I haven't even started and I am already tired...

This last week went by quickly with no big occurrences. I have been checking my email twenty times a day and making travel plans every night. I am exhausted from trying to coordinate flights, rental cars, hotels, etc. My excitement to visit programs is starting to be overshadowed by the stress and hassle of the whole thing. Nevertheless, I will be flying to Ontario, CA this Thursday for my first interview (Loma Linda) this Friday. Wish me luck.

New Interview List... (up to 12 now but STILL waiting on the big guns..)

Flight: Nov 20 to Ontario, CA
Interview: Nov 21, Loma Linda University

Flight: Nov 28 to Portland, OR
Interview: Dec 1, Oregon Health and Science

Flight: Dec 3 to Dever, CO
Interview: Dec 4, St. Joseph's Exempla Kaiser Hospital

Flight: Dec 5 to Hartford, CT
Interview: Dec 6, University of Connecticut

Flight: TBA
Interview: Dec 10, University of Michigan, Grand Rapids

Flight: TBA to Phoenix, AZ
Interview: Dec 11, Good Samaritan (maybe)
Interview: Dec 12, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale

Flight: Dec 17 to Seattle, WA
Interview: Dec 18, Swedish Medical Center
Interview: Dec 19, Virginia Mason Medical Center

Flight: Jan 6 to Salt Lake City, UT
Interview: Jan 7, University of Utah

Flight: TBA to Las Vegas, NV
Interview: Jan 16, University of Nevada

Flight: TBA
Interview: Jan 24, University of Washington

Another Year Older

Well, I am now 28. I still have not figured out how i feel about 28 yet. I remember last year being very upset about 27, very resistant, and feeling very old. This year i just feel resigned. It was a quiet birthday with no big party, no drunkeness or dancing, no dressing up and no limos. it was a good day though. Chris and i went up to north Tucson to La Encantata, one of my favorite places to walk around. We roamed Crate and Barrel, Williams Sanoma, Potter Barn, and other fun stores. We had espresso and pumpkin cheesecake at AJ's and ate a wonderful lamb dinner after a wine and cheese board appetizer. If you can believe it, after having desert first we decided that we should have desert after too dinner too and headed to the new gellato shop for italian ice cream!! Needless to say we both have been running extra the last two days but it was well worth it.

As i had hoped, more interviews have been coming in this week already. I am about to give up on the big places like Brown, Vanderbilt, and UNC, but i am very pleased with the places i have so far. I will update the list again as soon as i get date confirmations from a couple more spots. Sadly, as the interviews rack up so does the credit card balance so this week i am praying for a lottery win :) Feel free to join me or donate to the dawn interview fund.

Oh, PS i was going to add some pictures but everytime i try my computer wigs out so for now it is news only, sorry

Update on the Interview Trail

The final step in my residency application process is complete. My official Dean's Letter, which is a narrative of my life in medical school, has been released (national release date Nov. 1). This was the last piece to my application and the part many programs wait to read before offering interviews. I am hoping in the next couple of weeks my interview numbers will go from the 6 i have now to many more (i applied to a total of 20 surgical programs). I wanted to make a cool map and show how i will be jetting from city to city but i am not computer talented enough to make that happen so i am just listing my interview dates and flights here as they come. So far i have...

Flight: Nov 28 to Portland, OR
Interview: Dec 1, Oregon Health and Science

Flight: Dec 3 to Dever, CO
Interview: Dec 4, St. Joseph's Exempla Kaiser Hospital

Flight: Dec 5 to Hartford, CT
Interview: Dec 6, University of Connecticut

Flight: TBA
Interview: Dec 10, University of Michigan, Grand Rapids

Flight: Dec 11 to Phoenix, AZ
Interview: Dec 12, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale

Flight: Jan 6 to Salt Lake City, UT
Interview: Jan 7, University of Utah

Happy to be Home and Kudos to the Parents

I am back home. Back in my bed, cooking in my kitchen, watching my TV, and hanging out with my family. It is so nice. I think that it is so easy to take all of your own personal comforts for granted. I am so settled in my own world. I did have to get my house back in order over the week/weekend. Chris tries to keep everything clean bless his heart but my level of clean is so different! Honestly all week i could barely look at the house because i would be cleaning constantly. The sink is not washed out, there is a spot on the floor, there is dog hair on the carpet, etc. These are all normal things i am sure but for an insane person like me they are huge defects in my perfect house. I spent many hours this weekend dusting, sweeping, moping, de-cluttering, and now i can look around an be content. I still have a few projects to get to but mostly my house is back to normal, or a least my normal. I used to curse my mother for making me this maniac clean freak, but over the weekend i was actually realizing how thankful i am that i was raised to be so clean and diligent. My parents raised me to never be lazy, procrastinate, or let things go. Lists are made and checked off, if something needs done, you do it, and cleanliness is next to godliness. None of these things are qualities to be sad about having. Now if only they had taught me not to like chocolate......