Today I actually started to feel like a third year. We spent several hours tonight at a "clinic" run by the AOA (medical student honor society) learning to place IV lines and draw blood... first on manikins and then, on each other.

That's my hand above.

I had previously announced that I am not going to ever have surgery and tonight I would like to add to that that I never plan on having an IV line inserted. It just feels weird.

I do feel 1000 times more confident about having to do it on a patient now that I successfully did it on Chuck. Let's home all of my future patients have such great veins.

I apparently have terrible veins (hence the above picture). The guy who was teaching us (who was actually just a first year but who had worked as a paramedic for something like 12 years),
said it's because I'm a redhead, but he didn't explain that statement at all (maybe that's why my old dermatologist had "RED" written on my file so he would know a redheaded patient was coming in that day. I doubt there was that valid of a reason). Our teacher tonight was also overly attracted to Selene's jugular veins. It was an interesting evening all around, and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me.

Tomorrow we have orientation days for our respective rotations, so we'll be meeting the pediatricians in charge of our block and I believe we'll be seeing some kids to learn about the developmental milestones and practice some of the pediatric physical exam (hint from a fourth year: leave examining the mouth to the end because they'll already having it open, screaming).

Also, here's a quick reprint of my wedding color swatches taken with my good camera. I think the colors are a little truer:
Good night and good luck, especially to the people I know who have to report before sunrise!