Well it's been a whirlwind few days here in the bay area. We toured Sacramento on Tuesday, trekked and ate our way through SF on Wednesday and yesterday headed for a tour of presidio park and the Napa Valley wineries. Last night we also had a beautiful Persian meal courtesy of Shaghayegh's grandparents. Yum. :)
So all in all it's been a lot of fun. tonight I head to Santa Monica for the weekend. ¶ 12:12

Golden Gate Bridge  ¶ 12:11

Presidio Park by the Golden Gate Bridge  ¶ 12:10

At Powell and Lombard near Fisherman's wharf.   ¶ 12:08

**poof** Abi returns to the world of the living. :) I'm done!! HIP HIP HOORAH. thanks you guys for all the encouragement and faith that I'd get through. I seriously thought i wouldn't make it. 6 weeks will tell, so I haven't stopped praying yet. I have to make it right? How can i not with so many people to help me get through it (now if i could have brought just a few of you with me to help me answer some of these questions on my test....) But yes, I am just starting to adjust to the drastic changes in the last few days. No more studying! I dont know what to do with myself. The past two days I've been with my baby brother at his *gasp* college orientation! :) He's all registered for his classes and I'm helping him figure out how to get a good deal on his books, getting him all organized (i love stationary, hehe). Monday I'm off to the Grand Canyon and when I return 3rd year begins. Boy does time fly. I need to learn arabic and finish my fulbright application by then, hehe. LIfe goes on and I'll be back to my nl manic rhythm in just a few days. ¶ 22:06

The clock is ticking. 4 days left to study 5 days til my exam. The edges of panic are starting to creep into my psyche. I've so far avoided major panic episodes by simply avoiding all calendars in the house :) I feel like I've gone through a mountain of information, retained only an anthill proportion of that information, and have yet another mountain to get through before 9:30 am wednesday morning. As scary as the test is, it's also a wall that separates me from clinical medicine. I think the thought of starting rotations this july is far more frightening than any old 8 hr test.
Well, thanks to all of you faithful compadres who have been a constant source of information, laughter, and encouragment. much appreciated! ¶ 22:24

USMLE Rainbows

Red man Syndrome: rapid infusion of vancomycin
Orange body fluids: Rifampin
Yellow: Jaundice from various liver and gallbladder disorders
Green Urine: eating asparagus
Blue: Smurf skin caused by Amiodarone toxicity
Purple/Indigo: port wine stain birthmark

who knew our bodies could turn such funny colors...you can actually probably make a chart of just urine color changes (even pink!) and their associated foods and drugs. ¶ 13:06

hello world from sunny (as far as i can tell through the windows from my corner of the house)Florida. My studying is slowing down from the frantic pace I started at. It's been nice to have time to myself and to focus on a single task. It's strange to be back with my family. I've forgotten how high-energy my mother could be. It's like having a tornado whoosh in and out of the room. 8 am. WHOOSH. "Abi make breakfast! do you want coffee? Where's your brother? why aren't you studying? Get a piece of paper and make a grocery list! Whoosh and in seconds she's off to the laundry room or in her room to get ready for work or doing some crazy manic vaccuuming of the living room fireplace mantle with her handy little hand-held mini-vac. All day it's like this, so i often head for cover and run off to the one nad only bookstore and the one and only coffee shop in town- Books a Million. There I sit and try to study instead of watching the funny parade of people that come by my little corner table (i like corners to studying in, they make me feel safe :)) A little boy begging his hassled mom for a puppy while she juggles a toddler in her arms and a baby in a stroller. "please mom. I'll take care of it. he'll protect the house from burglars and he can stay my room. I'll take care of him, I promise!" poor lady. then i turn around and look at two rather large kids sipping on their extra-large mocha frappucino with whipped cream and chocolate syrup make light saber noises and exchange cards (yu-gi-oh perhaps?). Or there's the "i just came from the beach and I'm so cool" types with their long shorts, tank tops, and shades strut around the magazine section. Boy...I guess I'm not getting much studying done, aye? Better hit the books again, I heard something about pharmacology.... ¶ 19:29