End of Anatomy Block

Today, we had our anatomy lecture final, concluding the anatomy block of medical school year one!
I thought about this for a while, but I won't be holding and observing the body's internal organs for a long time... maybe never... definitely never for those students not interested in surgery of any type. From now until the third year when clinical rotations begin, we'll be studying from books and lectures, with the occasional patient interview and clinical skills lessons (giving physical exams, taking blood pressure, phlebotomy next year...).

Now that anatomy (and the stress of the exams) is over, I'm beginning to miss it already and am developing an even greater appreciation for this course.

Really and truly, I don't think I would have been able to learn half as much if we had learned anatomy by lectures and anatomy atlases alone. First, how do you truly visualize depth perception? Orientation of all the organs and blood vessels? When I think about anatomy, I actually think about the dissections I've done, where I saw the structures, to what they were connected, and their general orientation. Also, Netter's Atlas may show the typical body, but there is a lot of subtle variation that I think is important to understand.
And then, there is nothing like holding a heart in your hard, looking at it from all angles, and connecting what we see with the functions we've learned through lecture. Now that's real integration.

This week, our class is holding a vigil for our donors and their families. My tank mates are to write a note of some sort to "Gertrude," to be cremated with her, and hopefully we'll also write a letter of gratitude to her surviving loved ones. It must have taken great courage for them to allow the body of a loved one to be used for our learning. Because we've learned a lot from her. Head to sole of the foot, we've dissected and looked into ever space and crevice.

Hopefully what I've learned these past few months will stay with me for a lifetime.

Waimea Canyon - Kauai, Hawaii

snipers vs. gunners

We all know what gunners are (and who the gunners are in any given class).
Urban Dictionary defines them as: "A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her superiors."

Not that I have anything against gunners. They are smart, do well in school, and I know that even my father who I respect enormously was a gunner in his student years. So, for all the gunners out there, carry on.

Those I do NOT appreciate, though, are the snipers.
There isn't an entry for snipers, yet, but it's growing in popularity as the word to describe those students who act really cool, nonchalant, and act as if they spend little to no time on their studies outside of the school or classroom.... but no.... at home, they're going at that textbooks and paper stacks like crazy. What is their motive? Do they want to seem like they're smart without even having to try? Are they trying to influence others to "also not study" and actually take on the attitude of aloofness so that the grade curve will be better? Or maybe they just don't want to openly stress out like everyone else? For whatever reason, I just find it a form of dishonesty and deceit.
Of course, in the end, we are all adults becoming professionals, so we should study and do our best regardless of what others do. But, I like medical school because my friends and I are like a team, helping each other, encouraging each other, pushing each other, teaching each other, learning from each other....   That kind of bond can't be formed, I don't think, with or among snipers.

So sniper vs. gunners, I'd take a gunner any day.

Toys in Babeland, New York City

Workout v2, v3

 Long and Steady
Stairmaster 45 minutes
Aerobic Training
Level 17


Short and Hard
 Stairmaster 30 minutes
Aerobic Training
Level 19

Looking down at Na Pali Coast - Kauai, Hawaii

Turkey Trot 2010

I did the Turkey Trot this year with my sister.
The weather had gone from uncomfortably hot to uncomfortably cold (40s in the morning) in just one night. It was a cold, windy run, but it was a great day to start Thanksgiving.
According to the police officer, there was an estimated 40,000 people at the event.


The crowds of people running seem to continue endlessly forward.
My sister, silly her, realized that she forgot to bring her running shoes as soon as we find a parking spot at the race site. So, I waited out in the cold for her as she drove back home and then back. We started the race about 10 minutes late (but even then, I don't think we were at the very end of the crowd). Needless to say, it was absolutely crazy in the beginning. We were slowly jogging and talking while trying to avoid dogs and little children and strollers.
It was a crowded mess until 2.5 miles or so, where the 5kers and 8milers split up.
Around mile 3, I started to start running for real.
I think I ran the last 5 miles at a pretty decent pace for my standards. It took about 43 minutes, and I was able to run one of the miles in 8 minutes.


We then had breakfast at Zaguan Cafe with my boyfriend, then split ways until our Thanksgiving dinner.
My mother made a beautiful dinner... 18 lbs Turkey, home-made bread, cheeses, smoked salmon, mashed potatoes, sweet yam, creamy brussel sprouts, sauteed asparagus, salad with dijon mustard vinaigrette, fried whole mushrooms, home-made gravy, asian rice turkey stuffing...
And we had dinner with the younger church crowd. My father is on business in Japan, but we skyped with him during the dinner.
Afterwards, we played card games and poker in our kotatsu (こたつ), which is a heated, large coffee table covered by a large blanket to put in your feet.

Overall, a perfect day and I am so grateful.

http://www.thetrot.org/images/Trot%20Map.jpg

Bar Golf!

My medical school friends decided to blow off some steam with a night of... Bar Golf!
The craziness of the twenties can be intoxicating (quite literally).
We're only young once, right?

So here is how the game went.

"Prepare your sweater vests and argyle socks. This Friday, we're going golfing! Well...of sorts.

Starting at 9pm, we are making our way through 9 holes of Bar Golf along McKinney Ave. If you're unfamiliar with this particular sporting event, the rules are pretty simple: we walk from bar to bar, and you are rewarded points for the drinks you conquer. Keep track of your points, and the winner with the lowest score has bragging rights for the rest of the season.
---
We will walk the following 9 holes:
Uptown Bar & Grill
Idle Rich Pub
Blackfriar Pub
Gingerman
McKinney Ave Tavern
Rok Republic
Quarter Bar
The Loon
Lemon Bar

Scoring is as follows:
Water = +1
Wine/beer = par
Mixed drinks = -1
Shots = -2

Some places have special scoring rules. At Gingerman, we're playing sips of beer as your strokes. 5 sips is par... above and below that, you get the picture. And at The Loon, because they're known for their atomically strong drinks, a Red Bull & vodka is = -3.

So, in summary, come out in your golfer's best (crazy golf attire is a MUST), and play a sport where hopefully no one gets injured."



It was a pretty fun night. Good friends, a little bit of that competitive flair. 
I won't reveal who won and with how many points below par, haha
We all need a break sometimes from our books and study carrels. : ) 

5:20pm Run

~7.25 miles
~70 minutes

Workout

Stairmaster 30 mins
Aerobic Training
Level 17

1 mile run around track