T Diddy :: Your Friendly Black Dentist

Two weeks and counting. I will reappear from beneath the water. After 5 months are the most intense work or studying I have ever done, this season has just about passed me by. I am in such a peaceful state of mind. I am so cool calm and collected. It must not only be that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I also know that I will pass as I am knocking the most demanding course of the box. Here I am, laughing and chilling. And others are stressing about dumb stuff. I am about to join my people in the real world again.

However, I will not be in the clear yet. I still have to take my Part I Board exam. It is a 6 hour exam that tests my knowledge that I have acquired the past 2 years. Again, I am not worried because I have prepared myself for this moment. I am going to kill it. They will accuse me of murder and I will call my favorite lawyer, Michael Thomas.

One of the better family movies is "House Guest". The star of the movie is Sinbad. Either you like Sinbad or you do not. I actually enjoy the fool because his humor is clean and stupid. Here is a picture of Sinbad doing stand-up.

I offer the above picture as proof of identification. Below is the picture of me and Sinbad.

Memorial Day Weekend marks an important date of my life. This the first weekend after completing all of my major exams in the most demanding year of dental school. I took the most demanding course, Pathology, that any top medical school can offer. This is the course where you essentially become brainwashed to think like a doctor. This is the course where outside of the classroom you want to diagnose everything. Every major professional school has a class like this, whether it is Law, Med, or Veterinary school. Taking this class turns the corner of your career.

Needless to say, I am happy to pass this class and end the dreaded 5 month span of all day studying. Today I can look forward to begin learning the clinical aspect of dentistry. I begin seeing my first patients August 1. I can look forward to this as I head into Memorial Day without any worries of any exam the following week that I need to prepare for. This is the first time in 2 years that I can enjoy a holiday without such worries.

Believe it or not, I have completed 1/2 of my program. With such wonderful news all around, I am about to travel to New Jersey with Tracy to spend time with the family. We will just wonder around today and maybe go shopping. Sunday will be church with a big family BBQ. These BBQs are real BBQs. You all just do not know. Monday, will be a "Me" day. I will relax and do some yard work. This will be a glorious weekend.

After taking 2 steps back after leaving Accenture March 2003, I have taken a step forward. The goal is almost achieved. Before I know it, I will be doing something that I enjoy and truly helpful to people. At last, I will get some pleasure and satisfaction at my profession.

Today, I had class from 8-12. It was an orthodontic lab. It was quite relaxing and easy as all I had to do was bond bands and brackets to teeth. It is not as easy as the dontist makes it seem, but nonetheless, I have developed the skill to precisely place those little boogers.

I was home by 12:30 with nothing to do. I was actually lost. I spent some time on the web, but I only check a few sites and I have no patience to surf random sites. I need a purpose. Tracy is working and I cannot give her a hard time. Although we ate lunch together and watched a Tivo recorded "National Open House". That was fun as we rarely each lunch together. Afterwards, all I could find on TV was "Notting Hill", which made me think about Lee and how soft he really is. That did not grab my attention as one would think. I soon found myself asleep on the couch napping midday. Waking up, I felt like Mark for the past 14 years.

I am not wasting more time writing a pointless blog waiting for a landscaper to come to give me an outrageous bid for work. Tonight, I will go to the gym to run on a treadmill because running on the pavement kills my ankles and knees. I may even throw in a swim. Tomorrow, I begin to study for my board exam in July. The dental student life is fun!