Countdowns

Yup, there's only 18 more days until our midyear exam...and 19 more days until Rob arrives.
The general ethos among the first year meds ranges from all out panic to paralysis. Students are starting to literally LIVE in our study rooms. They should really install showers. No, seriously. Those rooms start to smell pretty rank after too many bodies spend too much time in them with substances sometimes identified as "food".
For the most part, I am not selling out to the panic, although I have moments when the sheer volume of random factoids that I must regurgitate is a little overwhelming. I comfort myself by discussing said random factoids with others- they can't remember pathways and other minutae any better than I can. We are all sunk together. Or not. Another thing I remind myself of is that in 20 years, when I'm well into my career and treating patients, NOBODY will ask me what all the intermediates of the TCA cycle are. And if they do, I WILL LOOK IT UP, the way any sane working person does.
But, in the meantime, the head stuffing continues. I am dealing with it well, on average- exercising, getting enough sleep, and eating properly. And pulling out my eyebrows and eyelashes. Oh, wait, that's maladaptive. Unfortunately the hair around my eyes always takes the first hit when I am stressed. At the moment, I have eyelashes only on the lateral edges of both eyes. And a growing hairless patch on my right eyebrow. It even has a name: trichillomania. It could be worse.
Brady and I have gone to see Star Trek and Wolverine, and it's nice to escape into a good story every once in a while. In classes, we have been learning to read ECG's, and ABG's, learn about spirometry and how to deal with high blood pressure (apropos, don't you think?). All interesting stuff. Well, I should go and figure out what FEV1 looks like in an asthmatic.....