Moving On...

As all of you probably know, I've started the MD/PhD program at UT-Houston. Given that this blog is called "mareninspain" and that I like making new blogs, I've moved! This blog will still be here, and you can find the new one under "Links" on the right - it's called "My 'mudphud' blog". Or you can just click here.

So update your links and join me on my new adventure! (hm, that was kind of cheesy. oh well)

My New Rivalry

Hi folks (all 3 of you; hi Mom!) - Sorry for that little absence there, I'd like to say it's because I've been so busy this summer, but really it's that nothing exciting has happened. I'm officially a grad student now, living in Houston, doing research at MD Anderson, and reading alot of papers. However, med school starts Aug. 20 (eek!) so expect some more interesting entries soon!

Anyhow, the real news is this shirt I saw someone wearing the other day.



They explained it as the Dallas equivalent of "Keep Austin Weird". Seems appropriate to me. Which brings me to my new rivalry: Houston vs. Dallas. Obviously, fair reader, Houston is far superior to Dallas, and since I've never really been a fan of Dallas, I jumped on the Houston bandwagon pretty readily. I might even have to order a shirt!

Class of 2007

So maybe I haven't officially graduated yet (the ceremony is on Saturday) and the picture in the hat is from my High School graduation (hey, same funny hat, just a different day) but I am finally done with undergrad! I just took my final final (harhar) and I already know that I've passed the 2 courses I needed to graduate, so all that's left is to get a very expensive piece of paper in the mail (aka my diploma). Woohoo!

I move to Houston on Thursday and then start my graduate program on Monday. Not very much of a vacation.


But that's ok, I've graduated!!



Disclaimer: The first picture (from www.utexas.edu, thanks!) isn't from this year's ceremony, as it hasn't happened yet, but I can't imagine it'll look much different this year. Hook 'em! (I guess?)

A Finals Week Meal

Steaming hot potstickers, rootbeer, and laptop.

Shoes for a Cause

Some of you may know that I have a tiny problem with online shopping. Addicted is a strong word, but I'm getting close. Today, I got some shoes that I ordered way back during my post-Spain "my money is now worth something" shopping spree. In fact, they are so cute and amazing that I don't even mind that I waited about 3 months for them.

I present: TOMS (also featuring my embarrassingly pale legs)



These cuties (along with solid versions for women, men, and tots) can be found at TOMS Shoes. However, the best part about these shoes isn't their cute pattern, or that they're amazingly comfortable, but that every pair of TOMS sold guarantees an Argentine child a similar pair of TOMS shoes - absolutely free! All that for less than $40! I haven't done a road test yet, but I see myself ordering a nice red pair in the near future.

New Hair

I got my hair cut on Friday, and here are the results: (in both curly and straight for your viewing pleasure)

Also featuring my (semi) new glasses!




Ok so I have three exams this week, so my study breaks start to get a little more creative ... but I'll be done with undergrad two weeks from tomorrow (!!!).

What a Cutie!

I'm a lucky girl!

Tri, Just a Little Bit Harder

In the spirit of making changes in my life (new city, new school, new work) I've decided to start working towards completing a triathlon. Crazy, I know, but it's something I'd thought about before but ruled out, mainly because the Central Texas area is really hilly and I hate biking up hills. But since I'm moving back to South Texas (read: no hills) I thought maybe I'd give it a go. We'll see.

My biggest fear is the running, mainly because running and I have never really gotten along. Swimming should be no problem, as I've already gotten back into swimming this semester, and for some reason the biking part doesn't seem so daunting. However, last week in my Evolution class we read a paper describing how humans seem to be evolutionarily adapted for long distance running (i.e. 5+ km). You can't argue with nature! So I'm giving it a go.

I found a 10 week running schedule meant to prep for a 5K or 10K race, and today was my first day! Yay! They start you off easy, the first week being a 30 min walk/jog on Wednesday and Saturday. You may have noticed that today is Wednesday... meaning that I have completed my first running workout!

Amazingly, it wasn't as bad as I had expected, I simply jogged until I felt like walking and then walked until I felt like jogging again. I did some pseudo calculations with Google Maps and it looks like I went almost 2 miles! It may not seem like much to you, but I feel pretty accomplished.

Now the real challenge is keeping it up as the workouts become more and more frequent and the mercury keeps rising. And that whole biking thing, I'm not so sure how that's going to work in downtown Houston.

And as an incentive to keep going, if I keep up with my running workouts for 3 weeks I'll reward myself with one of these and an armband for my ipod nano.



Wish me luck! And feel free to clue me in on biking workouts/how to get started.

Looking for the Future

These Pulitzer Prize winning 20 photos by Renee Byer of The Sacramento Bee document a boy and his family's struggle against neuroblastoma.

It's both powerful and heartbreaking - the reason I'm considering studying and working with pediatric cancer - but also what makes me wonder if I'm strong enough.

(found via Blog, MD)



I'll get a taste of cancer research this summer, when I'll be doing two 5-week research rotations in labs at MD Anderson, one of the top (or THE top, depending on the year and who you ask) cancer institutions in the country. I guess I'll take it from there.


In other news, I graduate and move to Houston in less than a month! Crazy!

Narcoleptic Weenie Dog!

Darla, this made me think of you and your dog a day :D