Summer Updates: Britt and Mom go to DC

The school year is over!  Nevermind that it's been over for a while; I've been busy researching, relaxing, and driving back and forth between Pittsburgh and Columbus.

However, I wanted to update on some of the things that I have been up to this summer.  The first thing that I did after school got out was head to Washington, DC for Memorial Day Weekend with my mom.  I was especially excited to go with her because even though I've been to DC several times, this was her first!  Here were my top 5 favorite things from our trip:

5. Shopping in Georgetown - We kept our shopping mostly to the "window"-variety, but I did buy a pair of sparkly sandals from Steve Madden :-)

4. Delicious, delicious food - Asparagus and leek pizza at Pizza Paradiso, tapas at Jaleo, and fresh seafood at Founding Farmers.  We ate really well!

3. Memorial Day Concert - We decided to do something to celebrate the holiday while we were in town, and the National Memorial Day Concert on the lawn of the Capitol was perfect.  We got to see some B/C-list celebrities (guy with the beard from Criminal Minds, anyone?), but more importantly, we got to honor our troops.

2. Nighttime tour of the monuments - I loved the monuments; in my mind, they are what make DC feel like the national's capital.  Every time I go to Washington, DC, time spent on the mall and among the monuments is a requirement.  That being said, I had never done a nighttime tour.  It was ideal for a few reasons: 1) fewer crowds, 2) cooler temperatures, 3) stunning pictures of everything backlit.

1. The Newseum - Imagine spending a day wandering through Pulitzer Prize-winning photos, the top headlines dating back to the origin of the newspaper, and photos and newspapers tracking the days after 9/11.  If that sounds appealing, you should probably check out the Newseum.  It was incredible.  Seriously incredible.

One of my favorite headlines at the Newseum :-) 

Walking toward the Capitol for the concert!

My mom has some pictures of us together on her camera, so I'll be sure to post some when I'm home next.

More summer updates are on the way!

Brittany

My Pittsburgh Marathon Relay Experience, (Alternatively: How I almost died in a bus fire)

OK, that title may be a bit dramatic.  Let me start from the beginning:

On Sunday, I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay.  The name is relatively descriptive, but here's exactly what that means: 5 people comprise a team that together completes the 26.1 miles of the marathon course.  The first year medical school class had two teams competing.  I ran the second leg (4.8 miles) for my team and LOVED doing it.  Along the course there were so many supporters in addition to some amazing local bands (Around mile 3, one group was singing "Don't Stop Believing" - very motivational).  I know I haven't really written anything about running, but I have been following a structured training plan for about 2 and half months now.  Unfortunately, I've been battling an unstoppable upper respiratory infection the past few days, but even still I was very happy with my pace.  When I got to the end of my leg and handed off to my teammate, I was feeling great - proud of myself for actually finishing with no stopping/walking/significant slowing down.  I got my medal and headed toward the shuttle bus pick-up that would take me back to the start of the race where I had left my car.

The line for the shuttle bus seemed to go on forever; I think a lot of spectators use it to see their runners at multiple points in the course.  Two different buses pulled up, filled up, and left before I finally got on one.  After standing and waiting for the first runner to hand off to me then running 4.8 miles, sitting down felt pretty damn good.  I settled into a seat near the back of the bus and thought, and we were off.  A few minutes into the ride while we were at a red light, I noticed in a store front window that the reflection of the bus was surrounded with a thick smoky fog.  It did not, for even a second, cross my mind that the "fog" was coming from the bus.  One of the guys who was sitting in the last seat of the bus called out, "Hey bus driver!  I think you might be smoking back here."  The bus driver may not have heard him, or simply may have ignored him, but regardless, the bus lurched forward.  As we drove down Carson Street, I noticed a pedestrian was point at the back of the bus.  There was no mistaking it, he was yelling "Fire!"  The bus driver pushed down on the accelerator, and smoke came up through vents in the floor of bus.  There was only one thing to think at this point: Oh, shit.

Feeling a bit more proactive about the whole thing, the back of the bus got the driver's attention and he pulled over.  We evacuated, luckily no crazy evacuation strategies were needed, because I can tell you right now that was not going through one of those ceiling emergency exits.

This was just not going to happen for me.

We all stood on the side of the road while the bus continued to smoke.  Slowly, as it cooled down, the smoking stopped.  At this point I was (1) cold, due to the combination of rain and my own sweat, (2) tired, and (3) hungry, and cursing myself that I didn't grab a complimentary banana when I finished.  We stood.  And stood. And stood some more.  Some of the other marathoners got so anxious about standing that they formed a mutiny, yelled at the bus driver about not proactively seeking assistance (he radioed that we needed help, but did a really bad job of stressing any type of urgency), and then decided they were better off walking.  My car was parked 4.2 miles away (google maps confirms this).  Walking was just not going to happen.  Instead I made friends with my fellow stranded runners, and talked about those weird five-toed shoes and Pittsburgh-area hotels.  Finally, 1 hour and 15 minutes later (yes, I stood in the rainy cold for 75 minutes!), another bus came to rescue us.

I suppose that "near death experience" is a little exaggerated, but still it was definitely a less than pleasant experience.

In other news, I'm done with actual classes - one exam to go before summer!

Brittany

   

All Dogs Go to Heaven

Initially, I planned to post an entry today chronicling my marathon relay experience and escape from fiery death by shuttle bus.  However, something significant happened in my life today that I feel strongly about documenting. My family lost a member today: my dog Duke.  I don't want to dwell on how sad it is to lose pet; Duke wouldn't want that anyway.  He would want us to celebrate him.  (To say that Duke would want us to celebrate his legacy is actually a terribly clichéd stretch - as the thing Duke would really want is someone to scratch his ears and give him treats - but just go with it).  Duke, if you're in heaven looking down on me and magically acquired the ability to read, I miss you lots!

Yummy and Relevant

Andrew came to visit this past weekend.  Leading up the weekend, I was perpetually in test-time mode, so I wasn't the happiest camper.  To help me celebrate ending neurology, he brought me a surprise: Snickerdoodle cookies that were decorated in doctor-theme.  Here are some pictures!

Key: Stethoscope, Band-aid, Brain (it's upside-down), Syringe 

BRAIN!  Andrew already ate this one.  Any semblance of neuro is now out of my life.

Andrew also warned that if I posted these pics online, he became so sought after by the ladies that I could end up with some competition.  So ladies, if you're reading this, let me make it clear that he is off the market :-)

Less than two weeks until summer!
Brittany

Pittsburgh, you are SO backwards sometimes

Today, I decided that someone broke into my car.  There were a couple of things that led me to this conclusion:

1. The glove compartment was open.
2. Items that are usually in the glove compartment were strewn about the floor.
3. I can't remember the last time that I opened the glove compartment or the last time anyone who has been in my car has opened it.

I think that whoever did this got away with the screeny-portion of my Garmin.  It's really hard to say though, because I have a habit of taking it out of my car (for this exact reason) and carrying it around in one of the bazillions of purses/totes that I use.  No luck locating it so far though.  Additionally, both the cord and clip were left behind.  Meaning, that whoever committed this heinous (yes, heinous) crime probably got a few blocks with the damn thing propped up against the front window before it died, fell off the dash, and was rendered completely useless.

Initially, I wasn't going to do anything about it.  Even if my Garmin is gone, calling the police and filing a report is surely not going to bring it back.  How do know this?  Because in the span of my relationship with Andrew, he has had a car broken into and a Blackberry and laptop taken and another ENTIRE car stolen, and yet even with a very thorough report taken in each case, none of those items have been seen since.

I had a change of heart though, when my friend Carly told me that she overheard a girl at Crazy Mocha talking about a car break-in.  Things you should know:

1. Crazy Mocha is amazing and is easily the best place to study within walking distance of my apartment.
2. Crazy Mocha is on my street so...
3. ....if that her had her car broken into, MAYBE IT WAS THE SAME PERSON.

Clearly, Shadyside has fallen victim to a repeat offender.

I am the daughter of  (1) a police officer and (2) a woman who has what some may call "an unhealthy interest in cop shows."  I was raised to know when justice needs to be served, so I decided to inform the authorities.  After consulting with my dad, I learn that I should probably be able to file a report on line and avoid having to deal with an actual cop showing up at my apartment.  This worked for me, as at this point, I had already put on pajamas and definitely was not going outside in pink polka dot boxer shorts.

After perusing the Pittsburgh Police Department website for any info on filing a report and encountering no success, I decide to call my local zone.  A seemingly noncooperative officer answered.  Here's what followed:

Officer: How can I help you?
Me: I would like to file a report.  I think my car was broken into.
Officer: What does that mean, you think?
Me: I'm sorry. I know my car was broken into.  The glove box was open, and items were strewn about.   
Officer: Well, you're going to have to call 911.
Me: I'm sorry, I'm probably not being clear.  This did not just happen, and no one is in any danger, I just want to file a report so that the police are aware that the incident occurred in case similar case arise in my area.
Officer: I do understand, and you have to call 911.  That's the only way to file a report.
Me: *dumb-founded shock*

So, I give in and call 911.  Here's what followed:

Operator: 911 what's the location of your emergency.
Me: Um, it's really not an emergency, but 5*** Ellsworth Ave.
Operator: What do you mean its not an emergency?
Me: My car was broken into hours ago, I just want to report it and was told that this is how I was to go about it.
Operator: We can send someone out right away to take care of that report.
Me (uncomfortably shifting in my pink polka dot boxers): I was told that I can do this over the phone, so I would much prefer that.
Operator: Oh, well the person who takes phone reports is gone for the day.  You can call back tomorrow.
Me: Call back tomorrow?
Operator: Yes, dial 911 during business hours tomorrow.

OK, Pittsburgh, I put up with a lot of your nonsense.  The Pittsburgh Left.  The extreme lack of length that your on-ramps allow for getting up to speed.  The absence of an Express on Walnut.  But really?  911 IS FOR EMERGENCIES.  NOT SILLY CAR BREAK-INS THAT DO NOT MATTER.  I just really hope that no one was in trouble and struggling to get through to the police while I was wasting everyone's time by speaking to a 911 operator about my mysteriously open glove box.  And really, if a small suburb of Columbus, OH can have online report-taking, why in the world can't you?

Pittsburgh, just know we're not on the best of terms right now.  If you keep up the nice weather and somehow I get my hands on a few pierogies in the next few days, we can probably kiss and make-up.

In other news, Andrew visited and brought me amazinggg cookies.  I wanted to post pictures but they're on his cell phone and he's not awake anymore so I guess it's not going to happen tonight.

I do, however, have this lovely gem to share (note its sideways, and I'm way too tired to figure out how to change that at this point):



Someone who lives in apartment building threw away a Christmas tree today.  Possible explanations?  I've got none.

Until tomorrow!
Brittany

It's a good thing I'm in medical school now...

....because a 6-hour long MCAT surely would have done me in.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/a-better-medical-school-admissions-test/

My opinion?  Medical schools should DEFINITELY consider an applicant's perspective on ethics and society when making their admissions decisions.  However, those qualities seem difficult to elucidate in a standardized exam format.  I vouch, instead, for the inclusion of ethics-based questions on written applications and interviews (a large majority of the schools that I apply to already did this, so including it on the MCAT also seems a bit redundant).  And really, medical school admissions universe, don't you put pre-med kids through enough already?

Hot Off the Press

So the world news has been quite a buzz recently.  Between the Royal Wedding, death of the world's most notorious American-hater, and the release of Obama's long form birth certificate (sense the sarcasm here), my life has seemed relatively chill lately.

I will admit that I woke up a little earlier than normal to catch the tail of the wedding.  I was a little leery of making a big deal out of it because I was hosting a prospective med student for Pitt's Second Look Weekend (Some of you may remember me going last year.  It's the medical school's last effort to recruit anyone who may be undecided.  It's also a great way for students to see the city and school again and try to find roommates).  I was worried that the girl staying with me would totally judge my alarm clock going off and extra hour and half early, but luckily she was into the whole thing too.  Kate looked amazing (as if there was any doubt!) - I loved both of her dresses.  If you've only seen pictures of the first one, google image search the second immediately.

Actual Second Look Events consumed most of my Friday.  I'm the Student Admissions Team Coordinator here, which essentially means I provided a supporting role for the Second Look planning process.  As a result, I got to attend breakfast, lunch, AND dinner (whoo hoo free food!), and got to interact with tons of the potential newbies.

In between all of that madness, the first year medical students did have another very important event: the Remembrance Ceremony for all those who donate their bodies to better our education.  Members of our class spoke, read poetry, played instruments, and sang (PalPITTations sang a beautiful version of "Old Irish Blessing" that I was super proud of!).  Family members of donors were invited to attend, and it seems like many people were very moved by our class's efforts.  I got a little teary during a performance of "For Good" from Wicked, but I attribute largely to the fact that it was sung at my high school graduation and has made me weepy ever since.  

Following the end of the Second Look festivities, I engaged in some retail therapy with Carly and celebrated her birthday with a large group of her friends.  Nights out like that remind me that I'm a real person and not just a med student.  Here's a fantastic picture from the celebration:

We have another exam this week (already!), so I'm grinding away.  Andrew's coming to town this weekend though, so I definitely have something to look forward to!

Until next time,

Brittany