Apples

Last year was the first year in...I actually have no idea how long...that I was not able to go apple picking.  It's one of the best parts about the fall, so I decided that I could not go two consecutive years without a visit to the orchard.  Luckily, I have friends who agree despite another exam coming up tomorrow.  We headed to Jersey (exciting, I know) to check out the offerings of Demarest Farms.

The offerings were good.

Despite my extensive apple-picking experience in Minnesota, I had to say I felt a bit at a loss in New Jersey.  The apple varieties aren't the same.  I didn't find any of my favorites, and I had to figure out on my own (by eating lots of apples) which ones were better for eating vs. baking.  (Clearly, life is tough when you don't have the familiar Chestnut Crabs, Honeycrisp, Haralson, Wealthy, Fireside, Zestar...I could keep going, but you get the point.)  Plus, apples like Red Delicious and Fuji just aren't that exciting.  I can find those in the store.  Nevertheless, we found some good varieties, deciding that Empire and Liberty were our favorites (plus they have cool names).

We also had size contests.  I found the biggest apple.  Ferdinand found the smallest.

Later, after successful picking, we acted like kids at the play area.  Nothing like a trip to the orchard to relive childhood!

We even recruited a random little kid (far right) to fill out the picture.

A great time this fall...will we be back next year?  I hope so!

That Other Team

I like baseball.  I even like it when teams I don't care about play inconsequential games in the rain.  After a brief tornado (possibly) whipped through Queens last Thursday, the Mets played the Pirates at Citi Field with only a 10-minute game delay.

Pretty field.  Great seats.

The Mets are no threat to...well...any team.  The Pirates are currently the worst team in America.  So why would I go to this game?  Because it was free.  Einstein has GOOD season tickets which it gives out to students for every home game.  I won the pair of tickets for Thursday's game, so Cat and I braved the rain and had an enjoyable night of baseball.

And burgers.

And what do you know...the Mets won!  No surprise, really, but it was still fun to be cheering for the winning team.  It was also fun to hear everyone cheering when the announcement came on that the 7 subway would, in fact, be running.  (Apparently it was flooded by the tornado...or something like that.)

A classmate let us borrow some of his hats.  Thank goodness, because Cat and I certainly don't have any Mets gear.

Birthday, Birds, and Beach

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it many times again: I'm SO HAPPY to be in my second year of medical school.  So many of the little things we had to worry about last year are simply nonexistent this year.  We know how to study.  Our first exam, which was last week, was not easy, BUT it was a familiar hurdle.  That means the world when it comes to studying.

On the morning of the test itself, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise over the Bronx.

Then, afterwards, the rest of the week couldn't have been better.  The night after the exam, our class convened in Manhattan for the typical after-exam celebration.  The next day was my birthday.  I was overwhelmed with wishes and greetings from friends and family alike.

I was also overwhelmed with the gutsiness of my classmates in feeding our extra seafood to the creepy birds on City Island.

The next day, Cat and I drove to Virginia Beach.  I guess it's a bit far, but really, 7 hours isn't that bad of a drive for a long weekend (which we had because of the Jewish holidays).

Kayaking was fun (but tiring)...

We even got to take surfing lessons!

Surfing, by the way, is waaaaay harder than it looks.  Today, 2 days later, I still can't lie on my stomach because my ribs are bruised from flopping up onto the board as fast as possible to attempt to catch an approaching wave.  My hip and knee are scratched from being violently churned under the waves on the sand  after wipeout upon wipeout.  My forearm is bruised from the time the board smacked directly into it...while it was guarding my face.  (Good thing I was covering my face!)  Oh, and just as a matter of pride, I must mention that my board was actually the same size as Cat's, but by the time we took the picture, mine had been packed away so I had to pose with the smaller one.

Somehow, in the end, we made it back to the Bronx without killing each other.  A fun weekend!

No Time to Slow Down

And that's the way it should be!  I've been back at school only two weeks, and already we are gearing up for our first test on Tuesday.  Don't worry, that hasn't stopped us second-years -- who already know each other, who've already moved in, who already know what it's like to live in the Bronx, who already know what it's like to study for medical school exams -- from taking advantage of the beautiful weather and abounding opportunities to enjoy each others' company.  Examples:

Going on a nighttime fishing trip in the Atlantic

Mostly failing to catch any fish big enough to keep, but having a great time trying

Taking the afternoon off to see an old friend on her way overseas for the year

Attempting to explain geography to a new first-year.  They must have REALLY lowered their standards when accepting the class of 2014...ha.