Defensive Eating and Other Shenanigans

Tuesday night bonding between RAs and TAs brought us to a small rocky beach. As it was 7 pm, most of us did not bring swimsuits, only to discover that the water was like a bath. A bunch of us walked in as far as our shorts would allow us and enjoyed the water. This inevitably left my feet coated in bits of shells and dark New England sand (although calling it sand is really a stretch), which is just the way I like them. There was a beautiful sunset going on behind our gazing into the sea, one which I found quite difficult to capture in all its glory given the power lines obstructing the shot. But I found instead some lovely flowers.

They say days here are like weeks, and weeks like months. When you spend 7 hours a day with a class of gifted students teaching just one subject, it does tend to feel that way. But even socially, everything is accelerated, which is not confined to the students alone. The staff tends to get pretty chummy. I met Kate my first year at this particular site and we've been rooming together since. When we talked about my reasons for coming back to TA for one more session I said it was for some cash and to hang out with Kate, and then realized, I wouldn't have come at all if Kate was not going to be here. We keep each other from doing things like eating salads and going to the gym and instead indulge in ice cream and chick flicks. It's my mini vacation that is actually my summer job. This year will be my last. And so to make up for that, crazy shenanigans have and will continue to ensue.

Our first very Kate and D moment was spending an afternoon shopping for luau supplies for Fridays dance. We like to go all out. The students think it's funny and we enjoy the excuse to play dress up:

This picture is in the "smoking" gazebo which is mainly reserved for after work social hours. Without this thing, social life at among staffers wanes.

The next morning we woke up with intentions of going to the beach. Weather report was 95 degrees with a UV- index of 8. We lied to ourselves and said the dull sky would not be found at the beach. Kate, KFo, and I all hopped in the car through rain and lightning. A passing storm, we insister, but when we arrived, the sky looked pissed.

The police had closed the beach due to the lightning. So we did what only comes naturally after "a day at the beach" and ate ice cream:

And then came home and did what we would have done on the beach had it been sunny; we slept for 4 hours. A lazy Saturday well deserved. In the evening we went to the craft store and invested a few craft supplies and crafted while watching a movie. More on the etsy-like creations in my next post. For now, I'll say that our coffee table is barely visible under the layers of fabric and buttons.

Sunday consisted of shopping. I put together a complete outfit (pictures at some other point), and found a fabulous pair of earrings for Cuartita, the fabulous Cupcake Queen I lived with for four years of undergrad and whose adventures in sugar you can read about here. She was the English major (and it shows).

And yes, those are cupcake earrings on a piece of chocolate.

Today was again my night off and Kate and I went on another date/adventure/whateveryouwanttocallit. We noted how fun and functionality were both achieved. Forms notarized and mailed, checks cashed, fabric purchased which means yet another layer added to the craft coffee table. And of course no Kate Date is complete without indulging so ice cream it was! The temperature outside combined with the true homemade-ness of the icecream made our delight quickly turn into what can only be described at defensive eating. Conversation ceased as we tried furiously to eat the ice cream as it melted down the sides of our cones. Once the chocolate was scrubbed from Kate's face a Hipstamatic photo shoot followed at the harbor featuring today's outfit which I would like to dub "Sailor Chic". Check it:

Besitos,

D

Busy Bee

I could blame the lack of posting on many things including a temporary relocation to the nation's smallest state, a shoddy "Public" internet connection in the dorm I am inhabiting, seven hours of teaching a day, or shear laziness, but one thing is for sure: I am not lacking photos!

Shortly after a beautiful sunset over a little barn, I found myself amongst an apartment that looked ransacked. Fortunately, I was not robbed, rather, unpacking from India has taken the shape of throwing everything onto the floor. In two days I turned my apartment around and sorted everything into 2 sets of boxes- those that are going to camp and those that must be moved to the new apartment. My roommate who is spending the summer in Germany already moved most of her things out and my parents have so graciously agreed to help me move a years worth of "real life" apartment furnishings into my new place, which happens to be the next stairwell over. I, in the meantime, have been teaching at a summer camp for nerdy kids who love science as much as me. PCR, Transformations, Gel Electrophoresis, we do it all.

I had to arrive at camp a bit late because I could not miss the wedding of a dear friend. Lala is my sister's best friend and practically my older sister #2. I got to try out my new lens at her wedding. Seeing as she lives just a few houses up the street and my sister was her MOH, I showed up to take some photos (which was thwarted by the real photographer) but  I did manage to get some nice shots.

(That's me in the mirror)

The wedding was in the church we all grew up in

The ties were fantastic.

Lala and "Papabear"

Obligatory B&W back shot

Hottie

The dress

The first dance

The Best Man's Speech

These 4 have been BFFs since... well forever

The Mommas in the same order (not planned)

So Anthropologie (Love it!)

The cookies that saved my life

So I got to have my cake and eat it too but it involved leaving the wedding and immediately getting in the car and driving in the middle of the night on 95N. I rewarded myself with a cookie every 2 miles and a delicious one that tasted like chocolate covered raw cookie dough at 100 miles! It kept me awake until I arrived at 3:30 am. Driving in the middle of the night ended up being the best decision because I made it in under 5 hours which is a record by far. My lovely camp roommate, Kate, moved me in during the wee hours of the morning. So now I'm back in Bayside where shenanigans ensue. More in the next post about Adventures with Kate, which are usually ridiculous and involve lots of giddy laughter.

Besitos,

D

You Never Know When...

...a sunset is just going to knock you off your flip-flops.

Today I spent a wonderful day at the beach with a college friend. She drove in this morning and we cruised to the shore in my open top Jeep Wrangler. It sprinkled a bit but by the end of the day the sun was shining, I was looking crispy (thanks mom for the amazing tanning skin!), and Surf Tacos and Homemade Ice Cream were enjoyed, thoroughly. On my way back to my apartment I passed a beautiful scene in the car and just had to pull a u-turn and take a photo. Proof that you just never know when having a camera sitting in your back seat will pay off! I couldn't do it justice but I snapped some shots from the side of the road. I'm glad I turned around- it was well worth the 10 minute detour!

And So It Begins

I started this blog sometime during my first year of medical school but never really got it off the ground. Yesterday I was enjoying a glass of wine in Tribeca and the host commented on my bag from B&H. "O what did you get?" he asked. I flashed him my shiny new Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and we both lusted for a minute. He asked, "So do you have a blog?" and I thought of this page and my absence from it. This time, I'm really going to make it happen. What can you expect to find here? A smattering of everything from mud pies to medicine because that is what my life is like right now. I am about to start my second year of medical school after returning back from an unforgettable five weeks traveling India. A lot of pictures to come from my India adventure. Check back and see what I'm up to!

Probably functional, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India