Hello! I know I don't write much. I guess there has been a lot going on. I'm sure anyone who knows me and cares knows most of the details of my life anyway, but I will continue to write for those interested. I graduated from dental school on time. I couldn't have done it without my friends. And I mean that in a very literal way. If not for the donations of procedures to me, I wouldn't have made it. Anyhow, I am currently residing in sunny Palo Alto, CA (which is about 40 min south of SF for those who don't know). I'm doing a general practice residency at the Palo Alto VA hospital. I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying it there. Not only are the people great to work with, I get to learn and get paid. I'm currently applying to two dental anesthesiology programs right now--Loma Linda and UCLA. There are only 5 programs in the US, and I would like to stay in CA for personal reasons of course. There's one spot at UCLA, and a few at Loma Linda though I'm not sure the exact number. So, of course, the pickings are slim. Unfortunately, I have my heart set on it. Hopefully it won't be a let down. So keep your fingers crossed for me if you have gotten this far in the post.

It was so strange moving up here at first and meeting more peers who are also recent graduates of dental school. In dental school, the only people who knew anything about dentistry were your classmates. And all of a sudden, there are these people from all over who also know too. So that was weird. It's also strange to think that all of us who spent the last 4 yrs together are moving in different directions, learning different things. For instance, my best friend in dental school is in St. Louis, MO. Missouri!! Is that above Canada??? LOL. At least that's what her grandma asked when she told her. I also think I will appreciate working with my former classmates in the future as well. It's not just the aspect of working with people you know, but growing as a professional in different ways.

So why anesthesiology after dental school? Well, I know it is nerdy, but I actually do enjoy understanding how the body works in it's entirety. After all that training I've had, I feel that the finer details are lost when you focus on just the head and neck area. So, I am hoping to further consolidate what knowledge I already have, acquire new information, and be able to clinically make it useful to patients. By nature, I am more intuitive. The intangible is what appeals to me. I am thankful for dentistry because it forced me to hone my underdeveloped sense of the physical world around me. Thanks to dentistry, I can pick up a scalpel, cut someone open (anesthetized of course), and do all sorts of cool things with a reasonable amount of confidence. I guess I can use my hands to do whatever it is that needs to get done. I know if I went to medical school I would have picked to specialize in something nonsurgical, and never would have had this experience that I do now. But I miss the other stuff. So here's to hoping I'll have a chance. It's no longer in my hands...

My best friend from college is engaged (and has been for a while I just haven't made the post). This brings me a lot of joy, but also makes me realize how old I'm getting. I guess because of dental school and now residency, I still feel like I did in college, except I get to work on people. But besides that, technically almost all other aspects were the same. Classes, requirements to meet, classmates, etc. It's just been an extension of college (a much harder version of course). And am trying to sign up for 2 more years? LoL. I can feel my eggs withering away.