Beat The Clock

I mentioned in my last post about how days full of studying usually go for me.

Procrastinate, Sleep, Proactive Procrastination (like cleaning), Study for 20 minutes, Spend an hour on Pinterest. Realize I didn't actually learn anything today.

We're all guilty of it, whether we are trying to study for a neuro exam or complete a project. Talking to B last night, he told me about a study tactic his academic counselor suggested. Take a stop watch or timer- we prefer the stopwatch portion of the clock on an iPhone/iPod- and start it every time you sit down to study. Anytime you deviate, whether it be to check your email or gchat or fix lunch or make your bed or zone out into space as I often do, STOP the stopwatch. You only earn time when you are actively studying. You'll be surprised at the outcome. It is a great way to stay on task and realize how much time you are actually spending studying. Some people can sit down for 12 hours and only get 2 hours of work done! I tried it out and really like it. You'll be a little sad the first time you try it when it is 5:00 pm and your timer reads 2 hours. eek! Tomorrow I'll  be having a contest with B to see who can clock more hours (I just judged myself for how nerdy that sounds).

If you're looking at the time of day, it's incorrect. The only thing I did before 9:24 am was sleep.

PTSD and Defensive Eating Take Two

What?! I haven't posted in a month. Wherever did the time go? Med school: C'est la vie. Fortunately it is quite easy to recap my past month.

Procrastinate

Procrastinate

Procrastinate

Attempt to Study

Fall Asleep Instead

Freak out about not studying

Study like crazy as to not fail

It's all good. P = MD.

More seriously though, I have been working on the whole having-a-life-while-being-a-med-student thing. In between memorizing blood counts for different leukemias I made time to go visit the good ole college roommate and baker extraordinaire, TPizzle. She just moved to a new apartment. I suggested we go to the Brooklyn Flea to shop for unique little pieces for her new place. This ended up being a bit of a flop because 1. I'm terrible at NYC geography and Brooklyn is not really near said new apartment and the subway isn't very good for transporting furniture or other goods 2. I ended up in a not so great part of Brooklyn navigating the subway system 3. The Brooklyn Flea is full of really cool and ridiculously overpriced stuff. Damn hipsters. The good news, I basically made this into a Kate and Tara meet sort of thing because when you love two people, they might just love each other. We had fun anyway, exploring Brooklyn, it's farmers markets, it's charm, it's personality, it's FOOD! Also, overshooting my destination on the subway ran me into a couple that looked even more out of place than me: a sweet husband and wife from Oklahoma looking for Battery Park.They looked like they had just stepped off a cruise ship- and indeed they had! I helped them navigate back to NYC and had a lovely chat while waiting about how my boyfriend is from Oklahoma. Those of you that know me are scratching your heads. Okay, maybe I exaggerated and my boyfriend only lived the first year of his life in Oklahoma before moving to Michigan but that accent is surely from the Sooner State! And of course the other wonderfulness that came out of this: deliciousness. We went to a meatball place and the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. That meatball place sounds a lot raunchier when put in the same sentence as Big Gay... The meatballs were quite tasty. I attempted to ask the waiter with a straight face "How big are your balls" but it just came out between hysterical laughs.

Classic Tara Smirk on the right

And at Big Gay, well things weren't as flamboyant as we'd hoped but the Salty Pimp- vanilla soft serve with sea salt, caramel, and chocolate shell was mouthwatering orgasmicness. But once again, I wasn't eating it so much as catching the drips and attempting to not make a mess (fail).

Defensive Eating, Take Two

The day was made even sweeter at 2 pm when I received a phone call from my other half who informed me he was driving to the east coast and would see me "at the other 2". There was a small dance party that then took place in the middle of the Buffalo Exchange Thrift Store. We should back up to put this happiness in context.

The entire story of my other half deserves a novel but in recent history, B is a Caribbean medical student. His entire career has been riding on a comprehensive exam which he had to pass to continue on to third year. We spent three months apart this summer as he studied to save his life as we all cheered (quietly) in the background. He was at home in Michigan while I traveled the world and taught summer camp. He took his test but was still anxiously waiting the test results. I thought he might surprise me by flying here immediately after taking the test but he mostly sat at home, distraught, convincing himself that he had failed. BUT, he called two days later and drove to see me- over a 12 hour drive. Long story short, we of course had to to to NYC again when he came because Midwestern boy loves some big buildings. We lit candles in St. Patrick's and sipped Sangria in little Italy and later in the week found out he passed his test by a long shot.

We screamed and laughed and cried and then drove out the Michigan to share the good news with his mom. Highlights of the weekend include delicious home cooked meals, doggies, the lake (even though it was cold), and a fabulous antique store that put the Brooklyn Flea to shame. Steals: vintage suitcase: $8; vintage carry-on: $6; handkerchiefs: $1-2each; necklace: $1. B went back this week and picked up a big wooden trunk to use as a tv stand, a type set drawer, an old clock, and a big blue bottle (pictures to come in the future). As he drove me to the airport I realized how in love with Michigan I am and the large expanses of land full of golden rod.

This dog is evil

Owners and their dogs start to look alike...

Camera in Cooler = Good Kayak Safety Measures

Beagle Love

feel free to throw up a little at the cuteness

Michigan, I'll be back soon! The trip back involved 3 hours of sleep, a shuttle, a plane, a bus, the subway, and NJ Transit. Back to the grind.

This weekend involved Mom's Birthday celebration and the 150th anniversary of my church.

Both B and I have been having trouble sitting down to study. He's calling it PTSD. It is difficult to make yourself sit down and study when that is all you have been doing. This of course is much worse for B, who needs to be studying for the boards. Meanwhile neuro is probably kicking my butt, but I wouldn't know; I am proactively procrastinating (does that even make sense). Exhibit A: I'm sitting in a lecture right now. They can require me to go but they can't require that I pay attention!