Reflections on a Year

I have been in school for 52 straight weeks. Today is my ISAC anniversary. Well, I guess you gotta minus 2 for Christmas break, 1 for spring break and 1/2 for the "week" off between ISAC and the fall semester. Fine. 48 1/2 weeks. I probably shouldn't bitch. That's technically more time off than most professions.

Reflections on a year of medical school:

• It was simultaneously harder and easier than I expected. 
• Most of my life I've been a patient, and I have seen the world through a health care consumer's eyes. Now with some training as a professional, I've had an epiphany: I am a punk ass patient. 
• As much as I want health care for all, and still firmly believe it needs to be an affordable right, there is a new side developing. Yes, it should be affordable, but it shouldn't be cheap because we freakin' deserve to get paid some day for what we're going through. I mean, there's a reason why  you say, "I have to go to the doctor" and not just, "I have to go to the guy." You, the patient, are hella complicated. 
• I see how much this year has changed me, mostly due to all my facepalm moments.
• You have no idea how excited I am for summer break. The last one of my life. Now if only I was scheduled to truly do nada...
•  Publishing a book and starting a nonprofit during the first year of school really seemed like a great idea in December.
• I'm so glad I picked Western U over UW, Georgetown or OHSU. Sorry, but it's true.
• So excited to go home to Oregon next summer. Corvallis, I'm a comin' for ya!
• I have been profoundly impressed by most of the people (faculty, students and staff) I have met this year. BFFs 4EVER!
• Sitting at a desk for 15 hours a day hurts my knees. 
• I have never been so stressed out OR so happy in my entire life. 
• I laugh way more now than I ever did in my "previous life" (thank you icanhascheezburger.com and one Casey Pyle)
• My life is now broken into "before Jeff" and "after Jeff" categories. JeffrAY, you know what I mean.
• It is indeed possible to get full nights of sleep AND be academically successful in medical school.
• I continually fail to see how Matt can endure the sheer magnitude of my and my friends' all-encompassing dorkiness.

Le sigh. It's been a good year.

Just discovered this artwork today, courtesy of 9gag.com. There's some weird stuff here, yet I find myself more than willing to own any or all of them.

http://www.tendreams.org/olbinski1.htm