I had a dream that I was transported 200 years into the future (but an alternate universe). Obama was still the president. He was assassinated later in the dream though, by aliens. The Islamic faith was no longer practiced/extinct (coincidence? lol. "Oh yeah," I told curious futurites. "They didn't eat pork.") I was taken in by a co-op of future citizens who lived in a treehouse. As we sat around the table and ate, a young boy talked about his baseball game that day. Baseball was pretty much the same, except all the players were required to have their own purple bat, and the bats were legally not for sale. You had to steal one to get one. At one point after the alien invasion, Dan Akryoid showed up, and was an experienced fighter.

I have missed dreams like this. For a while I had nothing but nightmares, which I am sure were connected to my anxiousness over the whole med school application cycle. So all in all, I am pretty good right now. Moving to DC in a month.

So, it's my last semester, yay. Been going on med school interviews. Just came back from Wake Forest, where somewhere along the journey I caught something in one of those giant, flying, bacterial incubators they call airplanes. Just great. Tomorrow I'll be interviewing in Tallahassee at FSU. Still not accepted anywhere yet.

In other news, I tried to make this semester be nice and easy, but apparently I judged my classes wrong because it's turning out to be a lot of work. Still, fun is being had, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. I got an ice cream maker; I've been experimenting with that. I made some bitchin' malted milk ice cream. With Whoppers in it! I bought a Snuggie. I would never order one, but it was only 15 bucks at Walgreens. Honestly, I would have been a FOOL to not take advantage of that. I look ridiculous in it, like some sort of half assed wizard or a Klansmen who accidentally threw his robe in with the darks on laundry day, but I can't doubt its utility.

That's all for now I guess. Hope everyone is well!

So an update:

I broke my damn computer so I'm at the library, and paranoid about nosy people.
Senior year, trying to get good grades despite a disturbing lack of motivation, time is really flying by, so on and so forth. Had a dream in which the new, all-the-rage fad was the so-called "diarrhea club" - a slang term (why? I have no idea) for sinister establishments where men take their girlfriends in order to have them beaten by gangs of thugs. BUT: I got an invite to interview at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. So needless to say I am beyond excited about that. Wish me luck!

I hope everyone is doing well.

So I took the MCAT on Tuesday. I stayed with the lovely Miss Laird, as my test was in Gainesville. It was pretty brutal. The physics section just anihillated me. I'm not that hot at physics in the first place, but then it's just the sheer number of formulas they want you to know for the damn thing. Still, I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted now that I've taken it. Hopefully, I won't have to take it again.

Kinda funny story though: while some of the other test takers and I were waiting outside the test room, the proctor (who was Hispanic) came out. I just happened to be standing next to another Hispanic guy, and he came over to us and said, "Hey, you look like you're from Puerto Rico, you have that face." I assumed he was just talking to the guy standing next to me, who he replied that he was Puerto Rican. I didn't say anything and I didn't think anything of it. Then when I was admitted inside the test room (which was crazy, they only let us in one at a time and they fingerprinted us and took our pictures and we were videotaped during the test), the proctor was speaking in a very low voice because the people admitted before me had already started their test (it's computerized so you don't have to wait for anyone). He put a sign in sheet in front of me with a big X next to where I was supposed to sign my name. He said something as he did that, but it was so quiet I didn't hear him and I just signed my name. Turns out, he was speaking to me in Spanish, and my implicit obedience with his command to sign the paper reinforced his idea that I understood. He proceeded to give me my entire pre-test briefing in Spanish. I was too embarrassed to stop him. The directions were easy to follow, so I just let him hablar.

After I took the test and drove home, I got to my place at about 6:00PM. I just crashed on the bed and when I woke up it was 7:30AM. 30 days until my inner peace is either heightened or shattered when my scores come out.

This update was spurred on by the totally ridiculous thing that happened to me today: My car was broken into. LAME. My dad very graciously gave me a Garmin GPS thingy for Christmas, and of course warned me about the high theftability of it, but damn. Now it is gone. I stored it in the glove compartment out of sight, but it didn't occur to me to remove the little windshield mount when I wasn't using it. I guess the fiend(s) saw the little cradle and figured I must have a GPS navigator somewhere in the car. To add salt to the wound, the villain also took the cradle from the windshield, the Garmin charger, and this cool little device I have that plugs into my cigarette lighter that lets me play my iPod through the radio. I was extremely naive to think it was okay to leave it in there, even out of sight.

The thing that really fries my cheese is that it happened at school, on a Saturday (I had a med school forum all day today, which is why I was at school). The perpetrator is obviously someone who specializes in the theft of GPS devices. They didn't take anything else from my messy car. They didn't break the glass; somehow they jimmied the lock. I'd really like to know what method they used, cause the police dude couldn't find any signs of forced entry and even wondered if I actually locked my doors (which I did. Ironically, my little electronic door locker/unlocker was dead, so the one day I actually manually lock my doors I get ganked). I guess I should be happy they didn't break the glass, but they didn't even bother to close the damn door. Lesson learned.

In other non totally lame news, most aspects of my life are the same as last time I updated my journal. Things that have changed: this semester is really big for me because I'm actually starting the med school application process now. I just shelled out 210 big ones to sign up for the MCAT, and I need to start working on personal statements and asking for letters of rec and all that stuff. It's overwhelming because it seems like everything has led up tot his and now it's all happening at once. I've got a pretty full course load too, but the classes are surprisingly easy and there is a lot of overlap, so that's not really stressing me. I'm taking Literature of the Bible this semester, cause I want to keep up my writing skills and I want to actually read the Bible, but I figure after many failed attempts it wasn't gonna happen unless it was for a grade (Sorry God). It's actually way more interesting than I could have hoped for, and there are some badass parts. In Second Kings the prophet Elisha was walking and a mob of kids were teasing him about being a prophet of God (and about being bald), so he called down a curse on them and the kids (42 of them to be exact) got devoured by bears. It's really interesting to see how the concepts change as the historically documented situation in ancient Israel changes.

I also decided that all study and no exercise makes Briana a constantly gaining weight college student, so I joined one of UCF's many sports clubs - fencing! It's pretty awesome. Practices kick my ass because I haven't run in approximately 5 years, but it's fun. I like the strategy involved. We have to wear all this protective gear so we don't impale each other, even with tips in the swords. Us ladies have to wear this ridiculous one-size-fits-all breast plate with these comically far apart boob spaces so we can protect our dirty pillows.

My responsibilities in my research lab have really picked up, so I spend a lot of time there running experiments.

After this semester, my life will be unbelievably easier. So I'm just trying to do what I gotta do and be done with it and have it off my mind.

I have three tests on Tuesday, and one of them is an essay test (in Molecular Biology II no less) but I looooove procrastinating. I also love cooking. So I made a quiche! From scratch! It is a ham, caramelized onions, and swiss/gruyere quiche.

( My quiche, let me show you it: )

I have a lot of really weird, vivid dreams, and I've always loved that.

A few nights ago I had a documentary-like Behind the Music-style dream about Don Dacus' struggles during his short-lived stint as a member of the band Chicago.

I have never heard and songs by Chicago; I don't even know what they look like. The only reason I've heard of Don Dacus is because he starred as Woof Daschund in the 1979 film version of the musical Hair (which I happened to watch the day I had this dream). But my brain filled in all the details for me. I wish I could remember how the song Chicago played in my dream went. All I remember was that there was a nice guitar solo and it was performed on a circular, rotating stage. The only other part of the dream I remember is an altercation between Don and some presumably made-up member of Chicago which resulted in Don getting pushed and hitting his head on a jukebox. It was all very dramatic.

I hope everyone is getting a chance to relax over this Thanksgiving break.

So I haven't updated my journal in a while. Nothing has really changed, but I have to say I feel better and happier, though I'm not sure if I can pinpoint why. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Actually I can't stand that phrase, because my bitchy old grandmother said this to me in an infamous family reunion incident in which I refused her offer of the soap and shampoo bottles from our shared hotel room. Who offers someone complimentary items they could easily get themselves and gets offended over the refusal?

I live off campus in a real life apartment now, and I'm very happy with it, save for the fact that a particular Niceville cheerleader with matching first and last name initials whom I don't believe I will ever like lives next door and constantly plays the avert-eyes-don't-speak-I-don't-know-you game.

Still an aspiring med school student. The thing about this year (which I think is one of the reasons I feel happier) is that for the first time since I started college, I can genuinely click my heels and shout "SCIENCE IS FUN!" I'm past all my prereqs and everything is starting to become interrelated ad is really falling into place. I'm learning, I'm loving learning, and most important of all, I'm retaining what is being learned. It's good to feel like your curriculum (thank God Firefox spell check) is more than just a means to an end.

On that note, I'm starting in a lab working with bacteria suspected to cause Crohn's disease. The people are nice and relaxed and I'm enjoying myself so far, though at this point I'm only starting out.

I also volunteer at Orlando Regional Medical Center, doing the most awesome job ever: I'm up in would management, where the staff is struggling to go computerized. So I scan pictures of wounds into their computer. An inordinate amount of the wounds seem to involve assholes that are ripped or in some way inflamed or whatnot. Lots of asses.

I keep getting called for jury duty back in Okaloosa and it's getting on my nerves. I would love to do jury duty, but I'm not there and they know this. I hope they don't come and put me in the pokey because I just overnighted my jury excusal form today, but they should have received it on Monday. OOOOPS!

That's all for now I guess.

I had an accident in Organic Lab and now, no matter how many times I wash, my left hand smells strongly of cloves.

It's summer. It's Orlando. It's hot as the devil's balls.

So tell me why, WHY would you turn the thermostat up to 82? Every day? Like I'm not gonna take my ass out there and turn it back down? If you wanna be hot, take your ass OUTSIDE.

I don't know what my summer roommate is up to. She's crazy. We live in an apartment, but she keeps all of her food and silverware in her room. Even has a fridge in there. She eats strictly organic, completely healthy foods (even organic, non-dairy "ice cream flavored desserts") and she's insane with the AC. She brings it down to 60 at night and puts it past 80 in the day. I don't know if she's doing that "hot yoga" in her room, or trying to sweat the pounds off (not that she has any to spare, she could slip under the door), but I'm getting fucking sick and tired of that shit.

Oh well, at least she doesn't impersonate doctors or burn the palce down like John's old roommate.

SAM I SAW YOU WALKING DOWN UNIVERSITY BLVD TODAY. I was driving so I couldn't say hi.

Here's an interesting tidbit I learned at my family practice internship: your brain, when alive, has the consistency of toothpaste or a soft butter. You know how if you have a tight lid on a boiling pot and you suddenly take it off whatever is in the pot can boil out and overflow? Your body is the same way. There was a case I was told about where someone did a lumbar puncture (aka spinal tap) on a patient without checking to see if they had any type of pressure on their brain. This person had a brain tumor. The puncture and subsequent release of pressure caused all of the spinal fluid and cord to rush suddenly to the site of puncture and the patient's brain followed, being sucked down through the hole in the base of the skull.

Think about that.

So I've always prided myself on a hardy immune system. I get sick every three years like clockwork. However, I just started an internship in family practice at Florida Hospital on Thursday. I wake up on Friday, and I have a sore throat. Cue Saturday, my nose is all stuffed up and running at the same time, and all that crap. Not cool.

My bed is up high, as per most dorm/campus apartment arrangements. It's right about at my mid-chest, so when I iron I just put my ironing board on the bed. When I put the iron down in between ironing "spurts", I put it on my dresser, which is next to my bed.

Now. In a moment of sheer stupidity, I decide that I need something out of my bottom drawer while the iron is on. When I go to open the drawer, it pulls the cord of the iron. Which comes toppling down on me. It was one of those moments where everything is in slow motion, with perfect clarity, but there's really nothing you can do except watch the scene unfold and think to yourself, "This is going to suck."

Fortunately for me, only the edge of the iron caught my neck before it rolled off and onto the floor. Considering the situation, I'd say I was pretty damn lucky. I mean, an iron fell on me.




The picture doesn't do it justice. It looks pretty cool in real life.

Speaking of very unfortunate things happening to me, my Sci-fi Lit class is only on Mondays and Wednesdays. I didn't go last Wednesday (I hadn't missed class yet) because I was very distraught over some other stuff. So I roll up in there today, and everyones like, "Oh, we have a test today." Apparently he announced this at the end of the Wednesday class. Not only was it a test, it was an essay test. I had to run over to the bookstore, by a blue book (never used one of those before), beg the lady at the counter to lend me a pencil, and run back to take this test. All of my college classes up to this point have been science classes, and it really showed. I don't even remember how to spell anymore. Still, I felt alright about it.

So Hannibal, Faceman, Murdock, and B.A. (aka the fabulous Mr.T) hav just parachuted out of plane to do a mission in a foreign country. They need to track some hostages held by terrorists, but the area is crawling with henchman. "I can track em'...by air," Murdock says. He opens his luggage trunk and proceeds to pull out and assemble all of the parts needed to make working, small one-person helicopter.

I love when a television show soars to new heights of improbability.

So, people are really having a shit fit over the new Facebook. CALM DOWN! It's really not that big of a deal.

I'm going up to Gainesville for the UF/UCF football game and staying with the Laird (that invitation still open?) I really hope we don't embarrass ourselves. We have improved greatly over the past two years though. George O'Leary may be fradulent about his education, but he knows his football.

So classes at UCF on Wednesday have been cancelled, due to the alleged "hurricane". Not that I'm complaining. I just think it's funny how, after Katrina, officials are seriously overreacting at the thought of a storm brewing. For no other reason than they don't want any shit if something does happen. They just want to be able to say they took full precaution well in advance so they don't catch hell. I'm all for being prepared, but when the governor declares an emergency and evacuates five counties (the first TS of the season, whatever A-name it was) over a tropical storm to cover his own ass I give a thumbs down. I can barely tell a tropical storm from a regular rainy day! Now Ernesto comes along, it's not even a hurricane, and school is cancelled. Oh well.

What's even funnier is that mere hours after the alert that school was cancelled went out, Facebook exploded with "HuRrIcAnE pArTy!!1" invitations. I'm slightly bitter, however, because I'm having a hurricane party with my organic chemistry book. Speaking of which, my horrid professor gave the class OF 300+ PEOPLE seating assignments. Alphabetical with z's in the front. It's ridiculous. And he takes attendance every day.

I think tomorrow I'll entertain myself by watching the Weather Channel. It enrages me and cracks me up at the same time watching the "meteorologists" stand outside in the rain and talk about how hard the wind is blowing. It's nothing but sensationalism. I wonder if Jim Cantore is in Central Florida yet.

My mom flew home from a business trip to New York today. They confiscated her lip gloss. The terrorists have won.

I'm so glad school is back in. I can already tell this is going to be a big year for me. My classes are moving out of gen ed territory and I'm starting to really get into science on a deeper level than before. I'm actually excited about my 5 credit hour Microbiology class. I'm also taking this science fiction literature class that is AMAZING. I love all of my classes, except for one, but that is because I had the professor last semester and hated him. I also had a recent personal accomplishment: I smelled rain coming for the first time. My mom always talks about that but I've never experienced it, until a couple of days ago. I stepped out of my apartment (the entrance is sort of open air, but I have no view of the sky until I go down the stairs and away from the building), took a sniff, and went back in to get my umbrella. I started walking and maybe five minutes later it started raining. I know I must have looked ridiculous at the crosswalk because I was so smug that it was raining.

Life's good.

Have you ever had a totally mundane dream? Where absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happens? I had a dream that I went to the chiropractor. That was it. I made an appointment, went there, waited in the waiting room, filled out an insurance card, the dude asked some questions made his adjustment, and I left. What kind of lame ass dream is that? No superpowers or rapper Fifty Cent or anything. I really hope that doesn't become a trend.

All summer I had nothing to do, and now I have entirely too many things to do in a ridiculously short amount of time.

So I work 7 days a wek at two jobs now. Charlotte Russe on the weekends and the Eglin Federal Credit union weekdays. Now I have no time, but I'm makin' that bank! Boy, are there some characters working at the bank. One of my coworkers is a bona fide OCD sufferer, as in he has step in and out of the doorframe 5 times before he can cross the threshold. He does all kinds of really odd things like that, but he's cool. Went to Costa Rica last summer.

I hav a blind date tomorrow with my mom's friend's friend's nephew, who she recntly met and decided to play matchmaker. I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic. I don't think my mom would try to hook me up with someone she thought I wouldn't like. Still, the relationship is somewhat hindered by the fact that I might be the only 18 year old female who absolutely HATES talking on the phone. But whatev.