You asked for it

Ok, so since I've had requests for details, I'll write a little about it. (So, if you're a boy and are not interested, you can skip this post ;))
Honestly, I don't know much right now, but I have some ideas. Here is the website of my favorite designer Monique Lhuillier. My mom says she can find me something similar for cheaper, but what's the fun in that? I'll post more later.

Med school makes my brain hurt...

I had another test today. Ugh. What makes them think they can just test us whenever they want? ;) But seriously, my brain is fried. There was a question about evolution you can see (as in it happens fast enough you'll notice). I'm pretty sure he was trying to get us to talk to about bacteria and the rise of the antibiotic resistant kind. However, I went off for like a paragraph about doves and the rise of the brown ones in cities...blah blah blah. Then, right before I turned it in I remembered the easy answer. Shesh.

But, aside from a momentary brain freeze, I am quite happy. Chris is coming to visit in October. Hooray!! I must say 3 weeks since the end of May is not nearly enough.

Speaking of Chris, I've begun the wedding preparations. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, I've been feeling quite girly lately. I guess the chance to spend so much on a dress will do that to a girl...

If only I had tens of thousands of dollars...

because if I did, I'd buy some spiderman artwork off of e-bay. That's right, the original paintings done by Alex Ross for Spiderman 2 are up for auction. Unfortunately, even the starting bids of $6000 are a little out of my price range. Stupid medical school and its loans. *grrrr*

There aren't many other things going on right now. We have a test Tuesday. Currently, I am trying to pretend it isn't going to happen. I think that will prove unsuccessful though.

I am also working on putting into words exactly what I think about the current state of stem cell research. A little note for those who may (or may not) be interested: currently Bush's plan allows federal funding for the 78 or so established embryonic cell lines. However, only cells from 20 or so can be sent out. Why? The answer is in fact the crux of the entire stem cell debate. Because stem cells can divide indefinitely, politicians like to think that you can limit the lines because you will have cells forever. However, that isn't the way it works, because even if you have cells, that doesn't mean they're viable. Only 20 or so lines can be used because they are the only ones with any relevance anymore. The other ones have mutated and become perverted (no, not like that ;)) to the point that the cells would no longer have any relation to the cells that started the line X years ago. In other words, cell lines burn out. Ok, there are more things I could say, but I'll step off my soapbox, in favor of going to the gym and perhaps the grocery store.

A few quick notes:

Kari: congrats! I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to read whatever it is you'll write for it.

David: Good luck with the drs. You'll have lots of people praying for you, so I'm sure that'll help. ;)

As Nikhil pointed out today, there are in fact groups that do not believe HIV causes AIDS. I will be evaluating their "arguments" and reporting my findings as soon as possible.

Way to go Boys! I'm rooting for you...

If you haven't heard, my boys from U2 got nominated to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't know many of the other nominees, but I'm pulling for U2 regardless. In other U2 news, they have a new album coming out. How to Disable an Atomic Bomb is out Nov 23rd. Sources say it's fantastic. Of course a new album means a new tour...I'm so excited!!

Btw- thanks to everyone for the "nerd suggestions." I'll keep them in mind. I do seem to remember having a discussion about which Star Trek series I liked best with someone during orientation...I can't remember who she was though. I'll have to look into that.

And on the subject of nerdiness...I suggest you all jump on board the Bloodrayne bandwagon. She's become quite the little capitalist. Soon the new game, Bloodrayne 2, will be out. Plus they're working on a comic book and movie. She's also topless in the new Playboy...or so I hear.

Mark your Calendars

for the Farscape miniseries. It's in October and I'm so excited! If only this stupid place had cable. Grrr... maybe if I plead with my friends and family they'll tape it for me. I suppose it's possible that there are other Farscape fans in my medical school class (so that I could watch it with someone), but I'm not sure how to brooch that subject. I imagine the conversation would go like this:
Me: "Hi, I'm a nerd."
Them: "Oh" (slowly backing away)
Me: "Do you like Farscape?"
Them: "Far- what? Is that the show with the alien puppets? I think my 13 year old brother watches that."
Me: *sigh* "nevermind..." (heads to social isolation corner)

I think boys have it much easier. They can be geeks a little more openly. If other girls found out that I have in fact played and enjoyed RPGs, I'm sure my girly license would be revoked. And then I wouldn't get to shop anymore :( There should be a secret handshake...well maybe not a handshake, as mentioned earlier, I don't really want to have any physical contacts with my classmates. :S Maybe there should be pins. They could be pretty and functional.

You've been warned

I saw Vanity Fair on Thursday. I like Reese, I like period dramas, and I like beautiful movies so the movie seemed like a sure-favorite. I have never been so wrong about a movie. It was horrible. Don't see it. Don't even rent it. If you do see it and you hate it, I claim no responsibility.
The only redeeming factor was the actor who played her husband. James Purefoy was also Spence in Resident Evil 1.
Anyway, it's several days later and I'm still upset so I'm going to go find some ice cream...

I feel so violated...

Ok, I've been putting off writing about lab this morning because I feel a little traumatized. The lab is about antibiotic resistant bacteria and in order to do it, you need to provide your own sample. Before I go on, let me first say that during orientation weekend, the second years put on a skit about our first lab and the requisite rectal swabs. I thought they were joking. They were not. That's right, the bacteria we needed we had to collect with rectal swabs the morning before lab. So, not only did we have to actually perform said swab, we also had to sit through the AM lecture, knowing that all 119 of our classmates were sitting their with their swabs in their bookbags.

I suppose this is some sort of sick bonding experience. I also suppose the argument that as physicians, we should be comfortable with the human body holds some weight. However, if you recall, I'm the kid who wears jeans in the summer. I don't like swimming because of the high level of skin and spandex involved. Will this experience change my level of comfort? I suppose it's possible I'll start walking around naked, but I wouldn't count on it.

Just my luck...

I wasn't feeling too well this morning, but I knew we had lab so I made myself get up, go to lecture, go to lab, and then go to small group discussions. After lunch, I realized that I just couldn't tough it out anymore, so I headed back to my room to sleep. As soon as I had changed into my pjs, the fire alarm went off. So, I pulled myself out of bed, down the 9 flights of stairs, and to the front entry to find out what was going on. False alarm. Of course.

Queen of Amino Acids

We had our first test this morning. There were open and closed book sections. I totally kicked those amino acids' butts in the closed book section. The closed book section was mostly just the stuff we had to memorize like all the amino acids, their 3 and 1 letter codes, and their functionalities. How tryptophan's 1 letter code became W, I guess I'll never know. Anyway, the test in general was tough, but fair. I guess I'll wait and see how I do. I'm exhausted from staying up late and getting up early, but alas we still have class today. I do now have 1 1/2 hrs of free time before lectures (hooray!) but that's probably not enough time for a nap. If I had to pick a word to describe med school so far, I think I'd go with "intense." There just isn't time for things...like sleeping and breathing. But, it's finally stuff that I do want to learn. Well, ok not yet, but soon.

First Grade!

We had our first quiz this morning. I'm happy to report that I got 100%. Of course it wasn't really hard...and it was open book...and it was only 2 questions...but I got an A, so I'm happy. :) Of course the test is Thursday. :S Bleh. Oh well, only 20 Amino Acids to memorize, and 4 DNA bases, and ...well, other "stuffs."

We got our preceptor assignments today. I'm so excited!! Clinical Medicine!! Ok, so I don't get to do anything really, but I get to watch, and I like watching too. Wait, that makes it sound like porn. Anyway, once things get going with that, I'll probably have more to say.

Our next class starts Thursday, right after the test. Ick. Then, our first lab is Friday. I'll save the details of that lab for another post. ;)

No, No, No

For the last time, PDA is NOT ok. Whether it's making out in the back of a movie theater or having sex with your husband and his brother on the train http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_676316.html is not fun for anyone, except perhaps for the people involved. I can hear the protests, "but we like having other people watch" "it's exciting" etc. Too bad. If I wanted a porn, I know where the video store is. How much is too much? I think the line between kiss goodbye and making out on a park bench is fairly obvious. If this proves too difficult, take note of the facial expressions of those around you. If people are obviously displeased and perhaps on the verge of losing their lunches, then perhaps you've run right over that line. Need another reason to refrain other than a sense of common courtesy to your neighbors? It's out of fashion http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=2470&TrackingID=516311&BannerID=544659

Stupid ice cream truck

That's right. The ice cream truck is stupid. How can ice cream be bad you may ask. Well, ice cream is bad when the ice cream person insists on driving the truck around at all hours. How weird is it that the song coming from the ice cream truck keeps me awake sometimes? What's more, the ice cream truck and its accompanying melodies remind me of how much I love ice cream which in turn reminds me that my fridge is too small to have a freezer capable of keeping ice cream cold. Curse you ice cream truck!!

Today I have also realized that I have forgotten how to study. I much prefer to waste time on the internet because my computer is so nice and shiny...

Is this a line?

Well, I'll leave it up to you to decide. I was standing around waiting (outside the 2nd yr lecture hall) and this guy was standing next to me. I guess he was waiting too and then he asks if I'm a first year. Yes, I answer. And then, he asks if he saw me at the gym the other day. Yes, that's also true. So, we ended up in a discussion about how often we go to the gym, etc. I thought he was just being nice. Chris thinks it was just a line. Since Chris is the boy in our relationship, I'm going to have to defer to him.

Btw- I HATE driving in Baltimore. The one-way streets and random turns they take are pretty bad, but I am especially annoyed with all the potholes. Boo to Baltimore.

Potatoes make me happy

It's true. They do. Potatoes in almost all iterations make me unbelievably happy. I adore french fries and mashed potatoes and twice-baked potatoes and...the only exception may be potato chips. I like those less, though they are good on a hamburger. :)

What do potatoes have to do with anything? Nothing. I just thought of it and thought that potatoes everywhere would appreciate having their collective praises sung. In short: potatoes=super-fantastic. :)

What I actually wanted to write about was class today. We had our first "clinical correlation" today. Patients and their dr came in and talked to us and answered questions. Med school is tricky like that. They show you all this basic science stuff and make you all depressed and then tease you with a little glimpse of why you came to med school in the first place. I can't really talk about specifics, but suffice it to say, I was a happy kid today. I do think that these sessions will be my favorite part.

So, perhaps I should change the title to potatoes and med school make me happy. I dunno, potatoes have proven their worth, med school's still up in the air.

The Geekiest Day of My Life

Yes, that's right- this may be the geekiest day...EVER. I'm sure you're wondering "But, you seem so geeky already. You refer to made-up dinosaurs, and Star Wars, and are in medical school." Yes, yes, these are all true. However, I managed to surpass normal geek levels today. *Insert flashback music and fuzzy picture*
So, as part of class we have journal club every couple days and we have to read a selected article from a scientific journal and discuss it. The first journal club day was today, so we had to read this article about using NMR to determine the 3D structure of the native prion protein. Of course, at this point I was really excited because reading about prions (the agent that causes mad cow disease, scrapie, etc.) has been sort of a hobby. The fact that I was excited should have been a tip-off...
At journal club we start discussing the article and I'm a total nerd. I'm throwing out other info not in the paper, I even brought in a model of the 3D structure of the infectious and native prion proteins side-by-side. I tried to refrain myself and make sure other people talked, however after this class was over, the other ppl in my small group started asking me if I had done research in this area. I explained that I was interested in this stuff, etc. and they were relieved...I guess they just thought I was "that kid," yknow, the one who does super-extra background info for everything. The guy next to me told me that before I mentioned I had done stuff previously, he thought he was gonna have to find another place to sit next time.
Shesh. I'm such a dork.

Unrelated, I would suggest everyone try sugar snap peas as a snack. They're like candy. Yummy vegetable candy...