Medical School: Postponed.

Alright, so I was being considered up until the last second. I finally got my last dejection, I mean rejection, email last night. I still haven't heard back from Penn State, but since they haven't even interviewed me, I'm not holding my breath. I was heartbroken for all of about 4 hours last night. I started to cheer up at crossfit this morning. Nothing like a good butt kicking to make yourself feel better. Plus I got to talk with one of the ER docs and he's already promising a stellar letter of recommendation. A small step in the right direction also makes a big difference. I'm still not exactly skipping, but at least now I'm seeing the good sides, such as:

Getting a year off from school before I give up what remains of my social life.
Having time to be a raft guide again this summer.
Not being a complete basket case for at least three months (until the process starts all over again).
At least knowing and being able to make decisions about my life.

The one MAJOR downside to not getting into CU is that I have to undergo the whole application process again, in which I shell out a few more thousand dollar, write a million essays baring my soul to complete strangers for judgement, and have to deal with the stress for months. At least CU offers something that no other medical school does. I get to schedule an appointment to find out the weaknesses in my application. That way I can improve on the areas they find lacking. I don't know why more schools don't offer this feedback, but I'm glad I have it available.

The next step: figure out what to do with the next year of my life. And, yes, Brownie, I know that Baby Dolls is hiring. :P Real input would be more helpful.

King Chef...

... for breakfast makes for a happy day. Mmmmm bacon.

Lame.

I love that my blog is lame right now. I've been too damn busy living my life to spend much time writing about it. Here's a quick recap on the major items:

The Medical School Process:
Applying to medical school is excruciating and time-consuming. But I've survived thus far.
My interview in Denver went well, but I won't hear back until Mar 31.
The schools I'm still waiting to hear from are not likely to give me an interview at this point. Oh, well.
Of course, I'm ready to travel if they contact me.

CrossFit:
Loving it.
Level 1 certified as of Aug 23, 2009.
I did 150 pull-ups as part of my workout on Saturday and did not tear my hands open. :)
I've set a slew of new PRs in the past few weeks.
Love Paleo cooking. See susanoutdoors.blogspot.com for my recipes!
I want to buy a garage gym setup so that I can do the WODs out of my house when I'm in medical school and don't have time to drive to a gym. I will not give up my workouts.

School:
Three classes this semester: Bacteriology, Biomechanics, and Physical Chemistry lab.
I'm only in class Tuesday & Thursday, so I have more days off to work at the hospital.
I will graduate May 21 summa cum laude with a B.S. in Human Biology, a B.A. in Chemistry, and a Theatre Minor.

Work:
I quit my job dancing at the Caspian at the end of November.
I'm not teaching dance classes on campus this semester, either.
Working as a Scribe in the Emergency Department absolutely rocks. I learn tons with every shift.
Coolest thing I've seen at work: a completely occluded abdominal aorta. I didn't even know that was possible with a conscious patient.

Health:
Since I've started eating Paleo again, my RA flare ups have gone down. I love this.
Yes, that means I've given up beer again. :(
Coffee on an empty stomach makes my hands shake, but so does an excruciating CrossFit workout.
I've started a separate blog for my Paleo cooking and CrossFit workout posts. Posting my recipes helps keep me focused and motivated. Plus, I get my ideas from random websites just like the one I started. Maybe I can help someone else, too.

Owie. I broke my abs.

Somehow between crossfit and belly dancing and drinking way too much tequila this weekend, my abs hurt so much that by Sunday I literally could not hold my shoulders upright. I spent all day curled up on the couch unable to do anything. It was ridiculous.

Tequila.

Drink some.

Sunshine!

Forgetting my notebook at Pikes Perk last night gave me an excellent excuse to take a break from my homework and get out in that gorgeous sunshine. I rode my cruiser down, picked up my notebook, and took my time coming home. I feel much better. :)

Bollywood

Learning not only new dances, but a whole new style of dance. Bollywood is so much fun! Marina is an amazing dancer and such a blast to learn from. Here are some shots from the dancing this weekend.