mark your calendars

it's official peeps. there are some exciting things in the future for the carlsons! in some months time, there will be major celebration in our house. a new stage in life really! so mark your calendars and help me ring in [drumroll please!!!!!!] march 2020 when i will officially be debt free - law school loans be gone! that's right, thanks to the public service loan forgiveness program, i will be done paying off my loans in exactly seven years and eight months.

and for all of you out there who are considering law school, i urge you first to read this blog before making a potentially ill advised decision because your parents still believe in the days of yore, when being a lawyer was not only a respectable career, but a lofty money making one. perhaps i'm a bit cynical, being in d.c. and all where lawyers are a dime a dozen. but in all seriousness, law school is a major financial commitment and in all honesty, it's probably where your dreams of social and human justice go to die and where your ability to accumulate debt goes into overdrive. i don't want to be a dream killer, so if you've always wanted to be a lawyer, by all means, do it, just make sure you know the facts before you make such a huge commitment. in the meantime, we eagerly await going from this:

to this:

(and yes i am fanning myself with one dollar bills. and though i'll be debt free in 2020, i'm sure i'll still only be fanning my self with mr. washington and not my more friendlier friend, mr. benjamin.)

doctor (nod), doctor (nod), doctor (nod), doctor (nod)

if you haven't seen this movie, you must. it's a classic. chevy chase and dan akroyd at their best. not to mention it may just inspire you to see your credentials in a new light. you too can be a doctor! this, along with webMD, and you are unstoppable. trust me. i know. because i too, am a doctor. Dr. Grace Carlson, J.D.

sometimes though, webMD will fail you, and that's when you simply have to rely on your honed inner doctor instincts. a few months back, i insisted that husband run a webMD and google search for "fever hands." you see, i have "fever hands."

these puppies sometimes get so hot, that husband will not hold my hand, choosing instead to hold my wrists. romantic no? more like ridiculous, yes. but i tell you, i am convinced that my fever hands are symptoms of something wrong, a rare disease perhaps?

would you even believe me if i told you that webMD did not have any search results, and all the search results for google were not helpful at all? hard to believe, i know, but it's true. there's nothing out there on the world wide web that can provide any insight into my apparently rare condition. and yes, i actually even went to my "real" doctor. he was sort of at a loss. blank stare doctor. and then said he'd run some blood tests. my endocrine system is the picture of health. nothing is wrong. but! i just do. not. believe. it.

i am undeterred. all you medical professionals out there, watch out. i am on the cusp of discovery. i cannot be stopped, because i know my inner doctor is right on this. one day, fever hands will show up in medical text books around the world.

until then, i am definitely available for free consultations and to diagnose whatever medical conditions you have. i'm here for you. love, Dr. Grace. (momma chiang must be proud, lawyer and doctor in one! super asian!)