At least we don't have snow

Believe it or not, things have been pretty good for Melyn and me. I'm going down the career of my dreams and Melyn is a working nurse. Although things do sound pretty tough lately, more so for Melyn than me. As Melyn has mentioned in her previous post, her new job has been quite an adrenaline rush. It's super busy and a rehab care facility is a much different working environment from a hospital which she is used to. Still, I'm super proud of the work she's doing and I know she's the best nurse in the world. Plus, we finally have a real source of income for the first time in our marriage (yay!). I've been trying to help out more around the house to compensate for her being at home less. In other words, I'm cleaning up after myself more.

As for me, I've been really enjoying school, but I just wish I was smarter. The hardest transition to medical school from college is the fact that you can no longer coast to get by... ever. You are in a large group of students who are way smarter than you and it feels like a struggle to keep my head above water at times. The hard part isn't getting a passing grade on an exam, but rather performing favorably compared to my peers. The fact is, the classes we have now are just preparation for the boards we will take at the end of second year. When you apply for residency positions, the score you got on your first board exam will be the largest factor (usually) that they take into consideration. And so if you score below the national average, then your chances at getting the residency you want don't look so good. And so, I'm working really hard to perform well now so I can perform well when I take the boards.

Right now I'm taking gross anatomy. This course is known at my school for being the first real challenge for medical students. The hardest part is simply memorizing every little muscle, nerve, and artery in the body. I feel like my brain hasn't been absorbing very well all the names and details I'm throwing at it while I'm studying. My first anatomy exam is in two parts, one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. The first part is called the practical. This is where they have each cadaver marked with a few points and you have to name the muscle, nerve, etc that the marker is pointing at. The second part is the written exam, which is simply a list of questions that you have to answer regarding gross anatomy. I'm not putting too much detail into describing all this information, but really I'm just writing to take a break from studying.

Also, I've been biking to school. We live about 7 miles from the medical campus and it takes me about 30 minutes to get there from our house. We're limited to one car, so me taking the bike allows Melyn to drive to work and do whatever errands needed to be done (like shopping for groceries). To me, the real advantage in riding a bike is that it's basically free. I don't have to pay for parking, yearly registration, insurance, gas, repairs, and the inevitable parking/speeding ticket. All those reasons are why I hate owning a car. Plus, in the rare event that my bike gets stolen, it simply means I'm going to be browsing the yard sales for another $20 bike. I'm also considering getting a scooter, at some point in the future when we've put a decent amount into our savings. Sometimes it feels just too cold or rainy to bike, so having something motorized would be nice. With the laws here in Richmond, I don't need a motorcycle license or insurance to drive a scooter (as long as it's a scooter that doesn't go faster than 35 mph, which is fast enough for the route I usually take to school). And I can park it next to where all the bikes are which means I don't need an expensive student parking pass ($120 a semester). I will have to pay for gas, but at 90 miles to the gallon, they are quite efficient. This, however, is all just a dream of mine. We really won't have any money to spend on such a luxury for a good long time, but it keeps me motivated.

Although biking has been pretty good, today I had my first crash. Coming home, I was riding a little to close to the outside of the lane and I hit my right handlebar right smack on a parked car's side door mirror. I crashed and burned pretty bad (lots of cuts on my palms and shoulder) and banged up the front wheel. The wheel now runs a little crooked. With this happening and also the stress of a major test that I don't feel ready for; it hasn't been a good day. But when things are real bad, I remind myself "it's snowing in Salt Lake right now. I'm so lucky to be here."

I love you all, thank you for reading. Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors, I'm too lazy to proofread. Also, please comment on Melyn's entries when she blogs, she feels like no one reads them.