Just some thoughts on the day

A good day, sirs and madams

First Lasik- the procedure is SCARY. The doctor and technicians were all very professional, clearly experts, and very very good about talking me through what was going on IN MY EYES, but it was IN MY EYES!!! It was so scary. Never again. Not that I really can...except maybe after the whole old age bifocal-needing time comes around the bend...but I think I'll pass.

I've been following all the steps post-surgery and went to one post-op appointment already (everything checks out! whew), but it's so strange because I'm so used to wearing contacts- I've worn them for almost a decade. My eyes are still recovering but it's just...weird...awesome, but weird to think that I can see with my own eyes like this. The whole night-halo thing isn't bad at all either- lights are a little brighter with a bit more of a ring, but I actually think it's quite pretty.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, right after my surgery, starting on the car ride back to my apt, my eyes started having this burning sensation that was no fun at all. Took 3 tylenol pm and said g'night. But the burning was no good.

Spent the weekend helping Morgan and his now former roomies move. So...much...stuff...I'll say this for sure- I don't want to have that much stuff until I have a permanent abode or can afford movers!!!

Besides waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to go to Mountain View and drive Morgan to the airport, today was a good, relaxing day. Also, while Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels are amazing, I would not recommend the Blueberry combined with Chocolate chip cream cheese. Too sweet. It's like a roomful of Hello Kitty dolls and big eyes bunnies; overkill.

Lasers in your eyes

I'm so nervous! I'm getting Lasik this morning! Going to have to have my eyes closed for most of the rest of today so...needless to say, no blogging. I can't believe I'm getting Lasik! A friend pointed out that you get to watch yourself getting lasik...like, you can see the lasers! I know it ought to be a "duh" moment, but I hadn't even thought of it!! It's SO TRUE.

Also, Lily is back from Japan for 2 weeks! Hooray for Lily! We hung out briefly yesterday and she heroically fought jet lag to walk around downtown California Ave with me and split an Izzy's bagel. I'll have to visit her in Santa Cruz, once I have wonderful contact-less eyesight back...just like in golden years of my youth. Sigh/reminiscence.

LASERS!!!! NERVOUS.

Me want chocolate

ME WANT CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but none to be had... :(

I done goshdarn done it

I read the last Harry Potter! Finished it yesterday at 3 am. Surprised at some bits, but not at others. I didn't really like the ending/epilogue thing. I thought more could have been explained...but that's that. Nada mas! They're going to have a helluva time working that one out into a movie, I tell ya that.

Saturday: What else? Had lunch at Pluto's with Natalya, Christina and Craig. It was nice to catch up and hear how things are going. Natalya's lawyer-training seems to be going well, but if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm really glad I never went into law. It just doesn't mesh with what I want for a career. P.S. if you're going to have lunch with that crowd, be 30 min late and you'll be just on time. I missed that memo :-P but it did give me more time to read HP7.

Saturday afternoon/evening: Went to SF MOMA with Morgan. This confused me when we got there because Morgan had suggested going, but he definitely does NOT like modern art. Truth be told, neither do I- I just don't get it. There was one exhibit of three canvases painted white. That was it. I like the really wacky ones that sort of make you go, eh?! and think a little, but some of the other ones (as Morgan puts it) just look like the artist got lazy. I really liked some of the photographs though. Especially one of this woman jumping over a puddle- she looks a bit like Mary Poppins, floating midair. P.S. If curious, the exhibition is featuring Matissee right now.

After that, with plenty of time to kill before dinner, we wandered up to union square, went into Borders so I could read some more HP7, then walked in almost a circle because Morgan was lost (ADMIT IT! It's true) and made it to E&O Trading Post for dinner. The set-up for the restaurant is really nifty- with wooden birdcages hanging from the ceiling, and giant lanterns. We had this portabello mushroom appetizer that was soooooo delicious, as well as really good calamari. I'm afraid nearly all restaurants make drinks too strong for me though, so the pomegranate margarita I had made me really glad that the "atmospheric" lighting was on the dark side.

Sunday: Morgan and I loaded up his truck and drove up to Redding. It took a while. We got to his parent's house, unloaded his stuff, and I played with the dogs a bit (Oakley, who's white/blond and cah-razy, and Deek who's older with cataracts and a very mournful expression). It was really hot up in Redding, but not as bad as the last time we were there, when I got to try to waterski! We ran to the store, made sure his stuff was packed right, and I watched some Law & Order while Morgan set-up the DVD and surround sound media system for his folks. His parents came back, plus Morgan's cousin Alli (person! not weight loss supplement), who was visiting for the week. Alli's into the whole punk scene and had this cool sort of scraggly blond hair with the ends dyed pink. We all piled in the car and drove to a nice little Italian restaurant to have dinner, where Mason (Morgan's younger brother) joined us. It was a good dinner, and by the time we hit the road again, it was pretty late, but we made it! Kind of sick of long car trips though.

Need to work on the paper for lab...sigh.

Quick half-hearted rant

Does anyone else think they could have splurged a little for a better cover on the VERY LAST HARRY POTTER book? No offense to the cover artist, but I think it's kind of ugly. The 4th book cover is my favorite.

I'm dying to read the last book!!!!!!!!!!!

Blarg...all captions

Crap, I totally forgot how to add photos. I don't even have Picasa anymore.

Waiting for Harry, working on paper

I guess I've already lied about that whole "posting something everyday" bit- I completely forgot about it yesterday.

As a side note, Trader Joe's Mocha European style nonfat yogurt is AMAZING. I've been eating it for months now and I've yet to get sick of it. I absolutely love love love it. The green tea is also good, but the chocolate is sometimes in neck and neck competition with the mocha, no lie. Unfortunately, I had the bad luck of going when they ran out of it. I like these yogurts even better than the more expensive European yogurts-in-a-jar, although the ginger and cinnamon was good. In general, I'm a fan of Trader Joe's. I'm also hooked on their popsicles- the Cafe Latte kind. It's a bit less creamy than the Starbucks kind my mom used to buy, but deliciously refreshing. Hm. I save those for post-gymming. Reminds me of that whole cigarette after sex thing, minus the cigarette or the sex, and less dirty/bad for you.

Oh! Craig posted his pics from our Macon trip. They can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/craigchen/Macon?authkey=QwaXZfiKSC8. Sadly, no pictures of the trompe l'oeil, since they weren't allowed in Hays House.

Not much else going on. I'm afraid that between gushing about food and watching cable shows about famous stick-figure peoples, it's a rather slow (if relaxing) existence. I am going to go to Falk center around noon to hear what may be an interesting talk on stem cell therapy and heart disease. Maybe gymming, a popsicle, and helping Morgan's roomies move (or not? depends on the time).

But really, I'm just waiting for Harry!! Gotta love Costco.

The year and a half gap...

Yes, yes...it's been a little over a year and a half since I last posted anything. I just got caught up with, er, not posting. And stuff.

Well, the sort story is, graduated in 2006, worked in lab for a year, and now I'm freeeeee!!!

For a few weeks anyways.

I'm supposed to be writing a paper for lab but instead I've been slacking off, sleeping, reading Harry Potter, dragging my lazy butt to the gym to hog to elliptical (I ADMIT IT! I'm sorry!), and eating. It's a vicious cycle of laziness. But I am a woman reformed! Will be doing the necessary online research and writing and all that good stuff, starting tomorrow. I even cracked a book a looked at a little clinical anatomy today. It's really reassuring how familiar much of the stuff is, but disturbing how freakin' long the chapters in the book that I have are. If that makes sense. Med school is going to be like that but expanded until you feel like your brain is oozing out of your ears like jelly. Grape jelly. Not raspberry jelly. Although delicious, that would be gross.

In the past year, I've also been able to go to Japan and Taiwan! Writing up the events from those travels would take FOREVER and I'd have to write the time spent writing it as more "meaningless slacking" time. I think I did end up writing about it in my journal, but butter my buns and call me Sally if you think I'm posting that! Ha! My good friend Kim (who I really just don't see often enough!) won't read people's blogs because she thinks they're like diaries and too personal. BELIEVE ME, this is NOT like my diary/journal/thingie. You would know the difference.

I also got to go to Macon, Georgia to visit my friend David, and hang out with fellow former Oxford friends Craig and Taylor. Craig moonlights as a lab buddy, and Taylor part-times as my former sophomore college roommate. We had a blast, ate far too much fried food (including green tomatoes which you have have have to try if you get the chance), frolicked on the beach, drove for hours through what I could swear to be an infinite forest of pine trees, were called "Miss Christine" and "Mr. Craig" and much much more. I posted pics on facebook. There was also a lot of ridiculousness and a lip synching music video we made to "The Little Mermaid" which will hopefully never see the light of youtube. Because I'm kind of embarrassed now. About it. Er.

Oh! And the whole pre-med thing is now officially OVER! I'm a pending medical student! At Stanford! Yay! Most of me is overjoyed and relieved to go to Stanford but then other bits of me are rebelling and feeling tired and jaded of ol' Cardinal central. I think it's just the feeling that everyone has gone and I'm still here. By the time I've graduated, I'll have spent almost a decade here! My gosh. I can barely count my life in decades. If you do the math, the resutling percentage is astounding. I'm not very good at mental math though (shhhh!).

After visiting home, I've realized that Cali weather is much much nicer. It actually gets cool here during the day, even if it's nice and sunny. Plus, FAR less mosquitoes.

Will post more tomorrow!