Study Break

Well, I should be nose deep in physiology right now but I decided to take a Facebook break and found this gem in my newsfeed.



Since I'm now a poor student and moving into a new apartment over break (YAY for not being in the dorm!! Yes, long story which I'll share later) I won't be buying many presents this year.  Maybe I'll just use this video as my excuse ;)

Test week is next week....

I saw this e-card and had to share because it made me laugh out loud in the library this afternoon (sorry to those around me who were trying to study).  

Exams start up next week and I would be lying if I didn't say that the above thought hadn't run through my head a number of times since beginning medical school in September.  But every time it does I just think about how I hated my previous life as a marketer and how great my experiences have been thus far in the hospital.  So I hike up my big girl pants and return to cytotoxic T cells and tracheoesophageal fistulas. 

Now where did I put my walker....

I got called old tonight.

I went over to a classmate's apartment to study this evening and as I was leaving he asked me the age of a friend we'd had dinner with tonight.

B:  So, how old is S (my adorable, super fit, single Physical Therapist friend)?
Me:  Not that old, 25 or 26 I think.  Why, are you interested? (this is where I make overly excited eyebrow wiggles about the prospect)
B: Not necessarily, she's kinda old...
Me: What?!?  (utter disbelief since I feel very spritely at 28 and often times forget my classmates are quite a bit younger than I am.  This is also when B remembers that I am older than S and now begins to back track)
B: Well, she's not THAT old.  (long pause as I see the panic building in his eyes)  Just older...
Me: How old are you? (Since I thought B was her age as well)
B: Well, I'm 24...  But I just think that older girls should date older guys.

I then leave before I say or do something I shouldn't.  Apparently I should be scouting for husband prospects on the geriatric floor.  Lovely....

Why "Find the Bean"?

There comes a time in all of our lives when we are faced with a difficult problem.  Often times, it's many difficult problems at once.  The issue is too complicated to merit a simple answer and we struggle with what step to take next.  This happens to me ALOT... especially since I started medical school this year.  In school it's the dreaded tests.  I spend hours each day pouring over lecture material and then when I sit down to take my test the questions never seem straight forward.  What I thought I understood no longer seems clear and I'm second guessing everything I've learned.  In life, it's still school.  Did I make the right decision?  Am I really in medical school?!? (insert voice of disbelief that I actually made it in)  What speciality should I go into?  Why am I all of a sudden noticing cute boys all around when I don't have time to get to know any of them?  You know, the usual problems of a single girl in med school... :)

When I was completing my pre-requisites for medical school I spent an afternoon shadowing an experienced family doctor.  He told me the story of a small child with terrible breath.  He said, "think of the worst thing you've ever smelled and imagine that coming out of your mouth"... yuck!  The boy had been to the dentist and another physician, neither of whom could figure out what was wrong with him.  Tests had been ordered and everything was coming back normal, yet the problem persisted so the family was here for another opinion.  My doctor said he listened to the mother explaining their situation as he calmly took out a small mirror and forceps.  Before she could even finish her story he leaned over, looked up the boys nose and extracted a bean that had been lodged deep inside.  

What I hope this blog will do for me is serve as a reminder to keep things simple.  To take a breath... think..... and find the bean.