How to stay warm in Boston...

If you are like me, you may often find yourself asking, "what in the world is a puggle". Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Judging from the wittle bitty paws and smushy face, I'm inclined to go with animal. After a quick google image search reveals hundreds of adorable creatures like those pictured above, the next logical question is, "How have I made it 22 years without one?". And unfortunately, I can't think a good reason as to why I do not own this puppy. It is adorable. it combines the zest of a beagle with the slothfulness of a pug (minus its snortiness and short respiratory tract). Now all I would need is a small monkey to ride my puggle through the streets, and all my life's dreams would come true. Oh, and merry christmas eve! (see what happens when I have too much time on my hands...)

Generic End of the Year Post!

(look how cute my parents are!)

Merry Christmas Everyone!  I can't believe another year has already gone by.  Even though I am studying for finals just like a 2 year old Chinese toddler trains for the Olympics, I wanted to take a small break and say hello.  Besides, one can only spend so many hours learning about cancer before she needs to bring some cheer back into her life.  So, this has been the craziest year of my life.  A year ago I was still applying to graduate schools and reigning my kingdom of Provo.  Now I have been living in Boston for seven months!  And there are so many good things that have come out of it.  So bear with me while I make a little list of all the things I love and everything I'm grateful for.

1.  There is a church and ward anywhere I live.

2.  My wonderful family and their generosity.  (and i'm not just saying that because December 25th is ten days away.  but it is....)

3.  Getting an education, no matter how much it hurts at the time. (like vaccines)

4.  The feeling that I get when good things happen and I know it's a result of my hard work and everyone else's prayers.

5.  My car.  Materialistic as it is, she just makes me happy.

6.  Knowing that there's more to life than Provo and McLean.

7.  Chocolate chip cookies.

8.  Having amazing friends all over the world, and my new friends here in Boston.

9.  That feeling you get when you wear new shoes for the first time.  Heaven.

10.  Being happy :)

Well, I guess it's time for me to pick up the old cancer notes again.  Thanks for letting me bore you for just a little while.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Taking a study break

 This weekend I went to my first NHL game!  Go Bruins?  The evening started off in the classiest of manners by heading over to my friend's house and eating bries and playing mariokart (I'm living the high life now, baby!).  Then it was off the to the game where we mingled with the inebriated fans, well, more like my inebriated friends mingled why I tried to figure out how people can skate backwards so fast!  Afterwards we headed out to Fanuel Hall to laugh at all of the awkward New England white boys and their sweet dance moves.  And of course, no night is complete without the obligatory street vendor hot dog, regardless of the hour of consumption.  Last night I attended my first official pub crawl.  My college organized it so there were about 70 kids all wearing the same ugly green t-shirts...we kind of stood out on a Monday night.  I was peer pressured into attending, but I actually had a really fun time and sampled all of the finest diet cokes around town.  Plus, I got to put "DANGER" on the back of my tshirt (although in hindsight, "sober" would have been more appropriate).  Like I said, living the high life.

Dress up? Yes please!

So I was reading my friend Amy's blog and saw her tribute to halloween.  And I realized that Halloween is the ideal time to dress up and act like an idiot without being judged for it.  Then I reflected on the other 364 days of the year that I dressed up like an idiot and was absolutely judged for it.  But you know what, I'll take my cheetah prints and bedazzled jacket over that smug attitude and khaki pants any day.  

   a little BYU parade...go cougars!

I am a cupcake.  And that's my nana's nighty.  PS I'm surrounded by the best girls in the world
I can even squeeze in dressing up at a flea market in Paris.
I think it's a genetic thing.
My engagement pictures.
Nothing says "I'm cultured" like a peplos.
random pile of rubble + spring semester + black tanktops = WWII reenactment?
May I present, the cheetah skirt.

The things we do...
Preppy Sunday.  Who says dress up can't be classy?

The not-so-classy side of dress up.  But I would hire us as secretaries.  
God Bless America.
Lewis and Clark have so much to learn from me.
Ok, not technically dressed up here, but we are wearing sorority jackets and goofy smiles.
This one needs no explanation.

careful! this one's messy

Do you see what I have to deal with these days?  Pictures like these really don't bother me that much anymore after cadaver labs and dissection classes.  But here's the part I don't like.  I don't like having to go to class at 7 am...yes, 7 am, so that I can sit and watch picture after picture after picture of fracture repair.  Open fracture, open reduction internal fixation, external fixation, primary healing, intermedullary rods....I thought I was becoming a physical therapist so I wouldn't have to learn all this.  Just good old fashioned massage with a smile.  Boy was I WRONG.  I think I want a refund.  I've also come to realize that medicine is oh so different from what I see on Grey's anatomy.  (Which we all know to be an accurate portrayl of how all young, hot doctors live).  Sure I can tell you about fractures and cardiopulmonary surgery and how to treat and rehab them, but what about Meredith.  Will she and Derek build their house together?!  And will this be on the test next week?  

BONUS POINT:  $1 to who can tell me what body part this is.

told you so

                        

Seriously?!?!  I always knew that I hated girls with bobbed haircuts, but I never knew why.  Now it's all starting to come together.  This may also, incidentally, explain my magical powers.  But I'm not sure if those two have any correlation at this point.  It could just be caused by the nuclear waste I used to play in as a child.  Now, where's that darn mirror of mine....

friends, it's been too long

SO IM BACK! I'm sorry that I have not been faithful in updating my blog. It turns out that I just have not had any big "EUREKA" moments. I thought a month would be sufficient time, but it turns out that I have just stopped having creative thoughts. Sorry. I'm upset too. But, creative thoughts aside, I can still appreciate pictures, and I bet you can too! So I thought I'd show you a little big of what I'v been up to. There are a couple pictures of me around Boston with some friends from my DPT class, and also some pictures of the DPT family in New Hampshire. I'm not being funny or flip when I call these people my family. We are seriously connected on some crazy level and even though I've only known them since May, I feel like it's been forever. There's no way you can survive gross and functional anatomy and not form the kind of friendship you see in those band of brothers HBO series. They survived Normandy, we survived myotomes.

This is a picture of me and my fellow DPT family members canoeing at Sargent Camp. We drove up to New Hampshire and spent two days in nature getting back to our roots, bonding, and learning to love each other. I think the point of this is that we all basically stare at each other with as little clothing on as possible, and you want to make sure you are friends first...or at least have dinner together once.

These are some quality people enjoying the bonfire made by Kathy. BYU bonfires don't include alcohol, yet I still think people at BYU are way more dangerous around an open flame.

If you can avert your eyes from all the camel toe in this picture, you will notice that this is a few of us posing while we were doing the high ropes course. I learned how to overcome fear, trust others, and chaff my inner thigh.
Just to show you that we are not really all that hideous looking (only while camping) here's a picture from this past weekend when we all went out to fenway.
Earlier this summer I visited The Minuteman Trail. I basically only came here because my Nana told me that I had to see the Minutemen statues because they had "nice butts". So Nana, here ya go! I must say, it was nice, almost like it was made of steel or some other hard metal substance.

So one night we were eating at the Union Oyster House and then all of a sudden like 50 red coats came in the restaurant. One sat down by us at the bar and ordered a Sam Adams. Only in Boston is that kind of thing not only normal, but expected.

i have a disease...and the only prescription is more cheerios

I think, nay, I am certain that I have a serious problem.  I have eaten three bowels of honey nut cheerios today.  Darn you General Mills and your delicious whole grains and sweetened goodness.  Ordinarily three servings of cereal might not be that bad.  But the only other things I've had to eat today besides honey nut cheerios are cookies, a bagel, and diet coke.  Wait, does water count?  To make matters worse, I've practically memorized the entire back of the cheerios box already.  Everybody knows that while you eat cereal you are obligated (and privileged!) to read the cartoons and/or complete the activities on the back of the box.  For some reason I get some sick satisfaction out of being able to find the 5 hidden objects without having to cheat and look at the bottom of the box for the answers.  Yes, I am getting a doctorate.  But I'd rather just exercise my brain by helping Buzz find his way through the maze to the beehive on the other side!  That seems like such a better use of my time.  After all, if Buzz can't get to the honey, who will help support my ever expanding cheerios dependency?  Speaking of which, Buzz's face on the front of the box looks a little too cracked out for me.  It's kind of a glimpse into my future, say about 2 days from now, when I run out of cereal...Anyways, since I've completed all the activities, mealtime seems more like a chore than a reward.  Maybe tomorrow I'll go try to diversify my diet and buy some lucky charms.  Lucky always has some fresh, new activities for me.  Anyways, I guess the moral of my story is that I'm in desperate need of a steak and I wish I could have a career focused on studying the back of cereal boxes.  Someone sits around thinking those up all day...I could be that someone!  Oh, I forgot...I also had a handful of raisins.  

Yours truly,

Iron Deficient in Boston (But definitely not lacking in fiber.  Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber.  Thanks Buzz!)

*all profanity in this article should have been removed.  sorry to offend any readers.

some pictures...

As promised, here are just a few pictures.  I wandered over to the MIT side of town and took some pictures along the river of some of the Boston skyline.  It's not the best view, but I hadn't seen it yet so that's where I went.  Better pictures of Boston would also be posted below, but in true Johnson fashion my battery died and I had to return home defeated.  So, you will have to live with these until I find more time to go on picture adventures and take close ups.  (Sorry they really aren't that great and don't do the city any justice)

a tale of two tank tops

It was the prudest of times, it was the sluttiest of times, it was the age of FHE, it was the age of pubs, it was the epoch of self-confidence, it was the epoch of humility.  

It's come to my attention that i haven't written anything about boston yet.  opps.  there is more to this city than my car, as much as i hate to admit it.  Sadly, after an intense 4 week course in anatomy i still haven't had a lot of opportunities to go out and explore this city to the fullest.  But, i am definitely getting used to this place and learning to love all of its quarks and eccentricities.  The longer i live here, the more i realize that this is actually one of the smallest cities in the world.  It has EVERYTHING (and then some...) in it, but in actual size, this place is pretty tiny.  they try to confuse people by renaming every other block as a different city (cambridge, allston, watertown) but they can't fool me anymore because i'm a local.  

You know how everyone calls provo "the bubble"?  Well, i would say that it's more like a different planet.  these two places have nothing, absolutely nothing, in common.  such as how my class required me to wear a tank top to class.  but it's all cool and exciting, and scary as hell.  but there is one thing that i am really enjoying about boston that utah never had, and will probably never have.  In utah it is pretty easy to talk with members of the opposite sex and innocently flirt, maybe toss the hair, and hopefully get asked out for a sweet date to coldstone for a frozen treat.  I have found that in Boston flirting will get you a lot more than ice cream.  Not to say that all i do here is toss my hair at construction workers.  Only when i need something.  It didn't make sense that people in Boston would respond better to flirting than the people in utah.  and then i made the connection.  In the world outside of utah, i guess sex is always an option?  and as far as i can tell, people seem to be willing to go that extra mile for sex when a double scoop of mint chocolate chip just doesn't cover it.  

case in point: this morning i was driving to school and needed to turn onto a road that was randomly blocked off for construction.  i rolled down my window and asked a couple of the guys if there was another way to get onto the road.  the older construction worker (clearly realizing that no action on his part would earn him sex) just yelled "go around".  however, the middle aged and slightly plump construction worker leaned over, and said "oh no problem, ill just move these cones and barricades for ya".  wonderful man.  but maybe he was just a nicer man than most.  but people in utah never moved barricades for me.  

sorry, i realize this was nothing about boston.  i'll do something super this weekend and put up pictures of the city.  

a minor fetish...

Ode to Superior Craftsmanship and Engineering:

I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!  I have never been more in love with an inanimate object than I am with my new car.  Sometimes I just stare at her from my window.  Other times I'll go sit in the car just to make a phone call.  I love it!  It smells so good.  The brakes work (always a plus), it can accelerate (also handy), it is the smartest, sexiest, fastest, most beautiful thing I have ever owned.  If I could, I would make sweet sweet love to it.  I'm not a big crier, but this wonderfully made automobile moves me to tears every time I step into it.  When I go to get in the car I feel this little tingly sensation as I realize that, oh yes, that's MY car.  Plus, I've been getting a lot of admiring/jealous stares from fellow commuters.  There better be bmw's in heaven, or else count me out.

A time to pout

It's actually happening, somehow I have convinced BYU to give me a diploma.  I guess, if you want to get technical, I can't graduate until I take finals and pay that fine for streaking through the library.  (Don't worry mom, I don't think I will have any trouble passing my finals).  But as this season is upon me, I am feeling cheated out of my exit experience from BYU.  Let me illustrate: times listened to greenday's "Time of Your Life" =0, number of novelty mugs purchased at the bookstore as a keepsake =0, number of slideshows watched that highlight my escapades in happy valley, which are designed to incur the maximum amount of nostalgia =0.  I am sensing a pattern here.  Not only have I missed out on these time honored traditions of self-inflicted sadness and introspection, but I didn't even realize that I've been missing it!  Tuesday was my last day of classes at BYU.  I was sitting in my cell bio class chatting to my group whiel we waited for our professor to come talk to us.  We weren't learning anything that day, just meeting with our groups.  Then my friend asked me how I felt on my last day of BYU.  I hadn't even though about that.  Thanks a lot for reminding me, Chad.  But this wasn't just my last day, this was my last class.  Well, when this second thought jumped into my head I panicked and screamed "EDUCATE ME".  That drew some unnecessary attention.  But it did not merit a powerpoint lecture.  So that was it.  My last class here ended with screaming and embarrassment.  Actually, that does seem about right.  Back to graduation....  Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to move on to something different...a new page in my book of life, if you will.  But I'm sad to think that this whole experience is ending without my real acknowledgment, nonetheless without my permission.  So, goodbye BYU.  You will miss me.  I have been wonderful to you.  And I guess I will miss this place just a little bit too.  Now, if you excuse me, I have a souvenir keychain that plays BYU's fight song to purchase.

NOTE:  This picture was actually taken in England after realizing that I had just stood like a human sardine for 45 minutes to see the Queen, but I was on the wrong side of the building.  But the same feeling applies to this situation today...and that's overwhelming patriotism.

(I'm working on uploading this picture, just imagine me pouting)

Another day, another life lesson

Something blogworthy happened to me on Monday as I was walking to my pathophysiology class.  As per usual I was running just a bit late, which translates into a power walking madwoman.  My thighs are ridiculous, by the way, but those things of beauty deserve a whole post to themselves.  As I reached the top of the ramp (if you didn't know, BYU is on a hill, so every journey to class is a small cardio adventure) I heard a weird banging sound coming from the JSB.  Usually I just keep power walking through the distractions, but the noise sounded so weird that I had to stop and find where it was coming from.  

I didn't have to search too long.  It was a woodpecker.  Growing up in Virginia I've heard and seen my share of woodpeckers, but this one was special.  Instead of putting his talents to use on a tree, this bird had decided that the JSB needed a small hole about one foot below the roof.  I crossed the street so that I could stand under the building for a better look.  Amazingly, and not surprisingly, the woodpecker had made no effort whatsoever in his endevours to remodel the JSB.

But that did not stop my little friend.  He just kept pecking, and pecking, and looking around nervously, and then pecking.  You get the idea.  This was a pretty incredible thing to behold, and the noise he was making was all but impossible to ignore.  When I first started looking for the source of the noise no one else was paying him any attention.  There were lots of people around, but no one was looking at this little bird practically break off his beak to no avail.  However, after about three minutes of me just standing on the sidewalk and starring at this phenomenon, I noticed that the other people around me had started to look up too.

It made me realize how easy it is to power walk through life without taking the time to look around.  Granted, this approach results in sculpted thighs and a tight butt, but so does pilates.  I also realized how dumb this animal truly was.  When I finally decided to go to class I ran into a friend of mine.  I told him about the bird and he responded that he had heard the bird at 10 am.   At that time, it was 3 pm.  FIVE hours of pecking and nervousness.  

That's just ridiculous.  I can admire the bird's ambition, but you've got to learn when to call it quits.  There are some things in life that you just can't change, no matter how noble your intentions, or how hard you try.  You just have to realize that your beak will break and crack before the brick and cement of the JSB does.  So, to all of the woodpeckers out there, just make sure to analyze the cost benefit ratio of whatever it is you're doing.  Maybe you will eventually put a dent in the building, but is it worth it?  Doesn't that tree right behind you look just as nice?  If you find yourself pecking without any results, just stop and find a new tree.  (That last bit was metaphorical...ya, I'm fancy.

It's springtime in Provo

The birds are chirping, the snow is melting from Timpanogos, and girls have pulled out that scandalous pair of capris that show a hint of calf muscle.  It can only mean one thing: spring has finally arrived in Happy Valley.  There are some definite perks to this season, one of which is that people are generally happier.  The other is that each passing day of sunshine means more and more students are slowly beginning to emerge from their winter nests (apartments) and into a sunshine filled haven.  So here's the equation so far: Springtime = Happy people beginning to remember life before hot chocolate and long johns.

As I've wandered through campus the past few days I've noticed an alarming trend.  There is an abundance of couples at BYU.  Can it be?  Is it true?  Can even more people be starting to date?  The answer, my dear friends, is yes.  But I'm glad to see that you were puzzled at the dating increase as well.  Where are these new couples coming from?  BYU already leads the nation in couples/marriages/creative dating stats.  And then it hit me.  The answer was starring at me like a band geek who forgot to get off the field before kick off.  Wait, that guy actually is a band geek.  And I wouldn't mind him looking at me if he wasn't also simultaneously kissing his girlfriend outside of the library.  

I forced the image of The World's Soggiest Kiss out of my mind and focused on the madness overtaking BYU's campus.  The culprit behind this new love craze?  Springtime.   I believe it's time for a disclaimer.  Lest I look like a bitter girl about to graduate BYU without an MRS degree, i should clarify that I am an avid supporter of love and dating.  That being said, the level of love on campus makes me want to throw up.  Springtime = Katie's breakfast on the sidewalk.   

Here's my gripe with Provo's pastime of procreation.  Most of the guys are running around excited to be doing something besides playing nintendo, so they ask out just about anything (including some very frightened statues).  Girls, being nice, and sometimes in need of a meal, say yes.  Before the week is over the two are a couple and proclaiming their mutual infatuation in the form of back rubs, neck rubs, and thigh grabbing during my classes.  I'm glad that lifelong band friends have finally taken the plunge into band lovers, but there's no need for me to see it. So, as a desperate plea to all awkward Provo couples, I ask you to keep your kissing/touching/groping to a minimum.  I should not have seen four people's tongues today in other people's mouths.  That will probably take weeks to recover from, so I hope your extended salutations were worth the trauma they inflicted.   

Better late than never

Welcome to my new method of attention getting. I realize that blogs are somewhat "old hat" by now, and that I'm a bandwagon blogger, but something happened to me today and I want to share it. You're probably asking yourself "what could have possibly happened to Katie that inspired her to make the bold move of blog creation?" Possible reasons: stuck her fist in her mouth, had lunch with Cecil Samuelson, won a fight against a three legged poodle. But those are all wrong.
Today, I used a bone saw to open a cadaver's skull and remove the brain. Technically the brain is still attached, but the left hemisphere is coming out next week. But the important thing here is that I used a bone saw. I can't decide if that makes me like McDreamy or Freddie. Maybe McReady? That sounds too much like a prostitute on a value menu.
Needless to say, I'm really enjoying my anatomy. The human body is truly the most fascinating thing I have ever studied. It's incredible that something so essentially perfect actually exists. We can't even create an engine that runs even close to the efficiency level of our muscles and metabolism. Except for possibly Optimus Prime. He's a pretty sick machine/robot/car/symbol of testosterone.
Here's a quote about the body that says everything I am trying to say with a little more grace and tact.

"The marvel of our physical bodies is often overlooked... Your body, whatever its natural gifts, is a magnificent creation of God. It is a tabernacle of flesh - a temple for your spirit. A study of your body attests to its divine design." Elder Russell M. Nelson