Comfortable In Class

Welcome to the last first day of class I will ever have.  I can’t even believe it.  My whole life I have been a student.  I don’t know any different.  Needless to say, the idea that gives this post its name is this: I’m incredibly comfortable in class.  Regardless of how much I dreaded this day (I was more than a little doomsday-ish about this particular Monday given that it was on the end of my last ever holiday break) when I got back into that classroom and started taking notes again, it dawned on me just how easy and simple and completely un-taxing it was.  I’m comfortable there.  It’s familiar, it’s normal, it’s something I’m really good at.  So, yes, there are days I don’t want to be there, I don’t want to take the tests, whatever.  But the underlying theme remains: this is what I know, all the rest is a tad bit scary/unpredictable/foreign/new.  However, I admit, new is exciting.  So while I’m comfortable here in class, I’m totally ready in a lot of ways to get myself up and out and into a real career position.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Breakfast came in the form of an almond butter and strawberry jelly version of my protein breakfast cake.

This was great refueling food after a Stage 4 NROLFW morning paired with a quick 10 minute interval workout at the end.  Being honest, I didn’t stop sweating even after my shower.  Haha, yea after burn, I guess.  On a more somber note, I did something I had never done before today: I ate breakfast at my dining room table with a single candle lit.

I spent the entire time staring at the candle, kind of setting my intention for this whole semester.  I know this is going to be a doozy of a 15 week rotation and, on top of that, I have two classes, my thesis seminar presentation, and a cumulative exam.  Yes, you read that right.  I have to take an exam on the entirety of my two years in this genetic counseling program.  Ahhhh, scary!!!  Anyways, this was a remarkable way to spend the morning, really.  I think I might make it a Monday morning tradition.

Molecular Genetics and Population Genetics, my two classes this time around, took up my entire morning.  These days were the easy ones filled with housekeeping, syllabi, and some introduction material.  When those lectures wrapped up, we moved on back to the student room where I devoured my lunch quickly.  I had a mashed avocado sandwich (made with chipotle mayo and grape tomatoes) and some crackers on the side.  I also had the apple a little later in the car on the way to my prenatal rotation site.

It was a nice lunch.  I had to use up the other half of my avocado after last night’s creamy past masterpiece.

Both were super fantastic and filling.  Speaking of filling, my afternoon was taken up with prenatal genetic counseling session observation and orientation work.  I came home finally at 6p with all these grand intentions of doing prenatal rotation prep work.  Sadly, I didn’t get as much done as I wanted too though I did some of it.  I’m planning on spending the entire day tomorrow working on everything.  I need to haul booty to get things done but hopefully I will be much more prepared tomorrow night.  I observe again on Wednesday after classes.

Dinner was a salad with all the usual suspects.  I topped it with a broken up Trader Joe’s vegetable masala burger.  Oh my yum.  It was perfect.  I kind of want another one, but this time whole, on a bun, with some sour cream.

I used spicy brown mustard as a “dressing” for my salad.  Some say it’s a weird habit but I think it’s a nice break from the regular creamy goodness that normally graces my greens.  After dinner I was craving something sweet so I dug into an orange first.

Possibly one of the sweetest, yummiest oranges ever.  I think had a few bars of the giant KitKat I found in my mailbox at school today.

Thanks to the supervising genetic counselors in the department.  Technically this has been in my mailbox since before holiday break (get it? KitKat give me a break?) but I just got it now.  No reason not to enjoy it responsibly.  I only had a few bars, not the whole thing.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I’m off to bed.  I woke up to terribly loud music this morning, thanks to a brand new alarm clock that I obviously didn’t know how to work.  I plan to rectify that this time around.  What song shall I wake up to in the morning?  Always a good question.  Oh, and before I forget, I wanted to let you all know I have an exciting thing coming up (though the precise date is undetermined as of yet) –> I’m going to learn how to do aerial silks.  I have put up the appropriate inspirational picture on my phone’s lock screen and I have bought my Groupon.  I can’t wait.

Questions: What’s your secret to enjoying dessert responsibly?
What new thing are you going to do this month/year?