About Me

Hello and welcome!

On Getting to Know Me
I am a 23-year old newlywed med student in sunny Southern California. I miss living in a place with seasons and weather. I love rain and fog in the winter and blisteringly warm, dry heat in the summer. I love mountains more than the ocean. Growing up I wanted to be a musician and play in a symphony orchestra. While my chosen profession is medicine, sometimes I day dream about running a bakery or tea house. A couple years ago, I graduated from UCLA as a microbiology major and a public health minor. UCLA will always hold a special place in my heart--I will always fondly remember walking a mile to and from class, uphill both ways (just like parents always say they did, but actually true!) and my geeky love for being in a dorky band uniform in front of a crowd of hundreds to thousands. As you might have guessed, I am a die hard UCLA football fan despite the fact that our team, I think gets, worse with each passing year. Now that is true fandom!

On baking motivation
As is evident from the name of my blog, I love to bake. Med school has furthered my baking endeavors in two ways: 1) increasing my need for some normal human activity to balance out all the sitting and studying and 2) giving me a group of people I routinely see to whom I can give my baked treatsrather than eating them my self. I am not really sure how I became so interested in baking. Perhaps it is because as a kid, I would make sugar cookies with my grandma every Christmas, or perhaps it was my lack of a kitchen while I lived in the dorms for 2 years that caused me to start baking again and also to learn how to cook. 

On The Husband Unit
Recently I was fortunate enough to marry my best friend. We are a giant package of revoltingly cute geekyness and spend our free time (which is more of a theoretical concept for two med students) joking around, playing video games, and competing for who can come up with the cheesiest things to say.


On being a huge nerd
As a microbiology major in college I may be a bit biased, but I think microbiology is among the coolest subjects on the planet. I am partial to bacteria over fungi, parasites and viruses. My absolute favorite class in college was the molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis (i.e. how bacteria cause disease on a molecular level). My favorite bacteria (yes, I do have a favorite) is Yersinia pestis, infamous as the cause of the Black Death otherwise known as the bubonic plague. The Husband Unit gave me some of those microbe plush toys a couple years ago and I think they are adorable. I am absolutely terrified of prions.

I love books (though I am by no means an excellent reader) and wish I had more time and energy to read. I have a special place in my heart for fantasy, but I am open to most genera of books. I am not a fan of science fiction, mystery & thrillers. I could spend hours in bookstores perusing the shelves. Thus far, I am not a fan of ebooks. I love the weight, the smell, and the feel of holding a tangible book in your hands.


On healthy lifestyle
As a medical student, I spend a lot of time with my nose in books or my butt in a chair. Consequently in my free time, I love to do fun things. I am a reasonably regular exerciser, though I would not go so far as to say I am addicted to it. With an MPH, I feel I should give a public health pitch here. All that stuff you've heard exercise addicts say about positive changes from exercise is really true! I was not in such great shape in college and have spent the past 3 years rectifying that. Last year especially I was very committed to an exercise regime and I have to admit, I definitely noticed a change in my general mood and health. I was more awake, felt more positive, healthy and confident than ever before. The most important way to get back into shape is to commit to an exercise plan that fits in to your lifestyle. Every time I move, it takes me a little bit of time to settle in to a routine. In general, however, I exercise 3-4 times per week and alternate between jogging and doing home workouts. I do not use any special equipment except for an interval timer. My go to resource for great workouts that fit into a busy schedule and can be done at home is BodyRock.tv. If you are thinking about starting an exercise program or even if you are an avid runner, swimmer, etc, give these exercise a try. They are really great and fit into even the most busy of schedules.

On breadth vs depth
Over the years, I have come to accept that I am more of a breadth than a depth sort of person. Things I love includes baking, dogs (especially poodles), cute baby animals, The Husband Unit, reading, cooking, learning to meal plan, not doing laundry, Gilmore Girls, Modern Family, coffee, whole wheat bread, microbiology, pediatrics, Jane Austen, Tamora Pierce, Melanie Rawn, Jacqueline Carey, being a kid at heart, holidays, traveling, day dreaming, sleeping, chap stick, Disneyland, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Etsy, Amazon, PCs, Newman's Own Organic Mints, Nutella, Eeyore, calendars, Shutterfly, National Parks, kitsch, down blankets, skiing, warm drinks in cold places, among other things.

And that's pretty much me in a nutshell.

~PTB