Hola España

For the last two months I have seriously been failing as a blogger. In my defense I was pretty busy studying 8-10 hours a day for Step 1 of the medical boards. I don't think you can truly understand how much studying for this test sucks until you actually do it yourself. After about a week of intense work, a looming depression sets in and you realize that you have nothing fun to look forward to for the next four weeks of your life. Then again, I hate when people bitch about things that they signed up for, so that's enough of that.

Luckily, I did have something exciting on the horizon -- a trip to Spain and Croatia! I was supposed to study abroad in Spain during my junior year of college and didn't end up going (this was the worst decision over). But I scheduled my exam on June 8th so that I'd have two weeks of vacation before third year started.

I went on this trip with my mom and we began by flying into Madrid and spending one night in the city before moving on to Seville and Barcelona. We didn't have enough time to really get a grasp on Madrid, but we explored for a bit and managed to squeeze in some interesting sights. I'll begin with a few shots from around town.

We arrived in Madrid on a Monday afternoon and had only until Tuesday afternoon to explore. I had sort of neglected Madrid during my trip planning and relied on our hotel's concierge for some suggestions. Since time was limited we decided to check out the "trendy" Mercado de San Miguel. If you are in Madrid and you love food, this is a must see! We went there early on Tuesday morning before the crowds arrived to grab some breakfast and souvenirs. I had a traditional Spanish breakfast dish -- something like a piece of veggie bruschetta with a fried egg on top -- and two chicken croquettes. I would describe Spanish croquettes as classy chicken-nuggets that melt in your mouth and are absolutely delicious.

If we had managed our time better I think we could have wandered around the Prado Museum for a few hours but oh well...This post is a little skimpy but I have a lot more pictures from Seville and Barcelona. Come back soon to check out my Spanish adventure in those two cities!

Hello There

The Dancing Jaguar - Copan, Honduras

Shame on me, I haven't posted anything in a long, long time. In my defense, the last few weeks of school have been absolutely ridiculous. Tomorrow I'll be done with my second year of medical school (providing that I pass boards in June) and I've had enough work in the past month to truly put me in burn-out mode. On top of that, I got sick last week and it's taken a full seven days to get whatever virus or bacteria that infected me out of my system. My throat still burns from the post-nasal drip, I'm dying to get some exercise, but tomorrow everything will be a little bit better. This isn't a fancy post but I thought I'd share some random facts about myself - I decided that this would be a great way to procrastinate studying for the test that won't affect my grade...

1. My favorite movie is Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
2. I like reading magazines backwards.
3. I hate Segways.
4. My college minor was in Slavic Studies & I thought about writing a PhD thesis on Russian Fairytales.
5. I have a paralyzing fear of heights.
6. My dream travel destination is Australia - I'm planning on going during my M4 year.
7. I don't have tonsils & am blind as a bat without my glasses or contacts.
8. I've never gotten a speeding ticket. (fingers-crossed)
9. I love animals more than some people.
10. When I was little I wanted to be a comedian because I liked the idea of making people laugh. (Tina Fey is my hero)

So there you have it - a glimpse into my wealth of little oddities. Any fun facts about yourselves?

A Little Bit of Magic

Have you seen this Cartier commercial? It's got a little bit of Paris, a little bit of magic, and it's right up my alley. Enjoy...

Le Pouf

I like to pretend that I have my own apartment...it's completely empty and just waiting to be decorated. When this actually happens I think I'll have a hard time deciding on a theme/color scheme, but in the mean time let's go fake-shopping for a little ottoman. Anyone out there have a favorite?

Pouf #1

Pouf #2

Pouf #3

Pouf #4

Some Tunes

Today I've been taking lots of music breaks and this is some of what I'm listening to.

Sadly my attempts to see The Staves were foiled by sold-out tickets, and Florence is playing in Milwaukee the weekend before my huge M2 final. :(
Maybe I'll make an effort to go to one day of Lolla this summer...

Weekend Update

My weekend via camera phone pictures...if only Tina Fey was here to narrate.

Argo Tea: matte latte + chai chicken and quinoa.

The perfect pre-CrossFit dinner.

The John Hancock - some Friday afternoon studying views.

Stuck in traffic on my way to CrossFit.

A pretty window display in Forest Park,

Out celebrating Doug (and Carl's) birthdays.

The boys stopped for cigars.

Busted out my spring/summer bedding.

The magnolia tree in my parents' front yard.

Pear & lime juice at Orange.

Popeye omelet at Orange. Celebrating Zach's return to Chicago! :)

Alas, I did not celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year. Dragging myself to the city from the suburbs is a pain in the you know what. But I did manage to eat a lot of food, get a bit of work done, and finally watch Water for Elephants. TTFN.

Spring Break Escape

**Disclaimer, this post is a little late. I started it right after I got back from Spring Break (so about 2 weeks ago) but I hope you enjoy the photos**

My school has our spring vacation scheduled for the end of February which is somewhat early, but it's also a nice break after two months of classes and exams. Right now Chicago is cold and grey...the wind howls, the plants are frozen dead, and I never seem to fully feel warm. Luckily I was able to escape the dreary weather for a few days in Florida with my dad. Our time was divided between a few popular Orlando attractions and seeing our family who lives in the sunshine state. It was a great three days, and I'm excited to share it with you all! (All four of you reading out there...)


Tuesday, February 28th -- SeaWorld Orlando

I've been to SeaWorld in San Diego, and the Florida version did not disappoint. After a leisurely morning (we arrived in Orlando around midnight) we got to the park with a beautiful day ahead of us. In addition to the amazing fish, aquatic mammals, and reptiles we braved the park's two roller coasters. We caught a few of the shows, and though they were cheesy, they were also a lot of fun. If you've seen the movie The Cove, it's a bit hard to justify keeping animals like dolphins and whales in tanks but I tried to enjoy the rare opportunity at hand.

Admiring the flamingos, note my paleness.

Obligatory theme park Dippin' Dots.

There are about 500 species of rays.

Petting the manta rays! They are slimy and leathery, awesome!

Playful dolphins.

I like his smile.

Two seals and one BIG walrus. They even had sea otters in the show.

Sea turtles.

The turtles at the park are all injured & have been rescued. They're released back into the wild once they recover.

The Manta Ride.

The Kraken.

Wednesday, February 29th -- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Harry Potter has been a part of my life for fourteen years. I can't claim to be the biggest superfan out there, but I love the books and was definitely disappointed when I didn't get a letter from Hogwarts growing up...If you are a Harry Potter fan, you MUST see this park! The creators did a fantastic job and made so much of the books come to life. The little details were priceless...even with the hot and sweaty tourists walking around it feels like you really are in Hogsmeade. We got lucky that the park (part of Universal Islands of Adventure) wasn't crowded that day, and so we never had to wait more than ten minutes for a ride.

The two main "adult rides" (there is one family-friend mini coaster) are The Forbidden Journey and Dueling Dragons. Dueling Dragons is your typical roller coaster and very fun to go on. On the way up to the ride you pass through a Goblet of Fire arena -- complete with contestant tents and magical singing eggs. The Forbidden Journey is part 3D Imax experience and part mini-ride through the Hogwarts castle. You help Harry find a missing dragon and "fly" around the inside and outside of Hogwarts. It's a long walk up to the ride and during it you get to see the inside of the massive, intricate Hogwarts castle they built. There are talking paintings, Dumbledore holograms, and the Sorting Hat! After the ride you pass through a gift shop. I picked up some goodies for a few friends and wanted to buy a Marauder's Map, but it was fifty bucks! Sadness. Hopefully the next few pictures give you a sense of what it was like to be at the park...it was AMAZING and I'd love to go back.

Hogwarts Castle from afar.

A nice close-up of the castle.

Winged boars at the front gate.

Hogsmeade!

Lots of shops and things to look at.

Me, about to enjoy a sugary treat.

The Butterbeer was delicious.

Lots of great little details. The ATMs were part of Gringotts bank & the bathrooms had Moaning Myrtle audio playing.

The Three Broomsticks where we had lunch.

Zonkos which was connected to Honeydukes.

 

The main shop and owl post center!

Friday, March 1st -- Family Time

My dad and I drove out to Ormond Beach where my grandma and aunt live. We spent the day there and took an hour to walk along the ocean which was only a ten minute walk away. On our way home in the evening we stopped at my cousin's place in Orlando to see her, her husband, and my little cousin Marco. He was so adorable and smart. We brought him a little moving Easter chicken and children's book which he wanted me to read to him twice :)

It was a great relaxing day, but unfortunately no flattering pictures were taken...

**I'm back in Chicago now, enjoying our little heat wave, and struggling to stay afloat in the 2.5 months before my Step 1 exam (FML). Blogging seems to be a great way to procrastinate so look forward to some more posts**