Since I last updated, I've gone through a whirlwind adventure of ... um... sugar and shit? With my health questionable, I had a rough go of studying. I did get a massage, which helped a bit with the migraines. That was a nice relief.
I went to ND. Studied on the drive down. Hit South Bend (official No-Study zone), went to dinner with my friends, had a beer, and fainted again. (Vito, I'm so so so sorry for freaking you out). Apparently, my blood pressure and heart rate were so low that sitting in a car for 8+ hours, being a little dehydrated, having a bit of a low blood sugar moment, and feeling like I'm going to be sick adds up to fainting as well. This has led to the conclusion that it's vaso-vagal and probably a relic of last years erosive gastritis. Couple that with the running I was on a break from and I just hit the floor. I really need to be careful about these things. The worst bit was that we were out at a bar. Anywhere else and I'd have laid down until the sensation passed. No such luck, and I still wound up on the floor. Boo.
ND beat the tar out of Michigan. Woot! It was pouring in the morning until nearly 10. This dampened the tailgate spirit a bit, but it was still a fun morning. I got hang out with the Dillon guys and co., and my little brother (who came down from Ann Arbor to relish in the Wolverine defeat) and his friend Rico (a scrawny, blond, white kid... where did the name Rico come from? no clue). Then it cleared up and we had a dry 1st half... highlighted by paratroopers delivering the game ball, two Michigan fumbles on successive kick returns that led to a 17-0 score at the half. Then the skies opened. I blame the Michigan band for playing *Nsync, 98 degrees, and Backstreet Boys... ND slugged back with a bit of Bon Jovi, a little more appropriate, I'd say. The entire 2nd half was drenching rains. But I still enjoyed it. PS: my seats were absolutely unbeatable (Thank you dad!).
Sunday was an early morning drive in the rain back to MN. I wasn't feeling at the top of my game, but I studied on the way back, all afternoon, all night, and then Mon as well. Tues was the day before D-day, so I did minimal studying that day and tried to relax. Now, seeing a funny movie would be a great way to relax, but the movie I wanted to see had been bumped for a preview of a crappy movie and I had to change plans at the last minute. So, Bill and I saw Bangkok Dangerous... There are no words. I had invasive thoughts about that movie during my Step.
Took the step on Wed. No clue how it went. Really... No idea at all.
Tried to lay low on the last few days I had in MN. I went out with Hayes, met her boy (which was fun to do... I like having faces to go with names). Went to the ND v. MichState game watch and ran into Michael Rossman (haven't seen the kid in ages!) so while the game wasn't great, the game watch was a good time. Went home to a nice, late, Larkin Family Dinner... went until midnight... crazy. And met Garin for coffee the next day (and I hadn't seen her in a long time either). Quote of that conversation: "Now, I don't know how many trannies do this, but..." Hilarious!
I sort of hit the ground at a rough stumble in Ireland on Tuesday the 23rd. This was in part due to general disorientation at coming home after being home for 3 months... it was a little weird. But probably a little more to do with my 9:30pm flight out of JFK was delayed and ended up taking off at 12:30am, they didn't turn off the lights on the flight, and served dinner an hour into the flight... I mean, really? So I had just about the worst jet lag in recent history.
Orientation was slow, brutal and dirty. I found out just how challenging Med/Surg is going to be (and the 30 tests that accompany it). Plus, I'm not down in Kilkenny until Monday week because I'm in Beaumont doing this special one week thing about emergency med. It sounds like a cool course, but I wasn't expecting it, or expecting to do it right away. It's just nuts. I completed my BLS again this morning (CPR and Heart Saver). My instructor was the saving grace of the day... Kept me and Cara laughing pretty much the whole time. I think this year should be great, but at the moment I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. But, my floor still looks like my suitcase vomited, so that's probably a bit of the problem.
Tomorrow I start studying. Monday I start work. So today, I pissed around all afternoon. Yay!
On a side note: Congrats to Mary who is graduating (finally) this weekend from Oxford for all that Masters work she did before RCSI.
Marathon:
So, it's up in the air. I need to run this week, get my legs back, and the final day to register for the marathon is Oct 6th (for the 27th). I go back and forth on it. We'll see... that's all I can say.
Summer Soundtrack:
- Life in a Nutshell - Barenaked Ladies
- Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
- How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
- In Da Club - 50 cent
- Handlebars - Flobots
- When I Grow Up - Pussycay Dolls
- Time to Pretend - MGMT
- Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
- Troublemaker - Weezer
- Viva la Vida - Coldplay
- Paper Planes - M.I.A
- Breathe, Stretch, Shake - Mase (this is for attitude going into the USMLE)
- Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis (this is for attitude when the USMLE was done)
- Her Eyes - Pat Monahan (this was just about the sweetest dedication I've ever gotten... Totally blushing over this one. Thank you)
- Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day (The closer of this list... so sad... but appropriate. Here's to the end of the summer and the end of the summer play list. It's been a kick. And I will keep this play list on my itunes in memory of the summer that was what it's been)
