A Few Ramblings...

I have finally set up the new blog, although I still hate the name. I will no longer be posting here on LJ, though it's served me well for over 6 years now. Follow me now at thelifeoflauram.blogspot.com.

I'm finally getting excited about the wedding, so I'm warning everyone that I'll be talking about it a lot now. Sorry if it annoys you. I don't know why it suddenly hit me, but it certainly did on Monday. I guess it is partly because I am now the next wedding in a long string this year. Also, the reply cards from the invitations are starting to come in, so there's fun updates from my mom every day. Oh, and of course Mom is coming to visit a week from today, during which time we'll be meeting with the photographer, florist and site manager for Malmaison to get final details worked out. It really is getting close, and I'm excited.

I spent a fairly large portion of Monday getting emails together to various people, as there is in fact quite a lot of info to relay to everyone coming in from out of town. It's also time to start working out all those little things that I keep thinking of as "last minute" details. Guess what? The wedding is a month from Friday, it's getting to be "last minute" now. They're not truly last minute things, but they are things you can't do more than a couple weeks out, such as getting a marriage license (which still sounds weird to me).

I think even Sam is starting to get excited as well. One of his groomsmen decided it would be fun to get all the guys together to go paintballing the day before the wedding, since they really have no desire to do the traditional "get drunk and stupid" bachelor party. He's now VERY excited for that. He's also looking forward to seeing old friends from home that he never gets to see, so that's good.

Mom, clearly, is as into things as I am. We're emailing each other 5 or 6 times a day now, and calling at least every other day. Nothing overly important, just having fun. It's great seeing who will be coming, and also rather interesting to see who won't. Many people I completely understand. The grandparents on both sides really can't make the trip, which is totally fine. The invitations for the party with the neighbors back home also went out, so there's daily updates on those as well. That will be a fun evening, and it's especially nice that Mom is handling all the organization there. It will be a great night for us to just enjoy without worrying about details.

Work is still going well. I actually did some basic science-y things this week, oddly enough. Part of my proposal for my Master's involved doing linkage analysis on a large family affected with a specific deformity, and I started putting together samples to ship out to UCLA for genetic analysis that needs to be done prior to the linkage studies. It was weird; I haven't spent that much time pipetting since the summer after my junior year in college. It was a nice change though, as I've kind of hit a writing block for the paper I'm working on. It did show me, however, that I will never do basic science research as a large portion of my career. Possibly a small adjunct, but I really do prefer the clinical stuff.

Crazy neighbor is still out of town, so her house is still empty and being shown. It's so wonderful, I just can't explain it. It's like the neighborhood is a little brighter and happier. Oh, and quieter of course. Who knows when she'll be back to ruin it though, but for now we're just enjoying it while we can.

This was a rather disjointed entry, which I guess reflects the lack of focus I currently have. I apologize. There will be lots of wedding updates to come, though, I do know that. You may want to steer clear for awhile if you can't take the gushing :)

Well folks, it's finally happening. The For Sale sign went up in the awful neighbor's yard yesterday. And, while I've been mistaken in the past, I do believe the dog is gone. I'm more inclined to think this is true now that the house is officially up for sale, because I'm guessing the realtors wouldn't be too pleased about showing a house to strangers with a 150-lb dog in it, friendly or not. Finally, we have peace.

Still pondering new blog names....

What a weekend! Saturday: Drove to Chicago, went to the FermiLab Accelerator (yes, that's what science geeks do when visiting new places), went to Tory & Shane's wedding. Sunday: got up early, drove to Cleveland, arrived at Erica's place to change for wedding #2, had the wrong time in mind for wedding #2, hauled ass to Canton, showed up to Steve & Michelle's wedding just as they were pronounced, but had a great time at the reception nonetheless. Monday: finally slept in, met Devon for lunch in Coventry, wandered around University Circle & remembered, had far too much fun messing with my sister's Wii (and got pictures of Sam doing yoga poses :-P), then Aladdin's for dinner. Tuesday: overslept a bit, stopped at Presti's for baked goodness for the road, drove to Wooster, got stuck in traffic on I-77, had a LONG-overdue reunion with Emilee over lunch where I also learned interesting info about an ex, drove home through some very nasty rain, got stuck in more traffic on I-71 though was very happy to not be one of the cars causing said traffic jam (seriously, on car had an entire side ripped off), and finally made it home around 10 pm.

So very much driving. Also lots of fun and seeing friends. I love seeing my friends happy! Now I'm back to work and mostly caught up. Amazing how far behind I felt after only missing one day. It's also about time to focus on my own wedding. Invitations went out last week and people are getting them now! Very exciting.

Oh, and since the LiveJournal banner today was an advertisement for the XBox 360 (obnoxious), I have officially decided that I am switching to blogspot with my Google account as soon as I can think of a good name for the new blog. Any suggestions?

The past few days have had the most gorgeous weather, even when overcast. There was a sudden drop in temperature, and it was even cool this past weekend. I loved it! It made me want to drag out the Halloween decorations, but I resisted since it was still August. While I enjoy my holidays, I'm not one to rush into things. I hate it when people skip over Thanksgiving. Christmas isn't until December, folks! Anyway, it has been so wonderful keeping the windows open. Much as I appreciate having central air for once, I do prefer not using it. Granted, that requires appropriate outdoor conditions, one more reason why I can't wait to move somewhere without miserable summers. Only one more to go though! Sadly, I know this is temporary...there will surely be more hot weather to come before fall comes in full force.

Things here have been steadily plugging along. No real changes worth mentioning. Work continues on, and my classes are now in progress. The seminars should be fine, mainly because they're small and I like the people. My Wednesday afternoon class, Designing Outcomes and Clinical Research promises to be dull, but survivable. It's just too long though. It's almost 2.5 hours long, and we're in a dungeon-like auditorium. After switching over to the clinics, I don't do well sitting through lectures that last more than an hour. Oh well, at least I don't have to take any other courses this semester.

Work is more of the same. I've started (slowly) writing a paper, which is mildly overwhelming, but a good experience. It really is amazing how long it can take to organize data, and my sample size is only 42! Plus I'm not even doing complicated statistical analysis of this stuff! Oh well, it's interesting nonetheless, and I've finally got things organized in a coherent and presentable manner. I've stayed home today to "write" although I'm having trouble getting going. I have the beginnings of the background and methods sections, but I need to clean them up and I'm not entirely sure what I want to see in them.

I'm also having trouble focusing on work because I'm getting really excited for the weekend. We're leaving Saturday morning for Chicago for Tory and Shane's wedding, followed immediately by Cleveland and Steve and Michelle's wedding! I'm really looking forward to getting out of St. Louis for a few days, especially for such happy events. I'm also looking forward to some good food in Cleveland (man I miss Aladdin's) AND I get to see Emilee for the first time since first year! So you can see that I'm not really engrossed in work right now, with so many things to look forward to. I'm just trying to get through the rest of the week at this point.

As far as my own wedding goes, we're starting to get into the home stretch. Only 6.5 weeks to go, and I'm still not really doing anything for it :) Mom's dropping invitations in the mail this week though, so I guess that marks the beginning of the end. She's also coming up for a few days at the end of the month, which I'm really looking forward to. I guess that will be the time when I really kick into gear for getting all the details squared away. Part of me is still not all that excited about it though. I feel like Sam and I have already started "our life together," as cliche as that is, and the wedding itself is kind of just a formality. I know it'll be fun when it happens, but so much of it appears to be a hassle right now. Ah well, I'll get in the groove soon, I know.

And can it always stay this way? The past couple of days have been beautiful here. Not too hot, then a short rainstorm yesterday brought even cooler weather with it. Today was in the mid 70's, and I've been able to have all the windows open. This is how I wish summer could be, and why I want to move north. Even at the price of a few bad weeks without air conditioning, if most of my summer could be this way, I'd be in heaven.

Work this week swung back and forth between productive and not several times. Sadly I was finally at a point where I could start pounding out some work on a paper on Friday afternoon...when I had early dinner plans that required me to leave before I wanted to. Bah. I had spent afternoons earlier this week desperately looking for things to do, then I can't finish the big task for the week.

I also had part 2 of my Master's committee meeting yesterday with my mentor, his wife (who I also work with) and a woman from the Genome Center who is apparently a god in the sequencing world. I think she'll actually be really interesting to work with, and likely will help me understand the basic-science part of my work better. It was also nice to talk through things as I understand them with my mentor there, because it ensured that I had the right grasp on the work that I'm doing. Nothing was pointed out as glaringly wrong during my presentation, so I took that as a good sign. Now I just need to get to work on these papers! Here's hoping for two initial submissions before the wedding!

After work last night I had sushi with the rest of the people in my research program. It was nice to get everyone together and chat a bit without the summer folks. It's also nice to have people from different programs. As it stands, there are 7 of us: 2 med students, 1 occupational therapy student, 2 physical therapy students, 1 nursing Ph.D. student and 1 audiology student. Quite the mix, and everyone seems pretty cool. After sushi I headed to Beth's house for the annual Beth & Brian combined birthday barbecue. I wound up drinking too much wine, but it was a great time. Again, I got to talk with new people and kind of expand outside of the medicine world. Well, just a little.

Today, status-post too much wine and staying up WAY past my bedtime, I slept in with Sam until about 10:30. Crazy. We had initially thought we might go for a bike ride since the weather was so beautiful, but ultimately that required more effort than we were willing to put forth. Instead we stayed home and did household stuff. I picked up the house, dusted, did laundry & made a raspberry ice cream pie while Sam mowed the lawn, repainted some of the gutters and cleaned up the basement. Overall a very chill day, and it's always nice to hang around the house with Sam and the kitties. We might as well be married already :)

Speaking of which, the wedding is in less than 2 months! I'm excited, but I honestly don't think it will change much about my life now. I do look forward to the festivities, and getting to see everyone, but Sam and I have already settled into a nice little life here. I've been pondering this and other things lately, trying to figure out how things will play out over the next few years. For once I'm not worrying about them, so much as just curious. I wonder where we'll go after graduation, and what kinds of little family traditions we'll create along the way. I've also been feeling lately like the baby thing is constantly throwing itself in my face. I don't know why, but it just seems like far too many people I know have kids, or are having them soon, and it's making me think too much. Sam says I'm just bored, which may very well be true. Don't start gloating just yet, all you people who refuse to believe that a woman can be happy without children. I'll never have a gaggle, that's for damn sure, and I do wonder how my feelings will evolve as I get into residency and doing what I really want to do.

I'm also thinking about switching to a different blogging platform. I won't until I can come up with a decent name for it though, so I'll keep everyone posted. I hope everyone's weekend is as great as mine is so far!

It's been longer than I thought since I last updated, but I guess that's what happens when nothing really changes. I'm still enjoying work, for the most part, and last week I discovered the beauty of working from home. A lot of what I do requires me to be on campus, such as accessing medical records and any of my statistical analysis. All the reading, paper-writing, figure-making and presentations, however, can be done anywhere with an internet connection, which is wonderful. I like the people at work, and it's nice to have someone to interact with most days, but sometimes just the quiet at home is best. I'm currently enjoying a nice cup of coffee while admittedly not working. This is also a great thing though. I can parcel out my time with both work and productivity at home, without commute-time in between.

Last week when I stayed home, I made another (re-)discovery: I love to make bread. I made a lot of bread first year. In fact, after about the second month, I stopped buying it. All of my sandwiches were on homemade bread, and I got pretty good at cranking out a lot of different kinds. And no, I didn't own a bread machine. Kneading the dough is half the fun. Bread really isn't a ton of work, it just requires time; time to rise and time to bake. These are things that you just need to be around for, which, after first year, I wasn't anymore. So bread-making kind of vanished from my life. I switched more to cakes second year, which were actually more work, but required less time. Last week, however, while working on my committee presentation, I realized I could have a nice ball of dough rising while I did my slides. Plus, my plans for dinner that night would have been nicely complimented with a crusty slice of bread to sop up the juices. Thus, my re-initiation to bread. Last week's creation was a saltless Tuscan bread that was fabulous with the white bean oreganata at dinner. Yesterday, after hearing that a friend had also conquered a long-stumping bread recipe, I decided to tackle French baguettes. I'd tried them before in college and failed miserably. They require a very long rise time, and are definitely more suited for the weekend. Well, the house still smells of the wonderful, yeasty loaves, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Looks like I have a new weekend hobby again.

I also have done a bit of wedding stuff in the past week. I went out to the MAC store and worked out some of the make-up stuff. We dropped the make-up artist I was originally going to hire as her prices went way up and this will make scheduling the day of the wedding FAR easier. It did mean, however, that I needed to get some decent make-up, and figure out how to put some of it on. My cousin is much better at this than I am, but I still needed the raw materials. Mom also paid the first half of the food bill for the reception, and started addressing invitations over the weekend. We also decided that she's going to come visit one more time before the wedding after all. I'm excited. I had really wanted her to come up, but there's been a lot of traveling and such for them lately and I wasn't sure she'd want to come if she wasn't really needed. She's coming at the end of September, about 3 weeks before the wedding, and we're going to hash out all the final reception details, as well as meet with the photographer. Should be fun.

A few totally unrelated items that I feel the need to comment on:

Today is the first day of classes for the first and second years. I remember being pretty excited to start, but man am I glad I'm past that. Second year especially...not something I'd ever want to repeat.

The ridiculous neighbors are still here. No surprise there. And no sign of when they might be leaving either.

Less than 3 weeks to go before we head up to Chicago for Tory & Shane's wedding, then Cleveland for Steve & Michelle's. Crazy how fast the time goes.

My fall class starts next week. Boo. This means homework again. Although really, it's not like I'm killing myself with work right now. Fall seminars have already started, but those just require me to show up and stay (mostly) awake.

Alright, that's all for today. Hopefully there will be something worth writing about before the Chicago-Cleveland trip!

Another wonderfully normal week. It tends to be the case. I did realize, while walking to my car Friday, that I am really and truly enjoying this work. And not just for the hours. I like the people I work with, and I actually am learning things, both about the field and myself/my goals. I am feeling less and less like this is just a year of killing time while Sam finishes up, and more that it was an overall good decision. I had seriously thought about taking a year off between college and med school, just to give myself a break and a chance to be "normal," but I figured I might not go back to school if I did that. Plus I didn't really have a good plan for what to do during that year. Now I'm getting the chance and really pleased about it.

This past week was a lot of reading and thinking. I've been spending a lot of time looking up old papers relating to what I hope to be writing about soon. I'm finally feeling a bit more comfortable in my abilities to do a decent literature search. Plus I'm learning a fair amount about clubfoot in the process. Not something I ever really thought I'd study, but here I am. I also finished up my summer classes this week. I now have two weeks off (I think) before the fall semester starts. It's odd to be back on a true semester schedule, but at least it's only one class, one evening a week.

Oh, also on Monday was my Comprehensive Clinical Skills Exam, or whatever it's really called, which was basically like the practical final for third year. 6 standardized patients (SPs) in a row, with 15 minutes to interview & examine each one, followed by 10 minutes to write up a note, give a list of possible diagnoses and list what I'd want to do next. I ended up being a little nervous, and not coming across as well as I'd like (or so my initial feedback would indicate). I mean, I did fine, but not as well as I'd like. Usually I do pretty well on the SP exams, because I'm actually able to interact with people. I don't really know what happened this time. However, I do believe that was the last time I have to do SPs at Wash U, and the only other time I should have to do it again will be for the board exam in January.

This weekend I hadn't really planned on doing much, but then got the idea that it would be a great time to clean out the fridge. I've been meaning to do it basically since I moved, but just never really remember. Well, that led to getting water everywhere, as the shelves were just a little too big to be contained in the sink while rinsing, which then led to a scrubbing down of the entire kitchen. It sparkles now, but it definitely took over 4 hours yesterday to complete. I also finished laundry, got groceries, took all the recycling to the drop spot, finished organizing my photos (which has been ongoing for about a month) and then went for a nice long walk with Sam through the park since it was gorgeous out. Quite a day for a Saturday with no real plans.

Today we're heading back to Eckert's to get more blackberries and peaches. They were so fantastic last time that we just have to get more. I've also figured out how to make some damn good sorbet with this stuff. We're bringing some friends along this time as well, to share in the fabulous fruit-ness. Plus, it's still perfect outside. It's been in the low 80's for weeks now, and doesn't feel like a St. Louis July/August at all. I, personally, love it. The misery of June made me fear what was coming, but this has been great. Now I just hope it doesn't stay 80 degrees until Thanksgiving, but I'll take what I can get right now.

Obnoxious neighbors are still here, and I'm getting very impatient with it. I did have a nice talk with both of the people who live on the other side of her last week, however. She apparently thinks they're all good friends, so they've got some info. There was talk of putting the house on the market this weekend, but then that was quickly followed with a comment of "but I think that's been the plan for the last 3 weeks." Seriously, if you're being pushed out, shouldn't there be a final date?? But then when you're as worthless and lazy as they are, I guess moving in less than a month is a miracle.

Alright, enough on that. Work continues to be chill. My boss and his family went on vacation last week, and don't get back until the end of this week. I'm kind of at a hurdle right now though, so there's not a lot for me to do until he gets back. I think I also need to work out some more OR time, hopefully without a sub-i in there. I'm also wrapping up summer classes this week and next week, which is good. I still have a hard time with the fact that I only have assignments, not studying, to do. I have to put together my final protocol for next week for Designing Clinical Research, and two more module worksheets for Analysis of Clinical Data, then I'm done until September.

I'm quite excited to lose the summer research people though. I've started chatting a bit more with the other year-long people from different programs (physical therapy, nursing), and we're hopefully going to try to do something together once the summer classes end so we can get to know each other a bit better. They all seem pretty nice, and it's always appreciated to find people with different fields of interest, even if they're still medically-oriented. I do believe I only have one class this fall though, along with a seminar series that I just need to be present at. I do, however, need to get my Master's committee together for my initial meeting, and that is proving to be impossible. Yet another thing to discuss with my boss when he gets back.

As for the rest of life, things are great. The weather this weekend was gorgeous, sunny and in the high 70's! I was in heaven. Sam and I went for another bike ride Saturday, this time over in Illinois on some trails recommended by the husband of one of the Ortho nurses we met at dinner with the boss awhile back. Wonderful trail, paved and well-maintained, through some really nice wooded areas, as well as farmland and even into some suburb-type areas. We wound up doing about 20 miles, and my butt was WAY less sore than when we did 16 miles on the Katy Trail. Afterwards I got cleaned up and went grocery shopping while Sam cut the grass. How domestic are we?

We also had a date night that night, in order to check out a place for the rehearsal lunch. Our initial place fell through, mainly because the owner was flakey and never responded to me or got me a contract. We really liked the place Saturday though, and spoke briefly with the owner before leaving, who was FAR better. We've got the place booked now, and just need to decide on the entrees to offer everyone.

Sunday was a very lazy day. The weather was still fantastic, so the windows stayed open all day. Crazy to be able to do that in mid-July in St. Louis! I'm so looking forward to moving somewhere where that's not so incredibly weird, though, and this weekend just served to further enforce that desire. We slept in super-late for us (10:30), though neither one of us was really overly tired the night before. I spent the day finishing laundry and just generally cleaning up the house while Sam embarked on another yard project with regards to the stormwater drainage by the new sidewalk. I'm so glad he knows how to do this stuff...it's going to save us a lot of money in the future! The evening was capped off with some chicken on the grill and a movie before crashing. It was a good weekend :) Now if the damn neighbors would just leave already!

I've been a bad future-healthcare-professional. After all we know about being overweight and lack of exercise, and all the preaching we're supposed to do, I must admit: I haven't exercised regularly since the middle of second year. Sure, I did a lot of running around and whatnot last year, but most times that doesn't quite cut it as far as aerobic exercise goes. So, I've decided that I need to take advantage of my flexible schedule this year and get back into a workout routine. Plus, since things are so flexible, I can actually do what I love to do and go swim! None of this running crap. I run when there is no other option, but I hate every minute of it. Besides, swimming works more muscles :)

I'm easing back in, as I haven't been in the pool since first year. I decided to go twice a week for the first 2-3 weeks, and only do around 1500-2000 yards. Not much, really. Oh man though, I went on Tuesday and thought during the warm-up that my arms were going to fall off. I got into it a bit more and ended up feeling pretty good....until I got up yesterday morning. My entire upper body was sore all day. And it was great! I haven't had a "good workout sore" in a long time. Went again today and felt much better. Plus, I can still get my mile done in around 30 minutes, so I'm not completely worthless.

Now I need to stick with this. Apparently one of the physical therapy students who's doing my research year program is also a former college swimmer, so we might go together sometime. If you start hearing me whine about it and back out too often though, yell at me! I need my stamina back! Plus a habit set in stone now will make it more likely that I do something when I'm a resident and treating myself like crap. Yeah, right, like that'll happen...

I swear, I love this research gig. I love having my life back! I still can't quite believe how much time I have, but I promise one of these days I'll stop gushing about it. I do still feel like a lazy bum getting up at 7:30 most mornings though. I'm all warped and such now.

Anyway, I actually had a relatively productive week, both at work and in the rest of life. As far as work goes, I finished measuring my 200 X-rays, only to discover that we need to add a measurement of the hip joint to all of them. This will go faster though (once I figure it out), since I don't need to determine which kids in my list of over 1000 actually have the right films. I thus spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out the correct way to measure this particular thing in the hip joint, which meant lots of time online going through papers and whatnot, as well as trying to connect with various work people to ensure consistency. Still haven't got it down, but it's in the works.

Outside of work, I actually returned to wedding planning a bit. I reserved the restaurant where we're going to have a night-before, all-the-out-of-town-people-are-invited dinner at a great place on The Hill that Sam and I love. I also finally made the decision to blow off the original place for the rehearsal lunch, as the guy continued to not respond to me. Luckily I hadn't given him any money yet, so the only loss is the time I spent planning and trying to track him down. Clearly I don't need someone who never answers me to be responsible for part of the wedding. Badness. I did some looking for some other options, and have several to check out. One I stopped by this week, as it was on the way home from work, and I was pleasantly surprised at the venue they had to offer, the menu, AND the girl in charge of the booking/planning. It might be a little pricier than I anticipated, but I need to get a few other offers to really be able to determine if it's high. We're also going out tonight to a place in Clayton that I didn't know existed to see if the food is any good. These are the fun parts of planning....finding new good places to eat!

Also this week, I registered for a lame lab safety course, since my workspace is technically IN the lab; made a vet appointment for the cats (oh won't they be thrilled); navigated the new dental insurance that started last year to figure out who my dentist actually is now and made an appointment; made Sam's birthday cake; scrubbed the kitchen clean and actually finished the week's homework assignments well before they were due. 'Twas a good time.

Today Sam's ripping out the honeysuckle from the front yard, as it has finally succumbed to the fungus that seemed to attack it last summer. He has grand plans to re-structure the front flowerbed somewhat, then we're going to plant new flowers. I think at this point we're going to go with rhododendrons. I must say, I'm quite pleased with this, as I was never really a fan of the honeysuckle. It always looked a little ragged, really more of a "growing over a fence" kind of plant. It's still a little weird to have a house with all these little things to take care of. Makes me feel all grown-up and real. Scary.

And finally, crazy-neighbor update: they're still there, haven't left yet. It amazes me how long it's taking them to paint a room. Of course, when you're lazy and don't actually start doing anything until 9 pm, the day kind of gets away from you. Dog is still there, barking away. They are, also, actually doing some yardwork...sort of. No project ever really gets finished (again, starting as the sun goes down kills the productivity), as evidenced by the pile of branches left out front this morning. I love the improvements that they're making, presumably to make the house more marketable. Clearly they're aware that it was a hole, but were never really motivated enough to make it nice to live in themselves. People amaze me. They say owning your own home makes you more invested, so you'll take better care of it. That theory is being disproved every day next door. I really hope someone better moves in.

This week was far more settled and directed as far as work goes. I actually have a goal with regard to what I'm doing now, and I think I have a better grasp on what I'll be doing this year. That being said, things are still really chill, and it's wonderful to set my own hours. I still don't have to be up before the sun (yay!) and I LOVE having my late afternoons/evenings to myself to do whatever I want. Good times. I'd recap the week, but it was all pretty much the same. I spent most of my time looking through x-rays of kids' legs. I'm also still doing a fair amount of reading, both on orthopedics in general as a refresher, and for my clinical research class.

Highlights from the week otherwise:

Wednesday I had the honor of being included in my very first Princess Night. A couple of girls from the class started this awhile back, where they get together for food/baked goods and generally bad made-for-TV movies, often about princesses, though this is not a requirement. Wednesday was more of a field trip Princess Night though, as we met up at Qdoba after everyone got off work, then headed to The Chase to see The Proposal. Oh, so fantastically cheesey, but that's what made it great. It was also great to see people again, although it made me a little sad again to not be doing 4th year.

Thursday was also a good day, if only because I got to go to the OR in the morning with my mentor. It was a relatively slow morning as far as surgeries go, and the presence of a new-ish 2nd year resident (who I knew ahead of time) and a 4th year classmate meant that I was really just watching rather than participating in the procedures. Still, it was good to be back there, and, predictably, made me start weighing my career options again. Lots to think about this year!

Friday, being a "holiday," meant a day off...because I was so strained at work this week ;-) I did end up getting up at a decent time, however, and met a couple of the OB residents who were working nights for breakfast in the West End after they got off. Again, another reason to weigh the options. Bah, stupid multiple interests! After breakfast, I went home and Sam and I loaded up the car with our bikes to head to St. Charles. We road a good 15 miles on the Katy Trail along the Missouri River. The weather was gorgeous, and not too humid, which made it a great day. I probably could have made it further, but my butt was definitely going numb on my seat. Guess I need to ride a little more often! I was pretty beat that night though, but it meant I slept really well.

Yesterday started off as a day of just bumming around, what with sleeping excessively late and then Sam making pancakes, but became a little more productive as time went on. I straightened up the house, balanced my checkbook, paid some bills, set up online accounts for all my student lender organizations, vacuumed, did laundry, and baked the cake for dinner at the bosses' house Monday. I also finished the Christmas stocking I've been working on for Sam. The cross-stitch part was done earlier this week, but the finishing and assembling into an actual stocking still takes some time. It looks really nice though, and made me excited for the holidays, even if it is the middle of July. We ended up not really doing anything for the 4th. Sam grilled some chicken for dinner and stayed in to watch a movie before bed. It was a nice evening, and I really didn't mind missing the drunken explosives going on around us.

Basically, life is good right now. I'm settling in to the research mode, and really enjoying the pace. I'm hoping to start working in some swimming in the coming week or two, since I can actually make it to the pool now. I'm also turning my attention to some little (and some not-so-little) things I've been wanting to do around the house, like organize my huge box full of photos that recently came up from Georgia, finish painting the kitchen, etc. I suppose I should also begin working on some wedding things soon, since it's only 3 1/2 months away now, although I'm not really that into it right now. We'll see. Now that I get to have a life again, it's amazing how my enthusiasm and level of caring about things are slowly creeping back. Hooray for being a semi-normal person again!

I'm done with my first week of "research." Granted, not much research was done this week, but I believe that will change tomorrow. I spent most of this week in between things, reading. I ran into lots of people, both classmates and residents, which was fun, especially since I'm not really doing much else right now :) Otherwise I read a lot, and went to the occasional class. I also spent a sizable amount of time trying to get various administrative items taken care of. I finally have access to the computer drives I need, but I don't yet have physical access to the lab. That's annoying, but manageable for now. Hopefully that will get resolved this week. I also had lots of short little meetings with various people to make sure I know what's actually going to go on this year.

Initial thoughts on the decision to do a research year: I'm going to be relatively bored. I already miss the clinical stuff, and the people that go along with it. That said, the people in the lab I'm working in (well, I'm only physically there, I am thankfully NOT doing basic science work) are surprisingly cool, so that was a nice surprise. You never know what you'll get in a lab. The sad thing is that there's a very large gap between my labmates' area of expertise and mine. Not that anyone is lacking education, it's just that we know different things, which makes it difficult to talk about our respective fields right now. That will change as time goes on though. I am also quite pleased with the schedule. I pick my hours, and I really don't have to report to anyone in particular in that regard. It's great. Right now I'm getting in around 8:30 and still beating people to work. It's amazing. I also, as the title of this post states, get my weekends back. Believe me, I am enjoying this. It wasn't until last year that I can to appreciate just how wonderful a two-day weekend was.

I still kind of have studying to do. Not hardcore studying that takes up all my free time, but a little reading to go with the assignments for my classes. I'm participating in the summer classes that go with the grant that is paying me, so I spend a lot of time with the rising second years. I'm taking a workshop called Designing Outcomes and Clinical Research, which is fairly straightforward. A little reading each week, with a 1-2 page assignment relating to the project I'm working on, with the ultimate goal of having a 5-page research proposal at the end. The nice thing is that this is geared toward the summer-only students. I actually had to write a 5-page proposal for my application for the year, so I'm pretty much already done. There will be tweaking, but it's not bad. Plus, it only meets once a week. Not bad at all.

The other class is a little more annoying. It's the Analysis of Clinical Data, and is basically how to use the statistical software package SPSS. There's a lecture on Wednesday afternoons and a "lab" on Friday afternoons to go through some exercises. It's not hard, it's just kind of a waste of time. I'm plowing through though, and it's only 6 weeks long. Plus, when it really comes down to it, these classes only count for completion. I'm actually not even sure if we get a grade. The past few years have really taught me how to put these things into perspective. Last year especially taught me to glean out the important teaching points in the mass of information thrown at me and not waste time on the rest. There are points to be learned from both of these classes, and I pay attention to those. Otherwise, I'm not stressing.

Beyond that, there's not much going on. As I said, I'm enjoying my weekend. Yesterday was relatively productive. I got all my reading done, did laundry, ironed a few things, got groceries and washed my car. It was disgustingly hot out, but I guess that's ok for car-washing. Sam made pizza for dinner, which he hasn't done in a long time. I've kind of taken over the making of dinners since I moved in (which he doesn't mind at all :-P) but it was a nice change. Plus, he got to use the new giant cheese grater and giant pizza wheel I got at the shower. He was oddly excited about this. Then we went to see The Hangover, which was pretty hilarious. I don't even remember the last time I went to see a movie. It was a nice little date night for us.

Today I have a little homework to do (which I still find weird), and some cleaning around the house. Not a whole lot else though. Yay for weekends!

Oh, and as an update, crazy neighbor is still there. We're not actually sure when the official you-must-be-out date is, but I'm hoping it's the end of the month. No guarantees though. All we can do is hope.

I know it's been awhile. I've been putting off updating because I felt I had too much to cover, which then snowballed into more and more, so I'll just summarize.

I went home for my shower mid-June, and it was a nice trip. The drive home was absolutely the worst one I've ever had, with crazy pounding rain for 2-3 of the 8 hours...enough to make me want to pull over, but also be scared that if I did so someone would hit me since no one could see anything. Being home was nice though. Overall pretty chill hanging out with the family. Mom and I were the only ones home the first night and we ended up staying up til 1 drinking wine, talking, and watching silly musicals. It was great.

The shower was lots of fun. It was pretty much all the women in the neighborhood who watched me grow up. I'm the first one in The Group's set of kids to get married, so it was a big event. Everything was so nice and pretty with the fancy china and the tea-time-type food. Plus I got tons of great stuff for the house! It was just so nice to feel so loved even though I haven't lived there for almost 7 years now.

The rest of the trip was equally relaxing. The drive home was a little better, with only 45 minutes of pounding rain. Oh well, at least I made it.

After returning to St. Louis, I continued to be reminded why I wanted to leave. It's been unbearably hot here lately, we're talking the high 90's, and you all know how well I do with heat. I went to classes here and there when I got back, which gave me something to do on a few of the days, but otherwise I just kind of bummed around. I put all the gifts away and cleaned the house a bit as well, but that was about the extent of my productivity.

Monday was my first day of "work" for my research year. I planned it so I would go back when everyone else did for 3rd & 4th year. I wound up only doing about an hour's worth of work, since I still needed to take care of lots of administrative stuff such as card access to the lab and just general set-up. I did get quite a bit of reading done though, and ran into several of my classmates starting 4th year. Everyone's so happy right now, it's great. I was a little bored (and jealous of the 4th year goodness) the first couple days, but still, it beats getting up at 4, or writing H&P's at 2 am because you're stuck in the hospital all night.

Since then I've gotten a lot straightened out and gotten a better idea of what I'll be doing this year. There will be lots of going through charts and writing up articles, but that's fine by me. I'll get a few minor publications out of the deal. Plus, my mentor, although very busy, is incredibly open to letting me do pretty much whatever I want. Yes, he has some things he'd like done, but he's also told me to come to his clinic or OR whenever I want. I need to brush up on some surgical skills that have been lying dormant for the past several months, so I'll definitely be taking him up on that. I'm still not quite able to fill up a full workday with stuff, but I'm getting there. I knew that would be the case in the beginning, so I'm running with it. Besides, it's great to be able to leave when I'm done, regardless of what time it is, without having to hunt down every member of the team to make sure it's ok I go.

Two other quick things worth mentioning. Number one is the wedding, which I'm actually doing a little bit for again. The shower apparently spurred me on to do some more planning. I'd put it aside in March and left it there, with no real desire to do anything more since then. Last week I met with the florist again and finalized the flowers, so that's done. The invitations came in a few weeks before I went home, and they're gorgeous. I don't really have to deal with those, but it's nice to know it's done. I also stopped by the tux place to change the guys' vests, since the bridesmaids dresses were lighter than expected. Finally, Sam and I wrote vows over the weekend, so I just need to update the officiant about that and it's yet another thing that's done. The only major thing yet to be taken care of is booking the rehearsal lunch restaurant, which is becoming more of a pain than it should be. I'm thinking about changing the location, just because the guy at the first place has been so flakey. We'll see.

Secondly, the very best news of all...our horrible neighbor is moving!! She's had this questionable friend living there for a couple months now, and we presumed this was to help with the baby, since she's completely irresponsible. We also figured it was a financial thing. The irresponsibility carries over to the finances as well. But then, around the time I came back from Georgia, the friend was dragging furniture outside and apparently painting the horrid red walls/ceiling in the living room. There was also a lot of other suspicious activity going on over there. It occurred to us that maybe she was leaving, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. Then, the other night, Sam and I were taking out the trash and saw the neighbor on the other side of her house, who confirmed that yes, indeed, she was moving. Oh, but it gets better. The following day, in the hospital, I saw the guy who lives on the other side of her (he's a resident at Barnes), who started grinning hugely when he saw me. Yeah, turns out she's being foreclosed. Karma's a bitch, it seems. He was also thrilled that she's leaving, as they can't stand her either. So within the next few weeks, we will finally have a nice, quiet neighborhood again, without a damn dog barking all night and an inconsiderate, irresponsible witch next door (sorry, but you have no idea the crap we've dealt with). Oh, life is good! Now if it would just cool off a bit...

Yes, we're back, and it was an absolutely fabulous trip. The beginning was kind of dampened by a run-in with white trash neighbor lady (remember, the one with the endlessly barking dog who now has a baby), but we'll leave that part out. Otherwise the trip was great, and a perfect way to celebrate being done with the hardest parts of med school. A quick re-cap:

Monday I got up at the same time I'd been getting up for work...except now it was to head to the airport! I don't think it had really sunk in that I was truly done until then, when we bypassed school for the train station instead. All flights went smoothly, which is always nice, and we got into Burlington without a hitch. The airport was quite cute, and was literally located in the middle of a residential neighborhood. We checked into the hotel, then explored the lakefront and downtown (I use that term loosely) a bit. It turns out that Burlington is very much a college town, being home to the University of Vermont. It's the largest "city" in the state, and really quite pleasant to walk around. It was rather quiet when we first got there, but it was also a little early for the dinner crowd, and also a Monday. We ended up having an early dinner, then drove around a bit, up to one of the islands in the lake before crashing early after a day of traveling.

Tuesday we slept in a bit, then headed back out on the road with a plan to drive rather aimlessly around the Adirondacks, just to see what we could find. The ferry we had planned to take from Burlington hadn't opened for the season yet, so we drove back north to the island and hopped on a year-round ferry there. Turns out there are very limited means of crossing Lake Champlain. We then drove south along the lake, stopping along the way at a few random places, until we discovered that Lake Placid was incredibly close by. So we headed west and had lunch in the town there before walking around a bit in the shopping area, and just around the lake. Afterwards we drove around there a bit and found the ski jump facility used in the 1980 Olympics, and I must say, I never got the impression from watching that event just how incredibly scary those things are. Whoa. Seriously tall. We also visited the bobsled track, which was pretty cool as well. Too bad the bobsled rides were $60, or we definitely would have done them. The rest of the day was spent winding our way south until we found a bridge back over the lake, then heading back to Burlington. We also stopped by the hospital at UVM, which was actually a fairly decent-sized place. More on that later though.

Wednesday was the "let's play Vermont tourist" day. We started out at the Vermont Teddy Bear factory just south of Burlington. Sam even bought me a bear with a wedding dress, since we're considering this trip our pre-wedding honeymoon :) Then we went to Waterbury to the Ben & Jerry's factory. Ice cream is always a good call. Then we went to Montpelier, the nation's smallest capital city (population 7900), and visited an old maple farm. This last stop was actually not terribly tourist-y. The farm has apparently been owned by the family for 8 generations, and they make a ton of syrup. It was also pretty interesting, and a beautiful area. Afterwards we went back to Montpelier to wander around a bit, which didn't take long, then took the scenic route back to Burlington. I continued to be amazed throughout the trip at just how small the states were. I kept forgetting the the scale on the map was huge, so distances seemed SO much farther than they really were.

Thursday we checked out and started on the drive to Maine. We opted to avoid the interstate and stick to state and US highways instead, especially since it really wasn't very far. It was a good decision. We stopped in Montpelier again for some snacks, then ventured east. We drove through the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, and had a late lunch at a very cute little roadside place. We arrived in Portland in the afternoon, only to find that I had accidentally booked the hotel for the previous night. Luckily the room was still open and they were cool about it. The perks of staying in a locally-owned place...people are a little more flexible. We then met up with Sam's friend who grew up in Portland, who showed us one of the parks, and a couple of lighthouses (pictures coming soon). We had a nice walk/scramble along the rocks after dinner, and I got to stick my feet in the ocean for the first time in a few years. And yes, it was about as cold as the Pacific on the Oregon coast this time of year, but so very worth it.

Friday was another Portland day. We headed downtown (and Portland actually counts as having a downtown), and met up with Sam's friend again. We all took the ferry out to one of the islands, but it was incredibly foggy, so there was very little to see. In some ways, it was cool though. You could hear all the fog horns going in the distance all morning. We had a nice walk all around Peaks Island, which was about 2 hours, and spent some time climbing around the rocks. After heading back to the mainland, we grabbed some lunch in Old Portland and started back to Vermont, taking the same route. Another beautiful drive.

Saturday, sadly, we had to leave. Given the small size of the town and the airport, it really wasn't necessary to get up early for our flight. In fact, we were able to sleep in AND enjoy a nice late breakfast at a crepe place on the lakefront on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny morning. It was really hard to leave after that.

But now we're back, and I must say, I canNOT wait to leave St. Louis. Every year I hate the summers more, and spending a week in the pleasantly cool northeast was wonderful. Yes, I know the winters are rough, but I actually like snow and winter, and would much prefer it to the misery that is a St. Louis (or Atlanta, for that matter) summer. Heat is fine for a beach vacation, NOT for my everyday life. Both Sam and I also really liked the more community-type feel we got from pretty much everywhere we went up there. New England in general just moved way up the list of potential residency locations. Sure, Vermont's a little smaller population-wise than I initially thought I wanted, but my career goals have been shifting a lot this year, and the feel of the area seems to fit pretty well with what I want. I was also pleasantly surprised at how similar the region was, both in topography and climate (minus the winters) to the northwest. More bonus points. I think it's safe to say that we'll end up in one of the northern corners of the country once we're done here. And that can't come soon enough. 703 more days until graduation....yes, I'm counting.

I kind of got back into things today. I refuse to give up my three weeks of vacation, though, so I'm not actually starting my research until the 22nd. However, the young 'uns doing the summer version of my program started their classes this week, which I'm apparently also supposed to do, so I'm going to the ones that I'm around for. I went to a lunch talk today about research ethics, which I actually went to the summer after first year as well. It was a little amazing how out of place I felt. Firstly, to go to work but not go to the hospital was weird. Secondly, I knew no one in the room. Thirdly, everyone there had just finished first year, and they were all bubbling with enthusiasm for the upcoming summer and preparing for second year. While I know better that nothing can really prepare them for what the next two years are bringing, I was good and just sat back and watched. No need to ruin what will be a fun summer. It does show me that I've had some of the fun beaten out of me this year though. I really do enjoy what I do, and am glad I've chosen this route, but the perkiness isn't there anymore. I don't sit through lectures well anymore. I need to be doing something. Hopefully there won't be TOO much class this summer! Otherwise I'm still just chilling out though. Other than class I'm hanging at home with the cats, and perhaps going shopping tomorrow. Thursday I drive home for my shower on Saturday. Nothing else really going on. And I really do love it that way.

What a great weekend this has turned out to be. It's like a super-charged switch weekend, which, up until now, was the best thing about third year. What makes this so much better though, is knowing that I don't have to dive back in tomorrow. I don't feel compelled to clean or get things done that have been put off during the last rotation. I know I have time to do things at a slower pace. It's great. I even have time to update and do a bit of day-logging, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on who's reading this :-P

Friday was a good day. POM, as expected, was worthless, but it really didn't matter. The shelf wasn't too bad. It was long, as they all are, but I still finished early. I did, however, start just skimming towards the end, which always has the potential to negatively affect my score. Really though, I'm not too torn up about it. I think that on this rotation, my shelf score isn't going to swing my grade too much (I hope). Two not-so-fun things did happen though, one before and one after the exam. First, I stopped by my apartment building to turn in my key. It was pretty sad. I haven't lived in one place for this long since before leaving for college, and it was really my first place of my own. I'm glad I've been slowly moving out though, as it made the blow a little easier to take. Secondly, as I was walking back to my car after the exam, I noticed my ID was gone. Thus, I had to walk back to school, search the two auditoriums we were in, and head back, all to no avail. Luckily, when I got home, I had an email waiting for me from someone in the radiology department who had found it, so I ultimately did get it back. Still, frustrating, since I need it to avoid paying for tickets on the train to the airport tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out, then Sam and I got burritos for dinner. Shortly before we left, Lizzie called and invited us over some celebrating, which was a much better option than the big one the class was having in the West End. I ended up staying far too late and drinking far too much wine (which John kept supplying to me, damn him), but it was a lot of fun. Yesterday morning was a little less fun because of it, but it wasn't too bad. Besides, I never do that anymore, and there are no responsibilities this weekend, so it's all good.

After showering and recovering a bit yesterday morning, I headed to AAA to pick up some maps of New England so we can drive to Maine through state routes and such instead of the interstates. That was pretty much the extent of my productivity. I spent the afternoon watching Disney movies and working on my cross stitch project, until we were picked up by some friends to go have pizza. Oh, I did do some laundry as well, in preparation for the trip.

Today promises to be a tad more productive, but still pretty relaxed. We slept in and had some eggs for breakfast. We need to pack, and I think I should probably straighten up the house a bit so it's not a disaster when we get back. That's about it though. We may wander around the neighborhood this evening, since it's such a nice day, but I doubt there will be much more than that. Since it's finally stopped raining, and it's not ungodly hot yet, it seems the entire world is out and about this weekend, which makes getting around the park near here a horrible chore. Instead we're likely just going to hang out around the house all day.

Tomorrow we're heading out kind of early, although really it's about when I've been going to work lately anyway, so it's not a big deal. We're getting to Burlington in the mid-afternoon, with plenty of time to spend exploring a bit before dinner. Plus, judging from the maps I obtained yesterday, it's not exactly an overwhelmingly large place to explore. I am so excited for this trip and just getting away for a bit. I really miss the long weekends I took first year to go visit people and get away from St. Louis. But now, truly, the worst is over. Fourth year is by far the easiest year of med school, and my research year won't exactly be impossible. Yes, residency is still a huge thing to tackle, but one step at a time. For now, I'm just thoroughly enjoying the fact that I can relax and spend time with Sam in a beautiful new area of the country.

I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it, but today is my last day of third year! And it's not even really like the rest of third year, seeing as it is just the shelf exam and then a stupid POM session. After about 2:00, I get to focus on the trip to New England, and not worry at all about studying, presenting patients, or what my attendings/residents will say about me in their evaluations. Wow does it feel good to finally be allowed to have a bad day...not like there will be bad days for awhile here :)

I was doing a bit of self-reflection yesterday as I walked in to work for the last time as a third year. I remember walking in to my Surgery orientation a little less than a year ago, moderately terrified for what was in store, wondering if I could handle it. I passed one of the then-soon-to-be-second-years out walking her dog, who wished me good luck. Things have certainly changed a lot. Even after that first day, there was a lot of figuring out what was going on. The next couple of blocks, I was still really nervous the night before the first day. It wasn't until Peds, after Thanksgiving, that I walked in to a new rotation feeling like I could just slip into it after a couple hours, and know more or less what was expected of me. Better still, I knew I could do it. My, how things have changed. I really do feel like I've learned so much this year, and unlike all of first year (and most of second year), I feel like I will actually be able to handle being a doctor one of these days. Sure, I can't function independently yet, but that's what residency is for. The thought of being an intern is still scary, but I'm beginning to feel like I can handle it. It's a good feeling.

And, of course, I must include my final thoughts on Internal Medicine, just to round out the year. Surprisingly enough, I really did enjoy the rotation. A lot of that can be attributed to the people I worked with, but that also says something about the field. I could fit in with these people well. I enjoyed the thinking involved in figuring out what was wrong with the patients, and what we needed to do about it. I also felt that I was very involved in the patient care, which was surprising. I remember on Peds feeling like all we did as the physicians was check on them in the morning, discuss everyone in rounds, write some orders and let the nursing staff do all the patient care. I expected a similar arrangement on medicine, but for whatever reason, that was definitely not the case. I think I also felt more comfortable, both in Barnes (as opposed to Children's) and with adults and their problems. I really connected with several of my patients over these past few months, and felt as though I was able to help them myself, the lowly med student. I think I also just had a better understanding of the diseases that we were dealing with, which helps to understand the patients themselves. I also still really like heart disease. I could see myself doing cardiology and being happy with the decision. Ultimately, though, I want to operate, as well as get to know my patients and their problems. There is a lot of needless discussion and deliberating with Medicine that gets old. I know part of that is the "teaching hospital" environment that I just experienced Medicine in. I'm still oscillating a bit, but OB is consistently what I've been returning to. We'll just have to see how next year goes, and whether it brings me back to Ortho.

Alright, sorry for the long delay in real updates. Hopefully I'll be a bit better now, especially after our trip. There will be far more time for these things in the near future. Especially since, after today, I have NO MORE EXAMS, except for boards, which are now FAR less important than the first round of them. That's right folks, today is the last "final" for medical school!

With 10 days left (including days off and the shelf exam), my enthusiasm and work ethic are both fading fast. Don't get me wrong, I like my team, and going to work isn't so bad. It is, however, moderately painful to wake up in the morning right now, knowing that there's going to be a whole lot of standing or sitting around just listening for most of the morning. I do really still like the heart though. Hanging out in the cath lab makes me actually consider doing medicine, just so I could do cardiology. In the end, though, I know medicine isn't for me.

I'm also having trouble with motivation to do outside work this last month. I've slowly fallen off writing full H&P's, as well as progress notes, which is probably a bad thing. I'm also not really reading at all at home anymore. I did tonight, but only because I HAVE to give a presentation tomorrow in Professor's Rounds. Otherwise I've been kind of slacking a lot lately. A week from Friday though, it's all done. No more exams except for boards, and those really just need to be passed at this point. There will always be reading to do, but hopefully that will be a tad less painful when it's in a field I like.

It hit me this weekend, too, that we're going to New England soon! Two weeks from yesterday we head to Vermont! I'm so excited to get away from Missouri, especially since it's starting to get hot again. I know most people think I'm crazy, but I really do loathe the hot weather. Yes, wearing skirts and dresses is nice, but I really hate feeling like I need to shower just walking from the front door to my car. Plus the bugs will be coming out in full force soon too, which is always wonderful. Why can't it just stay 70 degrees? Only 2 more summers to go here, though, then I'm increasing my latitude somehow.

Finally, there is now more and more excitement for my shower! I got my invitation recently, and it seems that every time I call my mom, she's been doing something shower-related. She's almost giddy half the time I talk to her now. It's mostly a lot of fun, though I think more for her than me right now. I'm still just trying to get through these last few weeks, and don't really care all that much about anything related to the wedding. I haven't really done anything wedding-related since she came in visit in March, and I'm fine with it. At times I'm a little exasperated by all the enthusiasm, but now that the end is in sight, I'm starting to get a little more excited about it. Once next Friday rolls around, though, I can forget about work for a bit and just relax. Oh, I'm so very excited to consistently have two-day weekends again!

Sam had an update meeting today with his thesis committee, and was given the green light to defend by December! I don't know all the specifics yet, but this means he'll go back to clinical rotations in time to graduate with me in 2011. Oh, it is a good day for us both!

I've been debating something ever since I got my call schedule for this rotation: given the fact that I have another black weekend the first week, should I be "sick" one day and take some time for myself, since school isn't giving it to me? Well, today was the day I had planned on taking off, since we aren't on call or post-call. My alarm went off this morning, and had I bounced right out of bed like I have been the past few days, I think I would have just said screw it and gone in. But I didn't. I laid there and debated. And ultimately decided that staying home, sleeping a little, and getting some things done would be the better choice. So here I am, munching on my oatmeal squares at 9:45 instead of being bored in rounds. It was a good call.

Cards has been fine so far, though. I have a great fellow med student on the team, which helps a lot. Otherwise, the team isn't quite as much fun as my Firm team, but they're still good. I'm really just bored and burned out at this point though. I remembering rationalizing having Medicine at the end when I got my schedule last year (definitely not my first choice), thinking that "hey, at least the thing I want to do will be at the end, so I'll stay interested." Well, we all know how that's turned out. I'm tired of writing H&P's, tired of the long discussions in rounds and pretending to look interested. I pretty much know what I want to do now, and since I can't be doing that, I'd rather enjoy my time on my own. Yes, I know I'm being whiney, but that's just how I feel right now. Only 18 more days though, and it could be worse...I could be on Neuro :-P

Otherwise things are going pretty well. The house has come together nicely, and everything is more or less arranged the way we want it. Boxes are all unpacked as well, which was my accomplishment of yesterday evening. In celebration of this, we're having a barbecue with Sam's friends this Saturday, and my friends on Memorial Day. No, we're not purposely separating them, but it worked out that essentially none of my friends could make it this weekend, so we had to create a second day. It'll be fun though, to finally get to entertain here, in our home. It sounds crazy to say it that way, but it really is now. I will miss my apartment though. I'm not 100% out of it yet, as I still need to re-paint the living room and clean it before leaving for good, but I'm hoping to get all of that done by Memorial Day.

Today is going to be a nice, relaxing day, I do believe. I've already slept in and had a nice, leisurely breakfast. Now it's time for the coffee I no longer indulge in on weekdays and perhaps a bit of reading. I'm also planning on attempting homemade hummus for the first time, as well as making one of Sam's favorites of my cakes: Tres Leches. Add to that the fact that it's beautiful outside, so I can leave all the windows open, and it makes for a very good decision to stay home today.