9 WORDS WOMEN USE

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F@!K YOU!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response, refer to #3.

So I've been travelling around the US doing away rotations at different institutions and exploring different cities.So it's interesting to see how different schools are from each other. It's probably not something you can really realize unless you immerse yourself in a different environment and get a feel about what a school is all about. There is a lot to be said about being comfortable in a program and how much more important that is than getting into a top level program. Every program has their certain je ne sais quoi about them that either draws you there or repulses you away. In the next 5-7 months of my life, I will be travelling around trying to get a feel for each program I visit to look for the right fit. It's quite an undertaking if you realize that it takes people sometimes years to figure out what they want to do and then try to figure out how they are going to do it and where they are going to do it. Med students get about 1 year to do that.

Up until now, it seems like every decision along my life has been made for me or pre-planned for me. True, I did get into this program on my own and the decision was mine to go to DeBakey in the first place, but everything after that has been pretty much cruise control with very little bumps along the way. I always had a safety net if I made a mistake. But now I don't. I'm on my own with this decision. No more safety net around. I'm diving into the unknown without a real plan already laid down. Time to step into the real world.