So, maybe I don't have to become a plumber…

So, no new entries in a while. I simply don't have the time. Yesterday I finally told Haley about a hilarious thing that happened to me a week ago. I couldn't believe that I hadn't already told her, and then I realized how much time I have been spending with my notes and textbooks.

So, here's the hilarious story that I had forgotten to share with Haley. In class, they give us practice at becoming doctors (this is only a small part of the course load, and to be honest, it only seems to take precious anatomy study time away from me). Anyway, I am practicing with a fellow MALE classmate in front of two observers, one another classmate and the other my preceptor. As the patient, I was given the role of flirtatious. Yeah, I had to act that one out with a male classmate. It was rather odd.

I have been studying non-stop for the past week and a half. Literally, after class until about 12:30 every night (at least the last couple nights). I'm not crazy, its just that today was our first test. It composed of 83 questions, first thing in the morning. Straight after class, We had another two hour lecture, that I have consequentially been studying all day (we have a test on that stuff next Friday). Given how much I studied for that test, you would have thought that I couldn't have possibly missed any questions. Well, it was a tough test that covered a TON of material. I got the average grade, which I will not divulge, which I am really happy with. Considering that I am in a class of geniuses and overachievers, who studied just as hard as I did, I am happy with my average grade. As long as there were geniuses and overachievers who did worse than me, I am happy.

That whole competing against only yourself stuff is such bull. We are all competing for residency positions, for patients, and for money the rest of our lives. Having said that, MCG is great because everyone is out to help each other out. I have met some great people to study with and we all help each other out. Sure we are competing, but at least we are cordial about it. Luckily I didn't get the high grade in the class, otherwise I would have nowhere to move in the class. At least in the middle, I have options.

I'm all for feminism

Okay, so this is a little side note. One of my teachers (a staunch feminist) showed us this slide in lecture. She introduced it saying that these things called caspases act as the executioner in the cell, killing everything inside. So, she goes on to explain, she searched for a picture of a hatchet on the internet to portray these executioner caspases. She came across this picture and said the following when she showed it to the class "here we see the woman doing (as in real life) all the work. There you see the man telling the woman what to do, and whether told to or not, we see the woman doing all the work." At this point the class was all laughing riotously. Trying to make a feminist joke, she turned the tables. This picture, of course, shows George Washington's father disapproval of his son's chopping down of his cherry tree. It has nothing to do with a man telling a woman what to do.

That is what the elves call the justice of the unicorns.

...dude

When they say that medical school is like being fed information through a fire hose, they weren't kidding. I have learned more this week than the past two years combined (not counting practical information learned at derm and vein). From embryonic development to muscles of the neck to mitochondria and the electron transport chain to critiquing doctor-patient interactions, the first week of school has been intense. I think my pattern is going to be lecture from 8-12 in the morning, followed by some intense studying from 12:30-6:00pm. That way I can save my evenings to spend with Haley and hopefully limit my study time on the weekends.

I was going to do more studying this weekend than what I ended up doing. What can I say? The garage needed organizing, the cars needed their oil to be changed, and the lawn needed a good mowing. I didn't even crack a book on Saturday and put off all the studying until today. And then Haley and I, in an effort to be social, had people over to the house on Saturday and Sunday. Luckily, I did get in a couple hours of study today.

Back to school. It is a lot of fun, as I am getting to meet tons of new people. I don't know if being married forces you to lose any inhibitions and shyness I had as a single person, but my ability to make new friends has really grown in recent years. I think it is because Haley is the only person I care about impressing any more these days, so I just go all out. I even went a played soccer on Friday with a bunch of MSI's and MSII's (referring to medical school year I and II, respectively). Us MSI's, whooped up on the second years, the final score being 7 to 0. I am sure we hurt their egos. That isn't to say that I did anything of note during the hour and a half of play. In fact, I felt like I was going to die just trying to keep up with the rest of the team. I had the incredible foresight to bring a black shirt to play in the 99 degree weather. Being horribly out of shape didn't help things too much either.

I better shut this one down, seeing as how week two of MSI starts in a meager 6.5 hours. Good night and good luck. May your week involve less thinking than mine will.

Day 1

First day of medical school went off with a bang. I got stuck on the 13th street bridge going into Augusta for about 15 minutes, which made me late for class, and then when I finally got to school, I couldn't find an access road to get into the parking lot, so I parked in the center lot, which I am not supposed to do. So I walk into class 10 minutes after lecture started. Luckily there was a seat on the front row and I could hide in a corner. Then after anatomy lab, I realized I had forgotten my lunch at home. Luckily I didn't get a ticket, I didn't miss anything important at the beginning of class, and there was some cheap pizza in the cafeteria I could eat.

I am definitely starting medical school on the right foot. Actually, today was a really good day, apart from the preceding paragraph. We started off first thing in the morning dissecting our cadavers. It was incredible. I can't believe how much ground we covered in the first few hours of medical school. We observed all the major muscles of the back, many of the nerves, and then we dissected through the vertebrae to reach the spinal cord. From the looks of the cadaver, I don't know if I am cut out for surgery. Oh, and I don't eat red meat any more. I honestly think I am giving up pot roast. From here on out, it is chicken and fish for this sailor.

I am getting to meet a lot of cool people in school. Everybody seems really glad to be there and eager to get to know each other and help one another out. Tonight, Haley and I went bowling with the class. In fact, they have an activity planned for every night of this week. I don't think we will make it out to the rest of them, though. Medical school is going to be tough, but I think I am going to love it.