Back to School

The official end of summer, as designated by the Red Cross calendar hanging in our kitchen, is September 22nd. However, every student knows that the REAL end of summer comes with the first day of school. Therefore, summer was officially over in the Wheeler household as of last Monday. It's back to school time at OSU College of Medicine. The second year of medical school is the one I have been the most nervous about. Courses are progressively more difficult, and at the end of the school year... boards (Cue intense music in the background).

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I'm not overly excited to hit the books again, maybe because I know how rough this year could potentially be. I feel more prepared than I was last year for the onslaught of new material that will be coming my way, but it doesn't make the idea of going back to the grind stone any more appealing. On the bright side, 10 months from now I will have the didactics of medical school behind me, I will be working with real patients, and I will officially be Justin C. Wheeler, 1/2 MD.

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Fair Season

Ahhh.... August. The time of year when the crash of demolition derbies, the bleat of 4H sheep destined for mutton-lettuce-tomato sandwiches, and the aroma of fried food fills the Ohio air, sparking images of ferris wheels and food borne illnesses in the minds of young and old alike. I hope you all had a chance to frequent your local county fairs. If not, stop reading this mediocre blog entry and go enjoy some of the finer things of rural life that your local fair has to offer!

Like an eight legged woman.

Oh, and does Salt Lake know about corporate sponsorship?

Feeling crabby? Try a visit to DC!

Nothing gets the patriotic juices flowing like a trip to the Washington D.C. area. Brianna and I spent last weekend with Mom and Dad Wheeler seeing the sites and sounds of Chesapeake Bay, Delaware (The First State), Washington D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Gettysburg. The foray into western Delaware was motivated mostly by wanting to click the map on Facebook saying we'd been there. We still aren't convinced it was worth the gas money. :) There wasn't much to see except fields, trees, and a surprisingly large number of watermelon stands.

While on the Chesapeake peninsula, we went to lunch at a seafood joint on the bay. Historically I've nurtured a strong aversion to seafood. However, seeing as we were in the self-proclaimed crab capital of the world, I decided to try some crustacean fare. I regrettably have to report that soft shell crab sandwiches are not my favorite thing in the world. I don't know if it was the flavor or the somewhat disturbing sight of legs dangling out of the bun... Luckily, the fries were good.

Also of note on our trip was a stop at the Washington D.C. LDS temple (which was beautiful), a visit to the National Museum of Art and the rest of the Mall in D.C., motoring along the famed Skyline Drive through Shenandoah State Park, and my personal favorite, a day in Gettysburg.

My AP History teacher (who coached baseball and looked strangely like Top Gun-era Tom Cruise) had an unhealthy fascination with the Civil War. He spent a week going over the nitty-gritty details of America's iconic battle. His diligence paid off I suppose, because the stories started coming back as we visited the various battle spots. Knowing that so many people died fighting there for a just cause gave us the feeling that we were standing on hallowed ground. I highly recommend a visit if you ever get the chance. Check out the movie Gettysburg before you go. And stay away from the crab sandwiches.