Sunday, February 15, 2015

top three [02.15.2015]

cognac flats + belt works every time: 1 | 2 |

in medicine
  • Prion diseases are a group of progressive brain diseases where prions (basically misfolded proteins) create havoc on the brain and put a bunch of holes into it, making it look like a sponge (hence the other term for it, spongiform encephalopathies). Some are acquired (like mad cow disease, from eating infected cow) but there's also an inherited form called Familial Fatal Insomnia. In this horrible disease, people suffer from progressively worsening insomnia that leads to hallucinations, delirium, and eventually death. Here's a 10 minute documentary on the history and one family's experience with it.
  • Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome is another genetic disease that results in a build up of uric acid in the body. Overall, uric acid buildup is associated with symptoms like gout and kidney stones, and in the case of LNS, it also results in the patients self-mutilating themselves, usually by biting their lips or fingers.
  • I'm a huge visual learner, which is why Picmonic has been such a great resource for me the past 1.5 years. I use it every single day, and I know that it's been a big advantage in my classes so far, and for the boards. If you are in medical /dental/ PA school and are looking for something to help you learn all that information, you can use the code "friendoffranziska" to get 20% off a 6 or 18 month prescription. Here's a bit more about how I use it in school! You can also sign up for a free trial and test out 25 picmonics to see if it's something that would work for you.

on the internet
  • I love nothing more than a great striped shirt, so I of course loved this simple but so chic look on Jessica (and that shirt may or may not be on its way to me now...)
  • Stripes win again - Audrey shows you 4 different ways to wear a striped blazer (still need one of your own? This one is adorable and won't break the bank). 
  • Not model skinny, and not plus size - the area where most of us fall anyway. Let's hope it's a trend that stays around. It's interesting, because most of my referrals through my stats are through various forums where women are looking for "average sized woman" style inspiration. I don't really know why there aren't more "average" sized bloggers out there! 

spotted
  • How cool is the back of these shoes? Definitely dress code appropriate with just a little bit of sass. 
  • I've recently seen this lipstick (in Roman Holiday) on a bunch of different bloggers and I'm thisclose to ordering a tube of it for myself - doesn't it look like the prettiest pink? #copycat #notashamed
  • I would never have believed that this skirt was from Target unless I saw it on the website with my own eyes. 

on franish

notable sales

personal
  • YOU GUYS. I won a couch! Grace had the coolest giveaway going on a few weeks ago and I wanted to win SO BADLY because who doesn't want to win a beautiful expensive couch? Turns out, I WON. I about fell out of my chair when she emailed me yesterday to tell me. The best parts (besides free!) is that we can choose any color we want...and there are a ton of them! I'm so giddy about the whole thing.
  • I have pretty bad back pain from sitting all the time, so for the last year I've been using one of those exercise balls to sit on instead of a hard chair. It actually has helped with the pain, plus it's fun to bounce around on when I get bored. What isn't so great about it is that sometimes cats want to get on the heated blanket that normally rests on it, and then pokes holes all over it when it moves. Since my life with a cat has only just begun, I broke down and ordered one of these kneeling chairs. People swear it has helped with their back pain, and since the amount of time I sit in a chair is only going to increase, I figured it was time to try one out. 
  • This was the first weekend since school has started where we don't have a systems exam the following week, so it's been a nice combination of board studying and taking a few hours to ourselves. It was a great way to spend Valentine's Day :) CR got me the coolest monogrammed pajamas, and after a day of studying at the library, we went out for a great sushi dinner. I sure did get lucky with that guy.