If I weren't going to be a pediatrician..

I would absolutely work in geriatrics! Here is an example why I also love old people. Other than their extreme cuteness...

82-year-old Miss America pulls gun on thieves

Basically, there were some guys scrapping her metal on her property, and she shot out their tire so that they couldn't leave until the police came. She was just on Jay Leno too, and she was just hilarious. Plus, the elderly have such amazing stories to tell. And they are cute. And apparently they kick butt when they are packin'.

Its so hard..... to say goodbye.....

Tonight was what will probably the last time my friends Chris and Aubrey and I ever go out to sushi together, at Kyoto, for a very long time. Friday night sushi is a tradition we started freshman year. Every Friday, (well pretty much every Friday, sometimes I went home, things were going on, etc.) we went to Northgate to the sushi place. We lived on northside so it was super convenient to get to, and it was a nice break from Sbisa. What started out as just us three, has grown to be a huge event, involving lots of planning and calling to make a time fit for everyone. But now today, we were back to the original three. I started school with these two, and it is so hard to see myself leaving them. Chris is going onto another job, Aubrey will stay at A&M, and I will be going off to Houston. I've really tried to not think about it because it is very hard for me to imagine leaving them. I'm incredibly excited to go to medical school, can't wait to get to Houston, but it is so sad to see us all going our separate ways. It didn't help that at the professional school dinner tonight, the speaker talked about how even though we are all going our separate ways to do big and great things, we shouldn't forget A&M and the amazing people that have helped us get where we are.

I won't. I will never forget my time at A&M. I loved my friends in high school, but I never liked high school. I LOVE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY!!!!!! And I love my new college friends. I graduate in exactly two weeks. Then I'm done. I'm no longer an undergraduate. There are so many deep, powerful thoughts that I have that just won't come out on paper (errr..the screen). I wish I was better at expressing my feelings, but mostly this is for me I guess. If I could give any college advice, it would be to go somewhere you will love to be. You'll grow so much, learn so much, and have more fun than you'll ever imagine, all while still being a kid. Don't get caught up in the pre-med hype. Do what you love and it will all work out. It always does. So here's a sappy Aggie poem. I love it. It is outside the bonfire memorial here, and it really means a lot to me. Even though I won't be at A&M anymore, I will carry the Aggie spirit with me every day.

The Last Corps Trip

It was Judgment Day in Aggieland
And tenseness filled the air;
All knew there was a trip at hand,
But not a soul knew where.

Assembled on the drill field
Was the world-renowned Twelfth Man,
The entire fighting Aggie team
And the famous Aggie Band.

And out in front with Royal Guard
The reviewing party stood;
St. Peter and his angel staff
Were choosing bad from good.

First he surveyed the Aggie team
And in terms of an angel swore,
"By Jove, I do believe I've seen
This gallant group before.

I've seen them play since way back when,
And they've always had the grit;
I've seen 'em lose and I've seen 'em win
But I've never seen 'em quit.

No need for us to tarry here
Deciding upon their fates;
Tis plain as the halo on my head
That they've opened Heaven's gates."

And when the Twelfth Man heard this,
They let out a mighty yell
That echoed clear to Heaven
And shook the gates of Hell.

"And what group is this upon the side,"
St. Peter asked his aide,
"That swelled as if to burst with pride
When we our judgment made?"

"Why, sir, that's the Cadet Corps
That's known both far and wide
For backing up their fighting team
Whether they won lost or tied."

"Well, then," said St. Peter,
"It's very plain to me
That within the realms of Heaven
They should spend eternity.

And have the Texas Aggie Band
At once commence to play
For their fates too we must decide
Upon this crucial day."

And the drum major so hearing
Slowly raised his hand
And said, "Boys, let's play The Spirit
For the last time in Aggieland."

And the band poured forth the anthem,
In notes both bright and clear
And ten thousand Aggie voices
Sang the song they hold so dear.

And when the band had finished,
St. Peter wiped his eyes
And said, "It's not so hard to see
They're meant for Paradise."

And the colonel of the Cadet Corps said
As he stiffly took his stand,
"It's just another Corps Trip, boys,
We'll march in behind the band."

-By P.H. DuVal Jr. '51

Wowza!

Sooooo here I am, post biochem and medical terminology tests, and post advanced human genetics project, really ready to have fun!!! Woohoo!! Tonight we're having a reunion of the Fab 5, me and the four other girls who bonded over my study abroad trip. We are AH-mazing. I can't wait. We'll go have some good German koelsch beer at Fox and Hound. YAY. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging again soon. :)

Woooohoooo! I added a countdown! Get excited!

In the news....

So here are a couple news stories I thought were really good/cute/yay!

Back to Story - Help

Peru's 'miracle baby' walks on her own

Fri Apr 20, 10:13 PM ET

Peru's "miracle baby" walked around her nursery school yard Friday, ducking in and out of a plastic playhouse seven months after undergoing an operation to fully separate her fused legs.

Milagros Cerron, whose first name means "miracles" in Spanish, was born with a rare congenital defect known as sirenomelia, or "mermaid syndrome," which left her legs connected from her heels to her groin.

Dr. Luis Rubio, head of the medical team that separated Milagros' legs, invited reporters to see her progress on Friday. He said doctors have successfully reconstructed the child's hips, knees and ankles and that she is "doing well physically."

But Rubio said Milagros — who is called "the little mermaid" by Peruvians — will need another operation in about two years to reconstruct and repair her urinary and sexual organs.

"We've gotten past the first stage, but it's not the last," Rubio said. "There's a long way to go."

Milagros, who turns 3 years old next week, now takes ballet classes and runs around the playground with her classmates.

In June 2005 doctors successfully performed risky surgery to separate her legs to above her knees. The operation seven months ago was to separate the remaining four inches of fused tissue just below the groin.

Rubio has said Tiffany Yorks, a 17-year-old American, is the only other person known to have undergone successful surgery to correct the rare congenital defect, which occurs in one out of every 70,000 births and is almost always fatal within days of birth.

Milagros' family comes from a poor village in the Andes mountains but Lima's municipal government has agreed to pay for her medical care.

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

How amazing is it that these doctors have given this beautiful little girl the ability to walk! I think it is just amazing. Plus the little girl is SUPER cute. Gosh I'm a sucker for kids. Love them!

Back to Story - Help

Parents of conjoined twins await surgery

By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press WriterFri Apr 20, 4:45 PM ET

The parents of 3-year-old conjoined twins said Friday that they are worried but hopeful as they await high-risk surgery to separate their daughters.

"It's kind of an anxious time," the Rev. Alin Dogaru said in an interview with The Associated Press while sitting hand-in-hand with his wife, Claudia. "Of course we are concerned about their health," he said.

A team of up to 50 doctors and nurses will separate the 3-year-old girls in four stages over several weeks at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. The surgeries are tentatively scheduled for late May.

Before the interview, Claudia Dogaru gently lifted up the girls — Anastasia in a blue dress was held in her mother's left arm and Tatiana with a pink dress in her mother's right arm — and placed them in a two-seat stroller.

The top of Tatiana's head is attached to the back of Anastasia's. Twins born joined at the head — called craniopagus twins — are extremely rare, occurring in about 1 in 2.5 million births.

Claudia Dogaru said she was facing the future with prayer.

"I will face every day at a time. I will pray," she said. "I cannot say what's going to happen tomorrow."

The twins, who were born in Rome, arrived in Cleveland several weeks ago after 2 1/2 years in Dallas.

Among the surgical risks are the possibility of brain damage, stroke or a fatal amount of blood loss.

Anastasia, the larger twin, also requires a kidney transplant; she has no kidney function and relies on Tatiana's kidneys.

___

On the Net:

World Craniofacial Foundation: http://www.worldcf.org

Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital: http://www.rainbowbabies.org

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

I think the story of these twin girls is really neat. I saw a thing about them somewhere on TV, and it was about them while they were still in Dallas. The thing that hit me most was when their mother was talking about how nice the public in Dallas was to them. They had a scene at the grocery store where the manager asked if he could bring the girls balloons, and all these people coming up to them letting them know the girls and their family were in their prayers. It was all just so sweet, especially the mother's reaction to all the people. When it really hit me was when the twin's mother was saying how nice it was that the people in Texas were so nice, because when they left Italy (I think that is where they were), the girls were beginning to be ridiculed and pointed out by adults. ADULTS!!! Don't they know better?!?! How cruel can anyone be to make fun of two little girls who are conjoined at the head, with no fault of their own!! It was just terrible to hear, and it made me really happy that this family's first U.S. experience was with some good ol' Southern hospitality.

Anyways, I have a biochem test coming up so we'll see how this all goes. Gosh the senioritis is terrible.

Aggie Muster

Today is Aggie Muster, the day when we remember all Aggies who have passed away in the previous year. It hits home a little more this year because we will be remembering Robert Walker Best '06, who should have been joining me in entering medical school this fall. He passed away after several interviews, but much before acceptances were sent. It is just tragic to me that someone who could have been a really amazing doctor passed away in such a terrible accident.

Update: Ok I went to Muster and it was amazing. Our speaker was very inspirational. I think she was the best Muster speaker I've heard in my four years here at A&M. I only cried a little at the beginning, I said here, and was just very moved by the whole thing. Aggie traditions are great. It is like nowhere else on Earth I know.

Photos

This first picture is from the Japan Festival in Houston. It was mucho fun.

My roommate and I went to Brenham to this 50's diner. This is a sign that was in the restroom.

This is my boyfriend's dog. She is SO cute. And big. I love her a lot. I almost miss her more than the boyfriend. :) She is almost 100 pounds, and still growing. She is very skinny still (grrrr to her old owners) and it got cold (in April, very strange) so we went to get her fleece so I could make her a blanket and this is what the boyfriend picked. I need to buy her more pink things.....

Just to give you an idea of how big Bella is, here is is laying on the floor next to the boyfriend. He is normal sized :) (6 foot, 6'1", you know). She has a very cute pink collar that she isn't wearing in this picture. It is VERY cute. So cute you might explode. I measured her and I think she was 31" at the shoulder (which is the proper place to measure them I learned!)

Ok that is all the cuteness/funniness that I could squeeze out. I have a terrible bout of senioritis right now. It is AWFUL. Especially since I have a biochemistry test Tuesday.
I just thought I would put up a couple pics :) Pictures are always fun

TALK TO ME!!! PLEASE!!

Ok so I know some people are at least looking at this stuff, if not actually reading it, but just leave a comment and say hello! Tell me it sucks, tell me you like it, tell me you agree/disagree with my feelings. Tell me ANYTHING!! I JUST NEED A SIGN OF LIFE OUT THERE!!! Ok silly time over

Ok not really, silly time is never truly over for me. But on what else is going on in my life. I know the Virginia Tech massacre is hot news right now, but I feel like there is nothing really constructive that I can say. It is absolutely terrible, and the best I can offer is my love and support to that community. My only real contribution, is that even before this, I've really thought that kids lately have almost zero appropriate/successful coping mechanisms. I don't know why it is, but they just don't. It is very sad. I really feel like we almost need classes for children to learn what is appropriate and what is not when they deal with feelings like sadness, anger, etc. It isn't instinctual knowing how to deal with these feelings, and there are so many parents that don't even know how to deal with their own feelings (mmmhmmm I watched Dr. Phil yesterday......).

In other news, I'm still stupidly excited about medical school/Houston. I've been looking at getting a condo. It would just be cheaper than rent there. Houston is expensive if anyone isn't aware. There are several I like so me and my dad are just going down there to check them all out after graduation. EEEKKK Graduation! I've got to get those announcements sent out. The semester is almost over. Everything has really flown by for me. I have loved going to A&M. I've made amazing friends, learned lots about myself, and have just had the most incredible time that I can't even put into words. I know there is a lot of hubbub about picking the right undergrad to get into medical school, but seriously, people need to go to a place they will get a good education, but that they will also enjoy. People told me a lot to have fun because you have your whole life to work, and it sound silly but it is true. But then again I never really listened much to what people told me. You just always have to live through it. But if everyone says it, perhaps it at least has an ounce of truth :)

Currently watching: Passions! I love my NBC soaps!

I'm in love with a med school.....

Ok so read the title like the song. It is funny I swear. I just got back to good ol' CS from Houston and I AM IN LOVE WITH UT HOUSTON!!!! I hope that isn't creepy. I had an absolutely amazing time meeting all of my new classmates and meeting the current M1s. I also now have a clue about how the heck to get around Houston. It is very confusing. Very. Maybe I'm just slow. I left after my class Friday and went down to meet my M1 buddy (my big sis if you will) for a mini tour of the med school and lunch. I also got to meet a bunch of her friends which was very fun. Friday night I met a couple of girls in Rice Village for drinks which was very fun. Saturday my M1 buddy and I had breakfast, I went to see my aunt, and then I went back to the big social thingie that was the real part of Welcome Weekend. There was a ton of BBQ, and two kegs of beer! BEER! And Dr. Kellaway was there! It was CRAZY! And it was no cheap beer either, they sprung for the good stuff. It was very nice. After chatting like crazy with about a million different people, I went with a friend I already knew, two people I kind of know, and two new people to this boba tea place that my M1 buddy showed me. SUPER GOOD! I didn't think I would like it as much as I do. Boba tea will certainly make me poor. After tea, we met a couple other people for dinner at El Meson in Rice Village. Very good but greasy. Then we met up with the rest of the Welcome Weekend crew at this bar place. It was also fun. I felt like an old lady though because at 11pm I was beat. Lame-o. But I still had a really good time. Oh and did I mention it was FREEZING!! 60 degrees, in April, in HOUSTON! Ridonk-a-donk!

Today, I went with my aunt to the Japan festival in Hermann park. Also very fun. Having that huge park in the middle of Houston really reminded me of the parks in London (I LOVE London) and I think that whole museum district really solidified that I am going to enjoy being in Houston.

So WHOOP for UT Houston and WHOOP for medical school and WHOOP for brand new friends. I am pumped for medical school this fall.

Currently craving: Jasmine green tea with tapioca from that teahouse! YUM

Memories....

So I woke up this morning, checked the online news like I usually do, and I was completely upset to find that the one and only Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. I am really sad about this. Kurt Vonnegut was very cool. I even did my author project in high school over him. It was a good project. I got an A on it. Yeah he was quite liberal, but the way he wrote, what he wrote about, it was just amazing. Plus it was funny. This guy dealt with really really crappy things in a funny way. You didn't have to agree with what he was saying to appreciate it, and it really made you look at your own point of view on the issues he addressed. Also did I mention, he was funny? I appreciated that. Let's look at some quotes from dear Mr. Vonnegut...(some from books, some he said... you know...)

"We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap. "

"This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast."

"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. "

"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

I really don't read much, but his passing makes me want to go out and just grab one of the books and enjoy it the same way I did when I first started reading him in high school. It would get my head out of the med school world a little bit too :) Sure the last three books I read are all medically related... what of it? I really wish I was better at writing and that I could say more eloquently how I appreciate Kurt Vonnegut and his books, but I would only butcher it. Just go read some of the news articles about him. They put it better than I ever could.

In happier news, I go to Houston tomorrow! YAY! I am having pains of middle school though. Will they like me? Will I like them? Will I have anyone to sit by at lunch? What if I can't find my class? Oh c'mon everyone worries about that. Don't they? It is funny because I am staying with a friend already in school there, and I have about 3 people I know that are starting. Plus I'm still praying for the ones that are waitlisted that I want to come desperately to UTH. I sure hope I get used to the idea of living in Houston. It is such a big city! Luckily the friend I am staying with is adventurous and knows a lot about Houston and is going to show me around. I think it will be fun. Minus the traffic. Well I have biochem homework to attend to. I can't wait to write about Welcome Weekend. WHOOP! I am excited. :)

I keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' what!

YAY my advanced human genetics test is over. I was a little worried about it since I still haven't gotten back the last test, but now that is done I am certain I did just fine! I love that total feeling of relief when I'm done with a test and I know it went ok. I was a total bum yesterday after the test and it was fantastic, though now I have the urge to clean and organize, which I know is a good thing since my room is falling apart (though it isn't as bas as it has been!).

So in the news lately......

Billy Gillispie left our wonderful University for Kentucky. I was mad, never really sad, then super mad again, now I'm pretty much over it. Obviously there was drama and I'm glad he's gone now, even though he did amazing things for our program. He just didn't get what it took to be an Aggie. The new guy Mark Turgeon has two super cute kids. Gillispie had none. That makes Turgeon obviously better in my book :)

Larry Birkhead is the baby daddy! Well.... duh. It was pretty obvious that the pretty little baby did not have the schnoz to be related to Howard K Stern. I'm not saying he'd be a better parent, that he doesn't have ulterior motive (ummmm that baby could be worth A-LOT), or that he is even normal. But all I'm saying is that I totally knew he was the dad. Just look at a picture.

Sheryl Crow came to A&M for the stop global warming tour (or something like that). I didn't see her but she's cool and I'm glad she came. Even though it could be bad timing since everyone down here just had snow. Snow is not warm. :)

Ok that's all I can think of for now. I must clean clean clean so that I can feel organized and happy. Maybe I'll buy some highlighters. Seriously. I've been thinking about which brand will be best for medical school because I feel kind of picky about highlighters and I want ones that are bright and somewhat light. I don't want the ink to seep through the pages and look so dark I can hardly read my own handwriting. Maybe I'll ask the office supply people to let me open packages and test them out :)

Currently craving: a clean room! hah yeah

Hop Hop Hoppy!

Happy Easter!

Nothing particularly exciting happened today. There were a ton of kids at church (duh) and they were super cute and dressed up. I loved it and took tons of pictures. I also got a couple late birthday presents today so it was extra fun! I'm very full from all the food, and sometimes I wonder why Easter isn't a bigger deal than Christmas. I mean, it really is the most important Christian holiday, with Jesus rising from the dead to ascend into heaven as forgiveness for our sins being quite a big deal and all :)

Christmas in July....err April

It snowed. In April. In Texas. Who'da thunk.... I think this is ridiculous. I do not like cold weather, it makes me grumpy, and generally is just not something I like, especially in APRIL! I was just outside playing soccer with the doggie, (SUPER cute I'll have to find the pictures we took) and all of a sudden there was white stuff falling from the sky. Incredible.

On a different note, I saw this interesting article. It goes along with how I've felt for a long time. DO NEWBORN SCREENINGS!!!!!!! For pretty much everything. I even wrote a paper about it for my study abroad program. I compared the U.S. and Germany's newborn screening and immunization programs. Let's just say the U.S. has a ways to go.

	Visit us online at www.MedPageToday.com
	Universal Newborn Cystic Fibrosis Screening Pays Off
	By Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. April 06, 2007
	MedPage Today Action Points Explain to interested patients that in 2004, the CDC in Atlanta recommended that states add CF to their panels of newborn screening tests. At least 27 states have done so, with another four to seven states likely to begin soon. Inform patients that the findings add economic weight to arguments for newborn CF screening, which has also been shown to improve outcomes for patients with the disease.
	Review NORWICH, England, April 6 -- Routine screening of newborns for cystic fibrosis is cost effective, found researchers here. The cost of therapy for children eventually diagnosed clinically with cystic fibrosis was 60% to 400% more than for those diagnosed by newborn screening, said Erika J. Sims, Ph.D., of the University of East Anglia, and colleagues. These treatment savings alone would offset 60% to 73% of screening program costs in a conservative estimate, they wrote in the April 7 issue of The Lancet. Previous studies have tied early treatment as a result of screening by age two months to better growth, less need for long-term therapies, and even better cognitive development. In 2004, the CDC in Atlanta recommended that states add the test to their existing panel of newborn screening tests. At least 27 states have done so already with another four to seven likely to begin soon. In England, where the cost-effectiveness was evaluated, CF screening of newborns is not routine. "If clear clinical benefit does not always persuade governments to implement screening, cost benefits might," the investigators wrote. "The costs of screening are an important part of such decision making." The study included children ages one to nine years old with CF identified by screening within two months of birth (184) or after clinical presentation without screening (950). The researchers estimated yearly costs of long-term and nebulized therapies and intravenous antibiotics based on data in the United Kingdom Cystic Fibrosis Database from 2000 to 2002. The cost estimates for CF screening included staff, overheads, and consumables used in adding the test to Scotland's established newborn screening program for phenylketonurea and congenital hypothyroidism. Among the findings, Dr. Sims and colleagues reported: For mixed CF genotype patients, clinical diagnosis was associated with 400% higher median treatment costs than with screening ($2,442 versus $352, P<0.0001). For homozygous genotype patients, the difference was smaller but still significant (median $2,516 versus $2,090, P=0.0001). Adjusting for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection status, clinically diagnosed patients received significantly more treatment than those identified by screening (heterozygous $3,126 more, P=0.02, homozygous $4,739, P=0.009). Overall, an estimated 34% to 121% of newborn screening costs would be offset by lower treatment costs. The estimated annual screening cost would be $2,971,551 for the entire United Kingdom whereas the median cost saving for treatment would be $1,001,326 with a mean of $3,601,744. Using a more conservative model that took into account infants who present clinically prior to screening or who have a rare genotype not picked up by the screening assay, the mean cost saving would still have been $1,791,198 to $2,156,940 (60.2% to 72.6% offset). Furthermore, the estimated cost savings in 2002 alone would have offset 100% of the estimated costs of implementing the program. Adding indirect costs from time invested in care by parents and caregivers and days of school missed would likely have further increased the cost saving, the researchers said. However, they acknowledged there is substantial variation in cost of the screening assay used. In their study, the 31-DNA mutation screen cost $4.44, which was double the $2.66 reported for the single-DNA mutation test used by Wisconsin, for instance. The study is among the first to look at cost-effectiveness rather than cost-comparisons between methods, according to an editorial by Bridget Wilcken, M.B., Ch.B., and Kevin Gaskin, M.D., both of the Children's Hospital at Westmead and University of Sydney in Australia. In their editorial, Drs. Wilcken and Gaskin cautioned that other treatment costs, such as those for inpatient care, were not included in the analysis because they are not captured in the database used. Nonetheless, "Sims' findings probably apply widely outside the United Kingdom," they noted. The economic, clinical, and social evidence weighs "unreservedly" in favor of international adoption of universal newborn screening programs for CF, the researchers concluded. "Even if cost savings do not offset the total costs of a screening program, improvements in health resulting from the program justify implementation, if the ratio of costs and benefits are within an acceptable margin," Dr. Sims and colleagues wrote. The study was funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the National Services Division of NHS in Scotland. Dr. Sims received salary support from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust when the work was carried out. Other researchers reported funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Scottish National Services Division of NHS. The researchers included the director and the manager of the U.K. Cystic Fibrosis Database and the director of the Scottish Newborn Screening Laboratory. Drs. Wilcken and Gaskin reported no conflicts of interest. Primary source: The Lancet Source reference: Wilcken B, Gaskin K "More Evidence to Favour Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis" The Lancet 2007; 369:1146-1147. Additional source: The Lancet Source reference: Sims EJ, et al "Economic Implications of Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis: A Cost of Illness Retrospective Cohort Study" The Lancet 2007; 369:1187-1195. Disclaimer The information presented in this activity is that of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, MedPage Today, and the commercial supporter. Specific medicines discussed in this activity may not yet be approved by the FDA for the use as indicated by the writer or reviewer. Before prescribing any medication, we advise you to review the complete prescribing information, including indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse effects. Specific patient care decisions are the responsibility of the healthcare professional caring for the patient. Please review our Terms of Use.
	© 2004-2007 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

So yeah, pretty interesting if you read the whole thing :)

Currently wanting: warm apple cider. brrrr it is so cold!

TMDSAS goodness

Thursday, I ran into a friend that I don't see very often, and since he's a year younger and applying to med school, the topic of advice came right up. I have to say, I really really like giving advice. I feel like when I have good knowledge, its almost my duty to, you know, pass it on to future generations. I want to help people learn from my mistakes, give them hints on how they can do well at something. All that jazz. But I also don't get worked up if they don't take it. I mean I gave the advice . . . at least I tried. (perhaps I will make a list sometime of all my big advice) This year was a brand new admissions system, and I think it was really rough on people. The schools all gave out pretty much every available seat in this years class before match. Was it fair? probably not. But it also isn't fair that not every deserving person gets into medical school, while some jerk faced undeserving people who are so anal they probably haven't pooped since '91 do get in. Ok I dont know anyone like that, but you know. I also think Texas needs more med shool spots. I don't know if it would be better to make the existing schools better, or to make a new one. The problem with making a new school, is that it probably should be in an underserved area, such as oh... El Paso or other West/South Texas places. OH WAIT! That's right! Most people don't want to go down there!! But really, this just leads me into a rant on how it all trickles down to families and the priorities they put on education, as well as the education available to them beginning in elementary school. I mean, if you can barely get kids out of high school, how are you going to get them to be successful in college, let alone med school. But that is a much longer story, and it all leads to stories about how people should not think so much about now now now and they should look a little more long term. I mean, if I didn't think long term, how in the world would I know this long road to becoming a doctor is worth it for me. I mean, I'm going to be in school for-ev-er. And that is ok. I'm going to be a doctor!!! *happy dance* I've always wanted this and I'm just one step closer. And thank goodness this is where God wants me to be. I guess if He wanted me somewhere else He would have just put me there. Unless I'm that preverbial (or however you spell it) boulder that's so big God can't even lift it. But jeeze I don't weigh that much :)

Ohhhhhhh... and on a fun note, the boyfriend and I went to get his/our dog fabric to make a blanket. We narrowed it down to either Disney Princesses (light pink fleece) or this cool Yoda and Star Wars (black fleece). She technically is his dog so I told him to pick. When he couldn't I told him black wouldn't look so dirty after a while, so now this giant dog with the pretty pink hearts and bones collar has a silly Yoda blanket to keep her warm (she's very skinny if you weren't aware). And he complained people always called her a boy..... now what are we supposed to do?

Currently watching: CSI miami. LOVE IT! Love CSI, love science, love it love it love it! Plus I can't sleep. Oh me, oh my

It feels like the first time!!!

So, I'm probably really writing this for me. I doubt anyone other than family/good friends really care what I'm up to. Heck they might not even care. But I choose to think of the positive, so of course they care!
The real point of this blog is to discuss what is going on in my life. To start with, I will be graduating from Texas A&M in May. WHOOP! I'm very excited. VERY excited. And then I'll be attending medical school at UT Houston. Also something I'm very excited about, though this time it is a nervous excitement. All of a sudden it hit me. I'm going to move to a BIG CITY. VERY big city. I'm not from big city, I'm from what most people would call the suburbs. I decided to call this blog Sarah goes to Deutschland, because I feel like my whole medical school experience will be a lot like my study abroad trip. It will be overwhelming, scary at time, but in the end will be one of the best experiences of my life. Also, I kind of think being thrown into medical school is like being thrown into a foreign country. You know, you don't know the language, the customs, all that jazz. Also, it is about as clever as I could muster. So there. Its all out. Me. I'm an open book. Whoop for that.

What I'm really up to right now: Desperately wanting my earache to go away. I broke down and went to the quack shack today, got my Z-pack, and now I'm just waiting it to feel all better. Plus I already went through one box of kleenexes, I don't want to go back to the store for another.