I did not expect my local movie cinema to actually have fresh-cut flowers by the sinks in the men's bathroom.
But they did.
And they looked nice.
And I thought it odd.
Weird for a cinema? Maybe. But it caught my attention, and their eye for this small detail gets them an A+ in my book.
That and they actually gave me a student discount on top of a matinee price.
Sweet.
Song of the day: "Naked As We Came" - Iron and Wine
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
More snow, part deux
Well, that was anti-climactic. The "perfect" storm that everybody was so worried about didn't even last that long today. By the afternoon, all the slush on the ground had melted. At most, six inches on the grass...and only because some of the old snow was still below the new one. Granted, I did get stuck going in the parental units' driveway, but that's neither here nor there. I seriously thought I would get another snow day out of that storm. Wouldn't you know it, the damn School Emergency Alert System canceled the inclement weather alert and opened the damn school @ 8 in the morning, but that didn't do me any good either way cuz I had to wake my sorry ass up @ 6 in the morning to dig my car out and shovel the driveway so I can be in the hospital by 7. Lemme tell you, that made the day feel like forever.
I WANTED MY SNOW DAY, DAMMIT! Seriously, Ol' Man Winter, don't get our hopes up like that. It's like what they say in the Olympics: Go big or go home! So next time, don't go half-assed about making it snow and just do it!
Song of the day: "Ne Me Quitte Pas" - Regina Spektor
I WANTED MY SNOW DAY, DAMMIT! Seriously, Ol' Man Winter, don't get our hopes up like that. It's like what they say in the Olympics: Go big or go home! So next time, don't go half-assed about making it snow and just do it!
Song of the day: "Ne Me Quitte Pas" - Regina Spektor
Thursday, February 25, 2010
More snow
I have high hopes for this incoming snow storm. Apparently this one is a merger of 3 other storms from the northwest, northeast and south, ganging up to become the worst winter weather of this season, so far. As testament to this, it looks like pea soup outside and the snow is blowing sideways. And the wind is whipping something fierce, very loud even from the inside.
On the upside, We got another early dismissal from surgery again today. Our cases were done by 1pm (a thyroidectomy, an excision of a Left ear non-healing lesion (possibly squamous cell carcinoma), and a lipoma removal) and even got to catch lunch. By then, the snow was steadily falling and the emergency school alert system was sending all sorts of closing details. So our residents cut us loose and I hightailed it out of there for home and caught a glorious 3 hour nap.
Don't know what's up for tomorrow but I'm just happy to be home tonight and have some rest for another round of studying. SHELF exams in 1 week so I have to be ready. Glad the snow is helping with this one.
Song of the day: "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" - Mayer Hawthorne
On the upside, We got another early dismissal from surgery again today. Our cases were done by 1pm (a thyroidectomy, an excision of a Left ear non-healing lesion (possibly squamous cell carcinoma), and a lipoma removal) and even got to catch lunch. By then, the snow was steadily falling and the emergency school alert system was sending all sorts of closing details. So our residents cut us loose and I hightailed it out of there for home and caught a glorious 3 hour nap.
Don't know what's up for tomorrow but I'm just happy to be home tonight and have some rest for another round of studying. SHELF exams in 1 week so I have to be ready. Glad the snow is helping with this one.
Song of the day: "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" - Mayer Hawthorne
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The pot calling the kettle "black"
I'm a ridiculous person.
I get really giggly when I see people fall asleep or nod off during a lecture. I look at them and guffaw at how stupid/moronic (I know...harsh, right?) they look, dozed off or fighting back their eyelids to stay awake. I get a bigger kick when they get caught snoring/drooling.
Then I realized...Crap! I do that too! Case in point, me in today's morning conference, getting caught by my intern for 1. nodding off, 2. snoring, and 3. waking up all surprised and confused...all within the first 5 minutes of the lecture!
Excellent.
Gotta love them 6am classes.
Song of the day: "I Turn My Camera On" - Spoon
I get really giggly when I see people fall asleep or nod off during a lecture. I look at them and guffaw at how stupid/moronic (I know...harsh, right?) they look, dozed off or fighting back their eyelids to stay awake. I get a bigger kick when they get caught snoring/drooling.
Then I realized...Crap! I do that too! Case in point, me in today's morning conference, getting caught by my intern for 1. nodding off, 2. snoring, and 3. waking up all surprised and confused...all within the first 5 minutes of the lecture!
Excellent.
Gotta love them 6am classes.
Song of the day: "I Turn My Camera On" - Spoon
Monday, February 22, 2010
Burning bridges
It's relatively possible to forget even for a bit, the things that went wrong in your life when you're occupied. You go to work, you're immersed in busy stuff, you fill your hours with charts and projects and facts and all sorts of information because it is asked of you...and despite the materials' dryness or difficulty or monotony, you plod on through, and before you know it, it's quitting time. That's when you realized that the loud side of your brain, that nagging part that constantly prods, questions, shouts, needles you into hashing and rehashing all that crap that happened to you in the past...has been silent all this time. And you say to yourself "thank God for the work."
The work this whole 3rd year has been very good for me. It can be overwhelming at times, but it has kept me occupied and on track on a "more or less" even keel. I can honestly say that I've had no time to cry about spilled milk. When the last break up happened last year, I had a severely emotional breakdown that night, followed by a day of being a zombie. It was difficult to concentrate on the work, but I decided to put the work to good use, and lo and behold, I got through that patch...not as well as I would have liked, but under the circumstances, I could've been a lot more worse off.
Fast forward to tonight. I'm checking FB when I come across somebody who is in acquaintance with the ex. Feeling the need to satisfy my curiosity, I click on and follow the links to her. To my surprise, I can't fully access her FB page. It seems that either I'm blocked or have been removed from her list.
I can't say that I didn't expect it. Take for instance after she broke up with me, I erased her phone number from my mobile. So why not her doing the same to me on FB? I was in shock...and a little bit confused, like "how dare you un-friend me?"-type of confused. OK, so maybe "insulted" is a more accurate term for this. I take a breath, compose myself, and slowly come back to my senses. I close FB and after taking a minute to myself, I slowly felt a heavy sense of sadness, as if I had crossed a bridge and then burned it. Then more feelings of regret started creeping in and that loud part of my brain all of the sudden, woke up from its nap and is not wasting time at all with niceties, but rather is laying it on plenty thick on me. "Did I do everything in my power to have prevented it? What did I do to her to make her go away? What did she see in that douche?"
So in my traditional fashion, I go back to the movies and find the appropriate quote for such an occasion, and sure enough...I find it.
"You know what's the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? It's when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with and you realize that is how little they're thinking of you." - (Jesse) Before Sunrise
Fuck it.
I'm going to bed.
Song of the day: "Miss Misery" - Elliott Smith
The work this whole 3rd year has been very good for me. It can be overwhelming at times, but it has kept me occupied and on track on a "more or less" even keel. I can honestly say that I've had no time to cry about spilled milk. When the last break up happened last year, I had a severely emotional breakdown that night, followed by a day of being a zombie. It was difficult to concentrate on the work, but I decided to put the work to good use, and lo and behold, I got through that patch...not as well as I would have liked, but under the circumstances, I could've been a lot more worse off.
Fast forward to tonight. I'm checking FB when I come across somebody who is in acquaintance with the ex. Feeling the need to satisfy my curiosity, I click on and follow the links to her. To my surprise, I can't fully access her FB page. It seems that either I'm blocked or have been removed from her list.
I can't say that I didn't expect it. Take for instance after she broke up with me, I erased her phone number from my mobile. So why not her doing the same to me on FB? I was in shock...and a little bit confused, like "how dare you un-friend me?"-type of confused. OK, so maybe "insulted" is a more accurate term for this. I take a breath, compose myself, and slowly come back to my senses. I close FB and after taking a minute to myself, I slowly felt a heavy sense of sadness, as if I had crossed a bridge and then burned it. Then more feelings of regret started creeping in and that loud part of my brain all of the sudden, woke up from its nap and is not wasting time at all with niceties, but rather is laying it on plenty thick on me. "Did I do everything in my power to have prevented it? What did I do to her to make her go away? What did she see in that douche?"
So in my traditional fashion, I go back to the movies and find the appropriate quote for such an occasion, and sure enough...I find it.
"You know what's the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? It's when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with and you realize that is how little they're thinking of you." - (Jesse) Before Sunrise
Fuck it.
I'm going to bed.
Song of the day: "Miss Misery" - Elliott Smith
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Down for the count
Curse you, you stomach bug! Curses!
You may have won this battle, but mark my words, I will emerge from this agony of stomach cramps and nausea, a stronger person. And I swear, you will pay dearly for the pain you have caused. Dearly, you hear me!
You will RUE the day!
Go ahead...start rue-ing!
Song of the day: "I'm Tired" - Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles)
You may have won this battle, but mark my words, I will emerge from this agony of stomach cramps and nausea, a stronger person. And I swear, you will pay dearly for the pain you have caused. Dearly, you hear me!
You will RUE the day!
Go ahead...start rue-ing!
Song of the day: "I'm Tired" - Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Change of pace
Week 4 of surgery rotation: over. This week was a fairly light load pretty enjoyable. My resident was very cool and down-to-earth. Between the 2 of us, we were quoting up random comedy movies...it was like hanging out w/ old buddies back in High School. Eerie. Pleasantly eerie.
Anyways, once dismissed, I headed to the library for a little light review, then it was off to a very local venue (the Loft - Audubon, NJ) where my friend, Sam, and his band, Romance Is Born (F***ing Awesome name for a band, BTW), were holding a CD release party along w/ 2 other associate bands. They were all good, but of course, I have to cheer on my buddy. He plays a Rickenbacher Jazz Guitar that sounded absolutely sweet tonight. RIB's songs definitely had plenty of pop elements to offer, but it's their solid indie rock sensibilities that kept the sound true and far from saccharine. The lyrics are deceptively simple, something that any guy or girl that has ever gone through love and loss, especially in their formative years, can relate to. However, it was in the band's ability to deliver their songs with gritty sincerity, laden with thick passion as can only be brought on by late nite musings about the heavy subject of romance (whether coming into or falling out of) that gave their sound real weight, enough to knock you upside your head and grab your attention.
What's even cooler, was all the money they get from CD sales go to their charity, The Arc of New Jersey! Talented AND generous! A class act, through and through.
Check out the links I put up and show them some love.
Meanwhile, I was sonically taking all of it in from the audience side, as well as taking band pics with my new camera =).
Song of the day: "I Got Time" - Romance Is Born
Anyways, once dismissed, I headed to the library for a little light review, then it was off to a very local venue (the Loft - Audubon, NJ) where my friend, Sam, and his band, Romance Is Born (F***ing Awesome name for a band, BTW), were holding a CD release party along w/ 2 other associate bands. They were all good, but of course, I have to cheer on my buddy. He plays a Rickenbacher Jazz Guitar that sounded absolutely sweet tonight. RIB's songs definitely had plenty of pop elements to offer, but it's their solid indie rock sensibilities that kept the sound true and far from saccharine. The lyrics are deceptively simple, something that any guy or girl that has ever gone through love and loss, especially in their formative years, can relate to. However, it was in the band's ability to deliver their songs with gritty sincerity, laden with thick passion as can only be brought on by late nite musings about the heavy subject of romance (whether coming into or falling out of) that gave their sound real weight, enough to knock you upside your head and grab your attention.
What's even cooler, was all the money they get from CD sales go to their charity, The Arc of New Jersey! Talented AND generous! A class act, through and through.
Check out the links I put up and show them some love.
Meanwhile, I was sonically taking all of it in from the audience side, as well as taking band pics with my new camera =).
Song of the day: "I Got Time" - Romance Is Born
Thursday, February 18, 2010
My moment of zen
When the alarm goes off @ 4:45am, I have to hit it a few times before I can roll off the bed. If I'm lucky, I eventually get up by 5 and it's off to the shower. A quick 10 minutes in the glorious hot water (btw, the house is a balmy 65 degrees when you wake), and I'm out again, shivering, drying off, and crazily getting geared up for the hospital: dress shirt-check, slacks-check, white coat stuffed with granola bars, pens, crackberry, itouch, ID badge, med/surg reference books-check, my lucky celtic spinner ring-check, check, and triple check. Then I grab my glasses, change bag, scarf, coat, and shoes and I'm off to do battle once more as a lowly med student in the germ-infested, pimp-question laiden halls of the hospital. 12+ hours of moving and shaking, and I'm back home to read and study some more (every once in a while, tutor and work @ the library) and sometimes the day doesn't end until after midnight.
I don't get much calm from the time I wake up to the time I hit the sack. So I thank God for what ever peace I can get...and lately, it's been the 5 minutes I spend warming up my car before driving to work. I turn the engine on, breathe a big lungful of crisp, cold air, and stare out at the winter sky, witnessing the first rays of dawn barely breaking through the dark velvet. I watch my breath form small cloud vapors and just zone out as they disappear silently. I quietly meditate on the windshield frost and wait patiently for that first water droplet to fall. Before I know it, it's time to go. So I hit the radio switch and tune in to NPR. And if I'm lucky, the morning show would play a song that gets me in the groove.
This morning, I got lucky (songwise, not...you know...but It'll do for now). And today was a good day.
Song of the day: "The Book Of Love" - Peter Gabriel (Scrubs sdtk)
I don't get much calm from the time I wake up to the time I hit the sack. So I thank God for what ever peace I can get...and lately, it's been the 5 minutes I spend warming up my car before driving to work. I turn the engine on, breathe a big lungful of crisp, cold air, and stare out at the winter sky, witnessing the first rays of dawn barely breaking through the dark velvet. I watch my breath form small cloud vapors and just zone out as they disappear silently. I quietly meditate on the windshield frost and wait patiently for that first water droplet to fall. Before I know it, it's time to go. So I hit the radio switch and tune in to NPR. And if I'm lucky, the morning show would play a song that gets me in the groove.
This morning, I got lucky (songwise, not...you know...but It'll do for now). And today was a good day.
Song of the day: "The Book Of Love" - Peter Gabriel (Scrubs sdtk)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Week 4
Recovering from 32+ hours of being awake (studying, putting together a presentation on burns, making jambalaya).
I'm realizing that this fear of public presentations is getting way out of hand. I was so nervous that it took me forever to piece a 15 minute powerpoint presentation. I stayed up all night rehearsing and re-rehearsing and coming up with all all sorts of possible questions my preceptor could ask me about my topic. Then when I got home from school (At this point, I've been up since 9am, Sunday to 4:30am, the next day), I couldn't even sleep a wink. So I took a shower, got dressed and went to the hospital an hour early for morning report...an hour early.
Good thing my Resident that day was cool and the service wasn't too busy. We spent most of the morning just talking about my presentation and peppering it with random bits of baseball news. We even got time to get breakfast and coffee! So We finished by 11:30am, and I was off, driving back to school to give my schpiel. It went without a hitch. My Preceptor liked it and I felt stupid because I had all this other material that I did not even get to present nor needed to present. Completely over-prepared!
So back home I went. It was now about 5:30ish by the time I dropped my bookbag and crawled into my jammies.
Fade to black.
Woke up at 12:30am, Tuesday morning. Thought I overslept and almost fell out of bed, scrambling to get dressed. After swallowing my heart back into place, I went back to sleep.
3:30am, same day. Woke up this time, a lot calmer, and was coming off of a dream of me thinking about how much I love my bed...
OK, not exactly Oscar Wilde Material, but hey, I have my aspirations still.
And now, I'm back in the library, blogging to y'all instead of reading my articles. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I'm doing for your sakes.
FYI, nothing too crazy going on in surgery land. Last week's Anesthesia rotation was pretty tame...and abbreviated, due to snow. Lots of snow. Like 30 inches of it in 2 separate days! But I digest...anyways, the coolest surgery I saw thus far was a thyroidectomy...this woman's thyroid was about the size of a small baseball or a big golf ball...and it had a long ass tail (pyramidal lobe for all you sticklers out there) that went all the way up to her chin! 5+ hours of surgery. Lots of standing.
Good times.
That is all.
Song of the Day: "Something" - The Beatles
...cuz Abbey Road Studios is up for sale =(.
I'm realizing that this fear of public presentations is getting way out of hand. I was so nervous that it took me forever to piece a 15 minute powerpoint presentation. I stayed up all night rehearsing and re-rehearsing and coming up with all all sorts of possible questions my preceptor could ask me about my topic. Then when I got home from school (At this point, I've been up since 9am, Sunday to 4:30am, the next day), I couldn't even sleep a wink. So I took a shower, got dressed and went to the hospital an hour early for morning report...an hour early.
Good thing my Resident that day was cool and the service wasn't too busy. We spent most of the morning just talking about my presentation and peppering it with random bits of baseball news. We even got time to get breakfast and coffee! So We finished by 11:30am, and I was off, driving back to school to give my schpiel. It went without a hitch. My Preceptor liked it and I felt stupid because I had all this other material that I did not even get to present nor needed to present. Completely over-prepared!
So back home I went. It was now about 5:30ish by the time I dropped my bookbag and crawled into my jammies.
Fade to black.
Woke up at 12:30am, Tuesday morning. Thought I overslept and almost fell out of bed, scrambling to get dressed. After swallowing my heart back into place, I went back to sleep.
3:30am, same day. Woke up this time, a lot calmer, and was coming off of a dream of me thinking about how much I love my bed...
"My Bed"
By TOitB
My comfort, my fortress,
My tall ship on the wild sea.
Ain't no place I'd rather be.
My inspiration, my destination,
At all times with no reservations.
And parking is always free.
My real estate, my property,
I know its peaks and valleys,
Every inch of space just for me.
My dream maker,
My battery charger,
My diesel generator...
My Proton Pack-
My sex machine-
My...peachy keen, jelly bean...
My Protest to War and Corruption-
My Green Power to End Pollution-
My Solution to Health Care
and this Great Recession!
Everybody loves it.
Just try it, you won't regret it.
I promise, you will enjoy it!
My One,
My Only,
My delicious Bed.
OK, not exactly Oscar Wilde Material, but hey, I have my aspirations still.
And now, I'm back in the library, blogging to y'all instead of reading my articles. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I'm doing for your sakes.
FYI, nothing too crazy going on in surgery land. Last week's Anesthesia rotation was pretty tame...and abbreviated, due to snow. Lots of snow. Like 30 inches of it in 2 separate days! But I digest...anyways, the coolest surgery I saw thus far was a thyroidectomy...this woman's thyroid was about the size of a small baseball or a big golf ball...and it had a long ass tail (pyramidal lobe for all you sticklers out there) that went all the way up to her chin! 5+ hours of surgery. Lots of standing.
Good times.
That is all.
Song of the Day: "Something" - The Beatles
...cuz Abbey Road Studios is up for sale =(.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Watch out for that first step, Part 2
It finally happened.
No, I didn't fall in love. Again.
But I did fall. Hard. On a nice patch of black ice. On the incline at the end of the driveway. Where my foot went through slush the last time.
Oh, I'm ok for now, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. Possible stiff back and achy shoulder and a nice black and blue bum.
Again, just so we're all clear...I officially hate winter.
P.S. More snow is in the future. Next Tuesday, I believe. Grrr.
Song of the day: "Baby It's Cold Outside" - Leon RedBone and Zoey Deschanel
But I did fall. Hard. On a nice patch of black ice. On the incline at the end of the driveway. Where my foot went through slush the last time.
Oh, I'm ok for now, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. Possible stiff back and achy shoulder and a nice black and blue bum.
Again, just so we're all clear...I officially hate winter.
P.S. More snow is in the future. Next Tuesday, I believe. Grrr.
Song of the day: "Baby It's Cold Outside" - Leon RedBone and Zoey Deschanel
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Breakup songs for Valentines day
I'm taking a cue from the NPR show "All Songs Considered" and at the suggestion of S&P, am posting a list of songs I think would be in my playlist for the subject of Breakups.
As always, feel free to add:
1. "Lesson Learned" - Ray LaMontagne
2. "Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley
3. "I'm Gonna Find Another You" - John Mayer
4. "Song For The Dumped" - Ben Folds Five
5. "Cry Me A River" - Harry Connick Jr. (The Justin Timberlake song w/ similar title is also substitutable)
6. "Sign On The Door" - Edwin McCain
7. "Parting Gift" - Fiona Apple
8. "Nothing But A Miracle" - Diane Birch
9. "The Reason Why" - Rachael Yamagata
10. "Interstate Love Song" - STP
Song of the Day: "All Is Full Of Love" - Bjork
...Just so everything doesn't seem too gloomy.
As always, feel free to add:
1. "Lesson Learned" - Ray LaMontagne
2. "Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley
3. "I'm Gonna Find Another You" - John Mayer
4. "Song For The Dumped" - Ben Folds Five
5. "Cry Me A River" - Harry Connick Jr. (The Justin Timberlake song w/ similar title is also substitutable)
6. "Sign On The Door" - Edwin McCain
7. "Parting Gift" - Fiona Apple
8. "Nothing But A Miracle" - Diane Birch
9. "The Reason Why" - Rachael Yamagata
10. "Interstate Love Song" - STP
Song of the Day: "All Is Full Of Love" - Bjork
...Just so everything doesn't seem too gloomy.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Some people are just born romantics
Check this out.
I had a 64 year-old patient today who was going for penile implant surgery. Seriously. A few minutes before we headed to the OR, I asked him the question that every guy would have asked if they were in my place...
Why?
Why would you go through such a seemingly painful (and it sure looked painful, afterwards) procedure?
He looked at me straight in the eyes and answered with a faint smile:
I love my wife...and Valentine's Day is coming up.
I just had to smile after that one.
Ah, l'amour.
Song of the day: "My Funny Valentine" - Chet Baker
I had a 64 year-old patient today who was going for penile implant surgery. Seriously. A few minutes before we headed to the OR, I asked him the question that every guy would have asked if they were in my place...
Why?
Why would you go through such a seemingly painful (and it sure looked painful, afterwards) procedure?
He looked at me straight in the eyes and answered with a faint smile:
I love my wife...and Valentine's Day is coming up.
I just had to smile after that one.
Ah, l'amour.
Song of the day: "My Funny Valentine" - Chet Baker
Watch out for that first step
This morning was a surprise. Like, took my breath - kind of surprise. As I step out from the driveway to my car parked across the street, a patch of ice gave way and my foot was plunged into a bone-chilling slurry of half melted salt and ice.
So now I have to go back inside, change out of my freezing wet socks and wear another pair of dry shoes. Oh, you bet I was cursing up a storm.
It's official. I hate winter.
P.S. Vancouver called. The winter olympics want their snow back.
P.P.S. Another snowstorm is coming tomorrow (today, actually). 10 more inches. Great...
Song of the day: "If I Could Give All My Love To You" - Counting Crows
So now I have to go back inside, change out of my freezing wet socks and wear another pair of dry shoes. Oh, you bet I was cursing up a storm.
It's official. I hate winter.
P.S. Vancouver called. The winter olympics want their snow back.
P.P.S. Another snowstorm is coming tomorrow (today, actually). 10 more inches. Great...
Song of the day: "If I Could Give All My Love To You" - Counting Crows
Monday, February 8, 2010
My stupid mouth
This year's superbowl came and went. Woopeee. My friends once more bitched and moaned about how they didn't win on any of the pools. The commercials this year were kinda weak as well (except for the E-Trade talking babies, pretty funny).
So the game is done, most were packing away left overs and here I was, sitting on the couch with a few of my friend's girlfriend's girlfriends (quite a mouthful, I know). So I'm minding my own business, trying to finish my bowl of chili when the next TV program comes on. The show's called "Undercover Boss," about a CEO of a big company going undercover and infiltrating his company's various divisions to see what things are working and which parts need to be improved upon. Out of nowhere, I just blurted out, "Oh, it's just like Henry V," not realizing that I had said it out loud. The rest of the girls looked at me all funny, so for edification's sake I began explaining the literary connection, then I realized halfway through it that I was glaringly tooting my Geek horn loud and clear. So I bailed, took another piece of carrot stick, crammed it in my mouth and sank back down into the futon and pretended that I didn't care.
But it was too late. I can clearly see that I have said too much, judging by the dazed and confused look on their faces. Went over their heads like a big, fat airplane. Why can't I control my inner geek?!
Song of the day: "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" - Louis Armstrong & Danny Kaye
So the game is done, most were packing away left overs and here I was, sitting on the couch with a few of my friend's girlfriend's girlfriends (quite a mouthful, I know). So I'm minding my own business, trying to finish my bowl of chili when the next TV program comes on. The show's called "Undercover Boss," about a CEO of a big company going undercover and infiltrating his company's various divisions to see what things are working and which parts need to be improved upon. Out of nowhere, I just blurted out, "Oh, it's just like Henry V," not realizing that I had said it out loud. The rest of the girls looked at me all funny, so for edification's sake I began explaining the literary connection, then I realized halfway through it that I was glaringly tooting my Geek horn loud and clear. So I bailed, took another piece of carrot stick, crammed it in my mouth and sank back down into the futon and pretended that I didn't care.
But it was too late. I can clearly see that I have said too much, judging by the dazed and confused look on their faces. Went over their heads like a big, fat airplane. Why can't I control my inner geek?!
Song of the day: "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" - Louis Armstrong & Danny Kaye
Friday, February 5, 2010
2 down, 4 more to go
5 days of sleep depravation, and week 2 of surgery rotation is over. Remember when I said that most of the residents in surg are douches, at the beginning of this week, I thought, yea...that's about right. Today, however, proved to be the exception to the rule. The chief resident, who was supposed to be gunning for me, turns out to be not so bad...he can joke around, despite being blunt most of the time. He even took a little bit of time to teach us something today after a colostomy reversal case. On the flip side, one of the 4th year residents, who I thought was really nice, was somewhat feisty today...perhaps because she's on call tonight and there's supposed to be this huge blizzard coming to our area that's gonna snow trap us all by tomorrow. Anyhoo, I was getting a history on a new ER admit, and I wrote down something stupid that the patient said (I'd rather not repeat it...it was too embarassing, and it was something I knew was a medical impossibility, yet I continued to document, none the less). Well, I certainly looked dumb when I mentioned it to my resident, for which she scolded me for it...I deserved it I suppose. But then she smacked me in the arm...something I don't think higher ups do to their subordinates, unless they were totally being familiar. And I'm not sure if she was trying to go for that effect to make me feel better. So I felt bad, then I got confused...which is not a good combination to go with sleep deprivation. Luckily, there was more work to be done and less time being a dolt.
BTW. New pet peeve: poor medical historians. Cantstandya!
So, by 6pm, we gave our reports, said our goodbyes, and changed out of our scrubs. Wouldn't you know it, the Scrub dispenser machine decides to get snippy with me and takes my scrubs without giving me back my credit (FYI scrub machines only give you new scrubs if you have credit, and you only get credit if you give back your used scrubs). So I was stuck in the locker room for another hour, waiting for housekeeping to give me a new pair to load, so I can get credit back. On the bright side, I used that time practicing one-handed surgical ties. Finally, with my scrub credit replenished, I head out to the call room to retrieve the rest of my effects. I round the corner and all of the sudden, the 2nd year surgical resident pops out of hiding, screaming bloody murder. I nearly poop my pants in fright and he's rolling on the floor laughing his brains out. He got me good...
So, overall, a fun-loving bunch. They definitely have their bad sides, but this week, they were human beings. Fairly nice ones, I might say.
Since I haven't kept up with this week's daily blogging, I'm opting to list the surgical procedures I saw this week:
1. Laparoscopic appendectomy
2. Femoral-to-popliteal artery graft bypass
3. Hemicolectomy + Hartmann's procedure
4. Groin abscess incision and drainage
5. Reverse Colostomy (sigmoid-rectum end-to-end anastamosis)
6. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Next week, Anesthesiology. Should be interesting.
P.S. For those who are keeping score, I never did give the thyroid CA presentation, but I did learn a lot from the readings.
Song of the day: "Heaven When We're Home" - The Wailin' Jennys
BTW. New pet peeve: poor medical historians. Cantstandya!
So, by 6pm, we gave our reports, said our goodbyes, and changed out of our scrubs. Wouldn't you know it, the Scrub dispenser machine decides to get snippy with me and takes my scrubs without giving me back my credit (FYI scrub machines only give you new scrubs if you have credit, and you only get credit if you give back your used scrubs). So I was stuck in the locker room for another hour, waiting for housekeeping to give me a new pair to load, so I can get credit back. On the bright side, I used that time practicing one-handed surgical ties. Finally, with my scrub credit replenished, I head out to the call room to retrieve the rest of my effects. I round the corner and all of the sudden, the 2nd year surgical resident pops out of hiding, screaming bloody murder. I nearly poop my pants in fright and he's rolling on the floor laughing his brains out. He got me good...
So, overall, a fun-loving bunch. They definitely have their bad sides, but this week, they were human beings. Fairly nice ones, I might say.
Since I haven't kept up with this week's daily blogging, I'm opting to list the surgical procedures I saw this week:
1. Laparoscopic appendectomy
2. Femoral-to-popliteal artery graft bypass
3. Hemicolectomy + Hartmann's procedure
4. Groin abscess incision and drainage
5. Reverse Colostomy (sigmoid-rectum end-to-end anastamosis)
6. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Next week, Anesthesiology. Should be interesting.
P.S. For those who are keeping score, I never did give the thyroid CA presentation, but I did learn a lot from the readings.
Song of the day: "Heaven When We're Home" - The Wailin' Jennys
Monday, February 1, 2010
Eyes on the road
One of these nights, I'm gonna get into a horrific accident. I have a bad habit of scoping out houses while I drive. Not because of any clandestine, illegal reasons, No! Are you nuts? My interests lie on the architecture itself. I picture myself as the home owner in the not-so-distant future. What kind of house would I get? A ranch, an old victorian (queen anne style maybe), some sort of Colonial, A&C, contemporary or mediterranian? You get the idea. I get a kick thinking about how the grounds would look, what type of lighting to put around, colors, trim, furnishings, THE KITCHEN!
If I wasn't studying, I'd probably be watching DIY or This Old House (among other things, of course).
OK, so the story behind my madness is this...back during my university days, I would take almost-daily 3-5 mile runs through this little town called Montclair. Near the University, there's this street (Upper Mountain Ave) that goes up a fairly inclined hill. This street has some of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen in my life. I figured, Not in a million years would I ever come up with the scratch to by such beauties. Then, there it was...this corner house, Victorian by style, 3 floors and a basement, a modest front and backyard...and absolutely falling apart at the hinges. And it was for sale! I figured, "Perfect! By the time I graduate, I'll get a job and hopefully save up enough money to buy the property and basically make this house into my renovation project."
But fate and the real estate market, as we know them, are cruel bitches. The lot was sold in the fall of my sophomore year and by the spring of my junior year, the house was all fixed, new paint and all. The people who bought the place even made the front window bigger so now every time I ran by the place, I'd get to see how great it looked on the inside as well!
That was my house, my project!
I'm bitter.
At least the house got a nice second chance.
Fast forward to now...
As for the potential accident...Driving at night through a fairly affluent residential area, where every house is practically a centerpiece does not do wonders for my concentration.
I just love to torture myself. Perhaps I aught to stick to the main highway...
Song of the day: "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" - Al Green
FYI: This song is crazy good on night drives.
If I wasn't studying, I'd probably be watching DIY or This Old House (among other things, of course).
OK, so the story behind my madness is this...back during my university days, I would take almost-daily 3-5 mile runs through this little town called Montclair. Near the University, there's this street (Upper Mountain Ave) that goes up a fairly inclined hill. This street has some of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen in my life. I figured, Not in a million years would I ever come up with the scratch to by such beauties. Then, there it was...this corner house, Victorian by style, 3 floors and a basement, a modest front and backyard...and absolutely falling apart at the hinges. And it was for sale! I figured, "Perfect! By the time I graduate, I'll get a job and hopefully save up enough money to buy the property and basically make this house into my renovation project."
But fate and the real estate market, as we know them, are cruel bitches. The lot was sold in the fall of my sophomore year and by the spring of my junior year, the house was all fixed, new paint and all. The people who bought the place even made the front window bigger so now every time I ran by the place, I'd get to see how great it looked on the inside as well!
That was my house, my project!
I'm bitter.
At least the house got a nice second chance.
Fast forward to now...
As for the potential accident...Driving at night through a fairly affluent residential area, where every house is practically a centerpiece does not do wonders for my concentration.
I just love to torture myself. Perhaps I aught to stick to the main highway...
Song of the day: "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" - Al Green
FYI: This song is crazy good on night drives.
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