There are several strange phenomenona that occur during med school. You begin to find joy and comfort in the most bizarre places such as a mnemonic helpful for remembering cranial nerves or a silly sentence to remember a certain biochemical pathway...anything to make studying for exams, boards, etc. any easier.
But perhaps the most bizarre of all is how I have come to rely on panic as a measurement of my preparation for a test. What I mean is, if I ever feel good or confident about a test I know I haven't studied enough because generally I will do poorly if I feel that way. It is only when I am 100% utterly convinced that I have no chance of doing well that I know I am ready to take a test. And the past few days I've been feeling really great about a test coming up on Monday...which in essence is bad. It wasn't until this morning after a brutal two hours of patient case presentations that I realized I am in no way prepared for the exam coming. And there it was, ahhhh, my panic wrapped around me like a warm security blanket.
Isn't that ridiculously strange? That panic, sheer panic can actually be something desired? I tell you what, school will make you turn into the weirdest person. Oh to be normal again.
amen sista! I can come up with girl names all day long but boy names are a different story. There are a few that I like but as far as Dewey and Belle are concerned, I still really like Belle but Burt's never really been "sold" on that one. Anyway it seems the real problem is that we just can't seem to get serious about talking about names, we talk about talking about them, but that's about it. It's pathetic, we're so stinkin' weird sometimes, I know. And to that end, what kind of mom am I not wanting to be responsible for naming my children?!? :) Oh well, the kind I am I guess. Anyway, we've really gotta get cooking on this whole naming the baby thing. I do have one girl name that I'm especially fond of right now, but I'll have to email it to you so some other I know that are PG right now won't decide they like the name too. :)
truthfully, I'm not too worried about the whole girl name thing, it's just really the boy name that's killing me. In fact I heard another great girl name today.
hey friend... i'm on this side of the mississippi and it just made me think of you.... if I was going to come all this way, you'd at least think I could make it to alabama. not so much. how are you?
ummm...actually no. our computer is still under the weather, so to speak. i've been using everyone else's computers lately, we're still waiting on parts to come in. it stinks to be in such a high tech world that we actually are somewhat dependant on them. i always pay my bills online, so that's why I've been having to use my moms and father in laws and really anyone else that'll let me mooch a while. :) it also couldn't have happened at a worse time. oh well, dems da breaks! :) Hope you're doing well, I'm sure we'll chat again sometime soon. ;)
it is nice to not have the stupid test hanging over my head, of course it might've been $400+ down the drain...so how's your life going? I heard about your mom, that's rough man. Tell her praying for her...and as tough of diagnosis as that is at least they figured something out!
Woohoo is right! And yeah, that is sad, I mean the whole not getting to see each other. This would've been our 9th summer in Jamaica together. That's quite a record you know. You will absolutely be missed and your 6'9 presence as well. Love you. :)
home, but still so sad you weren't there. just wasn't the same......Lord willing, I'll see you next month. Did you hear the rumor that Meghann Jones is actually getting married??! LOVE YOU!
yeah i just got home from a short trip and there was the invitation--nice :) i'll "officially" rsvp soon. i know you're insanely busy, but we should talk soon too!
don't know if you ever look at this or not,,,,but! tonight I am watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"!! It's really good for a laugh if you need a pre ceremony laugh! See you soon!!
Pleonast seems to sometimes be a double-edged sword because it is a great way to keep in touch and let people know what's going on in your life. However, it also seems somewhat impersonal to post certain types of information especially when close friends are on here that you may want to share info with on a more personal level. For instance, say if one were newly engaged and wanted to share it with the whole world, pleonast is great and yet not. But...I can't help myself any longer...as of last Thursday afternoon...
He and I are getting married. (Too bad you can't see faces because if you saw mine as I'm typing this up, I would look like such a goober with the biggest cheesiest grin on my face; one I never thought I would own.)
Hope you all are having terrific holidays. Ha ha, obviously I am.
oh my word. if you could see this face - there'd be a big goober grin shooting right back at you... and I'm hugging my mac since I can't give you a huge hug. ;)
yeah nathan suprised me so good, all I could do was laugh...what I thought was funny was nathan was uber nervous...and we had been talking about getting married for months...like i was going to turn him down. Anyways I remember that feeling afterwards, it was so weird to finally have a ring on my finger!
Oh, Meghann!! I am so happy for you!! You will make a beautiful bride and a wonderful wife, I know! Any ideas on when? People always say this, but never seem to do it: Enjoy the engagement!! :) Orrr, just look at your ring alot...that's what I did. haha! :) Good luck planning!
that's really funny and lame, I mean the whole thing about the heat. Maybe you should write a book about your experiences in med school, it's really not the glamorous life that so many envision, I'm afraid. It's a good laugh though, for outsiders, just imagining all of you Doctors to be sitting huddled up in blankets, learning. :)
thanks for your kind thoughts, but you getting married is so much more important than me losing my job! me losing my job is really not worth talking about at all. actually it is a kind of disguised blessing!
I hate that I missed seeing you and Jeff this morning. I woke up with the worst head cold. I didn't feel like moving, and when I started to feel like moving, didn't feel like sharing germs! I guess the next time we see you guys you'll be Mrs. Blankenship! :)
Oh and I saw Trevor and Julia this weekend--funny story about how he remembers you guys. I'll have to relay it sometime (pleo wouldn't quite do it justice ;)
I should be studying right now; I have no good excuse for why I'm taking a ten minute break but I am. That being said...here's what's been bouncing around in my head lately, for a while actually.
Do you think that it's crazy to pray for Satan to repent? Okay, now before you just lay down all the scriptural references of how Satan is incapable of repenting (fallen angel, etc.) and bla bla bla...just think about it for a minute.
Wouldn't it be oh so very cool if Satan just stopped? Can you just imagine how many things would change? There would no longer be a war anywhere in the world, no rape, no murder, no cancer, no neglected children, no _________ (insert any and all bad things that occur because of sin here).
I know, I know, I know...Heaven will ultimately be that place. So save your breath if that's what you're going to say. My question only pertains to the here and now in the physical realm of Earth.
And I have only briefly studied the scripture explaining Satan's state and what not (VERY BRIEFLY). So this question has no true Biblical basis except this...the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, is anything too hard for the Lord? These are the thoughts that trump (for me at least) any and all logical efforts people have thrown at my question.
Ultimately I know the sad yet true answer to my own question. But I do revel in the thought of what if all the bad just stopped? So periodically, I do talk to God about Satan's repentance. I don't pray for Satan on a daily basis but I have yet to see the harm in my occasional request for God to help him see and change his actions.
These prayers usually come when I am reminded that Satan is such a huge nasty JERK! It's one thing when I fight my battles that he and I have going with one another. It's another thing when he attacks my family and friends. It is a mixture of deep sadness and pure hot rage when he bothers any of my loved ones. So I then thought that if we are to pray for those who persecute us, why not pray for the grand marshal of the entire persecuting parade? Is that crazy?
Tell me what you think. (And please don't go crazy "sermony" on me. :)) Just let the thought mellow for a minute. Honestly, I want to know if this is just an incredibly silly thing to do or if anyone else thinks it could work? :)
haha, my mom feels the same way about that movie. She's from Florence, AL and she always fusses about how they portray AL but then she comes to terms with the fact that it kind of is like that down there. And thanks for the luck. I need it! Do you have finals and whatnot coming up too?
"bahebeck" is colloquial and my first year of arabic is modern standard--"ohebu" (heb being the verb in both conjugations). that's great that you're learning arabic! i knew you wanted to but didn't see how you were going to do it. i was on bbc arabic the other day & was able to read almost all of an article. i think i'm going to us al-jazeera or al-hara to stay fresh over the break. the letter you're talking about is the "غ" i think. what else has been going on?!?
ok we're nerds--but i found arabic-learning podcasts on itunes (just search podcasts for "arabic") i downloaded the peace corps one (NOT standard) and the podclass one. very basic but nice to have
that's still good that you're retaining it. same deal for me, last final (redundant?) is on wednesday. i'm sticking around in houston til friday, taking my roommate to the airport, and heading home. i'm going to try to get started on VBS lessons from daniel over the break--if you have any tips they would be most welcome. i'm already missing you from next year's trip :(
hey, can you email me the 2007 contact list that Chris made and put on the CD, for some reason, I can't seem to find either and I'm tryin' to send out c-mas cards and just can't get it together. :) Thanks. I'll ask a few more Jamaica goers so maybe I can get this stuff done.
hey man, just thought you may be interested to know that this past weekened we were in the ER for almost 8 hours because Addison hurt her arm, turns out it was a "Nursemaid" injury, so they were able to fix it pretty quickly, once they got to us at 4:45am. I was going to post about it on my blog but just haven't had a chance yet and knew you'd be terribly intersted. :)
I knew that'd get a phone call. ;) It was a nice chat though, sorry was in such a hurry, that seems to be my life these days,...I wouldn't trade it though.
Hey guys, it's been a while since I've stayed on here long enough to post anything but this seemed worthwhile...
I'm sure a lot of you have seen the hurricane (category 5) that is quickly approaching Jamaica. Many of us on here (pleonast) have worked down there once, twice, or for several years during the summer. And I'm sure many more know about or have heard about the work down there. So please please keep our Jamaican family in your prayers.
It took the island years to recover from the devastation of Hurrican Gilbert back in 1988. Their own government slows the recovery process because at every chance they can find, the government tries to make a profit. After Gilbert hit, several countries graciously donated tons and tons of zinc sheets (the metal plats they use as roofs) to help rebuild the homes of thousands in Jamaica. The Jamaican government happily accepted all the zinc donations and then dumped the majority of the zinc in the ocean to make the price/demand of zinc sky rocket and make a profit off of their own people in a time of emergency.
So please keep all of them in your prayers. This is an island that really needs to be spared the devastation from a terrible storm and a greedy government. If those of you who have been there would like to give some of them a call to check on them before and after the storm, let me know and I'll be happy to send phone numbers along. I have a long list of them for Maxwell and family, Jodi-ann, Oretta and Marlon, Kemie, Jackie, etc. And it's always a comfort to hear from others when prayers are being sent up.
it's so crazy and scary, we've been watching and just thinking about all of them and what it will likely do to many of them not only physically but spiritually. It's a really bad stinky situation, but then again, I don't have to tell you.
How did the christians fare in Jamaica? Hope they were all fine. As far as the microscopic critters are concerned....glad they are so pretty! Ha! Sometimes the prettiest things are the most brutal in reality! I lost 25 lbs with the amoebas that I had. Loved that part but the pain was incredible! I was reading about a brain eating amoeba found in some children in Australia. The article attributed them to vaccinations derived from monkeys. They couldn't distinquish them because they were like regular cells, but once injected they went straight to the brain. Pretty scary stuff! Let me know if you learn anything to help us.
About the 4 books at once thing...I can deal with two but I really hate having books that I've started but not finished. When I try to read this many at once, I end up getting all bent out of shape about not reading fast enough. I kinda start getting freaked out when I own books that I've not read, too. Which is why the stack on my desk is really bothering me right now.
(seriously though...could a pleo comment possibly be nerdier than the one I just typed?)
