My 2nd year birthday! 

Katy age 3 

Blackberries

Today in class there was some loud interference with the sound system as our dean tried to explain residency applications. He finally stopped and stated that somebody's blackberry was on and messing up the audio system. I sat there and pondered about what a blackberry was, if I had one, and if I do, how do I turn it off? The only thing I know about blackberries are from an important news story I vaguely remember about Paris Hilton's blackberry getting violated. Oh the irony of it all. When it happens to Paris, it sounds kinky and fun. When it happens to me, it's just a loud buzzing noise in the lecture hall. Life is simply not fair. I finally turned to my friend next to me, MD/PhD Student and asked him what a blackberry was. He laughed and explained it to me. Whew!! It wasn't me causing the awful noise in the lecture hall. Maybe it was Paris....

vendredi

So this morning was fairly predictable. I got to school, and while looking up some patient information on our computer, Psychiatrist came in and asked, "what happened to you guys yesterday?". (isn't that exactly what I said he would say?) I kinda squirmmed and explained that we were all confused about the scheduling blah blah blah and left after waiting 45 minutes. I told him I was sorry and then jokingly told him I hope it didn't make him feel rejected (after all, he IS a psychiatrist). He told me he went home and cut on his arms....(a bit of Borderline humor). I did my best to steer clear of the course director the rest of the morning. I'm really worried all of our grades will get docked. I can't afford that right now. Oh yeah, and I still have to write my essay. Someday I'm sure I'll look back at all this and laugh.

This afternoon I had to have a photo made for my residency applications. I always dread taking posed pictures. I feel like I look like a dork most of the time. More pressing though, is the fact that I still haven't decided what kind of medicine I want to do. I've pretty much narrowed it down to pathology or anesthesiology, but I'm still worried I haven't decided yet. It's scary to think that if you make the wrong decision you could be miserable the rest of your life.

Tonight I came home and made a veggie pizza on whole wheat crust, one of my favorite things to make. Sweety-kins is out of town so I'm enjoying a rare evening home alone. I should call my friends and be social but I'm just too tired. I'm tired almost all the time and to be able to come home and not have to talk to anyone feels like a gift from above. Welcome to the rest of my life.

My favorite kitchen gadgets

1. a good garlic press (one in which the garlic doesn't squirt out the sides)
2. a Foodsaver Vacuum
3. a wisk
4. a large collander that fits in your sink
5. a flour sifter
6. one of those Pampered Chef parmasean graders (you turn a crank and the cheese tumbles out)
7. a pizza stone
8. a George Foreman Grill (to have one is to love one)
9. a food scale
10. a pasta spoon

List of medical school books that saved my a$$!

1. Lippincott's Review of Biochemistry
2. BRS Gross Anatomy by Kyung Chung
3. Netter's Atlas of Anatomy
4. Medical Physiology by Linda Costanzo
5. The Lange Series Medical Physiology
6. The Lange Series Medical Microbiology and Immunology
7. All the Appletone and Lange question and answer books (particularly for surgery and pediatrics)
8. Blueprints for Psychiatry
9. Surgical Recall
10. First Aid for the USMLE Step 1
11. NMS Medicine
12. Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary
13. The Scut Monkey (aka..Clinician's Pocket Reference)
14. Maxwell's (the name stands alone and it is the single most useful tool for clincial years)
15. BRS Pathology
16. Pathologic Basis of Disease

The virgin blog....

Ah, welcome to my first ever blog! I have this crazy life known as being in medical school. For me, the tough part is over. I have one year and 7 weeks left, which means I've done all the hard stuff...ie.. 2 years of intense book work, passed my board exam, and finished all but one required rotation. I have one week left of my psychiatry rotation left before I start ob/gyn, then 3rd year is over!!!

Today......
I made a huge mistake, and it wasn't patient-related. Thursday afternoons after morning rounds, we always have class for about 3 hours. I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a tough time sitting still for that long. After the first hour was over, there was a small break before the next lecturer came in. We waited, and waited, and waited, then the 16 of us made the decision to just leave. A decision which I now regret because not only was the lecturer my attending doctor that I see every day(and who grades me), but I also have the privilege of getting to write a 2 page essay on the importance of the mental status exam (yes in many ways, med school is just like pre-school!). I can just hear my attending tomorrow morning and it will go something like, "Gee Kate, where were you guys yesterday?". Should I tell him the truth and say that I went to the mall to shop Ann Taylor's spring sale? Probably not. I'll probably just say it was stupid to leave without being positive that class was cancelled and how sorry I am (At least I found a cute pair of pants at the sale!).

That's the excitement for my day. I came home and attempted to make polenta which turned out to look, smell, and taste like vomit. My cats won't even come near the kitchen. How disappointing. I ate some delicious polenta the other night with an old grade school friend and was hoping mine would be as tasty...

That's all. I guess I better go and either write the stupid essay or else study for the psychiatry exam I take next week. Plus, I have to watch The Apprentice tonight, provided Pres. Bush's social security talk doesn't run late. I was hoping Bren would win but I guess now I'll go with the chic with the horse teeth.

Soon I'm positive I'll have some fun ob/gyn stories to tell (with no names or location of course).
Later....