Too cute!!!!

These were so cute I had to post them. SO CUTE!
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Open Letter

This is to the people one over upstairs from me

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't leave your little Beagle-y type dog out on your porch for such a long time. If you didn't notice, it barks, a lot, at everything. It is very cute, and I appreciate doggie cuteness, but sometimes I need to study. And that dog needs to come inside. Don't you know Humberto is on his way? Humberto is the reason I am at home studying being disturbed by your otherwise pleasant bark machine (they had to close the submarine doors at school! No gross lab for me!). So please, be kind, don't leave your dog on the porch for so long. There isn't anything for the poor puppy to do out there anyway. Except bark. A lot.

Quick thought

I guess this is just the kind of thing that pops into your head at 1:30 in the morning while you're mulling over how your day went. So here's the thought/suggestion for all standardized patients (though I think they should be called differentalized patients because they are far from the same), or really anyone who goes into a situation where someone could possibly be using a stethoscope.

Don't talk to me while I have my stethoscope in my ears. I can't hear you. Unless I'm looking at your mouth or listening to your chest, or you have the diaphragm of the stethoscope in front of your mouth, I won't have any idea you're even talking. I mean my ears are plugged up. That's all I'm saying. Just a heads up so no one will say anything important during the critical time of no hearing.

My first three weeks

I've survived it. The first three weeks. I'm done. Here's kind of how it went. Excitement, fear, tears, fear, tears, fear, tears, tears, tears, and finally today, excitement again. It has definitely been stressful, but med school is definitely doable. As is gross anatomy. Sorry I haven't posted much but that gives you an idea of the time I have. Anyone who really reads this blog knows me and I call anyway I guess :) Here's what I think of classes so far:

Histology: I'm a little scared of the course director, but I am sure he's a nice guy at heart. Lab just isn't worth going to because you are tested on images from books and websites, not from what you do in the actual lab. My time is better spent looking at images I might actually be tested over. Class is pretty straightforward, I just need to read.

Gross Anatomy: This is the one class that can make me feel like a total idiot and a complete genius. (ok not genius, but at least I feel like I might know something). I can't go to lecture because they go so fast I end up in a panic and I cry because I feel like there is no way I can ever learn it all. So I just stay home and study and I think I've been doing pretty good so far. I did get 12/20 on the practice practical! (sounds bad but it really isn't!) We did have a really good lecture today. Dr. Zhang is absolutely amazing. I want to kidnap him and run away to a desert island and have him talk anatomy to me all day long. Just amazing. (note: I do not literally want to kidnap him, its just a figure of speech because he is so cool I'd like to spend a lot of time with him.)

Biochemistry: This class should be a pre-requisite for medical school. It just should be. What we are going over right now feels SO basic to me. I mean we went over DNA replication today. DNA REPLICATION!!!!!! But the tests are tricky so I'm really glad I have the background already. So if you're pre med and reading this TAKE A SEMESTER OF BIOCHEM. You'll thank me later :)

Developmental Anatomy: It's all about babies. and moms. That is exactly what Dr. Rogers will tell you. And it is. I love it so far. Babies babies babies. What could make me happier? Real life babies. That's about it.

Intro to Clinical Medicine: I loves our course director. She is AH-mazing. But we do this standardized patient thing, which I did today, and it was SO AWKWARD!!! How come if these people are supposed to be standardized, they all act differently?!!??!?!? I guess I just like concrete things like do this, say this, this is how it should be done. Which I would have prepped for if I hadn't been told "oh don't worry! go in there, introduce yourself, and the standardized patient will lead you through it to teach you." Yeah that isn't how it happened. I introduced myself and he said "ok, go" UH it just felt awkward!!!!!! It probably wasn't so bad, but here is what it came down to. Don't put your hands in your pockets, you look casual, and welcome to adult hood. You are Student Doctor Sarah Lastname. I guess I am an adult, but I'm also just a 22 year old medical student!!!!! I can hardly take care of myself!!!!!! (ok, I actually do ok taking care of myself, but I'm just not a cleaner)

So that's pretty much how its going. I love UT Houston. It is amazing. But it is still hard. But I can do it. YEA ME!!!!

Ford The River!!!

Well today was my first real Houstonian experience. Tropical storm Erin (insert menacing music here) hit Houston hard. Specifically the part of Houston I needed to get around, you know, like to my CONDO!! Where I LIVE!!! My family had come down for my white coat ceremony (more on that later), and my dad and I were trying to get back to my place from Ikea (where I bought a very difficult to put together bookcase. Again, more on that later) and EVERY road to my condo was flooded. Luckily my dad has a Honda Pilot and I did probably the most badass thing I've done in a while. The road where we were was to0 flooded to go through and we were on a one way side of the light rail. So we hopped the curb, crossed over the rail lines, and got back on the other side to head back. It was super cool. I could never do that in my little sports car. I now want an SUV. I NEED and SUV. I NEED TO FORD THE RIVER DAMMIT!

Ok and now the scary. The rain had let up, we ate lunch, water had receded pretty much everywhere, except the way I chose to try to get back to the condo! My car is small, and cute, and the check engine light used to come on anytime I even thought about going through a puddle. There really wasn't room to turn around so I called my dad (who was right behind me) and since I saw another car get through, we decided to FORD THE RIVER!!! It was the scariest thing I've done in a long time. I just tried to keep going. If there is a strategy to getting through water, PLEASE tell me. Here was mine. PRAY! And just keep going. My instinct was totally to ease up on the gas but I just thought, if my wheels keep spinning, maybe they'll work like propellers and get me through. I just prayed and prayed and the water was all splashing up on my hood!!! I thought I was going to die! (ok not die, the water wasn't moving, my family was behind me in their car, but still!) It is seriously God that got me through. I cried. Just a little. It was scary and I lived. It felt good. I like living, and I like my condo. :) And I like Oregon Trail if you didn't notice. Here's a pic of the bayou by my place. (Ok it is the Bayou, but not exactly where I live, and it isn't from today, but I SWEAR it looked like this, but with lots of rushing water)


Now to the white coat ceremony! YAY!!! It was really exciting and very nice. I think mine fits funny but that is ok. It was really feel good, we got to sign the student honor code thing and we took the Hippocratic Oath (modified, but still super awesome since physicians for over 2000 years have been saying it). I think people sign things and take oaths lightly now, but an oath is really really serious and when you violate it, it really puts a mark on your honor as a person. And THAT is a big deal. :) At least to me.

Ok that's all for now. Retreat is tomorrow and I have to get to bed so that I can wake up and finish packing, and get there in time so that they don't leave me!

The end is near!

So my countdown to medical school is getting quite low. I can't believe it is almost here!

My friends Laura and Nathan came down Tuesday and we went to Galveston Wednesday. YAY Galveston! We had a lot of fun going to Schlitterbahn and to the beach, even if gulf water is salty and itchy. I had cut my elbow at Schlitterbahn so I had to keep it out of the icky flesh eating bacteria infested water. But it was still fun. And I have a little color on my skin before I begin my hermit days of studying indoors.

And, one of the most exciting things, I picked up my white coat!!!!!!! It is so pretty! And it fits just fine too. Unlike my scrubs I ordered. The bottoms are fine but the tops are HUGE! Why oh why am I two different sizes?

Oh yeah, I also got my syllabi for my classes. CRAZY!! A med school syllabus isn't just the intro to the class, it is all the notes for the whole block, semester, whatever. So it is pretty much a book. But much cheaper than any textbook. I took them in to get them bound so I'll post the number of pages when I get them back.

I've got to finish painting the cabinets so I'm off again. I swear I'll write more regularly.

I have internet!

Thank you Jesus! I can finally get online without having to travel to some coffee/tea place for free internet!

So in short, here's what's going on so far:
Back in Houston from home home
Bedroom painted (light green)
Kitchen painted (red)
Condo getting semi-organized
Diploma hung (it looks so good! YAY Benjamin Knox!)
Foundation Honors certificate hung (also bueno! YAY)
Going out to eat with Aunt and everyone else
Going out Friday with UTH people
Going to Lowe's Monday with Jenny for the BIG TRIP with the 10% off coupon

I'm going to start working on the kitchen cabinets soon so that I can do them over several days since they will be a pain in the butt. I will be using Sherwin Williams paint though, which will make is one million times better. I make the mistake of using another brand *gasp* of paint because the color was sooooo cool for the kitchen, and I was kicking myself the whole time. It didn't go on evenly, I had to double coat, it still shows some brush strokes, and mostly it was a pain to do! As opposed to painting my bedroom which was a WONDERFUL experience (as wonderful as painting can be). The paint went on well, covered the dark yellowbrowngreen color, didn't show any brush strokes or roller spots, and it only needed ONE coat. YAY.

Now if I could only get my hair to cooperate, then I'd be in business. Tips for dealing with curly hair in this extreme humidity are welcome.