(Picture from the cemetery of the VA where I work. I drive by it every day. I took this one about two years ago.)

I’ve been spamming my Facebook with articles and poetry and history on Armistice Day/Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. I’ll admit that I was getting frustrated with the “Happy Veteran’s Day!” chirpy updates, the same sort of updates as for Valentine’s Day or Groundhog’s Day. Or the “99% of those who read this don’t really love a vet and won’t use this as their status for 1 hour” nonsense that drives me bonkers – chain mails have evolved for the 21st century. I’m tired of patriotism being a popularity contest.

This is the favorite article that I found:
A Ghostly French Field Where Veterans Day Was Born – from NPR.

You may or may not have noticed, but I let my paid account expire on LJ. I’ve been blogging on LJ for forever (2003!) and have had a paid account for the majority of that time. But I realized that I had been mostly using it for the userpics – and even then I wasn’t utilizing all of them. And I hadn’t been happy with some of the decisions that the business overlords had made recently, so I let it die. I’m missing it sometimes only a little, sometimes a lot – I get really bored with just 6 icons (and no, I’m not going sponsored) and I discovered that my header and friends-only banners are hosted on the LJ gallery which I can’t access as a freebie, so I have no pretty Anne banner anymore. And that makes me sad. While I may have difficulty keeping my house straightened, I really like having my blog space aesthetically pleasing.

Anyway, in my quest to decide whether or not I should go back, it would be helpful to understand how you all read and access my blog.

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The backstory: About 2.5 weeks ago, I got a page from some person saying that he was going to be working with him next month on Pulm consults and asked me if I had plans for the Friday after Thanksgiving. I, stupidly, thought that he was referring to the Friday after the Thanksgiving weekend (ie, a week later) and couldn’t figure out why he was asking me that. I mean, I’m on a consult month. I selected a consult month so that I could have Thanksgiving off and go either home or to Arizona to see my sister. It only dawned on me later that he really truly was referring to the day after Thanksgiving, which implied that I was supposed to be working that day.

I emailed the program directors. Black Friday is not considered a holiday at the VA because it is not a government holiday (pray, tell why Columbus Day is??), but I could talk to the people in charge of the rotation and find out if I had to work. I started the rotation and discovered that there was a mandatory clinic on Fridays – and I had to be there. The fellow had arranged somebody to cover for him, but because I was the only resident, there wasn’t anybody to cover me. So I shelved my plan and tried to make others, and at least tried to cheer myself up with the thought that I had Veteran’s Day off – until I realized that it was a VA holiday and not one at my other hospital, and I am scheduled for clinic there. Screwed all over.

I kept bothering people though. There had been rumors that they were playing on moving the clinic to Thursday mornings, but only after Thanksgiving. The staff was frustrated at having to work because nobody comes on the day after Thanksgiving. And I kept mentioning about how much I wanted to go home. And the fellow (bless him) finally, finally made some phone calls today and got the clinic rearranged. YAY! So I promptly looked up tickets and now I’m going home. It’s costing a little more than what it would have been if I had been able to buy tickets earlier, but not much since It’s a holiday. Arizona was way too expensive, so I’ll have to wait until Christmas to hold my nephew again. But I’m superduper excited. I get to see my grandparents, my parents and sister, my cousins and new 1st cousin once removed, aunts, uncles. My Plethora. It’s been so long since I was home.

Greasy wheel no more squeaks.

Folks, I am cold. I made the mistake of running off to church without a jacket, because the Wisconsin sun had convinced me that it was still warm. Oh, silly mortal. Now, I’m in my fleece pjs with my fleece robe, under a flannel blanket, with my rice bag heated and my toes are still icicles. I don’t think I’m ready for winter yet!

I am also tired. I hate adjusting to time changes.

Here’s the next installation in the “30 days of too much information”
Day 4 – A habit that you wish you didn’t have

I haven’t been able to think of true “habits” that I have – things that I do without thinking about them, but I do have a share of faults that I wish I could improve (but obviously not enough to really do something about):

• I am a rather messy person.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a hoarder (although since I came across the battery charger for my previous camera that was stolen and I still haven’t gotten rid of it, I may fit some of the definitions), but entropy is definitely at play in my life. I don’t really like doing dishes and I find my dishwasher to be the most painfully slow machine on this planet, so that’s not an option. I’ve done piles of laundry, but I have a limited supply of clothing drawers and closets, necessitating that everything be very carefully organizing before it’s put away, and so they’ve sat on my bedroom floor as the dirty clothes get placed in additional piles around them. I shed hair like crazy, so I can never keep up with the sweeping. I’m inundated by papers from work and from the mail. I’ve tried, several times, to just organize and rearrange and I get halfway through – just to the point where I have pulled out everything and created absolute chaos, before I get bored and move onto the next project. I do make efforts when people come and visit, but they are short lived. I need to get into better daily habits of straightening.

• I stay up too late at night.

Ever since college, when the dorms would come alive at 9 o’clock at night and I would stay up until long after midnight, I’ve had problems going to bed early. It’s a problem because now I’m a Real Adult and have to be at work at a certain time, so it doesn’t take long before I’m dragging. Usually at some point in the week. I collapse around 8 and “catch up” and start the cycle all over again. It has had perks, because I am able to do call (my 30+ hour shifts of death) and not feel tired at all until around 4 am.

• I am a procrastinator.

I put off things that don’t have immediate deadlines until long after the deadline is passed and I’m getting threats (as evidenced by the student evaluations that I need to fill in. It’s just really difficult coming up with unique ways of saying “So-and-so was a team player and took responsibility of his/her patients. They are eager to learn. Blah. Blah. Blah”). I’ve been trying to get in a habit for studying for boards every day and I usually manage to do it for 1 day. And usually less than an hour. It’s bad, friends! I have boards sometime in the middle of August. That’s not that long from now – and several of those months are going to be really busy as I get prepared to move and start fellowship. I’m recommitting now – you’re more than welcome to harass!

• I waste too much time on the internet.

I have no idea how the time can just slip by. I read several blogs, read the news, check my email, check Facebook, several times, all day. It’s not like I’m even watching movies or shows or anything important. I need to stop. It’ll just have to be December, because I’m not missing a day here.

*
Harry Potter Day 4: Least favorite female character.

I should put a disclaimer here that there isn’t a single character in the whole series that I hate. Some of them are more rounded than others and some of the villians are just perfectly delicious (Umbridge and Bellatrix for example). I think I’d classify this more as “most disappointing character development”

See, I loved Ginny’s character in Book 5. We really hadn’t gotten to see much of her before that, Chamber of Secrets notwithstanding, but there were some particularly awesome scenes of development in OotP (I told you it’s my favorite). That summer, I devoured Ginny-centered fanfics and theories. The first daughter in 7 generations of Weasleys and the seventh child and the fact that she had been possessed by Tom Riddle and therefore might have insight into his thinking or weaknesses – all potential for awesomeness. I found her to be less than awesome in Half-Blood Prince (yay, all the boys like her!) and completely forgettable in Deathly Hallows. It wouldn’t have been difficult to add more to her character. I mentioned how unhappy I was with the scene in Deathly Hallows where Ron and Hermione go down to the Chamber to get basilisk tusks (not that they were ever needed) and Ron had opened the door by “mimicking” Parseltongue – something that he had heard Harry speak once 5 years previously and while they were being distracted by Lockhart, and oh yeah, he broke his arm and was out of action. If it had been that easy to open the chamber, the basilisk would have killed the entire school many times over. How easy, how perfect and complete it would have been to include Ginny in that scene – Ginny who actually opened the Chamber before. I dunno. JKR has said in many interviews that she felt that Ginny was Harry’s soul mate – something that I thought was never illustrated properly in the books.

My evening consisted of going to an “adults only” session for Stake Conference (halfway down the page). I don’t know when the additional session of stake conference was first started, but I hate it; I have few enough Saturdays free from work and I usually devote my Sundays to church as it is. But I’ve tried to develop a better attitude about them, and my friend Sarah promised me custard afterward so I went. The talks were dull. Only one talk was slightly inspiring. I was contemplating my next “30 day” answer instead of listening. I should have gone to the movies like I wanted to. Both Toy Story 3 and Inception are playing at the dollar theaters and I haven’t seen either of them. (No spoilers!)

But I did go to custard, where Sarah and I ran into every single person from the church there as well (and one of the neurosurgery residents with his girlfriend). The pumpkin custard shake was almost enough to calm the flames of outrage when a friend relayed a conversation where a group of men basically stated that there wasn’t a single woman in the entire ward “worth” (their words) dating. There’s probably close to 60+ women who go to church regularly and not one they consider “dating potential” because “I would never marry them, so it would be wasting my time.” Wow. I’m still pissed – the custard wasn’t able to make miracles.

Afterward, I met up with a couple of “friends” – people from the midsingles group from church who have become my new social group. One is 49 and still upset that the love of his life got tired of waiting for him to make a move and married somebody else 25 years ago. Another is the guy who I went on a blind date with 2 years ago. I never mentioned him again in this blog, because he never said a word to me until the formation of this singles group 6 months ago. Another is a very recently divorced man who would like nothing more than to get married again as soon as possible – and can be quite overbearing if anybody suggests that maybe being single isn’t too terrible.

We watched Prince of Persia, which was surprisingly entertaining, although I think Toy Story might have been better…

I was going to use the extra hour to complete the 30 day meme for today, but I’m tired and cranky and I’d rather sleep. So tomorrow.

I love this day!
Day 3: A picture of you and your friends. Like I could stop with just one. Warning! Image heavy!

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Eva Cassidy
February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996

I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall.
Ten years ago, my roommate listened to a piece on NPR about an unknown singer and how her music had spread and touched so many after her premature death to cancer. Sarah promptly bought the CD and before I knew it, Eva Cassidy’s music had crept into the crevices of my soul. We must have listened to the CD every day for 8 months. Waly, Waly played as we studied, Blues in the Night was belted loudly during times of frustrations at the opposite sex and Songbird was instantly declared as the song for future weddings.

And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
I’ve bought every CD of hers, even the one that she produced when she was part of a progressive rock band. Her music inspired me to write Gilmore Girls derivative fiction. Her voice comforted me when friendships dissolved, when my heart was broken.

I see friends shaking hands, saying, “how do you do?”
But they’re really saying, “I love you”
It’s the 16th anniversary of Eva’s death. Fourteen years since we lost her voice and sweetness. The last album of lost and forgotten tracks was released two years ago. Her voice is frozen, preserved in digital immortal, so we will never have to forget

We were like children
Laughing for hours
The joy you gave me lives on and on.

~Had left over apple crisp for breakfast. Mmmmm….
~Arrived to work at the same time as one of the neurology residents, so got to leisurely huff and puff my way up the stairs with her (those stairs are STEEP).
~Since she didn’t know where the resident workroom was, I walked her there and was greeted by my intern from last month, who is also on neuro consults. Aww, I’ve missed him! Love starting a day with a hug. 🙂 I’m looking forward to having a semi-regular lunch partner.
~Ran into one of the boys from church in the hall. As I was bored with the conversation between my attending and fellow (it had been ongoing for several minutes), I stopped to say hi. No hug but a big smile. Happiness.
~Ran into one of my medicine friends; she’s the resident over one of the teams that I’ll be working with. We caught up on how the little plant we bought last year has died. 🙁
~The new pulmonary fellow is not quite as overwhelming of a jerk as the guy I worked with for a couple of days last week. I was about ready to slit my throat. Or quit. This guy seems at least willing to share the workload, so the day went much, much better.
~Came home and made the roasted vegetable minestrone soup and totally burned the vegetables. I think it still tastes good, just a little more carcinogenic. 🙂
~As I sat down to dinner, received a call from my other intern from last month inviting me to dinner. So instead, I had sushi. Cooked sushi (I have to be in a particular tummy mindset to tolerate raw) and good conversation capped my day.

It’s the 199th anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility. I probably will forget to memorialize it next year, so I’m sharing my favorite quote (or at least, it’s the quote that is speaking to me the most right now):

“Dear, dear Norland,” said Elinor, “probably looks much as it always does at this time of the year. The woods and walks thickly covered with dead leaves.”
“Oh,” cried Marianne, “with what transporting sensation have I formerly seen them fall! How have I delighted, as I walked, to see them driven in showers about me by the wind! What feelings have they, the season, the air altogether inspired! Now there is no one to regard them. They are seen only as a nuisance, swept hastily off, and driven as much as possible from the sight.”
“It is not every one,” said Elinor, “who has your passion for dead leaves.”

Only my maple tree still clings to its leaves, so alas, my love for dead leaves will also have to end soon. Ah, Wisconsin, you and I have certainly had a passionate love affair this year! I may have to try to arrange for one more tryst before winter blankets you with snow….

Accomplishments this week:

• 3 crappy windows removed (with varying degrees of difficulty)
• Glass blocks sealed with silicon, then scrapped of hardened silicon when we realized that it wouldn’t seal properly, which took 2 entire evenings to accomplish
• 3 glass block windows mortared and sealed
• Basement floor tiles pried up around the periphery of living room
• Loose paint and caulking sanded and chiseled from basement walls and joints
• Gutters cleaned out
• Leaves raked and raked and raked (and blown down the street to the neighbors 🙂 ) and sidewalks swept and lawn mowed.
• Garage door lubricated
• Moved smoke alarm and replaced batteries
• Fixed living room clock that hasn’t worked since a month after I moved here
• Removed outside light that was malfunctioning
• Swept, mopped and disinfected basement floor
• Vacuumed all of the carpet

(All of the photos from the project can be seen here)

Not accomplished (attempted, but abandoned)

• Chimney capped (need longer ladder, or else need extinction therapy to remove my fear of heights
• Basement joint plugged and sealant painted on walls
• Car exhaust gas recirculation valve replaced (part bought, but too difficult to replace – will have to take to a mechanic)
• Utility closet organized (it’s all still strewn across my living room)

As for A Picture A Day-ish, I posted 18 days of this month! Seeing as I had been posting 1-2 entries a month for the past year, that’s not too bad. Starting tomorrow, I am going to be participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for the month of November, which I love doing. They have prizes and I’m determined to at least be in the running this year!

Inspired by eponine119‘s achievements last week: Jonamac Apple Crisp (using this recipe here). I made it earlier this week (minus the raisins) and oh my word, yumminess. I still had extra apples, so made it again tonight.

I know I missed a couple of days. My dad is here (w00t!) and it’s distracted me from taking pictures. We’re destroying my basement this week – removing and replacing windows, scrapping paint, covering the walls with sealant – so maybe I’ll get some pictures of that fun project.

In the meantime, here’s a few more pictures of autumn here (still the favorite). I went to a playground on Friday as the sun was setting. Unfortunately, a weather system was moving across, so the light was not as perfect as I had hoped, so the pictures are very slightly altered to bring out the oomph.

This is a little bit of a cheat, since I took this picture back in August, but as it was what I had for dinner and I photoshopped (or rather apertured) the image tonight, as it was yellow-toned, I think it counts.

Grilled Salmon with North African Flavors or as I call it “The Meal That Is Going To Get Me Married.” Or at least declared passionate love. My dinner partner that night pronounced it wonderful and seemed to swoon at my feet; alas, he is gay and while my fish is good, it’s not that good in overcoming biology.

This is my signature dish. I was introduced to it in college, tracked down the recipe, lost the recipe, found it online and now it’s in my head forever and ever. I’ve improved the recipe: I don’t use parsley, I no longer just marinate the fish (in fact, I skip it if I don’t have time), I drizzle the sauce over the salmon and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and grill it in the oven. It’s unbelievably flavorful and yummy. Don’t believe me; just listen to these testimonials.

“You have to invite me over again for the salmon. This way I can make everybody jealous when I tell them what I had for dinner.” ~Sarah

“Our dinner parties were successful. But my sister always roped me in to help, and I ended up doing most of the work.” ~ Karin

“My girlfriend is lactose-intolerant. But I think it’s great!” ~Chris, who got rid of that girlfriend, just so he could eat more of my salmon

Tell me how my salmon changed your life in the comment section!

My “pseudo” niece and nephew. Love these two!

So glad that this meme incorporates “ish” because I am failing miserably at posting every day!

Driving through Illinois. I wish that there was a way that I could take pictures and drive at the same time…

On my way to study at the library, I stopped off at one of the local parks. The colors have been so beautiful, I couldn’t resist getting out my camera. Wisconsin, you’re going to break my heart when I leave.

(Taken through my sunglasses. I love the effect, but am irritated by the smudge at the bottom. Argh!)

All pictures can be seen here.

Corn maze outside of Waukesha, WI. It has truly been one of the most glorious autumns ever here. Warm weather, blue skies, vibrant colors.
All pictures can be found here.

I don’t know what all the fuss is about. You say it’s my birthday?
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My dinner tonight:
Roasted Vegetable Minestrone Soup with parmesan cheese
Pumpernickel toast
Milk
Oh my yumminess.

My study area at the public library. I haven’t studied at a library since med school. I was a little more productive there, though. Restudied the pituitary disorders and focused on the thyroid and my post-test scores were better. I need to complete all of endocrine tomorrow and make some headway through renal and pulmonary before my test on Tuesday. It’s times like this, when I realize how slow going this is, that I start really panicking about boards in a year (10 months). Right now, I’m able to put in 3-8 hours a day studying and I’m still making it only through 20 pages at a time. I’ve got 11 books to cover which average 80-100 pages each. When I take boards next year, I’ll be a fellow and won’t have the luxury of time off. Frightening. Here’s hoping for some retention.

Yes, I missed yesterday.

I’m supposed to be on vacation this week. My dad was going to come out, we were going to install new windows in my basement and paint the joints with sealant to help prevent some of the perpetual water problems. He called me from Nebraska to tell me that his Jeep had completely died. So much for the trip. Things happen and we’ve rescheduled the trip for later this month.

In any case, I have my internal medicine in-training exam (a mimic of the big boards that I’ll be taking in less than a year). I’ve never done very well on them, mostly because I’ve never gotten a chance to really study hard before taking them. So I’m trying to be good and study, but am failing miserably. Today I made it through 20 pages of endocrine – but I needed to get through at least double that. And when I took the “post-test”, I missed a lot of questions, so I have to go back and review hypopituitarism again.

I keep getting distracted by this picture:

Mt nephew turned one last week. I, of course, missed his birthday party,  but my sister finally updated her blog with pics of the festivities and the birthday boy. Footed pajamas kill me dead (must remember that for Christmas).

Oct. 5 Pic:

I love that its October and I still have raspberries!