Excuses

Ok- I really need to blog about the new classes.... o and the fam coming into town for a little thing call White Coat Ceremony.... o and the fun we had this weekend... o and how awesome my preceptor is.... I will tell y'all bout it ASAP (probably Wed.) busy busy busy busy ....

Progress

Finished the study guides last night. Shared an awesome version of HOMEMADE spicy chili mac, watermelon, and ice cream/sorbet with my one of my study partners. Add in a quick dance party break time in the basement with DJ Plan B and that equals a productive evening. Now on to making flashcards and memorization. Laundry is making progress, but as for the state of my house, well, it is just plain scary. Sitting with my cup of chai and two snuggly pups is a good way to start studying on a Saturday morning. Get it DONE! :D

The wall

Wednesday and Thursday went by with little studying partly because I hit the wall of mental exhaustion and partly because I hit the wall of a head cold :( I am ready to kick major booty in the lab for once, but now need to focus on the Common exam. I've tried three times today to memorize study guide pages but my mind is in a cloudy haze. I was hoping blogging would help it, but really my eyes just hurt looking at the screen :$ so back to the study guide attempt #4.....

Time flies!

10 days have come and gone! And while it doesn't seem long it also seems like a year. The days following my Trunk Common Exam were roller coasters for me. Highs included getting my nails done, hair done, playing with my pups, and of course playing volleyball! :D Lows - Homework, Homework, Homework.... I ended up doing preparatory homework for the following week all the way through Wednesday's scheduled class! Monday - Labor day, was a day filled with homework in the sun, and VOLLEYBALL :D Tuesday thru Friday flew by with Head and Neck anatomy. Prepping was the best thing ever! Friday came and it was time to fly to California for a high school club volleyball friend's wedding, which I was a bridesmaid in :D Studying on the plane was not as effective as I hoped on the way there, but the following morning I got quite a bit of studying in. Why all the studying on a fun weekend, you ask? Because of course the midterm for this class was on Monday. Saturday evening was a blast at the Haug Wedding at the Foot Path Winery in Temecula. Great friends, Family, and food (BBQ tri-tip and cheesecake factory desserts [Bride works for Cheesecake factory]])!!! Had a blast, Caught the bouquet (if superstitions are true, sad for everyone else there, because I don't even have a boyfriend yet to marry off soon, lol) ! Sunday had to fly back to the Kan to prepare for the midterm. Studied A TON on the plane this time! Super productive. Landed, took a lab practice exam, and studied til 3am! Woke up Monday studied another 2 hours before the exam. Without knowing how I did, I feel pretty good about it. The Head is FASCINATING - not just because I am interested in craniofacial plastic surgery - ok maybe that's a big part of it- but honestly for such a small area it has soooo many interesting interactions. This is the part of medicine that I have been waiting for - clear clinical implications in the anatomy! After the exam I felt good, except for the fact that afternoon class was planned :$ blurgh! After prepping last week I felt lost in class - so went home to take a glorious nap. Followed by dinner at my favorite restaurant with my poor friends that I haven't seen in over a month. I did not realize how much I missed those ladies until I got to spend time with them, hence a scheduled 1.5-2 hour dinner turning into 4 hour dinner of conversation! Good and bad. Great to feel normal again, remember my roots and supportive friends that I love dearly, BAD because between the no sleep and great food I was exhausted and couldn't focus on anything last night to prep for class. "Butt endurance" is what some people call it. Sitting on the bum for 8 hours of class and then attempting to sit another 4-6 hours in the evening to study is a lot of Butt time. My Butt endurance is not so hot. I gave up and went to bed and woke up at 5:30am (yes folks, 530 AM) to study for 2 hours this morning. Only got through 1/4 lectures which means today is going to be a loooooong day. I hate not being ahead this week. Well really ahead = on schedule for class. So now I'm behind and we're only in 1.5 days.  So here's to the last week of Head and Neck Anatomy. Final Common Exam is on the 19th....  I promise I will not go so long without posting again. Thank you to my friends and family for a great weekend and for all the support and love I feel from your emails, texts, posts, etc.

Commons

Studied 60 hours and nonetheless it went poorly. Keep Calm and Carry On.... Head and Neck Anatomy starts Tuesday - "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou - And that is how I hope medical school and my career will function. And that is what I will function on currently. Signing off til tomorrow.