Party Like A Med Student: Some of My Fave Nerd Gifts!!!

It's a tradition in my family to open presents super early (3am). This started when I was a wee girl, and is one of my favorite memories. I would wake up bubbling with anticipation, sneak downstairs just to make sure Santa had made it, then go crashing back upstairs screaming "IT'S CHRISTMAS, IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!" and basically dive bomb my parents' bed to make sure they received the message loud and clear. That first view of Santa's magic is one of my favorite mental images... I peak around the corner of our winding steps... the sounds of Elvis crooning out a Christmas classic in the air... the entire downstairs dimly lit by our four Christmas trees... a silvery glitter trail of Santa dust moving from the chimney to the overstuffed stockings to the cookies and milk to the Family tree... evidence that Santa had been all through the house and quiet as a mouse. Isn't Christmas just magical?

This year was slightly different, thanks to -- you guessed it -- MED SCHOOL! Med school turns my sleep schedule all inside-out. I wake up at 10-11am, and don't go to bed until 4-5am..... 6am during finals. Much to my parents' dismay, it took quite awhile for me to adjust to real life once break started, and Christmas Eve was no exception. At 4am Christmas morning, I finally got tired and tried to sneak upstairs to bed. My sneaking skills have gotten progressively worse over the years, and I woke my Dad up. He suggested we start opening presents! So, without ever going to bed, I got to go straight from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, which was pretty awesome, and in line with our tradition of opening presents in the early morning hours. Here's where it gets nerdy. My family knows me so well. If you are ever looking for gifts to give your favorite nerd, chances are high that one of these will be greatly appreciated.

Last year, I got these:

This year, I got this:

I am REALLY HOPING this is a trend (get it, nerds.... trends!!?!?!?) and I will be receiving a periodic table gift every year (hint hint.... no pressure, fam).

I also got these:

Anyone in med school knows that the Pilot G2s or Sharpie Pens are the way to go, especially for color-coding nuts like myself. Also, camo band-aids!?!? SCORE! You never know when you might cut yourself and not want anyone to see it... And, because I always forget to charge my phone.... a powermat!

Next, I opened up the coolest gift ever... the DAMMIT DOLL!!!!!!!!! And.... in CAMO!!!!!! What better way is there to work out my boards rage than to whack things with this!!?!??!?! Trust me, I've been practicing.

I also bought myself a Christmas present..... upgrading from the iPad 1 to the iPad 4 (w/retina display). WOWZER! It took a lot of convincing for me to drop that pretty penny when I already had an iPad, but it was totally worth it. I'm now doing all of med school electronically, and the iPad 4 is capable of things I didn't even know existed. Straight up BALLER! My only sadness is that Apple doesn't make a hot pink or purple Smart Cover. What up with that!?

Lookin' flyyyy!

And next... this is a gift my Mom got from my Dad. It's called a Power Pod 360 Jr. None of us had ever heard of it before, but Dad found it in the electronics section, and the salesman convinced him to get it. Dad described it like this:

"You plug your iPod into it, and then stick this end to something. Whatever you stick it to will amplify the sound, basically making any object a speaker."

Mom's reaction was an ohhh-cool-i-kinda-get-it-not-really face.

The abbreviated version of my reaction was something like this:

"OH MY GOD!!!! THAT IS SO COOL! Basically, because the particles in a solid are much closer together and compact, the sound is able to travel faster and with more power through a solid than in the air... as the particles bump into each other and pass on the energy (demonstrating with my hands), LET'S TRY IT ON EVERYTHING!!!!!!!"

Needless to say, I ended up with a Power Pod 360 Jr, because my parents were so taken aback by my enthusiasm that they decided I deserved it.

DEAR NERDS: INVEST IN ONE OF THESE NOW AND YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT.

Lamp shades?

Car?

Table?

Floor?

Glass?

Book?

YES, they are all awesome speakers.

Coolest. Thing. Ever.

Check it out, here!!!!