horses for healers (funding!)

Once upon a time (last year), I got to be a part of a pilot program at Spring Reins of Hope’s medical student course on learning the importance of nonverbal communication and body language in an effort to improve students’ bedside manner. Although I wasn’t a medical student then, I do think I managed to take away a lot from the program and I absolutely loved the time that I got to spend there. I wish I could have been a part of the whole thing (I had to miss the first shadowing day because of a midterm), but it was super fun. :] They’re currently trying to raise funds to keep the program going, so if you have any spare change at all, please consider donating to them! <3 They are wonderful people and the horses were amazing.

Here’s a link to a more eloquent description…

I think they were explaining how to play horse billiards here. :D

Tending to OJ’s needs.

Playing horse billiards. We weren’t allowed to touch him, so I was standing on his other side to deter him from leaving us.

…and that’s me doing a happy dance because we succeeded in our mission to put Cosmo in his pocket. Please don’t judge me.

Our group! :] Four of us were grad students and the rest are med students. :D This was definitely one of my favorite days spent in grad school. <3

And here are the two posts where I actually talk about it in more detail. :D I didn’t want to completely repeat myself in this post, har har.

• Spring Reins of Hope
• Horses for Healers

how’s life?

While people with real lives were most likely enjoying the long weekend, seeing their loved ones, watching the WV game, partying it up, etc., I managed to step out of the library at around 5 p.m. yesterday and was taken aback because the sun was actually still shining, and pretty brightly, I might add. It made me feel a little less guilty about running off to the gym for an hour (where I managed to memorize a whole bunch of goodness relating to different antibiotics, their function, their target(s), some stuff on blood test analysis and some more stuff on bacterial anatomy.

Here is an exchange between my friend, Trish, who’s currently in grad school. We have pretty awesome lives. Just sayin’.

“Understandable” is what got cut off.

another new chapter

It’s been a week since I packed my bags and moved back across the country to what I consider “home-home.” To celebrate the completion of all my graduate school finals (oh em gee, I didn’t fail any of my classes!), I got to visit an east coast beach and also finallyyyyy managed to take a pole dancing class with Steven Retchless(!). Although I’m still pissed that my stupid spine ruined my plans of attending classes regularly over this past semester, I’m still overjoyed that I at least got to take one. I’ll take one over none. :O (Two if you count the aerial hoop class from spring break. :D )

It’s been a fun [and challenging] almost-10 months over there. I’ve learned a lot and feel a lot more prepared, which is a definite plus. I’m excited for what the upcoming 4-5 years have in store for me (albeit a little nervous as well). But suffice to say, once my Capstone paper is edited and sent in, I should have a third degree to add to my growing collection! :]

In about 2 months, I’ll be running away to what was voted the coolest small town in the U.S. (“the most interesting town with a population of less than 10,000”)! :D

But, in the meantime, I’m definitely planning on spending as much time as humanly possible hanging out with friends/family, visiting TG whenever possible, and playing video games. I’ve already managed to trek up to Davis to visit basically all my former professors (it is sad how giddy and overjoyed I get when I talk to one of them; one would think I was a total fangirl if they saw me after any of my conversations with him ;_; ) and several of my friends up there. I’m also going to attempt to gather up as much exercise as possible to make up for the terrible lack of it throughout the beginning of this year. I’m so completely weaksauce now, it isn’t even funny. :[

Establishing an actual schedule to follow would probably also be a good idea.

State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ

Paracoccidiosis braziliensis

F: It looks like a happy sun! That’s how I’m going to remember it.
N: I’m going to give it messed up teeth.
F: That’s terrible.
N: Because who’s going to give a sun braces?
C: A bigger sun!

too much studying

I think this is a sign from above that we’ve been biochemming wayyy too much. :[

They opened up all the rooms and Igor was choosing a door to go through, but it was locked.

Trish: What if we were actually locked in here, guys?
Chris: Well, we’d have to draw straws to see which one of us would be cannibalized first.
T: Nosegoes!
Farrah: (quickly follows suit)
C: (does the same)
F: I guess it’s Igor.
(silence)
T: But I feel like he’d be really stringy…
F: That might be true.
C: Well, Farrah’s armed.
T: I have a black belt in karate.
T/F: (heads swivel to Chris)
C: I’ll fight like a girl and throw some chairs. I feel like you guys are underestimating me.
T: That could be a good thing. But you guys shouldn’t pick me, because there’d be too much fat and I’d cause indigestion.
F: In that case, you shouldn’t pick me either because I’d probably also be stringy.
T: But you have girl parts, and that would help.
F: With indigestion? I’d be stringy and I’d give you indigestion.
C: Wait, why indigestion? I think I could digest pretty much anything.
T: The fat!
F: I think Igor actually likes eating fat though.
T: Maybe Igor would be the best choice. After all, he eats the most out of–(stops and looks at Farrah)
F: …but what about Chris?
C: I don’t eat as much as you. I just eat a lot faster because I have a big mouth.
(Igor comes back in somewhere along the way.)
T: At least if  we were to starve, we’d know what was happening to us every step of the way, thanks to Abali.
C: Well, from that, we know we’ve got 20 days.
F: Someone’s gotta come by in that time, right? …Wait a second, guys, we have phones.
T: …
Igor: You guys jumped to cannibalism before thinking of calling for help?