Update after 4 weeks

Four weeks in and I'm wishing that I had more hours in the day because I feel that I'm not studying enough, not spending enough time with my wife, not doing enough around the house, not doing enough around the yard, not spending enough time with friends. You get the picture. The studying will have to increase as I get better at time management. It seems that studying is like running for me; if I get started, I'll work hard and feel better afterwards but the hardest part is getting started! That being said, I am getting better at it.

We had our first exam and I performed pretty well. To graduate, we just have to pass but I want to actually know the information now. When I was in undergrad I have to admit that I was pretty lazy - cramming for exams and staying up all night to finish the problem set that I had a week to complete. Now, I want to know this stuff cold! What a difference it is when you're doing something that you enjoy, that you feel is important.

Oh, and I am loving the OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) subject. We are learning how to feel differences in our patients, how to use our hands to heal them. Touch is a powerful thing and I think more doctors need to be taught how to touch their patients, how to use their hands to diagnose and even heal them.

Ok - enough rambling into space - back to the books!

1st week in the books

My first week consisted of three days of orientation and two of actual classes. It was pretty light but nerve-racking nonetheless. As a returning student, I'm finding that it's difficult to click with my fellow students. Their conversations about dating, video games and music are difficult to participate in because I'm not up on the latest trends in these areas. A couple of my classmates were talking about Rock Band, which I have never played and I started laughing because the last video game I played was probably Galaga, on an actual console where you put quarters in it. It is amazing to be around these students, they are a talented bunch. There are musicians, artists, writers, even a mathematician. I feel so privileged to be among them!

We dove right into dissection on the first day of class. There are five students to a cadaver so I collected four others by holding up my hand saying "we need three more here..." and counting down as one joined the group. I wanted to make the first cut but didn't want to be pushy or greedy so I suggested we do rock-paper-scissors for it. The first round every one of us chose scissors! We all broke into laughter and everyone in lab looked over at us - oops! After two more rounds, I got the honor of making the first incision. I was so jazzed to be the first! I am in awe of how resilient the human body is, how tough the skin is. Finally, I am beyond grateful for the man who chose to give his body so that I could learn hands-on about the structure and organization of the body.

Books!

The first crop of medical texts showed up yesterday and I'm so excited! I purchased all of the required texts and none of the recommended ones because I wished to stay under $2,000 for this purchase. I started reading the Histology text last night.... can't wait to be immersed in the subject but hoping I don't get under water!

Can time simultaneously fly and crawl? I have so much to do before school starts that I'm sure it won't all get done but I'm anxious to begin this next phase in my life. Recent high-level thinkers on the topic of time are saying that it's really an emergent property of nature, not a fundamental one. So, I may indeed be creating my own combination of time-dilation-contraction experience! It doesn't really matter as I've stopped counting the time between now and school in conventional units and am using 'paychecks'. There are two paychecks before school starts. Then, it's back to student loans - no more sushi Saturdays or Friday night cocktails with the gang.

Oh well - that's still two paychecks away. What about the here-and-now, the only time we know to exist? What is on my calendar?

Things I need to get done: get MMR vaccination (my titer was low), buy scrubs/books/gloves, get my study space put together.

The study space is an interesting story. My wife and I bought a small, 2-bedroom house and our niece is living with us while she goes to Community College. Therefor, I don't have a quite space where I can stretch out the books and study. I looked into buying a shed that I would insulate, electrify, drywall and paint but these things ain't cheap! Small ones start at $1500 just for the shed, then I would spend another $500 to get it in office shape. The idea popped in my head to find a vintage travel trailer that I could park in the back yard (it's an 8,000+ sf lot) and use as an office. Of course, these ain't cheap either! However, if you aren't planning on using it for it's original purpose, i.e. camping, one can be had for under $1000. I found a 19' Yellowstone circa 1964 for $700, delivered. It is missing the stove and refrigerator. The table needs to be fixed and some paneling needs to be replaced. The rear window is also missing. But, it is cheap and cute! I'm in the process of installing insulation and plywood paneling ($10 per 8'x4' panel) instead of original birch ($38 per panel). I removed the toilet and sealed some holes - the bookcase will go into the bathroom, now library. My desk will sit at the back of the trailer, facing the rear window. With a coffee maker and cat-5 cable, I think it will work. If anyone is interested, I could post pictures.

Things I want to do before school starts: Fence in the remainder of our lot. There is about 400sf of our property outside of our current fence. This space would be perfect for the office - it would get it out of view of the house. Despite being 'cute' it does take up a good chunk of the current back yard. Complete repairs on the house - the refrigerator ice maker doesn't work, the air conditioner drain is leaking, the tiny deck is falling down, and I would like to put in a vegetable garden.

All this to do, and more but I can't take any conventional time off because that would shorten my paycheck time.

Headed back to school!

Well, I finally got accepted to medical school! I was asked to interview at Touro University in California when a scheduled interviewee canceled. I live 20 miles from there so it wasn't hard to make travel plans on short notice.

It was raining hard the morning of the interview and my little hybrid felt like it was going to be blown off the bridge as I crossed the delta. There were 10 candidates, including myself. Those other 9 were about 1/2 my age but scared out of their heads. As soon as I entered the room, I started talking to them - asking where they were from, how their trip was etc. This seemed to put some at ease but a couple looked horrified. I think they were trying to assess my function - was I a plant? Did the school put me there to judge their worthiness to attend the college? It was pretty funny. I was just as nervous as they were but I have years more experience at hiding my nerves in interviews, public speaking and competition.

When the time came to start the day's schedule, the Dean of Admissions came in to chat with us about the process, even coaching us on the interview we were going to be attending in the afternoon. He assured us that his presence had no bearing on the decision but, looking back I am sure it did. He asked questions of everyone, even putting some on the spot under the guise of 'coaching' us for the interview. In fact, he did this in two separate sessions during the morning. The interview was on a Tuesday and I got my acceptance letter on Saturday. I was shocked; a combination of elation and fear filled my emotions. This combination has yet to fully give way to anything else this summer. Orientation starts Aug 1, classes on Aug 5 - Here we go!!