Tales of a Medical School Friday Night

Ok so first I’m not actually in medical school seeing as would probably have a mental breakdown at least once a week. But I do happen to go to a school with medical students and have taken on their stressors and diet of diet coke, sugar, coffee, and pasta. So when some girls in my class decided to have a cook out with some medical students it seemed like a good idea. Burgers, desert, and catch phrase? So there. A word of caution, sometimes future doctors don’t always know how long it takes to cook a burger and really you should not eat something still moo-ing. Wouldn’t want to get a disease with a name that I can’t pronounce.

Naturally of course, all our discussions somehow segwayed into medical talk (most of which I honestly had no idea was) where we whined about how tired we were and discussed topics that I’m sure no one else would ever think of. Like different types of leukemia and neurology. Don’t worry I know you’re jealous. So when the talking got a little too heavy we decided to play Catch Phrase. For those who have never played with me, I take Catch Phrase seriously. As serious as your life J.D. I am one intense Catch Phraser so I was ready to take the med school boys on. And while my description of Fraggle Rock as “Ghetto Sesame Street” was pure brilliance, never have I played a game of Catch Phrase where so many clues were diseases and medications. Seriously? Lycra ¹ Lyrica. Like not even close. And who knows the actually name of the virus that causes mono (oh, doctors would I guess) and why the heck is it in Catch Phrase?

After many epic Catch Phrase battles, our talking somehow turned to reflexes. As in your doctor tapping you on the knee reflexes. Let me clarify. We tested reflexes. On a FRIDAY night. With coasters. If that’s not cool I don’t know what is. Naturally I impressed everyone with my ridiculously overactive reflexes (funny that this has never translated into reflexes that are actually useful in sports) but the damage was done. We actually tested each other’s reflexes for fun. Because apparently in grad school, that’s what’s fun. At least at the end of the day, there are other nerds right there with me who think that testing reflexes with coasters is totally normal. And know that Fraggle Rock really was Ghetto Sesame Street.

You know you're in grad school when...

a. Friday night activities include eliciting other people's reflexes. With a coaster.

b. When talking about the bear you've had since you were born, all you can think is: "Hmm Pinky Bear has cataracts!"

c. You're given the reflex hammer shaped like a giraffe because really people are tired of hearing about it.

d. You have no idea what day it is apart from what TV shows are on.

e. all of the above

Guess what the answer is?

EPIC FAIL

Hmmmm well this is interesting. I typed in the URL into my search bar and this blog didn't automatically come up (HelloRoss.com did but if you read it you would totally understand...). My computer's short memory span aside, I'm guessing that not recognizing my URL is a nice way of telling me that I am an EPIC FAIL at blogging. The problem isn't that I have nothing to say (far too often I have way too much to say and don't shut up) but that I have no time to ever write anything down. Or when I do have time I have zero energy and a nap is just so much more inviting. These are all wonderful explanations as to why I have zero blog posts for August and September. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Negative Ghostrider. Basically I fail at blogging (or more actually typing a blog instead of thinking it and telling myself what a great blog post it would be!).

In my defense I sort of started grad school over the summer and it has, in short, consumed my life. Seriously. I wake up thinking things like "Tibial tuberosity" or "What does a lesion in C5 cause?" Then I'm all panicy for the rest of the day (most of you would consider this my normal behavior) and hence have no time to blog. If you've never attended grad school there is one thing you need to know- when people say its their entire life, they aren't trying to be funny. They are as serious as your life JD. I may or may not have decorated my living room with drawings from Anatomy and I refuse to apologize for wearing a plastic skull as a crown as I was learning the cranial nerves. My life is currently consumed with all things musculoskeletal and neurosciencey (hey I made a new word!) so you'll have to excuse me if things like a blog slip my mind occasionally (read: all the time).

Which leads me to why I'm writing this right now... Basically I have joined the league of CrackBerries and iPhones and now get internet with my phone. Yes, sweet sweet 3G and unlimited access to email and Facebook. Being able to check such important things like notifications whenever the heck I want to (between classes of course!) has left me with downtime as I try to procrastinate just a little before settling down for the night with my books and notes. So here we are. Blogging. For real blogging. No more abandonment because the world? Need to hear what I say.

And for your viewing pleasure this is what I spent the entirety of July and August doing...

Coloring.