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!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, May 15, 2006
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.
Nothing else matters.
Monday, May 08, 2006
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.
Monday, May 01, 2006
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
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...
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...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
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...
Monday, February 13, 2006
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.
Friday, February 03, 2006
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!!
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, January 21, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
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?
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?
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
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]
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]
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
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.
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.
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