Just in case you forgot what we looked like...

Here is a RECENT picture! Since I never post pictures I thought I would throw one out there that was taken less than a month ago. Now you know that we haven't turned into scary monsters. RAWWWRRR! Also, I think a few of you wanted to see my brown hair. Here's your chance. I'm going short blond in a few weeks.

Also, I guess I lied about the siesta. Everyone was doing it (i.e. deactivating their facebook accounts and pledging off email etc...to study for the boards but I realized that is pretty lame and that I can be an adult and be disciplined without have to ignore the rest of the world). Anyways so I'll be updating. Until next time...

A little Siesta

I was getting kind of depressed thinking that my most recent post was all sad and pity party-ish. Anyways, I'm not sad anymore for the record, nor have I been for the past three weeks. It was a fleeting moment and I needed sympathy. Thanks to all who indulged me.

I probably won't be updating much the next two months. I have to take the USMLE step 1 (United States Medical Licensing Exam) June 18th so I'll be in a rabbit hole studying. And when I'm done I'll officially be a third year and ready to practice some medicine (hopefully not on any of you). So unless I can get Boyd to say something interesting about our lives until then...it's over and out. See you in July!

Sad Sebu

Do you ever just have one of those sad days? Yeah, me too.

Wisdom. When proxy teaches about self.

I had a friend today that told me that she only reads non-fiction and a few of the classics (insert: War and Peace), and other self-help books etc...because she feels like she wants to learn something from the time spent reading.

But I say, if you want to remember about how it truly feels to have teenage love and angst: read Twilight.
If you want to see growing up from three unique perspectives and live the internal struggle of good versus evil in a gray world: read Harry Potter
If you need to feel the loss and anguish and insecurity of not quite knowing who you truly are: read The Hunger Games
If you want to read about the human condition in a mysterious, altruistic way: read I Am the Messenger
If you want to feel the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with true love: read The Time Traveler's Wife
If you want to realize the power of one: read The Giver

Just to name a few. They may not be classics, or factual in anyway. But in some ways, a recent novel that truly sucks you in will help you feel all the things that can't be taught any other way except by personal experience itself.

Sometimes I'll have a day where I just want to re-experience some emotion from my past. Like my complete and indescribable grief when John died. Or the rush of nervous energy when Boyd tried to kiss me for the very first time and I shied away. Or the pain that I felt after running to the point of vomiting in track practice. Or the wonder I had when I stepped off the plane in Thailand. And though life can puddle into the mundane day-by-day, I find it fascinating that those emotions are still there to be experienced whenever I want. To teach me things and to help me relate. Sometimes a track on my ipod will bring it back. Sometimes a good, hard workout outside with nothing but my thoughts. Sometimes a book; even the scriptures. I realize that when I'm good and old and all I have left are my memories, I can find in them a colorful life worth reliving. What I love even more about all of it is that it doesn't seem to matter how much education I stuff in my head or daily checklists of errands I have to run; somethings always catches me by surprise and helps me feel life.

And I think maybe that is the beginning of wisdom.

Blond joke

We do a weekly spotlight in our primary where all of the kids stand up and then they sit down if what is read doesn't describe them so that the last one standing is the hero for the day. Here's how it went today:

Shannon (counselor): Okay, everyone, keep standing if you have blue eyes

Kids: (do as told)

Shannon: Keep standing if you're favorite color is blue

Kids: (do as told)

Shannon: Keep standing if you have dirty blond hair

Kids: "My hair isn't dirty!" and "What's dirty blond? Gross" (kids confused. Most sit after this one. One poor 3-year old is still standing, none the wiser)

Sigh. The sad future reality of all towheads. Also, who invented "dirty" blond. Or "dishwater" blond. Rude. Anyways I recently decided to go on strike against the unfair treatment of blonds and I went brunette. I love it.

Paying for pain

So I just paid $505 dollars to sign up to take Step 1 of the medical liscensing board exam. Talk about adding insult to injury. So I am just curious what is the most you have paid for something you really didn't want to do/wish you didn't have to buy etc...I mean, of course I want to be liscensed and all of that jazz, but I don't understand why it can't be free. There is really no love in this world for starving students. I mean, come on, $1 off at the movie theater? Maybe that meant something back when movies were $2. Anyways, I just needed to rant about that.

Ha ha ha...Merry Christmas!

So last night Boyd and I were watching 30 Rock. I've only seen a few episodes and snippets here and there because it is one of the things Boyd watches while I'm studying, so I don't know much about it, and I made the serious mistake of drinking a glass of water while watching. All the sudden Tina Fey is saying something that is so funny that I start snorting the water into my nose. And then since I couldn't hear the rest of the scene because of my snorting we rewound it. Big mistake. The scene restarted and then I was laughing so hard I actually began choking on my water. Really choking. To the point where I not only spit it out, but threw the rest of it up. I am awesome. That show needs a warning label. Or something.

So school is out for the next three weeks! I really can't believe that I am almost done learning all of the basic science of medical school. We just finished our block on infectious diseases and I'm beginning to feel like I know things now. Before this block, I wasn't even clear on the basics of the flu, which is pretty pathetic for someone who had already finished a year of medical school. I mean, that sounds so easy, but since we didn't learn about it until now I felt pretty useless. Now people ask me questions about things and I always surprise myself by the information that comes out of my mouth. So I gues they're doing something right at school.

So with my three weeks of freedom I'm taking suggestions as to what I should do. Books to read, movies to watch, and things to do here in Tucson, AZ. So if anybody needs any help with their busy Christmas schedules/baking/wrapping/decorating/babysitting...let me know!