I only came home to change my clothes...

I woke up to head to my Oral Diagnosis rotation. It only takes up the morning. I fully intended to change into sweats and then head back to school. Or perhaps pretend to exercise for a minute and then head to school. I wanted to go to that Oral Path review session. I needed some productive group study. I texted back and forth with Derrick and Lucinda. But when it came right down to it, I stayed exactly where I was. In my bed. I couldnt convince myself to leave. I knew that life outside of my bed existed. I knew that my productivity outside of my bed existed. But no amount of self-badgery could convince me to move. I had chosen my spot and wanted nothing more than to die in this spot. So it is hours later and I'm still debating blowing off my study group so I can stay right where I am. Great. I'm quite the student. 

Hello From Brookline

Dental school is the most challenging thing I've done in my life thus far. And sometimes I get supremely frustrated when people who have not experienced something of this nature try to relate. Because unless you've done it yourself, you really have no idea. And its not that I mean to belittle the struggles other people go through but freak - dental school is hard and its not like undergrad was some cake walk. Yes the classes are hard, but its more than that. Its the constant barrage of new things and the sheer amount of things to learn - spending only enough time on one thing to say we've "learned it" before moving onto another thing. There's so much to take in and there just isnt alot of time. And the feeling of mastery is something I only vaguely recall. It can be so frustrating because daily I feel like I know nothing and am unprepared for the moment of being the "expert".  Expectations are high - from others and myself. Because what I learn isnt just something that can be learned for the tests - I need the information for practical applications.

Luckily, along with my ever increasing anxiety issues, are daily moments where I look around me, at the group of people I've found in Boston and am filled with such gratitude. We spend hours upon hours gathered together going through the seemingly impossible amount of information thats needed to be learned. And instead of being miserable, I find myself happy lately. They make surviving dental school doable. Group studying was never my thing during Undergrad (mostly cause I never talked to anyone in my classes) but it has become my favorite thing here. Because instead of feeling completely isolated, frustrated and alone, I learn the material and actually have fun. We create funny inside jokes, and keep each other motivated. And more often than not I end up laughing till my face hurts. Its just nice to know that I am not alone - there are people who understand. It seems such a small thing to have someone to talk to about all the pulls of my attention, but its become something so paramount. Having people who hear not just what I'm saying but understand the stress and pressure that comes with it.

Basically I adore my friends.

Studying=Rollcoaster Ride

I love group study.

SO MUCH.

I'm Still Listening I Swear!

Class Paint

Anybody who knows me well, knows that I get nervous to try new things.

Doesnt matter if I know in the end I'll like it. The thought of those awkward

few moments of not knowing what to do and looking stupid generally have

me avoiding new situations. I need a friend to be there and tell me to be brave.

Ironic that for such a little risk-taker - I'm also a total wuss.

So when our class decided to go paintballing, I immediately deleted the email.

Paintballing is intimidating. With their guns and masks - and for heavens sake, I had no idea what to wear. It just was easier to decide I'd rather spend a quiet day at home, than to face a rush of insecurity.

It's probably for the best that I have such an active crew who love to try new things. Cause left on my own I most definitely would not have gone. But when Dee mentioned she was interested in going and then decided she was definitely going - I put my anxiety aside and agreed to go. And since I made plans with Dee, Amit and Seth, I couldnt back out when I started to panic.

And I'm glad I didnt. We didnt stay till the end (cause we were going to Connecticut for wings for Amit's birthday) but I had a lot of fun. I dont know why I let my little anxieties erase my memories of how much I like doing fun activities. I even got Amit to mercy surrender to me! It was a great morning.

(Me, Amit, Adam Garaas, Seth, Dee)

Seriously. How Bad A are we?

Answer: Not nearly as intimidating as the twelve year old with his automatic

paint ball gun, who warmed up with his finger roll triggering and aiming at us.

Winter and Waterton I

Please Be In Love With Me.

Alberta is AMAZING.

Rrroar.

Want Teeth?

I can do that.

Yup today's Remo (aka making dentures) featured yours truly placing teeth.

Does it look like it took forever?

Cause it did. Those twelve little teeth caused me to lose my pants (it was hot working with bunsen burners - dont worry I still had another layer on) and work silently for > 4.5 hours.

But I'm not completely unpleased

with the result.

The placement looks alright.

Too bad I have no idea what the

point of this is.

Cause this doesnt go in the patients mouth... seeing as it isnt the real denture.

Please ignore that I am hideous today. But I have no idea how people that make dentures do it. Its takes so freaking long. I dont even know how I'm gonna do it for my practical.

In other news - it is freezing in Boston. Ok not snowing. But really cold!

Ok I'm a wuss now. Dont judge.

And I re-discovered why I bought my winter jacket last year.

I love it and its cozy warmth.

Fridays are Funny

A few things made this Friday interesting:

1. Dr. Brown (in the striped shirt) runs our fixed class. Ya know the class where we learn how to do crowns and bridges. He is most definitely the coolest prof we've got.

He asked for volunteers on Friday to give us a visual on bridges and cantalevers.

Derrick Call and Nick Snider and Ivy Lipman got volunteered by the people sitting around them.

This is them demonstrating why a bridge is so strong. Derrick and Nick were the crowned teeth and Ivy was the rootless pontic that sits above the space in the mouth.

This is them post-showing why a cantalever is not as strong. Nick was supposed to hold Ivy up and Derrick was supposed to support him from behind. It was ridiculous.

And super funny.

Might of just been dental funny tho.

2. As John and I were leaving fixed, we made the mass exodus across Albany street with a ton of other people. And a car love tapped John. Yup the car was texting and not watching the fact that thirty people were crossing the street, and so it wasnt really slowing down. John had to slam his hand on the hood and jump a little to the side into me. It was totally ridiculous. The driver was an idiot.

3. I went to an Enrichment activity. Yikes. Wanna play a name game with like thirty people? The refreshments were very good tho. And might have been the only allure the activity held for me. Is it wrong to just go for the food?

4. I walked from Harvard Square-ish back to my apartment. Its a little over four miles. I took the route next to the Charles River. And it was really nice and peaceful.

Nov. 30

The next big day in my life has a date.

November 30. National Dental Boards Part 1.

Eights hours testing everything I learned last year.

Testing everything I promised myself I would forget once those first year tests were over.

I need to know everything (and more) that are contained on these flash cards.

Forgetting may have been a bad call on my part.

But at the time boards seemed so far away!

11 Weeks and counting.

So if you're wondering what I'm doing... assume studying.

Remo.

This very well could be the most frustrating class. I mean with our other dental classes, I feel like I can handle it. But with Remo... I never know whats going on. Plus it just seems tedious.

Today we made CUSTOM TRAYS.

We cured them and then had to pry them off the base.

Imagine having to get dentures made.

All the impressions.

All the trays.

All the fittings.

All the time in the lab.

All I have to say is: People. Keep your teeth.

Dentures are ANNOYING

Remodel This.

Today we had our very first Remo lab. For those of you not acquainted with dental short form that means Removable Prosthodontics - aka learning how to make dentures. Thrilling right?

Really it was two labs in one:

1. Create the Primary Impression using Compound (shown below).

2. Bead and Box the impression using wax... which basically just means putting wax rope and strips around the edge of the impression so that when we make a model it had nice edges and what not.

The fun thing about lab:

We get to use these.

Hanau Torch

Bunsen Burner

You melt, you create, you heat.

The bad thing about lab:

We have to use the hanau torch and bunsen burner.

Yup... while trying to take my impression out of my boyfriend's mouth (who sometimes has no teeth P.S.) I lit my hair on fire. Literal flames. In my HAIR. And it happened twice.

Needless to say. I need a haircut.

B

A

D

Alex Trebek Would Be Proud

Why you ask?  Because I wanted to do something fun to study for my Pathology final... jeopardy fun.  

Try not to be impressed... I dare you.

Really it was so great.  Everyone pitched in for making up questions and our buzzers consisted of those party noise makers that you blow into and it unrolls and makes noise.  We had teams and to signal Derrick (our noise maker) that we knew the answer all we had to do was tap him on his inner thigh.  hahah... It was fun.  Alot of work to put together but kinda great.  

Halfway through we took a break... to have WAFFLES!!!

Oh Turkey Bacon... how I love you!

Derrick thought it was decently ridiculous that the only measuring devices in the house were 

1. The tiniest cup measurer ever... its actually one of those rice measurers.

2.  A four cup ziploc container.  

Everyone did great work pitching in... John was a master at whipping that whipping cream... Dee was showing that bacon who was boss.  And Derrick and the waffles... they knew what was up.

This is how John licks the beater.

This is how Derrick licks the beater.

Delicious golden brown waffles.  Derrick and Amit have the greatest waffle makers ever!

YUM!  I really like waffles

So does everyone here.  It was the perfect mid-game break.