Psychosis, pediatrics, pudding, and posting

It has been my usual two month break from this blog but no more! One of my new years resolutions is to blog more so hooray for you, the readers of my blog. A lot has happened since I last posted. Let's recap.

Thanksgiving with my best friend was amazing. Everything I thought it could be. And leftovers fo days. NOM.
I chose a date for my board exam aka D-Day.
I got to spend more time with my man friend than I ever would have thought possible when he moved away in July.
I spent a little over a week in Utah for Christmas and new years which was nice. I was a huge bum and watched many movies and had leisurely mid morning runs with no traffic and amazing scenery.
Here are some pictures of said events - 

My cooking on Thanksgiving. All from scratch.

Backseat selfies on NYE

So very sleepy.

BFFF

Me and Erica on Christmas

Momma bear

 

Hamming it up with my lil Bro

Thanksgiving Touristy Time

  Now to this year :
I have a few important new years resolutions to share and then an insight and a story. (they are are linked I promise)
I am training for a 15k race 6 days a week and doing yoga 2-3 times a week. These are two of my resolutions. They also help me achieve my third of being on a time efficient schedule for studying for the boards. So far it has been working out really well! I feel energized and really productive with my days. But I will say that I can't be happier that thursday is my rest day! My quads need some tlc!
Another resolution of mine is to be positive and thankful every day.
This month in school we are learning abnormal psych and neurological pathology. I have never realized how lucky I am to wake up every morning and know who I am, to not hear voices, or to not suffer from some irrational delusion. I am now thankful for my sanity. Every day.
I was at a recent outpatient session and the faculty I was working with kept using the phrase, "the proof of the pudding". He said it probably 5 or 6 times in a few hours. I got curious and looked up where the phrase comes from :

 'The proof of the pudding' is shorthand for 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'. it is a proverb that goes way back to the 1400s. In this proverb, "proof" means test so it basically means that to fully test something you need to experience it yourself.    

Even though I think the Doc wasn't using it in the way it was intended, I think that the proverb itself is a really valuable lesson. I mentioned before, one of my resolutions is to be more positive about life - well until I try it myself, I can't label anything with a judgement, particularly a negative one. It is a great mantra to have to encourage yourself to try new things, meet new people, and get out of your comfort zone! And it makes me want dark chocolate pudding... nom.

I guess we'll just have to adjust?

After finishing my first 5k

A group of classmates that ran too :)

 I started running in March. I injured myself and wasn't able to get back in to things until May or June. I started running a lot. But I didn't run my first race until September. It was a 5k. I had a good time and I did ok... I could get in to this. A month later, I did another 5k that my neighborhood put on. It was a good way to meet neighbors and people to run with. (Lesson learned: people in my neighborhood are fast. And they're all 20-29.) Now I'm training to complete a 5 mile "Turkey Trot" on Thanksgiving. Philly is such an active city that people are always out running. My neighbor and I are joining a running club in our neighborhood too which I am excited about. Lately my life has had a lot of negativity in it and I have gotten wrapped up in it. I went on a long run yesterday to sort my thoughts. It was a perfect day - aside from being freezing - not a cloud in the sky, autumn colors everywhere, and bright sunshine. A song came up on my ipod and it reminded me that 
things can suck sometimes but you are alive, loved, and healthy, so get over it.  


Somethin’ filled up
my heart with nothin’,
someone told me not to cry.

But now that I’m older,
my heart’s colder,
and I can see that it’s a lie.




Here's a link for you all to get inspired by the same song on your next run. 

   

I also ran past this guy on Saturday's run: local news anchor and all-around-good-guy Brian Taff ......... such swagger!

Be Careful Out There

This block in school (Microbiology and Infectious Disease) has been really interesting but has taught me some valuable life lessons. Such as:

Literally every bad virus and parasite or protozoan are endemic in Africa. It's freaky. But Africans probably have serious immunity built in to their bodies or they would be getting sick all time. Well, the adults anyway. The kids do get sick.... and die.

Also, being a kid, pregnant, HIV +, a transplant recipient, or cancer patient makes you able to catch ANYTHING. And if you do, it could kill you.  

Parasites are smarter than you. They change your behavior to benefit them without you even knowing you have it. BRAIN CONTROL. (They do it to mice, cats, racoons, and dogs, too.)

This block has also added many things to the "Things that I want to be put down for if I get diagnosed with" list. 

Basically, it's a miracle we're all still alive.

L

Year Two

It has been a minute since I posted anything on here! Let me recap the Summer...

I was given the opportunity to work in Philadelphia during the summer in the STEP-UP research program funded by the NIH. It was a great experience overall and I am very happy I did it because it gave me the flexibility to travel a bit as well as work and add to my CV. Considering this was my last summer, I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

In July, my person moved halfway across the country. So instead of wallowing, I spent the 4th with family in Arlington, VA and loved every minute :) Returning to work was not fun after pooltime and nap time every day! 

I worked until the first of August when I went to Kansas City, MO for the American Academy of Family Physicians National Conference. I went with a classmate (we are co-presidents of the Family Medicine Interest Group at our school) and we stayed outside the city at our other classmate's house. It was an awesome experience! The conference was cool and we have a bunch of ideas about how to get 1st year students excited about Fam Med and primary care. Hanging out with Max and his family was awesome - super nice and welcoming. Loved it. 

From Kansas City, I flew two more states over to Utah! I was only there for 6 days but it was a good visit. Saw two of my best friends a lot and got to spend lots of time with family, which is something I am seriously learning the value of being so far from home. 

I flew back to Philly from SLC and two days later started my second year of medical school at Temple University School of Medicine! I made it through the first week (barely)! I am so excited for this year to get underway - the focus of our curriculum is pathological states of everything so we learn the cool diseases an how to diagnose, treat, or manage them. 

At the end of this school year I am taking the first medical licensing exam and moving to Pittsburgh where I will be completing my clinical years of medical school. I can't believe how much has happened in just one year and how much I have learned in school and about myself. School makes everything else seem trivial but luckily I am living with two if my best friends this year (and Morty of course) so we will all pull through together. 

So that's it! You will be hearing more from me this year I hope :)

hasta pronto
L

At the Jersey Shore before moving day