Thanksgiving

Wow, December already. It is amazing how fast 20 weeks can go.

It does seem a little surreal that the semester has come and gone so quickly. I am happy that the initial jitters are over and that I have been able to settle in so nicely in such a short amount of time. This semester has been one of the most challenging and most rewarding in my scholastic career. There have been many ups and downs and highs and lows, but in the end, it is the high points that I remember. All in all, I will say the semester is ending on a high. 

Thanksgiving was a little bittersweet this year. Bitter in that finals began within the next week. Sweet in that it was still Thanksgiving and still a very happy time. 

The day started with a healthy game of flag football, which is more commonly known as a turkey bowl. A great game, I played a little quarter back and caught a few passes. The downer of the game was that I injured both of my big toes. I jammed my toenails into the ends of my shoes, very painful, but resulted in a podiatric procedure and a peek into what my life will be like as a clinician. I do find it quite ironic that a podiatry student would, of all injuries, injure his feet during a football game.

Thanksgiving dinner was a phenomenal meal. We joined with a few other couples, and did small group dinner. Followed by pie and my favorite, whipped cream!  After the food coma wore off, it was back to studying. 

Studying ensued, and a week later it hasn't stopped. The finals are hard, but now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I know there is hope. I knew it would be hard, and I think I've settled in and can see where I'm headed. It won't be too long and I'll be writing my goodbye letter. Haha, I think I'll focus on next semester first. 

West Side Market

My first visit to Cleveland was last March, I was here to interview at OCPM, and as well I got to see some pretty cool stuff. I was unfortunately not able to bring my wife on the trip. I knew that somehow I would have to return home with some explanation of what the city is like. I had one day following my interview to get out and see the city. I wanted to know what I should see before I left. Upon google-ing the city of Cleveland the first website mentioned a place called the West Side Market. 

From the website The West Side Market looked intriguing so I looked into it a little more, and review after review raved of the market and just how awesome it was. I made a note, got the address in my GPS, and headed to Cleveland's west side to see what it was all about. 

http://www.westsidemarket.org/ 

Now that I have been back on many occasions I decided it was time to share the wealth to all my friends and readers. This place is a must see here in Cleveland and is a great place to go when I need a break from studying. 

The market is divided into two buildings one smallish and the other ginormous. The smaller of the two is the produce section. The produce building is basically a long hall that is packed wall to wall with fruits and vegetables. You can find almost any fruit or vegetable item you could imagine, from wild variations on the most common, purple coli-flower, to exotic fruits from around the globe. All the produce is fresh and tasted delicious. We made fresh tacos the next day with the produce we got...fantastic. 

The larger of the two buildings is the main hall. It looks like an old mill, but according to the website it is the original building designed for the market as an upgrade from a tract of land. Within the main hall are vendors of every food you could imagine, meats, cheese, coffee, popcorn, desserts, and I could go on for a long time. Suffice it to say, it is absolutely packed and you could spend all day just looking at everything.

The West Side Market has also had some press within the last couple years. First, a small Gyro kiosk named Steve's Gyros (gyros being consumed in the above picture) was featured on Man vs Food. Adam Corolla stopped by to eat some of their kebabs, and I will say from personal experience there is a reason they were on TV. 

The most recent exposure was a meat kiosk by the name of Czuchraj Meats. Don't ask me how to say the  name, I have no idea. But I do know that Iron Chef Micheal Symon says that they have the best beef jerky he's ever had. They were featured on the Food Network's episode "Salty Goodness" of "Best Thing I Ever Ate" 

This last time I went I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life, creme brulee or pistachio cannoli. First of all, I have a huge sweet tooth, so I have to say it's a good thing I'm going to become a podiatrist and not a dentist. Second, the dessert kiosks at the West Side Market are something else, you cannot even imagine the selection. I wish I had a picture of the desserts, I felt a little bit like Charley and the Chocolate Factory, so many amazing things to eat and my wife said I could only choose one. While she was looking away I bought both. :-)  

I guess there's nothing like eating your feelings when the stress of school gets a little hard to handle. To all my classmates and future classmates, you have to visit the West Side Market. School or not, this is right now my favorite place in Cleveland. 

Halloween...Fall...Thanksgiving?

It feels fall has finally come to the greater Cleveland area. And with it, fall colors, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the last stretch before finals.

Halloween was a great time, and we got to spend it with another 1st year couple. It was my first Halloween since living with my parents that I got to hand out candy, and it was fun to see the kids all dressed up and on a sugar high. Not to mention I love candy, so I had a little bit of a sugar high myself. It was nice to sit back and enjoy an evening. Having just finished our second round of tests I felt like I could relax for at least one night before getting back to studying hard for the next round of tests.

With Halloween behind me, it is back to the grindstone with more studying followed by Christmas and the opportunity to go back home and see my family. I just have to take it one day at a time try my best and hope it all comes out OK in the end.

It seems that this semester has just flown by. August 1st seems like yesterday, but somehow a distant memory. Now as I look at the three weeks of class time ahead of me before we begin our finals, I think about what a great time it has been. Albeit hard, it has been an experience I would not trade. I have learned and grown in ways I could not have imagined prior to my time here at OCPM. I have been stretched, tested, and grown stronger and more prepared with every step along the way. I know that this is just the beginning, but I feel like I am mentally prepared to face any challenge that is ahead of me.

Also, with the passing of Halloween, I wanted to share this video that I found really funny. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Halloween!