Photo from Mount Royal, Frisco, Colorado.

"That is happiness; to be disolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." - Willa Cather

Tuesday 2 March 2010

What year is it?

You might expect to hear this question in regards to a man walking around with a purple Casio boombox playing Ton-Loc or a woman wearing Isotoner slippers. Or I guess in the movie Back to the Future.

But you would not expect it as a genuine question. I was sitting taking an examination today in prescription writing (recept skrivning) for medical students (I have to take it because I am a physician from outside of Europe) and I had to write the date at the bottom of all of the prescriptions and I couldn't remember what year it was. This test is notorious, because if you write one thing wrong, you fail. I filled out all the prescriptions, but left the year blank. I finally figured I had to write something, so I wrote 2011. I was about to hand in my test when I saw the date at the bottom of the computer screen in front of me. Whoa. Good thing a 1 can easily be changed to a 0.

I never used to believe a person's mind could reach maximum capacity, but now I think it can. My whole life I was kind of a star test-taker. And I used to dread the day I would become a mom, because I thought that would just by default make me less intelligent. And lo and behold, look at what is happening. I just can't seem to get a good handle on things anymore. How is one supposed to be a mom, cook, clean, live their life in a new language, a new country, be a PhD student, a physician, a runner, a blogger and be expected to take all these tests that Danish medical students take? It is days like this, where I wish I were a low flyer: someone who sat in coffee shops and read, pontificated, sipped coffee, had one pair of dark, dirty, smelly clothing and nappy hair. Maybe even a Casio boombox. No obligations, no expectations. But it would never do. I need SR, The Lorax, step-daughter and running.

Speaking of running, I found a gem of a place to run in Copenhangen today: Frederiksberg Have (Garden). Gorgeous on an early sunny morning with a bit of frost on the ground. I challenged all of the females and males on the trails to a race at some point (whether they knew it or not). Beautiful happiness, no matter what year it might be.

Running Song of the Day: Dry Lips by Dúné

8 comments:

Danni said...

Or maybe your brain just needs more fuel :p Or coffee?

Emily P said...

Oooh, I love Fredriksberg Have! That's where this photo was taken. (I hope that link works!)

Also, don't worry about forgetting the year. You're just keeping only the very important stuff in your mind.

PiccolaPineCone said...

you ask how you can be mom, runner, cook, cleaner, blogger, physician, foreigner etc. etc. Well I truly don't know HOW you do it... but you inspire me! You make me believe I can still be a serious runner and mommy and cook and blogger once I return to my job in September!

Diana said...

Maybe your brain just gets full sometimes. :)
There are days when I can't for the life of me remember the English words for basic household items. My grad school friends and I joke that our brains get rid of any superfluous information, like basic math skills or in your case what year it is, in order to make room for all the academic-minded stuff we need to remember. More than likely not true, but at least it's a good excuse when I can't remember how to say spoon in English.

Unknown said...

Hello! Would you mind sharing your full regimen of tempos, intervals, and long runs? I ran a half-marathon in 2008 at a very slow pace and do short daily intervals, but am definitely interested in running faster. I'm a longtime fan of your blog and would love to hear your thoughts if you can spare the time.

sea legs girl said...

Thanks for the link, Emily!! Cool photos! Man, I wish I'd had my camera there. Beautiful...

Sandhya, thanks for writing. Sounds like a good idea for a blog post. Stay tuned!

Unknown said...

This is so funny! I've been accidentally writing 2011 lately, too!

SteveQ said...

I was a star test-taker, too, especially standardized tests (IQ, SAT, etc.) and was a high-strung type-A personality. Now I'm the coffee-sipping, pontificating, not particularly well-groomed opposite.

Both have their rewards.

BTW, since you were trying to guess the ailment, think bone and abscess.