March 2018 – The First One / Sativa

This is it!  The first blog on my new website.  I’m super excited about the possibilities.  Be warned, this website will remain under construction for the next couple of months.  I will now post blogs only once a month.  However, there additional non-blog postings may occur.  I have this domain for 12 months, so there’s plenty of time to experiment.  If it doesn’t work out, I’ll cancel it and return these babies to FB exclusively.

 

FEATURED SONG

The naming scheme of my blogs will change slightly.  Each blog will feature an official name, but the song which inspired or it (or the one that’s been stuck in my head) will be featured alongside that title.  This is because music is so important to me.  Little of my writing is done in the absence of musical inspiration.  Sativa is one of my new favorite Jhene Aiko tracks.  I love the lazy sound of the melody, which is appropriate given the title.

 

 

WEBSITE INSPIRATION

I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to the person who inspired me to create this website, to overcome my anxieties about writing on the interwebz, and to do something that will hopefully help others.  That person is Ajibike Lapite, well-known in the circles of medical school students for her blog:  https://stilettosplusstethoscopes.com/  Aji (for short) is one of those people who always brings positive energy, laughter, and sincerity.  I’m very excited to watch her soar in the next stage of her life.  All the foo foo language aside, she is not only #blackgirlmagic but #humanmagic.

 

 

SPRING BREAK

Spring Break was last week.  Per usual, the undergrads fled which was fantastic.  I still worked half the week.  I spent Wednesday through Friday finishing up my poster for the Lunar Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Houston next week.  Fortunately, I did get out of town the first half of the week.  I took a lovely trip to Prescott and Sedona.  It was so nice to visit and explore beautiful places in Arizona while not on a geology field trip.  Plus, it was good to get some fresh air.

 

Advice:  Don’t let graduate school, or any profession, consume you.  It took a good deal of self-control to not work all week.  Trust me, I had plenty to do.  If I had worked, I would have finished my LPSC poster sooner, but I would’ve been less happy because of it.  Sacrifices are a part of life.  But maintaining a balance, especially in graduate school, is crucial to your mental health.

 

 

RETURNING TO HIGH SCHOOL

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with two sections of AP Physics at my alma mater, Gulfport High School.  I have to admit my mind was blown.  Our high school has been completely renovated over the last two years.  And by renovated I mean multiple buildings were demolished and new ones constructed.  Aside from the gymnasium, library, cafeteria, and band hall, the school looks brand spanking new.  Plus, the inside smelled like baked goods.  I was equally thrilled to see my former AP Physics instructor continuing his legacy of active teaching and advocating STEM.  His invitation to my best friend and I to speak in his classes culminated in a 1.5-hour discussion across two class periods about STEM, college, medical school, graduate school, scholarships, volcanoes, surgeries, and Mars.  It was great!  All of the students were seniors and the vast majority had applied to college.  There was a plethora of questions, insightful discussion, and even a few laughs.  I couldn’t have asked for a better experience on the eve of my ten-year class reunion.

 

 

THE DAWN OF THE JOB HUNT

And he’s off!  The race has begun.  Even though my defense is ~1.5 years away, I’ve already started the process of looking for work.  More like, I’m looking for what to look for to look for work (say that 3x fast).  The process is challenging.  I have to figure out what I want to do, where I want to do it, and who I want to do it near.  Basically, I have to define my priorities and balance them.  This is something my best friend had to do recently when ranking residency programs.  I learned a lot from her experience.

 

Advice: You can actually start too early thinking about the future.  It can cause unnecessary anxiety.  If you’re in graduate school, you should always have the career dialogue running in the back of your mind.  For me, it really started after I passed my qualifying exams for PhD candidacy (AKA orals, comps, quals, etc.).  But instead of thinking about a specific job, I’ve found it more useful to think about (and write down) a list of responsibilities and qualities I enjoy.  In theory, these would be a major component of my job and career.  This way I’m not limiting myself to a specific job or career path.

 

 

A HEALTHIER DIET

I’ve been eating healthier for the past year.  In early 2017, I stopped adding excess salt to my meals.  This was counter to every southern bone in my body, but I’d like to increase my chances at a longer and healthier life.  More recently, I’ve started cutting my sodium intake further.  I now cook with low or no sodium ingredients.  I’ve also cut my consumption of red meat, instead turning more to fish and chicken.  Within the last month, I have cut my bread consumption in half.  That may not seem like a big deal, but I eat a lot of bread (I was averaging at least 6 servings a day of just bread, not including pasta or rice).  If I have to eat a little less and have blander food, then it’s worth it if it means less visits to the doctor and/or hospital.

 

Advice:  Everyone under 40, but especially those of us under 30, tends to shrug off healthy eating.  We see our health as everlasting.  I know I did in my teens and early 20s.  And that’s partially because people are short term thinkers.  It’s also because youth brings the allusion of invincibility.  But I’ve seen firsthand how poor eating habits can wreck your life in later years.  What’s the point of living to 80, if the last 30 years of your life are miserable for you and your loved ones?  After time, health is the most precious resource you have.

 

CURRENT SHOWS

Currently watching:  Scandal (s7)

Recently finished:  Attack on Titan (s2); Law and Order SVU (s18); Versailles (s2)

 

Thank you so much for reading!  My next official blog is scheduled for Thursday, April 12^th.  Feel free to contact me with questions or comments.  Also, follow this website to receive email updates when there’s a new post (because that’s what you want, more emails).  Until next time….