This is just a test

Today was the first test of the second year of med school. Our schedule was a bit strange. We had our anatomy lab test this morning at 10:00, but didn't have our lecture test until 7:30 tonight. It was dark when I left the testing center....I had to haul it to my truck to minimize my risk of being attacked/abducted/mugged. I'm happy to report that my lab test was a huge success, but it was dampered a bit by my mediocre performance on the lecture test. I ended up with the overall grade I was shooting for, but I just don't feel satisfied. Like I'm going to be a sub-par doctor someday because I didn't know which nerve block you would give to someone having shoulder surgery. Oh well.

So now I don't know if I should just relax and enjoy my weekend, or be a complete masochist, study all weekend and retake the test on Tuesday.....because there's a slim chance that my grade might improve. But if I studied all weekend and my score didn't improve....well, I think I would scratch my eyes out. So....yeah....that's my current dilemma.

Oh, and FYI, next time you're anesthetizing someone for shoulder surgery, I would recommend using an interscalene block.

Why didn't you tell me it was going to rain today, Don Harmon? I walked about 1/2 mile to my car in a torrential down-pour with no umbrella. My underwear was wet and I had mascara all over my face. I had to take my flip flops off and run in my bare feet because they got too slippery. Why didn't you tell me to take my umbrella today, Don? Oh, who am I kidding? You know I love you!

Dogonnit!

After class this morning I was walking to my truck when I noticed two large dogs running down the street. Running down 39th toward Rainbow. If you're not familiar with this intersection - it's a big, busy, metropolitan intersection where lots of big trucks and speeding cars drive through. One of the dogs stopped a couple blocks from Rainbow, but the other dog (Shepherd/Rottweiler) kept going. I was yelling at it and trying to lure it back with popcorn, but it just kept going. I saw it make a left at Rainbow and just hoped that it stayed on the sidewalk. I wasn't about to go chasing down a big black dog in the middle of an intersection....I have some sense about me.

So, I went from being confused (why are two big dogs running down the street?) to scared (oh my goodness, I hope the big black dog doesn't get hit by a car) to livid (who the crap lets his/her dog go running free near 39th and Rainbow????). Now, let me encourage all of you pet owners to keep an eye on your animals. No...."encourage" is too gentle a word. How about: I will beat you within an inch of your sad little life if you let your animals go running free. I don't care if you live in a nice little neighborhood or if you live in the inner city - take effing care of your animals. Now, to all of you who might be contemplating the purchase or adoption of an animal: if you have any intention of turning your animal loose to roam the streets, or if you don't intend to care for your animal darn near the way you would care for a 2 year old....maybe you should buy some fish or a neat new video game. Okay....just the video game, fish might be too much. You have to clean their tank and feed them.....or they will DIE. Just like if you let your dog out on it's own....odds are it will cross a street.....where there are cars......and it might get hit.....and then it might be seriously hurt.....or dead. All of these things make me very sad....and ANGRY!

Gross Lab

For those of you who don't dissect dead people on a regular basis, "gross lab" just means "all encompassing." It doesn't mean "gross" as in disgusting or icky, although sometimes I think it should. Today was an icky day. Our cadaver is rather obese. We were dissecting to the gluteal and posterior thigh region to reach various muscles, nerves and vessels, but before you can get to the prize, you have to get through the fat. Oh my gosh. Have you ever seen one of those Weight Watcher's demonstrations where they hold up a big chunk of plastic, yellow fat and say, "this is what 10 pounds of fat looks like!"? That's what we were taking out of our body most of the day. I kind of felt like a plastic surgeon using really crude techniques to thin someone down. Fat is disgusting. It's yellow and greasy and slimy and it oozes and dribbles everywhere. Anyhow, I had my hands in the fat, trying to clean some away with a scalpel and the next thing I know, I've jammed the scalpel into my thumb. Stabbing ones self in the thumb with a scalpel isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but stabbing ones self in the thumb with a scalpel and watching as cadaver fat oozes into your wound is pretty horrible! I'm happy to report that my thumb didn't fall off and I didn't die. I managed to get the bleeding under control and continue with my dissection.

nighthawk

I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now, so this will probably be a long entry. More time goofing around = less time doing boring, important things.

I was sitting on the couch watching TV today and a commercial for Burlington Coat Factory came on. It was pretty effective advertising, in about 7 minutes I was up and out the door headed to BCF. Has anyone been there lately? Oh my goodness! Aisles and aisles of cheap, CHEAP stuff! And since this is my last Saturday before my life is over (read: I go back to school), I indulged myself and shopped for a good hour and a half. I got 6 shirts and 2 pairs of pants for about $60.00. Yippee! A poor girl's dream.....even though I already spent my allowance for this month, and it's what?....like the 4th? Anyhow, I would highly recommend that you go there SOON! They're having a huge 40% off clearance sale. I got some shirts that I normally wouldn't buy because....well because they were like $6.00. And I'm wearing one right now. Sweet! Okay, with my glowing endorsement of BCF, I must also warn you that it's a bit trashy. The one on SMPKY isn't as bad as the one at the Great Mall, but the clientel is still a little sketchy. I was there, afterall.

Okay, moving on. Danny and I are at Nighthawk's coffee shop in Mission. He's being all studious and crap and I'm blogging. He thinks I'm writing a paper about my experiences serving humanity, so don't tell him that I'm really just a huge slacker.

Our review of Nighthawk's: The atmosphere is pretty cool. Danny mentioned that it felt kind of "underground." I don't know what he knows about "underground" stuff, but whatever. The service, however, wasn't the greatest. I got a luke-warm latte and a cinnamon roll. The flavor of the latte is good, but again, luke-warm. I think the girl couldn't remember if I said iced or hot, so she shot for somewhere in the middle. Nice work! The cinnamon roll was good, but she forgot that she had put it in the microwave and I had to ask her for it. Oh....and we are the only customers in here. So, 2 of us, 3 of them (coffee girl and 2 owners), so you'd think our odds of good service would be pretty good. The girl has pink hair. I don't know if this is necessarily a reflection of her character or work ethic, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Danny got a coffee - Columbian something or other - he said it tastes like coffee diluted with apple juice, but he won't complain. He's just not a complainer. That's probably why our marriage is so blissful :)

Okay, I think I'm going to have to start writing my paper now. I want to get it done before school starts on Monday. I can't decide if I want to cry or throw up.

(The picture is from Vail....not Mission. Danny is drinking a coffee though folks - so it's appropriate.)