I love the ABR.... honest

Physics no more. I just want a "P" for pass.
It was pretty hard. I pretty much hated it. But actually, it could have been a lot worse. I think it is just one of those hoops you have to jump through. There were lots of concepts about producing images that I am glad I learned. The in-depth science of it all is just not my thing. I'm not into really into the technical applications of electronics and bits and bytes.

It was also some quality time with the other residents in my class, and I'm grateful for that. We went to dinner in Memphis the night before, then out to Beale Street for some R&R. It was better than being at the hotel! Let's just hope we all passed after a night on the town.

How Katy Blake became Ross

Okay, so I guess an explanation is due.

We weren't going to find out. It was a lot of fun that turned abruptly into misery. Then we had to know. This change occured soon after our second-trimester ultrasound, during whcih we were instructed to turn our heads and close our eyes about 50% of the time. So our doctor and ultrasound tech know it's a Ross, but we don't.

We go to work one evening to scan. I'm the ultrasonographer and the radiologist this night. We use an old scanner and try to get a peek. It was difficult, but I was pretty sure there was nothing there. I shouldn't have made a call. At one point, I thought I saw the tell-tale signs, but I couldn't reproduce it. The kid was moving all over the place. I naively called XX.

Erica calls the doctor the next day and tells her we saw girl. She agrees. She had briefly witnessed the anatomy and assumed that the radiologist (yours truly) knew what was going on.

We tell the family, publish to this here public forum, etc.

I run into the ultrasound tech a week later and tell her we "found out." She grins broadly, "It's a boy!!"

"WHAT?"

And that's the long and short of it. I am subsequently ribbed by all my co-residents - rightfully so, I must admit.

So the routine update - I've been studying. I have a long weekend off to prepare for Friday's board exam. I did a moonlighting shift Friday for 24 hrs. Helped with a funeral at church today and rested, now hanging out with the dogs and watching Hogs football.

Recent Netflix:





Best book ever:


You must read it and think about it.

At least I can admit when I'm WRONG

It's a boy.
Not a girl.
XY.
Not XX.
I am a horrible excuse for a radiologist.


Please disregard the former post and return any clothing items you may have bought.

Guess what??

Kathryn Blake Braswell, EDD 1/15/07

Funny

Funny joke I just had to share:

Bill Clinton is placed against the wall and just before the order to shoot him is given, he yells, "Earthquake"! The firing squad falls into a panic and Bill Jumps over the wall and escapes in the confusion.

John Kerry is the second one placed against the wall. The squad is reassembled and John ponders what his old pal Bill has done. Before the order to shoot is given, John yells, "tornado"! Again the squad falls apart and Kerry slips over the wall thus making his escape.

The last person, George W. Bush, is placed against the wall. He is thinking, "I see the pattern here, just scream out a disaster and hop over the wall." As the firing squad is reassembled and the rifles raised in his direction, he smirks and yells, "Fire!"


Things are well with the Family Braswell. I am on my angio/interventional rotation and having a blast. I think I say that every time I switch rotations. Which means I have no idea what I want to do with my life, but I guess enjoying your job is a good problem to have. I talked to Erica Brooke tonight in Denver (we were both on our way home). She is in the throes of wedding planning and it was awesome to catch up.

More pictures again!!!

More ultrasound pictures at the HomePage Braswell. Here's the link again:
http://homepage.mac.com/leahbraswell/


Let me know what you think. We're still not looking down below - It's an ongoing challenge now to make it all the way to birthday. It's either XX or XY. Driving my dad crazy, which is about 90% of the fun at this point.

We picked up the crib today and will set it up one night this week. E's office is slowly becoming a nursery. I'll take pictures as we go.

Bottom of the 9th

So tonight is my very last lower level call. Our call tier is sort of complicated, but there are always two people on call overnight: a 1st-year resident and an upper level. My 1st year of call is winding down. The first-year wears the pager. Horror of all horrors and curse of all curses. That thing is on fire. Anyway, this is my last night with that bloody thing!!! Tomorrow, I'll be free of the pager and ER cell phone.

But.... now I'll be the upper level. Any decision in the middle of the night belongs to me. I have to answer to the mistakes made in the morning. There's no attending around at night when major decisions are made. Ahhh, responsibility. Perhaps I'll be wishing I could carry the pager soon. I'll be stressing over whether or not this kid has appendicitis and needs to go to the OR. I'll agonize and perseverate, but then it'll be morning and I can go home and sleep and all will really turn out OK. It always does.

Rites of passage.

Saturday

Another fairly lazy Saturday morning. I have been getting things done and hanging out with the dogs. E will be home soon. My desk is nearly clear of papers - it has been weeks. The laundry is all underway, dishes clean, list of tasks made. I've even been to Target. Even took Erica dinner at work last night.

Can you tell there's something looming? I am a creature of habits and patterns. High school, college, med school - any time something big is due, or a project needs working on, or I have PHYSICS BOARDS CREEPING UP ON ME --- these are the cleanest, most organized times of my life. Instead of studying, I clean. I work in the yard. I clean out my car. I e-mail long lost buddies. I work out. It is ridiculous.

I think I'll hire my mom. She is an organizing consultant and task-master extraordinaire. She would probably tell me to come home in the evening and spend 30 minutes on physics. THEN tackle the myriad other things. There will always be more mail.

It's always the bigger the project, the more I procrastinate. Do you know how much engineering is involved in putting a huge magnet into a shielded room, putting a patient in there, and turning that into a perfectly clear image of the beating heart and injured myocardium? I do. Oh well, like Nietschze said,......

So if you need a planner, rearranger, organizer, thrower-outer, prioritizer, hire my mom. And tell your friends. She can walk into a house and make it work better for you. Any and every room. Let me know if you have any prospective clients and I'll hook you up. Thanks for reading the shameless plug.

Disappointment

So, we finally made an offer on a house. We've been looking for a couple/few weeks now. There was a big one on McAdoo that was tops on the list. We saw it again yesterday but then decided against it. So on to a house nearby - this one on Gable. I had loved this house from the outside since before they put it on the market. Sometimes you can just tell. Anyway, we walked in and it was soooo obvious that this was the house for us. We made an offer. They called us this morning - no can do on the contingency part. [We are residents and can't agree to buy a house without a clause contingent on the close of our old house.]

So life goes on. This is a big lesson in not getting your hopes too high. And a lesson in humility. And all those other tough things. But immediately after I got off the phone (for the millionth time this morning) I looked at Erica and the world is all right again. Our little family is 100% intact. I feel better now that at least we have an answer.

Our first open house is today. I hope we get twenty offers and have to decide between them all. Ha. That'll show 'em.

Then we'll have all kinds of buying power.

News flash - E is thinking in terms of no fellowship at this point. Hooray! No three more years of night call. No three more years (plus a career) of stressful critical care and ethical dillemmas about dying babies. No more killing ourselves to stay afloat in the real world (i.e. any world outside of the hospital.) So hopefully we'll have a family member with a real salary next summer. I hope it works out. As you know, career decisions in this Braswell family have a way of.... well, let's just say they're fluid. It's just like anything else. No matter what happens, we'll be fine.

There's growing interest in Little Rock for getting a rowing club started. Don't worry, my name's already on the list. I hope and pray that it comes to fruition. I would LOVE to have a regular crew to row with!! They're talking about a boathouse on the NLR side of the river.

What else has been going on.... well, neck spasms for me. I have made a trip to the massage place. Hopefully more trips to follow. Job hazard of being a radiologist, I guess. I'm sure there are more interesting things to talk about, but I can't think of any right now. Oh well. E has one more week of nights, then back to days. Little Sport is doing well. There are more ultrasound pictures at www.homepage.mac.com/leahbraswell

My link function isn't working, so you'll have to copy and paste.

House

Consider yourself forewarned: we are thinking about moving "to town." It's an ongoing dream that rears its head every once in a while. Lately, it won't go away. Let us know if you know any houses in the Hall High area. We're willing to go up in price and make some sacrifices. Can you imagine an hour in the car every day with a newborn? Trips to daycare, errands, all that mess.

Anyway, we've been buzzing around the issue. Last night we went to dinner with surrogate 'rents Carol and Alan Mendel. Love 'em. Could write all day about them.

New photo website

Recent U/S

Pics from the most recent Ultrasound. Notice the perfect heart rate. This kid knows how to behave.

Memorial Day

Honor your fallen soldiers. And your on-call residents who thought it would be a great idea to take call Friday AND Sunday of a holiday weekend. With a new computer system in the radiology department that everyone in the hospital would have trouble with. With Riverfest dehydrated falling down drunks. With idiot boat and ATV and horse and car drivers. With two cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. Seen it all tonight, folks.

One cool case - bilateral renal abscesses with associated psoas abscess on the right. That's TB in my mind until proven otherwise. We'll see what it turns out to be. He's immunocompromised and has reason for TB. Could be anything, though.

I finally wised up and brought my computer to call. Hooked up the reading room computer speakers. iTunes hasn't stopped since about noon, and it's midnight. Awesome. U2 for traumas, Jack Johson for mellow routine studies.

Let's see, what's news on the homefront. Nobody wants to hear about work. Erica is entering the nausea phase, but today was not too bad I hear. She has stocked up on all things ginger. And we have fresh mint leaves to add to cool drinking water. Maybe this first trimester stuff will pass quickly. I can't believe we're 7 or so weeks already. My cousin Jayson and wife Jennifer had another baby yesterday. Harper Davis is number 3 for them. He needed a little nursery TLC last night but is doing great. We got to see him through the window last night. It was great to see all the family.

Tomorrow, we sleep. Then cookout with the Joheim's, then Meagan Tullos' graduation, then out for her big sister's 21st B-day celebration. I hope I can make it through all that!

On-call dietary today:
Starbucks coffee and cranberry orange scone
M&M's from the nuclear medicine stockpile
Wendy's baked potato and side salad
Nalgene water
Pizza s/p removal of pepperonis
Starbucks coffee (holiday schedule at the hospital means no Gourmet Bean coffee shop)

What a mess!

Winding down

Another late evening post. I'm trying my hardest to maintain focus and sanity with the whirlwind of events and tasks surrounding/swarming. I have this eternal weight on my shoulders about not studying enough. This physics test in September continues to loom, and I haven't done any real reading for it. But I did write the $900 check tonight, so the wheels are in motion. All downhill from here.

The good news is I know how to tell if a 16-day-old has malrotation of the bowel. Among other pediatric radiology topics.

The other good news is that I'm going to be a mom in January.
[If you're finding out this way, don't get mad. I've tried to call almost everyone.]

I don't know how to describe excitement. It's not in my vocabulary. There's nothing else to say. Miracles don't particularly lend themselves to concise statements. I keep having this weird reaction to Erica's first ultrasound pictures. I look at these things all the time, but it's so weird when it's my kiddo in there. I have checked everything I can possibly check over and over again, but I still get excited to think about what it really means.

It's already obvious how loving and caring our friends and family and church family are. A huge part of the fun in this whole journey we've started is sharing the excitement with the people we love. Thanks so much for all your phone calls just to check in. It says a lot when people are instantly happy and full of smiles when they find out. I think people who know gay people are not afraid to be supportive. That's just my take on it.

Dad said my grandmother was fine after her heart stopped and she required a ventilator for a while. Here's hoping a smooth recovery for the older generation.

Who knows? If this kid can heal some old sore wounds, I'm all for it.

It's nighttime

It's nighttime and so quiet except for a few crickets outside and I can hear E and Dory and Mae breathing in their respective dreamworlds and everyone is here in one room and everyone is in her own little comfy tucked in place and life is so good. I'll never forget this as long as I live.

Nothing else matters.

At last

I just uploaded these from the camera. They were taken on our camping trip just a week after bringing Mae home. I can't believe how much she's changed since then! These pictures make me realize how she's grown. She is really lovable, but also really playful. She loves to nip at heels - a born and bred herder (we knew what we were getting into). Dory is handling things so well and tolerating all the nipping and jumping. They're sleeping pretty well through the night. Both have shots this Friday. We can't keep them clean.

I have to admit I've never in my life seen a cuter puppy.

EHS

I had my England High School reunion "meet & greet" (how cute) Friday night. Not that I finished high school there, but they were nice enough to include me. What an event. I loved getting to see those people. Even though I haven't lived in England for 16 years (WOW!!), it really was like being around family. Isn't that weird? Not really family, but some other undefinable relationship. Anyway, it's the people I grew up with and spent ALL my time with. I was the girl in jeans then. I would have been the girl in that school who refused to go to prom. In fact, I skipped out on my own to go drink Rum and Cokes by the 20-oz styrofoam cup at Sewanee on a perfect spring weekend. But that's beside the point. The point is that I am still the girl in jeans who wouldn't go to a prom but who gets along with all the popular people, has a ball, and wouldn't trade my life and upbringing in a small town in Arkansas for forty million bucks.

To me, everyone had grown into carbon copies of their parents. I was doing all these double takes. They loved calling me Doctor - for about five minutes. Then everyone moved past that. We all had a lot to catch up on. One guy is an NFL star. One guy "maintains the estate and vehicles" for Jack Stephens. One girl is a massage therapist. A soldier stationed in Germany. A female LR cop. A classmate who works at the Pentagon - nobody knows what she does. Interior designer. PhD in something having to do with chemistry. Nurse, teacher, housewife, parent. Pretty amazing.

We may all talk about each other, grow apart, and change. But I do know that that group of people cares for each other and would hang together come hell or high water. They really impressed that upon me. I left there when I was a kid, but what a neat set of adults. See, it pays to be raised in a small town.

Thanks to E for letting me stay out late drinking beer with old friends.

Germane to a recent adventure

What is the best way to remove a tick?

Recent research indicates that some traditional methods of tick removal are ineffective and may even be dangerous. Medically acceptable procedures for tick removal are as follows: grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers and apply an even, upward pulling force. If tweezers are unavailable and fingers must be used, they should be protected by disposable rubber gloves or, at least, facial tissue. Do not jerk or twist the tick; this action might tear the head and mouth parts from the tick's body and expose the feeding wound to the tick's body fluids.
Removed ticks should be saved in a vial or jar labeled with the date and location. This information will aid the physician in the diagnosis of spotted fever or Lyme disease should an illness develop.

Hey from us

Mayday

I am on information overload. Does this happen to anyone else? I think I'll invest in one of those centering weekends, where you pay to go sit on a hill by yourself and have some quiet time. Thing is, life isn't even that busy these days. But between studying, working, and trying to read, I can't keep up. Here's what comes across my radar in a normal day:

Mail
E-mail
Check the blogs
Runner's World
New Yorker
Pediatric Radiology: The Requisites
Online peds modules (way behind)
iTunes
More e-mail
Bills, online and otherwise
Car tag renewals
Malpractice insurance
Erica's progesterone and various other levels
Church media organizing
Church everything else
The Rep
Filing all of the above into the appropriate places
The dogs and their food, bathroom, medications

The list goes on an on. I guess these are just the hazards of being alive in the year 2006. Anyway, so an update is again in order. Still trying to get pregnant. Still loving our jobs, house, life, dogs, friends, family (at least half of it), church, and all the other wonderful things in life. I'm enjoying radiology at Children's, although we had vacation last week and caught up around the house. Quick camping trip to Petit Jean with buddies a weekend ago. New dog. You name it, we're living it!

It's been three years since Bush declared a victory in Iraq. Our work was done, apparently. Should we even tell him "Told ya so"??

I'll be working on recent pictures from camping, new puppy, etc. Mae needs to be publicized. And I've been reminded that I never posted pictures from the ceremony we had at our house. Hello?! What was I thinking? They're not even on my computer yet, so I'll be working on that soon. Promise. After I accomplish my daily list of information overload tasks.

Ripley's

Believe it or not...
I'm posting.

We had an awesome trip to Florida!! Pics are posted on my Yahoo! photos page. See the my photos link over there on the right-hand side of this page. Then click on Disney World and prepare to be amazed. And overwhelmed! There are like 130-something of them. Have fun with that....

It's the modern version of subjecting friends and family to slide shows of their 18-day-long road trip across the MidWest. Boring if you weren't there, probably. Oh well we had the time of our lives. If you've been there, you understand the magic that place entails.

Back to the real world. We are doing great. Enjoying our house and rearranged office/extra room space. Dory is glad to have us home, but had a great time with Uncle Will. Everyone is tired of the cold weather. My running routine sucks. I'm so mad at myself and hate that I'm not a perfect allstar athlete committment-savvy runner.

Erica is reinventing her organizational life with Franklin Covey. Lest you be deceived and think this is an expensive DayRunner... let me help you out. It's a life-altering system of defining your goals, values, and mission statement. Only as a side effect do you actually get things done and accomplish all your goals in life! Oh, and it comes in real leather. Seriously, I'm proud of her taking charge of her hectic crazy resident overworked life. She is really interested in a NICU fellowship after she finishes residency next July.

I still have no clue which fellowship(s) I'll pursue. I love too many things. Time will tell.

I could write a while and catch you up a little better, but it's time to head to the bedroom and settle in time for ER. For all you American Idol fans out there, I can't stand your show. Just kidding. I think it's pretty funny, but the 10 minutes I've seen don't deserve all the stupid radio air time on my way into work. Thank goodness for iPods so I don't have to listen to that stuff ad nauseum...

Implode

They're about to implode the old student dorm here at the med center. When I say about to, I mean in about 90 minutes. This place is on a lockdown. I came early to start my 1/2-call. The streets are icy, the implosion is the news of the day, and everyone is totally wacko. The other resident called and said she wouldn't come until after the lockdown is lifted (11 AM or so), so I have an upper-level here with me who has already worked 24 solid hours! The techs are all here, even though there aren't a lot of cases. And I have no attending. I guess we won't see him until after this mess. What a weird day! I'll let you know how it goes, here in survival mode.

We stayed at my dad's last night. Dory could not rest in a strange place. But the weekend has been good. E and I switched rooms - she gave me the guest bedroom as my NEW OFFICE! She was just excited as I was. More on the house/home plans soon...

Sad

This is so sad....I didn't even know it was the Olympics until we were at a restaurant Friday night and saw the opening ceremonies. Does that say anything to anyone else? No wonder I feel like a chicken with her head cut off all the time - I AM!!

Great times lately with family and friends. My precious cousins were so fun to see on Friday. (And my mom, aunt, and uncle!!) Dad and Sara took me to dinner tonight. Erica started 2 weeks of nights, so there went Valentine's. Plus I'm on call. Oh well.

Zac, a fellow resident, is supposedly at the hospital with wife and (hopefully) new baby right about now. I can't wait to hear about it. Everyone is having babies. It's like a population explosion in LR among our friends. Shahked is now a month old and I can't even believe it. Sigh.

Yeah, I know

It's been forever...again. Even I am missing my blog. I just get so caught up in the day-to-day. Priorities do change as the first year drags along. I am learning so much and working so much and playing so much and visiting with friends so much...

We babysat our friend Shahked last night, who is three weeks old. She got mad every time she wasn't held facedown. It was almost funny to see her scream that hard. Is that twisted or what? I am so sick for saying that. Everything she does is phenomenal to me. E is teaching me all about this stuff.

We've continued our Wed. night dinners with the Joheims. Got to see the cousins this week as well - for Erin's birthday. Imagine a vegetarian eating at Doe's... I did have a bite of tamale, though.

CT rotation is still going well. I am still liking radiology more and more as I get more comfortable on call and at work.

We are talking about rotating our extra rooms. It will give us a chance to freshen up the office. It needs an organizational overhaul. One of the goals/side effects is better study space for me. Lord knows I neeeeeed to study. We have physics boards in September, and this residency is all about studying like a marathoner all four years.

The guy at Starbuck's knows my name. He says regulars should come inside rather than drive thru!

I'll continue to promise to try to attempt to post regularly!!

Saturday at the U

I'm up at work today, but it's only for applicant interviews. I am leading the tour. How nice to be here and not be stressed out!

The hugest news is that we are PUMPED about our trip to WDW. The flights were $10 thanks to frequent flier miles!! We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge for the five nights, and I can't wait. March 8th is our ceremony date. Lots of details to work out before then.

The second hugest news is that I finally got off my you-know-what yesterday after work and went for a run. For some reason, I have had a huge block about running ever since the beginning of interventional rotation. It's been forever. The longest break I've ever taken since I began running a few years ago. I am painfully out of shape. It hurt. But I'm so glad I went. Maybe this is the start of a new routine. I'm tired of hearing my excuses.

Life has been routine. We are missing our buddies vacationing in Florida. Lots of things are going on at church. I've taken on a lot of responsibility with the media production and continuing to help at Community Breakfast. Plus more reading and homework for work. I started CT rotation this week, and it's really important to learn as much as I can on this one.

I had this dream last night involving hanging out at the lake. We had like two or three ski boats and toys galore. E and Dory and me and kiddos jumping in the water and playing like crazy. Doesn't get any better than that, until you have to wake up.

Boring

I think I must just be a boring person; I haven't had much to talk about lately. Not much has happened, really. I have been lackadaisical this weekend. I'm so sick of being on call. I won't bore (see, there's that word again) you with complaints. I even get tired of hearing them.

The L Word has resumed for a third season. That's good news! Tonight's episode will no doubt be riveting. The book of Daniel is barely playing in Little Rock - how scandalous. I have last week's episode on TiVo since I was hanging out in the reading room, dictating 5,000 plain films, at that time.

I got to see my cousin Will this weekend. He has agreed to housesit for our WDW trip in March. I'm going to take him up on the offer to do some odd jobs around the house. Stuff I would probably love to do if I had free time to do them. He is getting over the flu and feeling better.

Lots of church stuff. We fed about 200 at Community Breakfast today. I washed plates like a madwoman! Lots of lotion for me today. We had a meeting after church about the Methodist Foundation for Social Action. Basically a liberal group within the church that wants to preserve doctrinal flexibility, inclusiveness, and justice. Very forward-thinking and progressive. If we don't do something, the church as we know it will disappear. Our foundation depends on open minds, hearts, and doors. I learned that there are giant corporations with people who are NON-Methodists (but part of the religious right) who are pumping dollars and manpower into our church. They run political warrooms. They want appointees to our delegations in order to change our Book of Discipline to reflect their values. It's all about exclusivity in membership. If they kick out all the people who don't look, talk, and act just like they do, then there won't be much left worth coming back to. I am so frustrated by this. My theory is: you can't be inclusive "some of the time." That doesn't count. You can't claim open doors and bar those doors to gay people (just ONE of the many examples - I just happen to take that one most personally).

As I stood there, I was reminded that change in our country is all about meetings in little rooms, with folding tables and chairs, a pot of coffee, a sign-up sheet, and a group of people who insist on what's good and right. I would have fit in so well as a hippy in the 60's. I never knew that I was a social activist waiting to happen. Powerful stuff. Rage against the machine.

Happy birthday MLK. Thanks.

2006

Welcome to the New Year. New year, same old blog.

The holidays were upon us, then made a casual exit. The tree is down and in the yard waiting for the big truck. Erica worked seven nights in a row in the PICU, so I saw her on occasion. She made it to Christmas Eve service but missed Christmas celebrations with both sides of my family and hers as well. All in all, it was a great Christmas nonetheless. We didn't give or get too much. Our biggest gifts were to the church and Heifer Project - all is well with that.

We went to New Year's Eve at the Peabody Hotel, an event preceded by fancy dinner at our house with Jessica and Meredith, who were Sydney-less. What a nice night! The Peabody was a blast, but way too crowded. Ran into several people we know. Then a cab ride to their house, during which our cabbie was subjected to lots of talk about LH surges, ovulation prediction kits, frozen sperm, etc. Both families going through fertility attempts! He laughed good-naturedly. I got up early to head in for another 24-hour nightmare known as call.

Menu:
Shrimp pasta
Broccoli
Green salad with almonds and fresh raspberries
Brie and jam toasts
Cranberry chutney/cream cheese/crackers
Champagne fruity drinks
Espresso/Au laits
Amaretto Cake

Pretty impressive, huh? The decorations were still up, and I totally FORGOT to take pictures.

I have had a LOT of call lately. For some reason, they were all jammed together at the end of December. So now I'm recovering and getting things done around the house. We also went to Beauty and the Beast at the Rep, which was the BEST show I've seen there.

Erica woke me up this morning screaming my name from the front door. I stumbled out there in my PJ's to see a house (across the street and down three) totally engulfed in flames. We were in total shock. The fire trucks were already there and spraying from atop the big ladder on top of the truck. Firemen everywhere, sirens, lights, people outside watching. I at one point mentioned my camera, but it was way too weird for that. There are only bricks left. We watched them tear down the garage door as everything was still burning, and there weren't any cars. It was surreal to watch the three firemen go inside with oxygen tanks as there were still flames burning. I'm still hoping no one was home, but there is no news that I've heard about it. Katy called me from Fayetteville to say that it was on katv.com. Apparently it started burning a little after five, but we didn't go out until 6. It seemed to be at its pinnacle when we got there, because we watched almost an hour as it died down. All day today, there have been cars driving on the street. The trucks were still there when I went to the dentist at 11. I guess Erica was able to leave okay around 8 to go to work.

Anyway, that's the exciting news. I'm off to my local law enforcement agency for fingerprints (one of the joys of medical license application). I guess it's good that licensed physicians can't be criminals. Right?

Active

I present to you a couple of unabashed activist plugs.

This one lifted from rosie's blog:
[ON CNN
“Jack Cafferty: Who cares if the Patriot Act get’s renewed. Want to abuse our civil liberties-Just do it! Who cares about the Geneva conventions? Want to torture prisoners-Just do it! Who cares about rules concerning the identity of CIA gents. Want to reveal the name of a covert operative? Just do it!

Who cares about whether the intelligence concerning WMD’s is accurate. You want to invade Iraq? Just do it. Who cares about qualifications to serve on the nation’s highest court. Want to nominate a personal friend with no qualifications? Just do it.

And the latest outrage, which I read about in “The New York Times” this morning, who cares about needing a court order to eavesdrop on American citizens. Want to wiretap their phones conversations? Just do it….
What a joke. A very cruel, very sad joke.”]


And another from a fellow Methodist's e-mail.

[Friends:

I write to you during this holiday season to ask you to sign on to a "statement of conscience" against the war in Iraq signed by 96 United Methodist bishops. More than 2800 people have joined the bishops in this statement. My hope is we can garner at least 10,000 signatures and carry this statement to the President and the Congress. Many of you have your own mailing lists. Please ask your friends and contacts to sign on to the statement. One need not be United Methodist to support the bishops' statement against the war! The link to the statement is www.umc-gbcs.org/nowar.
Thank you for your help.
Happy Holidays,

Jim Winkler
General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
of the United Methodist Church
100 Maryland Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002
(w:) 202-488-5620
(f:) 202-488-5699
jwinkler@umc-gbcs.org]

Disney

I'm planning a trip for March to Disney World. That's right, the most magical place on earth. I have been wanting to take Erica there as long as I've known her. I think maybe we'll just go. Carpe.

Anyone know any Orlando area wedding planners???

Cases

My case file is expanding rapidly. How cool to know that I have digital images from my first year of residency that I can keep forever. They end up in my e-mail, on the computer, online at Yahoo photos, and on my new thumb drive. Now if I could just synchronize all of the above...

Quiz:
What does this coronal CT image of the abdomen show?
A. Appendicitis
B. Bowel ischemia
C. Bowel obstruction
D. This isn't a coronal image; it's sagittal

Three cheers for the first right answer.

Angio

My month on interventional (angio) is coming to an end. This is a very bad and very good thing. I am loving angio and will consider it as a career possibility - if I can get through the year-long fellowship of late days. It comes with all the fun, thrill, satisfaction of a surgical subspecialty. Only with fewer complications, shorter procedure times, and MUCH shorter incisions! Unfortunately, it also implies that some people will get sick because of you - and you have to be called to fix things. In addition to wearing lead aprons and standing on your own two feet for hours on end.

Sigh. Decisions. Maybe Erica was right all along - peds interventional is the way to go for me. I honestly can't imagine a more rewarding career. Awesome.

Minneapolis has been our most recent fantasy location. Midwest city, plenty big, not too big, lots of job opportunities, good reimburesment, good schools, culture, etc. Actually, this town has Everything with a capital E. What's the rub? Obvious - the weather. Four seasons sounds nice, but it's that stupid winter part. I've been asking Meredith about what's involved in plowing snow. At Sewanee, Erica Brooke used to show me up as a super-talented windshield scraper diva. I'm lost when it comes to real winters. Alas, all these have seemed inconsequential as I have become more and more excited about the impending move (3 1/2 yrs from now) to Minnesota.

No peds fellowship in that whole state. Can you believe it? If we end up there, it'll be after I get peds trained somewhere else. Not the end of the world, but I had it all planned..... I am so ADD when it comes to future plans. Hopefully this one will become less desirable with time, because I have REALLY been focused on Minneapolis.

What else has been going on... got the Christmas tree up, preliminary shopping done. I went to a Sierra Club meeting last week and made some good contacts. The usual call routine, church on the weekend, hanging out with friends Sunday night for cookie party.

We're planning on Beauty and the Beast at the Rep for the 30th and the Peabody New Year's Eve Party the 31st. I'll be on call the 1st, so must watch my champagne intake. Or not.

Holiday

It was an awesome Thanksgiving. I had call last Tuesday night, which meant post-call Wednesday (day off)! Which also meant, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun off. I hate to gloat but it was AWESOME and much-needed and (I think) deserved.

Poor Erica is paying back all that time off in October. Working hard and long is an understatement. Two months in a row that end in ICU (NICU, then PICU). Yuck. Sick babies.

So we went to Conway to cousin Erin's house last Wednesday. It was so warm and inviting; I love my family time so much. They are all wonderful and lovable and fun. Thursday, all the events were at my mom's. E's cousin Clare spent the night then woke up while I was baking our famous old-family recipe for Tea Cakes. Gotta love the KitchenAid mixer (thanks, Margie). The new idea at my mom's was that the "next generation" will be taking over all cooking and prep. responsibilities for Thanksgiving in 5 years. I don't think that's enough time, but we're learning! We also planned NOT to give Christmas gifts - just one large donation. This year, it will be to the Heifer Project. Each year may be something different. I think that's a great idea and will be glad not to buy needless gifts - all while helping somebody else out. We also stopped by the Joheim's as they were about to eat. Then spent the late evening at my mom's with Erin.

Friday, E had to work (surprise). I took off for Heber Springs to spend the morning and early afternoon with Becky, Mimi, Robyn, and Forrest & Marianne(sp?). It was also much-appreciated family time. Without the kids there and the whole big family group, I got to spend even better QT with them. We went to Conway to shop a little afterwards. Then I got to see Erin AGAIN to drop off my iPod. How cool!

There is no way I could ever give enough thanks. Ever.

I'm not sure what we did the rest of the weekend. I'm sure it was important. Ha.

I have become vegetarian. This is sort of a shock to me as well as you! I just decided I don't want to put unnecessary meats into my body, so I'm not. It has been totally easy. Except for on call at stupid UAMS. Very few options. They don't even have a vegetarian soup. Whatever. I think I have always wanted to be meat-free but doubted that I could do it. As Erica and I establish an evermore earthy-crunchy lifestyle, it totally makes sense. There are very few items in the pantry and fridge that didn't come from the organic store. Heck, I even have soy milk in my fridge right now. What once would have been a total out-of-body experience is now the norm for me, and I FEEL BETTER!! At least from the clavicles up.

I have had fish several times in this two-week period, and some chicken soup that my mom made. But no turkey. That reminds me what we did Saturday - cook with the Joheims for Interfaith Hospitality Network. It's a nationwide program that now has a LR branch. Our church is responsible for a week at a time, hosting guests in the network. Then they go to another church. We provide meals and a place to stay - the program provides job training and searching. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Some of the people were awesome and grateful, others not so much. But I'm glad we helped out. I ate the meat sauce on the spaghetti because I thought it was socially required. Or at least obligatory. Erica wants me to be a "flexible vegetarian." I think that's what she means.

I'll include a few holiday pictures. I MUST stop now and tackle the pile on my desk. Ohh, and let me know if you read the Sewanee article in the NY Times today. I'm pissed off to tell you the truth. Another post for another day.

Forget

Forget everything you heard about the third time being the "charm." Our third attempt yielded a no-go on the pregnancy. We'll take a month off and take a prescription for Clomid, thank you very much. Another holiday season as a two-person family. And one dog.

Debacle

I have seen this word, "debacle," all over popular media lately. First, Jim used it on Martha's Apprentice. Then I used it (flagrant copyright violation) the next day. I have since read it on at least THREE blogs and in the Arkansas Times. And somewhere else that I'm forgetting. What is so popular about this word? Ever notice how you hear a word once, and then it's like an everyday occurence??

This is one of many words that I was reading before I ever heard it pronounced. There have been lots of those over the years, because I was a nerdy kid who read my way through life. Well, not entirely, but you get the gist. When I think of more of these words, I'll post them. I pronounced "debacle" incorrectly in my head for a long time. I emphasized the first syllable rather than the second. Funny how you one day realize how things are supposed to sound.

This has been a long entry about words. I like words, I like etymology, and for some reaon I have a delusion that my faithful readers give a damn!

HEAT

I've taken some heat as of late for not blogging often enough. Well, well, well. I am flattered. Here I am on an easy rotation with time to do computer chores and stay up to date. And what did I do? Wait like 48 hours between posts, and the world comes to an end.

So the heat I'm feeling is NOT from the weather. This morning's low was near freezing. Yesterday's high was 72; today's is 52. Quite a difference. I thought all day yesterday about bundling up for the morning run, and what did I do? Stayed in bed for "one more minute" after the 5:14 second snooze went off. I ran yesterday after a two-week hiatus. What am I thinking? I have to remind myself that I ENJOY running. It is like such a chore lately that I've totally neglected my runs. Sometimes when you're a resident, life happens. Life just happens. Erica and I have been so overwhelmed. It's like everything is great one minute, yuck the next. And plenty to be done.

Happy birthday to my dad. Today is # 52. Don't tell him I posted that.


We went to the Sierra Club's screening of "Wal-Mart: The Hight Cost of Low Price" last night. Go to www.walmartwatch.com and www.walmartmovie.com (my link function is not working). If you haven't seen the film, you need to. I think it's a vital requirement in our society and state of AR. The blatant corruption, abuse, and irresponsibility of the mega-corporation had me unwittingly dropping my jaw intermittently for the entire 97-minute film. I am cutting up my Sam's card and never looking back. Forget bargain detergent and dog bones. We'll just have to get by without. And if Katy Bartlett reads my blog, I apologize in advance. I sure don't want to lose a best friend over her husband's job. I'm sure there's another side to the story (I hope).

Quapaw Quarter is hosting a showing of the film on Friday night. Unfortunately (not really), we'll be at the opening night of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Tickets already bought on-line. Hooray (my favorite written word for expression of excitement)! This weekend isn't getting here fast enough. Is it just me?


I have been a dutiful radiologic physics student as of late. I'm so proud of myself for taking (a very little) time to get started for the first set of boards next September. We radiologists apparently need to know every intricate detail of how these crazy images are produced. For some reason, this takes a year's preparation with afternoon lectures and study guides. Yuck. Do they think I really care about compton scatter, coulombs, and the modulation transfer function???

Only a few more days until our third two-week wait is over. Fingers crossed.

Landfill

Trash

[What We Throw Away
In just one year, Americans generate 236 million tons of garbage. While about 30 percent of it gets recycled or composted, 164 million tons are tossed away, including:

26,800,000 tons of food
8,550,000 tons of furniture and furnishings
6,330,000 tons of clothing and footwear
5,190,000 tons of glass beer and soda bottles
4,200,000 tons of plastic wrap and bags
3,650,000 tons of junk mail
3,470,000 tons of diapers
3,160,000 tons of office paper
3,070,000 tons of tires
2,820,000 tons of carpets and rugs
2,230,000 tons of newspapers
2,060,000 tons of appliances
1,520,000 tons of magazines
1,170,000 tons of wine and liquor bottles
970,000 tons of paper plates and cups
840,000 tons of books
830,000 tons of beer and soda cans
780,000 tons of towels, sheets, and pillowcases
540,000 tons of telephone directories
450,000 tons of milk cartons
160,000 tons of lead-acid (car) batteries]

From the Sierra Club website: www.sierraclub.org

Celeb Watch

Kenny Chesney: When are you going to come out of the closet? Is is just me?



Melissa: When are you going to come to Little Rock? I love your new iTunes Originals, likely because it gives us commoners a chance to get into your head. We love intimate details. Keep 'em coming.

Sometimes....

Sometimes when you're a resident, you have french fries for dinner. With salt and ketchup. And sometimes your dog gets to eat one too.

Right idea

We'll take these points into consideration:
A) I'm not running for President.
B) I'm not saying I could do the job much better (that's why I'm a doctor).
C) Maybe I just enjoy bashing other people.

Regardless, he's pretty much useless. Worse than that - he's taken us backward 100 years and is malignant in the process. Would that he were "only" ineffective. If he would just stay in his room all day and shut up....

NYC

I wish I were in New York today for the ING New York City Marathon. Can you imagine how awesome that would be: 37,000 participants and over 2 million spectators. That's a lot of energy for one island. Here's a photo from the 1972 race, in which the six women participants protested a separate women's starting line. They refused to take the 10-minute "advantage" and sat on the start line for the 10-minute stretch. How cool. Less applicable now, when the women love having a separate start - more publicity, more of their "own" race, more room to run like superstars. Also pics of last year's champ, Paula Radcliffe. Perfection.

Buh-bye

Ha-haa-haa

Frog

I am sick, and my voice sounds like a Frog. A big ugly toad frog.

A few websites I have been led to recently:
www.scientomogy.com
www.babycenter.com

I think Scientology is hilarious. I'm glad they came up with it, if only for the entertainment value sorely needed for the rest of us in the world. The more I read about it, the more I laugh out loud and think Tom Cruise is pathetic. Just like Rosie, my former crush on him has waned.

Last weekend was packed. We had that Halloween party at our house for the peds people. I did med school interviews on Saturday AM, then we spent most of the day at the Joheim's for Sydney's birthday party. It was of course a blast. Erica and I had to leave to go to a retirement fancy party on top of the Peabody Hotel for Dr. Kelsey Caplinger, one of her dad's partners. Dory became queen of the hill at the birthday party, as all the wimpy dogs shied away and ran home with their tails between their legs. Ha. Sunday morning, we had Sunday school and church, potluck, and naps. Erica and I used our season tickets for the Rep's last night production of Of Mice and Men. It was very powerful and well-acted. I'm glad we got to go.

This has been another boring nuclear (unclear) medicine week. I was post-call Tuesday and had a seminar Thursday, so at least I had some time off! I'm on call again tomorrow, which marks my fourth Saturday call. I think I only have 8 or 9 the whole year, so it's great to knock another one down. I've been reading and studying this week, which makes me feel better. I also had a ministries meeting at church, which was productive and gave me a feel for a lot of the planning and ideas for Advent and Christmas.

I have worn a sweater two days in a row. Hooray for our much-needed fall. Now that Erica is in the NICU and next month in the PICU, it was good timing to start our yearly seasonal affective disorder with the changing of the clocks. Yuck. Time marches on.

More

More pics have been uploaded, including the fair. It was a really depressing day - there was only one little kid there to represent the whole state. Oh well, we took lots of pictures - exclusively of her. It was sad to see such a cute kid without parents or family there... strange. (Just making the point that no pictures included anyone other than sweet Sydney!)

New Hero

Martha rocks. I want to be Martha and have all her money. The truth hurts.

Another negative

My life revolves in two-week increments now. The most recent: the waiting game, in which time stands still, Erica stays away from alcohol and heavy lifting, and the "maybe" and "what if" linger over everything we do. This is the more exciting of the two.

Now we've started another fourteen-day session: the preparing again game, in which we encourage and rationalize and plan and order another shipment.

We are famous! The Arkansas public radio did a spot about fertility at UAMS. Or the lack thereof, to be more precise. I ramble on in my fifteen seconds of fame. People are hearing it and mentioning it to me - I've had positive reactions for standing up for our fertility rights. It's not a fair policy.

The Braswell family has been busy! My dad got married last weekend (I'm sorry, but that is weird). Lots of family to see. Our house is redecorated and looks awesome. (Everyone is invited to come see at any time.) Dory and I are running in the cold weather mornings. Erica is loving her primary care month and wants to go into private practice (rock on). Church activities are filling our time, including the media team, Sunday School, and homeless outreach. I'm now on nuclear medicine and enjoying a little more laid-back atmosphere. Call is call.

Halloween is coming - party at our house tomorrow night if you want to decorate cookies.

Football

Notice how PACKED the stands are! Erica was somewhat disappointed by the football game. I was excited to see the sparse crowd - Sewanee is about studying and socializing - not a lot of extra time for gladiatorial pursuits.

This is my best college buddy, Erica Jensen, and her boyfriend Brendan. Just for those who didn't already know.

Finally

I've finally uploaded a lot of pictures from the camera - a LOT. There are still more to come from recent events, but Sewanee, some Sydney, some Japhy, and some Dory are all there. Kind of a clean-up night at our house. I like Monday nights when we regroup and get a lot done. Almost makes it worthwhile to have a Monday.

We went to the State Fair yesterday. I figured that it had been 12 years since I had been to that event. It was fun, though, because we got to experience it via the mind of a soon-to-be 3 y/o. Priceless. Pics to come (I promise).

Call on Saturday was awful, but I'm glad it is over. I had to rat out TWO of my colleagues today, which was extremely stressful. One for not answering pages, which I keep hearing about from other residents. The other for jacking around on call and not getting his work done. Neither of these was my initiative, but I answered the chief resident truthfully - and I didn't have very many pretty things to say.

Quiet night at home with the girls. Ahhh, heaven.

Class Pic

One when you start, one when you finish.

Sewanee

Arrived

Well, we have arrived in Sewanee. It is soooo foggy. Perfectly damp, cold day. We are roughing it at my former crew coach's house. He and his wife live in Chattanooga but remain faithful to Sewanee by living here when they can and renting rooms when they can't. It's a sort of bed-and-breakfast, more bed than breakfast. Built in 1872, it has sloping wood floors and musty old rugs. The windows are open all the time, and ceiling fans were twirling when we got there. Door stays unlocked.

The "apartment" where we are staying is kind of attached to the back of the house. It has a mini-kitchen in which we have set up our camping out air mattress. And it has a separate bathroom. It's not high on amenities. Very Sewanee. Very where the sidewalk ends.

We spent > $200 at the bookstore yesterday. It was time to stock up on essentials.

Erica Jensen gets into the Nashville airport around 2pm. We're resting up for her arrival and the jam-packed schedule that is planned for the rest of the weekend. I'll need a vacation when we get back to LR! This is so exciting to me. I can't believe that it's been 5 1/2 years since this was my home!! Four years was gone in a flash. I miss it so much and am so grateful that I was allowed to dwell here for a short time. This place made me who I am. I love it for its bad weather, slow pace, non-air-conditioned dorms, and all-night study sessions.

Trip

Almost time for the big trip to Sewanee. I am so flippin' excited. Call tonight has been busy - a great kind of busy that flies by. And no more call until after the trip, so no worries.

There is a list on MSN of "Music to Tip Cows To." This soooo reminds me of visiting the cows and "cowlets" in Cowan, TN. So many awesome Sewanee memories!! This particular one involved Paprika Papaya the Probe. I'll probably never name a car again, but that one deserved it. Weird inside joke.

It was fun to run across cow tipping music just when I am flooded with Sewanee memories. My other most recent thoughts have involved: What events will we attend? Who will we see? Will we get any sleep? Has the food changed? Will the band(s) totally rock or totally suck? WHAT KINDS OF ALCOHOL WILL WE DRINK?? We always went all out at the Depot for Homecoming. Sara and I loved Jim Beam and Mr. Pibb for party weekends. I'm thinking lots of Southpaw will do the trick.

Ahhh, heaven.

Not this time.

Negative. Try again next month. Thanks for all your questions and anticipation!

League

New softball league, folks. That's right, summer league in LR just wasn't enough for me. Some of the same girls are on a co-ed team at Burns Park and have graciously asked me to come along. After a win last week, we lost two tonight. There have been a few more than those, but because residency drains the life out of a life I've missed them.

I nailed the ball tonight. Only one came to me in right field and sailed over my head. Guys hit a LOT different than girls. Even the big girls we sometimes play.

I can't keep my head above water at work. There is always more to do. You're busy, then you have to be on call. Then you rest, then you're behind again. Repeat steps.

Oh well. Residency is not forever.

Erica and I have had a wonderful couple of months. We love to spend time together and connect. We've really done well considering the upheaval in schedules. She is everything I could wish for. We may be pregnant.... Only a few more days to find out. I am freaking out trying to wait patiently. And I'm not going to dwell on it, but I only wish her family would get a clue and get excited. Or at least nice. Oh well, it can't all be good.

We've had lots of good friend time lately. Big wedding last weekend, got to see the old school crowd. Lots of time recently with Jess and Mere and Sydney. Katy Bartlett in town yesterday, and we went to dinner.

Oops

Maybe it is working. Hooray! (That's my favorite typed expression of excitement). That is a picture of E at Hot as Hell. I love it! And I love the ladders in the backgound.

Oh goody - I have lots of pictures to show from recent events.

Import

Trying still to import pictures. It is just not working!!

Broken

E broke her finger on Saturday night. Actually, I broke it throwing the football. I throw like a girl. A ball-player tomboy girl.

Then Sara broke her foot on Monday. Dory ran into her, she softened the blow by rolling on her ankle. Smash.

Both are recovering well, non-surgical, non-casted. Under the radar.

We have a broken city at the end of the Mississippi. And a broken emergency response system. I am such a conspiracy theorist that I go along with what Rosie says about this mess. What a cluster. And no, we can't blame it all on the magnitude of the storm. This is America. We can do better. Bottom line is that we must demand better and keep demanding.

Hanging in there until January 2009.

Skeeters

We are sitting outside on Saturday night with Audra, Kelly, Tonya, and Tonya's friend Tim. What a freak of nature: at the same time that I am getting CHEWED up by mosquitos, we are sitting outside enjoying the weekend with wireless link to the world. I'm ITCHING! My feet are covered with bites. And the world is updated. The peds residents are going off about jeopardy call/backup call for when you're puking you're guts out and need someone to cover for you. There has been some abuse of the system.

I am just hanging out. We had an awesome morning and snuggled at home in bed. Then to my mom's for hanging out and eating a piece of pound cake. We had gift certificates at Best Buy and Pier One so succumbed to Saturday afternoon consumerism.

Cookout for "all our friends" turned out to just be a small group. The turkey burgers were good, and spinach dip was even better. Audra likes the Mojitos. I like the rum and Cokes. Erica likes the plain old Coke since she's on backup.

Will update more soon. Call will suck tomorrow, but I'll get through.

Rainy Monday

I slept through the runner's alarm today. What a nice feeling. Dory was glad, too. There was just enough rain noise to fall asleep with - not too loud, not too soft. Hopefully, it will rain again tomorrow morning because I'll be post-call and can sleep for hours in my warm bed.

Hot as Hell rocked this weekend. We worked and then worked some more. My favorite job is going to the ice factory and buying 37 20-lb bags. Next year I'll remember to get 40-lb bags. The church made a lot of money. My dad and aunt both had pieces of art, and they sold well. Erica did a ton of preparation work on committees. Our house is glad it's over. We bought in the live auction a tour for 2 of the Clinton Library with Skip Rutherford. It includes lunch at the restaurant, Cafe 42. Not a bad deal - and that auction item was Erica's idea.

Church was good yesterday. Our Sunday School class has renamed itself the "Activisionaries." I have no idea who came up with that one - I wasn't there that week. Anyway, it is actually a good description. I have learned SO MUCH about how to be a socially, politically, and ecologically friendly person. We trade books and ideas all the time. We are VERY liberally minded in a social sense, and it is like sitting in a group of very well-educated, worldy, and fun granola hippies.

Got the yard mowed last night before the showers. The grass was jungle-like in stature. DEEP. I think it was the first time I mowed with my iPod clipped on and plugged in. I had a blast. My neighbors probably thought I was on cocaine. I was singing and probably looked like a fool. Those little headphones can handle a lot of guitar...

Finish

So what I was going to say when MLS called: Two articles from NYT that got my attention yesterday. One was about "farm-to-cafeteria" programs that use local farmers to supply our schools. HOORAY! This is exactly what needs to be happening in the world and is good for ALL parties involved. Except for the huge distributors and their filthy 18-wheeler refrigerated trucks. No we'll have fresher foods, healthier kids, and profits and proceeds in the local economy and farmers' pockets. AND less CO2 in our air.

This reminded me of Sewanee:
["It's so important for this college to be part of the place," Dr. Nugent said over dinner on the eve of the second annual National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, which took place at Kenyon this summer. "We are perceived as an elite institution on the hill, surrounded by a rural community. We needed to come down off the hill and be good neighbors. We wanted to make a tangible commitment to the local economy."]

Another good quote:
["This is what we should be doing," he said. "The globalization of food, the hidden costs, the loss of nutrition: it's not healthy for the planet or for the human body."]

The other article (op-ed Maureen Dowd) was less uplifting, but I just have to harp on it a little.

First - the president's workaholic style:

[As The Financial Times noted, Mr. Bush is acting positively French in his love of le loafing, with 339 days at his ranch since he took office - nearly a year out of his five. Most Americans, on the other hand, take fewer vacations than anyone else in the developed world (even the Japanese), averaging only 13 to 16 days off a year.]

Later, she AGAIN proves to us why the war is a hoax:

[What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.]

And I just can't help myself with this one:

[Just because the final reason the president came up with for invading Iraq - to create a democracy with freedom of religion and minority rights - has been dashed, why stop relaxing? W. is determined to stay the course on bike trails all over the West.

This president has never had to pull all-nighters or work very hard, because Daddy's friends always gave him a boost when he flamed out. When was the last time Mr. Bush saw the clock strike midnight? At these prices, though, I guess he can't afford to burn the midnight oil.]

That hit close to home as I read it yesterday post-call.

Lease

Got a new lease on life today - the haircut. Chris Wright at High Maintenance is awesome. I just got back from there and am already singing his praises. I was stuck in a rut with former person. Never there when I needed her....

I am post-call. Spent the morning dictating head CT's and then sleeping at my dad's apt. [They've bought a house, so it won't be his for long.] Anyway, I was moonlighting for the first time. Premier MRI is downtown and needs a doc "on call" to cover contrast reactions. I didn't actually have to go today and earned $130. Not bad for sleeping. I guess that's a little perk for working 20 years in school, surviving intern year, and staying up all night every sixth night. I'll make more money at it if I actually have to go in.

On the phone with Melissa Shannon - I'll let you know a few hours from now.

The after-school line

Erica and I are carpooling. We have to make amends to Mother Earth for the decision to contribute to Urban Sprawl. So we share and get up early and wait on each other after work. I love it. It doesn't happen every day due to our ever-fluid schedules, but it is a real pleasure to be picked up at the front door of a hospital after a day of work, conferences, and studying.

I used to love when my mom would pick me up from school. A lot of days we would go to Claude's, which was England's local dairy bar. Imagine a low brown building, cinder-blocks up to about waist high, glass from there to the top. Lots of asphalt. We also called it Spradlin's because the whole clan worked there; Mr. Claude was the granddad. I've never in my life spent a dime there. We just charged it. Remember, I have been going to this same little place for over 20 years. My dad and aunt have been going there since they were in school. The waitress sometimes doesn't recognize me if it's been a few years. At noon, there are about 30 trucks there, some pulled under the orange and brown metal awning and some scattered about the parking lot, ditches, or adjacent side street.

If you haven't had a cheeseburger deluxe with "new" fries and a medium Dr. Pepper from Claude's, you haven't lived. I'm serious. They started calling seasoned fries "new" when I was in about the fourth grade, and they still know what you're talking about if you order them. I don't ever eat the chili dogs, but they continue to rotate in the little machine. And don't get me started about the milkshakes.

Some places are just magnetic centers for a social structure. In England, my world was either at school; across the street from there at the ball fields; at my grandparents' house; in the Methodist Church; across the street from there at my dad's office; or in the yards and trees of my neighborhood. I can't imagine a better childhood. I know this is totally sappy, but it's what I am thinking about while I wait on my ride. I wish mom would come pick me up and take me to Claude's. I guess I'll always wish for that.

Hmmm... News. Pretty average weekend, actually. We shopped and played on Saturday. I did the media presentation at church yesterday. There's a guy at church who is from Detroit originally. He is recently returned from the Peace Corps and just got a drivers' license Friday for the first time. I didn't realize how inexperienced he is but let him drive my car. He needed a ride home and to a hardware store to get a key made. I was amazingly calm, given the circumstances. I found out afterwards that he had only driven THREE times! What was I thinking - we went all over LR looking for a store that was open. I was helping him merge onto the interstate and telling him where to exit. I can't believe I agreed to it! No harm done.

Dory got to play with four other dogs at Betsy and Vic's house yesterday. We swam while they played. She slept like a rock last night, and I had to wake her up to go run this AM. She is the best dog EVER.

I've lost your attention for sure by now....

Motorola

We got new phones today!! It is so sad that a material possession can make me this happy, but it does. Well, not really that sad. I LOVE getting a new phone. Especially since my old one was totally driving me crazy and I yelled obscenities at it on a DAILY basis. No exaggeration. It has a camera, so I'll be blogging pics from it.

Call on Sunday was pretty good for a call. It was steady the entire 24 hours, but much more manageable than the last time. It made me realize how badly we got SLAMMED the Saturday before.

I switched to fluoroscopy today and will be there 2 weeks. Basically, it's barium enemas, upper GI/swallow studies, and small bowel follow-throughs. With an occasional IVP or arthrogram. Much more laid back. Today I was through by lunch! Erica is off today, so we went to Burge's for sandwiches. I had conference at one, then out to Cingular for the big purchase. Now I'm headed to journal club - woohoo.

Does it seem to anyone else that mostly I am talking about WORK? Because it seems that way to me. Not much else happens anymore! No, actually, life is good. I've gotten to see several friends lately and have had good social time. The house is clean, yard mowed, laundry done, bills paid. All of which I was concerned would fall by the wayside once my residency kicked into gear.

I'm really leaning toward doing a fellowship in peds radiology. Did I already mention that? A peds advisor was chosen for me (Dr. James), and I hope to be working on some research soon. Erica and I want to move somewhere to do our fellowships, so that's exciting. Only 4 short years!

We are planning our Hot as Hell Fiesta for church. If you're in the area, you should come. It is a ton of fun, and the silent auction is full of stuff you NEED to buy!

Well, the cat's about to be out of the bag: we're in the midst of picking out donors. Hopefully someday soon, we'll be parents-to-be. Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive and wonderful and excited with us. It's officially the beginning of our journey! I wonder if I'll qualify for paternity leave...

Nation

It's been a while yet again. I'm assuming you're getting used to the delays. So it's Saturday and I am home alone. I slept until 10. What a relief! Dory and I are hanging out, slowly crossing things off the list, and enjoying the coffee. I had an e-mail from my friend Melissa Mann that has sat in my inbox (unread) for a couple of weeks. It is by Katha Pollitt, published in the Nation. The premise is that some prochoicers think it would be okay to "let Roe go" in an effort to bring it to the states and energize the people. Whatever! Here's the last paragraph:

"Legislative control might be more "democratic"--if you believe that a state senator balancing women's health against a highway for his district represents democracy. But would it be fair? The whole point about constitutional protection for rights is to guarantee them when they are unpopular--to shield them from majority prejudice, opportunistic politicians, the passions and pressures of the moment. Freedom of speech, assembly, worship and so on belong to us as individuals; our neighbors, our families and our legislators don't get to vote on how we use these rights or whether we should have them in the first place. Alabamans may be largely antichoice, but what about the ones who aren't? Or the ones who are but even so don't want to die in childbirth, bear a hopelessly damaged baby or drop out of school at 15--or 25? If Roe goes, whoever has political power will determine the most basic, intimate, life-changing and life-threatening decision women--and only women--confront. We will have a country in which the same legislature that can't prevent some clod from burning a flag will be able to force a woman to bear a child under whatever circumstances it sees fit. It is hard to imagine how that woman would be a free or equal citizen of our constitutional republic."

I agree - I don't want some Reverend Governor or Southern-Baptist-Dad-of-Twelve-(Home-Schooled)-Who-Happens-To-Be-A-State-Senator/Rep to decide what I can or can't do. Or my patients.

Enough of that.

Our friends, Tara and Becca, are getting married at the Historic Woman's City Club. How apropos! Check it out. I'm so proud!

We have season tickets to the Rep. If you ever want to go, let us know and we'll make it a night.

Off to the errands and chores.

Movin' On Up

I am really starting to enjoy my residency adventure. This week is my second week on CT, and Dr. Shah is out of town. This means that I can learn and progress in a much more laid-back environment (i.e. wear scrubs). I am dictating a lot more, too. It is so nice to feel comfortable dictating.

My first call was the hardest I have ever worked. We did not stop for 24 hours. I actually had a pretty good time, and I know I'm learning soooo much. Call is a really good time to learn and to be a team with the other residents. It is a study in efficiency. You have so much to do, and it never stops. The hospital got four traumas in a row at about midnight. The ER was packed. Everything was full steam ahead. I carry a cell phone (direct line from the ER) and a pager. I would love to know how many phone conversations I had in that one 24-hour period. My upper level, Amna, kept telling me that it's not usually so busy. That is definitely good news. I can't imagine all calls being that bad. So now I'm over the fear of my first call. I am not dreading the calls any more! Hooray.

Not much else is happening. We hung out with Keller Friday night, then I had call Saturday. Erica had call Sunday - I went to Keller's for dinner that night after I lounged most of the day (recovery mode). Last night, we fixed dinner and enjoyed hanging out together.

Erica is blasting through the 6th Harry Potter book. I read through about a third of it but quit a few weeks ago when I started studying and crashing early. I'm ready to start it again.

I'm thinking about getting a new computer. I love Erica's PowerBook so much that I might get one of my own. I'll use it for PowerPoint at church and at work (radiologists love images and presentations!). It'll be nice to have my iTunes on my computer, too.

Not much else... Life is just clicking along. Can't complain about that! Dory says hi to all you blog buddies. Come visit!

St. Louis!

Greers Ferry

Dad and Preston at the lake

Demand

Back by popular demand.... My blog link to the world! It has been twenty-something days. Ridiculous. This real residency thing is for the birds. It's like you have to go to work EVERY weekday. Fifty hour weeks.

Call hasn't even started. The lower levels (my mates and I) start Monday. I'm the 6th of 6 this time and start call Saturday. A week from today.

So I've had two mini-rotations (four left to go). Ultrasound was first and I don't remember anything about it. What a blur! Then "reading room," which is essentially all the plain films (Xrays) from the ER, family clinic, and entire hospital. This was a huge volume of work, and the days flew by. I'm no longer afraid to sit down and dictate a stack of chest films and elbows. And whatever other body part might come my way. I load them on the computer, glance at them, take notes, and then review with an attending. He/she produces a litany of what I should say, and we blow through a stack quickly. I scribble intently! Then I sit there with a Dictaphone and whisper quickly. At this point, I'm trying to add some of my own comments that are in line with the attending but not just a regurgitation. I'm trying to develop my own style and vocabulary. Maybe a little ambitious for the mini-rotation, but I've got to learn this stuff and be a radiologist someday. I hope that I quit whispering as I gain confidence! The final step is that I have to review the dictations on the computer and correct my and the transcriptionist's mistake. One attending has already e-mailed me some suggestions about my dictations, so that will help.

NOthing in med school prepares you for reading and dictating radiologic studies. That's just how it works. So it's okay not to know anything. It's a steep learning curve.

I'm starting to enjoy it. We now have 7am and 1pm lectures - soon we'll have 4pm physics. These conferences are for the most part really good, and it's a chance for me to remember why I liked this stuff in the first place. It's a really intellectual field. Every study is a challenge. I love it.

I took a week off of running, but usually I'm getting up at 5:14 (5AM with two snoozes - alarm clock located in my closet) and running 3.3 miles three times a week. This has helped my sanity for sure. The week off was nice, too. Extra snuggle time.

Dory has discovered my pillow. Most mornings, she has worked her way up to the bed from floor and from foot of bed to right next to me. I'm now in the middle. It's wonderful.

Last weekend we went to St. Louis for a Cards game in the heat in the bleachers in the sun. They lost to the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth. Two men on base, down by one run, one out, and Pujols at the plate. The stars were aligned. But he drove out to short, and they caught the guy at second off his bag. Hit the showers, game over, fat lady.

We've also been trying to go to the lake most weekends. I think we'll go tomorrow afternoon.

I'm still reading Harry Potter VI.

Glancing at my calendar, we've had the following events lately: end of softball season with a WIN, my first time to work the PowerPoint/projector at church, Erica's B-day, baby shower for Sharon Strong (high school buddy), radiology pool party, fight night party, St. Louis, Mom's B-day, and party with the ball team.

I'll upload some pics. There are some new folders - St. Louis and Softball - on my Yahoo! photos.

Cuz

This is cousin Lydia and her son, Ben, who is almost 12 months old. They live in Kentucky now, but are moving to Kansas City later this summer. She teaches junior high history, and is awesome at it! Husband John is the philosophical type and just finished seminary in KY. Just thought I would share some of my family members. More to come.

RoRo

This is my cousin Robyn - she called last night, and it was a ton of fun to catch up with her. She is a graphic designer in Greenwood, MS, and she travels all over the world with her job! Robyn has recently remodeled an older house in Greenwood that I have yet to see. Her boyfriend, Jon, is an engineer at Viking (the kitchen place).

Better

Today was better at work. It'll grow on me.

Last night, we lost our softball game. We were either tied or leading throughout the game, then they got ahead 10-6 in a late inning. Before time ran out, we only regained a couple of runs. It was so sad. It was our best-played game of the year, and I think we all had fun.

I've uploaded some pics from the Firecracker last Saturday. It was a great race. I had a lot of fun, and ran with friends I hadn't seen in a while. Plus, the T-shirt is cool this year.

There are also pictures from our trip to the lake on Sunday. Folder=Greers Ferry. For the fourth, practically my whole "dad's side of the family" was there. I don't have pictures of everyone, but it was fun to spend time with the kids. Dory loves the boat - not so much the water.

On Mon. night, Erica invited the peds residents over for a cook-out. The burgers were great, and people brought all kinds of stuff for potluck. There are a couple of pictures of everyone under "Peds.

The Orient

I can't believe how stressful this week has been. Thank God I never have to start a whole new phase of my career with so much drama ever again. Our orientation was basically a scare tactic. In summary: "You don't know anything. You will feel stupid for a couple of YEARS. You will have to study 2 hours a night to keep your head above water." I could go on, but my dinner is already refluxing.

I'm taking it one step at a time. It'll get better. I'll even someday enjoy it. I hope.

Yesterday (Wed) was the first day. It was a blur. Today, I dictated all of the ultrasounds at the VA (twelve). My very first dictations!! This was a huge accomplishment, in my estimation. So at least that made me feel better. I go to work at seven and get off around five; we stop for about a half-hour lunch. I am mentally EXHAUSTED. And, yes, I do realize these aren't awful hours.

It will get better. Back to the books. I'm so lost, it's hard to know what to read - and no one is much help as far as advice!

It will get better.

Wish

I've got my wish list posted in my profile. I guess this is like registering without the baby or wedding. It's just for no reason in particular! Well, that's if you don't include our all-American "need" for consumption and having more stuff...

Stethoscope

I can't believe our intern year is really finished. It seems like it flew by. Sometimes I wonder if I've learned anything at all, and other times I marvel at how far I've come. I guess the answer lies somewhere in between. I know I'm a little more confident; I also have a healthier, more robust sense of fear of (and appreciation for) taking care of sick folks.

I don't know what I'm supposed to wear next Tuesday for radiology orientation. A white coat seems excessive. And what do I do with my stethoscope? I keep trying to remember if radiology residents just ditch the steth in favor of little pocket books full of anatomical secrets.

My dad gave me my stethoscope before I started medical school. When I worked with Toni Darville, she told us to bring one to ID clinic. The one I carry now is the same one dad brought home for me to use for that summer job - an extra, a hand-me-down, used. I adore it. It's not a Cardiology III, it is totally basic and boring, and it has worked exceptionally well.

After that summer job, I hoarded it. It sat on my desk in the dorm room in Cleveland Hall for a year. It's amazing how this one instrument is so invocative of a career, a life, a moment in medicine.

I think I'll be the only radiologist with an ever-present stethoscope. It'll remind me just who I'm in this for - those people taking in a deep breath for their chest Xrays.

Stethoscope