I finally got to take mom to see the cherry blossoms

Unsuccessful self-portrait

Slightly more successful self-portrait

Mom by the Jefferson memorial

They were just soooooo beautiful

Kitchen knives in purses and other stupidities

I have been having a wonderful birthday. I appreciating being 28, a transition between years which is relatively easy, not a completely major adjustment. I am still young (despite the comments of a few irritating co-workers) and have a lot of time ahead to explore.

Mom flew in on Tuesday afternoon just in time for a birthday dinner. I had jokingly told Merissa and Mari I wanted Popeyes for dinner and they went overboard and took me to Nora. I admit a small group fried chicken dinner isn't exactly out of the ordinary, but Restaurant Nora maybe overboard!

For those of you familiar with Merissa's goings-ons, I will say her recent troubles make me realize what brilliant lawyer I could be if I just had the patience and the desire to sacrifice my life to argument. Doing research on a subject quickly (1-2 day period) and doing it every day is another story.

Alright, down to the headline story. Yes, I commited a complete betise and put a kitchen knife in my purse. Merissa gave it to me for my birthday Tuesday night. So when I decided to make this fabulous wild rice salad I wanted to use the new Santoku knife. Mom and I went grocery shopping nuts. Food for the century except focused on perishables (yeah fruit and veggies!). But in line to pay I reach into my purse for my Safeway card, totally forgetting the knife.

I tried to downplay how deep I thought it might be. After all, I was in a Safeway in DC. I didn't exactly want to admit I carried a big kitchen knife in my purse because I am a complete idiot. Nobody freaked out, but I did get tons of free bandaids from the store manager, who now knows who I am and thinks I am a dufus but NOT potentially homicidal (which is good, because that is the best grocery store in DC!). I kept asking the manager, really pleasantly and jokingly, for gauze or something. He kept offering bandaids or alcohol wipes. Finally we managed paper towels.

Another adventure with Malia. Good times.

Slacking on the blogging. . . ugh, that rhymes

So I have been slacking on the blogging. I am sorry. Things have been going ok. Just bumping along. I have had a wonderful new addition to my housekeeping routine, namely a bialetti coffee pot. For those of you unfamiliar it is a on stove coffee maker that heats the water up through the grounds into the top compartment. This makes really wonderful coffee without the bitter after taste of french press or some of the other options that have water spending too long on the grounds. It also makes pretty strong coffee. And I can now down it with the best of them! I am drinking way more, which is bad, I know.

On other fronts, tests start again this week. A little early because of the holiday. So friday is a bio test again and monday another orgo test. I am soooo excited about the fact the end of the semester is coming soon. Time has really flow by. I am just praying really hard that I unexpectedly get really, really, really good grades this semester. I know that if I did, it would be undeserved at this point. I have just been squeaking by.

Samantha came this weekend after all. Which I have really enjoyed. Having a best friend around to do nothing with (or something) is nice. Comfortable. Except when she yells at you in the morning to get to school on time like today. Which I did. First time in a long time that I have gotten to physics before he started lecturing. Don't you hate it when people are right!?

Mom went home on Wednesday, which was hard because that was also fun and convenient. But probably a little bad for the studying, although she did get me on track with my biology lab and helped me sound out alot of ideas for a paper I wrote on disparity in healthcare (don't ask me anything about that right now, I will talk forever and be really frustrated and mad at how bad it really is. Maybe in a few months I will calm down!)

I am really tired. I wish I could just feel like I am running at normal speed at least 25% of the time but I feel like I rarely hit my good stride. I found a job at National Children's Hospital which would be on call assisting shifts in the Heme-Onc ward. I am thinking about applying. It maybe good to get me back in my stride at a hospital. Remind me that I really am good at high stress situations. Alright I am an adrenaline junky who needs a fix, but can you blame me!?

Oh, pray that this cold that has been hanging around will not fully develop. I need all the energy I can get.

Writing a paper . .

You know what happens when you write a paper on an interesting topic? You learn too much about it and can't keep it down to 4 pages. Who asks for a 4 page paper any way? Honestly, that is nothing! Especially when you are asking a class full of students intending to go into medicine about medical ethics and issues.

Mom went home yesterday. It was a wonderful time. I have been trying to upload pictures and videos but my stupid Comcast internet goes down every time I try to do anything big. I am determined to find a new provider but that would involve time . . . and that is in short supply.

I am . . . ok. I am hoping to go well here. I am hoping to pull something out, but . . . its been a rough semester.

In other things, family life has been a bit interesting. Cross your fingers or pray. I want peace to reign again in all my acquaintances, friends, and family. No more crisis.