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Renovating a deck is one way to enhance your outdoor living. There's just one question: pressure-treated wood or composite decking? Staying at home to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading doesn't have to mean staying indoors. There's plenty to do outside, whether it's renovating a deck, creating a container garden or sealing slippery surfaces — just watch out for black snakes! [2:13] Renovating a deck supported with pressure-treated wood [4:56] Husky’s Rugged Storage Container Protects Your Gear [6:05] Danny talks about moving into his new house [7:52] Renters don’t have to miss out on the home improvement fun [10:13] What you can do about slippery surfaces [13:19] How to repair damaged drywall with fiberglass mesh tape [14:48] Debunking myths about black racer and rat snakes [23:02] DIY Project of the Week: How to Plant in Pots [26:06] Question of the Week: What to Do When the Porch Swing is Crooked Question of the Week "I'm a project supervisor building houses in Beaufort, South Carolina. I hung a swing yesterday on the porch for someone and, even though I have the same measurements from the porch beams, everything is exact, the swing seems to be hanging crooked. "I played with the chains and cannot seem to get it to hang straight in line with the handrail or porch decking. It is like an inch-and-a-half difference from one end to the other from the handrail. "Do you have any ideas why this is happening?" DIY Project of the Week: Container Gardening 101 Do you lack a green thumb but desire a beautiful backyard with plants? Growing flowers in pots is a satisfying way to brighten up your porch or yard, and it’s a great way to get started with gardening. Here’s everything you need to know to get going: Start by covering your drainage holes (if they are large enough that soil would wash out), then fill the pot about two-thirds full of potting mix. Set the plants in the container and decide on your arrangement. You can do a round design (tallest plants in the center and shorter or trailing plants around the edges), or a front-facing design (tall plants in back and shorter ones in front). Gently remove your plants from their store-bought pots. If the plant is stuck, squeeze the pot a little to help push it out — never yank on the stem. Disturb the roots as little as possible, but if they are a hard-packed ball you can loosen them a little with your fingers. Nestle the plants in the soil, keeping an eye on the depth to make sure they will be planted at the same level they were in their original pot. Add soil between the plants, firming it gently with your fingers. Don’t press hard enough to break the plants. Make sure everything is at the same level with no roots showing. Move your container to its chosen spot, and water the plant thoroughly until water runs out the bottom. Now, step back and admire your handiwork! Caring for Containers Water your container every two to three days. In the heat of summer, you may need to water it every day. If you want to feed your plants, use an all-purpose or bloom-boosting plant food every couple of weeks according to package instructions. As you water, remove spent blooms to encourage more blooming — a practice called deadheading. Don’t just pull off the dead petals — actually pinch off the little stem beneath the flower. If your plants are looking spindly, pinch off the tips of the stems to stimulate them to produce more branches.

Discussed on this week's 5in5: Hassell v. Bird Fortnite Money Laundering Monea v. US Candelore v. Tinder, Inc. US v. Jackson Relevant Articles SCOTUS Lets Bad Yelp Review Live Move Over Ozark, Fortnite Used for Money Laundering Infomercial Mogul Loses Appeal After 12 Years in Prison Tinder Pricing Discriminated Against Users Over 30, Court Rules Can Online Chats be Used as Evidence in Courts? Legal Limerick of the Week: I'm giving a "one star" review; To the lawyer, you'd think that they knew; That to sue for a rating; They were just creating; A huge platform with the attention they drew. Please subscribe, rate, and review our show if you enjoyed the content we provided and learn more at FindLaw.com. Contact us at podcasts@thomsonreuters.com.

Session 09 Today, we're hearing from a premed who's struggling with balancing time management and finances. It is hard to be a premed, but it is even more difficult when you have a full-time job a family to support, and your classes are not offered at convenient times. [01:14] Caller of the Week "I'm a little frustrated with the whole college experience. I am an older premed student. I'm 28 years old. I have a family. I'm getting married. I spent a lot of time at the community college, not really knowing what I wanted to do and thinking I was never smart enough to be a doctor even though I always wanted to. I never had the grades in high school. I was an average student. But then I started taking the courses at my community college. I started doing really well. I was getting 4.0's in the sciences and the math. I was doing really well. So I'm like, why not give the premed life a shot? And I did really well. I busted my butt to get out of this community college and transfer to a local four year and I picked this particular school because I thought that it would be more adult friendly. At a community college, it's right next door to another community college that they accept a lot of transfer students from. I think 60-65% of their students are transfer students and adults, older students. So I thought it would be a more working and adult friendly, more friendly towards students and families. But I'm finding more and more that that's not the case and I'm getting really, really frustrated with having to take these courses and take time off of work to do them. All of the sciences are early morning classes, three, four days a week and I just can't take that time off of work and be able to support my family. So I'm really struggling with the time management and the finances. I don't have a way to keep going to school and work to support myself and my daughter. I'm really at a loss here. What to do? I don't know if I should go back to the community college and take the courses there and they'll take courses that the university and at least try to show to med schools that I'm not taking these courses at a community college because they're "easier." I'm taking them because I don't have a choice. I'm doing what I have to do. I don't know if it's worth the risk to do that. And it may be a red flag on my application even if I keep doing relatively well. Or on the other hand, is it worth quitting my job and putting that full load on my wife to pick up the slack and make her breadwinner and I'll be bringing home nothing. I really don't know what to do - get a part-time job, working at a hospital or something. But even then, I don't know if that's enough to make ends meet. The cost of living is pretty high where I live. So I'm not really sure at all what to do. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing or making this kind of decisions. Or if any of the Doctors Gray have an input, it would be great to hear from you. Thank you very much." [04:35] A Tough Decision and Every Situation is Unique Anybody in your shoes would feel that way. It's a tough decision what you're facing. It sounds like you did great at a community college and then transferring to a four-year university because a lot of people say med schools won't look fondly on community college courses. Now, it's hard because it's not working with your schedule and it sounds like you're doing so much working a 50-hour week, providing for your daughter, and taking classes full-time on the premed track. That's a lot! "In general, in this life, do what works." Every situation is unique. Some medical schools may look more negatively upon a student who has just community course credit. However, it's a statement that doesn't take anything else into account. While you are dealing with a very complex situation. You are caring for your daughter and working more than full-time to provide for her while also working as a premed. So your situation is different than anyone else's because it's a unique situation. Hence, it's not fair to anyone saying that community classes are not that hard. [07:08] Back to Community College If you have the opportunity in your medical school application to talk about how you were trying to do what works to provide for your family and to also be successful on the premed track, I think many admissions officers would understand that decision. They would understand the decision if you went back to a community college. If I were in your shoes, I would probably go back to the community college and take more of your courses there because you want to do what's going to work for you. If it doesn't work for your family and it doesn't work for your schedule and for you to be able to make ends meet and to be taking these early morning classes at the university and there aren't a lot of other options out there, then do what works. Are there other four year schools that offer classes at other times? But that would mean transferring which is a huge deal. Realistically speaking, if you looked at all the options and you're at this school where the only offer classes in the morning, it's hard to argue that you should stay there. To be able to provide for your family and also be able to do the work you do, it makes a lot of sense to take a lot of those classes at a community college. [09:09] Splitting Your Classes One option is maybe there's a class that you can take at a university instead of taking all of them at a community college. But at the end of the day, you want to do what works because you don't want to be so stressed out, burned out, and miserable in this process. That alone will make it harder for you as an applicant and it will be harder not to burn out. "Having to work and go to school at the same time, in and of itself, nevermind having a family, is really, really challenging." [10:27] It's Not Just About Grades, It's About You And just because you're going to a community college doesn't mean you'll be receiving letters of rejections from medical schools. You will have an opportunity to talk about why you took a lot of your classes in community college. You have been successful and getting fantastic grades in your classes and that is huge. Ultimately, don't forget that your application will be unique. It's not just about your grades and the name of the school you went to. It's you! And you will have the opportunity to shoe the best version of yourself and explain why you made the choices you did. "Being able to provide for your family is a very basic thing." Remember that you will have the opportunity to talk about why you made the choices you did and go back to those community classes and do well. Again, if you do, keep one class at the university if possible. But if you can't then that's fine too. [12:50] Talking About Finances There are always options and financial advisors in medical schools can provide you help. A lot of you are struggling, especially nontrads, when it comes to finances. And the price tag on medical school can really be daunting. There are loans and many of us have them. There are other types of things you can do as well. You can sign up for rural-based scholarships or programs that have you work for a certain place for a while and in exchange, you won't have to pay as high a fee. There are a lot of options out there. Many premeds don't consider looking at the cost of living as a medical student. And that will change from where you are now unless you're planning to apply to schools around where you now live. [14:25] Go with Your Gut None of these decisions are easy and you have to go with your gut. It sounds like you're leaning forward to going back to that community college so don't beat yourself up. You're a caring individual and trying to make things work. So have faith in yourself as you've gone this far already. Your daughter will look up to you so much for having made a success of this and going through this process. Sometimes, it can feel you don't have a lifeline but you're strong and resilient. Again, go with your gut. If you think you have to take some of those classes elsewhere then just do it. "Admissions officers are not just going to completely discount you if your classes are all at a community college." [16:00] Listen to The Premed Years Podcast In Ryan's podcast, he talks all the time about how we, as premeds, are not a number. You're not a grade. You're not an MCAT score. You're everything put together and everybody's story is unique. He has a lot of insights in his podcast to share so please take a listen to it. [17:30] Leave Us a Message I would love to hear from you every week! Whether you're having your high moments as well as your low times, if you just want to vent about anything, we're here to listen to you. Call 1-833-MYDIARY and hit 1 to leave a message for Premed Diaries. You can leave a diary entry up to 30 minutes. Press 5 if you want to leave some feedback to any of our diary entries. Links: The Premed Years Podcast

Session 05 In this episode, we hear from a premed who feels overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients needing help. She is working in the emergency department and feels overwhelmed by the number of sick patients coming to them who need care. How can you make sure you stay in the moment? [01:15] Poster of the Week "I'm a premed that works as a tech in the ER. I'm still learning so there's a lot that I don't know yet. I just got my first foley the other day and it was pretty exciting for me. Lately, I've been having a really hard time with the premed path though. Getting into the hospital and seeing the way staffing can be sometimes and seeing how many sick people have to be taken care of all the time. It just seems too momentous sometimes but there's just so many patients of such a high acuity and it's just hard. I can just see why everyone's getting burned out. I just didn't know if anybody had any advice for once you get there, what's the ratios and things look like as a physician." [02:30] Being Overwhelmed by the Number of Sick Patients First off, congratulations on getting your first foley catheter and that's a big accomplishment. It takes a lot to get that done so that's a big deal! On another note, it's good you're already noticing the reason burnout happens even at this stage. Being overwhelmed by the number of sick patients needing care all the time never stops. It probably only differs in terms of where you're practicing medicine. In an ER department, it's a very busy place. There's a lot going on and a lot of people need care all the time. But if you think about a primary care outpatient office or a urology office, this can feel completely different. It also makes a big difference geography-wise. Being out in a rural community where there are a few people is a lot different from a very busy urban center. It's going to vary in an academic center as well. "There's such a huge spectrum in the world of practicing medicine in terms of what the level of acuity is, how many patients are being seen, the kind of care being offered." If you find that you're more attracted to really busy environments as a premed and med student, this is something to take notice of. You'd want to gravitate to things that would keep you happy as a physician. That's part of how we avoid burnout. But if you find that you don't like the busyness and the craze of being in an environment with tons of patients all the time, which emergency departments might be, then this may shift your interest over time. You may want to practice in an environment that has a different dynamic in terms of the number of patients. [05:12] There Will Always Be Patients All this being said, there being so many sick patients needing care all the time is something you find anywhere you go. By nature, you will always need physicians on this planet to help take care of people when they get sick. Even with electronics and technology, or artificial intelligence, you will always need human beings. I don't think a computer could ever replace both a human mind in terms of its capacity for knowledge and being able to practice medicine. That said, there will always be patients and there will always be physicians to care for them and this in and of itself can be overwhelming. "There will always be patients and there will always be a need for physicians to take care for them." Over time, during my internship, I would find that patients seem to always come back. Initially, I found this to be incredibly frustrating. You would try to work so hard to get someone all the things they needed. But we're people and people get sick so they could always come back. So a mindset change was necessary over this whole thing. You have to recognize this is not the end. The goal is not to see them well and they're never going to come back and they're well for the rest of their lives. Because people are going to get sick again and they're going to need help again. Obviously, they're going to come back to the hospital that knows them. Once you're able to shift this mentality, chances are this could lessen your burnout. It helps, plus the fact that you have continuity of care with them and their family. "It's just the nature of it. They're going to come back over and over again but it doesn't mean that you can't make a difference each time that they come." [08:52] Medicine vs. Architecture Medicine is so different from architecture. In architecture, your goal is to build a building and hopefully, it doesn't keep breaking, otherwise, you're probably not a very good one. However, in medicine, human beings are going to keep breaking. So we're fighting against this constant push of disease and accidents and mother nature and trying to get people well and get them healed. It's a very insurmountable barrier because you'll never heal everyone. You'll never fix everybody. You'll never fix them forever. But you can get them better, at least for a day, a week, ten years, however long it may be. "Buildings are going to stand tall. Human beings will continue to break down over and over again and need help." [10:13] Ratios Thinking about the numbers can sometimes help you to not worry as much about what you're going to be faced with. As an intern, I had 10 patients. But duty hours have changed since I was in training. So I pulled out the University of Washington and looked at their residency program. And most, if not all, have admission caps, which means there are caps on the number of people that you can admit and the number of people that you can take care of. And this must be the standard since the ACGME - the governing body for residency programs -  makes things pretty much the same all across the board. So the school doesn't allow a first-year resident or intern to admit more than five new patients per admitting day. You can't be assigned more than 8 patients in a 48-hour period. You can't be responsible for the ongoing care of more than 10 patients. This hasn't really changed much when I was still an intern, as well my husband, Ryan. When you get to that stage as an intern and go to medical school and applied yourself during rotation and have done a sub-internship, you'll be prepared to take that on. If you're interested in learning more about ratios, go online to know what it looks like in the future. If you're feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and scared about what's in the future, it can help you to have some numbers and just to think about. [13:05] The Inpatient Realm: Making a Priority List If you think about inpatient care, there are lots of very sick patients. One of the things that help is focusing on prioritizing. This is something they will teach you when you go through internship. Your mentors and your program directors will teach you about this, as well as your junior and senior residents. By prioritizing things, it helps you through your day. You're able to figure out what you need to do for all these patients and where to start. You can't do everything for all of them all at once. And all of them are going to have different needs. "You literally make a priority list and knock them down one after another." When you're in the thick of it, it can be really stressful. So having a system where you really learn to prioritize is what will guide you through that very overwhelming sea of very sick people you have to take care of. I remember my program director saying he was always nervous if he didn't see an intern carrying a list. So all of us would have lists of our patients and list of things we needed to do. And you will have that as well. As an attending physician, it's just me. So I have a list of patients who I'm consulting on. Again, as to who to see first is a matter of priority. I'm going to see the sickest patients first or rush out to see an acute case. Sometimes in residency, you'd have three acute strokes at one point and you would have to figure out who do you see first. But usually, there would be a team of people to help you. [15:45] The Outpatient Realm: Thanks to EMRs! In an outpatient setting, you'd have hundreds, even thousands of patients you're taking care of. That's a huge number of people you're responsible for. Good thing, many electronic medical records (EMRs) are designed to help you, which have built-in tools to help you keep track of things. It could be a source of burnout itself, but having the HR sending you labs and results and messages enables a system in place that prioritizes things for you. And you can also create your own systems for them along with your staff. Like anything in life, if you create systems for yourself, if you create priorities, that will help you so that it doesn't feel like this overwhelming ocean of sickness and things you need to do that you can't do all at once. "As your responsibilities grow, your systems will grow with them." [18:00] The Star Thrower Loren Eiseley wrote a story called The Star Thrower. And some quotes from that book can hopefully inspire you with regards to dealing with patients. Once on ancient Earth, there was a human boy walking along a beach. There had just been a storm and starfish had been scattered along with sand. The boy knew the fish would die so he began to fling the fish to the sea. But every time he threw a starfish, another would wash ashore. An old earth man happened along and saw what the child was doing. He called out, "Boy, what are you doing?" "Saving a starfish," replied the boy.  "But your attempts are useless child. Every time you save one, another one returns. Often, the same one. You can't save them all. So why bother trying? Why does it matter anyway?" called the old man. The boy thought about this for a while, a starfish on his hand, and he answered, "Well, it matters to this one." And then he flung the starfish into the welcoming sea. [19:57] It Matters to Your Patient Patients are like fishes on the sand that need to be thrown back into the sea. They need our help but we can't help them all at once. That's an impossible goal. We cannot help everybody all the time. That's why we have teams, shifts, our whole staff work for us. But it matters to each and every single patient that you help. Finally, I would encourage you that when you are with a patient, your focus is them and that's what matters. What you do for them, whatever that may be, you are making a difference to that human being. And there's no greater thing in this world. So even if you can't help all patients, at least you can help the person you're seeing that day. It can be so easy to get overwhelmed by the number of sick patients but just be in the moment. "Just in the moment, focus on the person who's in front of you because you will not even appreciate probably how much difference you make to that individual." [22:33] Share Your Story with Us! Please share with us what's going on in your life! Whether you're having a great moment  or not, call 1-833-MYDIARY. Press 1 to leave a message or diary entry. Press 5 to leave feedback on a previous episode, and please let us know which episode you're referring to. Links: The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

Session 03 When you’re struggling with anything in life, premed related or not, it’s very easy to look at them and think they have it easy. We need to stop comparing. Share your highs and lows with us! Please call in and share your experience. Call 1-833-MYDIARY. Press 1 if you want to leave an entry and 5 if you want to leave a feedback (make sure to tell us which episode you're calling about). [01:12] Poster of the Week: "I'm studying for the MCAT... it's a very humbling experience, I could say that for sure. But it seems that I'm struggling with comparing myself to the ones around me. Well, I work so hard and I'm trying my best to get a really good MCAT score. People around me seems to easily get a 510+. And what I need to tell myself is I need to stop comparing myself to people around me and that other people's success is not my failure. I'm not hating on them. I wish everybody the best. But it seems that the past few days, I've just been struggling with this concept of... in looking at others, I keep feeling like there's something wrong with me or I'm not doing enough or I'm not giving it enough, which I am. I'm really working a lot. I'm fully dedicated to MCAT studying. It's like a 9-5 job for me every single day. I have to figure out how I can not compare myself because everybody does differently and it's okay if I failed. And it's okay for me to take it again. I just have to accept that. If someone else is going through this too, know that you're not in this alone. Well, I'm assuming I'm not in this alone so that helps me get through this and realize that it's okay to not score as well on your full-lengths in the beginning. So I still have a way to go. But it's okay. One of my greatest weaknesses right now is accepting. And it's okay to mess up and make mistakes because right now I can learn from them. And I need to stop comparing myself to premeds around me who are getting 510s and 518s. I need to enjoy this journey. I feel I'm just stressing out and the anxiety is causing me to not do well. So I need to learn how to enjoy this journey. So that's another thing I'm working on. I hope that this helps someone out there too. I'm not alone." [04:22] A Humbling and Frustrating Experience Studying for the MCAT as both humbling and frustrating are very common among premeds, as well as the difficulty in not comparing yourself to other people. MCAT is a very hated exam and it can be very humbling for many people. You can study and study and still not get the score that you feel you need. "The MCAT is probably the most hated exam out there among premed students and among people studying science." If you listened to Dr. Ryan Gray's The Premed Years Podcast, he'd tell you that you don't need a specific score to get into medical school. And he has so much great information to people about the MCAT as well as The MCAT Podcast. Getting frustrated about the MCAT is a common feeling so don't beat yourself up about that. You know what you're doing since you're working really hard. And that's exactly what you need to do to get through it. So just stick with it. [05:50] Comparing Yourself to Other People Comparing yourself to other people is a common thing humans do, whether you're a premed or not. We do it as children and even as adults. We just don't show it or being as obvious as when we were children. "It's a very human characteristic to compare yourself to other people." It's also human to almost want other people to be having a hard time as well and to not be doing well on the MCAT because there's that saying, misery loves company. And that's a human thing. Humans don't want to go through difficult things by themselves. It's human to experience the tough things in life with a partner or somebody you can be with so that you're not alone. So when you see other people succeed and you're working hard and feeling like you're failing, it can make you feel like you're doing something wrong. And it can be very isolating. However, at the end of the day, you need to remember that you really don't know how easy it is for those other people. Who knows? You're not with them all the time. They could also be studying all day and night, losing sleep. Every human being's journey is really different. Interestingly, you look on social media and see people always putting their best selves forward. You don't see them crying, arguments, or bad grades. People are not going to post about things like that. They don't tell you how bad life is and putting forward their failures because it's not something we're taught to do. We're not taught to make a big deal about failing. We're taught to make a big deal about a good grade and be the best in anything. We get rewarded as human beings for being the best, not for our failures. So your peers might seem like they're doing really well but who really knows? Hence, take whatever your peers are telling you with a grain of salt. What you want to do is focus on your journey. [09:05] It's Okay to Fail and Enjoy the Journey It's okay to make mistakes. Failure is one of your best teachers. In the same way, you need to learn how to enjoy the journey. But it's hard to live in the moment when you're so focused on your goal of getting into medical school. And it's really challenging to study for something which is just a stepping stone to getting to that goal. "Failure is one of the best teachers out there." I suggest you find the most interesting thing in what you're studying for that day. Then hang onto that. Or find other things in life right now that can give you a break and enjoy. Studying for the MCAT 9-5 can be incredibly monotonous so it's important to really find kernels of things you're really interested in, in what you're studying. And also balance that with things outside of it that can give you some respite and relief. [11:40] People Study in Different Ways When you get to medical school, you're going to be surrounded by several other students who are taking the exact same test as you and focusing on the exactly the same material day in and day out. People study the same thing but they have different ways of studying. And that goes back to this concept that everybody has a different journey. So don't worry about what other people are doing since they have zero bearing on you. You maybe on the same path to medical school, but totally different footprints. "Figure out what works for you. Figure out what you need to do to get whatever score you have as your goal." Essentially, you need to embrace your own self-worth. Embrace your own path and what is unique about you that makes you, you. [14:00] Some Inspiring Quotes for You "Never compare yourself to others, you have no idea what they've been through." "If you continuously compete with others, you become bitter. If you continuously compete with yourself, you become better." Therefore, try as much as you can to put blinders on with other people. If it bothers you to be with other people, go find a quiet place to study. Do what you need to do to succeed. And this will serve you when you get to medical school. [15:50] Feedback for Episode 1 Feedback #1: Our listener wishes to thank the poster for the inspiration. She was still feeling overwhelmed and hearing there is someone working out, made a difference in her day. Feedback #2: The listener is a nontrad student and mom with a fulltime job plus her parttime job. And she sympathizes with not having enough time and not being able to feel like she's on top of everything. She feels like she's always one step behind or she's missing something. She finds it nice to know that there are other people that have the same feeling and are also going through it. It helps to not feel so lonely. Thank you for calling in and giving your feedback. Please call in and share your experience. Call 1-833-MYDIARY. Press 1 if you want to leave an entry and 5 if you want to leave a feedback (make sure to tell us which episode you're calling about). Links: The Premed Years Podcast The MCAT Podcast Premed Diaries Episode 01: The Pressure to Be a Perfect Premed

Send your feedback and questions to feedback@morealestateshow.com Look up the co-hosts at: thenewwestguys.com (Matt Brabbins and Jeremy Rae) realestatenewwest.com (Geoff McLennan) GUEST CO-HOST Jay Hazelwood thehazelwoodteam.com 16:03 Pros and Cons of working with a real estate team. Two heads are better than one. Your most important takeaway is that you should know which team member you will be working with. 42:20 Question of the Week: I'm a Canadian citizen. Am I affected by the Foreign Buyer Tax if I have been living and working abroad for a number of years? 49:57 Follow up from Episode 17. Mike Kelly from RBC has a long term rate hold option for pre-sales. Email Mike for more information - mike.kelly@rbc.com  

Being married is hard. In fact, it can be a complete fuckin shit show and amazing all at the same time. While most marriages end up in complete sedation, disconnection and/or divorce, Garrett and Danielle have a commitment to create something a little bit better than that, a little more fun. Join them in this week's podcast that doubles as their very own therapy session as they engage in a conversation about the all important topic of communication. Every week married couple Danielle and Garrett J White share insights and perspectives from within their own lives regarding the following topics discussed each month: Week 1: Sex Week 2: Money Week 3: Parenting Week 4: Communication   In This Week's Podcast....COMMUNICATON Point #1: Less Roommate, More Spark You can be comfortable with somebody and respect them, and maybe you don’t fight and things are generally good, but there’s no spark. Your idea of a night out is coming home from a long day at work, throwing on your sweats and watching Netflix together...and then you wonder what happened to that spark you used to feel. Date Night is one of the ways the sparks continue to fly between Danielle and Garrett. Danielle loves getting all dressed up for Date Night and treats it like an actual date, like she did during their pre-marriage days. She inspired Garrett to level up his game from his go-to flannel shirt to his now custom tailored design jackets. QUESTION: When was the last time the two of you dressed up and stepped out on the town together? How did it make you feel? Point #2: Sugar 'n Spice Garrett: Inside the communication game, people sometimes think that it’s the spice they’re trying to get rid of. When I define spice, I'm talking about arguments, disagreements, giggling, laughing, joking, having fun, getting angry at each other, fighting, battling, debating, having crucial conversations - it's everything. Danielle: There’s a lot of spice in our marriage and we collide a lot with our personalities - both in good ways and in ways where we piss each other off. Spice for me is "I fucking hate you" which turns into "I fucking love you." QUESTION: How do you keep your marriage fresh and spicy? Point #3: Love Notes Making daily deposits into your family’s life is part of living the Warrior’s way, part of something called the Core 4. Men typically don’t know how to communicate their feelings and don’t send love messages to their wives, which Garrett believes many women would love receiving from their husbands. While Danielle acknowledges the daily texts from Garrett, her love language is found more in spending quality time together with him, like doing these podcasts or going on Date Nights. She sends texts of encouragement when she senses he's having a stressful day, which messages Garrett loves receiving as part of his love language. QUESTION: What are your thoughts about giving or receiving love notes? Point #4: Give and Take Garrett: In my world, I had to learn that it was ok to buy my wife shit. It was a very hard thing for me, and I questioned how buying gifts for her made me more valuable as a husband. Danielle: Because I can buy my own things, I felt like I had to submit and let Garrett buy me gifts, which is one of my love languages. I wanted him to be the man, yet at first I wasn’t allowing space for him to do that. QUESTION: Why are you stopping your spouse from giving you what you say you want to receive from them? Point #5: Dance With Me Garrett: As you can tell, we're still working on this, which is the ability to actually communicate with and understand the language of our partner. Inside of that, we get to choose to do two things: appreciate the language they receive in, and learn that we give the language that the people we're married to want to receive. QUESTION: What does your daily dance of communication look like? Communication Challenge: Danielle: Garrett needs to be told "I love you" but my communication is different. Is your communication verbal or silent? Is one wrong and one right? Date Night Topic: For women, what is your husband’s love language and how can you cross the line a little bit for him? For men, how can you cross the line a little bit for your wife? Quote of the Week: "I'm essentially making love to the ocean because she accepts me every morning." --Garrett J White "We’ll argue about a topic and one of us has to eventually reach over to the other side and reciprocate. You have to cross the line in order to make it a little more peaceful in your home." --Danielle K White  

You can hardly open your email these days without seeing someone promising the super-secret key to insane business growth. I know that the title of this episode seems like over-the-top clickbait, but by the time we’re done you’ll see that it’s no exaggeration. This kind of extraordinary growth is happening right now to my friend Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner. We're going to be talking with him this week and let him explain exactly how he has done this and how you can do the same for your business. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations This week’s spiritual foundations should be exciting for you because I'm about to reveal to you a secret superpower you probably did not know you had. If you're a follower of Jesus, you are part of what's called the royal priesthood. It means that you are both a king and a priest under the kingly priesthood of Jesus Christ. In the old covenant, kings and priests were two different groups of people. You could be a king or a priest, but you could not be both at the same time. Today, if we are in Christ, we are both kings and priests. A royal priesthood. That means we have double the supernatural speaking power because of our king-priesthood roles.   How do I know this? Well, if you look in Ecclesiastes chapter eight verse four it says, “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” If you look at Deuteronomy, chapter 21 verse five it says of priests, “By their word, every controversy and every assault shall be settled.” As a believer, if you're in business, you have an edge over other business people. There you go, I said it.   What you say about your business deals will come to pass. You have that power in your speech. If you get falsely accused of something, if people give you bad reviews online or say bad things about you as they inevitably will, you need to know that by your very word, every controversy and every assault will be settled. This doesn't just apply to your business, it also applies the rest of your life. As a king-priest, you can bless your children by speaking words of destiny over them. You have the power to set in motion the supernatural forces that will give them what they need to win the battles of life and live out their destiny.  Instead of agreeing with the devil when he says bad things about you, your life, your business, and your family, you should declare the opposite. You should say, along with me, “I live under supernatural protection. I prosper in all my relationships. God forgives all my iniquities and heals all my diseases.”   You can say, straight from Scripture, “The Lord will make my way prosperous and give me good success.” You've got double the speaking power of any king or priest from the old covenant. Use your double speaking power and bring these blessings to fruition in your own life. Speak what you want to see and go out there and be the royal priest that you are. Tip of the Week I'm going to confess right now that I have never understood cryptocurrency. I hear people talking about Bitcoin and I just nod politely and listen, realizing I have no idea what they're talking about. That is until I had a conversation with my friend Joel Comm who is now the co-host of The Bad Crypto Podcast. This is a great place to start getting answers to questions like: What is cryptocurrency? What is Bitcoin? Does it have a place in your future? I think after listening to a couple of episodes, the answer is, “Yes it does.” I think this is the future of currency, of investing. It can be hard to understand, but these guys make it easy. My advice is to start at episode one and listen to each successive episode to get caught up. Take a listen, you’ll thank me…I promise. Feature Presentation: “Make Your Own YouTube Reality Show & Grow Your Business Like Crazy” This week’s guest is my friend Michael Stelzner. He's the founder of Social Media Examiner, and the author of books like Launch and Writing White Papers. Michael is also the man behind Social Media Marketing World, the industry's largest conference. He's also the host of the Social Media Marketing Podcast, founder of the Social Media Marketing Society, host of the weekly Social Media Marketing Talk Show, and the central character in the YouTube reality show The Journey, an episodic documentary about his own company. Here are a few snippets from our conversation: Take a journey – Michael discusses how an episodic YouTube channel played a significant role in growing his business by 62% (6:13) The Mother of Invention – Michael reveals the story behind “The Journey” and how he went from idea to execution in seven days (7:30) Video killed the radio star – Michael answers the questions, “Why video?” and “Why now?” (9:12) No one resonates with rosy – Why it’s a good idea to reveal your flaws to your audience, even if it makes you uncomfortable (11:13) Authenticity is a contact sport – Michael talks about the dark side of being transparent and how, like a Jedi master, you can make it work for you (14:18) Swim with the sharks without getting eaten – How to draw the line between content marketing and shameless promotion (15:16)  Binge-watching as a business strategy – Michael shares about the power of creating compelling content, and doing it on your own terms (18:34) Getting to know you – Why video creates a highly sought-after connection with you and your business, even if viewers have never met you in person (22:07) The thousand-mile journey begins with the first step – Michael opens up about what it takes to begin your own Journey, whether you have a team or it’s just you against the world (25:45) Follow someone through a minefield – Michael shows you the most common pitfalls of creating your own Journey, and how to avoid them (27:58) Resources Mentioned In This Episode The Prosperity Academy The Bad Crypto Podcast Social Media Examiner Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged Social Media Marketing World Social Media Marketing Podcast Social Media Marketing Society Social Media Marketing Talk Show The Journey Zoom H4n Pro How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and “Save As” to Get the PDF Transcript.

Session 79 A common question among stressed out premeds – which do I choose, physician or PA? In this episode, I am sharing some insights into the differences between a physician and a PA as well as how to best choose between the two. [01:18] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm a new OPM (old premed), 31-year-old single, no kids. After taking a detour from the very traditional path, during my original undergrad 3.47 GPA in Biology, never took the MCAT, I figured out that I wasn't ready for medical school and started pursuing other interests outside of health care." * As a nontraditional student, you're allowed to go pursue other things. If you think you're not ready, maybe you're a little burnt out from the premed path (all of us are a little bit), go and explore some other interests which is what this person did. "Nearly a decade later, I am more convinced than ever that becoming a health care provider is the right career for me but I'm struggling with the decision of MD/DO versus PA. I don't have the requisite health care experience that would make me competitive for most PA programs but I'm going to have to spend one to two years full-time refreshing postbac coursework, taking the MCAT, etc. to go to medical school. So I could just easily spend the time working full-time as an EMT, CNA, or whatever. the problem is can't do both so I need to figure out which path I want to pursue sooner rather than later. I've read some compelling statistics about PA that appeal me - 90% job satisfaction, two times the patient interaction time, 42-hour work week, etc. But those tend to come from sources that seem incredibly biased towards PA over MD. Furthermore, I am not 100% sure I'd be happy long term with the relatively diminished status of PA and/or whether I could do the type of international work as part of my life plan. Any thoughts, feedback, etc. from the OPM community especially from those who have explored decision for themselves would be most appreciated." Here are my thoughts: [03:50] Don't Base It on Job Satisfaction or Work Hours! Deciding between being a physician and a PA -  the problem with this at that high level where you're just comparing work hours and patient interaction time and job satisfaction, that means nothing. Go look at somebody who has the best job satisfaction who's only working 40 hours a week and has great interaction with their clients. You can't choose your career based on job satisfaction, ratings, work hours per week, or patient interaction. If that's how you're going to choose your career then you're not going to be happy in the long run depending on if you made the right choice or not. [05:15] A Huge Difference Between PA and Physician Unfortunately, it's not talked about enough but there's a huge difference between being a physician and being a PA. The PA world will tell you there's not that big of a difference and the physician world will say there is. I am a little biased as I'm a physician. But in practice, depending on what you're doing and on what state you're in considering states have different laws regarding PA's, the work around what a PA can do can vary drastically. I've talked to PA's who want to go on to medical school and I've helped some of them get into medical school and the reason always comes back to not having enough knowledge to be able to treat the patients they want to treat. The physicians would usually tell PA's it's the doctor's job while they go take care of the minor stuff. So there's a huge difference in the types of patients you'll be able to see because your knowledge base is limited, your scope of practice is limited. The role of the PA was created to fill in more of the mundane, easier things that could be algorithmically handed over to a "mid-level" provider. There's a lot of rate around the term "mid-level' but we'll just call it that because that's the terms that's been thrown around for a long time and that's the term that I always use. The PA and NP are trained to take care of easier things. You can't go through PA or NP school and have the same depth of knowledge as a physician to be able to treat the sort of diseases that you would see that a physician treats. You can't. So if you are okay regardless of job satisfaction, hours per week, or any of that stuff, get rid of that. If you are okay working and treating patients who have the sniffles or aches and pains, it's going to be a lot of repetitive things. Medicine in general is repetitive even for physicians. But if you're okay with treating some of the lower acuity things then great, go be a PA. If you're okay not having the full knowledge base to be able to take care of your patients then be a PA. [08:17] How Should You Choose Between a Physician and PA We need PA's and there are plenty of people out there that want to be PA's. They have that mentality, personality, and goals in life that fit with being a PA. But my point here is do not choose physician versus PA based on job satisfaction, patient interaction, and hours per week. Don't base it on years of schooling. Choose physician or PA based on the scope of practice you want and the level of knowledge you want and go from there. The only way you're going to find our is by shadowing a physician or shadowing a PA. Shadow many physicians in different specialties in different areas or shadow PA's in different specialties in different areas and talk to a lot of people. Find out what they like and what they don't like about their job. This is the best way to go about it. [09:23] International Work I'm going to assume that a PA degree is not recognized throughout the whole world. If you're interested in doing international work as a PA, you may want to look into this. For instance, DO or the osteopathic medicine degree started here in the U.S. and it's most recognized here in the U.S. Now the American Osteopathic Association is working on getting more countries to recognize the DO degree and they're doing well. So now as a DO, you can practice in more and more countries but there is a limitation there. Whereas an MD can practice everywhere. So if you are truly interested in international work then really look into the recognition of a PA degree and what privileges and credentials you would have in another setting. [10:36] Final Thoughts Don't look at hours of work or patient interaction or at job satisfaction. Find out what you want based on the depth of knowledge, the skills you learn as a physician versus a PA. Look at everything else in there and you can only do that by shadowing enough. That's how you should choose between a physician or a PA. Links: MedEd Media Network

Session 74 Our poster this week is questioning whether or not he should apply this cycle with low grades and not a lot of extracurriculars. He is getting very nervous about applying and getting some cold feet. If you have any questions, sign up for a free account at the OldPreMeds.org and join a collaborative community of like-minded students. [01:05] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm two years out of college with the hopes that I would have applied to medical last cycle (2016) to start in 2017. However, when the time came to send out my primary, I couldn't bring myself to do it. With a very low cumulative GPA of 3.05 and a science GPA of 3.25, a 502 MCAT and very, very few extracurriculars, I decided to wait a year and better my application. A year has come and gone and yet I still feel hesitant to apply. I have been working a job as an Emergency Room technician, volunteering in a hospital, and again preparing to take the MCAT. Even if I get an outstanding score on the MCAT, I feel that it will not be enough to get in. What is your advice? Do I apply anyways? Or do I spend another year in limbo and get a Master's or postbac while gaining more ECs (extracurriculars)?" [02:10] Your Numbers Are Just a Portion of Your Application This student is nervous about spending the money to apply to medical school without getting in. It's a legitimate concern, especially given the GPAs for this student which aren't great. Then a 502 MCAT with that MCAT isn't great. However, as I've mentioned in the past, the MCAT and GPA are just a portion of your application. So you can't only go on that. [03:00] Clinical Experience & Extracurriculars Episode 171 of The Premed Years Podcast, I had a discussion with a former Dean of Admissions at UC Irvine where she talked about a lack of clinical experience being one of the big reasons to not get into medical school. This poster obviously recognizes the fact that they lack some extracurriculars and got a job as an emergency room technician. Does this mean you're interacting with patients? If that's what you're doing then great. Taking the MCAT again is also great and you have to do well. [03:45] Taking Postbac Classes What I would have liked to see over the past year is you taking postbac classes. It doesn't have to be a formal postbac but doing ore classes to bring up your GPA from a 3.05 and get a cumulative up to 3.2 or 3.3 and your science GPA up higher around to 3.5. This would be fantastic and it would make an admissions committee think twice about that application. I had a great discussion with the Dean of Admissions at the University of Central Florida where we talked about nontraditional students who have done poorly in the past. He discussed how he looks at applications. He looks at the last 20 hours of science coursework and if you've done well in those last 20 hours, his assumption is you'll be fine in medical school. The poster did not give any trends on their grades. They may have an amazing upward trend but their cumulative GPA and science GPA are still lower. A lot more information would be helpful here but if you were able to take the MCAT and get a great score, apply. The only worst thing that could happen is them telling you no. Assume that your GPA is going to hold you back so start taking some classes and do that now. And get ready to apply again. The safer bet that a lot of students don't like to be classified as a reapplicant is usually an unfounded fear. Being a reapplicant doesn't hurt you. But on the safe side, you can continue working as an EMT in the hospital, take classes, and improve your GPA. Take the MCAT, do well on it and apply next year. [05:55] Final Thoughts There are so many variables that go into a good medical school application that can get overwhelming. What happened to this student is a common thing where you get shy about pulling a trigger and then you don't apply because you feel you're not good enough. Then a year goes by and you really didn't do much to adjust that so you're still not good enough and this becomes a cascading problem of never being good enough. So take those next steps. Figure out where you need to go and pull the trigger. Take some classes. Do whatever you need to do to improve that MCAT score and hopefully, you will put together successful application. Obviously, personal statement, extracurriculars, secondary essays, and interview prep all go into a great medical school application. Links: MedEd Media Network The Premed Years Podcast Episode 171: Reapplying to Medical School - What You Need to Know to Improve The Premed Years Podcast Episode 013: Interview with Dean of UCF College of Medicine UC Irvine School of Medicine University of Central Florida - College of Medicine

Session 72 The premed path is long and daunting. But what should you do if you’re so committed to becoming a doctor and yet you’re not able to translate that into having good grades? Our poster this week has struggled big time. Unfortunately, he still hasn't found a way to straighten out their grades. If you haven't already, please sign up for an account at the OldPreMeds.org and feel free to post some questions so we can have them answered here on the podcast. [01:10] OldPreMeds Question of the Week "I'm currently in a postbac program as my 'second chance' attempt. I graduated from my undergraduate program with a Biology degree but did horrible. I was not focused and my extra curricular activities were my priority. I ended up graduating with a 2.6 GPA. I know it would be a good idea for me to apply to a postbac program to show med schools that I actually can succeed in higher level science classes. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I always have something going on at home with family or I'm working a lot. I think I've been living where I am for so long that I just need a fresh start somewhere else with no distractions. And I only work because it's the only way I can provide for myself but it definitely takes away from my studies. I feel like I'm just a complete failure once again. I earned three C's, a D in the postbac program, which I know looks bad on my transcript but I'm taking the class over I got a D in. I'm most likely not even going to boost my undergraduate GPA over a 3.0 like I thought it would. I've faced the facts that my undergrad GPA will just not be competitive. Being a doctor is still my dream and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there even if I have to take a billion more steps than the average but is all hope lost for me? If not, what next steps could I take. Would doing a Master's program be smart? I know it will be difficult convincing any school of my capabilities but I'm ready to put in the work. Any suggestions would be amazing." Here Are My Thoughts: [02:57] Special Master’s Program Let's face the facts here. You have shown time and time again that you were not a good student. I'm not sure if taking a Master's coursework is going to fix that for you. What you need to fix is yourself. As you've mentioned, maybe you just need a fresh start somewhere and get rid of distractions. But you have to really ask yourself if that's going to give you the fresh start. Listen to Episode 230 of The Premed Years Podcast where I talked with Chad who was recently accepted to two medical schools. He was a lot like you who always had something going on and was never able to focus on coursework. He did terrible and didn't do well in his undergrad. He didn't do well in postbac and he got rejected from Caribbean medical schools. I even joked in that podcast that I didn't even know Caribbean schools rejected people but apparently, they do. Chad eventually went on to do a Special Master's Program (SMP), which is basically a Master's postbac. He did well and was accepted to the medical school associated with that SMP and was also accepted at another school. You could look into something like an SMP. But based on your track record, I’m not sure what's going to change. Perhaps you need to continue taking some undergraduate classes and make sure you're ready to commit to an SMP, which is going to be another $20,000 to $40,000. Don't take that next step unless you know you're ready and unless you have fixed yourself. [05:14] Focus on Being a Student In Episode 230 of The Premed Years Podcast, Chad said that he had to quit working then he actually found work that was flexible enough for him to go and do what he needed to do. But for the most part, he got rid of all his commitments and focused on being a student. He lived on food stamps and on different public assistance programs. And this is something for you to think about. What lengths can you go to so you can make sure you have food and shelter but also have time to study? [06:00] Final Words Fix those things. Make sure you're dedicated to being a student. Make sure you're just not a bad student and are making other excuses. Get rid of distractions. Take some classes. Do well in them and prove to yourself that you're ready for that next step. Then take that next step. Lastly, look into a Special Master's Program (SMP) which is the only Master's program I would look out for you. Do not do MPH and any other Master's program. Just go to an SMP if you can get into one. Links: OldPreMeds.org MedEd Media Network Premed Years Podcast Session 230: Rejected from the Caribbean! Now with a US Acceptance!

Session 71 Our poster this week is wondering if applying late is going to hurt his chances of getting into an MD school and if he should just focus on DO schools. Should you “give up” applying to MD schools just because you’re taking the MCAT at a later date? [01:15] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm beginning to realize that I might have to give up on MD and focus on DO only. I'm taking O. Chem 2 and Philosophy this summer and will have all prereqs completed except the Biochem and Bio3 for those schools that require it. Although I wanted to take O. Chem at another place, I had to take it at this community college because of timing. The problem is that this community college is one of those "Harvard on a hill" types. Science classes and labs are loaded up with busy work and homework. I'm starting to realize that the bulk of my MCAT prep will have to happen after the semester ends, which means June and July and MCAT July 28. That would push my application into mid-September and my understanding from that other site (SDN) is that mid-September is quite late for MD but on time for DO. So what to do? Give up hopes of MD, stick with the DO cycle only? Apply MD and hope for a miracle? I don't have a problem with DO per se as my ultimate goal is Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. The only issue I have with DO is that most schools have you move after second year and then again after third year. There are few schools that allow both clinical years that would be completed in the same town and those would be the ones I would target. I would not want to apply to schools such as PNWU (Pacific Northwestern University). I don't want to be moving between Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho every three months for rotations. My number one choice is UC San Diego but that's going to be a tough one unless my MCAT score rocks. My estimated Science GPA is 3.63. I am an over-represented minority, will have mediocre ECs and LORs., and don't have any kind of amazing life story.” [03:29] Is August Too Late to Apply? The poster here is an over-represented minority and interested in UC San Diego but is taking a late MCAT. July 28 MCAT is late and it's not terrible. Well, it's kind of bad. Looking at the date, you're going to get the score back or the school is going to get the score back on Tuesday, August 29. That would be end of August which means it's going to be a late August date. I recently talked to a premed advisor at a local school who reached out to fifteen medical schools talking about sending committee letters and if a late August committee letter would still be okay. Out of the 15 schools, 12-13 said it was okay and they'd still consider it early while 2-3 of them preferred mid-August. Although this is a small sample size, it goes to show you that a lot of schools out there are still ramping up their admissions in August and September. [05:05] The Normal Application Time Frame Remember the normal time frame is to submit in June. Schools get your primary application. For AACOMAS application, schools will start to get it early June this year, while AMCAS application will not get it until late June. They send you secondaries and you fill those out, assuming that schools start to receive secondary applications starting mid-July. Applications start to get looked at and then interview invites start to go out. Following that, they would start accepting people after the interviews. [05:50] Early Application and Rolling Admissions Think about where you are in line. If you're going to take a late MCAT, you still need to apply early. Have those transcripts verified early because the biggest hangup in the application is this manual process done by people. So you need to get in line to get your transcripts verified. Get those applications out and start to fill out those secondaries and have the MCAT as the only thing that the school is waiting for. Hence, there is no reason to "give up" on MD. Just apply and see. I wouldn't NOT apply to MD schools just because it's later in the application cycle. I also disagree with the fact that it's still "on time" for DO considering that the DO application starts to go out before MD applications. So don't have that mindset of giving up MD just because it's a later application. A lot of people get accepted to MD and DO schools that apply late. Of course, you need good scores and stats to bring you over the hurdle considering it's a rolling admissions process. This is another reason I don't agree with being "on time" for DO because most schools have a rolling admissions process. Either way, if you're applying late to either application cycle, you're still going to be later in the cycle for everybody. This means less interview spots available and if you get one and are interviewed, it's going to be a little bit later. Typically, there are less acceptances to hand out because it's a rolling admissions process. [08:16] Final Thoughts Don't give up on MD. Apply to both MD and DO and do your best. Give it your best shot. Ideally, you're taking the MCAT earlier but it is what it is. I hope you understand the importance of taking it earlier in the application cycle. As I'm recording this in 2017, the latest that I'm pushing students back to is mid-June because then if you get your score back in mid-July (the date secondaries are coming back if you're up-to-date) and so it's not delaying the application a lot, if at all. Ideally, take the MCAT in March or April but if you need to take it a little bit later, then do it. You obviously want to take it when you're prepared. Do not take it early just because you have to. There's a big difference there. Links: MedEd Media Network AMCAS AACOMAS

Session 70 The MCAT is hard. Being a nontrad and studying for the MCAT can seem impossible. Should you quit your job to study for the MCAT full-time? That is the question. We take your questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and answer them here on the podcast. If you haven't yet, sign up for an account and join this awesome community. [01:20] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm debating whether I should resign from my job or not. I graduated last year and have been balancing working a very full-time job, 40-50 hours a week, and MCAT studying. I've taken the old MCAT before the change happened in January and scored a 20 literally but I'm a very good student with a 3.97 GPA. I was taking a Kaplan course at that time while taking three science courses and thesis and cram-studied for 18 days. In retrospect, I needed to strategize and needed more time." Note: This student was obviously taking the January 2015 test and I'm assuming they cram-studied because they were trying to take the test prior to the change to the new MCAT. "I'm aiming to take the exam in January of 2017. I already unofficially pushed back the exam twice due to events at work and feel like I need to study head-on but I haven't seen much improvement despite on and off studying since last October. My biggest fear is quitting and not doing as well on the exam as I've hoped. But I'm also so tired when I come home from work and I know that something needs to change at work. Financially, I have about three months worth of rent for New York City and I;m concerned about finding a job to sustain me after my exam. But my main focus at this point is to do well on the exam and I don't want delay taking this exam anymore. I'm going to ask my employer if I can take a one-month leave of absence from late December to my January exam date and somehow find a way to use my vacation days so I can work three to four days a week. Would this be enough time to improve my score to 510+? My first Kaplan practice test score was 491. I'm determined to do well but for some reason, I'm not making much progress on this exam. Or is quitting your job for the exam worth it for the exam? Would med schools look unfavorably if I were to study for the MCAT head-on?” Here are my thoughts: [03:50] The MCAT is Like No Other I don't think med schools care if you quit your job and only studied for the MCAT. They just want to see you have a good grade. So you don't really want to worry about that. This student was good in school but bombed the MCAT, studying for 18 days and trying to cram in one of those last test dates in January 15, like every other student was trying to do and didn't do well with a 20. My first point is that the MCAT is not like any other test you're going to see in your life through your undergrad years or your postbac years. It doesn't care if you have a 3.97 GPA. All it cares about is how well you're going to do on the MCAT. So you need to well on the MCAT which means studying specifically for the MCAT and that also means studying for more than 18 days. [05:30] Take Many Practice Tests This was actually posted in August and the poster was looking at taking it in January and possibly taking a one month leave of absence to cram for the MCAT. I still consider one month as cramming for the MCAT. The goal is to take many practice tests. Go and listen to The MCAT Podcast, if you don't already, where you we cover topics like how long to study for the MCAT or how many practices tests should you take, and all of these types of questions. [06:18] Should You Quit Your Job? Every job is different. There is a difference between a librarian job which is relatively easy compared to this job that this poster has, working 40-50 hours a week and coming home too tired to study. That's a huge difference! Therefore, you need to take into account what your life is, your job life, and the amount of energy you have to give to prepare for the MCAT. Your priority would be MCAT but you obviously have to sustain yourself financially with living, food, and everything else. But this poster only has their three months worth of rent. So could you take on a room mate? Or go and live in with somebody? Adjust your lifestyle to make it a priority to study for the MCAT. [07:33] The Best Case Scenario The best case scenario is always studying full-time for the MCAT. But that is not reasonable for everyone and not a doable thing. So you need to be able to study as much as possible and that means you may have to adjust some things like going down to doing part-time, or going down to three or four days a week, or to four or five hours a day instead of 40-50 hours a week. [08:03] My Final Thoughts Again, the MCAT comes first. It doesn't matter if you quit your job and study full-time. The medical schools are not going to look at that negatively. One month is not enough time to study for the MCAT for most people. If you think about a normal study schedule, you're taking the unscored AAMC MCAT a week before your exam, you're taking one of their scored two weeks before the exam, you're taking one of their scored three weeks before the exam, and then you're taking four or five or six other full-length practice exams for the month before that. So you're looking at about two months minimum to start fitting in practice exams and doing everything else. As you can see, it takes some time so you need to plan it. Links: MedEdMedia Network The MCAT Podcast AAMC practice tests The MCAT Podcast 34: How Many MCAT Practice Tests Should I Take? The MCAT Podcast 37: How Do I Know If I’m Ready to Take the MCAT

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 111 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles On the Needles Brainstorming Crafty Adventures Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off The Needles Brown, Purple and Yellow Ninjas Yarn: Cascade 220 super wash Hook: C 2.75 mm   Kris' 2017 Birthday Socks Yarn: Mint Rain Twist Sock- Self Striping in the After the Storm Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams   Fluffy Sheep Pattern: Chinese New Year Sheep/Lamb by Stephanie Jessica Lau Yarn: Bernat Pipsqueak (fluffy yarn) + worsted weight acrylic yarn   Shy Little Unicorn Pattern: Shy Little Unicorn by  Ana Paula Rimoli (library book) Yarn: KnitPicks Brava Worsted Hook: C Her name: Poopsiedoo On the Needles  Key West Socks OMG Heel Sock Pattern US 1.5 Needles Yarn: Knitterly Things Vesper Sock Spring Sonata Colorway   Beyond the Wall Socks Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Beyond the Wall Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams   Cascade Heritage Prints Christmas Socks Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints Color 26 Holidays Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams   Gray + Black Socks Yarn: Bergere de France Goomy 50 in the Imprim Gris colorway Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams Tune in to hear my review of trying on 9 inch circular needles.   Riley's 2017 Christmas Legwarmers Pattern: none Yarn: Knit Picks Felici colorway: 27304 Lemonade (greens, yellows, blues: self striping) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) & US 2. (2.75 mm)   Granny Square Scrap Blanket #2 Pattern: Weaveless Colorful Granny by CherylDeeCrochet (free) Hook: D (3.25 mm) Yarn: leftover fingering weight scraps   Worsted Weight Riley Rose Shawl Pattern: Riley Rose by Jennifer Lassonde Yarn: Hikoo by Skacel Simpliworsted in Aqua Mint, Deep Turquoise, Gypsy Red and White Needles: US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) Brainstorming Crochet Christmas stockings More socks (stocked up on Patons Kroy on sale from Craftsy.com) Crafty Adventures I share some thought on getting back into scrapbooking after a long hiatus. Knitting in Passing My friend Megg and I generated a lot of conversation knitting at the Camp Pulse event last weekend. I think I may have a few more converts to teach.   KAL News 12 Months to Christmas KAL Click here to find about more about this KAL. Check out: Chat Thread & FO Thread  The 12 Months to Christmas KAL is a craft-a-long that helps you prepare for the busy winter holiday season. Complete gift projects each month (or just in the months that you choose) so you don’t have to scramble in December. Find some cool new gift ideas, cheer each other on, and we’ll provide some motivation in the form of the potential to win prizes! Tune in to hear if you won a First Quarter Prize   Project Bag of Winner's Choice from She is Sew Whimsical on Etsy Slip and Swirl Sock pattern by Kristi Barnwell Lil Miss Chelsea Bean Shawl by Jenn Sheelen   WIP’ing 2017 in the Butt Declare a WIP from 2016 or earlier within the first 5 days of the month, posting a photo of it in the thread. Finish the project by the end of the month, update your post with your FO photo and you'll be eligible to win a Ravelry downloadable pattern of your choosing up to $8. In April, we also have an additional prize from Fibernymph Dye Works A set of mini skeins from my Antigua colorway collection…this includes six mini skeins, three on Bounce (80 yards each) and three on Bedazzled (87 yards each)   Splash Pad Party KAL   The Splash Pad Party KAL runs June 1- July 31. Click here for Rules. Interested in Sponsoring? Click here for details.  Events Where are Jen & Lisa?: check out the thread in our Ravelry Group Connecticut Sheep and Wool: April 29, 2017 Stitches United: April 27-30, 2017 Gore Place Shearing Festival: April 29, 2017 Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 6 & 7, 2017 NH Sheep and Wool: May 13 & 14, 2017 RI Fiber Festival: May 20, 2017 Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair- May 20 & 21, 2017 Massachusetts Sheep and Wool: May 27 & 28, 2017 Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival: September 23 & 24 VT Sheep and Wool: September 30 & October 1, 2017   Coming to CT Sheep & Wool or Stitches United? Participate in our Riley Rose Shawl Contest. Wear your Riley Rose, take a photo and post to get one entry Take a photo of someone else wearing a Riley Rose shawl and get 2 entries See someone wearing one, make a friend and take a photo together and get 3 entries. All photos must be posted on Instagram with #rileyroseshawl and tag me @BostonJen1  to be eligible to win   Stash Dash KAL - hosted by the Knit Girllls Podcast. Starts May 26th.   #the100dayproject What is it: choose a creative project you will commit to for 100 days. Most people choose something very specific. I am just going to focus on doing something creative every day. So far, knitting, crochet, project life scrapbooking and hand lettering/drawing.   Life in Focus Happiness Project 2017   April- Explore Your Surroundings Boston Public Library Event: Colum McCann; Click here to learn more about the author Dan and I went to dinner at a local restaurant for dinner on Thursday - We never do ANYTHING in our town so I treated us to dinner at a fancy restaurant near us. Turns out they do $2 tapas! On A Happy Note Riley was in a Panto performance of Aladdin Taking Garret to Legoland for his 7th Birthday Emelyn's surprise 13th Birthday Party. I thoroughly enjoyed the new Beauty & the Beast movie Eme performed in Guys & Dolls! Camp Pulse weekend!   Quote of the Week I'm not interested in blind optimism, but I'm very interested in optimism that is hard-won, that takes on darkness and then says, 'This is not enough.' Colum McCann ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Twitter: Instagram & Periscope: BostonJen1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio!  

Session 68 Our poster this week is trying to decide between two postbac programs in New York and is worried about picking one that may be looked less upon based on the name. We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forums and answer them here on the podcast. "Old premed” is a relative term as you could be a 23-year-old “old premed” or be a 40, 50, or even 60-year-old “old premed.” In this case, an old premed refers to a nontraditional premed student. So if you consider yourself one (or even if you're a traditional student), you are welcome to be a part of our community and we'll be happy to answer any questions from you. OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm having a hard time deciding between Fordham or Hunter for my postbac. While Hunter is cheaper, I do not want to get caught up in their bad bureaucracy or have to take an extra semester because I couldn't get a class seat. Additionally, I cannot apply to Hunter until January versus my Fordham admissions rep saying he would process my application in two weeks and I can start this summer. It's more risky applying to Hunter and I don't want to delay my goals for a year on the chance I might not get in. Fordham's night and weekend classes would usually free up my schedule for shadowing and volunteering while letting me study during my peak hours as a morning person. Hunter seems to offer more resources, guest lectures, advising. Both programs offer committee letters. My biggest fear is Fordham won't be prestigious enough and harm my application. Is my final GPA truly what med schools care most about?" Here are my insights: [03:06] Is It Good Enough? This comes up a lot when parents and students try to decide which institution to go to for undergrad, for postbac, or for medical school because you're worrying about the name of the school and how it will affect your application to medical school or residency. "Is it good enough?" That is the never-ending cycle of question. My simple answer is - Yes. It is good enough. Schools are accepting students from all over the country and the world. They are taking students from community colleges or rural liberal arts schools. They are also taking students from the big names like Harvard. And it's based on numbers. My alma mater, the University of Florida, has one of the largest state schools in the country and they typically produce the most medical school matriculants every year. It's a huge, well-known state school and it's not known for the academics, in fact, it's one of the top party schools. But it's still a great school that produces a lot of students. Hence, it's not the name of the institution that you will be judged upon by medical schools. [05:06] How to Choose Your School Sure, there are medical schools that would look at an institution’s name and some admissions committee members may have their biases. But this should not be the driving factor in your decision, but rather, everything else that you talked about in terms of how it works with your schedule, how it fits with your internal clock as a morning person, etc. This is how you should be judging these things and not based on the institution's prestige. On The Premed Years Podcast, I talk a lot about choosing a school that will make you great, not choosing a great school. Just because a certain school has a great name attached to it doesn't mean you will flourish there. You need to choose a school that will help you be great and will let you shine. Links: OldPreMeds.org The Premed Years Podcast University of Florida Fordham University Hunter University  

Session 64 We take questions directly from the OldPreMeds.org forum and deliver the answers right here to you. OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm about to graduate from college this upcoming May and would like to apply to medical schools. I wanted to apply to linkage programs so I can get into medical school without having to take the MCAT. I still have not taken the MCAT. However, I cannot apply to postbac programs because I've taken all the premed courses and have done very well in them. So that eliminates any postbac linkage programs. I know there are tons of linkage programs for undergrad sophomores and juniors but since I'm no longer a sophomore or junior, what other options do I have besides applying to medical school the regular way?" Here are my insights: [02:45] Thinking Outside the Box The MCAT is a beast of its own and that's why you have resources like The MCAT Podcast to help make taking the MCAT easier for you. If you haven't yet, go check it out. It's a podcast I do with Next Step Test Prep, a test prep company that offers one-on-one tutoring as well as 10 full-length practice tests for the new MCAT. They also have a brand new course which they've set out. (Use the code MSHQ to save some money on their products and services). [03:35] Ways to Get Into Medical School There are a couple of ways to get into medical school. First is the traditional route which involves applying at the end of your junior year or beginning of your senior year for entrance the following year. So there's no break between undergrad and medical school except for a summer off. Within that normal route, you will have take the MCAT. [04:03] Early Acceptance Programs Perhaps the more appropriate term to use rather than a linkage program is "early acceptance." For most of these programs you apply during your sophomore or junior year. For some schools, you don't have to take the MCAT. While for others, you still have to take the MCAT provided that you have a minimum score to still be accepted into medical school. My undergrad institution, University of Florida has the Junior Honors Medical Program where you apply as a sophomore and they look at your SAT score and the first couple years of your undergrad classes. I think you have to take the MCAT on that one. [4:53] Programs without MCAT Requirement There are programs out there where you don't have to take the MCAT.  I recently helped a student get into A.T. Still University where they have an early acceptance program and she no longer has to take the MCAT and got her early acceptance. [5:05] What Are the Options for Nontraditional Students? If you're listening to this as a nontraditional student, those options are probably not going to be available for you. Instead, you can look into postbac programs, which are there to help increase your grades if you started off poorly and then you've decided to come back and work harder. These are grade-enhancing programs that allow you to go back and take these prerequisite courses over again. Some of those programs will have linkages to medical schools. There are also Special Master’s Programs that have linkages to medical schools. These are master degree programs to help you improve your grades so you can prove to medical schools that you can handle the curriculum. I really wouldn’t recommend taking it as these programs can be very expensive. Also, in a lot of these programs, you will have to take some classes with the first year medical students. [6:45] Take the MCAT. Take a Prep Course. If you've done well in your classes, there is no reason to avoid taking the MCAT. Bite the bullet. MCAT is a necessary evil. If you've done well in your undergrad classes, that is the number one way to prepare for the MCAT. So go back and relearn that material. Take a prep course such as Next Step Test Prep and use the code MSHQ. Just take the MCAT and you will be fine. Links and Other Resources: OldPreMed.org MedEd Media Network The Premed Years The MCAT Podcast Specialty Stories Podcast Next Step Test Prep (Use the code MSHQ to save money off their offerings.) University of Florida - Junior Honors Medical Program If you're on any social media platform, use #tripod and let people know all about The OldPreMeds Podcast.

This week I go through the very basics that you need to shoot your first match. Obviously there's a LOT more to know about competitive shooting (I've been doing this podcast for nearly 5 years) but I hope I give you enough in this to make you feel more comfortable getting started in competitive shooting. If you want more, check out my primer on getting started in competitive shooting here. The News A good article about kids in the shooting sports, and how it makes them more responsible. It definitely echo's what I've seen on the shooting range with junior shooters; they're some of the safest, most responsible shooters on the range. Gear That Doesn't Suck You should have a squib stick in your range bag. Even if you've never loaded a squib, it's handy to have on the range when someone else loads one, and you need to check if the barrel is clear. The thing is, the places that sell them specifically for shooting are prohibitively expensive, but I've got a solution: a brass rod. www.triangletactical.net/doesntsuck Plug of the Week I'm kind of an irregular listener to the Joe Rogan podcast. I listen when he's got someone I'm interested in hearing about on, and last week he had one of those people: Gary Taubes. Gary's written a lot about sugar/carbs/fat/etc. So, it's the end of January, I'm guessing a lot of folks are maybe falling off their New Years resolutions to lose some weight, so if you are, I think this is a decent episode to learn more about maybe a new way to look at health. I've lost about 60-65lbs on a ketogenic diet, and I feel way better than I ever have. Contact luke@triangletactical.net

It was fun while it lasted. Or, maybe it wasn't. Either way, ending relationships with your graphic design clients is part of the job. If you've been at this long enough you've probably come across a client or two that just rubbed you the wrong way. Maybe they were too demanding. Maybe their personality clashed with yours. Maybe they took forever to pay their bills. Or maybe they wanted you to do something you weren't comfortable with. Any number of these or more can lead you to ending relationships with said clients. Although you should try everything you can to nurture and continue your dealings, sometimes ending relationships is what's best for everyone involved. In this episode of Resourceful Designer, my graphic design podcast. I touch on various reasons why ending relationships with clients is the best option for your business. Here's a summary of what I talk about. Ending relationships before they start. Sometimes, when you meet a new potential client for the first time, you get a certain feeling in your gut that tells you this isn't for you. Maybe the client is giving you bad vibes or has a way about them that grates on you. No matter the reason, there's something about the situation that's telling you not to proceed any further. You need to remember, this is your business. You are in charge and you get to decide who you want to work with. There is no shame in politely telling a potential client that the project they're describing isn't for you. Or that their budget is too small for you to consider the project. Turning down work is not the same as ending your relationship. Keep in mind that you can turn down work from new or existing clients without ending your relationship with them. Being too busy, leaving on holiday, too small a budget, and conflict of interests are just a few viable reasons for turning down work. As long as you do it diplomatically your relationship with the client should remain intact. Ending existing relationships This one is obviously harder. After all the time and effort put into building a relationship with a client it seems a shame to part ways. You should do your best to save the relationship. Unfortunately it's sometimes best for both of you to walk away. Money is often the number one reason for ending relationships with clients. Face it, you're running a business. If a client isn't paying their bills there's no reason to keep them around. But there are many other reasons for ending relationships as well. Only you can be the judge on wether or not the situation has escalated to that point. Bowing out gracefully Regardless if it's a new client or an existing one, you should never burn any bridges when parting ways. You never know when things may change in the future and your paths may cross again. Not to mention that we often deal with one contact person when designing for a company. You may have issues with that contact, but they may not always be the face of that company. Don't give the company a reason to not want to work with you when it's the individual who is the problem. How have you dealt with ending relationships with your clients? Leave a comment and let me know how you handled this situation when you encountered it. Questions of the Week I'm introducing a Question Of The Week section to the podcast. If you would like me to answer your question in a future episode please visit my feedback page. This week's question comes from Jessica, I currently do in-house print design work for an insurance company. I am approaching the idea of starting my own business, and I'd like to offer web design. However, I've never done any web design in the past. I'm wondering if you could advise where to start in the learning process? I'm looking at Lynda videos, but I don't even know what I should focus on- Wordpress, HTML, CSS? Or should I work on the front-end design of a webpage and partner with a web developer to handle the coding and backend design? I have never grasped writing code and am not sure if it's necessary to do myself. To find out what I told Jessica you'll have to listen to the podcast. Links mentioned in my answer. Linda.com Elegant Themes Resource of the week is TextExpander TextExpander is a huge timesaver in allowing you to create text shortcuts for longer pieces of type you use on a regular basis. I've created shortcuts for all my email addresses to save me time when typing them out and to make sure I don't make any errors. TextExpander is also a huge help for web designers. I've used it to store often used bits of HTML and CSS that I can call up with just a few keystrokes. At the time i'm releasing this podcast episode, TextExpander is on sale through MightyDeals for $22. That's half off! The sale only lasts a few days so get it now. Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe on iTunesSubscribe on Stitcher Subscribe on Android Contact me Send me feedback Follow me on Twitter and Facebook I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Now that you are marketing your products and services online, you have instant global reach. But there's one problem: your marketing now stands shoulder to shoulder with Coke, Ford, the NFL, Oprah, and every other major brand that's online. How do you compete? In this session I'm sharing a conversation with Marshall Wayne, who is breaking new ground for Platform-Builders and Solo Pros… using something I like to think of as “Cinematic Marketing”. And the good news is, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Other Reasons To Keep Listening You'll discover the new alarm clock app I'm using on my iPhone that improves my sleep and increase my energy level upon awakening. How you can be free of guilt and shame. I'll share how you can get your own show promoted on this podcast! That's all coming up in today's episode… Tip(s) of the Week: I'm using the Rise Alarm Clock App for iPhone and loving it.  Rise is a beautifully simple alarm app. It's a work of art that wakes you up. No annoying clutter. Reach out and move the interface; Set and sleep. Not your typical alarm sounds. Wake up in the woods if you want, or pick a song from iTunes. Dock it and stare at the beautiful, large clock for day or night with multiple backgrounds (portrait or landscape) Create your own alarm labels for as many scheduled wake-up times as you need. *with IAP From the lock screen: Shake it like a Polaroid picture to snooze or turn off the alarm. Let SleepTunes help you fall (asleep) by making a sleepy playlist with a shut-off timer. Click here to learn more and get Rise for your iPhone. Spiritual Foundations: How We Can Be Free of Guilt and Shame You probably already know this, but I believe that Grace is not a doctrine that is part of the Gospel – I believe it is the Gospel. The Good News is way better than you think.  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” Romans 5:17 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 Keep in mind that when Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for all your sins, and at that moment all of them were in the future. And He wiped them all clean. That means all your sins – even the ones you haven't committed yet – are forgiven, and God isn't even aware of them! God takes our sins – past, present, and future, and dumps them in the sea and puts up a sign that says ‘No Fishing Allowed'.” Corrie Ten Boom   Feature Presentation: How To Create An Iconic Personal Brand, With Marshall Wayne Marshall Wayne is a photographer and videographer who helps people created iconic personal brands. Resources Mentioned In The Show Marshall Wayne's website. The Icon Engineering System. The Agency Declassified. How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Go ahead and subscribe now, and give us your star rating and review on iTunes. We will definitely mention you on this show. If you don't already get the email newsletter, sign up for that and get the new free video: “3 Keys to Change the World and Make Your Business Grow.” Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn. Get The Transcript Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.