Every month, I switch rotations. As an intern, those switches occurred on the first of the month; as a resident, I now switch on the 28th. Just like I  think of the year starting and stopping on July 1st, I have a tendency to think of my months as only have 28 days. I mistakenly assume that I should get a paycheck on the 28th and have often planned for that, leaving me a bit in a lurch for those last couple of days (not good).

So, my October starts tomorrow. I switch from the relatively benign rheumatology (rheumaholiday as it were) rotation, where I had clinics every day and every weekend off, to the inpatient stroke team. I knew it was going to be a rough month. I hate switching from the medicine department (where I’ve spent the last 3 months) to the neuro department (where I’ll be spending the next 4) – I haven’t done neuro for several months, I find neuro to be more challenging and difficult intellectually, and the services can be overwhelmingly busy as there are no caps to admissions and we are constantly admitting and discharging patients. To say that I’ve been not looking forward to this would be an understatement.

A couple of weeks ago, my program director approached me and stated that they were having problems with one of the junior residents. He didn’t know enough, he couldn’t be trusted to do an accurate exam, he had problems with managing more than 2 patients, he’s lazy, etc, etc, etc. In the end, they decided to hold him back a month and guess who gets to inherit the problem child and attempt to remediate him? *sigh* I spent an hour getting sign-out tonight from the current senior and wow, it sounds like a disaster. Hopefully, I’ll be able to meet with him tomorrow and establish some rules.

I was going to go into a whole rant about how I think this stems from whom my program director is recruiting and accepting into the residency, but it’s getting late, and I need to be in to work early tomorrow.

So instead, I’ll leave you with the latest pic (that I’ve gotten. The parents have been lax about getting them posted!) of my nephew:

Laura’s threatening that his hair isn’t as red as I was told. I think she just needs to eat more carrots. *nods* That’s how I got my red hair, my mom told me.

I’ve got a dozen nicknames that I respond to. Today, I just added one more*.

Meet Carden James, everybody. He arrived to this world sometime this afternoon weighing 6 pounds and 14 ounces and he already loves his Aunt Julia so much, he’s got her red hair fuzz.

Carden James

Isn’t he beautiful? I have a theory that the stork has given up hope of my body producing red-headed babies (me too, storkie, me too) and is giving them away to all of my family and friends. No matter, I’m willing to share!

Congrats to my beautiful little sister, Laura and her husband Josh. Laura had the easiest pregnancy ever. No morning sickness. Able to going running every other day until right before he was born. 1.5 pounds of weight gain (only slightly kidding on that one!). I haven’t heard the details, but I’m assuming that it was the easiest delivery ever, as I got the call about Laura being in labor and the text that he was here only 10 minutes apart. Totally not fair.

I’m totally in love.

*I’ve been Aunt Julia to all of my friends’ kids, but this is the first time biologically.

I think Susan’s convinced that I am a flirt. A flirt! Me! I think she mistakes my honest, winsome, cherry, wouldn’t-mind-if-you-come-hither smile for flirting. Most of the men with whom we interacted today were married anyhow. Cute, especially the eager fellow at the chicken raising lecture we attended, but married. Now give me a single guy and maybe, maybe, I might turn on a beguiling smile, but that’s my limits. 😀

Alas, the International Cheese Curling Contest was canceled due to rain. By the time we arrived, the cheese eating contest had finished as well (despite being advertised to last all afternoon and evening) and there was no inflatable cheese maze either. Illinoisans are weak, as it was only mild drizzle. Bah. We did look at the typical tents and booths that seem to follow these fairs/festivals (“homemade” flower wreaths and various trinkets and the lemonade/hotdog stands). There was free cheese and bread samples at one of the stores (imported from Michigan) and I ended up with a delectable dill Havarti to bring home. Yummy.

We went on a carriage ride, driven by one of the local Amish. Our driver was our age and super adorable. It was fun flirting (okay, I’ll plead guilty about him) with him. He hinted that he would like to get away, go to the west… I almost took him up on it, but Suz was convinced that he was probably married with three or four kids. Such is my luck, she was probably right. Drat.

We had a picnic (or “micnic” as Alice likes to call it) under the tents of the deserted cheese-eating contest of fried chicken, potato salad, brownies, peach angel food cake and cookies – rule number for a potluck: everybody thinks to bring the dessert. The little kids ran around in the rain, jumping in puddles. All in all, despite not getting to sweep a broom in front of a stone of cheese, it was a pretty fantastic day.

From Arthur Cheese Festival

Vacation has officially started. Nine days of bliss. I left my pager at home, freed, finally, from its tether.

The drive through Illinois was gorgeous, clear and sunny, with a breathtaking sunset over fields of corn. The moon was round and cheerful, guiding the rest of my path.

From Illinois Sunset

(Click for a couple more pictures). And now, to sleep. I’ve got to get my beauty rest so that I’m ready for cheese consumption in the morning. Ta!

Super excited for the coming week.

1. Driving down to central Illinois and going to the Arthur Cheese Festival with my friends Susan and Bobby. There’s cheese eating nationals, an inflatable cheese maze, and (I’m so excited!) an international cheese curling contest! I’ve keep missing the Wisconsin cheese festivals, so I’m hoping this makes up for it.
2. Filet mignon barbeque on Monday. I’ve been so good on calorie counting this week, that I’m looking forward to splurging.
3. Three-ish days in Phoenix, AZ. It’s supposed to be over 100 degrees while I’m there. I’m going to die! But I get to see my sister and her cute 25 days to go pregnant belly (there may be attempts to induce labor early… if I could just get my hands on some pitocin!) and my dear grandma.
4. Spending three days in Madison and cheering on my friend Chris and his girlfriend as they compete in the Ironman. I think they’re crazy. But I haven’t see them for a few months and it’ll be fun.
5. Playing around with my camera. I wanna do more night shots. And black and white. And people. And. And. And.
6. No more patients. No more consults. No more patient calls. No more clinic. No more!
7. Well, at least for a week.

Snagged from claidheamhmor:
Comment with a picture of a fictional character that most reminds you of me!

One of our patients that we’re consulted on got transferred to the ICU yesterday, so we went up there today. I miss the ICU. I miss my colleagues (I didn’t tell you about my coresident who looked like a baby-face Val Kilmer, did I? He was lovely. I was crushing). Wow, it was a hard rotation and I didn’t learn nearly all that I wanted to (am more familiar with which pressors in which situation, but I still didn’t get to conquer the vents and I’m still clueless on how to treat ARDS – which, since everyone of my attendings had a different opinion on it, may be true of every one), and I nearly cried every morning rounding with one attending because he was so unreasonable (we warmed up to each other by the end of his two weeks). But today, my other attending waved at me from across the room and I chatted with one of the NPs and it felt like coming home. I think part of it is that I feel rather antagonized by the rheum department. If I hear one more word about the “silly neurology consults”… !! There is a lot of cross over between the two fields and both of them deal with diseases that tend to be somewhat nebulous, but it’s just so much more exciting to bicker. Grr.

I did promise that I’d update this, fill you in on my little life and its daily amusements, didn’t I? I can’t use the excuse that I’m too busy anymore, as I’m now on a new rotation (rheumatology) and we’ve had one consult a day. To be split between 4 residents. Bored does not begin to describe it.

Alas, since I stayed up way too late reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the first time I’ve reread it – I plan on reviewing the whole series soon), and I have early morning board review, the update won’t be today.

So, instead, you get a video from YouTube that has been cracking me up all evening:

(It’s funny, because that’s how I sneeze. Yep. 🙂 )