mleh, mleh, mlehmlemlehelehlehm

My brain is goo. I just finished my physiology final. I studied for 12 hours yesterday, 12 hours people! (seriously, I counted). I even got up at 5AM this morning to squeeze in an extra 2 hours of studying before the test at 8AM. Even with all of that I still don't think I made the grade that I wanted. Sighhh.
I suppose the bright side is that I only have three more exams left. I don't think I've ever wanted something to be over so badly in my entire life. The medical profession has sure perfected the art of depleting your soul while you're in school. At least I've got two days to try and recoup before the next test. Serenity now!

The Calm Before the Storm

This weekend was a good as I could make it under the present circumstances. I did have to do the necessary studying, of course, but I tried to mingle in some other activities so that the constant studying I'll be doing over the next two weeks doesn't seem so suffocating. I managed to get the inside of the house all decorated for the holidays. I intended to put lights up outside, too, but, well, I'll have to squeeze that in somewhere else. I cleaned about half the house. It's funny that cleaning is a form of procrastination when you're a p-student. I did some cooking too. I made a few things for my fams thanksgiving dinner during the break and that re-lit the fire that I have for being in the kitchen, so I decided to make a weeks worth of food to keep me fed while I'm preparing for finals. Here's what I made:

For breakfast:
-Chai Spice Bread
For Lunch:
-Creamy Chicken Salad w/ dill and smoked almonds
-White Bean Salad with red onion and lemon
For Dinner:
-homemade salsa
-Mexican torilla casserole
For Dessert:
-Chocolate walnut tart

Luckily enough it only took two hours to make it all, which left plenty of time to study last night. In a crazy moment of super procrastination while I was checking some facts on the internet though, I did this:

http://www.myspace.com/leahsota

Yeah, crazy indeed. I'm still working on the whole thing little by little and learning how to use it. It probably looks kind of empty right now, but it'll get better soon.

@!*&^%*&@$&^%#!%^$#%)@#!$(*&^(

OY! My nerves are on super craziness overload! Finals start one week from tomorrow and I have three regular exams to get through before then. Come on Christmas break! I need you....I NEED YOU! It will be so nice to be able to hang out with all you guys that I miss so dearly on a more regular basis....and to be able to blog more than once every week or two (Blogger is definitely giving me coal in my stocking this year!). Who's ready for the x-mas party? I know I'll need a big stiff drink by then!

Mark your Calendars!

The holiday season is in the air and I'm getting pretty excited. This past Saturday, after a few beers, us girls decided that we need to have a Christmas party this year. Nothing extravagant, just a fun night to do all the fun things that make Christmas parties great. It will be at my house this year, so here is your invitation.

Details for the first annual
Super Christmas Party!!:

Where: Leah and Blue's

When: Friday, Dec. 15; 7:00, 7:30, whenever

Food: Bring your favorite appetizer-y dish to share (I'll handle the sweets)

Beverage: BYOB (though I am thinking of making some real hot chocolate, yum!)

Gifts: = Fun!...we're gonna have some sort of random gift exchange present game so everyone needs to bring a gift (wrapped but unmarked) to play. It can be naughty or nice, silly or heartfelt...the choice is yours. (This could get dangerous.) Oh yeah, and don't spend more than ~$10.

There'll be a fire outside, tasty food inside, and cheesy Christmas music to tie it all together, so put on those Santa hats and jingle bells and come on over! (Cosby Christmas sweater optional)

P.S. I know not everyone reads the blogs, so spread the news to whom you see fit.

NOT a morning person!

I just finished an exam that started bright and early at 7AM....yes, 7.A.M.! Needless to say, I'm cranky. I just keep telling myself "5 weeks left, 5 weeks left...". I wish I could somehow relay just how much they expect us to know/learn for these exams. I heard someone say the other day "its like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant." I'm just glad that excercising your brain doesn't cause it to grow like muscles do. I'd look pretty funny with my giant swollen cranium.

Fun fact for the day: On average we pee about 2 liters a day. In someone who has undiagnosed diabetes isipidus, they pee, on average, 23 liters a day. That's about 3 full bladders every hour, people! That would be inconvenientely managable during the day, but at night?......You'd have to sleep in the bath tub!

Mental Health Weekend

Since I finally have a week with no exams, I decided to do as little studying as possible this weekend. It worked out well because things were pretty busy.

I finally met Blue's mom. She didn't make it into town a few weeks ago when I said she was coming for the Big Dam Bridge bike race. She was traveling through LR this past Saturday though on her way home from Dallas and stopped by to see the house and take us out to dinner. Everything went well and, btw, Cafe Bossa Nova is one of our new favorite restaurants. Yum!

At the last minute we decided to get dressed up and go out to a halloween party. Here's what we came up with after digging in the closet:

















Surprisingly enough, this is the first time I've ever been Princess Leia.



















But wait, it gets better.....





















Overall I think we did pretty well for "last minute."

You'll Have to Excuse My Recent Absence. I've Been Lost in a Biochemistry Blackhole for the Past Week and a Half.

(Sigh.) This semester is really starting to weigh on me. Procrastination has become rampant and I'm also starting to feel apathetic. Not a good combination, especially when there are a few classes that I'm kind of not passing or about to be not passing. (Double sigh.) This is too hard.

Well that's my pity party for the day. I'm loving the weather and I've only got about 8 weeks of the semester left, which is very exciting. My sisters are visiting from Colorado during Thanksgiving and Christmas is almost here (one of my favorite holidays)! At least everything's not bad.

Interesting fact for the day:
When cheese gets digested in our stomachs, the casein (proteins) in it gets turned into an opiate derivative. No wonder we all like it so much!

Have I mentioned that I'm loving this weather?

I know most of you are probably mad and sad because you are cold, but I am in heaven! Because of this glorious fall weather, I'm going to take a break from the books this afternoon and do some fall inspired cooking. I'll be making pumpkin chili (never tried this before...excited to see what it tastes like) and an apple spice cake with caramel icing. Yum!

Now, if it would only snow.....

I'm Alive!

I made it through death week. I'm still recovering, but feeling good. I've never been so glad to be through with something in my life! It was trully brutal. I shouldn't have to deal with this much pressure again until finals week. (Sigh of relief.)

I'm fantastically ecstatic that some real cold weather is on the way. It'll be down in the 30's tomorrow night! Yahoo!

You know you've lost it when you quiz yourself in your dreams...

Yes, that actually happened to me last night. 7 days of death is officially upon me now. I have a nice dose of physiology this morning and then the giant drug test on Friday. Too bad it's not the "pee in the cup" kind. I know I could get an A on that.

Well, here goes nothing......

Meet the Parent and then 7 Days of Death!

So, Blue's mom is coming into town (from Memphis) this weekend for the Big Dam Bridge bike race. This means that I will be meeting her for the first time. I'm a little anxious about it, not cause I don't think she'll be nice and all...it's just how I tend to react to new people. It is a tad stressful trying to get the house all clean and spiffed up, especially when my 7 Days of Death! is fast approaching.......

You may be wondering what this is. 7 Days of Death! consists of having to take four separate exams in seven days. This all starts this coming Wednesday. To top it off, one of the exams is a drug test that consists of knowing ~200 different drugs, their generic names, what they're indicated for, their dosing information, any adverse effects, etc., etc. This is one of only two exams in this class, so if you don't make a certain score on this first exam it will be mathematically impossible to pass the class! To heap on another serving of anxiety, in p-school if you end up not passing one of your classes you get to repeat the whole semester over again and since they don't offer fall classes in the spring you get to wait until next fall to repeat everything which ends up putting you a year behing. Can anyone say PRESSURE???!!!!!!

Luckily I think I'm still handling everything pretty well. There haven't been any major breakdowns......yet.

As you may have guessed you won't be hearing much out of me for the next week and a half. Have some fun in my honor and I'll be back here around the 11th.

(Um, wait a minute...its October?? When was it September??!!)

Brainorexia

During the short time that I've spent so far in pharmacy school, I've already managed to discover a new neurological disorder known as brainorexia. This disease state is characterized by decreased overall brain function due to excessive amounts of cognitive work in the specialized center of the brain dealing with learning and memory. Symptoms associated with this disorder include forgetting to pay bills on time, chronic dark circles under the eyes, almost brushing your teeth with face wash instead of toothpaste, and not having any brain cells left at the end of the day to post on your own blog. At this time there is no known cure for brainorexia, but watching Grey's Anatomy has been shown to provide some relief.

(Is it Thursday yet?)

Life Goes On...

Well, I've officially survived my first physiology exam. Actually, that's putting it lightly. I'm hoping to scrape by with a C. Now that I know what to expect on an exam I'm going to have to start studying for the next one tonight! Blahh!

My little weekend trip was good. The weather up north was glorious (for me anyway)...nice and cold with highs in the low 60's. The wedding turned out great. It was a garden wedding in the Groom's backyard. Luckily, there was no rain. It was good to see all my family and get some encouragement to help me keep going in school. It was a short and sweet trip (and it probably kept me from doing the studying I should have done), but I'm glad I went. Here are some photos:

It was a very pretty ceremony. The flowers were especially beautiful: blue hydrangeas and pale green orchids.

The groom had a ginormous backyard that backed up to a nature preserve. It was gorgeous.

The Best Dog. (He was actually in the ceremony. It was way cute!)

Mmmmm, Cake!

Smile for the Camera

I'm not trying to fall off the face of the earth...I swear!

I wish I could properly explain what it is like to be in pharm school. I've never experienced anything like it. So many emotions...I'll describe it at a later date.

It's been a crazy week and its about to be an even crazier weekend because, at great peril to my academic success, I'm flying up to Minnesota tomorrow to attend my aunt's wedding on Saturday. I get back Sunday evening. To put the icing on the cake, I have my first Physiology test on Wednesday...............I'll make it through, I can manage, I'll find a way, somehow. I don't mean to sound melodramatic, but I've learned that to keep your sanity as a pharm student you have to keep giving yourself positive feedback (regardless of how empty it can feel at times). Its the only way to avoid complete and total breakdown.

Have a splendid weekend! I'll be back here late next week.

P.S. Is anyone else as pumped as I am about the Grey's Anatomy premier???? Totally can't wait. It's gonna be my one indulgence during the week this fall!

Sweet Mother, I'm Glad its a Three Day Weekend!

But not for the reasons you might think...I'm ecstatic with the prospect of having an extra day to devote to studying. Ha! Welcome to the world of a P-1.

Well, I've successfully made it through the first two weeks of p-school. It's been grueling, but I've managed to stay pretty current with my study schedule and I took my first bio-chem quiz today and I think I did okay. Only 14 more weeks left in the semester (is it bad that I'm already counting them down?)!

I have managed to not completely give my life away to the books over the past weeks. I had a fantastic time hanging out with the girls at US pizza for dollar drafts (thanks girls!). I also added some new stuff to the guest bath last weekend (see photo). I love having a house that I can actually do stuff to. I'm sure I'll add something else this weekend and I'm sure I'll have pics of it next week.

Good weekend to you all!!!