Random thoughts...

I was talking to my sweet roommate the other day, and she told me that she does not blog because she's kind of perfectionistic about her writing. As in, she doesn't want anything less than stellar out there for the general consumption. Which I totally understand. I like blogging, though. For one thing, I believe that my blog has a readership of five people, so the "general consumption" is awfully small. Also, I don't mind writing about silly things, and I know I have my fair share of mundane entries. It's just fun.

I went shopping the other day at the Gap and bought this sweet knit dress for $9.97. How cool is that? Pair it with my elbow length sweater (that I bought for 97 cents at Old Navy) and I can wear it to church. Which is what I did today. Along with some cute black flats that I scored at Payless....my whole outfit cost less that 20 dollars. And it's not frumpy at all. It's pretty awesome. I love bargain shopping. Save money and look different from everyone else!

Neurology is getting better. The students on my team rock, which always helps. Actually, everyone I've worked with all year has been pretty wonderful. I had an awfully blessed third year. Craziness. Plus, it was really cool to see seizures, since my mom has post brain surgery epilepsy (well controlled, though, and I've actually never seen her have a seizure). I'm going to the VA, next, which means more driving and less study time...but my attending is supposed to be spectacular. I've got to buckle down on the reading, though. I want to finish the year strong!

I can't wait to get back to pediatrics, though. I'm so, so excited about becoming a pediatrician. I had a very encouraging meeting with the department chairman, and he helped me come up with a list of residency programs. Since I don't want to go to the Northeast or Midwest, my options are somewhat limited (Pacific Northwest, Rockies, Southeast mostly). I would like to see mountains...I miss them. But I think I'll be fine. I made a list at the end of first year, which still lives essentially unchanged on my computer. I also have my recommendation letters, my personal statement is done, and my application is almost finished! Yeah! Feels good.

As most of my pals know, I have this newfound sort of obsession with "The Office." Which began with a teeny (ok big) crush on the character Jim, who pretty much sums up my ideal guy (funny, smart, caring, just enough flaws to be interesting). Then, I started watching more and more episodes and fell in love with the whole staff. I can't wait for Season 4. There is actually a song by the band Sweet Diss and the Comebacks (from Washington state) called "Pam Pong." If you watch the show (specifically "Office Olympics") you'll get the title. So cute. Anyway, as my friends Anna and Chaeli kindly pointed out, I have this tendency to become fixated on things...so I might need to abstain from "The Office." One last comment about the show, though...I think that whether a guy prefers Pam or Karen might say quite a bit about him. Seriously. Date screening question? No, I'm not quite that ridiculous. My roommate actually prefers Ryan over Jim, which I think is crazy. But to each his or her own, right?

I'm at Panera right now studying...and I see these ten year old girls with Coach hand bags and dresses that look way more expensive than anything I've ever owned...talking on their cellular phones. Seriously, Highland Park. Do your prepubescent daughters need multihundred-dollar purses? And what could they possibly need to talk about with their friends that couldn't wait until school? When I was their age, I wore whatever ultra-stylish skort/jumper combo my mom decided was appropriate. OK, soon after that I rebelled against the skort. But still, I'm 25 years old, and I just bought my first Coach purse. It was over 2/3 off, and I still agonized a bit over it. Honestly worth it though, and I don't plan on buying another handbag for a long time.

One last thing...my parents are getting divorced, which totally sucks. And sucks more and more all the time. Not remotely relevant to the above post, but somehow it feels good to get it into the "general consumption," small as it may be. See, blogging is good for something, even if that something is self-serving "type-therapy."