alex's pharmacy jouRxney

hello everyone! happy june!! today marks the end of my first block of rotations. 1/12 done! this month flew so i know the rest of the year will too. i hope everyone is well.

this week, i read 4 books. i am truly in my reading era. this is my best era because it is completely free (with my 7 libraries on libby lol). it has been giving me motivation to finish my tasks for the day and it feels less brain-rotty than scrolling on my phone, even if i am reading trashy thriller/mystery books. my delusional self thinks i might be a good author someday, especially in a fun space like thrillers where logic doesn’t seem to exist. i have always had a fondness for writing, so if anyone would read a book from me, let me know and i will get started lol.

i have an exciting update: one of my favorite professors agreed to be a mentor on my research project! i am deep in writing for three papers at the moment, but my goal is to have a rough draft of that paper for my mentor by the end of this week. right now i only have an abstract and outline, so i definitely have a long week ahead. the deadline for submitting that paper to the journal is july 1st so it is a tight timeline.

even though my first block is done, i am still with my same preceptor for the next two months. this track is definitely cool but i am missing my patient interaction. i am looking forward to my fourth block where i will be at a clinic. the timing of this track is perfect though because i am able to prepare for post-graduate applications.

i am falling more in love with the idea of moving to west virginia. for eric, it is a great move as well since there is a math teacher shortage in the state. muffin would love the mountains (and so would i). the program i am interested in there would get me halfway to a phd, so part of me is thinking about doing my phd there. i am very interested in the health outcomes research field and think getting a research degree would be a great step for me, even though it is another two years (after the fellowship) of low pay. i have always seen myself as a city person but i want to start my career somewhere chill so that i can explore what i want with fewer barriers. maybe someday i will move to a big city with eric, but for now, somewhere like west virginia seems right.

with how much i like working at the pharmacy at walmart, i am starting to consider being an hourly (part-time) community pharmacist wherever i move. i like being able to speak with patients and think it would be a great way to stay fresh with my medication knowledge. in west virginia, this would be a good plan for me, especially since it could help me pay the bills during my phd. i can’t wait until october when i know where i will be for the next few years. i am so ready to start my life!

eric has had an interesting week for sure. after bringing his car in because it has been loud recently, the dealership discovered that his catalytic converter was cut out of his car and stolen. i had no idea how expensive these are ($3000) and how often people steal them. i feel horrible for him but it seems like he has found a plan to make it work. whatever bad luck he has, double it and give it to the next person (not me).

we have been taking muffin on hikes this week but she has dramatically laid down on the ground halfway through. she loves the sun but doesn’t like to exercise. she knows we will carry her if she acts tired. she is out-smarting us. we need to find shorter trails and build her tolerance. below are pictures of her during the walk and when she got home.

hope you all enjoy the weekend and go outside! talk soon.