Catch-up and emotions

I've been a bad blogger as of late. Since the last episode, I finished neurology and I'm back in Philly, which is great. I went down to Florida for three days to visit my Grandpa. I finalized my rank order list.

So in about 11 hours, I will find out whether I have matched or not. I haven't really been nervous, but now I'm starting to feel sick with apprehension. I honestly don't think it's from thinking that I won't match, but more that it's hitting me that my future is coming soon. Finding out where I match makes my upcoming move seem so much more real. I never really wanted to move on in such a major way. Part of me never had a choice, because my friends would probably be leaving too. Natalie has only been here for a few months, and I feel awful leaving her, even though that isn't really what I am doing. It's just been nice to have another friend in town. Her lifestyle also scares me, because I see how much she is working, and I know that will be me in a few months. I will have to work to force myself to go out or do anything after work. My default is always to go home and veg, but I can't do that in a new city and expect to be happy. I think this whole thing is reminding me of when I left Albany and started school in Philly. It was an emotional time with lots of pining for the past. I know that this will happen again, and it's hard to prepare for that. At the same time, it helps to know that things got better with time.

Two days left in A-town

I only have two days left in Allentown, which is pretty exciting. After Thursday (as long as I pass the Shelf exam), I only have one rotation left! It is Dermatology, which should be cake. Now, I am trying to decide on my rank order list. I keep weighing hospital versus location. I don't want to be lonely, but each hospital has their plusses and minuses. I would be super awesome if I get my top choice, or even one of the top three, but below that, I'm pretty undecided. I've been talked out of going to Delaware; I really wish the hospital was closer to Philly, because 45 min is really too much to drive morning and evening everyday for three years.

Waiting to hear if I will be moving is hard for other reasons. I feel lonely now, and feel the desire to J-date again. It comes on so seldomly lol, but now I feel like there's no point. It's kind of silly to tell a guy on a blind date that you may be moving 2 hours away in a few months. Maybe a year ago it would have been okay, or I could even stay in Philly now if I had met someone. So now I have to wait until match to see what happens. I have to promise myself that I will go on dates even if I am tired; otherwise I will never go out at all. Part of me wishes to meet someone in residency, which is still a possibility but not something I can bank on at this point. We shall see what happens.

It becomes difficult to update when you don't have internet in your room. sigh....

Anyway, I'm back in Philly for the weekend. I only need to go back to Lehigh for Monday and Tuesday, and then I'm done, which is awesome obviously! I also need to study for neurology, which is super annoying, but of course I don't have a choice. I haven't taken a shelf exam since June, and I haven't really studied since then either. But after this, I will be done with exams until Step 3 in residency. I will never be able to say that I am done with exams. They just come with the doctor territory.

In more exciting news, I went to the Daily Show on Thursday! We got in and it was awesome. I'm writing down the whole story of the day, so when it's done, I will post it here.

Update

So, too weeks down in Lehigh. Yippee! Neuro is going by decently, considering the amount of time I spend waiting in the library on the computer. There isn't much for med students to do around here. This month has been pretty busy, which is good, because it cuts up the week so well. Less time needs to be spent lying around here.

Nutrisystem is going very well. As of last week, I've lost 16 pounds, which is insane. I bought a size 8 dress from The Limited. My thoughts now go to keeping the weight off after I switch back off of Nutrisystem. It's easier to eat the portioned meals and turn down junk and snacks, but making it a part of a lifestyle change will be the next challenge.

In other aspects of life, I'm trying to figure out my rank order list. It's hard to figure out the order of where I may live. Hopefully, I'll get my first choice, but everything needs to be considered. The middle choices are the hardest to put in order. I'm trying to consider where other young people live and where I'd like to live at this point. At some point, it will become a crapshoot, but in the meantime, I'm tossing all the possibilities in my head. Time will tell, right?

Lehigh

So my super relaxed elective has ended, and I am now at Lehigh hospital for neurology. I am so sick of living out of a suitcase, moving around, etc etc. This place's wireless sucks. There is a hallway bathroom for heaven's sake. I should be getting a roommate, but she hasn't come yet and I'm praying that she won't, at least for a while. I miss Penny, and my apartment. It's lonely being here, away from everyone in Philly. I'll be going back every weekend. Just keep reminding myself that this is the last time I'll be doing living away, and that it will go by quickly.

The Jets and Moving On

So anyone who follows football knows that the Jets lost to the Steelers on Sunday. It was a heartbreaking moment for my dad, brother and I. It was different than everyone else discussing their sadness. David and I wouln't say anything. I actually cried, which I was entirely surprised by. The Jets had been doing so well this season, rose against the Patriots and the critics, and then lost. They screwed up in the first half, and tried to rally during the second, but they coudn't score three touchdowns. It's easy to say "maybe next year," but with the NFL, you never know what next season will bring, with injuries and trades, or just plain old bad games. It's hard to guess when they'll be in this position again. But that's football, I guess. Only one team can win each year. I'll be rooting for Green Bay in two weeks, because they are green, not in the Jets division, and to irritate Brett Favre.

The other thing that pissed me off were the comments on facebook from Jet haters. I don't know what it is about the Jets, but people just like to get on them. A Giants fan and a Patriots fan kept making posts trashing the Jets, and it kept getting to me, so I finally blocked their posts from my wall. It's funny how people talk so much trash when their team was watching the game on TV.

So I've slowly recovered, but now I have a cold, plus I have to write a paper due Friday on an ambulatory care topic of my choice. Such a hassle, but to be fair, this is a really easy rotation.

Life update

So I'm not so good with this updating business . . .
I procrastinate with this, like other things like cleaning my apartment.

But life has been good. The Jets beat the Patriots on Sunday!! Prob the most awesome game ever! It honestly felt as good as winning the Superbowl already! We still have to play the Steelers to make it in, but now anything seems possible. The Patriots are our biggest rivals, so it was just awesome to beat them, especially after losing 45-3 last time. I'll be going home on Sunday to watch the game with my dad. If the Jets make it, I know that's the place I want to be . . . with my dad, the world's biggest and craziest Jet fan. He has Superbowl tickets contingent on the Jets making it, so I would not be able to celebrate with him then. It's been very exciting to follow the predictions for all the games, not that they mean anything. People still like to mock the Jets, but part of me likes it that way. Reminds me of the old days, pushes the fair weather fans away a little bit.

In other news, Nutrisystem has been working really well. I have to keep my mind on what goes into my mouth. Sometimes I get cravings, but it's been easier to push them aside. I've lost about 10 pounds now, which has been really amazing. I don't feel that different, but some of my pants don't fit, and I can now fit into pants that had grown tight on me. It's pretty awesome. I have to keep reminding myself that I will need to maintain this once I reach my ideal, and not resort back to my old portions. But now it feels good. Mom keeps telling me how proud she is, then lol she always manages to ask about Jdate, which is going no where right now. That's okay though.

It's been having Natalie, my college friend, living in Philly here. She came out for my med school friend Melissa's birthday on Saturday. I think she's getting used to my friends here, and their vulgarities. I get nervous that they can scare people away, or at least frighten them at first, but it's been pretty good. They make me laugh and happy so it's all that I need.