Reprimanded...

Okay, so I realize that I haven't written on here in forever, and I actually was reprimanded for this! Yeah, my bad. Ha ha. Well we started working in the clinic last week, which has been a whole new adventure of craziness! Yes, I am now allowed to schedule my own patients, bring 'em in, numb them up, and do some dentistry! Awesome, right? Well it is exciting, but also very frustrating considering all the hoops you have to jump when you are in clinic. The actual dental work is not all that intimidating. We have been practicing that stuff for two years now. It is all the other stuff that comes with working with a real person, as well as an institution. So today a bunch of us went to lunch, and we basically just told all our horror stories from the day. It was pathetic. The worst part is the fact that none of these horror stories had to do with the patient. It was all related to a professor who scared the crap out of us, or some issue with the computer system, or some problem trying to find materials... Bleh.

Okay, well I must say that I am totally enjoying dental school. I have a love/hate relationship with it, and right now I love it.

Stress...

So I got my dad to watch the 'Day in the Life' video clip. My dad is a dentist, and he actually went to Creighton, so he did all this stuff like 20 years ago.

Apparently he got all stressed out when he watched it! Ha ha. Imagine that. 20 years later dental school still stresses people out.

Oh man. Luckily I'm almost halfway through it, and even better, I'm more than halfway through finals! Coming up on final number six tomorrow morning... Good thing I keep finding dumb, highly amusing videos to distract myself!

Case of the Mondays (or Thursdays)

I already posted this on my facebook last December, so it is probably familiar. However, I always feel this is appropriate to describe how finals week makes me feel! Final #4 tomorrow! (Only four more after that...)

A day in the life

A Day In The Life from David Wagner on Vimeo.

This video was made by one of the seniors at the dental school. It probably isn't that funny unless you have been to dental school. So only watch this if you really feel like seeing what a day of dental school is like, or if you want to listen to a sweet 17-minute-long techno song! I thought it was hilarious because even though these are clearly exaggerations, it really is what happens!

Also, if you do watch it, FTKA is failed to keep appointment. We hate that.

I love Cafe Rio!

Okay, so I realize that I talk about dental school way too much on this blog. I also realize that this is probably really boring to all of those out there who aren't in dental school. So I'm going to refrain and talk about something else even though it is in fact finals week!

When I lived in Utah, I was a total Cafe Rio addict. Unfortunately I am unable to satisfy my cravings here in Nebraska unless I make it myself. So that is what I am doing! As far as I can tell, the rumor is true that they cook their sweet pork in Coke. Yum! So I decided to go right ahead. Well today I had to use a pair of pliers to open the bottle... yeah. Somehow I would like to hold finals week responsible for this shortcoming... Ha ha!

In case you were wondering, this method totally worked, and I was able to get it open! (Yeah, don't judge, please.) Also, I will let you know if this recipe tastes authentic! I do make some pretty delicious tomatilla dressing, so it sounds like it's going to be a good night tonight!

Okay, well that's about it for today. I would just like to report that the weather today is pristine, and I really, really wish I could go sit on the lawn instead of studying. Oh the joys!

Dragons

Why is it that going to the movies on a school night is so much more fun that going on the weekends? Maybe it's just because it's out of the ordinary, or it's slightly rebellious, or something. Whatever it is, I really enjoy going to movies, especially on some random Thursday night. So last Wednesday we had our third oral pathology exam, and it was strange, because afterwards it felt like we didn't have any more responsibilities for the week. Two of our classes got canceled for Friday, and most of us spent the day assisting for boards anyways. So we as a herd of 2nd year dental students (and one undergrad) decided to go see a movie in good ole' Council Bluffs. Our movie selection was "How to train your dragon," and I freakin' loved that show! Very cute. In this movie, there is a huge variety of dragons, and the main dragon is a "night fury." For some reason, I thought the name was so clever that I attempted to convince my friend to name his car after it. Surprisingly, he did not agree. Ha ha.

Anyways, here is a lovely preview for your viewing pleasure.

I thought it was especially entertaining because when we got to the theater, it was completely empty. I guess not everyone else finds mid-week movie outings as exciting as I do... Also, I'm already getting excited for all the awesome movies coming out this summer, including Iron Man 2, Prince of Persia, and Eclipse!! Also, what's the deal with Shrek.. 4 is it? Yeah, I thought they were done with that franchise, but apparently not.

In addition, here is a preview for Eclipse which, by the way, was surprisingly difficult to find. But I am way too excited for this movie because I recently bought New Moon, and it reminded me of how much I really love those books (and the movie)!

National Boards

"That prep is sexy!"

Yes, dental students are crazy, and have a slightly skewed sense of reality, especially when under pressure. This weekend 'my' senior is taking the national boards and I get to be his dental assistant. Basically this is the test you must pass in order to become a practicing dentist, and there is a written part as well as a clinic part. It's set up where you have to accomplish so many specific procedures on a patient, and then get graded on your work. It's all very cloak and dagger because there are no names involved - just numbers (I am now known as C205) - and the graders aren't allowed to see the student that is doing the work, which is where I come in! I lead the patient to the back of the clinic where they have a bunch of screens set up, so even I can't see what is going on back there. Only the patient knows what happens behind the curtains. The only feedback they get is if they receive the dreaded pink paper, which indicates a critical error, or even a fail. Luckily my senior received none of those (yay)! All in all, it was a nice preview of what I'll be doing in two years when I get ready to graduate from dental school!