Wa-frickin-hoo!!!! The beast of a test (aka MCAT) is finally buried and done with! I have never studied so hard for one test in my whole life or needed to score so well on one test, so I am hoping everything turns out for the good. All I can do now is pray to the scoring gods that my raw score will convert into a high score and med schools will see my brilliance (or semi-smarts). I celebrated for less than 24 hours though as it was back on the thesis-writing horse today. And of course, I saved the hardest part for last, the part with all sorts of obscure parts of fly neuroanatomy and really long words. I am really going to celebrate when this baby is done!

In other news, people who know my sister know that she is wickedly talented, but now she is putting it out there for the whole world. Check out her work at photojojo.com...so cool. I wish I was that technically/mechanically gifted. I was so proud of her when I was in a San Francisco hardware store and she was using all these crazy terms. Also, congrats to her for being a finalist for the Ruth Lilly poetry prize. I am keeping my fingers crossed for ya sis!

Also, I saw the best movie of the summer "Brideshead Revisited" a few nights ago and can't stop thinking about it. I found this awesome interview with the star of the movie, Matthew Goode. I think all interviews should be conducted with wine!

Well, the biggest test of my life is only 6 days away and I have to say, I am staying pretty (shockingly) calm. I haven't seen very much sunlight since I returned from San Francisco last week, however, as I have been hiding out in the library. KW once told me that I looked like an ewok and now I feel like one...a library ewok to be more precise. One thing I can say for all this studying, my brain feels sharper than ever. I helped M with a crossword puzzle last night and the answers were coming to me faster than ever before and I can do math in my head in a cinch.

Outside of being a library loser/ewok: I had a fabulous trip to San Francisco last week. There is nothing better than hanging out (i.e eating and drinking too much, and watching too many movies) with your sister in such an awesome city. We even scoped out sites for her wedding. Exciting! Here is a picture of the gorgeous beach that is just 10 minutes from their apartment!

Writing a thesis

So, it turns out that writing a thesis is not a piece of cake. I naively thought that a few days of writing would result in a lovely little thesis, but hahaha...the joke was on me! My desk right now is scattered with hundreds of pages of fly and parkinson's disease literature that I have read or need to read, and four huge books filled with everything from fixative recipes to neuroanatomy of cholaminergic cell bodies to the history of parkinson's disease. It is sort of exciting to be mired in all of this crazy shit, but at the same time, not so fun. Here is a list of the most important things you need by your side when trying to write a thesis:

1. A good dictionary and thesaurus
2. Plenty of diet coke, preferably in an iv (or if its the morning, freshly ground coffee)
3. A nice selection of Swedish, Swiss, and organic chocolate
4. No-bake cookies (a chocolately oatmeal confection)
5. A bottle of ibuprofen
6. A pillow for taking 5 minute cat naps
7. An awesome Pandora radio station (this is the best invention since the iPod)
8. A healthy stack of trashy gossip magazines (my personal favorite is US Weekly) to prevent the mind from becoming too serious
9. A nice dosage of anti-anxiety medication to take the edge off of genetic perfectionism
10. Ten limber fingers

Bundle of Nerves

You know you are nervous for the MCAT when the sight of an expiration date on a milk carton sends you into a panic attack. Yes, this happened to me at the grocery store yesterday. The milk carton's AUG 6 sent me into a fit of hysteria because that is the day after the most (okay not the most, but one of the most) important days of my life. I think all standardized tests are diabolical and especially the MCAT. Do none of the hundred or so tests I took in college even matter? Aaargh...I just have to call on Jesus now folks. Whew.

Back to Blonde

(Yes, I am this vain). So for the past 22 of my 23 years I have been blonde. One day my hair just decided it would be fun to turn me into a dishwater blonde...not so cool! I thought the sun this summer would help, but my hair was only becoming browner. So, I took matters into my own hands and dyed my hair back to blonde. It turned out a little strawberry blonde, but at least it is lighter. Like I said, I know I am vain to worry about my hair color, but now I feel more like myself and that is a good thing!

Mystery!

Oh Good Lord..my favorite show is back on the air!! I am sort of ashamed to admit that my favorite show is also my grandparents' favorite show, but yes, Mystery! Masterpiece is pretty damn brilliant. I have to say Inspector Lewis is not nearly as hot as Inspector Lynley, but the shows are still great. Love it. (Mike, next time that I am in SF we are going to have a Mystery marathon when B is at work!)

Heat Sucks

It is now that time of year that I hate the most: the endless days of polluted, 95+ degree heat. The kind of heat that slows the brain, makes my energy go poof, and really makes me hate Utah. This heat is just what kills summer for me. I know it could be worse though. I have lived in Louisiana where the heat sticks with you all day and night long via your own personal muggy bubble and never lets go. But there is something about the dying grass and the high temps and the polluted air that makes summer in Utah so depressing. And, I hate air conditioning! Argh, all of these conditions led to me having a swear fest on Sunday afternoon...not pretty! But, I am trying valiantly to regain my control over the heat. I will not let it get the best of me! Well, maybe for the 10 minutes that it took me to write out this pity-party of a post:)