I promise I'm still alive!

Sorry about my absence from the blog-o-sphere.  I have been hidden away in the medical school and library.  Biochem final is tomorrow and I am feeling the pressure!

Before I fell into the biochem trap, I promised pics from Fallingwater, and here they are!  Two weekends ago, I drove down to Fallingwater with Darci - it was incredible.  If you ever find yourself in Western Pennsylvania in autumn, you simply have to go.

Look how pretty!

This is as close to nature as we get!

Note - We did actually tour the house as well, but they had a very strict no interior photos policy.  Kind of a bummer. 

Last weekend was also filled with excitement - I got to go home for Homecoming and birthdays.  Seriously, half the people I know have birthdays in October (observation and possible explanation - October is nine months after Valentine's Day...)  Over the course of the weekend, I celebrated my Mom's birthday at Brio, Andrew's birthday with a family celebration, and my grandma's 88th birthday with a family cookout.  Trips home are fantastic because they inevitably mean lots of delicious (and free) food.

In between all of that celebrating, I got to reconnect with old friends at the Homecoming brunch and game.  This weekend marked my first time on campus since graduation - crazy!  It was amazing to see my fellow former HC court members, and my mom and I had a fun cheering on the Buckeyes.  It didn't hurt that they won in a shut-out :-)  Here's a picture of my and fellow '08 court member, Dan, from the Homecoming brunch:

Keep your fingers crossed that my exam goes well - I've got to get back to the books!

Brittany

Nothing like cupcakes to turn a bad day around!

This morning, I woke up and rolled over to look at my alarm clock.  It was 8:19.  I needed to catch the 8:20 bus.  Panic immediately set in, and I got dressed in a business casual outfit (today was a patient interviewing day, meaning I had to look professional) in 3.5 minutes.  Seriously, I woke up at 8:19 and was out the door by 8:24.  While I likely set some record for getting-ready-under-pressure, I still missed my bus.

So, I stood dejectedly at the bus stop, thinking about how I looked really tired because I had no time for make-up, and wishing that I had stopped to brush my teeth which were super slimy.  I really shouldn't have sacrificed personal hygiene, but I realize that kind of thing is normal for med students.

I was dwelling how terribly the morning started out, and a bus came rambling down the street.  I perked up a little.  As the bus got up to my stop, I could tell it was PACKED.  It was so packed, in fact, that it didn't even stop!  At this point, I was no longer dejected.  Instead, I was fuming.  When I did finally get on bus, I managed to calm down a little.

The rest of my school day went OK; we had a small group case presentation of a baby boy with a genetic defect in a enzyme necessary for digestion.  It was actually a somewhat interesting way to actually apply biochemistry.  Who knew that biochem could actually be applicable?!  I also had my interviewing final and got to ask a woman about her back pain. (This was not nearly as traumatic as sexual history day).

I rounded out the evening with some fun.  My small group had potluck (YUM!) and I made apple spice cupcakes.  (Once I frost them, pictures will come!)

I also have pictures to post from a trip I took to Fallingwater last weekend.  I promise they will come soon too!

Britt

PS - I'm headed home for Homecoming and birthday celebrations tomorrow! :-)

Kiss of death

Ohio State simply could not hold up to the pressure of being #1.  Seriously, that game was stress-inducing and ultimately heart-breaking.

I'm going to next week's game and I am still super excited, but it's a bummer to end the we-could-have-an-undefeated-season high.  Oh well, there's always next year.  And at least Michigan lost.

In other news, biochem has led me to experiment with some new study techniques.  Namely, missing more lectures and engaging in "self-directed study."  I think it's actually going OK, though.  We'll see soon enough, as the class is only 3 weeks long and our final is 12 days away!

FREE!

ANATOMY IS OVER!!!!!!!

Biochemistry is here and I have never been more excited to see chemical structures in a syllabus.  The oxygen molecules just looked so nice and friendly.

Also, as promised, here are my thoughts on The Social Network.  If you have a facebook account, you NEED to go see it.  It's so intriguing to learn about the beginnings of a website that I have literally wasted 100s of hours on.  It also has an amazing soundtrack and a great cast including a set of twins played by one actor (Parent Trap style!)

Pittsburgh's Piece of Buckeye Nation

Andrew was in this weekend, which means that I have more to say in this post than "I studied anatomy." Yay!

We kicked off the weekend with a trip to Mineo's - the pizza place we had enjoyed back in August. It was still delicious, and remains a top pick of mine in the city.  We also finished off season 2 of Dexter (my opinion - fantastic, but still not as a good as the first season).  Unfortunately, season 3 is NOT available on Netflix instant watch, so I'm going to have to physically have the DVD's sent to me. Boo.

On Saturday, we went to the OSU Alumni Club of Pittsburgh's game watch party.  Picture this: an Irish pub on the Southside of Pittsburgh filled with excited, scarlet-and-gray-wearing Buckeyes - Amazing!  The food there was also great, though I did get made fun of when I tried to order a gyro, and pronounced it the correct way (hyear-o).  The bartender's response, "I think you mean JAI - ROE.  You're in Pittsburgh, not Ohio."

Lesson #1 for the weekend: Ohio State pride is ubiquitous.

Lesson #2 for the weekend: I need some kind of translation guide for this city.

I also have to update you all on The Social Network, which Andrew and I saw last weekend - but no time for that now, as  I have to jet to acapella practice.

Until later!
Britt