I Fell Down Alice's Hole

But, I don't think I ended up in Wonderland. I think I landed in a big pile of schoolwork and studying. So now, following the example of good ol' punxsutawney phil, I am peeping out for a night. Of course there is the looming exam and several days of prep, but my brain needs a break from the crazy things I have seen. So I am sitting here with a chick flick on the screen playing red dot with my cat. *Translation: a laser pointer. It is undoubtedly her favorite game and she even talks to the red dot. It is a weird alternate language full of gluttal squeaks but she gets very into the game. And then every time I take away the red dot because my finger is exhausted, she will give me a dirty look and stalk off. But not tonight, a few seconds after I put the laser pointer down, she jumped up on to the cabinet it was on and knocked it back down. Apparently she wasn't done with the game.

But that is how I am spending a rare night of mental down time. Playing red dot with a cat. Jeez. I am going to go redeem myself slightly with my cross-stitch project. At least that is productive.

I will see you all in 5.5 weeks when I will pop out of my hole again. Spring break never sounded so good.

I'm so smart...it must be all the sleep I'm not getting.

This week has been absolutely terrible for sleep, but I think I am getting smarter. (Maybe I could study this for my required III project for school!) Usually pre-school-term, anticipitory stress leaves me so frazzled that I welcome the first week of school, not just for the new classes and exciting events, but for the good solid sleep I will begin to get. Not so this term. Sure I had a couple of nightmares in the week before the new term. Nothing spectacular, just the usual forgetting stuff at home, not showing up to class, being is super slow motion while I have trying to right my wrongs. You know, the usual in crazy margaret sleep psychosis. Then I had a night of not such great sleep, followed by what was quite possibly the worst night's sleep (if you can even call it that) that I think I have ever had. I am still paying the piper on that one. Unfortunately I kept my whole apartment up that night and my kitten is desperately trying to recover. So, while I trudge off to school each day, she settles down into my still warm sheets and gets a couple of hours of shut eye. (Sorry C- had to do it, its the new camera!)Good for her, because I am still not sleeping well and she has to be up all night with me. (Good thing last night though, so I could pull the curling ribbon out of her throat as she was choking on it, but that's other news).


But even with all of this, I think I am getting smarter. I just completed two assignments, med school assignments to boot, and am left with the "hey, that was way too easy feeling". So instead of getting worried and paranoid about misinterpreting the assignment as the old (pre-Kari) Margaret would, I am now sitting back enjoying how smart and cool I am and how much this med school thing is really paying off. I just did an assignment on how I would go about researching something I would need to know to make a clinical decision and the keys were flying under my fingers. That's just cool. I'm cool. And very delerious from a sleep deprived state, so I am going to treat myself to a good chunk of fun reading before I hit the hay and listen for Suki's antics tonight.

The Dog

Sounds like someone got a new dog for Christmas. Really sounds like it by the fact that it hasn't stopped barking for the past hour. And this is no small dog. This is wreaking havoc on my study patterns! If my own laziness, distractedness, and tiredness have not forced me into the library for good quality study yet, I will not let a dog do it. "As God as my witness, if I have to yell, scream, plead, or throw treats, I will not let a dog drive me out of my apartment". (Well, maybe I took some artistic license there, but I think Scarlett would be proud.)

Stop barking, dog. And more importantly, dog owner, keep your dog quiet!! He wants some attention and needs something or he would not be barking like this!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!

--Pleads the dog lover, but currently med student.

The Curse

Although this can have many connotations, I am talking about the curse of seeing people from long ago. As many have heard my complain about, I have the amazing ability to run into people from high school with alarmingly frequency when I am out and about in the Eastside area. Its not that I don't want to see anyone I used to know, its just that I only see people I barely knew, don't have anything to say to, and worst of all, I don't know if I should say hello! For a socially awkward, reclusive type like myself this is painful and potentially embarrassing. But as all of you devoted readers should remember, I have been burned by trying to break out of my shy shell and say hello. That was a massive mistake when I made it. Don't worry, I am just chalking it up to the person and the time.

But now, it seems, the curse is spreading to those I know and love. My sister has come down with the curse this holiday season. And not just seeing lots of different people all of the time like her big sis, but the same person all of the time. As she would say, "awkward!". I am rather enjoying the whole experience because 1. I actually know who the person is and can appreciate the experience and awkwardness, and 2. I get to pull out our old nickname for him and call him "big teeth" all over again. I just crack myself up everytime I say it.

Watch out, the curse may be spreading to you too!

A Well-Deserved Break!

I think this may be my most well-deserved break ever! I have now finished my first term of my first year of medical school. I can now officially say I feel like a medical student. It must have been the horrific week of studying like crazy and taking a lot of finals, but now I feel validated. But as well as validated, I am also exhausted! As a gal who has always been in school with quarter terms, this 15 week term has been loooooong! And it was supposed to be a quarter not a semester. At least next term is only 11 weeks long.

But being on break also entitles me to eat sugar cereal. Well, at least entitles me to be foolish enough to eat sugar cereal. I always love to eat it but inevitably I feel terrible with a stomach ache a couple hours later. So this term, I have gone through many options: lucky charms, frosted flakes, and cinnamon toast crunch, in between eating boring things like Corn Pockets, corn flakes, and raisin bran. But this week I am treating myself to Cap'n Crunch. I love break!!

Also being on break has enabled me to travel a bit. I went to San Francisco for a couple of days as a tagger along to my mom's business trip. And get this: we stayed at the Ritz Carlton. It was going to be such a treat, but here is the bugger: there were many boo-boos. First, we were put into a small room that looks like it was for a rich person's personal assistant. Then, the food stunk! I couldn't believe it. Isn't the food supposed to be good? But on the plus side, I did make out with two tiny Tabasco sause bottles. Good gift for C. But the trip with my mom and sis was terrific and we got to see many terrific sites including the Presidio. If you don't know what it is, google it because it was cool.

But now, Christmas is just around the corner and I have a family reunion to go to tomorrow. I just need to get some sleep so that in a couple of days I will be ready to go and take immunology and cell physiology and on and on and on.

I love snow!!

For all who may not know, it is snowing in Seattle!! Sure we may only get an inch, but it is a wonderful inch. I love looking outside an seeing a blanket of white on the ground. Now it really feels like Christmas and I should have full rights to sing all of the carols that I want to. I love snow!!

Things I Learned in High School Spanish Class

Surprisingly, it wasn't Spanish (many of you can attest to that!). But I did come away with a few gems that are still relevant.

1. I know what a gerand is. If you didn't know, it is a word that ends with -ing. Its not the most useful thing to have at your fingertips on a daily basis, but it does make me feel quite a bit smarter than I did before I knew it. Plus, I can say dorky esoteric phrases like "Interesting use of a gerand there..." and laugh uproariously while every one is silent.

2. Penultimate. It means the next to last. This was the subject of several hour long tangental rants, but when some one used it in class the other day, I thought back to Senora and had a happy reminder of those days where we could just goof off for an hour.

3. Oh there was another one, but in my post thanksgiving, sluggish, sleeping mood and I need to go to sleep.

(Sorry for the delay in posts, its the holidays, family, lots of activities...etc)