Mandatory Study Time

I had to get up this morning to go to the anatomy lab for the 1st semester mock exam.  It involved getting up at 8am on a Sunday, which is sort of a travesty in itself.  I've been dreading this day, since I've been delaying our mandatory proctoring until the last possible one.  I figured staying for two mocks (morning and afternoon, thanks to the huge 1st semester class) and not getting out until 5pm would be a major drain on my study time and prevent me from getting anything done.  Wow, I sure was wrong...

My time spent in the anatomy lab could constitute my most productive day of studying this semester.  During the exam, we were told to sit and watch the exam take place.  I found a comfortable seat in the corner with a second chair put my feet up.  I grabbed my notes and settled in.  Over both exams, I was able to cover the entire block's MCB and most of Immuno, which is a lot of material to get through.  I thought I would be distracted by the intercom voice telling students to move to the next station, but I was able to zone it out.  After each exam, we stuck around for 30 minute and answered questions from the students.  I wrote out 5 questions for the exam and was commended by some of the head TAs for the focus of my questions... count it.

Overall, I came out of the mock ahead of schedule and finished up my studying for the day at 5pm.  I snuck in a trip to the gym, studied for the ICM quiz tomorrow, and reviewed some physio with Tran.  All in all, it was a productive day.  They even threw in Domino's pizza for lunch, so I ended up not needing to go back on break to get a bite.

I don't know if I'll be TAing again (since it was a relatively big time commitment), but I may end up volunteering for the mocks, just so I can get some studying done.  I hate to admit this, but I think I would get a lot more work done if I left my computer in my bag.

Hello internet, you a big time suck, you!

On Saturday, we borrow Dutta's car and picked up groceries.  I figured I could get enough stuff to last me until I left.  And even though I only picked up food for 3 weeks (which I think is less than normal), the bill still came out to $150.  I think the Red Bulls take a fair amount of that I suppose.  On our way back, we stopped off in Marigot and Tran picked up some sugar cane juice.  We both agreed that it was not as sweet as something we'd get in our respective home countries, but it was still refreshing nonetheless.

With all this food at home, I decided to make some pasta.  I was able to make the sauce, but as I was cooking the pasta, the gas in our stove ran out.  We let the manager know and she took the propane tank, telling us she'd get us a new one when they opened during the week.  So now I have half-boiled pasta in the fridge, waiting to be finished when the new tank comes.

Overall, a busy and productive weekend.  Just what I needed before the last stretch and end of this semester.