and so it begins...

I'm sorry it's been awhile since my last post. It has finally settled into that part of the year where the stress just builds and builds and things like keeping in touch with family and friends through a blog kind of fall to the wayside. This coming week is super stressful. I have a midterm on Monday, a science exam and another midterm on Tuesday, and a presentation and quiz on Friday! Needless to say, I am going to be a very busy studier this weekend. I also have a wax carving project coming up where I need to carve a maxillary later incisor (to scale) out of a block of wax. The science stuff is getting a bit more difficult too, since some of it is stuff that was not covered in my master's program last year. Last week, we studied pathology and spent a good part of the week studying cancer. It is amazing how some cancers will destroy your body. They showed us all kinds of disgusting pictures in which someone did not get their suspicious skin spots checked out and basal cell carcinoma ate away their face! Let's just say there are come very scary invasive tumors I never want to develop! It's interesting though...learning about all of these diseases pretty much convinces you that you have them. Last week I was convinced that I was going to die of cancer. This week, the microbiology department has me convinced that I have contracted bacterial and fungal infections because I did not do enough to control the spread of microbes. You know how much bacteria is on your body at any one time? You know how hard it is to kill most pathogens? It's just CRAZY. If you ever see a dirty doctor's of dentist's office...run. Because there are some seriously scary bugs you NEVER want to contract.

On the bright side, I get to see my parents next week, which I am very excited about. The white coat ceremony is Friday, October 9th and they are flying out for the weekend. At this ceremony, they present all the first year students with the white coat that they will wear to see patients once they reach the clinical stage. It is a tradition in most medical and dental schools. The weather should be absolutely perfect for their visit this weekend (although it usually is perfect most days)! In other exciting news, our loupes came in this week. Loupes are the funny magnifying glasses that most dentists wear now-a-days. Believe me, when it comes to loupes, the companies that make them believe in function over form, so

they are not exactly the most attractive things. Since I have a very narrow head, I had an especially difficult time picking out a style that fit my face and didn't look too big. Hopefully the ones I chose look okay. That is a light attached to the top. The orange filter covers the light when you are working with composite material (the stuff used in white fillings) so that you don't cure the material before you are done working with it. The light is removable, which is good because I actually don't like using it much. It is too bright and makes the glasses heavy. However, it is amazing the difference that the loupes make when you are working with teeth. We used them while working on our wax project last week and the difference is amazing. It will definitely take some getting used to. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera to lab with me on Monday and I can get a classmate to get a picture of me modeling my loupes for you!

Unfortunately, I have not gotten as much work done this week as I would have liked. Tonight, I actually spent about an hour giving my plant a bath. When I moved in, I bought a big plant to go in the corner of the living room. At lunch today, I noticed that it was covered in thousands of tiny red spiders. Turns out they are actually mites. So, I did some internet research (aka googled "tiny red bugs on house plants") and found out how to get rid of them. I had to move the entire plant into my shower (since I don't have a hose to clean it outside) and wipe each individual leaf (top and bottom) with warm soapy water. Then, I sprayed the entire thing with a insecticide I bought at Walmart. (Which by the way, sells citrus trees! When we were out by the plant section, my roommate and I found an entire area of lemon, lime, and orange trees for sale. Only $7-$12! I really wish I could have bought one, but I think they grow pretty big. Our patio probably couldn't handle a tree, but I digress.) Hopefully my plant will make a full recovery, because I certainly don't want to have to throw it out. I also got distracted by a new TV show in the recent weeks. I recommend Glee (Wednesdays at 8PM on Fox) if you haven't already seen it. Also, I know that Dancing with the Stars is in full swing now. I can't watch the show Monday nights because I have to study, but it is so weird to think that those of you back in Illinois can see the whole episode before it airs here. If I wanted to, I could search the internet to see who got voted off on the results show before it even airs here! If you watch DWTS, don't call me and ruin it please!

Other than that, not much else is new. We actually turned the air conditioning off for the first time tonight (although it will go back on tomorrow during the day). September was a hot month, but now that October has rolled around, things have cooled off a bit. It still gets pretty warm during the day (up to the mid-90s), but drops down to the 70s at night. I am certainly not upset about missing the rain I hear Chicago got today. Also, I've gone out to dinner with some friends a few times lately. On Tuesdays, Rubio's down the street has $1.25 fish tacos. I HIGHLY recommend them. We got a group of people together after our exam on Tuesday and went over there...very tasty. Chances are, if you come visit me, I will take you to Rubio's on a Tuesday. That's it for now. Hopefully my next post I will have a lot more pictures and exciting news for you. Sorry this one was such a dud...I suppose the life of a graduate student is not always glamorous (ha!). Miss you all!