6:00AM - Alarm goes off
6:02AM - Turn alarm off so that it doesn't wake up roommate
7:20AM - Realize you fell back asleep and jump out of bed to get ready for your 8AM class.
7:55AM - Brush your teeth, pull on shoes, and hustle to pre-calculus
8:30AM - Try to stifle yawns while working logarithmic equations
8:50AM - Get out of class and run to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast before your 9AM class
8:57AM - Walk into organic chemistry with a cream-cheesed bagel, grapes, and a cup of milk.
9:35AM - Eat your bagel while trying not to get lost amidst alkynes, hydrogenation, and oxidative cleavage.
9:51AM - Get back to your room, flop on your bed, check facebook, and call your mom.
10:45AM - Get ready to go to your 11AM class, having intended to work on homework over this hour, but having not, due to the fact that you're still on the phone with your mom.
10:56AM - Get off the phone with your mom and jog over to intro to cell biology.
11:17AM - Your biology professor lets everyone out early because it's Friday (and the day before Halloween)!
12:10PM - Get caught in a torrential downpour without an umbrella, rain jacket, or rainboots.
12:15PM - Walk dripping and shivering into the cafeteria for lunch with your roommate.
12:45PM - Head back to your room to get ready to go to the Family Practice Clinic to shadow a doctor. Attempt to NOT look like a drowned rat. Put on nice slacks. Stifle yawns.
1:15PM - Get to the clinic and find the new doctor you're supposed to shadow for the day.
3:50PM - Leave the clinic, having seen a variety of patients and interesting discussions with your mentor (doctor.) Stifle yawns.
4:02PM - Get back to your room, exclaim to your roommate how tired you are.
4:05PM - Check your e-mail and facebook. Flop dramatically down on your bed to illustrate to your roommate just how tired you are.
5:25PM - Wake up after falling asleep after flopping down dramatically down on your bed.
5:26PM - Try to come out of your spontaneous nap induced amnesia.
6:17PM - Go get dinner with your roommate.
6:45PM - Come back to your room, resolved on cleaning and organizing it after the crazy week.
7:15PM - Spend the next half hour watching youtube videos with your roommate, suitemate, and suitemate's boyfriend.
7:50PM - Resolve to clean your room again.
8:15PM - Put away clean laundry that you washed on Tuesday. And has been sitting in the basket since then.
8:32PM - Clear off dresser and desk. Put on high-heeled shoes with socks and walk around the room. Then put them up again.
8:53PM - Eat some Halloween candy.
9:30PM - Watch your roommate get out painting supplies and begin her latest masterpiece.
9:45PM - Knit a row of a hat you've been working on for a year.
9:50PM - Put down the hat because you're distracted.
10:00PM - Decide to post something on your blog.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I am not a morning person
Let me preface this post with a fact about myself:
I hate waking up.
It's true - I love being awake, I love falling asleep, and I love being asleep, but I hate waking up. I can't think of many things I would rather not do. Because of this, having an 8AM class four days a week is the bane of my existence. Early mornings and I have a very poor relationship.
But supposedly, "joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
Say what?
Seriously?
I mean, yeah, waking up early means I get to start my day before everyone else in my suite. It's quiet and peaceful, and I get to see things (like the fog that rolled in overnight) that they might sleep through.
Waking up early means I get to brew myself a pot of coffee (Pecan Praline coffee this morning, thanks to my awesome care package from my awesome mom!), curl up on my bed and read great books about my great God ("The Radical Cross" by A. W. Tozer this morning,) and listen to worship music to start my day (on the playlist this morning was How He Loves, by David Crowder.)
Being up early means I have a chance to start my day before I have to start my day.
I guess, maybe, I don't hate early mornings as much as I thought. I still don't enjoy my alarm going off, and admit I hit the snooze button once or twice, but I really am blessed every morning. Maybe the psalmist was right after all...
I hate waking up.
It's true - I love being awake, I love falling asleep, and I love being asleep, but I hate waking up. I can't think of many things I would rather not do. Because of this, having an 8AM class four days a week is the bane of my existence. Early mornings and I have a very poor relationship.
But supposedly, "joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
Say what?
Seriously?
I mean, yeah, waking up early means I get to start my day before everyone else in my suite. It's quiet and peaceful, and I get to see things (like the fog that rolled in overnight) that they might sleep through.
Waking up early means I get to brew myself a pot of coffee (Pecan Praline coffee this morning, thanks to my awesome care package from my awesome mom!), curl up on my bed and read great books about my great God ("The Radical Cross" by A. W. Tozer this morning,) and listen to worship music to start my day (on the playlist this morning was How He Loves, by David Crowder.)
Being up early means I have a chance to start my day before I have to start my day.
I guess, maybe, I don't hate early mornings as much as I thought. I still don't enjoy my alarm going off, and admit I hit the snooze button once or twice, but I really am blessed every morning. Maybe the psalmist was right after all... ...joy does come in the morning.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Well, this is embarrassing.
Do you ever have those days where you would just like to curl up and go to sleep right on the floor of the organic chemistry lab? No? Well, I do, and today was one of them. It had already been a long day: waking up at 6AM to get a shower before my suitemates (because we all have 8AM classes,) sitting through a pre-calculus lecture, organic chemistry lecture, making phone calls for my job and reading for another class, cell biology lecture and a healthy dose of RGTA (Receiving-Graded-Test-Anxiety,) all I wanted was a nice and easy organic lab to end the school day. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Let me fast-forward the next three hours to the end of organic lab. This had been a tough one - tedious and easily messed-up. The lab was freezing, my lab partner and I were surrounded by separatory funnels, beakers, flasks, funnels, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, Hirsch funnels, vacuum hoses, and various other bits of equipment and toxic chemicals, and we were already running late. It was five minutes past four o'clock and we only had one more step to go! All we had to do was hold a beaker of diethyl ether and a dissolved crystal over a hot water bath to allow the ether to evaporate and leave us with our crystals. Then we'd be done!
Did I mention that ether is flammable?
No?
It is.
All I had to do was hold the beaker over a hot water bath. It was supposed to be easy. Every other lab group had done it with no problem.
Did I mention that this hot water bath had been turned up as high as it would go by some impatient student before me?
No?
It was.
So I go over to the hot water bath, lower my ether-filled beaker into the boiling water, and wait. I notice the ether has started boiling vigorously, so I decided to ease it out of the water before it over flowed. Now, I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but let me just say one thing...
FIRE!!!
And not just a little candle-light glow either, but raging
FIRE!!!
No small s'more roasting camp fire, but a blazing, bon-
FIRE!!!
Yes, I, Casey Holloway, single-handedly caught the organic lab on fire. Thankfully, my lab TA and professor were not far away and came over to put out the fire, but not before it had disfigured a squirt bottle, melted the plastic covering inside the hood, turned my boiling stick into charcoal, and roasted the inside of my beaker. But hey,
my ether evaporated. :)
Let me fast-forward the next three hours to the end of organic lab. This had been a tough one - tedious and easily messed-up. The lab was freezing, my lab partner and I were surrounded by separatory funnels, beakers, flasks, funnels, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, Hirsch funnels, vacuum hoses, and various other bits of equipment and toxic chemicals, and we were already running late. It was five minutes past four o'clock and we only had one more step to go! All we had to do was hold a beaker of diethyl ether and a dissolved crystal over a hot water bath to allow the ether to evaporate and leave us with our crystals. Then we'd be done!
Did I mention that ether is flammable?
No?
It is.
All I had to do was hold the beaker over a hot water bath. It was supposed to be easy. Every other lab group had done it with no problem.
Did I mention that this hot water bath had been turned up as high as it would go by some impatient student before me?
No?
It was.
So I go over to the hot water bath, lower my ether-filled beaker into the boiling water, and wait. I notice the ether has started boiling vigorously, so I decided to ease it out of the water before it over flowed. Now, I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but let me just say one thing...
FIRE!!!
And not just a little candle-light glow either, but raging
FIRE!!!
No small s'more roasting camp fire, but a blazing, bon-
FIRE!!!
Yes, I, Casey Holloway, single-handedly caught the organic lab on fire. Thankfully, my lab TA and professor were not far away and came over to put out the fire, but not before it had disfigured a squirt bottle, melted the plastic covering inside the hood, turned my boiling stick into charcoal, and roasted the inside of my beaker. But hey,
my ether evaporated. :)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Setting the stage
So before I begin blogging the stories of my crazy life, I think you should be introduced to the characters and the setting of this story (I can't help it that I think of my world as a play.)
I don't live in a singularly "pre-medical" world; on the contrary, my life has about 22 facets. I am a religious studies/sociology-anthropology major, active in theatre and community service, enjoy photography, painting, poetry, and playing my guitar (unintentional alliteration, I promise.)
I live with three other girls, Coye, Cassidy, and Kinley - collectively, we are known as the Fabulous Four. Coye is my roommate. She is the quietest and most petite of the four, but she can be the fieriest and strongest-willed in the right moments. She loves tea, speaking French, spending time at the Turkish House, and figuring out the best way to become an Emergency Manager. Cassidy and Kinley are roommates, and live on the other side of our suite. Cassidy is the oldest of the four, but doesn't mind acting like the youngest. She has a sweet spirit, fiery red curly hair, an obsession with keeping us organized, and an intense fear of roaches. She plans to become an optometrist. Kinley is the most strong-willed and blunt one, but also one of the most grounded. She loves to read, ride horses, listen to a wide variety of music, and study "The Influences of Women" (a self-designed major) while planning to become a lawyer. These three girls will, most definitely be in almost every post. They will also most definitely be in my wedding one day (but that's another story.)
There are many other characters in this story, but they will make their appearances in a later scene. Right now, get to know me and my girls - we're a crazy bunch, but will probably end up changing the world or getting into trouble. We are praying for the former.
I don't live in a singularly "pre-medical" world; on the contrary, my life has about 22 facets. I am a religious studies/sociology-anthropology major, active in theatre and community service, enjoy photography, painting, poetry, and playing my guitar (unintentional alliteration, I promise.)
I live with three other girls, Coye, Cassidy, and Kinley - collectively, we are known as the Fabulous Four. Coye is my roommate. She is the quietest and most petite of the four, but she can be the fieriest and strongest-willed in the right moments. She loves tea, speaking French, spending time at the Turkish House, and figuring out the best way to become an Emergency Manager. Cassidy and Kinley are roommates, and live on the other side of our suite. Cassidy is the oldest of the four, but doesn't mind acting like the youngest. She has a sweet spirit, fiery red curly hair, an obsession with keeping us organized, and an intense fear of roaches. She plans to become an optometrist. Kinley is the most strong-willed and blunt one, but also one of the most grounded. She loves to read, ride horses, listen to a wide variety of music, and study "The Influences of Women" (a self-designed major) while planning to become a lawyer. These three girls will, most definitely be in almost every post. They will also most definitely be in my wedding one day (but that's another story.)
There are many other characters in this story, but they will make their appearances in a later scene. Right now, get to know me and my girls - we're a crazy bunch, but will probably end up changing the world or getting into trouble. We are praying for the former.
Say what?
So you're probably wondering who the heck "Doc. Holloway" is. Well the truth is, she doesn't exist...yet. She will one day, in about ten years. Right now she is hiding within her mild-mannered, unsuspecting alter-ego, me. Yep, me. Who is me? Ah, brilliant question - I'm glad you asked. (Or if you didn't ask, you were about to, right? Hey, a girl can dream.)
I'm Casey - a sophomore in college, trying to maintain good grades AND a life. It's tough, yes, but I feel up to the challenge. I've wanted to be a doctor ever since I was about four years old, when I received a plastic toy doctor's kit. I squeezed the blood pressure cuff bulb with abandon and gave "shots" to my stuffed animals like there was no tomorrow. I was hooked.
Fast-forward fourteen years, and the idea of wearing a white coat and treating the sick still fills me with as much excitement and anticipation as it did all those years ago. Though now, it's becoming much more challenging and real than playing with a plastic doctor's kit. Now I'm in the midst of organic chemistry, cell biology, shadowing at a local clinic, investigating medical schools around the country, and trying not to stress about the MCAT a year in advance.
The point of this blog? For myself, so that in ten years, I can remember what I was like before medical school and residency. For you, so that you can see inside the mind and life of a less than average pre-med student. For everyone, so that you can laugh out loud and maybe think some deep thoughts before continuing on your way. In ten years, look me up! I just might be your doctor!
I'm Casey - a sophomore in college, trying to maintain good grades AND a life. It's tough, yes, but I feel up to the challenge. I've wanted to be a doctor ever since I was about four years old, when I received a plastic toy doctor's kit. I squeezed the blood pressure cuff bulb with abandon and gave "shots" to my stuffed animals like there was no tomorrow. I was hooked.
Fast-forward fourteen years, and the idea of wearing a white coat and treating the sick still fills me with as much excitement and anticipation as it did all those years ago. Though now, it's becoming much more challenging and real than playing with a plastic doctor's kit. Now I'm in the midst of organic chemistry, cell biology, shadowing at a local clinic, investigating medical schools around the country, and trying not to stress about the MCAT a year in advance.
The point of this blog? For myself, so that in ten years, I can remember what I was like before medical school and residency. For you, so that you can see inside the mind and life of a less than average pre-med student. For everyone, so that you can laugh out loud and maybe think some deep thoughts before continuing on your way. In ten years, look me up! I just might be your doctor!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
