This week has been consistently traumatizing to me. But it seems as though the happenings today may foretell a substantially less bleak outcome. So Tuesday, was the VMSII how to schedule for 3rd year rotations lunch. I, being the only MD-PhD slacker who went cuz I wanted free lunch, realized my folly a few minutes too late (right after I bit into that fat soft Qdoba's - the food was still worth it). The Dean of Students and then the scheduling lady spoke about the different rotations and assuaged the fears of the students about looking like idiots in the hospitals as third years. I almost had an identity crisis stroke being so jealous that most of my friends will actually get to use the knowledge that they slaved for for the last two years as the rest of the science suckers and I move on to our indefinitely long decline of medically practical knowledge in our labs. I want to play with real people next year too, don't leave me behind!! That over, Wednesday evening's info session truly activated my flight and flight. It was the session on how to prepare for the dreaded USMLE - the 8 hour long test that unites all the gunning med students around the nation in fear. I practically had to hold myself to the chair handles to not flee from the scene in illogical horror. (Quick aside, why does USMLE look so much like "SMILE"? This is going to ruin the facial expression for me.) Either way, while the 3rd year student panel tried to calm our fears and gave pointers, I felt every second as another testable piece of knowledge slip out of my mind into the abyss of hopelessness. That aside, during my presentation in journal club, I also cursed in front of the mass of MD-PhDers and announced that they should be interested in sex - while in the presence of the director. Although, far from too stressed about that little incident, I'm a lot more amused and happy that I got a few laughs from the audience. Hopefully I kept them awake in the presentation of a pretty uneventful paper. Although the director's response has yet to be gauged. Anyway, so by the end of the week, things started to look up again. Friday, I was relieved that the speaker I invited for Reproductive Health showed. The lecturer was pretty amazing and I learned a lot more anger inducing laws about reproduction that I can wax ineloquently on later in my predicted social justice critiques (aka-how the elephant pissed me off today). And today, despite multiple brushes the unlucky vehicle fairy, I managed not to get a ticket for parking at many illegal parking locations for extended periods of time. (most recent- I drove away as the traffic dude was flashing his lights behind my car. As I passed him, I saw him scratching away the ticket that he was almost done with.) Anyhow. From the lucky escape from multiple traffic problems today, I've decided that I will refuse to stress at my imminent move from med school when I just started to get used to it and the psychologically painful USMLE. Things always look bleak from far away, but who knows, maybe I'll get lucky when the time comes. | 
