Leavin' on a Jet Plane?

So I must apologize for my recent absence.  I have been traveling the US this past week and not by choice.  Our company has just acquired a new client in Seattle.  I was chosen as one of the staff to go to Seattle for our kick off meeting.  I was very excited not only to be chosen to go to this meeting but also to visit Seattle, a city I had never been to. 

Because the meeting began on a Monday, we decided to go up early on Sunday to see the sites.  Good idea in theory… however, it was not to be.  Our journey began early on Sunday with a 6:30am flight from our regional airport to connect in Atlanta and fly to Seattle. However, fog delayed our flight until 8:20 (1).  By the time that we finally arrived in Atlanta, all non-stop flights to Seattle were booked, making our day into a nationwide tour of airports.  From Atlanta, we went Cincinnati for a 4 hour layover and then would arrive in Seattle at 7pm (2). 

After our airport excursion, I made a few observations:

1. Regional airports = Airport Amateur Day. I'm not just talking about 1/2 of the passengers who had never flown in their lives.  It seemed that no one knew what was going on: desk agents, security and gate agents had no idea what they were suppose to be doing.  
2. Just because a restaurant has Wolfgang Puck in the title does not mean that it will be classy ... or even good
3. Paying $5 for Tetris on your iPhone never seemed worth it .. until you are stuck in an enclosed area with nothing to watch but the Cincinnati/Steelers game.
4. People in Cincinnati are serious about football
5. It is completely acceptable to lay on the floor and go to sleep in an airport
6. If you do decide to fall asleep, make sure that you have a buddy … otherwise people may draw things on you (3)
7. Apparently people think that it is fine to bring infants and toddlers on a red eye flight (4)
8. A neck pillow can be the best purchase that you have made in a month
9. If a gate agent gives you a first class ticket, take it and run
10. You may think that first class isn’t as great as people say it is, but after sitting in airports for 7 hours … a couple of glasses of wine and being able to stretch your legs is amazing (5)

 1. Coincidentally the same time that our connecting flight left Atlanta’s airport

 2. Only 8 hours after our original landing time

 3. Yeah and you thought that just happened in college

 4. Yeah … its not, not cool at all

 5. Apparently Delta felt bad for us and bumped us to first class,

Awesome. The only word to describe it.

So you ever have one of those overwhelming cravings?  Well I often get a hankering (1) for peanut butter and chocolate (2) and this time decided to make something satiate the craving.  I decided a chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and dark chocolate Reeses would do the trick.  I looked up a chocolate cake recipe that I hadn't tried before (3).  To complete the Peanut Butteriness of the cake, I mixed in 1 1/2 cups of chopped dark Reeses (4) into the cake batter and 1 cup of peanut butter into the frosting. Then I spread a layer of peanut butter (it's easiest if you melt it) on each cake layer.  After frosting the cake, I put another cup and a half of chopped Reeses on the outside of the frosted cake as decoration (5).

Normally I feel like my baking is pretty good but this time I out did myself.   This cake was awesome.  It was rich and dense, just like my grandmother use to make.  Just as proof, I took this cake (6) to work and 2 people asked me for the recipe (7).

Here it is again.  It can be a bit scary, if you don't make a lot of cakes from scratch but it would be a special holiday treat! Just try it.

4 Pictures.. yeah it really was 4 pictures good.

Sorry for the big chunk taken out of it... It was calling my name.

1. Southern for a Strong and relentless desire
2. The best combination that God invented after cheese and wine
3. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/dark-chocolate-cake-with-ganache-frosting 
4.  Feel free to mix in more for a little more pb kick
5.  on second thought, it's probably better just to get 2 bags of Reeses .. That way you can eat lots some of them as you bake.
6. Actually just 1/3 of the cake b/c Mr. MedSchool and I ate the other 2/3rds over the weekend
7. Which seems small but it's like 15% of our office

Frosted Ice Lipstick ... As if

So remember the 90s? The fashion: high waisted pants, long flowery sheath dresses and oversized everything.  Remember the makeup?  I first started wearing makeup in the 90s and learned to apply my lipstick like this:

Ahhh. frosted ice lipstick with a cappuccino liner.  So 1998. 


Well the makeup of the 90s lends itself to the Word of the Week.  The word is:

Vermillion Border

Mr. MedSchool's Definition:  The line that separates your lip from your face


Medical Definiton: The normally sharp demarkation between the red of the lip and the adjacent normal skin 


Used in a sentence: In order to look smokin' and draw attention to her mouth, Claire applied extra thick lip liner to her Vermillion Border.  Whatever ...


Sorry ... just added the Whatever in there because I was reminded of Clueless while searching for 90s catch phrases. As if  

Swine Flu Solutions

So being in the "Medical Community," we hear a lot about the H1N1 virus (1).  Several of Mr. MedSchool's friends have had the virus so far (2).  The med school students are being told that 40% of the students and faculty will have the swine flu sometime over the flu season.  This in turn equals a 40% chance that I will have the swine flu sometime this season.  Great...

Mr. MedSchool did send me a solution of how other institutions are handling the swine flu problem.

Perhaps it's something that we should take into consideration.

1. And not just as the 5 people who dressed up as Swine Flu at the Halloween Party we went to  
2. It's okay, they've all pulled through okay 

Let Me See that Tootsie Roll

For Halloween, we had planned to go to a few parties but wouldn't be leaving our home until 9pm or so.  Just in case a trick-or-treater or 2 came by, I went out an bought a couple of bags of candy.  Of course, as fate would have it, no trick-or-treaters made it by equaling tons of 

Now I specifically got these 2 candies because I am not particularly fond of them (1).  So now we have the dilemma of what to do with all of this candy (2).  After an afternoon of recipe searching on the Web, I decided to do what I do with all of my leftover Christmas candy and stick the leftover Tootsie rolls into a batch of blondies (3).  With the addition of some peanuts in the batter and left over ganache frosting from a cake.   They turned out really well except for the Tootsie rolls that melted on the bottom of the pan (4).   

Now if I could just figure out what to do with the Smarties.

1. But Mr. MedSchool will eat anything

2. I mean...besides eat it all

3. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tori-ritchie/monster-macadamia-nut-blondies-recipe/index.html

4. Parchment paper...next time

You Really Expect Me to Put That on the Internet?

So Mr. Medschool has really gotten into the Medical Word of the Week.  He sends me words to my email or excitedly tells me about a new word while I am on my computer.  Sometimes I think that he gets a little too into it though.  Like with this week's word:

Pudendal Nerve

Now it sounds like an innocent little nerve.  Nothing Special.  However, this was Mr. MedSchool's evil trick to make me put something inappropriate on the blog... So when I asked what it meant this is what I got:

Mr. MedSchool's Definition: Nerve that gives sensation to your junk

Medical Definition: Somatic nerve in the pelvic region that innervates the external genitalia of both sexes.

After hearing this definition our conversation went like this:

Me: (shooting an are you serious glance) "Really, you actually think I'm going to put that?" (1)
Mr. MedSchool: "This is Med school, you can't be shy..."

Gotcha... okay ... so in the spirit of med school(2), I give you Pudendal Nerve, the word of the week

1. Yeah he's seen that one before
2. and not being shy 

It's a Family Affair

So Mr. MedSchool and I were invited to a Couples Pumpkin Carving party put on by members of the Wives Club.  We enjoy holiday festivities like pumpkin carving, dying Easter eggs, and other  fun stuff (1).

So we toted our pumpkins and potluck dish over to a fellow Wife's house so that Mr. Medschool could use his new dissection skills on the pumpkin.  We showed up on time (2) and as the other couples began to arrive, I noticed that they both had kids with them.  Then another couple came with their baby.  Awesome. I know that the invite said families were invited but I still don't think about people our age having kids.  In Big City, South, we had lots of single friends and some married friends but none of them had kids.  After moving to Small Town, South, everyone we know is married and most of them are starting families or have little ones (3).  So having kids at every event that we go to is new to us.

Don't get me wrong, I like kids and I want to have kids some day (4).   However, Mr. MedSchool and I are smart enough to know that if we were to raise a child at this juncture in our lives... we would screw it up (5).  Not that we aren't responsible, caring people (6), we're just not ready to raise another human being.

So as we helped 4 year olds carve jackolanterns (7), we continued to adjust to our newfound friends and their families (8).  Maybe it will be good practice for some day done the road (9).

Most importantly we did find time to actually carve our own pumpkins.

1. Yeah I know we can be lame sometimes but this didn't just start when we got married.. apparently, we have always been lame.  
2. I have a thing with being prompt
3. Little ones with big voices
4. Probably... maybe ... I think
5. Yeah, I just referred to a child as "it"
6. Not that we are, either 
7. 4 year olds with knives... even I know that's a bad idea
8. and holding newborn babies without freaking out
9. Like miles and miles and miles down the road

Anatomically Correct Halloween Sweets

It’s almost Halloween!  Due to that and the fact I was in a baking mood.  I put together these lovely beauties. 

They are both Martha Stewart creations (1) and were surprising simple to make. Note: the brain ones call for some kind of difficult Martha-ifed icing.  I decided that regular butter cream was good enough and just made that instead (2). 

I did these not only because of the obvious proximity to Halloween but also as a tribute to my flag football boys.  As Team Mom, I am obliged to bring a snack and felt like these cupcakes were not only seasonally appropriate but also added an additional educational anatomical element (3).

Well they must have been a good luck charm because the kids guys actually won.  However, Mr. MedSchool finally did himself in and hurt his hamstring.  He has been limping around the house and turned into a pitiful mess.  He has declared that he won’t be able to play next week (4) and has been downing Advil like they were tic tacs.  Ohh… the pains and pressures of professional (school) Athletics.  Next thing you know they’ll be asking for a raise (and by that I mean an upgrade to Capri Suns and twice the baked goods).       

1. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/brain-cupcakes , http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/skull-madeleines

2. Butter and Powdered Sugar Martha…not everything has to be difficult 

3. And a constant reminder to the guys that they really needed to be studying…not pushing each other  around and throwing a ball.

4. Yeah, we’ll see if pride plays out on that one. 

Holiday Season Happiness

It's official, the holiday season has started. I know that Christmas is 2 months away but it seems like Halloween starts a two and a half month long stretch of events (1).  I love this time of the year but have you noticed that the other parts of the year don't have nearly as many holidays?  I mean Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years all in about a two month span?  This time even gets 8 Charlie Brown TV Specials, starting with: 

• It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• The Making of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
• It's Christmastime again, Charlie Brown
• Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales
• I Want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown
• Happy New Year Charlie Brown!

(No these are all real and you can look them up (2).  Too bad it's too late for "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown." (3))

Although I do feel bad for the doldrums in between President's Day and Memorial Day (4). I guess that if we didn't have the dry holiday spells, then we wouldn't appreciate this fun time of dressing up, visiting friends and eating food.

1. and increased caloric intake
2. Ahhh... wikipedia. So many uses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Peanuts_media#TV_Specials 
3. Not kidding about that one either, aired March 1976
4. Really, whoever thought working people didn't need a holiday for 4 months...was crazy

Pricing Paint and Mad Negotiating Skillz

So this has been my weekend:

Paint colors, trim, crown molding… We have had a whirl wind housing adventure this past week.  As you may have read, I recently got a job.  Because I am now gainfully employed, Mr. MedSchool and I decided to see if we could get preapproved for a loan to purchase a home.  Due to the first time home buyer’s tax credit, if we were to buy, we would get $8000 in cash money (1).  However, this means that we would have to close on the house by November 30^th.  After getting preapproved and speaking to our loan agent, she informed us that we would need to have a contract on the house by October 30^th in order to ensure we close by November 30^th. Normally this would have been fine.  However, we are told this on October 15^th, giving us 2 weeks to find a house. 

After a bad Realtor experience before we moved to Small Town, South, we decided to do this “on our own” and purchase a home for sale by owner.  Things that we did not take into account:

1. We only had two weeks find houses ourselves, set up appointments and then go and view the house and fit it in to our busy schedule.

2. We know nothing (2) about purchasing a home.

3. We don’t have the greatest negotiating skills (3).

 So we went and saw a few houses on our own over the weekend.  Then on Monday, Mr. MedSchool informed me that he didn’t think he could do this on his own (4).  I had somewhat gotten the gist that he might say this after I overheard him speaking to his dad, who had just sold his house, on the phone.  “What you need an attorney?  Why?  Closing costs are how much?”  Needless to say, our loan officer had suggested a Realtor who could “work fast,” and Mr. MedSchool had already called her.

Our new Realtor, Amy, was perky and upbeat.  She was young but knew her stuff.  We set up to meet with her on Thursday to look at houses.  We were lined up to view 6 houses.  We trudged through several houses that we would be happy with but weren’t overjoyed with any, until house #4.  We walked into the 3 bed room/2 Bath, brick ranch style home and we found love.  First off, finding 2 bathrooms in a town full of older homes was pretty much impossible (5).  Secondly..a newly renovated kitchen was the stuff that dreams were made of.  We did go and see a couple of other houses that day but knew that #4 was our number one (6).  We went back at the end of our tour of homes to look again, just to be sure.  We put in an offer and signed the next afternoon.  We did feel a little risky because our offer was $2000 under the list price, which had already been dropped $8000, and we asked them to pay closing costs.  We waited about 3 hours, planning out our next counter offer but then we got an exited call from Amy. They had accepted our first offer! (7)

We cracked open a bottle of wine (8) and celebrated our victory (and our Realtor’s mad negotiating skillz). So barring any horrible issues that the home inspector may find, we will be bonafide homeowners on November 25^th.

So back to our weekend, after looking at the house again…we came to the realization that it may need some minor tweaks.  Paint…garbage disposal…new front door.  So Mr. MedSchool and I made a quick trip to Home Depot to price items.  Do you realize home much doors cost…seriously? $500?  Mr. MedSchool, pointed out that it is the first impression that someone gets of your home.  To which I countered that a $300 door would make a good impression, and I could blind company with my new $200 Marc Jacobs dress which I could also take away from the home, making good impressions throughout the neighborhood (9). 

We also priced paint.  Now I LOVE color and bright décor.  Mr. Medschool, however, is a beige kind of guy.  However, he bestowed free range of painting upon me because I had never been able to paint a home that we have lived in (10). 

Anywho, we have 4 weeks to come up with paint colors and Google “How to install crown molding.” I am sure that may interesting “do it yourself” posts will come in good time.  So look out.

1.  Thank you Uncle Sam!

2. And I mean nothing

3. Somebody call William Shatner .. Priceline Negotiator (musical theme…)

4. I wish I had recorded it too.  He admitted he couldn’t do it on his own .. this may never happen again. Oh well.

5. And one thing we have learned over the last few years is that our marriage doesn’t work without 2 bathrooms…it just doesn’t

6. Oh I kill myself…hahahaha

7. Yeah for desperate home sellers!

8. Who cares it was only 3pm.  It’s 5 o’ clock somewhere.

9.  How’s that for negotiating? 

10. He’s gonna be sorry for that one when he sees the lime green guest bedroom

Team Mom

So as fall has come and the weather gets cooler, it is time for the time-honored tradition of football.  Sure we have our passionate Saturdays of college football and lazy Sunday afternoons watching pro games.  However, it seems that the most exciting football time of all comes on Tuesday evenings, when my husband's flag football team plays.  


Mr. Medschool has always been a violent intense player.  He puts his heart and soul (1) into his game.  Let's just say the morning after the first game, Mr. Medschool had "unexplained" bruises all over his ribs (2) and a hurt knew.   


Now of course I begrudgingly dutifully go to every game, not only to cheer on my man but also as my position as "Team Mom."  Each week I bring my baked goods and Capri Suns to the game for the kids Med School guys to enjoy.  

Here's a manly (3)  picture of the team.

Identities have been disguised to protect the innocent (4) ... and I think they kinda look like the blind guy from Star Trek.

1. and body 
2.  Most likely from the times that he flew through the air and spearheaded another player in order to get the ball...no that is not legal in Flag Football
3. Aww they grow up so fast
4. Ha...like any of them are innocent!

How'd You Fit so Many Y's in that Word?

So this week's medical word of the week has 3 Y's (1), and is also the most unique (2) vocabulary word so far. 

Brachydactyly

Mr. MedSchool's Definition:  Abnormaly short finger(s)

Real Medical Definition: an inherited, usually dominant trait which literally means "shortness of the fingers and toes" (digits)

And as a special bonus, Mr. MedSchool sent me a picture as well!

1. and as Mr. MedSchool put it, 3 Y's how can you beat that?

2. Nice word for weird

Orange Suburst in a Can

Being on a diet is never fun (1). However, the hardest part of the Thrive diet is you cannot drink dark colored sodas aka Diet Coke.  After living off of diet coke for most of my adult life, I needed to find a caffeine substitute, stat (2). Then I remembered a little drink that some of my friends reintroduced me to this summer (3).

Diet Sunkist.  It is like a burst of sunshine! A burst of sunshine that happens to be one of the 10 most caffeinated sodas on the market. I would suggest that you pick some up. It reminds you of your childhood ... a carefree, happier, more hyper time of being.  

1. Unless you get to go on awesome grocery store tours. 
2. Been around doctors too long...using medical terms
3. Thank you Roddas

Fat Bus to the Grocery Store

So Mr. Med School has a test coming up on Monday… meaning he would be splitting his time between the library and the anatomy lab this weekend.  Because I would be a Med School Widow this weekend, I decided it would be a good time to go and visit my parents in Hometown, South.  My mother has been bugging me for the past few months to come and visit(1) and because I wouldn’t actually have contact with my husband this weekend, why not go for a visit?

So after work on Friday I hopped in my car and drove up to Hometown, South.  Friday night consisted of family dinner and Friday Night Football (2).  However, for Saturday my mother had something special planned for us.  As you may recall from an earlier post, my mother has been on the Thrive Diet, and as a part of the Thrive plan, you can go on a Grocery Store Tour! On this tour the “Guide” will point out some of the best vegetables and other items to eat (3).  Now being from a more rural area (4), I assume that people don’t tend to read fitness magazines or check out Health.com (5) as much as I did in Big City, South.  So it is not surprising that they would need someone to walk them through the grocery store to show them what veggies had a lot of fiber and which of the meats were leaner. 

However, what was the most entertaining to me was the “Guide,”  Ellen, who was much too happy to be up so early on a Saturday (6), told us antidotal stories about her struggles and would quiz us by holding up a broccoli and asking “Now what do we call this?”  “Exercise on a stalk!” says a very eager follower.  “Wow that is right!” says the perky guide, who goes on to tell us about the time that she ate an entire bag of broccoli instead of exercising (7).  As we made our way through the grocery store learning about foods that would put us on the “Fat Bus” and foods that would help us to burn fat calories, I noticed that the other store patrons were watching us.  And why wouldn’t they, with about 10 people in our group and a leader speaking like a tour guide?  However, the craziest part was that this tour took 2 hours. Two hours? I mean I love to grocery shop and take my time going down each aisle, but I never spend that much time in the grocery store (8). 

My weekend did wind up well, and it was good to see my family.  I came home to Mr. Med School, who wished me well, took our coffee maker and headed back to the library.  Continuing the Med School Widow theme, I just got a text message wishing me sweet dreams.  I guess I’ll see him tomorrow when this is all over.     

1.  And when we’re going to have kids but that’s a totally different story

2.  The best thing about that game was that I could leave whenever I wanted. Unlike when my high school boyfriend played football, and I had to stay at the game from beginning to end, rain or shine.

3. And she cruelly pointed out everything that you couldn’t eat as well

4. Think PeopleofWalmart.com

5.  Plug.

6. Yeah it was 8:00am but still, it was Saturday

7. Just in case you were wondering … asparagus is an Elliptical on a Stalk.  Wow how clever…

8. Except for Sam’s one time when I got lost in there…

Just Bob Yo Head

So I have been in a dancey (1) mood this week so the Medical Word of the Week has to do with keeping the beat.

Sternocleidomastoid Muscle

Mr. Med School's Definition: Muscle in your next that lets you turn your head to the side.  If you put your head on your chest…its that big muscle that sticks out.


Medical Definition: A paired muscle in the superficial layers of the anterior portion of the neck. It acts to flex and rotate the head.


In short it's the "bob yo head" muscle. (2)


1. No it's not a real adjective but it should be
2. You laugh but Mr. Med School will never forget that muscle 

You Put Brandy in These?

As stated before, I love to bake.  However, with the current diet du jour, I don't need to eat the things that I bake so work, Mr. Med School's friends or tailgating buddies are often the beneficiaries of my food.  For this past weekend's game, Mr. Med School and I went up to tailgate at our Alma Mater.  I decided to make a tasty treat that I had seen recently on the Martha Stewart Show (1), Martha's Perfect Sugar Cookies (2).  Martha's recipe called for all of the normal ingredients .. butter, sugar, flour, brandy, baking powder...wait Brandy?  Since when do you use that in cookies (3) ? 

Anywho, they came out really well if I do say so myself.  Especially after I figured out that my cookie cutters were still in storage (4) but that just made me get creative.

They ended up good although I did have an interesting time trying to write the players names on the Jersey cookies (5) but for a first try they looked pretty good, and I'm told tasted great!

1. Yeah when I was unemployed and worshipped daytime television
2. Ahh but isn't everything she does "perfect" http://www.marthastewart.com/article/cooking-school-perfect-sugar-cookies-and-royal-icing?
3. Seriously Martha's done time... I have the feeling she's adding liquor to a lot of her recipes since that span of her life
4. Yes, I do own cookie cutters, about 50 to be exact.  Just in case anyone needs a cookie shaped like a pumpkin, school house, train, dog, sail boat, I can arrange that for you.  
5. Thank God all of the recognizable players have short last names!

Who are These People and What I am Doing Here?

So I must apologize for my absence.  This week has been slightly crazy to say the least as I try to slide back into the world of the working.  So I started my new job last Monday, not sure at all what to expect.  My first day went well. I was very productive and got to know everyone in the office pretty well (1).  However, for the first three days, I wasn't exactly clear on what was going on.  You see I was told I was "helping with marketing (2)," which is pretty vague.  However after long talks with the designers and account managers, I finally figured it out.

I also discovered quite a few other perks to working in a small agency.  First we have a kitchen full of food (M & M's, granola, goldfish, pretzels, mini candy bars, and other brain food) and a fridge of sodas (3). I get the feeling that this will be a fun office because not only do we have a foosball table and an air hockey table but while rummaging around in the kitchen the other day, I discover a half of a handle of tequila underneath the sink (4). Finally we have an office pet.  It's a cat, that lives in our office.  Apparently it's our owner's cat who lives in the office because the cat and their other pet, a dog, don't get along (5).

Overall I think that it will turn out okay (6).  I am finally getting my feet on the ground and ready to start running.

As for Mr. Med School, he is doing well, just adjusting to me not being around all the time.  I think that Santiago (7), his Cadaver, is taking my place (8).The Cadaver Count for this week was 9 hours, which was less than the 12 that he spent last week.  We'll see what this week hold but an upcoming test tells me that he, and Santiago will be very close this week too.

1. There are only 12 of us in the office, it's not that hard to remember 
2. Seeing that we are a marketing company...doesn't everyone "help with marketing"
3. So how's that diet working?
4. Must mean people are working late nights...
5. And apparently she doesn't get along with anyone else because I'm told she bites 
6. Seriously, let's face it, I'm just glad to have a job at this point
7. Yes, literary allusion to Old Man and the Sea...don't ask, Mr. Med School has already been informed that he is a nerd
8. But he'll never be as good of a cook ... hahahaha

First Days

Pencils, paper and new book smells.  That was my day today.  Do you remember your first day of school at a new school?  You were kind of nervous that you wouldn’t fit in or that the teacher would way over anticipate the load that you could take or that you wouldn’t know how to use your brand new T-83 Calculator.  That was me today…except it wasn’t school, it was a new job and it wasn’t a teacher, it was boss and it wasn’t a calculator, it was a new Mac Book (1).

So since Mr. Med school and I moved, I have been searching for a new job in Small Town, South.  Finally last week, the heavens opened up, and I received an email that said “Please Call me, 555 – 9820.”  This email was from the head of a small marketing agency that I interviewed at several weeks ago.  When I called back, they offered me a job starting on Monday.

Sweet, so now I have a job.  However, this is when the nerves started.  What if they pile the work on me on the first day, and I am overwhelmed (2)? What if all of my coworkers resent the new girl (3)?  What if I sit there bored all day because they don’t give me anything to do (4)?

It all turned out to be okay though (5).  Everyone was friendly, and although they did throw me into work, I wasn’t completely overwhelmed.  I did get a new Mac Book as my computer, and the work environment is nice (6).  I think that things are gonna be okay.  Wish me luck!

1. I realize, welcome me to the 21^st century
2. I can totally act like I understand everything, and then just take it all home and study it
3. I can win them over with my bitter sarcasm charming personality
4. That’s why BlackBerry puts Brick Breaker on their phones   
5. Except for the Mac part.  It took me 5 minutes to figure out how to turn it off because I was too proud to ask anyone
6. 2 word: Foosball Table 

  

     

    

Medical Word of the Week

So it has been another busy school week for Mr. Med School.  However, we have managed to fit in some fun vocabulary words this week as well.  This weeks Medical Word of the Week is:

Pachymeninx

Mr. Med School's Definition: an old timey (1) term for the stuff surrounding the brain

Medical Definition: The tough fibrous membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord and lining the inner surface of the skull

1. He's from a rural area and uses phrases like "old timey" and "Yonder" as much as he possibly can  

Food, Football and Fun

So I am a huge College football fan, mostly thanks to Mr. Med School's obsession with all things BCS.  Although I am not as passionate (1) as Mr. Med School about the Game, I do love the watching the game.  I should also mention that I love gamewatching parties and tailgating almost just as much.

This past weekend, we were unable to go to our alma mater's game so we invited some fellow alumni over to watch the game.  Just to show everyone a good time, we made a few snacks (2).  However, I think that my favorite new find were Nutter Butter and Oreo footballs (3).   The lovely little delights are super easy to make too.  Just take a package or either Nutter Butters or Oreos and throw them in a food processor. Then add a block of cream cheese and mix.  Shape into footballs and put in fridge.  Then melt some almond bark and dip the football shaped goodness into the chocolate.  ...and Wah lah

Nutter Butter Filled Deliciousness

  

Yum, and yes those are chocolate covered pretzels in the background (4).

Not only were these super easy to make but they were a big hit.  And no, due to the current diet, I didn't eat any (5). I would definitely recommend these and tons of other stuff on Bakerella's site.  Never fear, there will be many more game watching parties and tailgates.  I will be sure to report back with other yummy recipes.

1. At least if passionate counts as yelling, throwing things at the television or people in his vicinity and coaching the players throughout the game.  I honestly believe he thinks that they can hear him.
2. Elaborate meal of heavy hors d'oeuvres
3. Courtesy of Bakerella on  http://www.bakerella.com/super-bowl-funday/
4. I had extra chocolate, did you not expect me to use it?
5. Yay Will power!

Words to Lull You to Sleep

We have a strict don't talk about work / school over dinner rule.  This is coming in especially handy now that Mr. Med School has begun Anatomy Lab (1).  As I have posted before, I have a very squeamish stomach and talking about dead people...well that just doesn't go along well with white meat and green veggies dinner.

So Mr. Med School has taken to telling me about things that happened in his day as we lay in bed.  The other night just as I was about to fall asleep, I hear "I wish he was more moist."  "What?" I ask groggily.  "Our cadaver, he's kind of dry and sometimes he falls apart."  Awesome that's exactly what I want to dream about tonight: some old, dead guy falling apart.  I guess that will remind me to use moisturizer.

On another note, I have noticed since Anatomy Lab began that Mr. Med School is spending quite a few hours "studying" in the lab.  So I am starting a new segment called Cadaver Count, the amount of hours that Mr. Med School spends with dead people over spending time with me.  This last week, he spent 9 hours with the Cadavers, more time than any other student he boasts (2).


1. Cutting open dead people lab
2. What an accomplishment.. I'm such a proud wife

Medical Word of the Week

Mr. Med School is always using big medical words to try and show his overwhelming amounts of knowledge. In an attempt to learn this new medical language that he speaks all the time, I am going to institute the Medical Word of the week. This way we can all learn a really difficult new word that we will probably never use.

Let's start with the Medical Word of the week (1).

Bilateral Salpingo-Oopherectomy

Mr. Med School's definition: What you get when you need to have your ovaries and tubes taken out. (2)

Medical Definition: the surgical removal of both fallopian tubes and an ovaries


1. And why not do a hard one?
2. So sensitive, he's gonna be a great doctor

I Smell Dead People

So today was the first day of Anatomy Lab (1). Mr. Med School has been so excited about this moment since he started classes. Me, well I couldn’t be more grossed out. So the festivities started when Mr. Med School brought home his first pair of scrubs. He was like a cute little kindergartener with his first book bag and lunch box (2). He even hemmed the pants himself (3).

You know what’s fun? Getting a text message from your significant other that reads, “I smell like formaldehyde :-( “ Awesome.. I don’t think that Tide gets that out. Well when Mr. Med School got home this evening, he was as excited as a kid on his first day of school. He proceeded to tell me all about Cutting Open Dead People Lab (4). On the flip side, apparently, Mr. Med School is really good at cutting things (5). The cadaver that he dissected (6) was flagged as one of the best. Well at least we know he’s good at something.

1. Cutting open dead people lab

2. Only with scrubs and dissection tools

3. And by hemmed, I mean with hem tape and an iron

4. Not a good dinner topic, just an FYI

5. Also not unlike a school child 

6. Wow, that sounds disgusting

What Do You Mean No Diet Coke?

Size 4, 120 pounds and really tan. That was my description when I got married, and frankly, it was awesome. I could wear whatever I wanted, and I looked great in a bikini. Well 2 years and a high intensity job changes things (1). I have tried many different diets but I have this one weakness: I like LOVE food.  I love to cook, bake and just play with food.  I usually start out good on these diets but inevitably around day 5 ... I start to slip a little.  I have one chip and then I have another and before I know it, I have eaten half of a bag.

This time, however, it will be different (2).  My mother has started a new diet called Thrive, and after hearing me complain about weight, she has decided that I am going on said diet as well (3).  So it seems easy enough.  You are allowed to eat certain things (4) like green veggies and white meat and then you phase in other foods like red meat, fruit, carbs.

So our first shopping trip was a little difficult.  If you eat bread, it must be Double Fiber Wheat Bread.  That's too expensive says Mr. Med School, who usually eats 2 sandwiches each day for lunch on $.99 a loaf bread.  Then we move to cheese.  On Thrive, you can't eat Yellow Cheese (5) because of the food dye.  However, non yellow cheese is again too expensive.  After buying all of the "expensive food," I told Mr. Med School that he couldn't drink beer more than twice a week. He decided he didn't need to loose weight after all.

So I have started now!  No red meat, no potatoes or pasta, no wine and possibly the worst...no diet coke (6).  I will be sure to update you on my failures progress. Wish me luck.      

1. By about 25 pounds and 4 sizes to be exact
2. Hopefully
3. Ergo Mr. Med School is starting a new diet
4. Wow Shocking, I know
5. A staple of Mr. Med School's sandwiches
6. Caramel Coloring, get's you every time

Wives Club

So after the first week of parties and orientation, I find myself a little on the bored side. I left my great job in Big City, South, and I am finding it difficult to find a marketing job in Small Town, South. There aren’t many industries or even large companies for that matter which means there aren’t many positions in the marketing world which means I am often sitting at home during the day. For a past workaholic, doing basically nothing all day is a tough challenge. So I decided to get involved and go to a Wives Club meeting.

I didn’t really know what to expect from Wives Club the first time I went. There were about 13 wives of first years there, and everyone was instructed to bring a finger food (1). I knew a few of the wives but hadn’t met many of them. We had a good time meeting and greeting and eating.  However, the thing that struck me was that all of the conversations centered on our husbands: their test schedules, their study habits, and what specialty they were interested in. Soon, the conversation switched from our husband’s schooling to how we “take care” of our husbands (2). I mean our husbands were our common thread but we have lives too, and after sitting through a 15 minute conversation about what The Wives pack in their husband’s lunch box, I was done. I know that it is nice to do something special for your significant other, and I often do make cookies or give back rubs when Mr. Med School is having a bad day. However, when you make the comment “I feel guilty for coming to these Wives Club Meetings because Aaron (3)  won’t know what to eat,” I feel that you are underestimating your husband’s ability to… well… live without your assistance.  I mean..he did get into Medical School, how helpless could he be.

After wrapping up the night and heading back to our place, I find Mr. Med School wallowing on the couch.  First words out of his mouth: "What's for dinner?"  Ugh...whatever's in the fridge.

1 Cake Balls, big hit http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2007/12/red-velvet-cake-balls.html

2. Because it's 1952 ?

3. Helpless Med School Husband

Orientating Ourselves

Well we made it through our first hot(1) nights and finally got air conditioning on Monday afternoon. This made it bearable to begin unpacking our lives and putting things in their places. By Wednesday we have up for the most part which is good because Mr. Med School starts orientation on Thursday.

What’s good for me is that with Orientation begins First Week Parties! This is the week that the first years have events to introduce them to Small Town, South, the Med School and each other. Spouses are also invited which means that I can find other Med School Wife friends and people to hang out with when Mr. Med School has locked himself in the library. So through the first few days of dinners and drinks and donut breakfasts, we met lots of people(2), and I am sure that we will all be great friends(3).

1. Excruciating 

2. None of whom's names I recall

3. If I can remember their names that is