For my rotation in Addiction Medicine in Hawaii next spring, I have had to jump through hoops of fire in order to have my application "complete." They have needed letters of good standing, transcripts, board scores, and... proof of immunizations. Flea shots, distemper, ... yadda yadda yadda.

Ordinarily this is no big deal: this is the usual stuff you need to go to pretty much any school in the US. And because I am thorough (OK, a tiny bit OCD), I actually had new titers drawn in June to prove that I was in fact immune to the things I am supposed to be immunized against. (Turns out I had blown through all my HepB antibodies in 3 years -- scary stuff -- so I am restarting that series... but I digress.)

However, for my rotation, the school in Hawaii wanted DATES from when I got my ORIGINAL vaccines. As in, the kind I got when I was 1. Yes, 40-year-old info!

Are they serious??? This is age discrimination! I don't even think paper existed when I was a child!

As you can well imagine, I only mildly flipped out ... where the hell was I supposed to get THAT info?? As it is, I think I blew through 3 pediatricians as a child (all died during my reign of terror - ages 2-4), and was cursing that no way in hell would I ever be able to find that out.

All was lost, I thought. I'm going to be stuck in Pomona for the spring.

Praying that my mother quite possibly could have been OCD enough 40 years ago to have saved that info JUST IN CASE SOMEDAY HER BRILLIANT DAUGHTER WOULD NEED THEM FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL ... I emailed her.

Honestly, I thought there was a higher probability that monkeys would fly out of my ass than my mom having that info. The woman throws out EVERYTHING (except my prom dresses - which is just spiteful, really). I hadn't even been living in my first apartment after college for 15 minutes when she had my old bedroom repainted and refurnished as her own personal walk-in closet and bedroom. Trust me, if it isn't nailed down (in a very linear, orderly fashion), it gets tossed.

Yet, not 30 minutes later, my iPhone chimed -- Marge had sent me a list of my immunization dates!

Astonishing!

Tucked away inside my tattered and dusty baby book (chiseled from stone), which holds such precious items as my first teeth, hair from my first haircut, and other sentimental items, were my immunization records! The very same woman who 2 months ago was rearranging pillows I was napping on at the time because she "needed order" had actually saved something!

All is not lost! I rejoiced. I called my mom immediately to thank her... and in the middle of my tirade about why any school would need 2,000 year old info she said:

"Laura, stop ranting. You have the info. Now shut up. So.. how is school?"

You rock, mom. I love ya! Even if you're freakishly OCD.

I am STILL getting people coming to this site by searching on the phrase h e a d i n v a g i n a. And Yes, I know I am only perpetuating it by adding it to the site again.

But seriously. Is life for you people THAT deprived?

Dear god.

So, I'm thinking of trying a bizarre phrase of the month just to see, experimentally, what it does to my traffic.

So, this month's phrase, courtesy of the Monkey In Chief herself, Beth, is "monkey pessary" ...

(Oh for fuck's sake, go look it up...)

Last night Beth and I made what's become an annual pilgrimage to see the Dave Matthews Band. We last saw DMB at Hollywood Bowl, which was astonishing. It has become my favorite venue, hands down. The acoustics are incomparable. And we are planning to head north to see him perform at the Gorge and do a little camping as well.

Last night, however, we saw them perform at Staples Center. It was a great show, despite the sad overtones as the group's sax player passed away yesterday. But as always, it was an amazing performance.
That said, here's the setlist from last night:

Bartender
Proudest Monkey (YAY!!!)
Satellite
So Damn Lucky
Eh Hee
Water Into Wine
Burning Down The House
Dancing Nancies
Loving Wings
The Maker
Sledgehammer
Grey Street
Dreaming Tree
Crash Into Me
Everyday
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much Intro
Ants Marching

Encore:
Sister
Corn Bread
Two Step

I was a little bummed they didn't play Crush which is my favorite DMB song and has special meaning to me. But they played some great cover songs including Burning Down the House and Sledgehammer. I've been a long time Peter Gabriel fan and have probably seen him in concert more than any other artist. And who doesn't love Talking Heads??

I must say though that despite a fantastic show, I was unimpressed with the acoustics at Staples. I was surprised at how inadequate it seemed. I dont think the venue was a particularly good location for DMB, as they are astonishing live and should really be eard outdoors. The inside of SC was beautiful, though - very trendy. (Makes MSG look like a shit heap. :)

Ah, life in LA...

That said, this actually was my first time at an event at Staples Center. So perhaps last night's acoustics was merely a fluke and not truly representative of how concerts sound there generally.

It seems odd that I have never been there before since I've been living in LA for 3 years now and do get to go out and explore the cultural/sports/music scene fairly often. I've been to Angels stadium many times for baseball games, Disney a gazillion times (we have annual passes), Hollywood Bowl 3 or 4 times. And I've been to most of the major "hip" or formerly hip clubs and restaurants (we blew off hard-to-get 11pm rez at Pizzeria Mozza last night out of sheer exhaustion). I've done the whole gay pride thing here as well. Yes, my social life is alive and well, despite the being a lowly, sleep deprived med student.

This Friday the fun continues -- we are going to see Tom Petty at Irvine Meadows -- my first time there as well.

Good thing my days of studying 10-15 hours a day are behind me!

I can once again breathe. I killed that pig! My last exam of medical school!! I took Step 2 of the Boards today - a hellatious 8-hour, 400 question beast. Ugh. But its done, and it's behind me.

Now I can watch the damn Olympics!! And go to the beach every weekend... and exhale. Yes, Beth, you can exhale, too.

Monkey juice???

Holy shitttttt... (I still get chills thinking about it -- this whole doctor thing. Wow.)

Yes, I take my Step 2 of the boards this Wednesday. Hence the stress. Unlike many others, I did not have a vacation the weeks leading into my exam. Oh no, I had to go and choose Pediatric Fucking ER (which I love, don't get me wrong) the weeks leading up to the exam. My schedule is so erratic, it's hard finding more than 4 hour blocks to study.

Sigh... I'll get through it. Somehow.

I can remember fretting madly over the MCAT. Seems so trivial now. (It WASN'T.) And I am sure my propensity to stress over exams has not diminished. But I'm certain the amount I bitch has most definitely been reduced. You shoulda seen me 4 years ago. I was an insufferable pain in the ass. (Yes, I am aware of that NOW.) It's just that, now, I know I'll be a doctor in 8 months. (!!! holy shit!!!) I just want to make sure I'll be a decent one.

OK, done procrastinating. More questions. (Peri... it's just not the same when we're not sitting face to face on the deck or at the table drinking coffee and sobbing softly together... I hope Jade and Sara and Chris are pleased with themselves! ;)

Menstruatng monkey ass pheromones must die.

Every have one of those days when everyone pretty much sucks and altruism seems like a nice notion but really is a crock of shit?

Yeah, well I'm there.

Feeling jaded and tortured. Maybe it's PMS, maybe it's premenopausal crap, or maybe it's just people in general.

But right now I want to punch someone in the neck. (no one in particular. just the first person to cross me... or just cross my path.)

(Have I mentioned I am sleep deprived and studying for boards??? Yes, maybe that DOES have something to do with it.)

For those who asked/are interested in my 4th year schedule, here 'tis:

June/July: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
July/August: Pediatric Emergency Medicine
August/Sept.: Family Medicine
VACATION!! Beach house in Hermosa Beach, baby!
Sept./Oct.: Emergency Medicine
Oct./Nov.: Infectious Disease
VACATION!! In the works
Nov./Dec.: Pediatric Neurology
Dec./Jan.: Neurosurgery
Jan./Feb: Neurology
Feb./March: Radiology
VACATION!!! 2 weeks!!! Sailing!!!
March/April: Addiction Medicine, in Hawaii!
Last day: April 24.
Graduation: May 15
End of May: THE FAMILY'S VILLA ON THE AMALFI COAST, ITALY!!!

June: Residency starts... TBD. :)

Just had a 5.8 quake here, about 3 miles from my house!!! Jesus, that was terrifying! Phones are down, including cell phones. I've never actually seen ground move before! At first I thought a big truck was rolling by until the patio started to shake and then Deb and I stood up to run to the center of the lawn and the whole ground was moving back and forth -- I almost fell.

Here come the aftershocks...

I am *still* shaking..

Check this out: Recent Earthquakes Just for the record, I am located on the Pomona/Claremont border... (top of red box)

Meanwhile they are evacuating buildings in downtown... and I have to head into downtown soon for work. Hopefully that's the last of it for today.

Pretty terrifying, but cool!

I'm currently working in my pediatric emergency medicine rotation ... many, many hours. Very, very tired. And sick. Again. Natch.

I went from cushy to crushed overnight. I love it though! FANTASTIC hospital and great attendings. The residents are incredibly smart - the best group I've seen thus far. They make everyone just want to perform better.

I'm working 6 days a week, and today is my day off. I work 4-midnight the next 6 days (theoretically 8 hours, but usually I am there 9-10) -- the busiest shift in this ER. I'm seeing and learning a lot, and we are expected to diagnose and treat as if we are interns. It's good practice for next year - it functions like a sub-internship. So far I have diagnosed leukemia in a patient who came in with chest pain, reduced a few dislocated elbows, sutured some lacerations, and treated/managed the care of a baby with a fractured skull. Not a bad first 3 days!

Now I'm off for more Board study. Test in 3 weeks..

Speaking of time: only 8.5 months left!

I am hoping to be better about chronicling the trials and tribulations of med school life during my 4th year. Obviously, I've been busy and sadly this blog has been neglected.

It's pathetic in that I have had much blogworthy news!

4th year is going swimmingly thus far. I am currently working in a NICU taking care of premature infants. It's a more humane rotation in that I am not working 90 hoursa week -- more like 35, which is reasonable since I am taking Step 2 of the boards soon. I'm enjoying the preemies -- they're like little pocket-sized peanuts I just want to take home. I am currently managing 2 with very severe neurological problems (Bilateral Grade 4 Intraventricular Hemorrhage), and they are both day-to-day status. I am going to run upstairs soon to observe a head ultrsound on one of them to see if the dilation of brain ventricles has reduced. Then I'm off -- heading home to check on my very very pregnant roommate, Peri (twin girls on the way!!) to see if she is still vomiting her guts out. (Love you too, peri!)

In two weeks I will be working in downtown LA for my Pediatric Emergency Medicine rotation. Then it's off to UCLA for more rotation fun -- and my beach house in Hermosa Beach! Schwing!!! Got a place right on the Strand, so bikini watching will vie for my time. (I don't care what my girlfriend says, I do NOT have a neoprene neck.)

The great news is that I will be doing my last rotation of medical school in Hawaii. I'll be there for 5 weeks (march-april) for an Addiction Medicine rotation.

Let's see... what else. I've been to the beach a lot - twice this past weekend, actually. Working on my stellar tan -- Lord knows I have some seriosuly white legs and tan face and arms. Go figure. I need scrubs that are not SPF 2000. (OK, and I need to wear something other than scrubs and crocs all week long.)

Got my grades for third year - Honors in 9/10 rotations! That should help my residency application.

And... when not studying or trying to figure out a way to go to the beach I am obsessing with my iPhone (yes, Deb, and monkeys.. just wait til you get back and I've added 27 more to the collection!). Not the 3G, damn it. But it's still the best phone hands down. I finally gave up my Treo for something way cooler and slicker. Yes, I sacrificed epocrates for style.

Well, I should get back to studying and the babies... hopefully, I'll be back soon and upload some pics from the Playboy Jazz Festival, LA Pride festival, the beach, yadda yadda yadda.

For those of you back in CT -- see you Thursday! Yes, I'm heading home for another world-wind trip - 4 days. My last until after I graduate!