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27th May 2009

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New York = fabulous.

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I conquered NYC. And managed to do it without meds, thank you very much. It helped that I saw and experienced most of it from a double-decker bus and ferry, but I still did it.

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I did not get to see any Broadway musicals (it didn’t fit in to plans very well, was horridly expensive, and I hated Times Square so much that the thought of lingering there to try to grub for cheap tickets made me want to cry. Perhaps once it’s closed to automotive traffic, it’ll be more manageable (ha!)), nor any of the museums, so that will have to wait until next time.

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I took 569 pictures. The majority of them are crap. Taking pictures from a bus means that I have lovely pictures of stoplights, and people’s heads as we were jolted around. The rest are exposed badly as I moved from shade to bright sunshine and didn’t always remember to correct.

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Sam’s baby is delicious. Seriously contemplated sticking her someplace in my luggage, but then realized that since it was all carry-on, I’d be discovered before I made it very far.

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All in all, a fantastic weekend. Too short as always.

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Select photos can be found here and here

**
This weekend, I am visiting Susan and her own delicious child, Alice, and we are finally, finally going to go country dancing. Susan has also arranged a date for me (!!) with a guy who is excited about the prospect of english dancing(!?!!!), which sounds too good to be true, but I am optimistic nonetheless. And on Sunday night/Monday morning, my parents arrive in town for a week’s vacation. Which means I should have spent tonight cleaning rather than fussing with my pictures, eh?

posted in All About Me, Cuteness Overload, Friends, Photography, Social Life, Susan, Those Rare Days Off | 3 Comments

28th March 2009

-blows off dust-

Mom has a lists of blogs from family members that she follows on a regular basis. I don’t think she’s quite ready to tackle blogging herself (I can set you up if you are, Mom!) but she enjoys staying involved in the lives of family who live far away. Of course, that doesn’t work very well when the blogs don’t get updated. My sister updated her blog Feb 18 (even though she had plenty exciting news to tell), my cousins the early part of March, and me, well, I haven’t updated this since March 1. So much for my goals of writing about Tolkien.

Thanks to Mom’s persistent pestering, you now all get to hear about my very busy life.

The first part of March, I actually went on vacation. As a resident, I get 4 weeks of vacation a year (which I have to plan out a year in advance. I also have to plan out my 4-days-off-a-month 3 months in advance, which makes spontaneous outings nigh unto impossible) and I haven’t had any vacation since October. I was pretty ready for some time off, believe me.
cut to be nice to your bandwidth! Click to read and see more!

posted in All About Me, Family, Photography, Social Life, Those Rare Days Off | 3 Comments

4th February 2009

and I don’t look good in leggings

I haven’t quite known exactly what my mood has been recently. Having all of the free time has not exactly been conducive to actual productivity. I’m so worn out and tired and somewhat depressed (despondent, I think would be more apt) that I haven’t done much for the past couple of days, but laundry and watching YouTube movies (Groundhog’s Day on Feb 2, course, North & South yesterday, and Jane Eyre today). I did get my antenna and digital converter set up, but that’s hardly an achievement as I have a Christmas tree still up and scattered stuff everywhere and dishes in the sink. I’m frustrated, a deep soul restlessness type of feeling, which is hard to define and harder to shake.

Chris got his fellowship position. The ending to his personal statement must have been better than I thought (or else they overlooked that due to the rest of his impressive resume, which, since I also helped him put together looks pretty good) and he’ll be going to Boston in June. For 2 years. I’ll be done with residency by the time he gets back. So much for having my friend nearby. I’m an emotional schizophrenic, wavering between ecstatic happiness (Boston! I’ve never been to Boston (in the fall)! Atul Gawade! We did it!) and moroseness. Usually the happiness wins out; tonight…

There is sunshine ahead. A weekend with Susan and her babe in two days (really just one long call day). A week of vacationΒ  to Utah and Arizone in a month (I’ll be looking for tickets tomorrow). Presents from India. Glorious rays of sunshine. I just need to shake of the chill and clinging fog.

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16th January 2009

what a week.

I am so glad it’s Friday. I’m on call tonight, which means that I can avoid the freezing cold weather for 30 hours. By the time I’m released, the weather forecasts that it’s going to be a balmy 20 degrees. I may not even need the extra layer of sweats over my pants tomorrow!

I overslept this morning, arrived to the hospital an hour late. I tend to be chronically on the “a little late” side, but it’s been a long time since I actually slept through my alarm clock and awoke in a panic. It didn’t help that it now takes an additional ten minutes in the morning to get ready with having to blow dry my hair and put on the three extra layers of clothing.

It’s been absolutely insane around here. On Tuesday, I received 4 different pages from my program director; I was post call and blissfully slept through them and didn’t get them until the next morning, where I found out that unless my clinic notes were completed ASAP, I was going to be put on suspension. I didn’t think I had that many open (I had had 31 last week, I worked on a bunch, was down to 27 and of those 10 of them I had finished and was just waiting for the attending to finish their part). But it was apparently too many and I was in trouble. So, I spent most of Wednesday night, any free time on Thursday and all morning getting all of the notes done and sent on to the attendings. They’re all done, but it was a massive devotion of time, and now I’m behind in discharge summaries and other stuff. It never ends.

Project number two on top of this was helping Chris out by massively editing/revising a personal statement. He found this absolutely amazing research fellowship to apply to, run by no other than Dr. Atul Gawande, my hero. It’s always a time-consuming project editing his papers. He tends to think and write in fragments, forgetting all of those lovely linking thoughts and words to keep everything running smoothly. I tend to be a much more verbous writer, which he doesn’t like, so edits often go back and forth several times before we’re satisfied. Unfortunately because we now are residents and have no free time, we didn’t have a lot of time to work on it. He sent it off yesterday and I still wasn’t entirely satisfied with the conclusion and felt that there were other areas that could have used polishing, but oh well. He’s promised me a great gift from India (he’s going in two weeks) as payment and if he gets it, I’m definitely using my vacation time to try to stalk meet Dr. Gawande.

Reason number three it’s been insane: I started my medicine clinics this week. It’s going to be a good change. I really like the attending that I’m working with; we’ve worked together on the wards last year and while he’s intense and sometimes difficult to read, he’s also a great teacher. He loves to do procedures and he believes in taking full ownership of the patients–no referrals out unless it’s absolutely important, which I love. He spent 15 years doing medicine in Nepal which probably explains some of his attitudes. Yesterday was a little bit frustrating; new department, new way of doing things, feeling a little bit like a medical student again, but I’m sure it’ll get better.

I’ve still got a lingering sore throat and my fellow has now developed a cold as well and I’m sure, infected me again. Sometimes I hate evidenced based medicine: I know very well that antibiotics are not going to help, but I’m just so tired of the dwindles.

I’m giving a talk in church on Sunday, on self-reliance. When he asked me, Bishop said that I was an “ideal” person to give it, that was before the above trouble, I guess. I’ve lived here two and half years and they finally managed to catch me with a Sunday that I was free and not post-call; actually I haven’t spoken in church since 2001, right after the terriorists attacks, eight years is a pretty good record! The VA blocks access to the LDS website, but I’ve managed to circumvent that; I just can’t print anything off which is great for the environment but not so good for my preparation. I’m more than a little nervous…

So to sum up: I’m hectically busy (I’ve just admitted another two patients so I have to rush away to finish their orders). Mom, I got your email, will look for the package, a few oranges sound nice but would probably freeze before I could eat them. Becks, here’s the update on my life. Barbara: I did get your Christmas card! Thanks! Still haven’t made it to the post office, but hopefully will next week, maybe a Christmas card for Easter. Ellie: I’m so glad you wrote! Please tell me more on how you’re doing. And to everybody else: hi! I’ll hopefully get to talk to you later.

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29th September 2008

This is going to be different

I arrived at work around 8:30 this morning, feeling positively guilty for sleeping in. I wandered over to the pathology department, where I’m supposed to be rotating for the next month. The secretary blinked at me. “Oh, Dr. H doesn’t usually arrive until after 10. I’ll call you when he wishes to meet with you.”

At 10, I found myself in the autopsy lab examining a brain, being asked all kinds of questions that I’m not sure I’ve studied since medical school… and certainly not in the last three months, where my focus has been on treating alcohol withdrawal, pneumonia, and acute renal failure. By 12, we were done and instructed to come back at 3–tomorrow.

*blink*

It looks like there’s about 6-8 hours a week that I’m expected to show up. The rest of it is self study. I haven’t self-studied since med school and I wasn’t very good about it then.

So, instead of studying and instead of doing the 22 clinic notes that I’m behind on and instead of writing out disability paperwork for a patient that I’m not entirely certain should be on disability, I came home and took a nap. I had a migraine from the formaldehyde fumes and it has been a very long month (I flirted very close to the over 80 hours a week limit. I’m sure I went over) and I deserved some time to myself.

Thursday I have an appointment to get my teeth cleaned, the first time in over a year. I hope to get my hair cut and get to the gym on a regular daily basis. I have a week of vacation coming up where my girlfriends are coming out for a long weekend and then my dad and grandparents are driving out to see me.

It’s shaping up to be a very good month.

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16th July 2008

that was a first

Within a half hour, I was asked to dinner and threatened with a lawsuit ….by the same patient.

I talked him out of both.

*****
I haven’t received any of my mail since I got back from vacation and was getting really, really perturbed at the Post Office for stealing my mail.

Until I checked the hold notice, and noted the delivery date is July 21st. It’s not as fun getting pissed off at yourself. *sigh*

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I have the morning off tomorrow (this clinic life is so sweet. Well, except yesterday when I was there until aft 7:30 doing notes. Then it was not so sweet). I’m planning on celebrating by sleeping in and making myself breakfast.

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And, finally, PSA:

Do yourself a favor, click on the picture and enjoy the awesomeness that is Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon’s mad scientist creation. I finally got to see it (the site has been overloaded for days) and it’s amazing and the most entertaining half hour that I’ve had in a long time. The last episode will be posted on Saturday, and then it’ll come down on Sunday, so you’d better act quickly!

posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

2nd July 2008

well, strike that one off the list.

You know what’s more disheartening than find out the guy you crushed on throughout medical school is now married? Finding out, now, that he’s a democrat and a supporter of Barack Obama. DRAT. Single democrat Mormon guys are so exceedingly rare, that if I had realized, I really would have tried to pursue much more than I did. πŸ™‚ (Okay, that might have been an impossibility, save me throwing myself on the hearth and refusing to leave until he dated me)

Actually, I am ecstatic for him and not upset about his nuptials. I had gotten over the crush a long time ago and she seems very nice and just right for him.

But, oh, the lost opportunity.

****

I fly out to Utah tomorrow for a week of vacation. My parents were supposed to come out here, so we could work on my house, but my sister had surgery and is less mobile than anticipated. So instead I’m going home, where I hear that it’s hotter than blazes. Meanwhile, the weather here has been gorgeous for the past 2 weeks–an occasional downpour and then 60-70s with blue skies.

I’m excited to go home. I’m hoping to work on some projects such as transferring my blog (more to come), scanning family pictures, making DVDs out of some beloved VHS tapes that are wearing thin, BBQs, etc.

In the meantime, my ward had planned on coming over and helping me with my place as well. As there was something like 23 volunteers, they’ve decided to go ahead with it, so I’m leaving instructions on what needs to be done. Hopefully, I’ll come back to a smashed up sidewalk, a ditch that runs to front yard, bleached walls and patched window sills. I’m overwhelmed at the thought of all of the help–I know I couldn’t have done it on my own.

In any case, I need to get to bed. Have a lovely 4th, all of you!

posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

2nd May 2008

maybe I should be checked for early onset dementia

So I’ve been sitting here on my sister’s couch, catching up on the internet, trying to figure out her TV so I can watch LOST (still catching up on season 3. Two disks to go!), and wondering why my flist wasn’t alive in DW gushing about the latest episode. No reaction posts, nothing. It’s only dawned on me now, that it’s Friday, not Saturday. πŸ™

My flight yesterday was delayed by 3 hours because of a blizzard in Denver. A blizzard on the first of May. I shouldn’t be so surprised, my mother couldn’t make it to my college graduation because of a blizzard on May 5th (and my roommate’s mom and sisters were actually in a wreck because of that same snowstorm in Colorado when they were driving out). But still. SO I didn’t arrive to Phoenix until almost 1 in the morning, which is 3 in the morning my time, and I’ve been utterly exhausted all day long. I’ve taken one nap, am contemplating a second, but I’m still in my PJs. and I probably shower before they get home from work. Usually a wise idea.

I’m also getting a cold sore. Usually a harbinger of other symptoms. Maybe that’s why I feel so drained.

I’m in Phoenix for the weekend, to see my sister and her husband and my mom’s family. As usual, it’s been the comedy of errors trying to figure things out. But I hope to spend good quality time with my grandma and I should catch up with a friend from high school as well.

It’s 90 degrees today here. And it was snowing in Denver. Weird. I was going to swim this afternoon, but May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and I know better than going out at noon to go swimming with my fair skin. Even with SPF50. So instead, I’m lathering up, and going to go take pictures of baby ducks. Ta!

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19th December 2007

No cooking goddess here…

So the reason that there hasn’t been updates on the glorious Indian food was because it was a little bit of a bust. I realized that I didn’t have yogurt, ended up borrowing sour cream instead, and then discovered I was out of lemon juice as well. πŸ™ So no tikka masala. πŸ™ I was really disappointed as the recipe looks fantastically good.

I did try the recipe for Chicken Saag, and it was…disappointing. It was a lot better than my previous disaster with the laab (ugh, just the word brings back memories of the taste, yuck, yuck, yuck), as it was edible and not bad tasting; it just didn’t taste anything like the saag I’ve had in the past. I’ve just found another recipe that is a slightly different variation, so maybe I’ll try it again some time and provide the recipe them. I don’t suppose my family is going to be adventurous enough to try my attempts at making exotic take out. Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I’m packing up and getting ready to go home tomorrow. I am so excited for a vacation, to be free of work, of responsibility, of patient calls, of 30 hour work days for 15 days straight. It’s going to be lovely. I’ve taken it pretty easy these last few days, though, and that’s been nice. On Monday, I decided that sitting behind someone while they flipped through hundreds and hundreds of MRI images was not a productive way for me to learn as I was fighting sleep every day and it was BORING, so I took a reading day and reviewed neuroanatomy. Once upon a time, I was awesome with the anatomy, now, not so much. It was really great–I need more of those.

Yesterday, after getting home post call, I slept a bit and then went shopping. I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done. I did end up splurging slightly for myself, but hey, I figure I’ve got to play the role of boyfriend in my life sometimes.

Today was spent in a frantic frenzy as I woke up to do some packing before going to work and discovering that I had no idea where my iPod was. None. And the last clear recollection of using it was back at Thanksgiving. So I tore apart my house and car, went to work and tore apart the clinic, the resident room, the work room, asked all of the staff in the unit and on the neurology floors and nobody could recall seeing it in the last 2-3 weeks. Security didn’t have it. Etc. Etc. Etc. I was quite sick. So I came home early, pulled out my backpack to put in all of the work stuff I have to bring with me, and there it was in the front pocket. Much relief, as I was getting quite tired of my forgetful irresponsibility that has been the theme for the last 2 weeks.

And now it is time to mark a few other things off my “to do” list. Like do laundry and actually buy my bus ticket for tomorrow. You know, the little, not important things, that’s all.

I’M ON VACATION!!!

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17th December 2007

countdown

Last neuro call for 3 months!!!

Vacation in 2 days!!!

I can do this!

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15th July 2007

and we’re back from these messages

There’s a reason that they only give me three weeks of vacation a year and four days off a month…

Any more and the taste of freedom would be so alluring that there would be no way any of us would return.

(Moving over to the ICU for the rest of the month, which I love, but it’s so hard saying goodbye to the days of freedom).

My holiday was excellent. I now have new light fixtures downstairs, a spider free basement, vacuumed floors, a draining tub, sparkling clean gutters, a weed free garden, watered and trimmed raspberries and bridalveil bush and a (mostly) working garage door. And a year after moving in, I’ve officially, completely, totally unpacked! Plus I spent two days up in the Upper Peninsula (which, except for the license plates, the locals refused to admit was actually part of Michigan), where I wandered around lighthouses and drove through forests and saw the cliffs of Lake Superior. And I spent yesterday with Chris, getting sunburnt exploring an art festival, eating burritos and sushi, and watching Harry Potter. A very busy and somewhat exhausting vacation, I think I need another one, especially since I’m heading into a stretch of 13 days straight. πŸ™‚

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5th July 2007

sweet release

And the most important news of my life?

One more day of work and then a week of vacation. 8 days completely off. I cannot wait to turn my pager off and chuck it far far away.

πŸ™‚ Life will be sweet, my friends.

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20th September 2006

loverly life

I think only doing one post a month like my last would be a good idea. That was hard work! But I am trying to get more into the creative writing again, and one of the books that I was reading suggested making your journal entries into stories. And I’m always amazed at the bloggers who manage to do just that (check out Barbados Butterfly, a surgical registrar from Australia as she tells the story of her early days in the residency. I wish I could write like that.)

My vacation has been wonderful so far. Alas, I am already halfway through my 9 days off, and I hate seeing the moments of time creep away. My best friend, Susan and her husband came and visited me over the weekend and we had so much fun. I showed off my little city, which they liked far more than Chicago (score for me!), and promised to come back and visit soon. We visited a bakery, which promised an elaborate tour and consisted of standing outside of a window, while a woman described what went on inside. It lasted 5 minutes. We also visited the Jelly Belly factory, which turned out to not so much be a factory, but a warehouse. The tour consisted of riding a train around the perimeter of the warehouse and watching a video. Even the promised giant jelly belly beans and the animated dancing jelly belly were less than advertised, and by that point, I was willing to accept mediocrity. But I did walk out with pounds of Jelly Flops, which made it all worth it.

It was wonderful being around Susan again. Since she moved to Illinois, our visits have been much more infrequent, and I have feared that the distance and time would have weakened our friendship (I keep meaning to do a longer post about me and my history to illuminate some of the reasons for my insecurities. Maybe that will become my next journal entry essay), but that hasn’t been the case. We manage to pick up right where we left off. We’ve both changed in the years–I’ve known her for nine years now, but we’re still as close. And it’s taken a few years, but her husband and I are pretty good friends now, too. πŸ™‚

I’ve missed her a lot today.

Today, I just lounged. I need to do laundry and dishes now and actually pack. Bah.

Tomorrow, I’m headed to Pennsylvania for the wedding of another best friend, Sam. I actually get to play bridesmaid–all of my other friends have married sans bridesmaids. *pout* I’m so excited. (The dress, btw, came back from the tailor. While it still isn’t perfect, it at least fits (mostly). Now to get the shawl to behave!) Quite a few of my wonderful friends will be there, Brooke, Liz, Laura, and it promises to be just like old times, before the boyfriends and husbands and children. I can’t wait!

And Monday, bright and early, I’ll return to work. I’m excited to be back to the NICU for one last week, but I can’t say that I’ve missed it at all this week. Maybe if the vacation had been longer…

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