*ahem* I do believe it’s time for a little bragging on behalf of Adam:

Oh yes, I’m married to an MCAT-ass-kicking-machine!!!
So, for the unfamiliar MCAT scoring can be very confusing. Here’s more info:

Four separate scores are derived from the MCAT, one for each section and the total score. Each score that you achieve on the multiple-choice sections (Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences) is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. This raw score is a reflection of your correct answers only…The scores for the multiple-choice sections—Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences—will be reported on a scale ranging from 1 (lowest) to 15 (highest)…Your raw score on the Writing sample will be converted to an alphabetic scale ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest)...In addition to scores for the individual sections, a total score will also be reported. This total score will consist of a combined multiple-choice score conjoined with the Writing Sample score, e.g., 42T. {via the AAMC}

So, just to clarify, Adam got a good great score. I am not surprised, but I am proud, very proud. He is very smart and he worked very, very hard.
And now, I’m pleased to announce the start of a new series of posts which will be ongoing for the next million 8 or so years here on Domestic Dork:

Seeing as this is the inaugural post in the “Med School Mama” series I’ll give you some background info {for those of you who don’t already know it}. Adam has a bachelor’s in film. In his final year of classes he realized the film industry was not where he wanted to spend the rest of his working days. He spent some time in construction before deciding to go back to school. For the last year and a half he’s been taking pre-med classes with the intention of attending medical school. It was a big decision that we made together. We both knew that if he was going to pursue this dream I would need to be on board. Well, I am. And I’m doing what I can to help, starting with making the application process a little smoother.
Applying for med school is kind of a big deal. It’s exciting, and scary, and expensive and stressful and confusing. Different schools have different requirements. Some schools want your MCAT {Medical College Admission Test} scores to be this good other schools want them to be that good and some schools don’t care at all about the MCAT. This summer the med schools begin accepting applications for school beginning in fall 2011.
There are 17 accredited medical schools in Canada {versus 132 in the United States}. The Quebec schools were easy to eliminate.It didn’t take long before the list of schools Adam was interested in applying to was whittled down to 5 {though we’re not yet completely ruling out the others…except the ones in Quebec}. They are {in Adam’s current order of preference}:

1. University of British Columbia
2. McMaster University
3. University of Calgary
4. University of Alberta
5. University of Toronto

Basically, this is how the application process goes:












We’re not even to step one yet and already we’ve done plenty of the “cross fingers and try not to freak out” bit. See, we had to wait about a month before we knew how Adam scored on the MCAT. Since he did well we’ll move on to applying. If he hadn’t done well he would have had to write the test again and we’d start applying under the promise of sending in his scores after the retest. The MCAT is a big pain. It’s not cheap to take {$230 ouch!}. Plus it required that Adam drive to Edmonton. And, of course, it’s an important and loooong {5 hours!} test that required a lot of studying. So we’re both happy he won’t have to re-do all that {Adam especially is happy about that fact}. But either way it’s time to start preparing for the application process. So look forward to more Med School Mama posts. Next time I’ll show you how I’m helping Adam keep himself organized!
And again, a big, fat congratulations to Adam! Way to go, Love!

If I ruled the world...

• The max MCAT scores would be in the thousands instead of forties because a test that big deserves scoring that feels more impressive.
• Blogger would have a wysiwyg template editor so I could finish and install my new design sometime in the next decade.
• I'd be allowed to leave the country without fear of being denied re-entry.
• Target, Ben & Jerry's, and a decent Mexican place would all be available in Medicine Hat.

If I ruled the world and had supernatural powers...

• Hogwarts would be real and I'd be a graduate.
• The weather would remember that we're in spring now so it's OK to be warm.
• The nutritional value of a food would be directly linked to its yumminess.
• Time could be manipulated.
  

What would you change if you ruled the world?

Allrighty, folks! I'm back to blogging. I do ask for your patience with the current design (I know...March is SO last month, right?). I've got my brand-spankin' new design done but have some serious troubleshooting to do with the CSS code. And if that makes no sense to you just pretend it does and move on.

Baby Lu is growing like the proverbial weed. It's exciting because she's developing even more personality and accomplishing new things like rolling over. And by "rolling over" I mean she did, one time, and has shown no signs of doing it again any time soon. But it's also heartbreaking. I would ask why babies have to grow so fast...but I understand natural selection well enough that I already know the answer to that.

Bear re-evaluated his academic plans and has discovered that it may not take quite as long as we thought before he can begin "real" med school. The current plan is to take the MCAT this summer. I'm excited. The sooner he can start applying to med school, the sooner he can get in. And the sooner he gets in, the sooner we move out of Medicine Hat. Sorry to my fellow...fellow...Hatians? No. That won't work, too close to Haitians. Sorry to my fellow Hatters. But I'd go mad if I had to stay here forever. (Did you see that? Did you see what I did there? Tee-hee!)

Now, might I take a moment to comment on Twitter? I tried to do the whole "Twitter thing." I signed up for an account and everything. My inner Luddite and my inner Geek had all kinds of arguments about Twitter. My inner Luddite rambling on about the invasion of technology into our personal lives, the shallowing of relationships brought on by techno-exhibitionism, and the inanity of it all while my inner Geek just kept yelling something about it being new, shiny, and fun, FUN, FUN! In the end my inner Luddite won. Inner Geek will have to be happy with Facebook (off which she really ought to wean herself) and Blogger. And so I present the following video. That is exactly what I'm talking about.