Alright, an update is overdue, I admit it. It's been a while, and blogging has been on the backburner for me, primarily because I feel like I have no interesting updates. Things are going great, but it's just been the same-old, same-old stuff.

Anatomy is my favorite class right now. I enjoy studying for it, and the labs are a blast. However, I have had a minor allergic reaction to formaldehyde, which is putting a small damper on things. I'm hoping that the issue will resolve itself shortly. Our first test isn't until two Mondays from now, so I probably be getting behind on it over the next few days in order to study for the upcoming Biochem and Genetics tests (this Tuesday). And I also have to travel to Tupelo tomorrow to run a marathon early on Sunday morning.

So my free time for the weekend will probably consist of the evening off tonight (probably go to the movies), driving to and from Tupelo, and running the marathon. Other than that, I'm going to try and get some good studying in.

Biochemistry isn't too bad. It's not uninteresting material, it's just that I don't feel like it's incredibly relevant to clinical medicine. I know it will help to understand diseases, but I think I could still be a competent doctor if I understood everything from a level above the biochemical level. I need to know this stuff for the big ol' STEP test, though, so I'll learn it, and try to do so happily.

Genetics is interesting to me, despite the fact that I've only attended 1 out of the 6 or 7 lectures we've had. I've been trying to wade through the 350 or so powerpoint slides that we'll be tested on on Tuesday, trying to figure out how much of it I want to learn. I would love to learn it all, but the class as a whole is only 2 percent of our overall grade for the year (biochemistry is 20%), and that will definitely be a factor in my studying.

I've barely thought about developmental anatomy so far. We have a test in it the same day as our anatomy test, so I'll be looking at it next week as well. Again, I know I should be interested in this material, but I'm really not. I think I could do fine without knowing a lot of it.

Physiology will be starting up in the next few weeks. I'm excited about that, both because I love the subject, and because I like all the professors that I've met in the department (except for one, who won't be teaching any of our classes).

Ever since we've started school, I've had this feeling that I want to do more than just study. I want to be involved in things outside of classroom work, and I think that I might just have a chance. We had a lunch today where the M2-M4 class officers came and spoke to us about their roles on campus and within the class. It's been odd, but I've had several people ask me over the last few days if I was going to be running for president. It threw me off, but not because I hadn't considered it before. I just figured that some of the older students in the class would want to do it, and I thought I'd defer to them. But I think I've decided I'm going to run. It's no big deal if I don't get it, and I think I'll run regardless of who runs against me. I'm totally fine if people don't vote for me, but I know that it's something I would enjoy doing, and it would be a great way to serve my fellow classmates.

So that's what I've been doing. School mostly, but also a healthy chunk of free time as well. Definitely enough to keep me sane. Plus, keeping up with the exercise and the 8 hours of sleep per night is invaluable.

I wrote this all very quickly, and I'm too lazy to proofread it right now, so I apologize for the inevitable errors that this blog entry is sure to contain.

So long.

Oh, and an addendum. I went to the orthodontist, and apparently I need braces. I know it's ten years late, and I'll be like a little kid, but whatever. My bite is slightly off on the left and right sides, and if I don't do something about it, apparently the enamel will wear on one side and create a lot of problems later on. So those are going on in 10 days. On the positive side, the orthodontist I happened to go to is a very strong Christian and I know his son, who plays soccer for Belhaven. He said that because I'm medical student, he's giving me a discount. And it's an incredible one.