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...