst.
We had a ginormous exam in Microscopic Anatomy (histology). This was followed by an evening of partying and actively blocking everything school related through the use of alcohol.
There was a nice holiday potluck tonight at school. There was food, there was wine. It was fun except for the part where I perhaps had more boxed wine than I should have. This SHOULD have allowed me to sleep soundly through the night, but nooooooooooo.
Instead, I had dreams- nightmares, actually- about histology. I'm taking the exam again, not getting all those answers wrong that I got wrong in real life (I know I did miserably on the lab portion). I woke up at 3, 4, and 5. At 5 my body rejected falling asleep and so I watched the last episode of Heroes, which proved to be pretty darn good.
It's interesting, we learned that the Pineal Gland, a tiny part of the brain, is involved in circadian rhythms and the conversion of serotonin to melatonin at night. So, my Pineal Gland is to blame for this!
On Thursday, my sister from another mother is coming to visit me from Puerto Rico. Why she would leave a tropical climate to come to this cold hell hole is beyond me. Just kidding! I'm worth the cold!
It's a therapy trip for her. Sometimes, you just need a vacation, you know? And who better to visit than little ol' me?
Ok although it's been a while since I've blogged, I still don't much to say. I'm gonna try that "sleep" thing one more time. If I can't do it, I guess maybe I can start studying for my next exam. WHOOP-DEE-FREAKING-DOO.
It's WAY TOO EARLY FOR ME TO BE AWAKE! (6:40)
I'm having some major insomnia. It's been this way all week, but today's has been, by far, the worst.
We had a ginormous exam in Microscopic Anatomy (histology). This was followed by an evening of partying and actively blocking everything school related through the use of alcohol.
There was a nice holiday potluck tonight at school. There was food, there was wine. It was fun except for the part where I perhaps had more boxed wine than I should have. This SHOULD have allowed me to sleep soundly through the night, but nooooooooooo.
Instead, I had dreams- nightmares, actually- about histology. I'm taking the exam again, not getting all those answers wrong that I got wrong in real life (I know I did miserably on the lab portion). I woke up at 3, 4, and 5. At 5 my body rejected falling asleep and so I watched the last episode of Heroes, which proved to be pretty darn good.
It's interesting, we learned that the Pineal Gland, a tiny part of the brain, is involved in circadian rhythms and the conversion of serotonin to melatonin at night. So, my Pineal Gland is to blame for this!
On Thursday, my sister from another mother is coming to visit me from Puerto Rico. Why she would leave a tropical climate to come to this cold hell hole is beyond me. Just kidding! I'm worth the cold!
It's a therapy trip for her. Sometimes, you just need a vacation, you know? And who better to visit than little ol' me?
Ok although it's been a while since I've blogged, I still don't much to say. I'm gonna try that "sleep" thing one more time. If I can't do it, I guess maybe I can start studying for my next exam. WHOOP-DEE-FREAKING-DOO.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
My Thanksgiving Break...
Was great.
Spent time with family and friends and even managed to get a tiny bit of studying done. A TINY BIT. A smidgen. A pinch, if you will. A hint of studying.
I feel as though I have lots of stuff to blog about (nothing remotely interesting, of course) but I mustn't slack!
I should be reading tomorrow's lectures and getting to bed early.
Fun, huh?
Was great.
Spent time with family and friends and even managed to get a tiny bit of studying done. A TINY BIT. A smidgen. A pinch, if you will. A hint of studying.
I feel as though I have lots of stuff to blog about (nothing remotely interesting, of course) but I mustn't slack!
I should be reading tomorrow's lectures and getting to bed early.
Fun, huh?
Thursday, November 23, 2006
I know it would be cliche to blog about what I am thankful for.
But I'll do it anyway.
I'm thankful for the love in my life, from family and friends. I'm thankful for everything that I have that others do not, and I'm even thankful for stuff I don't have that others do (what fun would life be if everything was handed to me?)
I'm thankful for the sexy meal I'm gonna have at my aunt's house tonight.
I'm thankful to be in Miami.
What a much needed break!!!
I swung by the old university yesterday to print out a whole bunch of stuff for free. I hopped on the metro to visit my old workplace, the Diabetes Research Institute. I miss that place! I got to see a few old coworkers, but a lot of people that I wanted to see were missing (Lane!).
At night 5 of us went to eat at Los Ranchos. First good steak I've had in a while! There is no churrasco in DC, and that, my friends, is a travesty.
We ate, drank, and were merry. We then hit up Chilis. We drank and were merry. Next we went to a get together at some guy's house. We drank some more, and got a little merrier. We went to Aldo's house after that. We were drunk and merry.
Moving right along... the night was absolutely spectacular for me. I missed my friends a lot. I'm thankful for those fuckers. There was some mega awkwardness for Mirma, and it provided some great entertainment for the night. I cannot share the craziness of the evening, for your head would explode immediately upon reading it. I'm also way too lazy and hungover.
And so, I'm thankful to be home with these silly friends of mine. I've missed them very mucho.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Sigh...
SO...
When my parents came to visit back in October my dad was sitting there in my living room when he decided to purchase my ticket for Thanksgiving. He asked me when I could leave by, when I wanted to return, and, after about an hour of discussion, he purchased a ticket for me to leave Monday, November 20 @ 9:00 pm.
When I woke up today I felt it. I felt that something was going to go wrong. I ignored the feeling and went about my day as usual. Come 7:30 I was arriving at the airport. I walked into the American Airlines section, to find it disturbingly empty and quiet.
To make a long story short, my father bought a ticket FROM MIAMI TO DC by mistake. YEAH. Not so cool.
Luckily the woman at the counter was nice enough to not charge me the usual extra 100 bucks to re-route a flight, and she let me know that I could come in early Tuesday morning, do "standby," and hop on a flight.
Had I committed this error, my dad would never have let me hear the end of it. He still somehow partially blamed me for this one. The conversation was something like:
Dad: I thought I told you to check the online information for your ticket!
Me: I did check it. Several times.
Dad: *exasperated* How did you not notice????
Me: Well, DAD, when I checked it, I was looking at flight time, flight number, and airport. You know, the stuff that people mess up on most often. It did not occur to me that it would be possible that my father, in all his wisdom, would commit such an error.
Dad: >something fatherly to keep on blaming me somehow<
Me: Fine, it's all my fault. I'm sorry. I REALLLLLY messed up this time.
I know he's just frustrated on my behalf. In this situation he'd be a huge sour puss. Well, I say, all's well that ends well. Hopefully it'll end well, though!
Time to hit the sack and stop talking smack.
quick sidenote: the pic bears no relevance to the topic of this post. I just think it's pretty : )
Saturday, November 18, 2006
All Hail the Chipotle Burrito!
What you're lookin' at, folks, are the nutrition facts for the specific burrito I consumed today after a "Help the Homeless" walk-a-thon, which, by the way, happened to be at 9 am, way too early for my liking.
So, yeah. Look at them nutrition facts. Honestly, they use all-natural ingredients, and pride themselves on the fact that thie cows aren't pumped with antibiotics and hormones. That's super cool. What is not so cool is the whopping caloric content of one of these burritos. I mean, 1245 calories?!?!? That's c-r-a-z-y!
But oh man, that cilantro rice, the black beans.... the sour cream and salsa, the spicy meat. Sigh. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that Chiptole uses some sort of addictive substance in their food.
This is not a post of guilt, by the way. I refuse to feel guilty for enjoying the sexiness that is a Chipotle burrito.
I need to feed my new big muscles, anyway. Okay, I don't have big muscles, but I'm definitely seeing results from my weight lifting. Yee-haw. I would be seeing better weight loss results had I not injured my knee like the big fat spaz that I am.
Also, the walk-a-thon was probably a 300 calorie ordeal. Furthermore, my lack of breakfast allows for an extra heavy lunch. I'm usually not a breakfast-skipper. I believe in the value of a hefty breakfast, to start your day properly, but I woke up really really really late. We were supposed to meet with a group from Georgetown and have donuts but we got there too late :(
Back to rationalizing my sinful lunch.... I will hit up the gym after this post and further make up for the burrito. I would work out for 3 hours if I had to, just for one burrito. That's power!
Sexy, delightful burrito, I give myself to thee, body and soul. Yum.
^sexy
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
SLIM
Today, the volunteer comittee sponsored the viewing of a 30 minute documentary, "SLIM," about children in Africa with AIDS.
I attended, and I am glad I did, despite the tears and heavy uncomfortable feeling it left me with. It was extremely moving. It scares me to think about how this huge population of people is in need of help (ie health education, anti-retroviral drugs) while in countries such as this one, people drive Hummers and carry thousand dollar handbags. Cellphones with video cameras, blackberry pagers, diamond rings, etc etc.....Of course, I'd be an asshole blind hypocrite if I said I didn't spend money on stuff that is not necessary. I am by NO MEANS a bling-bling brand name ho, but I do spend money on things for the sheer joy they bring me.
My issue is that I don't understand how a world like ours can exist while a world like the one in Africa simultaneously exists. How can some people have so little, and others so much? How is that fair?
What made the documentary extra profound is just seeing these children, so young, telling their stories. Seeing a child, in all of his or her innocence, suffering this way is just awful. They get treated badly by peers, teachers, and even family for having HIV. All of the children in the documentary were born with HIV.
The video defintely left most of us with a sense of obligation. A feeling of "what can I do to help?" As aspriring physicians, most students in this program already have motivation to help others, a sense of compassion, an inherent need to contribute to something meaningful. I know that I was not alone today in feeling the responsibility to try to remedy the injustice in this world.
It's things like this that make me count my blessings. I'm glad to be alive, glad to be healthy, well off, educated. Things like this make me forget about the unfortunate grade I got in whatever stupid class. Makes me forget about not getting into medical school last year, and just pushes me to work hard as hell to get in this year.
Thank you world, for everything.
Today, the volunteer comittee sponsored the viewing of a 30 minute documentary, "SLIM," about children in Africa with AIDS.
I attended, and I am glad I did, despite the tears and heavy uncomfortable feeling it left me with. It was extremely moving. It scares me to think about how this huge population of people is in need of help (ie health education, anti-retroviral drugs) while in countries such as this one, people drive Hummers and carry thousand dollar handbags. Cellphones with video cameras, blackberry pagers, diamond rings, etc etc.....Of course, I'd be an asshole blind hypocrite if I said I didn't spend money on stuff that is not necessary. I am by NO MEANS a bling-bling brand name ho, but I do spend money on things for the sheer joy they bring me.
My issue is that I don't understand how a world like ours can exist while a world like the one in Africa simultaneously exists. How can some people have so little, and others so much? How is that fair?
What made the documentary extra profound is just seeing these children, so young, telling their stories. Seeing a child, in all of his or her innocence, suffering this way is just awful. They get treated badly by peers, teachers, and even family for having HIV. All of the children in the documentary were born with HIV.
The video defintely left most of us with a sense of obligation. A feeling of "what can I do to help?" As aspriring physicians, most students in this program already have motivation to help others, a sense of compassion, an inherent need to contribute to something meaningful. I know that I was not alone today in feeling the responsibility to try to remedy the injustice in this world.
It's things like this that make me count my blessings. I'm glad to be alive, glad to be healthy, well off, educated. Things like this make me forget about the unfortunate grade I got in whatever stupid class. Makes me forget about not getting into medical school last year, and just pushes me to work hard as hell to get in this year.
Thank you world, for everything.
I am a friggin dummy.
So far, the most embarassing moment of my Georgetown existence (which is slightly over 3 months old) occured yesterday. During a break between biochemistry lectures (we get two in a row-oh the inhumanity!) some friends and I went on a coffee run. On the way back, I did my usual: touch-the-door-before-touching-the-handle-in-order-to-avoid-getting-shocked-by-the-handle move. You know what I'm talking about, right? It happens more often in dry weather... you're walking along on a nice carpet, and you reach over and touch something made of metal, and zzzzz you get zapped. I HATE THAT SHIT! When I worked for my dad, it used to happen to me with the big metal file cabinet, and my dad taught me that if I touched the wall (or something nonmetallic) before touching the file cabinet, I wouldn't get shocked. Well, I've gotten myself into the habit of doing it on every door lately, since DC is kind of getting dry and I've been zapped a couple of times.
Where was I? OH YEAH... so upon returning from the coffee break, I was walking briskly and therefore well ahead of my friends, putting me in the position to open the classroom door for them. I did my usual touch something nonmetal before touching the handle, and one friend, who always makes fun of me for this move, let out a little giggle. This, for some reason, made me blurt out "I HATE YOU" in my booming voice just as we were entering the classroom (population: approximately 150 students). Unfortunately for me, lecture had already begun, and was being given by, of all people, THE HEAD OF OUR PROGRAM WHO IS SUPER IMPORTANT! Everyone heard it, and lots of people turned around. The lecturer didn't so much as flinch, but I am sure he noticed and he probably made the mental note of "do NOT let that girl into Georgetown medical school." We were told in the beginning of the year to treat this year as if it were a "year-long interview." WELL THEN. I sure messed that one up!
Moral of the story: don't tell people you hate them in a loud, booming voice as you are entering a classroom in which class has potentially begun (and is being taught by someone extra important).
So that was yesterday. Today we got free pizza and so we were all up there on the terrace, hanging out. Lots of people made it a point to remind me how hilarious it was that I yelled "I HATE YOU" during Dr. Myer's lecture. Yeah. Super funny.
Honestly though, I can't help but laugh at myself.
I must say, this is not the first time I've embarassed myself this way. Once in highschool, during physics lecture, I wrote in huge letters "I WILL KILL YOU" on a paper and held it up for my friend to see. The teacher saw it, thought it was directed toward HIM, and freaked out a bit. Sigh. Such is my fate... to look like a complete ass in front of important people.
Signing off,
The spaz.
So far, the most embarassing moment of my Georgetown existence (which is slightly over 3 months old) occured yesterday. During a break between biochemistry lectures (we get two in a row-oh the inhumanity!) some friends and I went on a coffee run. On the way back, I did my usual: touch-the-door-before-touching-the-handle-in-order-to-avoid-getting-shocked-by-the-handle move. You know what I'm talking about, right? It happens more often in dry weather... you're walking along on a nice carpet, and you reach over and touch something made of metal, and zzzzz you get zapped. I HATE THAT SHIT! When I worked for my dad, it used to happen to me with the big metal file cabinet, and my dad taught me that if I touched the wall (or something nonmetallic) before touching the file cabinet, I wouldn't get shocked. Well, I've gotten myself into the habit of doing it on every door lately, since DC is kind of getting dry and I've been zapped a couple of times.
Where was I? OH YEAH... so upon returning from the coffee break, I was walking briskly and therefore well ahead of my friends, putting me in the position to open the classroom door for them. I did my usual touch something nonmetal before touching the handle, and one friend, who always makes fun of me for this move, let out a little giggle. This, for some reason, made me blurt out "I HATE YOU" in my booming voice just as we were entering the classroom (population: approximately 150 students). Unfortunately for me, lecture had already begun, and was being given by, of all people, THE HEAD OF OUR PROGRAM WHO IS SUPER IMPORTANT! Everyone heard it, and lots of people turned around. The lecturer didn't so much as flinch, but I am sure he noticed and he probably made the mental note of "do NOT let that girl into Georgetown medical school." We were told in the beginning of the year to treat this year as if it were a "year-long interview." WELL THEN. I sure messed that one up!
Moral of the story: don't tell people you hate them in a loud, booming voice as you are entering a classroom in which class has potentially begun (and is being taught by someone extra important).
So that was yesterday. Today we got free pizza and so we were all up there on the terrace, hanging out. Lots of people made it a point to remind me how hilarious it was that I yelled "I HATE YOU" during Dr. Myer's lecture. Yeah. Super funny.
Honestly though, I can't help but laugh at myself.
I must say, this is not the first time I've embarassed myself this way. Once in highschool, during physics lecture, I wrote in huge letters "I WILL KILL YOU" on a paper and held it up for my friend to see. The teacher saw it, thought it was directed toward HIM, and freaked out a bit. Sigh. Such is my fate... to look like a complete ass in front of important people.
Signing off,
The spaz.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Yesterday...
All my troubles seemed so far away?
No no...
Yesterday, 4 fellow classmates and I volunteered at the Maryland vs Miami game to raise money for our class. We donned yellow jackets and were part of the "CSC event staff" that you see all over the place at football games.
When I heard about this volunteering opportuinity, I was so excited. I love sporting events. The energy of the crowd, the people you see, and the sheer stupidity and craziness just do something for me. When I found out the Canes would be playing, I was even more excited.
At first, I was put as a ticket-taker. This proved to be lots of fun and very tiring. I got a couple of "I love you" and "Hey baby" ticket holders. I also got to be a huge disgrace to the Maryland stadium by saying "Go Canes" to all the UM fans that came in. Too bad we lost : (
After the first quarter, there isn't such a high demand for ticket takers, and so we were instructed to go to the field. Some people are placed on the field and required to face the crowd, make sure no one's getting too rowdy. I was lucky enough to be placed on the field with another girl, standing on either side of the ESPN camera man, making sure people didn't pass in front of his camera. This translated into: I could watch the game from an endzone- the endzone where Miami should've scored that touchdown but kicked the last fieldgoal instead. (sigh).
Seriously, it was awesome to be on the field! And the best part about it, it was free for me and it went to help raise money for my class to have kickass parties. I am surprised more fellow students didn't come out.
After the game we had to stand around the tunnel for the Terp football players. They came out after a while and greeted family and girlfriends. It was interesting to watch this, but I was tired as hell.
Although it is extremely tiring, I will probably do this volunteer thing every time the opportunity presents itself. In the spring we will probably do this at concerts, which is even better than sports for me!
All my troubles seemed so far away?
No no...
Yesterday, 4 fellow classmates and I volunteered at the Maryland vs Miami game to raise money for our class. We donned yellow jackets and were part of the "CSC event staff" that you see all over the place at football games.
When I heard about this volunteering opportuinity, I was so excited. I love sporting events. The energy of the crowd, the people you see, and the sheer stupidity and craziness just do something for me. When I found out the Canes would be playing, I was even more excited.
At first, I was put as a ticket-taker. This proved to be lots of fun and very tiring. I got a couple of "I love you" and "Hey baby" ticket holders. I also got to be a huge disgrace to the Maryland stadium by saying "Go Canes" to all the UM fans that came in. Too bad we lost : (
After the first quarter, there isn't such a high demand for ticket takers, and so we were instructed to go to the field. Some people are placed on the field and required to face the crowd, make sure no one's getting too rowdy. I was lucky enough to be placed on the field with another girl, standing on either side of the ESPN camera man, making sure people didn't pass in front of his camera. This translated into: I could watch the game from an endzone- the endzone where Miami should've scored that touchdown but kicked the last fieldgoal instead. (sigh).
Seriously, it was awesome to be on the field! And the best part about it, it was free for me and it went to help raise money for my class to have kickass parties. I am surprised more fellow students didn't come out.
After the game we had to stand around the tunnel for the Terp football players. They came out after a while and greeted family and girlfriends. It was interesting to watch this, but I was tired as hell.
Although it is extremely tiring, I will probably do this volunteer thing every time the opportunity presents itself. In the spring we will probably do this at concerts, which is even better than sports for me!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Borat: Ignorant Garbage or Brilliant Social Commentary?
So YEAH. We got Friday off for a nice 3 day weekend. I was supposed to take advantage of this and study for the biochemistry exam I have on Friday. What did I do instead? Did laundry and went to the movies on Friday (watched Borat and Saw III). Saturday I read ONE LECTURE. ONE friggin lecture. Out of 19. That's about 5.3% of what I need to study. I went to the gym for a while, too. I should've stayed home last night, but I've been so effing bored and I got invited to go out so I did. Nice bar called Fab Lounge. Not exactly my favorite music in the world, but I had a lot of fun nonetheless. I believe the music is trance or maybe it's called house music. I'm so bad with those genres. I like the bars here more than those in Miami. Much more laid back, much cheaper drinks too, although this one had a 10 dollar cover. I didn't mind the cover charge cause the money goes to kids who are suffering in Thailand or something like that. Hooray for good causes!
I've been a little miss poopie pants lately. The novelty of this new life has worn off a bit, and waiting for medical schools to invite me for an interview is promoting the sproutage of white hair on my noggin. Is sproutage a word? Who cares. It's a word now.
Right now, this post, in all its pointlessness, is just another way in which I am putting off the studying. BAD MARIANA! OK, let me give this post a "point." How 'bout a movie review of Borat?
"FUCKIN' HILARIOUS!" -The Mariana Post
"Sasha Baron Cohen is a genius." -Mariana & Ebert
"Delightfully naughty!" -MK
"This movie is tight like anus of 7 year old boy." -The DC loserface times
Although I kinda feel bad for the people of Kazakhstan, I think this movie was great. That about wraps up the movie review. Now I'm gonna study for real.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Randomness...
Gotta workout more. Side articles on websites are conveniently reminding me over and over again that the only way to burn fat is through cardiovascular exercise. But I hate cardio : (
whateverrrrrrrrrrrr.
On this fine evening, I watched yet another riveting, tasteless episode of Nip/Tuck. Watching it made me think of all the mean boys I know, and all the not so mean boys I know. This train of thought somehow led me to remember a theory that I've always believed is true:
It is often possible to anticipate how a guy/man will treat his girlfriend/wife based on how he treats his own mother.
This is pretty self explanatory. Now, this can backfire, as you wouldn't want to marry a guy who constantly compares your casserole to mom's, or the way you clean, etc.
BUT...there's a definite red flag that goes up when you see a guy who is harsh to his mommy, or even one who doesn't talk to her. Of course, there are boys with mommies who are crazy or unbearable but even then, you can tell a lot by how the guy deals with the psychobitch. It's oh so pleasant to see a boy who is thoughtful toward the maternal half of his parental unit: ie buying her gifts that she actually likes, taking the time to call her and talk to her, etc. I think boys who do this are more likely to have a nice *sigh* sensitive side, ya know? BUT OF COURSE...no one wants a momma's boy! It's nice to see a boy who is like that to a mom who didn't spoil him; a mom who raised him right and a boy who shows his appreciation of that, merely by giving her the time of day.
It kind of ties into the next theory, which is:
It is difficult to have a good relationship with someone who does not have good relationships with his/her family/friends.
Obvious. Of course, every family has its problems and its weird tendencies, but if you see that someone communicates with his/her parents and siblings, then chances are they'll be good at communicating in the romantic relationship setting.
Another one:
Boys who have sisters are more likely to be more respectful and kind, even sensitive *sigh.*
This needs some specifications. I run out of fingers counting the dudes I know who are mega dirtbags and are exceedingly overprotective of their sisters, even controlling. They act as though their sisters should never ever make any mistakes, never date any douchebags, without ever taking some introspective time to see that they are the douchebags who set the example for the douchebags that they're protecting their sisters from. Oh the hypocrisy.
No no, those aren't the guys I'm referring to. I mean the ones who talk to their sisters, who treat them like equals maybe? I don't know.
To make a more general point, boys who grow up around a lot of female influences who they respect and talk to will be great catches.
Speaking of siblings,
People who grew up as "the only child" or "the baby of the family" will generally have some annoying personality traits: greediness, whininess, and the inability to compromise, just to name a few.
Again, this is pure generalization. And I'm neither the first nor the only person to say it. Monica and I call this "only child syndrome" and have both experienced it first-hand.
Some other "diseases" plaguing many individuals around us:
Firefighter Syndrome and Short Complex. I'm still ironing out the symptoms and causes of Firefighter Syndrome,. Short Complex is a common one, also known as Napoleon Complex, I believe. Short Complex only afflicts males. 1 in every 3 height challenged males shows clinical symptoms of Short Complex. Despite the fact that there are tons of cute petite girls to go around, individuals suffering from Short Complex generally exhibit unbearable personality traits (insecurity, aggressiveness) and ridiculous compensation via material things. 1 in every 4 will drive an SUV/HUMMER in an effort to prove to the world that their height in no way represents the size of their member.
Time for bed. Join us next time when we discuss how you can tell a man's penis size (or penis-size insecurities) by observing his behavior.
Gotta workout more. Side articles on websites are conveniently reminding me over and over again that the only way to burn fat is through cardiovascular exercise. But I hate cardio : (
whateverrrrrrrrrrrr.
On this fine evening, I watched yet another riveting, tasteless episode of Nip/Tuck. Watching it made me think of all the mean boys I know, and all the not so mean boys I know. This train of thought somehow led me to remember a theory that I've always believed is true:
It is often possible to anticipate how a guy/man will treat his girlfriend/wife based on how he treats his own mother.
This is pretty self explanatory. Now, this can backfire, as you wouldn't want to marry a guy who constantly compares your casserole to mom's, or the way you clean, etc.
BUT...there's a definite red flag that goes up when you see a guy who is harsh to his mommy, or even one who doesn't talk to her. Of course, there are boys with mommies who are crazy or unbearable but even then, you can tell a lot by how the guy deals with the psychobitch. It's oh so pleasant to see a boy who is thoughtful toward the maternal half of his parental unit: ie buying her gifts that she actually likes, taking the time to call her and talk to her, etc. I think boys who do this are more likely to have a nice *sigh* sensitive side, ya know? BUT OF COURSE...no one wants a momma's boy! It's nice to see a boy who is like that to a mom who didn't spoil him; a mom who raised him right and a boy who shows his appreciation of that, merely by giving her the time of day.
It kind of ties into the next theory, which is:
It is difficult to have a good relationship with someone who does not have good relationships with his/her family/friends.
Obvious. Of course, every family has its problems and its weird tendencies, but if you see that someone communicates with his/her parents and siblings, then chances are they'll be good at communicating in the romantic relationship setting.
Another one:
Boys who have sisters are more likely to be more respectful and kind, even sensitive *sigh.*
This needs some specifications. I run out of fingers counting the dudes I know who are mega dirtbags and are exceedingly overprotective of their sisters, even controlling. They act as though their sisters should never ever make any mistakes, never date any douchebags, without ever taking some introspective time to see that they are the douchebags who set the example for the douchebags that they're protecting their sisters from. Oh the hypocrisy.
No no, those aren't the guys I'm referring to. I mean the ones who talk to their sisters, who treat them like equals maybe? I don't know.
To make a more general point, boys who grow up around a lot of female influences who they respect and talk to will be great catches.
Speaking of siblings,
People who grew up as "the only child" or "the baby of the family" will generally have some annoying personality traits: greediness, whininess, and the inability to compromise, just to name a few.
Again, this is pure generalization. And I'm neither the first nor the only person to say it. Monica and I call this "only child syndrome" and have both experienced it first-hand.
Some other "diseases" plaguing many individuals around us:
Firefighter Syndrome and Short Complex. I'm still ironing out the symptoms and causes of Firefighter Syndrome,. Short Complex is a common one, also known as Napoleon Complex, I believe. Short Complex only afflicts males. 1 in every 3 height challenged males shows clinical symptoms of Short Complex. Despite the fact that there are tons of cute petite girls to go around, individuals suffering from Short Complex generally exhibit unbearable personality traits (insecurity, aggressiveness) and ridiculous compensation via material things. 1 in every 4 will drive an SUV/HUMMER in an effort to prove to the world that their height in no way represents the size of their member.
Time for bed. Join us next time when we discuss how you can tell a man's penis size (or penis-size insecurities) by observing his behavior.
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