I have one short phrase for you: bacon cheddar muffins with avocado butter = win

Yes, we came up with the idea on the train this morning and made them tonight.  We still need to do some work on the actual muffin recipe, since Joy calls a biscuit a muffin, but the flavor profile is there and wow.  I may be one step closer to evil culinary genius (especially since my suggestion of avocado butter made the dish win), and seem to have found a willing partner in crime. 

Otherwise, life goes, as I get to enjoy the wonders of med school apps and coordinating another big move, so fun times ahead. 

Ok, so big news!  I want everyone to keep their fingers crossed that everything works out with my current attempt at an apt.  Its super cheap, near the shuttle to class, has several grocers nearby including a punjab market and a safeway, is blocks from TWO ice cream shops, a bunch of restaurants, and several tea-based cafes.  Also, its walking distance to the art museum which is free and has huge selections of contemporary and modern art.  Fingers crossed that the leasing agency likes me!

Other news includes that facts that I finished classes Monday, got to see Ironman, which was awesome, caught up with some friends, saw Alice and Tristan, had what might have been the best burger of my life, spent some time with David, kicked ass at a game night and discovered I'm allergic to portabellos. 

Scav starts tonight and I'm going early to handhold for RT.  David keeps asking if he should be concerned about meeting scav hunt this weekend and I keep being torn between reassuring him and laughing maniacally.  Its going to be a fun weekend. 

Oh, and I think I'm officially a Master tomorrow.

Ok, so maybe you all kind of know this, and its not a surprise in any way shape or form, but I thought a lot of folks deserved a nice shout-out.

Congrats to Kat, Alice, and all of Alice's Torontan friends on exciting acceptances for PhD programs! 

Congrats to Poulos on completing of the Thesis of Doom, and thus imminent graduation! 

Congrats to Caelius on finishing all of his coursework (especially given the amount of suffering that seemed to be entwined with taking undergrad Caltech physics)!

Congrats to Sarah on being awesomely published!

*As an aside, I still love Anna, Ian, Joel, and Patrick, and fully intend to list impending achievements by all of you as well in the future at appropriate dates.

Now just think - if you combine us all together, we're really terrifyingly accomplished.  Like the Godzilla of Academia or something . . .

So my mom called me today and my grad school prediction has been fulfilled.  While I've gotten accepted at two of my top schools, the school that was either 2nd or 3rd depending on the day, which I wanted logically, but not viscerally, has formally rejected me.  I guess this just shows that the west coast and I are still not meant to be.  As a side note, I paid my deposit last week, so clearly, I'm not exactly broken up over this.  This is just a strange flashback to being 17 and getting accepted everywhere except for the one school I didn't really want to go to.  I wonder if this means I should be more careful in what I predict.

for the first time in a while . . .

2 things:
1) I got into grad school!  So far I've gotten into Minnesota and Hopkins, but clearly, I'm heading to Baltimore, since they're that extra bit more awesome.
2) My roommate left the country for Guatemala with no notice and we need to find someone to take over the last 4 months of her lease.  Anyone know non-creepy people that want a place from April through the end of July?

It's been a full 48 hours . . .

Also, I think I'm channeling Elle.  Maybe it will make me study harder?

I have too much work at the moment for a proper update (and besides, I've talked to most of you recently enough that we could easily deem it unnecessary).  However, I did want to a moment's triumph - they've published my baby (and by baby, I mean the paper I ranted about most of last spring and early summer)!  This means I now have 2 PubMed citations (and totally makes it easier for me to write my personal statement)!!!

For the curious: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18272230?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Well, we're nearing the home stretch of the first month with the New Year's goals, and I think I'm doing ok.  On a mission to complete my least meaningful and most achievable goal, I had an exciting food foray today.  Whilst in the chilly north, one of my gracious hostess' friends suggested that my new veggie for the year ought to be a beet.  This was suggested with such vigor and enthusiasm that I was unable to come up with a good reason why I shouldn't try a beet.  Thus, today, I boiled, peeled, sliced, buttered, herbed, and then labna'd a beet!  I must say that it wasn't half bad, though I firmly advocate for the yogurt spread as a toping.  This is of course an addition to my earlier effort this week to try cooking and eating parsnips, which have been absent from my diet for the last 20ish years.  I only realized upon planning to write this that I had in fact already achieved this with a dish of chow mein in Toronto (I was always slightly afraid to order it on the basis of not knowing exactly what was in it).  So thus, I've already tried multiple new foods this year.  Go me!

As for the rest of the list, I wrote one letter, but owe 2 notes and and 2 emails as of this writing.  I've chosen a major project to complete this year (applying to med school, which ends when someone finally accepts me) and I've speant a fair amount of time laughing with friends thus far. 

And now to work on that list of communiques that need to get done!

it's the Maple Leaf State
Canada, of Canada it's great

Sadly there were no royal mounties, bags of milk, or venison slurpies on my trip (NB: obscurish song reference).  However, there was a visit to Smokey Tom's, or more accurately, hazy Tom's, a trip to the shoe museum, a weekend of lovely nerdy conversation, and a long awaited drink.

All in all, it was a really nice trip, particularly given the disturbingly cold temperatures over the weekend.  (Alice has promised to talk me out of any similar crazy ideas which strike in the near future.)  Points of interest include discovering a new hypothesis for why Michigan drivers allegedly follow too close (blame the crazy-driving Canucks in Toronto who scare me), confusing Canadian border control, meeting Alice's new beau (handsome AND makes a good pie crust!), being very confused by church folks using the wrong phrases and singing things that I'm accustomed to reciting, and a suggestion for how to fulfill one of my New Year's goals. 

While I was happy to return to a warmer climate and an actual bed, it was a really nice weekend, full of all the best parts of Chicago (except for that part where everyone else lives down the hall).

at least in my own head . . .

Its kind of weird, because I'm happy and all, but this still doesn't seem real.  It also turns out that something else got accepted, but we don't have a publication date just yet. 

I feel like I should do something important like cure cancer or help the homeless or something.  Instead, I spent the day remembering why Jordan Catalano was the original Pacey Whitter, with far superior hair and leaning capabilities.  I got the set for Christmas and I've been running through them at a steady pace, with more than a few smirks and head shakes over the characters, as well as a trip to IMDB to make sure that Mr. Catalano was legal at that age (in his 20s during filming) before I continued lusting further.  It strikes me as a little funny that I'm spending an evening without homework in my room alone watching a show about fictional teenagers who constantly worry about wasting their lives by not actually doing anything.  Ok, even with watching teen tv, that's as much emo as I can handle in one night.

I decided to give myself perspective on this year by looking back to last year.  Here's what I said a year ago:

So for 2007 I would like to:
finish Don Quijote
decide where I'm moving this summer/fall
become a better listener and less frequent complainer

Don Quijote still sits half finished in my bookshelf, due to inattention and a switch of letter-writing topics to Les Miserables instead.  However, I did finish Les Mis, and checked a few other miscellaneous classics along the way.  Unsuprisingly, I did eventually decide where I was moving this past summer, successfully moved back to the midwest, and settled in with some new roommates and surroundings, as well as a few old friends I hadn't seen much in the past few years.  I'm not sure how I did on the listening/complaining scale, though I think the reduction in LJ entries might be a sign of improvement, as well as the switch from long, frequent rantings to more limited news broadcasts.  I think I've also made peace with myself on this topic to some extent, likely shored up by having a wonderful supporting cast of friends and family who seem to remain steadfast regardless of whether I lean more toward listening or complaining on a given day. 

The year has not been without its trials, including further work toward improved mental health, panic over my academic goals, confrontation of some past demons, stress over a foray back into the romantic arena, significant travel, a return to school, and a death in the family.  I think I've made it out of these trials as a wiser, more thoughtful individual, though I have no doubt that I will still exhibit bouts of immaturity, complaining, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and possibly a few other things in this and future years.  I hope that I replace these reactions with humility, sympathy, trust,  laughter, understanding, and love, instead of monotony, overconfidence, or preaching.  Time will tell what 2008 has in store.

In 2008, I plan to:
make new plans for this fall, hopefully in a new degree program
continue eating and sleeping healthily
learn new things and meet new people
return to volunteering

I hope to:
return to my correspondence with several friends, which has suffered this fall and winter
try a new food
be more friendly and less hesitant and judgmental toward new people
accept new challenges as opportunities instead of obstacles
appreciate my friends and family more fully
become better at studying and learning efficiently, with less angst and procrastination
finish more projects than I start
spend more time laughing and less time contemplating
be less fearful of being truthful with both myself and others

I think this may be a big enough list for one year.  May we all have an exciting new year, full of challenges, excitement, and welcome news!