The carnations, coconut, and status

2003-01-01 - 4:53 p.m.

It's a brand new year. Woke up this morning and watched the Rose Parade. Three years ago I saw the Rose Parade in person. On TV the best part of the Rose Parade is the cool floats. In real life the best part is the bands. All those marching bands. I always wanted to be in a marching band. I guess that'll never happen. I went to a high school with 2000 students and yet our band only had 12 members. Seriously. I see these high school bands with 250 members and it amazes me. Some school district administrator screwed over all the kids in my district by cutting the music programs in elementary schools and junior highs. Of course by the time the kids got to high school, nobody knew how to play any instruments, so how could they have a band?

So what has happened to me this year? Hmm...I guess quite a bit. But at the same time, not too much. January found me putting in six weeks at a Raley's for my community rotation. I turned 23. In February I traveled to Tucson and Reno and various Northern California cities to interview for residency positions. I broke a tooth, got my first root canal, and worked at Dameron for my ambulatory care rotation. March brought me to my hospital rotation in Modesto. In April I received the results of the match, found out I'd be in Sacramento for the next year. In May I graduated, got my Pharm.D., and moved out of Stockton for good. In June I studied like a crazy woman and took the California Board of Pharmacy Licensure Examination. In July I started my residency at this hospital. In August I took a trip to St. Louis and found out that I passed the board exam and got my pharmacist license. In September I worked in the county clinics. In October I broke up with my boyfriend. In November I worked in the children's hospital. In December I went to Atlanta and worked in the ICUs. And now here I am back at the beginning.

I can tell you one thing, at the beginning of last year I sure didn't think I'd be living with my parents at the beginning of this one. I wonder where I will be a year from today. I could still be here, withering away. Or I could have my dream job. I could be married with children. I could be an officer in the army. I could be dead. I could be living in Hawaii. I could be a millionaire. Who knows? Let's get to it.