The Band Curse is alive.

Matt and I have come to the conclusion that whenever the NDSU Goldstar Band travels with the football team for a regular season game, they lose. We have witnessed this for over six years now. This year, we didn't get to go to Montana with our friends, but we saw them for a nano second on the TV at Joe Senser's NDSU Alumni Bash. I just wish they would have showed less of the Montana State Band and more of the Goldstar Band.....
Here is a picture from the wedding. Mike decided he wanted to dance with Matt as well. Too bad the band had just started to play "You Look Wonderful Tonight"!
Matt and I had a good weekend. Matt chaperoned the DeLaSalle Homecoming dance and I baby sat for Conner Klocke. Matt has to deal with "jucking", a sort of modified dry hump set to the never ending hip hop music (his eyeballs were vibrating!) while staked out witnessing the drama of the girls' bathroom. I just had to watch Sesame Street and change a diaper or two. I think I got off easy.
This week isn't too exciting. I have to do some serious soul searching as I continue to select a PhD mentor. Matt just has to write some quizes. My parents are coming to town on Friday, and we will all be busy putting together some furniture and going to a play. We are going to Triple Espresso, which I went to on my "quasi-date" with Matt S. I enjoyed it, so I am taking Matt and my parents.
Well, I have to get to class this morning. This week is heart failure and interstital lung disease week....whooo!

I just got back from a fun and relaxing weekend visiting Karen in Lawrence. It was nice to have a "girls" weekend with my little sister. My flights were both good, which was a relief since Northwest has a strike and announced bankruptcy the other day.
Lawrence is a nice city. I can see why Karen chose it. It fits her perfectly right now. I just wish she was a little closer! I really enjoyed the downtown parts of town. I did some major shopping, which was good because I need clothes to wear to clinic now that I go once a week. I also got a taste of how everyone in Lawrence is seemingly obsessed with the Jayhawk. Almost every house or car had some sort of Jayhawk on it! It would be quite scary if people in Minneapolis or Fargo did that with their mascots.
Enamine is a joy to play with. She is not a cuddly cat (yet), but that may change. She is a good companion to Karen. I really liked Karen's apartment as well. I think it is the perfect size for her. Plus, everything is mini.....
Karen and I went to the movie Just Like Heaven in Lawrence. It was really good. I knew Karen liked it, as my arm had several red marks on it leaving the show. Afterwards we went home and watched some Nip/Tuck on TV. I had never seen this show before. Boy it is confusing! Not to mention a little creepy with the whole carver character attacking people. We watched several episodes, then turned it to TLC to decompress. Karen still had to sleep with the lights on.
Well, this week I hope to get a good start on my studying. I don't have too much going on, which is a good change. I do have a meeting with a new mentor prospect. My decision, which seemed so easy a month ago, it turning out to be full of complication. I am lucky that I still have time to figure it all out.
Wish me luck!

Binge Drinking Entrenched In College Culture

I find this article to be too true. Unfortunately, for people in North Dakota and other areas, the binge drinking starts as early as Middle School. I find that even some of my medical school collegues are up for a binge or two, and brag about it to this day. In fact, despite going to Gold Star Band parties for four years, I never had someone vomit while passed out until I got to medical school (way to go Hemant!) I don't know how many people I can think of who exhibit "learned helplessness" i.e. can't socialize with others without a little liquid lubricant. In addition, I know of several people who have had serious legal issues from drinking. As a survivor of a drunk driving accident (I was hit by one over a year ago), what are people thinking when they drink and drive? How can someone put "getting hammered" ahead of getting ahead by finishing a college degree? I recommend reading Smashed: A Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas. It is a eye-opener to the binge drinking college culture.
I am glad that I learned to have fun WITHOUT alcohol before adding it into the equation. I just hope others will start to do the same.

Today we started Year 2 of medical school. So far, so good. I have a lot on my plate out of the gate already. The next three days are going to be a real test, as I have class from 8AM to 5 PM with virtually no breaks. I also have the bonus orchestra starting on Thursday nights. I was going to add medical Spanish class, but I think I will need Tuesday nights to get ahead for Wednesdays and Thursdays. Matt is continuing to struggle with his eighth hour class. I think if it wasn't for them he would really really like this teaching gig. Oh well, there has to be something to make a job a job....Otherwise it would be fun that you get paid for, and hardly anyone gets to do that for living.
My fantasy baseball team, the Aardvarks, finished 7th out of 8 teams in the Medical School league, just missing the Championship round. Too many injuries......
Matt and I made the decision to not get season hockey tickets this year, as the cost is too high. We are going to enjoy DeLaSalle athletics, and maybe just catch the occasional Gopher game. Both of us are looking forward to dusting off our old Anti-UND cheers when the come in January. Hopefully a gang of our friends came also come from Fargo.
We got our wedding photos back from the photographer last weekend. Everyone of them is nice, so it was hard choosing which ones to get. We also got another load of cards and such, so my scrapbooking and thank you writing days are not quite over. Everyone was so generous with us, I can't help but feel grateful for all our nice friends and family.
Well, I need to get sleep.