Not really, I just love that quote from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I have to say that second to The Princess Bride, Bill and Ted is one of the most quotable movies of my teen years, maybe ever. I am an unabashed aficionado of dumb movies, and Bill and Ted is one of my favorites. I think I learned more history from this movie than during all of my high school years. Shhhhh... I know.
I guess you could say that strange things ARE afoot, though. Now that we are nearing the end of our two years of desk travail, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm trying to fit in board studying, regular studying, life, exercise, family, church, and all of the usual things we have to juggle. I've had some difficulty with the board study, though. Honestly at 8pm I'm falling in the bed like it's midnight. Yes, I'm taking my vitamins. I just feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, and even if there were, the last four or so just aren't good for studying. My brain hurts!
So what's new in week 6? Not much, just more of the usual. We had a huge push of Clinical Medicine Psychology this week, and I am reeling with all of the possible mood disorders and psychotic diagnoses that are out there. We had our exam this morning, and I think I did OK. I know there are several students in my class that have been excited for getting to this subject finally, and I'm glad they are having a good time. I think I hit my peak in OB/GYN.
I'm starting to get really excited about moving back home for clinicals. I love my house and my neighborhood and the idea of getting my chickens back! I will miss the proximity to town, however. It's nice to be able to hop in my car and get to Kroger in five minutes or less. My kids have really gotten used to being close to town, and they can get to their various sports practices quite easily where we are. So there's definitely pros and cons regarding the move, but I really think the pros (CHICKENS!!!) very much outweigh the cons (NO CHICKENS!!). Yes, I based my entire decision on the ability to keep chickens.
But seriously, we all have our coping mechanisms. My son (first year med student) bakes. How he bakes! Breads, cookies, you name it! I can always tell when school is getting heavy, because the house fills with yummy carb scents. I'm not doing as well with coping, because I tend to drown myself in online shopping. (Have ya seen my leggings collection? OMG!) But one of the things that really keeps me from floating away into panicky feelings is chickens. Before medical school, I had 15 fluffy feathery friends that ran free in my back yard. They were quirky and sassy, and just sitting in the backyard watching them seemed to drain all stress right out of me. Also, EGGS! The fresh eggs were definitely a plus. I'm currently replacing my chicken angst with a lizard. He's pretty much just a naked chicken. Here's a shot of Muerte:
But he doesn't lay eggs. I'd rather he didn't, actually. But it's really fun to let him run around the house, and watch him eat superworms. He gets excited about worms and crickets, y'all. REALLY excited! So he's my indoor pseudo-chicken. If I could put a vest on him and call him my service animal, I would take him to school every day.
Speaking of service animals, we have a service dog that visits our school on mornings that we have exams. His name is Hodges, and he's a sweetie. He pretty much just wants to play tug-of-war with his toy, but I love seeing him on test days. One of the students in our class is conducting a study about interacting with Hodges and possible reductions in stress before exams. I'm not sure if I feel any differently about my exam after visiting with Hodges. But it's nice to play tug-of-war with him anyway.
I guess that's all for this week. Stay tuned next week for post-mortem after our OMM final and practical.