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 

Profile

I'm still trying to get my picture updated. There are all these limitations on it - url has to be less than some number of characters, it has to be less than some number of kilobytes, blah, blah BLAH. So now it's updated on the profile but not on the page - and I hate that first picture I used. I'll continue to work on this. Bear/bare with me.

My favorite blog is Rosie. I try to look at it every day. She posts pictures of her family, too. The website sent about 15,000 mousepads to people who had signed into the blog. Apparently, most of them were mislabeled. Well, an envelope came to our house for some lady named Diane (not the former owner). I was going to mail it back, but Dory made it a part of her routine desktop lunch. Voila - a mousepad was revealed, and I (the intentional recipient) kept it! Hooray.

We're going to a Cards game on July 23rd.
We want to go camping another time this summer/fall.
My call schedule for the entire next year is posted.
Life is plannable again.
I haven't seen my dad's boat yet.
Stuff to do...

I'm on my last intern call. It's E's last intern ER night. Tomorrow, we will sleep off our night together. Then a nice celebratory dinner. With dessert for a job well done. Did I already use the word "Hooray"?

Keep trying 

Reads

I uploaded some pics of some more recent reads. The beach is a great place to devour books. Mom's recommendation was the Bees; all three of us loved it. The short stories have also been a joy. I love reading one before falling asleep, or one after a nap, or one on call, etc. Very digestible.

I'm also reading Karen Armstrong's Battle for God, which was given to me about a year ago. Couldn't download the pic, though. It is a history of fundamentalism, and is actually a good religious history primer for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. I only took one religion class at Sewanee (in addition to my exposure in the Humanities series), but I'm loving reading books about it more and more.

I've been through several New Yorker magazines lately, and they are always rewarding. The thing is: I'm about to be consumed by radiology texts and journals. I have to cram all this fun stuff in while I can. So I will continue to do just that. And when it comes down to it, I'll probably schedule blocks into my weeks just to read for pleasure. It is my dearest source of sanity.

Signed Book 

Beach Book 

Beach Book 

Still

We still haven't won a softball game. But Tueday was close. After a trip to the batting cage, I'm back to normal and hitting well. Two games this week. I love playing ball! And I have all new socks. I got rid of all my old white ones, and bought 2 packs of new ones at Target. I know, this is not a deal to anyone else. But my OCD absolutely adores looking into a drawer and having 16 pairs of perfectly uniform, clean, fresh socks. And there's NO cotton in them, so I can run and not get blisters. They look so good in my running shoes...

Dream

My dream this morning: Erica goes into labor. I am supposed to be working in the ER within the next few hours, so we head to the hospital. I go to the ER, where her program director is waiting for me. He acts like he doesn't know who I am, who Erica is, and why I need time off to go be with her. He's laughing and I can tell he's doing it just to be mean. So I tell him I'm leaving and he can't stop me. And that's what happens. So I get back upstairs, reunited with Erica, where the fetal heart rate monitor AND the uterine monitor look like EKG strips. This is ridiculous. If that weren't enough, they start going into V-tach and all these OB residents are running around trying to push drugs in E's IV. I cause a major scene and tell them that no uterus could ever be in V-tach. I was to my boiling point with frustration, E was getting woozy, and I wouldn't let them touch her. Then I woke up.

Why in the world would I have some stressful dream? I would love to just enjoy a dream for once. But my theory has always been: dreams, at least for me, are just a subconscious opportunity to purge all the fears, doubts, stresses, and (frankly) perversions that I'm not even aware of having. My dreams are so primal. I know that's what mine are about - because I always feel so cleansed and refreshed after a worry dream. We've been so excited about having a baby someday, and I guess there are always some fears and worries when you go on any adventure like that.

Anyway.... I just mowed my yard in 100-degree heat. Actually I did the front yard last night after dinner and the back today. I am drenched. My yard is like a dried up dust field. Then I took the recycling and got gas. At the gas station, I got a Gatorade, M&M's, and Chewy Sprees. Awesome. I just consumed about 70 grams of carbs, and I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE ONE of them.

We had Satellite for breakfast with Alex and Landon. We always go there with them. It was really good, too. But not as good as my candy. Ran into the whole Joheim clan there, and we had just been over to their house last night! What a treat.

Erica only has 2 more nights in the ER. I only have one more intern call. HOORAY for that. I am so tired of sitting up there at St. Vincent watching TV and pronouncing dead people. What a trashy way to live. I am bitter.

You know what, though? I am the luckiest, most blessed person in the world. My life makes me happy every day. Wow. And, really, I've never NOT felt that way.

Stork

No one ever told me I have a birthmark on the back of my head. Erica calls it a "storkbite" or something like that. They wait until I'm miles from home and my defenses are down (beer). And they spring it on me like it's no big deal at all. What if you had some totally unsuspected 26-yr-old lesion on your body?? Huh? I'm still not over it.

Conspiracy!  

Beach/McGehee

I've uploaded pics to my Yahoo! photos page (link to the right). The two folders are "Beach" and "McGehee." We didn't take very many beach pictures because we were too busy being lazy and swimming. In McGehee, we drove by the house where my mom grew up. It's 610 N. 2nd Street, and it was really fun to drive by and listen to her tell us stories. I'll never forget it.

Who knows

It has been a LONG time since I posted, as many of you have pointed out. Who knows why. Well, there was a week-long vacation in there. And now all of my routines are pretty shot. I just needed some time off. Okay, a lot of time.

So what's the update? Not a whole lot. The trip was perfect. Good weather until the last day. Did you know there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Destin? Wow, quite different from the sleepy "Shark Tournament" town of my childhood.

We've just been working since we got back. I'm still loving my May/June rotation with Dr. Beck, but I am definitely tired of all the calls. Erica has 13 ER 12-hr shifts in 14 days, so that explains her life. I ran 3 times last week and am on a new mission to make it a better routine in life. I'm aiming for 3/week and once on the weekend.

Softball continues, but we're short on players. We had to forfeit one game and then had just enough for the next. Any takers?

My mom's uncle is in the hospital, so I've gotten to see my mom, grandmother, and greata-aunt quit a bit lately. The latter two are twin sisters. He had a lung resection for Aspergillus, but apparently they found a malignancy (unexpected). I wish him the best. He always calls me "Frazzle" and is more worried about me than himself when I go see him.

Dad is in Seattle and Canada this week. I had a good Father's Day conversation with him this morning.

I got to spend a lot of time with Katy on Friday, which was soooo much fun. She is a hoot. And she loves the word "hoot." Thanks for being my sister and eating bread for my head! Oh, and for being my future office manager.

I can't wait to see the Arkansas Extreme Makeover. My aunt got to get yelled at by Ty (through the megaphone). I hope she makes the cut!

Radiology graduation dinner was last night. Four years seems like a lifetime. I wish I were at least a year into it. Someday I'll be finished! Wow.

After today, only two more intern calls. Maybe no one will die - that's the thought I have running through my head.

I had a dream this morning that I was taking an English literature essay test from a hard Sewanee professor. Every time I turned the page, it got more difficult and the references more obscure. Arggh, I hate panic dreams! I think I was dreading call.

I only have a few Floriday pics, but will post them when I get to the house tomorrow.

Edge

I know you are all on the edge of your seats, anxiously awaiting my trip to Destin. It will be fun for me - and a vicarious dose of fun for all of you. I am on call tonight, so I said goodbye to my dog for an 8-night separation. I gave her many words of wisdom and comfort to help sustain her for the duration. I'm sure it will help her - I'll probably need hospitalization.

Sorry for the lack of photos lately. I can assure you that many will be taken and posted within the next week. Erica and I went to Florida 3 years ago and haven't been on a week-long vacation since. There have been many weekend excursions, but this is a huge deal for us. I know I keep saying that.

Went to the state Medical Board meeting yesterday. It was a huge privilege to get to attend with Dr. Beck. It was very eye-opening. That is NOT a group of people with whom you would like to have a formal meeting. I was amazed at the volume of cases they covered, and I was amazed at some of the transgressions on the part of the physicians. Wow. I will definitely be dotting i's and crossing t's. It also made me remember why it is we all forge on in this profession - to take care of people. We are doctors first; when taking care of patients, every other classification and description is secondary.

Well, the yard is mowed, the bike rack is assembled and in place, the sheets are clean, baby-sitters planned. Just got to remember to get gas in the car. Check ya later.