… but for some reason I don’t have any clear ideas to carry a whole entry.  I have a million different compartments in my brain working on all different ideas / problems / dreams / plans but none of them are complete or really all that interesting.

Of course I’m thinking about my upcoming interviews

i have to review my application and re-learn about my undergraduate research project… i need to go over those "frequently asked questions" and start thinking over my answers… i need to finalize that rental car plan for san fran… i need to make a packing list and try on that "back-up suit" to see if it fits me now and decide if i’m going to check or just carry-on and what i need to pack up for aj to bring to seattle when he comes back… i need to go to the residency websites and look over the details of the programs so i can talk intelligently about why i want to match there (even if i don’t really want to…)… i need to e-mail the residents at the uw that i met during my rotation and keep those connections up… and probably more than all this, but really, isn’t it enough?

and I’m thinking a lot about the Distinction in Community Service project I am working on

i need to update my "steps to completion" sheet… i need to contact my new advisor (dr. frankenstein, heehee, it’s her real name but pronounced franken-STEEN) and go over my project idea with her since my last two advisors in that department have left or changed positions… i have to research tobacco use trends in st. louis teens and find evidence-based journal articles discussing types of smoking cessation programs that work for teens and then compile that info and come up with a database of programs that pediatricians can use to help their teen patients kick the habit… i need to make an outline for my paper so i know what other information i need to look up…

and I also have my schedule for the rest of the year to work on

i really need to e-mail my developmental peds course directors and let them know i won’t be around during the first week of the rotation since i’ll be off interviewing (luckily part of the week is thanksgiving vacation anyway so i’ll only miss 3 days)… i need to e-mail the anesthesiology department and find out if i can do peds anesthesia for just 2 weeks (instead of the normal 4) so i can put it in at the very end of the year; and then i need to get registered for that and drop cardiac auscultation since i know a self-directed elective like that will not work well during my last two weeks of school…

then there’s the Admission’s Committee responsibilities I have

i have to plan to attend some of the committee meetings this year and i have to remember to pick up the applicant info cd’s before the meeting so i can review who we’ll be talking about… i need to make sure i get more tour guides scheduled for the weeks between now and christmas break and let the admissions office know who will be doing them… huh, i guess this thread of thoughts isn’t that overwhelming…

and I also have this new tutoring gig with a second year student who had taken some time off and wants to get back into studying mode

we’re going over cardiac physiology at our next session so i really need to review that since i only vaguely understood it in the first place and now i need to be able to teach it and i don’t want to look stupid… and we’re also going over cardiac embryology which is a bit easier to grasp but definitely something i need to review… but the valvular disease and congenital diseases, those should be okay… oh and i have to stop by the student affairs office and figure out what forms need to be filled out so that i can get paid for doing this… and i have to make sure i get a system going for keeping track of my hours so i can get paid… and she wants help with step 1 as well, and i don’t remember a whole lot about step 1… and i just don’t want to look stupid…

and besides all that there are the fun and entertaining things that are on my mind too

aj and i went to the driving range last night and i did pretty well and i would love to go again soon… i really want to go see a movie at the moolah but "jarhead" is there and i don’t have a strong desire to see such a realistic war movie right now and "shopgirl" is at the chase and that would be fun but i really wanted to go to the moolah… i miss playing racquetball regularly and i had so much fun playing 4’s with aj and 2 of his law school friends this week and i wish i could do that more often… i’m glad i’ve been working out at curves regularly, even if i didn’t go today because i’m feeling kind of sick… i heard about this restaurant called "1111 mississippi" and i wonder what it’s like, people say the food is awesome, but the menu looks a little eclectic and i wonder if there’s anything on it that i would really like… i want to try more new restaurants around here but it’s hard to decide where to go and it takes a bit of courage to just walk into a new place for dinner…

and, of course, that little to-do list that’s always in the back on everyone’s mind

i’ve got to get those clothes out of the dryer and it’s probably time to do a load of towels again… the garbage needs to go out and the kitchen could really use a thorough cleaning, especially the refrigerator… the living room is getting clutter-y… i need to get my oil changed and the air pressure in my tires checked, and since i’m going out of town now would be a great time to get the tailgate and mirror and stuff fixed so i really need to go in to get a quote first so i can leave it there when i leave, although now that i think about it aj could always drop it off sometime after i’m gone… oh and i need a ride to the airport since aj won’t be back from seattle yet when i have to leave, i should ask jill, maybe at star trek night on monday… i want to pick up some more allergy medicine from costco and we’re almost out of milk…

So there’s a few cars on my train of thought today.  Enjoy the ride?