keep on keeping on...

Just a warning...this may be the last blog update in a few weeks. Finals time has rolled around once again, which means very little time for fun and updates.

I want to start this post with a little gloating. The month of February in Arizona is WONDERFUL. While I keep hearing about the terrible snowstorms on the East Coast and see pictures of the snow in my own backyard and the ice in Lake Michigan, I become more and more glad I didn't go to other dental schools located in less pleasant climates! I was even able to take a hike the other day during the red flag delay of the Daytona 500. Not too many people can say that! Life here isn't a vacation though. Yes, I may be sitting poolside in a short sleeved shirt; however, I am still reading about the kidneys and endocrine system and feeling lots of stress with the insane amount of work that needs to get done before spring break. I guess there is a bit of a trade-off. It does seem really weird to be watching the winter olympics with the windows wide open and the sun shining brightly. I LOVE watching the olympics. One nice thing about traveling back to IL for "spring" break? I want to (and probably will) go skiing. The olympics have brought out my inner athlete I suppose.

We finally finished our time in the sim clinic for the quarter. The last two weeks were spent preparing teeth for class 1 amalgam fillings. Let me tell you, "drilling a cavity" (terminology that I hate by the way) is MUCH more complicated than I ever expected. Yes, I know that the prep should be 1.5 mm deep, be dovetailed at the mesial and distal ends, and should have convergent walls at the isthmus and divergent walls near the marginal ridges...but actually getting the handpiece to do that is HARD. Then try doing the top teeth in which you need to use a mirror, making the whole thing upside down and backwards. Yeah...good times. Never the less, after a little practice, I managed to turn out a few acceptable preps. Dexter seemed happy with them! Here are a few pictures so you can judge for yourself.

We also had the "I survived 100 days of dental school" potluck on Friday. It was enjoyable to have a picnic lunch on campus with some friends. The dental school dean even stopped by to chat, which I thought was rather nice. He is one incredibly busy man.

One last tidbit before I go (my dinner is done cooking..meatloaf and potatoes with fresh rosemary that is growing outside my apartment!). Check out this article I found on CNN about procrastination. It made me laugh so hard, especially since (after reading the article), I would consider myself an "incubator" rather than a "procrastinator". Case in point: in eighth grade, I waited until like 2 days before my science fair project was due to teach myself about genetics and do a project on it. My mom was FURIOUS and kept telling me how I was going to fail the project because I waited until the last minute. I went on to win the science fair with that project, earning myself $50. Procrastination? Hardly. Incubation? You bet! I always offer a "superior" project. :) See you all soon when I'm home for spring break!