Microbiology I Love You Like a Punch in the Kidney

Do we see the wind? My allergies are going crazy. I'm snorting flonase like it's...

...maybe I won't finish that sentence.

Today's battle: Micro. Some of it I knew, some of it I'd never seen before in my life. Ever. It felt like every other question was about lab techniques...I'm sure they weren't that frequent, but since I didn't know any of them, they really stick in my mind. I'm not sure how long until I find out about this one. Since we take the subject exam from the National Board, they have to send it to them for scoring, so it'll probably be a while. 

Update on Pathophysiology: I have officially passed the class! I know you all thought I would, but I was quite concerned. Still, thanks for all the encouragement.

Next on the lineup: Pharmacology on Thursday. It's the other one I'm having a lot of doubts about. All those dang drugs sound the same when you're a second-year and you haven't had enough clinical experience to memorize them with actual cases. I sincerely hope my knowledge of this topic becomes way less sketchy when I start actually prescribing these drugs. 

After that: Biochem and Preventative Medicine (mixed) on Friday, Pathology on Monday.

Ok, enough finals whining. 

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Let's talk brain fuel

Breakfasts: Granola, Oatmeal, Cereal oh my!

Today I made it smile at me. 

Since we vegans don't eat animals, we like to anthropomorphize our fruit before we mix it up and devour it voraciously.

Lunch (repeated 4 times recently...) has been:

Vegan Crispy Chicken with steamed carrots and broccoli topped with ground ginger and nutritional yeast

Today was a new one: 

Morningstar Vegan Griller on a homemade english muffin with vegenaise, mustard, cucumber, lettuce and, for a twist, a strawberry!

 It was stacked a little tall for actual eating, but the flavor combination was awesome, if messy. 

Dinners:

Three-Bean Dal (Vegan Planet)

Red Bean and Sweet Potato Curry (Also Vegan Planet)

My additions: extra lemon juice and spinach

Finally, snacks of course.

Apples, enormous oranges, and SIAWG. 

In the mix: 1/2 frozen banana, 3/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup plain yogurt

And now back to pharmacology. I leave you with this pretty flower that I sniper-photographed from our neighbors. 

3 am Royal Wedding? Completely Reasonable.

It may be the final days before finals and Boards, but nothing was stopping me from waking up at 2:45 am to watch the Royal Wedding this morning. I was joined by my roomies and friends, and there may have been tears.

I love weddings.

Thing 1: Kate Middleton may be a (former) "commoner" but she's a freaking stunner.

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Thing 2: Sleeves on dresses aren't super-trendy right now, at least here in the U.S., and I know it was a requirement of having the ceremony in Westminster but oh my gracious this dress was gorgeous. Prettier because of the sleeves, I thought. And classy. I have a feeling sleeves are going to make a comeback.

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Thing 3: During the hour time between the couple's arrival at Buckingham Palace and the kiss on the balcony - I went back to sleep, and set an alarm so I wouldn't miss it. During that time I had a great dream in which Kate and I were totally BFFs (first Natalie Portman, now her). I was invited to the wedding and got to wear a very lovely hat with a "fascinator." This may have been only a dream, but I do really want a trendy new hat. 

Thing 4: The balcony kiss. I'm glad I woke up for it. I'm such a sucker for people in love, it doesn't matter at all if they're strangers. Of the two kisses, the second definitely had a little more character, just seemed more spontaneous. 

Also, please notice in this picture tiny miss Grace van Cutsem on the left there. Not stoked. It's okay - it's been a long day, she's only 3. The palace has apparently made the official statement that she "felt poorly." You don't need to give us excuses - she's tiny and adorable and has been standing in front of billions of people all day. I'd cover my ears too. Shoot - I might just start screaming. 

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After this I went back to sleep for a bit longer, even though it was past 5 am - usually I'd be up, but it's been a very lethargic study week. 

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Back in real life, where I'm not friends with a Duchess/princess and I have to keep studying, it's actually been a really rough week. I'm just very frazzled, along with lots of my classmates I guess, but I'm coping poorly again. I really just need to listen to myself. I've already written about how much better I feel when I get exercise and don't eat too much junk, but I've just been rather in denial the past few days. 

Cashew butter and chocolate chips for dinner:

You thought I was kidding when I said that was dinner? No. It's been a rather unhealthy food week. I've not been fueling my brain very intelligently. I know better. 

Carrot cake ice cream. This flavor was kind of weird, but good, just heavy on the molasses chips. Fortunately, I do like molasses. 

Annie's Honey Bunnies. Don't get me wrong, this is a great product - but not if you eat the whole box in like 2 days. 

Rice Dream Mint Pie. Actually this was great...nice and portion controlled. I should really always buy my snacks this way. It has an interesting mix of textures, because it's like a chocolate covered ice cream sandwich. Cookie, ice cream, chocolate, mintyness - lots to love. 

Chocolate-covered cashews from the local market. It's a very nice smooth chocolate. Unfortunately that makes me want to eat them by the handful. 

Some recent better choices:

Baked Sweet Potato Rounds - Toss with oil and rosemary. Bake at 425 for 20 mins, flipping once.

Banana Coconut Chocolate SIAWG.

Three-Bean Dal (Vegan Planet).

I have grand intentions of being back to myself tomorrow. A proper run, better food choices. Perhaps a trip to the local coffee shop on my new bike. 

It will get better. After all, we're celebrating royal love today.