TinaSO's Xanga

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:28:34 GMT

I went to my first drug rep dinner tonight. It was at a really fancy restaurant called the Lodge, and it's featured in a book of top "spectacular" restaurants in Texas. (Their word, not mine). The building used to be a mansion, and we had the dinner in this smaller cottage-type house adjacent to the mansion. Four courses: salad, orecchiette pasta with duck confit, salmon with pineapple salsa, and a "Nutella souffle-inspired flourless cake" which I would sum up in a word: "decadent." Top that off with a couple glasses of wine, and now I'm sitting here trying to "inspire" myself to study for my pharm final that's on Thursday. Let me tell you, life's hard at times. Chase got invited to this dinner by his residents who got rewarded with this dinner for the best attendance at lunch conferences. Whatever, a room full of doctors, a little promotional talk for a new insulin pen, and I get an excuse to stop studying for a few hours.

An aside: Gina gave me some gummy vitamin bears that tasted good, but now I have this chalky, nasty aftertaste that's bugging me.

Earlier today while studying, I looked out the window and saw one of the campus landscapers removing old flowers from some giant pots we have in front. I liked watching him work because you could tell he enjoyed doing what he was doing. He would carefully dig his trowel into the soil, lever the roots out, and gently shake out the soil from the root hairs before throwing the old flowers into a plastic bag. It seemed a job that could be hastily done, but he took a lot of great care in doing it. If the plant was still producing flowers, he placed it in a smaller pile on the truck bed. I wondered what he was going to do with the good ones - move them elsewhere? put them in his own garden at home? It made me want to garden. I couldn't help but think of the analogy of God separating the sheep and goats (which always made me wonder, what were so bad about goats and so good about sheep?) except in this case, he literally threw away the plants that weren't producing fruit and kept the ones that were. Anyways, that was my deep thought for the day.

By the way, this entry's for you, Paul Park.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:44:12 GMT

Yesterday a bunch of medical students were studying for our psychopathology exam at Starbucks. All of a sudden, a women came out of the adjacent Chick-fil-a and started walking around the parking lots and shouting things (I was inside studying, this is based on eyewitness accounts). She eventually made her way onto the street facing Starbucks (and overly-interested customers). People began to approach her (to help her and calm her down), and in response to this, she took off her clothes and began to roll around on the ground until EMS came, covered her in a yellow, plastic tarp, and took her away.

According to Chase, psychosis is when something inside a person is telling them an unconventional action in response to their environment is "a really good idea."

Needless to say, psychopath suddenly got a lot more interesting after that.

On a somewhat related note, I think public health efforts to reduce alcoholic intoxication and addiction should direct their marketing towards promoting the fact that alcohol causes impotence. I would think for all those men of machismo and frat boys who measure their studliness in pints, that might be a bigger blow than cirrhosis and chronic pancreatitis.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:46:42 GMT

Back in the day, I used to sleep anywhere from 4-6 hours a night on average. Ever since high school probably. I even did the rare all-nighter a couple of times in my life. Of course, when I was on vacation or it was a weekend, I'd sleep in if I could. Don't get me wrong, I love sleep. Let me correct myself: my body loves sleep. Against my will, it seems at times. I'd almost like to self-diagnose myself as a narcoleptic except for the fact that I've never literally fallen asleep in mid-sentence or while driving. But I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, in almost any seemingly awkward and painfully contorted positions, in a matter of minutes. In the mornings, I usually found myself sprawled on my bed, the lights still on, and pens and papers crumpled 'neath my tired, weary body. There are a plethora of photos documenting my many sleeping positions. Naps were my forte, but mere little interruptions in my busy lifestyle.

Of course, I speak in past-tense because those days (or nights) are no longer. Thanks to the insistence of Chase, who's nagged and nagged (yes, I'm normally the nagger in the relationship, except when it comes to sleep), until I learned to turn the light off at a reasonable hour, crawl into bed, and snooze a solid 6-8 hours. I know, 8 hours?? some of you may ask incredulously. It's crazy, but now my body's loving the sleep, and it wants more. And I give it more. To most people I know, 7 hours is a luxury, but to me, it's becoming kind of normal. Now, to try to sleep less, my body doth protests. And those naps I spoke so fondly of? Pretty much non-existent (except for lazy Sunday afternoons...naps are so hard to run away from on those days).

I used to pride myself on the few hours that it seemed my body thrived on. It's kind of bragging rights if you're hanging out in the right circles (probably the overly-caffeinated, irritable, high-strung circle), to proudly gripe on how you only got a few hours of sleep the night before to cram in extra studying. But Chase does have a point - you do end up making better usage of the hours you are awake. And have I cut back on caffeine? No, but rather than it being the thing keeping me awake in the morning, it just makes me a more friendly person. It's like I do society a favor by starting my day with it, so out of courtesy, I won't desist on that.

It's the end of an era...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:33:57 GMT

Today was the last day of classes. Translation: the last day I'll have to sit in a lecture hall for a basic science course. I celebrated it by not going. Okay, playing hooky wasn't really an act of celebration (come on, that's so senior year of high school).

This week we also officially passed down the powers of AMWA officer-ship, and I finally reclaimed trunk space when I gave months of extracurricular-doo-dah to the upcoming president. I told her, "I'm not really a pack rat, but I was for AMWA because you never knew when something would come in handy one day." And it's true - for example, I used leftover Starbucks straws from an AMWA event for a Frontera health fair. I have to be honest - I like being in the helms of leadership. I like getting stressed, I like hating making phone calls and emailing, I love delegating, and I like giving little pep talks. To all that, Chase just rolls his eyes and thinks I should go into academic medicine so I can stay involved in "organizations" and "panels" and have "luncheons" and what not.

Now I just have to be in study mode for the next 8 weeks of my life. More or less. 2 weeks of final exams, 6 weeks of studying for the Step. Which will probably mean I'll update my xanga more.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:05:09 GMT

There are moments when I come across someone or an event and think, "Man, I wish I was doing that!" Not that I'm not happy becoming a medical professional, but it's more of a pang of regret akin to wondering why I'm not more like Hermione when she's given the power to be in two places at once to accomplish more.

1.) For instance, top of the list, hands-down: Photographer. I think that's such a cool job if you get the acknowledgment. I think one of my favorite photographers is actually a guy who used to be in my high school class - Mark Mulligan. One of my favorite things about him and that makes me want to be a photographer is his ability to capture the right moment: a quick sideways glance, the peak of someone's astonishment, a raised eyebrow... what makes people people, essentially.

2.) Secondly, a writer. Novelist. I don't want to be like the high-grossing author who write trash. I don't mind a small devoted following. Only to be discovered and highly acclaimed after my death. Actually, that can be cross-applied to everything I list. It seems like such a great hurrah to life to be immortalized in that way. I mean, sure the accolades are good when you're alive, but the postmortem approach just seems so much more tragic and Romantic (with the capital "R").

3.) A Starbucks barista. Because not only are they some of the coolest people ever, you can really make anyone's day by giving them that free drink. Wave the cash away, give them a wink, and mouth, "Don't worry about it." And also it feels like a secret society such as when they close down all the Starbucks and force me to type away in the library like I'm in first-year all over again.

4.) A baker. Like on Ace of Cakes. Because I think being able to siphon out swirls of pastel icing is just a great skill to have in life that has cross-applications everywhere.

5.) A cheese maker. Oh, my gosh, I wish I could make cheese. Mozzarella. Chase and I have had more than one conversation on this. He's more of a hard cheese aficionado, but I think the actual process of making Mozzarella cheese looks so fun with their elasticity. Plus, I could own a herd of water buffalo (because as you may very well already know, real Mozzarella cheese is made from water buffalo milk.)

6.) A sommelier. Also known as a wine expert who knows how to pair a meal with excellent wine. I think a person looks so cool swirling that dark ruby elixir in his/her glass, peering through the liquid with scrutiny, taking a swig, and spitting it right back out. And all the while being respected by their peers.

I really could go on and on, but I supposed I've spent enough time on this. It's not like I couldn't do these things as a hobby, but certainly now is not the time to explore that. I gots to study.

Little House on the Prairie

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:33:37 GMT

Now and then, I kind of feel a sense of awe when I think back on the fact that this past winter, I met a relative of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of a children's book series that I devoured as a kid. Not literally devoured, but literature-ally devoured...oh, I love play on words. In fact, I'm about 3 degrees of separation from the women. She is the relative of Tim, who is the close friend of Chase, who is my boyfriend. I told Chase it was a good thing he didn't tell me until after I met Tim that they were related because otherwise, I would have probably made a fool of myself, like get a lock of his hair or something.
Tim's family also invented barbed wire. Who says there aren't cool people in Amarillo, TX? It's like when someone asked in the Bible, "What good can come from Bethlehem?" In that instance, Christ. In this instance, barbed wire and the Ingalls.

Anyhoo...I'm still recovering from Anna's wedding this past weekend. I got sick and at about 11:00 every night, I would get incredibly tired. I also must've had a tapeworm because I would get ravenously hungry around mealtimes. One evening this week we had Luby's. I was so happy there. I have officially fallen in love with Luby's. Especially with their mac & cheese and fried okra. With a little dash of tabasco sauce.

I'm also starting up yoga. I've always been a pro in stretching, and it makes me feel exceptionally good at yoga since you do a lot of stretching and contortions in yoga. If I keep at it, I'm going to get my own yoga mat in some pastel shade and carry it around my shoulder. I think it'll pigeon-hole me in a category that requires you to eat organic food and drink Odwalla juice all the time, but that's okay.

Maybe I'll take my yoga mat into Luby's and really throw everyone there into confusion.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:31:08 GMT

There's generally a stigma about studying at the school's library. People who study there are often categorized as hardcore, gunner - and the atmosphere is described as intense and suffocating (by me). I stay away from there and opt to study at Starbucks which is my quintessential "Cheers"...where everybody knows my name. All that's missing is Norm. The baristas give me free drinks occasionally, I ask So-and-so about his pregnant wife, we gripe about studying, and before I leave, they say, "See you tomorrow!" It's a nice feeling. Not to mention the stories I make about people who also frequent there. Like there's this crazy lady there...but that's another story.

Today, though...I'm at the library. It's that time of the year, where I'm getting burned out, and it's getting necessary to be in the intense environment to feel motivated. Please don't lump me with "them".

Plus, Starbucks is getting swamped by the law students at St. Mary's who can't find their own Starbucks to study at. They have exams as well. And they come in with their thick books and complain about their take-home exams. I'll shed one tear for you, Mr. Law Student, but that's just because one day I may need you to defend me in court. Until then, I'm going to proceed to roll my eyes behind your corduroy-jacketed back and carefully ripped jeans. Your black-rimmed glasses don't fool me...you have 20/20 and they're non-presciption, but you yearn for that air of philosophic ponderment to back your credentials. Meanwhile, I'll come in everyday in my recycled t-shirts and the same hoodie, day-after-day, because I don't need to impress you. That's why I went into med school in the first place - for the right to wear glorified PJ's to work everyday.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:50:58 GMT

If your life was a movie, what would be the soundtrack?
Instructions:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool... & a lot of the songs fit with
the setting

Opening Credits:
Put Your Record On - Corinne Bailey Rae

Waking Up:
Prodigal Son - Shane & Shane

First Day At School:
Justify - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Falling In Love:
Tiny Little Fractures - Snow Patrol

Fight Song:
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley

Breaking Up:
At Last - Etta James

Prom:
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182

Life:
Semi-Charmed Life - Third-Eye Blind

Mental Breakdown:
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette

Driving:
Misery Loves Company - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Flashback:
Simple Man - Lynryd Skynyrd

Getting back together:
A Movie Script Ending - Death Cab for Cutie

Wedding:
Grim Goodbye - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Birth of Child:
Dead Wrong - The Fray

Final Battle:
These Hard Times - Matchbox Twenty

Death Scene:
Masquerade - Ken Oaks Band

Funeral:
Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey

End Credits:
To Be With You - Mr. Big

I totally ripped this from Mooch, a.k.a. Paul, but I was bored. Some of them don't make sense, but some do. I particularly like the mental breakdown song because I tend to sing it like I'm having one.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:32:16 GMT

I think I have a problem.

I've become very dependent on my Treo, in particular the to-do list and calendar functions. I actually get pretty excited when I open up my calendar and see my days filled with various color-coded blocks of time designated for this meeting or that class. And I'm constantly adding to my to-do list and feeling a huge sense of satisfaction when I cross them off. I was thinking that maybe I should start looking at my to-do list for each day and take one thing off the list. The thing is that I start a week thinking, "I have so much planned, how am I ever going to get all this done?" and then at the end of the week, I reflect back on the week and think, "Wow, I did it," and it keeps stretching my tolerance to "busy-ness."

Yesterday, I spend four hours at school painting a banner with a couple of girls, during which our Dean and the male cheerleaders for the game were practicing their half-time show. I kept thinking, "Wow, I feel like I'm in high school, experiencing the school-spirit-nonsense that I always stayed away from back then." In a way, it was very fulfilling because I tend to look back on high school with some regret. While I was very involved in my youth group, I spent very little time with classmates. Dare I say it was because of unconscious church snobbery? I hesitate to put it as such because A.) it's a stab at what was once my sense of self as a Christian, B.) "church snobbery" should be an oxymoron. But I really took the verse, "Do not yolk yourself with nonbelievers" quite seriously and to an extreme. But to me, it was either school or church (outside of academics), and church always won. Anyways, I'm just going to leave that subject at that and say it felt almost redeeming to be there yesterday.

Chase and I always stand at opposite extremes when it comes to school involvement. He never went to class; I usually go. He never joined organizations; I'm co-presidents of two. It's kind of funny because he claims he doesn't participate because he doesn't care; I say I participate because I wouldn't care otherwise. Same feelings, different responses to those feelings.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:17:33 GMT

Next weekend we have a big MS1 girls vs. MSII girls Powderpuff game sponsored by my organization to raise funds for Susan G. Komen. My powderpuff coordinator has done about 99% of the work in this, but I guess I'm starting to feel the stress that she's been feeling months ago. I think I'm more stressed mainly because people like her have put so much of their blood and sweat into it that I want to see it succeed for their sake. Seriously, though, I can't wait until next Sunday because then I'll know there's nothing standing in my way between then and the end of the school year. Wait, darn it, I'm organizing a trip to Laredo for Frontera on Dec. 1st. Blast. Well, there's that. I hope that doesn't crash and burn, because my attention is not wholly there.

I wonder what I'm going to do this Christmas break. People have been asking me, but I haven't planned beyond Dec. 2nd.

And I haven't seen my roommate in days. Either we're in class, or I'm in bed before she comes back from studying. It's so weird. I hope I see her today.