Life Update!

Okay, so this post is more like a bulletin updating the statuses of my various endeavors - there are many to account for, so we shall see where this goes - there are also a few new developments which I will touch upon.

First off...

Haute Cuisine - haven't done much in this arena for some time.  The latest thing I have made was some sweet potato brownies (taste and look like normal brownies but are healthier).  Hardly "haute" style, but money's been tight and I've had less time for experimenting what with my month of intense medical boards studying.

Computer Games - oh my, when will this ever end?  Never, I suppose.  I got my new computer running and had been playing various games on it including Skyrim, New Vegas, and Alice: Madness.  Unfortunately, something happened to my computer and after a lot of troubleshooting, formatting, reinstalling - I have concluded there is a hardware glitch going on and I will be calling the manufacturer shortly to figure out what they're going to do about it.  

Bloodlust - toned down a tad, replaced by various other things like studying and computer games.  My Halloween costume is waiting in the closet for it's day, but in the meantime my boyfriend has been entertaining the notion of going as a character from a Valve computer game (Half Life series) for Halloween.  If he does that, then I will feel compelled to go as another Valve game character - specifically Chell from Portal and Portal 2.  Here is a sample picture of her:

They sell her tank top at ThinkGeek so I ordered it - should be fun to go running as an Aperture test subject.  

Piano - yeah, haven't worked on that.  I asked my parents to try playing the piece I was interested in and it's challenging even for them so it'll be some time before I really make an effort to play it.  

Cocktails - I have actually made some progress in this area - I have been working on low-calorie cocktails that still feel like cocktails.  My new friends are small amounts of fruit juice, Angostura bitters, and fizzy water.  Those combined with a little bit of gin or vodka = awesome and guilt free.  

Self-Improvement - in a way this is progressing.  I am getting my prerequisite blood test for starting Accutane tomorrow - Monday I shall go to my appointment and get started.  I'm a little nervous about how dry my lips will be, whether my skin will actually improve, but I know several people who have benefited significantly and I already bought all my materials, so I feel rather prepared.  In 6 months hopefully my acne will be a thing of the past.  As far as exercising - that has been on the back burner for about 2 weeks, getting back on the horse (well, treadmill) today hopefully.  It's been pretty cold lately, and rained today, so I probably wont run the trail for a few days.  

Creative Projects - I am 3/4 done with my boyfriend's pressed herb quad piece - we still need some rosemary, so if I visit my parents' house in a week and a half then I will bring some back with me.  They have a few bushes in the backyard.  

Great Books - those have also been put on hiatus while I am on rotations - at least until I am done listening to tons of medical lectures that I have in preparation for the next portion of my board exams.  No clue when that will be done, probably not for a long time.  

Miscellaneous news: Been watching a lot of 30 Rock, took my Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) on Saturday (score gets back in 3-4 weeks), have a ton of stuff I need to take care of for school, a presentation on Thursday, had a girl's day in wine country with my best friend, and hopefully a little more time for relaxation now that my board exam has passed.  Hopefully I passed the exam as well!