tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18627449505671410522011-07-07T20:23:21.114-05:00My going-ons as a perpetual student. I'm hoping to replace the question mark with a "D" someday...Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.comBlogger1741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-82618337696890492102010-05-10T18:50:00.001-05:002010-05-10T21:32:08.815-05:00

This post has been simmering for a long time, mostly because not much has been going on in the med school world. Except for today. Two code blues, at the same time. And by my count, this would be my first code - at least where I did something. I ended up at the one that was actually kinda cool (except for the patient). Postop patient refusing DVT prophylaxis is begging for a pulmonary embolism.

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-61660492058619327592010-03-28T23:35:00.000-05:002010-03-28T23:42:21.723-05:00

Nine months into my M3 year, I still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up. Put into context, I'm fourteen months away from graduating and actually getting an MD. I'm twelve months away from "the match," where I find out what specialty/residency I matched into and where I'm going for the next few years.In making my M4 schedule, I've been forced to think about what I've truly liked. This has

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-12938123735454793052010-03-08T22:06:00.000-06:002010-03-08T22:07:10.887-06:00

I don't actually dabble too much in Spanish cuisine. That said, my main interaction with it has been through tapas, having been a few times over the past several years. From this limited sample size, I'd have to say I had my best experience so far last weekend at a South Loop place called Tapas Valencia. I left the place stuffed, which has never happened, from either a tapas or dim sum place. And

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-78857471263005415602010-02-28T19:08:00.000-06:002010-02-28T19:08:00.464-06:00

I closed out my peds rotation a few weeks ago and am two weeks into my family medicine rotation. Long story short, although nothing's been too mind blowing over the past four weeks, I've still enjoyed my time on the rotations.Peds was a good rotation: good children's hospital, diverse pathology, fun med students, enthused residents, good faculty. I was/am in shock at how much I actually enjoyed

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-31873662964704677052010-02-01T22:57:00.000-06:002010-02-01T22:57:00.655-06:00

I'm four weeks into my six week peds rotation. At my site (Hope Children's Hospital), I spend three weeks on a general floor, one week in the nursery, one week in outpatient clinic, and one week in a subspecialty (just finished up my peds GI week).Taking a further step back, this half of my M3 year is more medically oriented (vs. surgical - e.g. ob/gyn, surgery). As such, I have had dust off my

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-29388896736265003712009-12-30T16:49:00.000-06:002009-12-30T16:49:47.286-06:00

Being POD 1 from getting my wisdom teeth out, I've been doing a decent amount of sleeping. Some of that's probably due to the vicodin. Overall, there's pretty minimal pain and swelling - which I'm pretty happy about. I figured I'd try out the vicodin or an equivalent narcotic combo since I've given it to scores of postop patients. I feel it's good practice to experience what patients go through,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-79485765263842380652009-12-22T19:45:00.000-06:002009-12-22T19:45:29.565-06:00

Having just taken the shelf exam on Friday, I've closed out my ob/gyne rotation. All jokes aside, I actually enjoyed the rotation. Enough that it's still on my list of possibilities. Along with most other things, as I'll touch on.Except for the demographic restrictions, the pathologies and scope of practice are pretty diverse. Ob/gyns function as a lot of women's only interaction with the health

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-88708988305412934052009-11-27T11:46:00.000-06:002009-11-27T11:47:26.635-06:00

It's been awhile since I've been on here. In that time frame, I've finished up neurology, had a friend tie the knot, watched the Rams and Illini win games, done two weeks of orthopedic surgery, and started six weeks of OB/gyne. Clearly only one of those is of any real life significance - congrats buddy. Other than that, not a whole lot of excitement from the clinical front.OrthoOrthopedic surgery

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-68886446851028335002009-10-20T15:14:00.001-05:002009-10-20T15:16:15.864-05:00

Four months into third year at this point, with 2/6 core clerkships down: surgery and psychiatry. I've even knocked off a fourth year specialty (neurology), with another in the queue (orthopedics) - in the interests of more personal/interview time for myself next year.I'm not gonna revisit the specifics of each rotation I've been through. Instead, I'm going to touch on their

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-88391666050353514422009-10-08T20:23:00.001-05:002009-10-08T20:28:09.198-05:00

I'd consider myself a fan of most sports. That said, my teams are the Rams, Bulls, and Illini. And I'd consider myself a peripheral Blackhawks, Cubs, and Bears fan. Not a whole lot to be excited about right now.RamsI haven't gotten the chance to watch any of their games, but I think I'm probably better off that way. Seriously, we're not just losing. We're getting demolished to the tune of 24-108

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-47685997129413327832009-10-06T19:59:00.000-05:002009-10-06T19:59:00.597-05:00

I'm about a week removed from my psychiatry rotation and one week into my neurology rotation. From a medical standpoint, I'm liking neurology more than psychiatry. From a symptomatic, pathophysiological, and diagnostic perspective there's so much more going on. And I personally find it a lot more interesting. That said, with some conditions, there's only so much that can be done sometimes. To

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-39427160838706612492009-09-24T00:32:00.000-05:002009-09-24T00:35:27.421-05:00

This morning I wake up to 3 UIC emails with the subject of "Urgent Official Announcement." Usually they're warning us about some mugging that happened recently. And it's always a useful suspect description of 5'8"-5'10" black male in his early 20s weighing 150-170lbs wearing dark jeans and a white T shirt. Racist? Not on purpose. That's seriously the description for 90% of those muggings.Anyway,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-35232312980596722632009-09-13T10:01:00.000-05:002009-09-13T10:01:00.719-05:00

I'm a month into my psychiatry rotation. It's a pretty stark contrast to surgery. Morning rounds consist of more than "Pain? Peeing? Farting? Pooing?" There's a lot more talking involved with the patients, and about dramatically different things. Of note, my work week maxes out at about 50 hours, while averaging a little over 40. As opposed to 90 hours work weeks, with some days approaching 34

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-65052516351354538252009-08-23T11:34:00.000-05:002009-08-23T11:37:33.176-05:00

Two+ months later, I'm done with my surgery rotation. Maybe the first of several. I came out of those eight weeks pretty psyched about what I'd just gone through. This bodes well as a possible career choice. A few days into my psych rotation, I realize I actually miss my surgery rotation.That said, I worked my ass off. Boards aside, surgery was the hardest two months of work I've had so far.

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-45474211128259303462009-08-02T15:11:00.001-05:002009-08-02T15:19:02.132-05:00

Two more weeks and I'm done with my surgery rotation. The six weeks have resparked my interest in surgery. I've always had an interest in it, just not so into the hours. It's weird. A 12-14 hour work day actually goes by pretty quickly, especially if I'm in the OR for a large part of that. Even my on call days/nights go by pretty quickly.It's the time when I'm not at work that blows. All the

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-27358799046124833632009-07-15T20:13:00.001-05:002009-07-15T20:21:56.230-05:00

After a thirteen hour day and minimal food intake, how could a day be great? Let me tell you.Team DynamicsI've mentioned previously how lucky I am to be working with such a great team. Here's why.1.) I'm in good with the interns: They don't scut us out too much. They teach a lot. They actually like and respect us. I can talk shit to them. Makes for a funner, lighter work day.2.) Senior residents:

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-65691638438806337702009-07-12T20:20:00.002-05:002009-07-12T20:27:09.838-05:00

My on-call night Thursday was particularly rough. For those wondering what it means to be on call, it means that you're covering your service (i.e. surgery) after regular hours into the next day until the full team gets back. Basically your work day extends through the night and into the next day. For me that meant in at 5AM Thursday and leaving at 11AM Friday...technically. Technically because

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-18222563120124283542009-07-03T07:03:00.003-05:002009-07-12T20:21:01.971-05:00

Quick intro to those unaware, med school is basically a two part process. First two years are mostly books, culminating in boards. First year is normal stuff, second year is abnormal. The last two years are the clinical years, when we're out in hospitals and clinics. UIC's third year has six rotations: medicine, surgery, family, peds, ob/gyn, psych.As a newly minted M3 (feels weird to finally say

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-11859691366433792852009-06-25T18:59:00.008-05:002009-06-27T11:20:03.964-05:00

As I finish this post (been brewing for a week), I'm 4 days into my surgery rotation. ...And most definitely not on vacation anymore. Think 12-14 hour days: 5,6AM - 6,7PM. Long days, yes. But I don't mind it and the time somehow flies. All because I'm at a really good site with lots of really cool stuff and outstanding teaching. More on that in future posts.Before that though, I'd been on

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-17585774127596449222009-06-05T11:14:00.001-05:002009-06-29T19:53:12.367-05:00

Hell yeah. Done. I have never looked forward to the end of something more than this. After eight hours and clicking "end exam," there was a huge, overwhelming feeling of freedom. Pure freedom. I walked out of that building with a glow and energy about me. I couldn't help but smile. Some people walking past me gave me some quizzical looks. I didn't care.I legitimately hated the past month of my

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-14808073098746665882009-06-02T01:34:00.001-05:002009-06-02T01:37:27.670-05:00

I'm two days out. I'm also burnt out, worn out, and (since Sunday) freaking out.Anyway, one more day of the same song and dance that's been playing for four weeks - with Wednesday being a little less hardcore. Here's a rundown of the bore that is a boards study day. Weekends I let myself sleep in. Sometime between 8-10.600 AM: hear "The Final Countdown," smirk because it reminds me of Arrested

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-30249200310987060762009-05-30T01:19:00.000-05:002009-05-30T01:22:44.835-05:00

And by tasting it, I mean coffee. Either that or the dry mouth secondary to coffee's diuretic effect.But seriously, just a week away from being in the Caribbean. Doing. Nothing. I've never worked so hard schoolwise for so long. Boards: June 4. St. Thomas: June 7.This is the weather down there. Don't get me wrong, Chicago's beautiful in the summer. But, it's all relative. And not Saint Thomas.

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-36770718876150771872009-05-22T07:28:00.001-05:002009-05-22T07:33:35.743-05:00

I'm way too exhausted and lazy to write anything substantial. Maybe later I'll outline one of my boards studying days just to show how long and lame they are. Anyway, pics are said to be worth a thousand words. I'm thinking this might be my style for at least the next two weeks, if that. So here you go.Not Your Typical Street SignSome of us were out in the Humboldt Park neighborhood (~4 miles NW

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-59272508879054044522009-05-13T01:20:00.001-05:002009-05-13T01:23:26.977-05:00

A few totally unrelated, but more serious things. Congrats to those graduating - being done with school is pretty much baller. Also, hopefully none of you had anything serious happen back home on account of that storm last week. Personally, a tree introduced itself to the side of my sister's Camry. The Camry lost that encounter.Anyway, the above title applies both literally and figuratively for

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-63769200593642789682009-04-21T01:05:00.001-05:002009-04-21T01:07:59.197-05:00

On any given day I eat between two and four meals. A few of those have been noteworthy over the past few months.Cho Sun OkWith one of my buddies being Korean and a UChicago alum, he has a good pulse on the Asian restaurant scene, and not unsurprisingly the Korean one. We finally took him up on this recommendation, and we weren't disappointed. Apparently there is a difference between between

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-60978959099222000192009-04-09T03:07:00.000-05:002009-04-09T03:07:18.694-05:00

Study break time. Downing my eighth/ninth (?) cup of coffee on the day. I usually try to avoid more than a soda's worth of caffeine/day. I'm pretty sure that my waking state has become dependent on caffeine. I struggle mightily to stay awake without it...over the course of only a few days of hardcore caffeine. Not what I'm really used to. Weak.Anyway, I'd have to pull an all nighter to get

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-66062824852757944082009-03-31T01:38:00.000-05:002009-03-31T01:38:00.286-05:00

The past few weeks, I've been heading into the ER a decent amount. Between having had most of the book stuff (e.g. biggies like pathology and pathophysiology) and some decent practice with physical exam, I'm actually starting to feel comfortable with eventually having the responsibility of being a doc. That is, I might actually be able to do this doctoring thing.Of course, my comfort level is at

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-61932576681779977412009-03-18T18:05:00.000-05:002009-03-18T18:05:01.019-05:00

We've had some gorgeous weather the past few days - 50° on Saturday, with yesterday seeing temps in the 70s. It's this time of year that I start noticing people's different wardrobe choices, with regard to temperature. With temps in the fifties, I'll see anything from all out puffy coats to straight up T-shirts being sported. That said, I've got my own temperature appropriate model for layering

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-75663075093353721532009-03-13T16:25:00.000-05:002009-03-13T16:25:00.414-05:00

I'm in line for some Hot Doug's (local hot dog place) today and the wait outside is about 45 minutes. Whatever, there's a group of us and it's not too cold. On looking around, there are these two women in front of us wearing full length fur coats. A little out of place, given the establishment we're in line for. Upon eavesdropping, their 40 minutes of conversation consisted of: needing to go

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-30453285596253683872009-03-06T17:51:00.000-06:002009-03-06T17:51:00.328-06:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. At least, by local standards. Sixty-three in early March? No complaints. More of the same today ~60°! Unfortunately then it's back to reality for a bit...temps hovering somewhere in the 30s - which is itself at least above freezing. It'll be probably a month before highs are back into the 50s with regularity. I don't overtly despise the winters or

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-32857025693744178472009-02-28T13:32:00.001-06:002009-03-05T21:26:21.297-06:00

Got through another round of block exams this week. Woot. That leaves only finals until I'm done with class. Forever. Double woot. It might be because I'm so close to that, but I don't know if I could do anymore class stuff beyond this. I think I may actually be approaching max indifference. And half of the classes are stuff I actually like. I used to think tell myself patients are some of the

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-40754557030671418982009-02-13T17:26:00.000-06:002009-02-13T17:26:00.338-06:00

Over the past few months, I've occasionally brought my laptop along to reference some online videos. Naturally, this'll result in burning time to jackass on the internet.Civic PrideNo, not of the Honda variety, but of the city kind. It's fair to say I'm a big fan of Chicago. I stumbled upon a site (galleries 1, 2) with some unique views of the city. Specifically, from the Trump Tower while it was

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-17600490312088324572009-02-06T17:35:00.001-06:002009-02-06T17:36:08.883-06:00

The other day I was walking downtown, between studying and birthday shopping. Cliche as it is, I was minding my own business - just crossing the street. As I close in on the curb, I start to check the crossing pedestrian flow for a break to walk through. While doing this, I notice some weird character in the stream eye me and then beeline directly for me. Weird, I'll move. Wrong, he matches me

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-86436413495897554242009-02-02T22:07:00.000-06:002009-02-02T22:07:13.638-06:00

Living in a big city offers a decent number of opportunities to interact with different cultures. In this town, some of the bigger populations would include Pols, Irish, and Hispanics. Regarding the latter, I live about a mile from one the city's bigger Mexican neighborhoods.That said, I haven't really been down to Pilsen many times. After somehow talking about sweetbreads in study group, it got

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-53683427032552139012009-01-25T21:46:00.000-06:002009-01-25T21:46:00.857-06:00

Realistically, I don't have to make any career decisions for a bit. Practically though, I should probably start thinking about it. I guess that's part of the reason I signed up for med school...maximal procrastination with regard to career decisions.Working in the ER the past week, I'm finding myself more and more drawn to the field. Between that, eliminating fields I can't stand, and figuring

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-85153260261520434002009-01-20T17:35:00.000-06:002009-01-20T17:35:01.178-06:00

As is the case for any outdoorsy activity, a group of us headed up to Wisconsin. Again, it was for skiing and we ended up about an hour north of Madison. Compared to the other places I'd been to, it was a nice step up. A lot more runs and the runs themselves were longer. Plus, the price was reasonable enough at $128 for two days. For being my third time, I thought I did pretty well. The first day

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-43365919185291060542009-01-19T14:16:00.004-06:002009-01-19T14:20:53.612-06:00

Gotta love upper midwest winters. We've already passed the annual winter snowfall average. We had ~40 hours of temps not getting above 0°. On top of that, it was actually colder here than at the North Pole at one point. Wind chills hit -40° Thursday. In a messed up kind of way it was kinda cool to see how cold it got. No pun intended. I realize this cold snap hit pretty much everyone, but hey

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-21813312398127702682009-01-11T21:12:00.001-06:002009-01-11T21:12:03.492-06:00

I'm one week into my second practicum. I've gotta say, it's pretty sweet. Not only am I getting to practice physical exam skills, but my histories are getting to be reasonably complete. On top of that, I'm working on the peds floor. I haven't had much practice working with peds patients or their medical problems, so this a good chance for some exposure. Also, it forces me to figure out ways to

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-39320864890060570722009-01-06T20:08:00.000-06:002009-01-06T20:08:17.146-06:00

Indifferent would describe my attitude towards all things med school right now. Especially anything book related. Luckily we're in the hospital for two weeks before classes roll back around. Yay! Not so luckily, I have a`roided up version of the MCAT waiting at the end of the semester. It's kind of a big deal - Step I of USMLE.It's one of three board exams in getting my MD license. And moving on

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-10029334796283396602008-12-31T11:46:00.001-06:002008-12-31T11:48:35.350-06:00

Rolled back into town Sunday and ended up skiing on Monday. Grabbed a 3P-11P lift ticket and rentals for $65. It ended up being a lot more fun than I was expecting...and I was already pretty psyched to go. Making it even better, temps were only around 35°-25°. For being my second time, I did a hell of a lot better than the first time last year. Plus, I actually had decent muscle memory from last

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-10408119887952339412008-12-21T13:58:00.001-06:002008-12-21T13:59:52.658-06:00

I got out of my last final around 10:30 on Wednesday. Since then it's been pure chilling. No caffeine whatsoever and getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep. Oh, and that nice thing about having nothing to do for the next two weeks. I've got a laundry list of real life things to do, but at least that's stress free and mostly at my own pace. As for chilling, I've got some ski plans in the works for

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-62009421024185892102008-12-15T07:34:00.005-06:002008-12-15T11:45:01.154-06:00

It was like 50° yesterday. Kind of a severe drop in temp, imo. Getting blasted in the face with sleet at 2:30 in the morning wasn't so cool either. Literally come with the territory I suppose.On another note, in a few hours it'll be five down, two to go. Home stretch baby!

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-40786656681182801712008-12-11T03:03:00.001-06:002008-12-11T03:03:00.634-06:00

Over the past few days, I've forgotten to do some things. Things that should be second nature. An isolated incident every now and then is normal, sure. By my count, I've got three such examples in as many days.Misplaced my I-card. Kinda need it for finals and swiping into rooms. Thought I lost it either around my computer desk or in the conference room we were studying in. Ended up buying another

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-84613473186759140672008-12-05T01:30:00.001-06:002008-12-05T01:30:00.515-06:00

Every week we have a required seminar followed by a small group discussion that incorporates some of the less scientific aspects of medicine. Some of the topics touched on include ethics, contraception, women's health, and geriatrics. Today's talks were about stress and medicine. On seeing today's topic, I mentally rolled my eyes. The seminar touched on some common sense things, which was to be

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-18611640301074562552008-12-02T02:40:00.001-06:002008-12-02T02:42:43.251-06:00

Got back into town Sunday night from T-break. And a pretty damn good one at that. All sorts of chilling, catching up, and recharging. Thanks to everyone who made it out and hung out. Actually went into further sleep debt over break, but totally worth it. Said break contrasts pretty hard with what's next on the agenda.By my count, I've got 16 days until school's out. Eight of those have seven

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-64032910912696391232008-11-21T19:32:00.003-06:002008-11-22T04:56:43.740-06:00

Weekends aside, I don't really remember what I've done the past few weeks. I know I've studied at times. I've even learned some more physical exam skills. Yay! Luckily, Turkey Day's less than a week away to break that cycle. And today, through some slick moves on my part I was able to switch out of a required workshop that basically means I could bounce outta town now. I'm definitely looking

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-23184057230639166322008-11-05T15:45:00.000-06:002008-11-05T15:45:00.506-06:00

I usually don't comment much about politics, but I feel this is a worthy exception. This is the first election that I've legitimately been excited about. Granted last election I had pretty strong interests in the outcome, but moreso for fear of the incumbent winning. This year was more about actually getting behind a man and sincerely hoping that he would win. Actually believing in him and his

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-22366183003483576232008-10-31T14:31:00.001-05:002008-10-31T14:31:00.780-05:00

Apparently it's Halloween this weekend. It's a weird mixture: gonna be costumed up in the evenings, all fancily dressed in the mornings. The former involves a Filipino ninja (complete with eskrima sticks) tonight and South Park's Satan (heaven and hell theme event) tomorrow. The latter involves learning some clinical exam skills: today was abdominal exam on each other, tomorrow is female pelvic/

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-46619576655111530042008-10-25T12:07:00.001-05:002008-10-25T12:09:36.594-05:00

Having Directv, I've been able to watch pretty much all the Illini games. I've gotta say, Juice is looking pretty good this year. It's night and day between this year and his freshman year. As opposed to missing throws by fifteen yards, he's been laying in some pretty nice ones. He's also developed some touch, as opposed to "rocket every throw I can" mode. For the most part, his decision making's

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-26110745243287590812008-10-20T00:21:00.000-05:002008-10-20T00:21:00.573-05:00

Since last Wednesday I've been in practicum. It's basically like doing a mini-rotation with a particular hospital service. This one lasts ten days and has me on the medicine service, while the other two last fourteen and seventeen days. Since we haven't learned physical exam or had much pathology or pathophysiology yet, our skill set is pretty limited. We're pretty much just taking histories.

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-75044370326814933132008-10-14T04:13:00.000-05:002008-10-14T04:13:00.563-05:00

The Chicago Marathon was ran here last Sunday. It's passed a few blocks from my place the past two years, and I think that's pretty cool. Quite a few people from my class ran it, and to be honest I was surprised at how many. One of my friends even jumped in randomly since it ran through our neighborhood. He wasn't even training and ran half the marathon. Props. Either way, it's pretty cool seeing

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-54915172442075560882008-10-03T11:08:00.000-05:002008-10-03T11:13:48.892-05:00

So, nothing too interesting has been happening the past few weeks. I haven't been in a straight up routine, but nothing worth writing a post about has happened. That said, here I am.Classes are going well enough. Pathology and clinical pathophysiology have been interesting all around, regardless of lecturer or topic. These are the classes that make me feel like I'm actually in med school and not

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-79466461979951969232008-09-13T14:31:00.000-05:002008-09-13T14:31:00.896-05:00

It's been about two weeks since I've been for a bike ride. Between wanting to go for a 20+ mile ride, required classes at inconvenient times, and earlier sunsets I just haven't been able to make it out. I may start shortening up my rides in the interests of just getting rides in.Either way, I had been running out of bike-friendly roads to explore neighborhoods. That said, I was defaulting my

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-32824231483986262032008-09-06T09:08:00.001-05:002008-09-06T09:08:04.970-05:00

I'm three weeks into M2 year and I have to say, things aren't too horrible right now. Yes, school and actually having to work suck. But, compared to this time last year things don't seem as bad. The classes are hands down better and more interesting. It's actually material that you'd associate with med school - things that make me feel like learning to become a doctor. E.g. pathology,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-47762222208575693222008-08-25T19:09:00.003-05:002008-08-25T19:14:28.883-05:00

Last weekend I headed up to Wisconsin for some camping and whitewater rafting. It was a bit far (5 hours to the White Lake, WI area), but definitely worth it - figuratively and literally. Camping and rafting together cost only $50, with a similar tab for group food, drink, gas, and firewood.I got the chance to go camping for the first time in a long time. The usual camping stuff happened:

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-24439057945539094442008-08-18T01:00:00.001-05:002008-08-18T01:00:00.505-05:00

I just got back into Chicago after a few days in Southern Illinois. This event is nothing special, but it also leaves me a few hours from school starting back up. And this realization leaves a feeling of dread. I've never had more angst about a school year starting as I do now. The words angst and dread don't even sufficiently describe how I feel right now.I've had an insanely chill and relaxed

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-44449155649180496792008-08-14T00:30:00.000-05:002008-08-14T00:30:37.070-05:00

Between getting the chance to visit a close friend and checking out some southern culture, I decided to head down to Atlanta last weekend. It's only a ninety minute flight and I booked while it was still reasonably cheap.The first night, we had dinner at Harmony, a vegetarian Chinese place. Ended up partaking in some duck, which was pretty tasty. I honestly couldn't tell that it was fake meat,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-56810771475973252092008-08-07T19:45:00.000-05:002008-08-07T19:45:12.725-05:00

Last Monday there were three sets of storms that hit around here. One in the morning kept me from going on a bike ride, an early evening one that almost caught me in a ride, and a later one that knocked out power and dropped a few inches of rain in less than an hour. That last storm was pretty intense - set off the city sirens (didn't even know we had those), spawned a few tornadoes, and had some

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-56003049060029731892008-08-01T12:16:00.000-05:002008-08-01T12:16:38.847-05:00

A friend and I headed up to Milwaukee for part of last weekend. Mainly to catch a Brewers game, but also for a German festival. The festival was entertaining enough for an afternoon. There were some German shows going on, although we only sat in on one about clothing. Apparently colors of various accessories are indicative of different aspects of a person's life. Aside from that though, they all

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-23867245928222514062008-07-28T20:43:00.000-05:002008-07-28T20:44:55.392-05:00

I've had pretty bad luck with major electronics just quitting on me: computers, mp3 players, vcrs, and an xbox. My 360 has been fine for the past eighteen months, then last week not so much. Figured I was better than the "red ring of light." Wrong. I don't use it that much, just the occasional dvd, halo, or guitar hero - so I expected it to last awhile. Ah well, whatever. No real complaints here,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-9570154861207006862008-07-22T21:41:00.001-05:002008-07-22T21:42:43.730-05:00

I headed east last weekend, out to Detroit. I didn't head there so much for the city. That said, I got to check out Detroit in all its...glory. After encountering non-existent highways and almost getting sent to Canada, we were forced onto surface streets to downtown. Between the streets and actually being downtown, it's safe to say that Detroit has seen better days. This is an obvious statement,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-32895494785548472072008-07-16T14:48:00.000-05:002008-07-16T14:48:30.214-05:00

I've had my bike for about 2+ weeks now and have been making pretty good use of it. My longest rides have gone for 37.5, 33, and 29 miles - though I probably average 20 per ride (including the first one). I've been on probably about ten rides for 220 miles, and it's pretty good exercise. It's cheaper than a gym membership ($75 once) and I'm outside for a few hours. I also get to check out the

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-56515371690777878012008-07-14T23:27:00.000-05:002008-07-14T23:27:53.626-05:00

Last Saturday, there was a beer tasting festival called Alefest held just outside of Soldier Field. It had a steep entry fee at $40, but it was good for 20 servings and a free tasting glass. Plus it wasn't like light beer was being served. The closest regular beers were Sam Adams and Goose Island (Chicago brewery).There were quite a few local breweries from around the country: Brooklyn, Cleveland

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-85208720612347552392008-07-12T12:45:00.000-05:002008-07-12T12:45:15.057-05:00

I got back a few days ago from the east coast. It was a nice little trip - flew out to DC and picked up a friend's car. Since he had siblings in both DC and NYC, we had places to stay and reasons to visit each. Even though it was short, it was a pretty good trip.DCHome base was just northwest of Georgetown. Nice area, although the apartment was not so much. Embassy Row is along the way to the

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-8241740459107348912008-07-02T18:32:00.001-05:002008-07-02T18:34:07.221-05:00

I'm needing an infusion of new music and/or reading. Tried out some Last Goodnight, courtesy of the Seattle trip (and like it) - but that's about all the new music I've had for awhile. Oh, and I'll also take suggestions for a cheap, legal way to acquire said music...alltunes will have none of my trying to reload my balance. Gracias amigos.

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-90788917470695158392008-06-30T18:43:00.001-05:002008-06-30T18:46:47.141-05:00

I finally ended up getting a bike yesterday. Paid $75 for a used Schwinn Varsity. Really good condition as far as the rims, handlebars, frame, gears, and brakes go. I even like the color. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure from the frame that it's a woman's bike. I don't really care though, the lower top tube makes it easier to dismount - no fear of slamming a leg or package into a bar.Ended up

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-66713478787278026592008-06-28T15:29:00.000-05:002008-06-28T15:29:14.437-05:00

I've been back in town a week and have been enjoying the Chicago summer. Had some good company when I got back into town, giving me the chance to play tourist for a bit. Checked out the Art Institute for the first time. Monstrous collection of art. I'm not really an art buff, but I figure I should make at least one visit to the Institute. I'm pretty sure they frown on talking in the galleries,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-38359678009967104072008-06-24T01:01:00.003-05:002008-06-24T01:05:35.403-05:00

This being my last free summer, I figured I should do some travelling. I ended up heading out to LA and Seattle for about ten days. Made some day trips to San Diego and Vancouver as well. Got to check out some places for the first time and without family. Also got to hang out with some good friends and whatnot. Nothing too dramatic happened, but was overall a pretty good, relaxing time. I just

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-73426924173197464832008-06-09T02:25:00.001-05:002008-06-09T02:26:35.204-05:00

I've been on the lookout for a bike for a little bit. In keeping with my laziness this summer, it's taken awhile for this effort to gain any momentum. I've recently overcome said inertia and have been heading out to different bike shops and test riding different bikes.I've actually got a pretty narrow range of bikes that I'm looking for: used, reasonable quality, cheap price, road bike, and

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-89374062814298429172008-05-26T01:49:00.002-05:002008-05-26T01:51:20.947-05:00

Living ten minutes from downtown Chicago has its advantages. Gas prices are not included in that list. I've got the city's most expensive station less than a mile from me...which is currently asking $4.59 per gallon. Luckily, there's a "more reasonable" station closer to me, at $4.29. Still 10¢ more than the city average, 24¢ more than the state, and 36¢ more than the national. Also luckily, I

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-80875846819208114682008-05-16T11:15:00.001-05:002008-05-16T11:16:27.644-05:00

I'm planning on seeing the place after saving some money this summer. I figure that should be good for a trip over to the sales office.I'm debating between the west loop and the Spire.I wouldn't mind the 2000 foot view, but $1.35 million for a lower floor 1 br/1 ba is starting to get outside my price range. I would have a few years to save up though, since it's still being built... Maybe I'll go

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-61847820780478811322008-05-11T21:38:00.000-05:002008-05-11T21:38:09.268-05:00

I wanna start out by saying congrats to two of my friends! You know who you are... If I weren't in celebratory/recovery modes this weekend, I would've done this sooner.So I took my last final Wednesday. ...that puts me at *DONE* with M1 year! Hell of a way to go out: seven finals, ten days. Understatement of the year, but I would *not* want to repeat this year. Ever. There were probably only one

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-27910005072987354732008-05-01T10:29:00.001-05:002008-05-01T10:30:42.970-05:00

I've been contemplating buying a bike for the past few months. Warmer temperatures have helped that sentiment. But also it's not a bad way to get around the city. Between traffic, $4 gas prices, and doing most stuff within a two mile radius it's logically not a bad idea. Yeah, the semester's pretty much over, but it can turn a twenty minute campus walk into a five minute ride.Biking in the city?

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-28408210420023169012008-04-23T01:50:00.000-05:002008-04-23T01:53:52.271-05:00

So, the expressways around Chicago carry a decent amount of traffic during the day. Of them, the Ryan and Kennedy carry the most. And being a city, there are going to be accidents, especially on said roads. Coming back Saturday from some delicious pheasant, we were heading home on the Kennedy in some light traffic. All of a sudden some car swerves across a few lanes, back and forth across a few

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-69449696831990600742008-04-17T17:49:00.000-05:002008-04-17T17:54:00.225-05:00

So I've sampled a few food places the past few weeks. Results as follows.La SardineGood, if not expensive, French place. Probably the best salmon I've ever had here: both the salmon and the sauce were just insanely tasty. Never thought I'd say that about salmon. Really good escargot, blood sausage, and mussels if you're into appetizers. Like I said, on the expensive side though.PenangDon't know

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-17458606302466183742008-04-09T23:47:00.003-05:002008-04-09T23:59:34.685-05:00

As I'm heading out to move my car for monthly street cleaning, I see something hanging off my driver's side window. Ooo, I wonder what event/venue decided to make me aware of their existence? Alas, an invalid question. The brightly colored object was yet another request for money from Chicago. And by request for money, I mean ticket...of which three unpaid ones result in the boot. (Only reason I

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-32426620265485744622008-03-31T00:55:00.001-05:002008-03-31T00:57:41.037-05:00

As the title of the post alludes to, I've just realized that I have under six weeks left in the semester. Usually that's a sign that you're having fun and whatnot. While I wouldn't say this year has been horrible, I wouldn't say it's been fun. I will say that I do like this semester's block exam schedule. Yeah, the time around exams blows hard, but at least I get most of my weekends back. Along

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-24959468793074675582008-03-16T22:30:00.000-05:002008-03-16T22:26:45.156-05:00

Having been severely behind in sleep (boo to six exams in seven days), I've spent most of this past week sleeping in, undergrad style. Waking up without an alarm and to four digits on the clock is pretty refreshing in itself. Between sleep deprivation and four insanely boring classes to start the day, I did not fare well as a class-goer coming back from "break." Also, since UIUC, I've had a

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-46558700390809025722008-03-14T00:32:00.002-05:002008-03-15T14:04:57.258-05:00

Sure spring doesn't start until March 20. But combine the time change and the temperature swing around these parts, and it's starting to feel like spring.Today was the first time in at least four months I've been able to step out of my apartment for the whole day without a jacket on. This week's also the first time it's been above freezing for an extended period of time. Heading out to clinic, my

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-79914896971188222992008-03-11T01:07:00.002-05:002008-03-11T01:05:17.956-05:00

So this past weekend was part of my "spring break." Spring break's in quotes because it really wasn't any such thing. The weekend was, in fact, half of my break. I prefer to think of it as a four day weekend. But it was actually a pretty good one...especially after six exams in seven days. Got the chance to head home for a day. Was able to hit up Champaign for a night (and gagged on smelling the

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-22324687486714525302008-02-26T01:24:00.002-06:002008-03-16T20:25:19.793-05:00

Our daily schedule varies in terms of what/when we have classes, but there is a standard lunch hour. Knowing this, a lot of organizations have meetings, lunches, and events during this hour. The other week I was fortunate enough to 1.) be in class and 2.) actually read the chalkboards' listing of events. One of the talks I noticed was a medical malpractice one.The talk was put on by a higher-up

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-15741666800679161802008-02-18T19:19:00.002-06:002008-02-19T17:28:16.443-06:00

This half of the semester is pretty heavy in that part of the body above your chest. Neuroanatomy, head and neck unit of anatomy, and neurophysiology. And those were listed by amount of information in descending order; interesting/coolness factor in ascending order.Anyway, one of our neurophys lectures covered brain motor control and motor diseases. That day's lecture ran long by a decent amount,

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-44898892234532276652008-02-11T01:14:00.000-06:002008-02-11T01:16:29.396-06:00

Most of the stuff I'm gonna talk about could be said for any city. But since I'm living in Chicago, I'm calling them Chicagoisms. Not anything exciting, but they all happened today.Cab DriversI was trying to pull out of a parking lot and noticed a tow truck somewhat in the middle of the road. I mostly noticed it because it was keeping from pulling out of the lot in a timely fashion. Since I had

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-43926974996792685912008-02-04T01:52:00.000-06:002008-02-04T01:51:53.453-06:00

Most people probably have heard about standardized patients and how some medical schools use them. Since I'm in med school, there was a good chance I was going to run into one. About a week and a half ago now, I had my first encounter with one.Since our clinical class is focusing on history related stuff this semester one of our classes included a history taking workshop. It basically was a

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-75077946688847033212008-01-28T19:52:00.000-06:002008-01-28T19:57:15.396-06:00

It's weird how single digit temperatures can make yesterday's 30° seem warm. Last week around this time it was hovering just above 0°. Today it was just short of 50°. Big temperature change yes, but it's over the course of a week. Tomorrow has a similar temperature swing - in one day. I'm not really sure what to do with myself clothing-wise. Or life-wise for that matter, it's that mind

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-52881787641556029852008-01-19T01:02:00.000-06:002008-01-19T01:19:09.747-06:00

I was in the VA today and got the chance to interview a patient. In our Essentials of Clinical Medicine (ECM) class, we're working specifically on the history of presenting illness (HPI). For the most part, I've been okay with ECM throughout the year - talking about culture, patient communication, teamwork and whatnot. But this semester, we're getting into more history-taking, ethical issues, and

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-41589747522537468372008-01-18T01:06:00.000-06:002008-01-18T01:10:54.122-06:00

I've been back for about two weeks now. After the first few days of class - the following were my thoughts. "Wow. This sucks. Hard. This fucking sucks." It's at this point that I first legitimately questioned why I'm in med school and if it's really worth it. After Thanksgiving, I've been caring less about all the work and grades. Then winter break rolled around and proceeded to exacerbate those

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-60547562377963500442008-01-06T19:03:00.000-06:002008-01-09T00:35:01.895-06:00

Having lived here for around five months now, it's fairly safe to say I'm a fan of Chicago. Although, this probably could've said before my move up north. As with anything though, there are negatives to life in Chicago - most of which are obvious.Crime Even though I live in a safe neighborhood, stuff does happen. We get crime alerts through UIC and while they're fairly infrequent it probably

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-45137742061838981012007-12-25T01:40:00.000-06:002008-01-02T14:38:06.295-06:00

I've been off school for about a week now, and it's been amazing. I've been a model(?) of sloth for said week, and it's been legitimately re-energizing. I really think the timing of this break was spot on. If we would've had to go another two weeks or so, I may have come close to burnout. Towards the end of the semester (especially after Thanksgiving) I just didn't care as much, and my grades

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-39145085977968579362007-12-14T10:58:00.000-06:002007-12-14T11:03:51.743-06:00

A disclaimer since this post has been brewing for awhile. As of approximately 20 minutes ago, this "a day in the life" is no longer valid. Why? Because this M1 is done for the semester!!!This edition of "a day in the life" is going to be mostly pictures. The snow got me in a picture taking mood last week.Destination: UIC-COMView from my roof. The tower way in the background amongst the snow is

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-37735104629071301852007-12-05T02:23:00.000-06:002007-12-05T02:25:33.590-06:00

So, today was the year's first real snow. Although, we did have an ice storm last weekend. (Hint: 1/2 inch of ice is not fun to scrape off a car.) Back to the snow though. I think it looks pretty good around the city. Then again, I'm not having to drive or shovel through any of it. (Yay for the L and apartment living!) Anyway, as a study break, I snapped a few pics.The Park Next to My ApartmentI

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-89357997015475937872007-11-28T01:48:00.000-06:002007-11-28T01:48:45.257-06:00

A quick random note: Thanksgiving break was amazing...did nothing but sleep, eat, and drink. Very much needed, most definitely enjoyed. Aaand now the slap in the face that is med school welcomes me back this week. Ah well.A little over a week after our anatomy exams, I'm left feeling 1.) still a bit violated 2.) amazed at the body. I'm choosing to focus on the latter.As part of anatomy, we cover

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-12699357994819174812007-11-16T01:54:00.000-06:002007-11-16T23:32:35.060-06:00

So, I'm in med school. In Chicago. I'm a bit biased, but I think it's a pretty sweet town. Sadly, I haven't had as much opportunity to check out the city as I'd like to. Here are the few places that I actually have been to over the past month or so.Harold's Chicken Shack A fast food type place to get some fried chicken. The chain apparently originated from the south side, and has slowly been

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-33138058372081329452007-11-03T11:00:00.000-05:002007-11-03T11:00:07.541-05:00

So, I'm 2+ months into med school. And time really has flown. Having said that, I am *so* looking forward to Thanksgiving. (Minus the semester's only massive anatomy exams right before Thanksgiving. Seriously. Anatomy scares me shitless - I go through underwear faster when I think about that exam day. But that's neither here nor now.) Looking back on the first week of class (and especially

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-43137408105878322272007-10-23T00:50:00.000-05:002007-10-23T01:11:54.961-05:00

Aside from our traditional science classes, one of the classes we're just now starting up is "Essentials of Clinical Medicine." It's actually a pretty cool "class." Minus the required attendance, that is. Boo to that. Anyway, class in quotes because it's not one in the traditional sense of lectures and labs. There are still lectures with all ~200 of us, but they aren't as hardcore as the other

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-74007927499495343762007-10-15T02:11:00.000-05:002007-10-17T00:18:10.846-05:00

For those that know me, you know that I went to the vast majority of my classes in undergrad. Enter med school, and not so much anymore. Labs and one lecture are the only things that bring me to the building called UIC COM. What do I do with all that extra time? Well, here's a rough idea of how this past week went down.Our schedule changes every day and week. As a general rule though, we're

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-5655464064657849352007-10-03T01:52:00.000-05:002007-10-03T02:04:07.325-05:00

I've mentioned how much studying goes on for me now and how much it sucks. Today: 9-1230 downtown library, 130-630 anatomy lecture/lab, 830-12 more studying. Some of it is just of no interest to me (biochem, histology). And for that reason, I haven't been to those lectures since the first week. That, and I get more done on my own for those classes (e.g. why I was in the library from 9-1230).

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-64848706028900418302007-09-30T12:03:00.000-05:002007-09-30T12:03:53.026-05:00

This week was the tail end of a round of exams - four in as many weeks. A nice exam-free two weeks, and then back into it again. Sure an exam a week doesn't sound so bad. Me and the other ~180 kids will vouch otherwise. I thought they went reasonably well - three of them I did above average on and one I did below average. Histology was the one I was most worried about, since I'd heard horror

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-77001345286229038832007-09-22T10:07:00.000-05:002007-09-22T10:10:47.799-05:00

When not being a med student, I've gotten the chance to check out Chicago a bit - one reason I was wanting to be at UIC. Soo, I've got a smallish list of the places I've hit up over the past few weeks.FoodSan Soo Gap SanThis is a pretty sweet Korean barbecue place. Of course, I have no frame of reference from which to judge Korean barbecue. I did like the food quite a bit though. The barbecue (

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862744950567141052.post-47419869365706915392007-09-12T20:02:00.000-05:002007-09-12T20:01:44.244-05:00

Yesterday was my first clinical experience as a medical student. I spent five hours at a free clinic on Chicago's west side. The clinic is run by a nonprofit organization and is partially staffed by UIC volunteers (med students, residents, attendings) through a student organization. Anyway, the point is this was extracurricular to UIC's curriculum. UIC has some shadowing set up nine times

Illinaisa, M-3http://www.blogger.com/profile/17721014973582189372noreply@blogger.com0