Why is it that when I want to look at my blog, I sometimes get forwarded to Aaron's Bible? What the hell is this website and why is it hijacking my blog address?! People want to come to my site and read about sinful things (like how I live with my boyfriend and we're not married, and my pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-born-again-Christian views), not some website about leading people to Christ. Maybe Aaron chooses the particularly sinful sites to hijack. That makes me something of a rebel, I think. heh.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving. I spent the first part of the day with Ryan's family. They're a lively group. Aunt Pat and Uncle George were there. Uncle George worked on the admissions committee for Ohio State undergrad for years, and we like to have discussions regarding academia in general. The grandparents were all there, and it was nice to see them. Ry's mom cooked a fabulous dinner, and there are plenty of leftovers for us to take home. Plus, Ry's grandpa gave us each $20 in gas money. I left feeling very cheerful because I knew I would be able to make it home to Toledo without digging around for change in my car. I couldn't ask for nicer pseudo-in-laws.

Things at my mom's were the same as usual for the holidays. She makes the best apple pie, and there's plenty to take home. We had a family friend, Jeri, over. She is so argumentative it drives me crazy. By the end of the night, I wasn't checking my tongue as much as I usually do with her. She argued with me and I argued right back. My mom and I stayed up until about 4 am talking last night, and then I went to bed.

I tried to go study at Starbucks in Dearborn today, but it was so cold in there, I couldn't stand it. I came back to my mom's and I am procrastinating as I feared I would. It is nice to reflect a bit, though. I was feeling bummed out for some reason. Maybe it's the weather. I feel better now that I have brilliantly wasted my time on my blog.

That's about all. I just want to give a shout out to Diane, Dayna, and Kaya in Wisconsin. I hope you guys are having a great time!

2:48 PM

My boyfriend is the best. Here is a PG-rated list of things I like about him.

1.) He's my Agent One. We're a team.
2.) He gave me money to buy kleenex. It's the good kind, too. I have a cold.
3.) He cooks me dinner when I'm studying for my tests.
4.) He treats our cats like they're his children. It's very cute.
5.) He's always honest with me.
6.) He helps me keep our apartment clean to my overzealous specifications.
7.) He believes in me, even if I'm falling on my face at school.
8.) He calls when he says he's going to call, and does what he says he's going to do. I can depend on him.
9.) He gets out of bed to make me coffee and a lunch when I'm running late for school.
10.) He quizzes me on bacteria gram stain. It has to be boring to him, but he does it.
11.) I always miss him when he's gone, and I'm always glad when he comes home.
12.) He makes me feel beautiful and special.
13.) He listens to me rant about things like school, money, politics, etc.
14.) He moved to Toledo, away from his friends and family, for me. And, believe me, Toledo sucks.
15.) He likes to plan the future with me. He isn't scared, or commitment-phobic at all. He's sure about us.

I think I should stop here, if I want to keep my PG rating. I must say, I love this little home we've created for ourselves here. It's very serene, and it's a sanctuary for me. This is a fun time in my life, even though I'm running around like a fool half of the time for my classes. It wouldn't be half as fun if Ryan wasn't here living it with me. 9:45 PM

Bitch-ass strikes again!! When you register for step 1 of the USMLE, it's this big, involved process, which culminates in the National Board of Medical Examiners send you an orange slip of paper that is your magical key to schedule your test. I received said paper in the mail on Saturday. At our "information session" about the test, we were told that we could call the testing center on campus when we got our orange ticket. Therefore, I called on Monday. I do not want to be forced to take the test in May, when I will not be ready, or in July, when I will be back in school. It is important to me to get my test date settled so that I can plan my strategy for studying the material. So sue me. I like to plan. Anyway, when I called, Bitch-ass answered the phone. This is how it went:

Me: Hello. I'm a second year medical student, and I have received my scheduling permit from the NBME. I am calling to schedule my test date for Step 1.

Bitch-ass: Oh you are!

Me: Um. Yes. (Isn't this what I was supposed to do?)

Bitch-ass: in a condescending tone Well, we're going to be sending out an e-mail on Wednesday that includes instructions for scheduling, such as the scheduling process and what information is needed. How does that sound?

Me: confused I was supposed to call you there, instead of calling the Prometric system, right?

Bitch-ass: Well, we're not a Prometric center, as you may know.

Me: So, you want me to wait for this e-mail, and then call you back?

Bitch-ass: again, condescendingly That's right.

Anyway, I hung up, and I felt stupid. I don't know why. I did what I was supposed to do. We were not told that we had to wait for the magical e-mail as well as the magical scheduling permit. The e-mail was in my box this morning. It turns out, I had all of the information they wanted. This is why I was confused. I think the administration looks at us as a group of neurotic dumbasses. We're in such a hurry to schedule this test, which, by the way has far-reaching consequences on our careers, that we will lose our heads completely and not be able to recall our own names.

This woman, Bitch-ass, has been a giant pain in my ass since I started school at MCO. She runs the clinical skills center. She has a major pet peeve about people talking when she is talking. When she opens her mouth, you have to snap to attention or she will tell you to shut up. She has no patience at all. I think she must have been a grade school teacher at some point because she reminds me a lot of my 5th grade teacher. In any case, she's going to be tooling around the testing center when I am taking step 1, and she stresses me out. I'm not the only one she has been kind of mean to. She told my friends to shut up this summer, too. We don't like her. That's all. 11:42 AM

This was in the Toledo Blade on November 1, 2003.

High school girls chase, beat up sexual predator
PHILADELPHIA-- A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police said yesterday.

Rudy Susanto, 25, who had exposed himself to teenage girls on as many as seven occasions outside St. Maria Goretti School, struck again on Thursday just as students were being dismissed, police said.

This time girls in school uniforms confronted Susanto with help from some neighbors, police said. When he tried to run, more than 20 girls chased him down the block. Two men from the neighborhood caught him and the girls took their revenge.

Now, I do not condone violence under very many circumstances, but I could not help but feel proud of these girls. How many people get the opportunity to avenge themselves and their peers in this fashion? These girls are some tough bitches, and I think they're awesome.

I also remember some nagging information from my behavioral science class. This man probably suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, so he is ill. He should be receiving treatment, so he does not continue to be a danger to society (and himself.) I would like to know why he managed to get away with his crime 6 times without the police intervening. The article is brief, so I suppose the police could very well have intervened in the past. The information isn't in the piece; however, and I think it's safe to say that he was not properly rehabilitated. 4:15 PM