700am – get up (coffee, feed/wrassle with pups)
the window above my headboard faces east and i get bright sunshine as soon as it’s available. i love it. and 7am may sound early, but that’s sleeping in for three whole hours compared to the rest of the week. this morning the pups and i played with paper towel tubes while i cleaned out their ears with a little apple cider vinegar and warm water.
730am – breakfast (cereal, multi-vitamin & email)
i am a breakfast person. i love cereal. on school days, i’ll often have two bowls (or one cereal, one oatmeal) before i hop on the bike. we also know i love coffee and right about now is when i’ll have a second cup.
800am – anatomy (pelvis, perineum, lower limb)
i like to start and end my day with anatomy because it is so heavy on the memorization. so for the first 2 hours on a Sunday, you’ll find me comparing and contrasting in-class PowerPoint presentations with Gray’s Anatomy and Netter’s information. i have wonderful little flashcards that i scribble all over and use to jog my retention later. this morning i reviewed the pelvis and perineum stuff from last week and read ahead for next week’s lower limb lectures.
10am – 30 minute break
now is when i do things like start writing this post. or quickly flip through email. or have another bowl of cereal. or run around the yard with the dogs. this morning i also tested a couple of internet-suggested frog repellent techniques. will post more info if they work tonight (the chirping siren usually starts shortly after dark). i also spent 15 mins uploading a couple of videos from Zambia to YouTube and editing the one from today of Lulu and Fonzie playing.
1030am – histology (review block 1 & 2)
my weekend schedule usually alternates 2 hours of anatomy with 2 hours of histology and a 30 minute break in-between. sometimes i’ll work straight through for 4 hours and put those two 30 minute breaks together so i have a whole hour. sometimes i’ll stop earlier and work longer later. you get the picture. it’s flexible. i like having a schedule, but the exact details aren’t written in stone. this morning i reviewed material from block 1 & 2.
1230am – another 30 minute break
time to run to the corner store. or throw in a load of laundry. or (more likely) have a 20 minute nap. today i spent the entire time wrestling with a hand-pump that i apparently no longer know how to use because it seems to be taking more air OUT of my stupid tire than putting in.
1pm – embryology (review block 1 & 2)
for every one hour in class, i like to spend two hours studying outside of class. embryo only meets three times a week (Tues, Wed, Thurs) for one hour. which means i should be spending 6 hours of my own time reviewing. 3 of those are usually on the mornings before those classes and the other 3 usually end up on the weekend. we didn’t have much new material last week, so today was mostly looking over old stuff again.
2pm – break
if i didn’t nap at 1230pm, then i’m definitely napping now. if i DID nap at 1230pm, i might have another. or i might hang that load of laundry to dry.
230pm – anatomy again
since i read ahead earlier today, i’ll use this time to review. i need to retain that block 1 and 2 stuff for the cumulative theory final. can’t blank out the brachial plexus just yet!
430pm – break
drive-by the inbox and check cell text messages to see if Jonathan is home for an iChat. more eating (second feeding for the pups) and drinking. sit outside and watch the palm trees wave at me. talk to the goats on their afternoon migration through my front yard. listen to the one lost and forlorn goat desperately calling for the others. space out. let my brain wander. and continue fighting with that stupid air pump.
500pm – histo again
since i reviewed earlier today, i’ll use this time to read ahead. tonight’s topics include classification of exocrine glands, structures of the oral cavity, and development of teeth. oh, whattheheck, i’ll read on to esophagus, stomach, and the intestinal tract too. in the evening, i usually study on the veranda until the sun goes down and the bugs come out.
700pm – break (dinner, finish writing this post)
tonight i’m having my specialty for dinner: giant bowl of spaghettini with jar of name-brand tomato sauce. add a dash of chili peppers and garlic – voila! there’s a mini frozen Twix bar for dessert and this evening’s drink special is tap water from the fridge. it’s so gourmet, i feel like i’m back in Yaletown.
730pm – anatomy
yup, again. tonight i plan to watch a dissection video for the anterior hip and thigh compartment. getting ready for my turn with the cadaver tomorrow afternoon.
800pm – r&r (distract those brain cells)
i don’t have a TV here and really don’t miss it. usually occasionally i’ll spend an hour in the evenings on weekends watching a downloaded show (ie: Grey’s or House) or reading a non-school book. the latter is very rare. often i’m so sick of reading, i just want to let my neurons go numb for 30 or 40 minutes. tonight i plan to catch up with the latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” — definitely no thinking required there!
900pm – flashcard review (set alarm, put in earplugs)
i’m careful about what i put in my brain right before i sleep. i would rather be consolidating information on the neurovascular supply of the anterior thigh compartment than details about George and Izzy. this is usually an hour of review and memory jogging done lying in bed. lights out around 10pm and looking forward to that 4am alarm.
… notice anything missing from my day?
i have time for coffee and laundry and a bit of blogging/email. i have time to upload photos, sit outside and play with the pups. i even have time to make dinner and watch a TV show. and there’s 10 1/2 hours of studying up there!
so what’s missing… ?
yup, you’re right. not a single minute for other people in real life. i am obviously social and friendly on campus, but… i like that the weekends belong to me. does this solitude bother me? not a bit. should it bother me? probably. will i start to worry about it when it’s too late? most likely.
Your discipline is remarkable, but it is good to see that you leave room for flexibility and some down-time too. I’m sure the puppies help keep you from being TOO focused!
Conversations with goats and tree-frogs don’t sound too bad either…certainly not the same as time with people, but in a period of extreme productivity, probably far less distracting.
From your posts, I am starting to think of med school as a sort of marathon – you certainly keep a winning pace!
Too many breaks, slacker.