So it’s been a while….

by Lindsay on February 3, 2012

I will be shocked if anyone is still receiving my blog’s updates anymore seeing that I haven’t posted anything new since…ohhhhhh….November. But what the hell? Writing is cathartic for me regardless of whether or not I have an audience.

I’m sitting right now in my living room watching snow fly sideways through my neighborhood. D-town is experiencing a pretty massive snowstorm right now that’s left most meetings/appointments/schools cancelled. Well, of course, except for the med school. Because we’re especially dedicated or something….it’s funny because every single other branch of CU (including the downtown Denver campus which is only located maybe 5 miles from the med campus) was cancelled. Hell, even the nursing school, which is on the SAME campus as the med school, was cancelled. But for some reason, the powers that be felt it was necessary to demand that the med students come and be subjected to information about fungi and anti-fungal medications for four hours.

Ummmm no.

So instead, I stayed in my cozy house and read about fungus from here. Safety + learning=good. I may not be a doctor or anything, but that much I do know.

So why in the world are we learning about fungus, you may ask? Because we’re currently in classes that deal with hematology (study of blood), immunology, pharmacology (druuuugs), and microbiology (bacteria, viruses, and fungus of course). These blocks last till spring break after which we will come back and tackle the monsters that are the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal systems. HOOBOY. Big stuff, right?

But in order to tackle the big guns like the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, I first need to conquer blood disorders….and antibiotics…and other such things that have very long, complicated names that prove absolutely impossible to memorize.

Grumble, grumble.

But hey….memorizing endless amounts of information isn’t so bad, right? RIGHT? Anyone?

Okay, yes. Memorizing endless amounts of information does kind of suck, I can’t deny it. But at the very least, we’re sort of getting to the point where we can talk quasi-fluently about medications doctors commonly prescribe. I now know how to analyze a CBC (complete blood count) to a certain extent. I know how to logically THINK about the process of diagnosing someone with anemia. Kind of cool to see these skills begin to fall into place (albeit very very very very slowly). It makes me excited to think that one day, I’ll know how to think about so many different kinds of disorders. In other words, I might one day know how to be a doctor.

Yeah, probably that. But for now, I’ll just keep on plugging away at all the random bits of information because I know that one day, I’ll actually use it. It will be instinct, and I will barely remember the days I spent agonizing over how to remember this stuff.

Gotta lay the groundwork to build a solid foundation, right?

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A Quick (Slightly Irreverent) Thanks

by Lindsay on November 24, 2011

A quick giving of thanks on this most feastastical and turkeylicious of days:

I am thankful for fresh ground coffee and yummy breakfast quiches that my mummy sometimes make for me when she’s feeling generous.

I am thankful for my wonderful med school friends. Who else would share in the glory of noticing that we’ve had not just one, but TWO lecturers in the past two weeks who have looked exactly like one of the Ghostbusters guys (Dr. Igon, I think). Not the Bill Murray character. Or the Dan Akroyd character. Or…ummm…the black guy . It’s the other white guy. Yeah, that one. You know who I’m talking about….maybe. We’ve had multiple lecturers look just like him. Is it a biochemist thing or something?

I am thankful for Colorado’s glorious weather. Sure, it may snow in October. But come November it’s all 60 degrees and gorgeous. I think it may have even hit 70 for our thanksgiving meal today.

I am thankful for being done with anatomy and its stinkiness. Seriously. Life is still ridiculous, of course, but at least my hair doesn’t constantly smell like formaldehyde.

I am thankful for yoga’s newfound place in my exercise routine. I have been so off-and-on with yoga over the years. When I’m into it, I do it 3 times a week. When I fall off the yoga bandwagon, I do without it for months at a time. Since starting medical school, I’m now “on” with yoga, and it’s been glorious. It’s been exactly the form of exercise I need at the end of a long day with my brain working at a million miles an hour. It calms, centers, and grounds me in a way that I truly crave.

I am thankful for ridiculous 80s playlists. Right now as I type this post, I’m rocking out to Rick Astley’s cheeze-tastic “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and it just makes me so happy. I might just have to cut this post short so I can dance it out. This post has just been Rickrolled. I’m not even kidding.

I’m thankful for skiiiiiiiii days. I’m going tomorrow (second time this season), and I’m anticipating glory. Sortof. The snow has been iffy here as of late. I mean, 70 degree days aren’t conducive to awesome ski conditions as you might imagine. But it’ll be awesome to be in the mountains nonetheless. They are my happy place, after all.

Finally, I am thankful for sweat pants (aka. fat pants). I don’t know if I could function properly after my Thanksgiving feeding frenzy without them. They allow my bloated stomach to subsist without any hint of impingement, and for that, I am eternally grateful to them.

What slightly irreverent or random thing are you guys thankful for?

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Top 3 Things I Learned During Anatomy

October 22, 2011

Notice that my title did not reference the top 3 things I learned FROM anatomy. I don’t want to bore anyone with those lovely minute details of the intricacies of the ridiculously complex machine that is the human body. No. Let’s not go there, friends. Instead, I’m just going to detail some of the life [...]

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It’s The Final Countdown….Bumduhduhduhdum

October 17, 2011

Hello friends, today is a big day for me BECAUSE it’s my LAST DAY OF ANATOMY!!!!!!! No more stinky formaldehyde. No more cadaver parts. No more lab time. One more test stands between me and (quasi) freedom. Hopefully, I’ll resume a more regular blogging schedule starting in the next few days or so. Fingers crossed. [...]

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Flurgity Blurgity Blarghhhhhhhhh

August 22, 2011

My mind feels like my title. Just like…ughhhhhh….blarghh….ughhhhh….memorize, memorize….drooool. So. Much. Memorization. It almost hurts. I’ve decided to emerge from my med school black hole (yes, contrary to the previous post, I think it does really exist) to tell you all that I just don’t think much blogging is going to go down during my [...]

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No, I Did Not Disappear Down A Blackhole

August 12, 2011

Yes, I am here. Shocking, I know. I feel like I haven’t been blogged in eons. It’s been a week and a half, you say? Might as well be eons in blog time. I apologize for my absence from this little corner of the internet realm, but several forces have conspired against me to prevent [...]

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AmeriCorps, Moving, And Med School Musings

August 4, 2011

As I sit here in my new townhouse located in my new city, I feel a sense of peace amidst the whirling dervish form that my life has taken over the past couple of weeks. I wrapped up my final day as an AmeriCorps volunteer, closing out that chapter of my life. A very strange [...]

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My Ridiculousness Astounds Me

July 27, 2011

My life is a bit of a shitstorm right now. Madness. Chaos. Craziness. BLARGHHHHH. Here is what I’ve been up to: Last week of AmeriCorps ever. Moving to Denver in three days. Starting medical school in a week and a half. Cleaning out my refrigerator and accidentally destroying a huge glass shelf with my bare [...]

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A Deviation From Plans

July 17, 2011

Sometimes, when I go hiking in the Colorado Rockies, I feel as though I’ve been transported to another planet- the surroundings are so beautiful they almost assume a surreal quality to them. A Lord of the Rings style otherworldliness, if you will. Never has this been more true than this past Friday when I ventured [...]

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My Job Is Awesome Sometimes

July 8, 2011

I can still call myself an AmeriCorps member for only a few more weeks. Crazy to even say that since AmeriCorps has been a huge part of my identity for the past two years of my life. The next phase of my life will commence the week after that when I begin this little thing [...]

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