EKG lab: After Dark

We don't have as many labs for physio as we did for histo, but they're much more entertaining.

Here Dr. Messina is testing the diving reflex of a classmate while he's hooked up to an EKG machine

We have less than a week until our next biochem/physio midterms and we're freaking out big time. Our first block midterms covered 12-15 lectures, but there will cover 60. I'm pretty sure these are not going to be my best grades at NYMC.

Last week we had both a blood drive and Student-Faculty bowling, a wonderful tradition where I learned Dr. Lerea is a secret bowling sleeper. I will treasure these happy memories as I try to memorize my face off.

Follies great and small

It was my birthday this week. After much ardent persuasion I got almost all of the AMP students to come out for ice cream at this awesome homemade sweet shop in Tarrytown.
Norm is giving us serious Face.

I was surprised so many people came because life has become Difficult. Everyone is spending so much time studying that they can't even afford to go to class, and half of the people in class are actually studying or reading scribes.

I guess there are some people with their act together. These must be the people responsible for Follies.

Follies is an annual sketch comedy concert put on by a mix of MS1s and 2s. All of the money from tickets ($3) went to the Children's Cancer Fund. I'd seen some of the videos from last year's performance so I had high expectations.
There were teacher impersonations, music videos, public service announcements, a cappella (NYMC's own Arrhythmias) and tons of "That's what she said"-style humor. When I walked out my face hurt from laughing so much.

The Baddest Mother on Campus

As I was checking my mail today a HUGE red-tailed hawk swooped down and took a swipe at a blue jay less than 10 feet away. I used to associate red-tailed hawks with literature from my childhood but now their name will strike fear in my heart.

Everyone has to make a 10-15 min presentation for their section of biochem at some point this trimester, and mine was today. I had to talk about weight-loss drugs like Olestra. I couldn't resist making one slide about incontinence:

Gray slush, even

There was some snow happening when I got back to Valhalla.
It is now slush, but there was almost enough the first day for a snowball fight.

For all the flack you hear about NYMC being near a prison I've always felt safe here. Security is ever vigilant and there are lots of guards around during nighttime. Some people got their laptops stolen from their rooms over Thanksgiving but they had left their back door open.
And now, emergency phones!


They're not workin' yet, but you're never out of sight of one. As someone who believes she is never more than 20 seconds away from being mugged/a zombie attack this comes as a great relief.

Happy Holidays

We get two weeks off for winter break. I went skiing with the fam.


Classes start up again in a week. I've been alerted by gchat away messages that some of my compatriots have already returned to studying.

Block 2 dun dun duuuun

We didn't understand how easy we had it block 1.
Well, duh, of course we did, we only had class two days a week and had gobs of time to study a class the med students mostly ignored in favor of anatomy. I guess we just couldn't appreciate how much worse it was going to get.

Biochem and physio are hard. They're cool, and so far the lectures have been much better than histo's, but there is a lot more information and a LOT more thinking. Our first midterms were last Thursday/Friday, and until that week I had seriously never locked myself in a room and crammed for 12 hours.

The tests went well, and my preparations would have been easier if I hadn't spent three class days at Emory, so these classes aren't impossible. I just don't think I'm going to be slipping off to NYC much in the next 3 months.

Also: because I had to memorize Krebs cycle intermediates I had to dump some early 90s cartoon theme songs from my memory. Sorry, Darkwing Duck.

Hotlanta: not as hot as advertised

NYMC has totally stepped up its game.

But first: Emory! Their interview process is super laid-back, the admissions people are hilarious, and the panel interview was not as intimidating as I anticipated.
I stayed with a friend from undergrad so I got an especially good look at student life, and even got roped into performing at a Kwanzaa celebration the night after my interviews (not me, I don't danz).

The students are SUPER HAPPY. Like, weirdly happy. Like, we're all actually dead, aren't we? happy. I'd still rather be in/near NYC but I'd be psyched to go to Emory.

Unfortunately, spending 3 days in Atlanta put in an awkward stance with regards to Block 2...

P.S. Atlanta in December can be just as cold as Valhalla.