Quirky thoughts from a simple mind

Look, Mom!!! Look at what I did!!!!

2007-07-28T16:27:00.000-04:00

So my mom calls the other day. In the middle of her gossiping about various family friends, she throws in....

"You haven't updated your blog in a while...."

what?!?

A couple of issues at hand here:
1) I was NOT aware that my mom was knowledgable about blogging.
2) I did not know that she was checking out this blog.

Well, mom, today's post is for you.....
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A couple of big things have occurred since my last blog.
-- Anniversary: Mandy and I had our one year anniversary!!! We celebrated with a pleasant dinner along the Detroit riverfront. It's hard to believe that we've already been married for a year. It's been a very good year. No big bumps in the road. It's a beautiful feeling to know that I can have such a deep love for someone who gives that love in return, without fail, without question. And as we live each day, it gets to be more and more beautiful.

-- "The Match" -- I made it!!! I will be in a pediatric cardiology fellowship next year.....right here in Detroit!!!! It was a difficult process, but it turned out to have a great result. I really like the program here and we don't have to worry about moving.
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The whole fellowship process gave me an opportunity to think back quite a bit.

Imagine the moment when you have just finished college. What if someone said to you at that moment "Would you like to have your dream job? The job you are best suited for, one where you can have success. Would you like to have that?"

I'm sure that most people would say yes.

What about a follow up question like "You can have that dream job. In order to get there, you need to work very hard for the next 11 years. During that time you will have to be up numerous nights where you do not sleep. You will struggle with critical decisions at a moment's notice. And for four years, instead of making money, you'll be digging yourself into debt. Will you endure that for your dream job?"

You might start second-guessing the decision at that point.

But that is precisely the process I have undertaken. I did not know that at the time when I decided to enter this field. And it has not been easy. Especially when I see friends in other fields get into the heart of their profession, doing their dream job 7-8 years before I get to mine.

Looking back, I would have made the same decision. And that makes me happy.

Oh, YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!

2007-05-06T06:25:00.000-04:00

What a weekend!

Wings win!

Pistons win!

Tigers win!

if only those Lions could join in on the action.....

The battle of wills has begun....

2007-04-24T12:31:00.000-04:00

I finally finished with my interviews for pediatric cardiology fellowship.

12 total. 6 interviews declined.

From east to west: Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Airline miles accumulated: ~19,000.

Total # of days used for travel & interviews: 29

Clues as to how it will all turn out: None
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I have until May 23rd to turn in my rank list. I find out the results of "the Match" on June 13th.

How some of the issues look so far (in my opinion):

Top ranked programs: Philadelphia, Houston

Top weather conditions: San Diego

Best cities: Chicago, Boston, San Francisco

Cost of living: Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis

Closest to home: Ann Arbor, Detroit
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There are so many things under consideration at this point. Where will I get the best training? Which program will set me up to have the most fruitful career? Where will Mandy have the best prospects of getting a job? Where will we be the happiest?

There is a lot of weight in this whole process. It determines where I will be for the next 3-4 years. It also is a stepping stone for the rest of my career. It feels like one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Except you can't turn back and change the decision that led you to page 37 where you were eaten by a dragon.

Update

2007-02-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

I've been on the road for the past two and a half weeks for interviews. I completed five during that time: St. Louis (Washington University), San Diego (UCSD), Chicago (Northwestern), Philadelphia (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), and Boston (Boston Children's Hospital).

First of all, I am not much of a travel person. I don't like living out of a suitcase, eating at restaurants everyday, looking up at maps every few blocks to find that "You Are Here" dot.

I did get the chance to see a few friends. Hung out with Galvez and Chris in San Diego for a few days to soak up the sun. Apparently, it does rain in southern California. And, I got to hang out with my sister-in-law in Chicago and partake in a charity flip cup tournament.

As for the interviews, they are going well. Fellowship interviews are easy yet grueling. All of them are day-long interviews. I meet with about 8-10 faculty members during that time for half-hour sessions. They usually spend the time selling their program to me. If they ask me a question, they're usually on the order of "Tell me about yourself" or "What are you looking for in a program?". By the time I'm done answering 1 or 2 questions, the half-hour is up and I move on to the next interviewer.

The most telling time during the interview process is lunch. That's usually when I meet the current fellows of the program. They have been generally honest (so far as I can tell) about their program, their likes and dislikes. I get to see how well they get along with each other. And it's free lunch, so most of them show up.

That's six interviews done. 8 more scheduled. Out of the ones that I have seen so far, the Philadelphia program is in the lead with Boston a close second. My next ones are in Cleveland (2), Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston.

HURRY!!! SWEEP!

2007-01-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

I went curling for the first time yesterday.

I've watched it several times on TV. I must say that I was not impressed with it while sitting on my couch.

In reality, it is quite challenging as a sport.

The purpose is to get as many rocks closer to the button than your opponents as possible. Each team is made up of 4 people and each person gets to throw two rocks with each team alternating throws. Your throws are directed toward a bulls-eye (called the house) which is about 3 feet in diameter.

Did I mention that it's played on ice? And that the rocks weigh 42 lbs.? And that you haave to throw the rock down a sheet 146 feet long?

There are many nuances to curling as with any other sport- technique, strategy, communication. It really was a joy to finally learn about the sport. If I had more time, I would probably put some effort into picking it up as a hobby.

Two obstacles:
1) Not many people play it. It would be a big effort just to get the necessary 8 people to play one match.

2) There's only one place that I know of where I would be able to play. And it isn't nearby.

A couple of positives:
1) no equipment is needed- if you're playing at a curling club, they generally have the rocks and brooms that you would need.

2) the people who curl are generally very friendly and very helpful.

It was a lot of fun. I highly recommend you try it if you haven't already.

On tour

2007-01-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

I am finally getting the interview season underway for pediatric cardiology fellowship. It's a pretty extensive set of dates so far. The cities include:

Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Cleveland, OH x 2
Cincinnati, OH
Detroit, MI
Ann Arbor, MI
Chicago, IL x 2
St. Louis, MO
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA

14 dates in all. Most trips are going to be "one and done"- get there the evening before the interview, get through interview and take off the evening of the interview. Thankfully, most of the hotel rooms are paid for by the programs. And in a few cases, I'll be staying with friends (BIG THANKS to Galvez, Becca and Patricia). Looking at it right now, it's too many interviews. Especially considering that through it all, I'll still be working.

In fact, I'll be using my final two weeks of vacation to do 5 of the interviews. It especially sucks because the other two weeks of vacation that I had this year were for my surgery and recovery. So, I really had no vacation this year.

Wish me luck.

Merry Christmas.....to ME!!!!!

2006-12-17T17:05:00.000-05:00

Finally bought our new TV. I'm so excited. I actually have never bought a TV before.

You read correctly, NEVER.

The only TV I owned was a hand-me-down from my parents when I moved into the dorms and they had gotten a new TV for themselves. When that one stopped working at the age of about 15 years old, I lived without a TV for about a year. Then, it's all been all about sharing from my roommates. First, someone who I rented a room out to, and now my permanent roommate, a.k.a. the wife.

I spent the last 5-6 months making sure about the specifications that I wanted (see blog from 9/18/2006) and researching the various models that fit the specifications. Then came the haggling. But not with the salesperson. The salesman was trusty OG and he made it easy to buy the TV 'cuz he just charged us the wholesale price. No, the haggling was with Mandy. Apparently, anything over 40 inches is too big for our house. And having enough resolution to count dots on a ladybug's back is too detailed. And a sound system powerful enough to knock our cats backwards would be too loud. But that's OK because we finally bought the thing.

In actuality, Mandy was very reasonable. And when I look back on it, I was probably just stuck in the whole "bigger, better, louder is better" thing despite cost.

But I can't wait. It gets delivered on Thursday. And we bought a new TV stand, but that doesn't get delivered until even later. I think I might get the shakes just from the excitement. Maybe I'll prescribe myself something to calm myself down in the meantime.....

Shed a tear...then smile

2006-12-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I was taught not to cry. Crying is a sign of weakness. People will make fun of you if you cry.

Being in medicine, I often feel that I should remain strong in front of a patient. We've had several lectures about the delivery of bad news, about how to comfort a patient, clearly communicating information, listening.

Sometimes, though, I feel like I'm the one who needs comforting.

A very close friend died this week. She was as close to our family as one can be without being related by blood. Her son was a groomsman in my wedding. Memories of growing up are full of times where she was sitting at our kitchen table or I was hanging out in her basement. She lived a beautiful life, raising a tremendous family, living as a good friend to many. While her life was not without tragedy, she lived with a flair and energy that couldn't be matched.

The death was not unexpected. Knowing the stage of her illness and the symptoms she had, it was clear the prognosis was poor. Despite the expectation, her passing still came as a shock. A shock to my emotions. As much as I could read about the condition, I was not able to find in books the rush of sorrow I felt when I finally heard the news.

My studies have been to determine answers to diseases and conditions. What about these questions that I am unable to answer? How can someone who lived so vigorously be taken so early? How can tragedy strike a family not once, but twice?

After the questions ran through my head, I started to think of the memories. And I began to realize that most of the memories of her were happy memories. Her smile. The gut-busting barbecues at her home. Her infectious laugh. My gosh, her laugh. So many nights, me and my siblings would fall asleep to the sound of her and our parents laughing up a storm, telling story after story. And though they often spoke in Tagalog and I couldn't understand much of what they were saying, you could always tell how funny or how serious the stories were because she was so expressive.

The only sad moment was when her younger son had suddenly died. It left an indelible mark on her. It spoke to her strong sense of family. The way she fawned over her children. She always seemed to be making plans to see another relative somewhere in the world. No place was too far to travel if it meant seeing her family.

She truly lived her life. Thinking of how fulfilled she seemed with everything she did made me turn inward this week. How can I live? Do I touch people positively with every interaction the way she did? Can I express that energy? Am I that strong with my family?

It gives me something to strive for. And it allows me to remember her. By thinking of all that she stood for, it gives me strength to be a better person. That will be how I honor her.

You will be missed, Tita Gemma. And never forgotten.

Comparing apples to oranges leads to a Fiesta Fight

2006-11-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

This BCS business is crap.

The race for number 2 is between Michigan and USC.

Let's first throw aside the issue of whether Michigan would deserve a rematch with Ohio State.

The question is: who is more deserving of the number 2 ranking?

In my mind, there are two clear points of comparison:
1) They both beat Notre Dame: USC won by 20 points at home in November, Michigan won by 26 points at South Bend in September.

2) Their loss: USC lost by 2 to Oregon State, ranked 24th in the BCS poll with a record of 8-4. Michigan lost by 3 to Ohio State, ranked 1st in the BCS poll with a record of 12-0. Both losses were on the road.

Both of these points would lead a reasonable person to believe that Michigan is a better team. Yet USC is currently ranked ahead of Michigan in the polls.

INCONCEIVABLE!!!

Black Friday = Loss of perspective

2006-11-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Stuck once again in the hospital on call.

Luckily, it's a slow day, not many admissions and the few patients that are in the hospital are not very sick at the moment. A few things here and there to take care of, but nothing overwhelming for the moment.

It's given me time to read up on the news.

And all of the craziness involved with the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping.

I am one to get excited about a good deal. If something fits my fancy and is a good price, I'll go out and buy it.

But lining up at 9 pm the night before a store opens at 5 am to get a 20-inch flat screen TV for $100? It's just not my cup of tea.

First, let's think about the holiday we just sped through enjoying. I find it difficult to believe that many people were actively giving thanks when they were planning on sitting on a curb for six hours to get 40% off of the newest electronic paraphernelia. Or that they were contemplating the meanings behind the upcoming holidays of Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa.

Perhaps they were contemplating their meanings. That's why they were in line, right? Because the meaning of those holidays are about buying gifts at deep discounts from big-box chain stores to show someone how much you care, right?

I can't comment on the consistency with waiting in line the day after turkey day with events around Chanukah and Kwanzaa. But I do know a little bit about Christmas. And as much as some people may believe it to be true, Black Friday shopping, in my mind, has very little to do with the preparation for the arrival of the Baby Jesus.

Christmas has been about bringing people together. Traveling across far off lands, to the beacon of some unknown force, to celebrate the beginning of something beautiful.

The spirit of Christmas is not about material things. Christmas has humble beginnings, in a manger amongst farm animals because there was no space at an inn. And while the magi did bring gifts for the Christ child, there is not mention of the great price they paid for the discount myrrh they got at the corner store.

I hope that after all the purchasing power has been exercised this weekend, people find time to return to the real reason the holiday season is special. Because we are becoming motivated to become better people. To be generous, forgiving and thoughtful. In preparation for receiving the greatest gift of all.

Contextual healing

2006-11-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

So I've been in physical therapy for about 8 months now and have probably a couple more months to go to recover from my surgery. I've been through the toughest part- the post surgical recovery and getting back to walking normally.

My physical therapists have been awesome. Very aggressive with developing my treatment plan, making sure to focus on areas where I need strengthening and keeping the exercises interesting.

Despite working with them closely for several months and having a good relationship, it still weirds me out with some of the maneuvers they do for stretching and testing my strength and flexibility. I'm probably tuned into it a little more being in the medical field. It gives me insight into the role of the patient.

In any other context, some of the things my therapists do could be classified as sexual assault. I guess it's appropriate that they're named "therapists" because separating the word spells "the rapists". And the times they either grab my butt or inner thigh, it comes without warning.

In one maneuver, I lay on my back with one leg up for a hamstring stretch. My therapist then proceeds to straddle me to maximize the stretch. Looking from the outside in, it looks like an illustration from the kama sutra. And she really gets into it. The past couple of times, she was stretching me so aggressively that she came out all sweaty. If it were occurring in the evening, I'd feel bad for not having bought dinner earlier.

Nothing to worry about, though. There is no inappropriate shifting going on.

Blinded by science

2006-10-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

With the mid-term elections coming up, a lot of hot button issues are coming to the forefront. I find it strange that science can become a political divider in this day and age.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/25/michaelj.fox.campaign.ap/index.html

Science is a methodology, a way to ellicit natural information. We all learned in school about the scientific method. Hypothesis development, experimental design, data collection, interpretation. Careful questioning leads to discrete answers. It usually leads to more questions while the answers slowly build towards truth the way the Egyptian pyramids were methodically built towards an apex.

Millions of person-hours of effort has determined the pathophysiology of Parkinson disease. It is caused by a significant decrease in dopamine production in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. This leads to the characteristic triad of rigidity, tremor and bradykinesia (slow movement). This has been researched extensively.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans have Parkinson disease. That a person who has Parkinson disease is interested in research into it's cure is understandable. To criticize a person supporting research that may lead to a cure is questionable. To claim that that same person is being exploitative is reprehensible.

***Note: Parkinson did not have the disease, he characterized it. Therefore it is "Parkinson disease" not "Parkinson's disease"***

Michael J. Fox wants to be cured. His disease prevents him from doing his life work. He supports stem cell research for the possibility of a cure of his disease. This support is not tied to political affiliation. If a conservative supported stem cell research, I'm sure Michael J. Fox would support that candidate. If a libertarian supported stem cell research, I'm sure Michael J. Fox would support that candidate. If a conservationist supported stem cell research, I'm sure Michael J. Fox would support that candidate. For Rush Limbaugh to infer that Michael J. Fox was "either off his medication or acting" is an indication to me that 1) Limbaugh has no understanding of Parkinson disease, 2) Limbaugh has no understanding of Fox's position, and 3) Limbaugh is open to politicize any issue regardless of available evidence.

This is just one issue I've been focusing on with the upcoming elections. There are more and many of them will directly affect our lives on the local, county, state and national levels. I'll be at the polls on November 7th. I hope that many more show up to make their voices heard.

BEST WEEK EVER!!!!!

2006-10-08T12:52:00.000-04:00

So this week was the first in a long time (not counting vacation) that I didn't have to be in the hospital on-call for an extended period. 13 days of call-free bliss.

This is a big deal because generally I'm on call on average every fourth day. And being on- call means being awake most of the night, admitting patients to the floor from the ER and getting calls from nurses about patient problems- this patient needs this medicine, that patient is now running a temperature, another patient is throwing up, this other patient had their IV come out. I'm lucky if I get more than an hour of sleep (and it's never a continuous 60 minutes- usually 10-15 minutes here and there). And then I go home in the morning to sleep, work the next couple of days to get back onto my usual sleep schedule just to be on call again and start the whole cycle over.

So 13 days of having a more normal schedule. I actually started to feel rested in the mornings coming to work. And during that time I was able to get personal work done at home- lots of forms to fill out for fellowship application.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers have made it into the ALCS!!!!!!! It's truly a monumental thing around here. People in downton Detroit are genuinely excited. Foot traffic has exploded. Cat Scratch Fever has really become an epidemic.

Imagine being the absolute worst at something. Not just at that moment, but the WORST OF ALL TIME. And the history of "all time" being about 150 years. And then turning around and competing as one of the best at that something within 3 years. Not just competing, but defeating the group who many "experts" claimed was the best.

That's the Detroit Tigers right now.

I believe that Detroit is the best sports town there is. The only other cities that compete in this distinction are Chicago, Boston and New York. No other towns can claim over the past 25 years to have championships in 3 of the major professional sports (Detroit has basketball, hockey and baseball championships; Chicago has basketball, football and baseball; New York has baseball, hockey and football; Boston has basketball, football and baseball). But Chicago is split in baseball between its Cubs fans and White Sox fans. New York is split in 3 sports (Yankees v. Mets, Giants v. Jets, Rangers v. Islanders). And Detroit is the only one to have repeat champions in two sports over the past 25 years (basketball, hockey). In all 4 major professional sports, the whole city of Detroit can get behind a single team without splitting its fan base. In addition to pro sports, the universities in Michigan provide plenty of opportunities for championships. Heck, a team from U of M even won the beer pong championship.

So that is why yesterday was so enjoyable for me. Sitting in a downtown sports bar watching the Tigers in the playoffs and U of M square off against MSU in the annual intrastate football clash. Not just watching the games themselves, but being in that atmosphere. The situation was quite unique; people would cheer in unison with every Tiger hit or Yankee strikeout, then turn around and half the crowd would cheer a U of M first down while the other half would groan. United for one moment, divided the next. In the end, everyone was in a great mood (perhaps because of all the beer consumed). The Red Wings even topped off the night by winning a 2-0 shutout.

A great way to end my call-free break. At least it's a nice thought to have swimming in my head now that I'm back on call.

Upgrade

2006-09-18T02:56:00.000-04:00

Since Mandy moved in, we've been watching TV on her very old set, a 27 inch CRT from the '90s. At this point, it's doing the most basic of television functions-- presenting to me the news, scores and shows that I surf around for.

A couple of months ago, we were sitting on the couch watching a DVD that happened to have a couple of scenes with subtitles....and realized that our TV is totally inadequate for reading subtitles from 6 feet away. Just to read them, we had to move up to about 2 feet from the TV.

The solution? A bigger, better TV!!!

So I've been shopping around the internet, looking at the various options. Plasma vs. LCD. Available resolution. Size. The specs I'm currently looking at:
- Dimension: 40-46 in screen.
- Display: LCD
- Resolution: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
- Must have: Picture-in-picture (PIP)

The sets that currently fit those specs: Samsung LN-S4095D or LN-S4695D, Sony KDL-40XBR3 or KDL-46XBR3, Toshiba 42HL196 (1080i), Sharp LC-45GD4U

Anybody have any comments on the above sets? Any information is helpful as this is a pretty big purchase and I want to make sure we get a good TV.

Don't call it a comeback

2006-09-10T11:51:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's almost been a year since my last post. It's been very busy and I guess posting to my blog has been pushed to low on the priority list.

To catch up:
1) I'm married!!!! and happily I must say. The wedding went off well, and we are finally finishing up thank-you cards, so the ceremony itself is completely behind us now. The newlywed period is going great. Since we co-habitated for a few months before the actual wedding, we haven't had to go through the "getting used to living with each other" transition that some people warned us about.

2) Health: I ruptured my right ACL this past March. Luckily, it was long enough before the wedding so that I could do some rehabilitation before the ceremony and could get around. I had surgery 6 weeks ago to repair it as well as straighten out my leg (technical term: proximal tibial osteotomy) to lessen the chance of rupturing it again. I've been struggling on crutches in the meantime. My next appointment with the surgeon is tomorrow- at that time I'll find out if I can start bearing weight again and advance my rehab to building up my strength again.

3) Professional: I finally decided to apply for a fellowship in pediatric cardiology. I was very inclined towards cardiology even before I started my residency. For a while, I was equally interested in both adult and pediatric cardiology. With the opportunity in pediatric cardiology to follow-up with patients into their adulthood, it seems to me that pediatric cardiology is a better fit for me. I'm looking forward to a difficult and competitive process; there are only 47 pediatric cardiology programs in the U.S. with a total of about 140 positions. And hundreds of applications are sent out every year. So there's going to be a lot of praying going on as I go through the whole application process this year.

4) Social: I've pretty much dropped off the face of the earth. Haven't been social at all since the wedding. The post-wedding wrap-up took up some time, and the surgery has limited my mobility. So I haven't been able to see anyone in a few months now. Once I get back on my feet, I will hopefully make it out to see more people.

I've been taking up a lot of my time over the past couple of weeks in sports-related ventures. Watching a lot of Tigers baseball- they're gonna give me a heart attack soon. And drafting in fantasy football leagues. I'm a freak for fantasy sports right now- I'm in a couple of fantasy baseball leagues and a couple of fantasy football leagues. The thing is, I don't think I'm that good. I won a fantasy baseball league a couple of years ago, a fantasy basketball league about 5 years ago and a fantasy football league about 10 years ago. In that span, I must have participated in about 20 fantasy leagues of various types- so my winning percentage overall isn't good. I even delved into a fantasy hockey league and a fantasy golf league for a season each.

So this is just a summary of the past few months. I hope to provide entries on a more regular basis to let blog-dom know about my goings-on.

HAHAHAHAHHAA!!!!!

2005-10-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

http://media.putfile.com/omaVSmercedes

Patent pending

2005-10-08T08:11:00.000-04:00

I think I have another idea for an invention. You know how your socks can get dirty just walking around your house? And the recent popularity of Swiffer?

That's right.....Swiffer Socks!!!! Just walking around your house can make it cleaner. It'd have to be one size fits all.....no need to set aside time each week to clean the floors.

Fall-time

2005-09-12T11:07:00.000-04:00

I think it's kind of funny that with regard to the seasons, people often say winter time, summer time, spring time.....but I never hear anyone say fall time.

The fall is what I find unique about the Midwest. It's a well-defined season....the sun is hot during the day, it gets chilly at night, the wind blows crisply and the days get much shorter. There's the explosion of color that greets your eyes with the change in the leaves, the smell of spiced cider in the air, pumpkins in the market asking to be painted or made into pie. Children are both excited about and dreading the new school year.

And most importantly.....football to be played.

It was disappointing to hear about Michigan losing to Notre Dame (I say "hear about" because, once again, I am without television). Especially since it was in Ann Arbor and it sounds like our vaunted offense had trouble getting into the end zone. Admittedly, the day ended well with OSU losing to Texas in a nail-biter. Then the Lions went out teasing us again by beating the Packers 17-3, albeit it didn't sound as convincing as the score appears. Let's hope they can keep it up through the whole season and finish up above .500.

Ahhh....the joys of fall time.

Washing up....

2005-08-20T15:38:00.000-04:00

Random thoughts today while doing my laundry:

- Thanks to those who tuned in to give me information about their cellular service. I had no idea so many people were with Verizon. Now, I just need someone to come over to use their phone to see how well Verizon works at my place. If it works out, I may be "in" soon.

- Does anyone have an article of clothing they can't seem to part with? I have this T-shirt that I got in freshman year of college- it has Beavis and Butthead at Michigan Stadium throwing flaming marshmellows on the back and the scoreboard says: Michigan 69, State 0. It's turned into a work-out shirt and is quite tattered- one of the extra holes in the shirt is enough to stick a third arm through. I must have washed the shirt a couple of hundred times. And I can't bring myself to throw it out.

- Socks: I have about 8 pairs of white socks of a single brand. Is it me or does everyone try to match up the white socks according to the shade that they are? I try to pair the whiter socks with each other and the dirtier-looking socks with each other. And there are always 3-4 socks that don't quite match up right. Of course, with my colored socks, I match them up according to color and pattern.

- Lint: I have wondered how so much lint can be produced in a single load of laundry. The amount of lint that I pull out makes me think that whole pieces of clothing should disintegrate every 4th load.

- How do you determine how dressy a place is supposed to be? I'm going out to a loungy bar tonight and am in a dilemma as to which clothes to wear. Are jeans ok? Do I wear the dressy jeans? Tucked or untucked? Polo shirt or button-down? I tend to over shoot the "dressiness" of events. I would rather find myself over-dressed for something than under-dressed. And why am I so stressed out about this? I dunno. I just am.

- I am happy to see that the social scene around downtown Detroit is picking up quite nicely. I took a walk around last night and found a bunch of places which were packed with people. They looked like cool places to hang out in from time to time.

- During that walk last night, I found a way to catch free views of Tiger games from right-center field. It's a decent view and a handful of people were doing it.

- With all of the construction happening on all the freeways around here to get ready for the Super Bowl, why is it all just now getting fixed? People obviously knew there was a lot of improvement that was needed. If it was done before, there wouldn't be such a rush now and it wouldn't be such a pain every weekend as half of the freeways get closed off unannounced.

- Finally, I just about cut my gas consumption in half to one-third now that I've been biking to work. The way gas prices are, I should be able to recoup the cost of the bike by about next year. If it were only practical to bike through the winter, then I'd really be saving a load of cash.

Time for a switch

2005-08-08T15:38:00.000-04:00

So amongst the numerous phone calls with my girlfriend are an annoying series of dropped calls. As many of you may know, I have found no use for a land line (see entry from 5/1/04). Since I rely on my cell phone for telecommunication, the frequency of dropped calls is an important issue.

I have been a loyal Sprint customer for about 7-8 years now. And I have just come to the end of my last 2-year contract. It is time for a change. I'm reaching out into blog-space for help.

Which cellular phone services are people subscribing to right now?

How satisfied are you with your cellular phone service?

What are some of the features of your cellular phone service which you find to be essential?

What are some of the features of your cellular phone service which you could do without?

The more information, the better.

You know who they are....

2005-07-28T13:56:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you know someone who deserves to have something like this....

Jerk

2005-07-27T08:20:00.000-04:00

I was on call last Thursday night. It was quite possibly the worst call of my life. After biking to the hospital, it was almost non-stop calls for consults. I think we totalled 16 consults over the next 30 hours. After a hellish night of evaluating patients for chest pain, I went out to my bike to go home....

Now, I had bought a bike for 3 reasons: economics (less gas to buy), exercise and environment. I had been using it for a little while and had been feeling really good about myself for having bought the bike....

...and when I got out to the bike rack on Friday afternoon, my back tire was gone. STOLEN!!! What kind of jerk needs to go around stealing single tires off of bikes? I admit that I shold have had better security on the bike and had a chain to go around my back tire (I only locked the frame and front tire), but that doesn't mean I deserve to have a tire stolen. People don't routinely lock hubcaps to their cars and they don't get stolen.

so after the worst call of my life, on one of the hottest days of the summer....I had to WALK home. It wasn't too long of a walk- only 40 minutes- but one where I seethed the whole time, cursing the faceless hooligan who would dare to take a bicycle tire. I had so much anger that I couldn't rest even though I only had about 90 minutes of sleep the night before. So I went and bought myself a new back tire and a new security chain.

I have since cooled down about the whole incident. But so far, I still can't get over the anger of having my tire stolen. At least I'll take away the lesson about better security for my bike.

Getting to know you

2005-07-16T21:57:00.000-04:00

I've actually known about her for a long time now, but I've only gotten to know her real well over the past year. Before, I would only see her occassionally, and would never stop long enough to say anything longer than "Hi." She had a bad reputation. Most people had mean things to say: she wasn't much to look at, don't get caught with her late at night, she's boring. Until a few years ago, I bought into the reputation without checking it out for myself. It seemed like the easy thing at the time.

But for the past year, I've learned about her true side. That she has a beauty that you have to search real hard to find. That the night time does not bring out her bad side. That she can be lots of fun if you find the right activities. It took lots of digging on my part. Lots of walking around, inquiring about things previously unknown.

And she's had a bit of a coming out party over the past few months. Her exterior has really been fixed up. She's been in the limelight. Lots of people have been talking about her and saying nice things. Her reputation is improving, but I think some people still are holding their reservations.

I'm talking about the city of Detroit. I've actually lived here for the past 5 years. I didn't realize how nice of a city it can be until this year. Of course, it's been really improving over the past year and looks like more improvements are on the way. Walking around downtown is a real joy (especially since I am again without a television). Campus Martius Park is a great place to sit and read a book by the fountain. Some evenings, there are jazz or rock bands having a free concert. Tiger games are close by and they're actually playing real well this season. The People Mover is a cheap and efficient way of getting around downtown (though I hope they try to expand its service sometime in the near future). There are plenty of good bars and restaurants around to keep things interesting. And the Riverwalk is a pleasant stroll.

The MLB All-Star Game was a nice opportunity for people to come down and check out things. I have heard a lot of positive feedback from people, and there are still a lot of improvements that have been lined up before the Super Bowl this winter. It's been a long time coming. I've been watching the improvements with curiosity and like what's gone on. I hope that it all continues in the right direction.

Take that, Sparty

2005-07-06T19:33:00.000-04:00

Taken from the 10 Spot on SI.com

Following a two-year, $65 million renovation to Spartan Stadium, Michigan State is seeking about 300 volunteers to use the toilets simultaneously in mid-August. The school wants to see if the stadium can withstand flushing away another late lead to Michigan.

The real question is.....

2005-07-06T08:42:00.000-04:00

What don't we know?
Science poses the top 125 questions science does not yet have the answers to:
http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th/

It actually defines in depth the top 25 questions facing us now and then lists the next 100. The list of 100 is quite interesting, including such questions as "Is ours the only universe?" and "Why do we dream?" Others are a bit out of my league, such as "Does Poincare's test identify spheres in four dimensional space?" or "What is the pairing mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity?" It's like trying to figure out whether the chicken came before the egg, or vice-versa. One question I did find intriguing was "What is the nature of the glassy state?" For me, it's pretty wobbly and it generally occurs after about 5 rum & cokes or 8 Coronas.

Anyway, check out the list of next 100 at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5731/78b

Catch-up

2005-06-26T20:13:00.000-04:00

So it's been quite a while since my last blog....busy times at the hospital. My 1st year is almost over. It went by so quickly, it's practically a blur. I do feel like more of a doctor now. A lot of my diagnostic and medical management skills come more quickly now. I still have a lot to learn. Mostly critical care stuff; ICU topics and management. In fact, I'm getting bombarded with ICU training: out of my next 10 months, 5 of them are going to be in the ICU. I anticipate it being quite difficult, but it's supposed to be the best type of training. Immersion in the most difficult circumstances. See things at their worst and how you need to react. Not only with the speed of your reaction, but your smarts, too. Being able to make a life-saving diagnosis in minutes, probably even in seconds. It sounds both exciting and scary. We'll see how I am 10 months from now.

So the Pistons put up a good fight. They took a very good Spurs team to a 7th game. Still disappointed in the loss. Need a better bench, especially at guard. Look for Delfino to get better this year or for Joe D to pick up a guard in the draft or off-season.

Took a trip out east about a month ago. See the link for some pictures from New York and Atlantic City. Hung out with Mandy for about 5 days, which is always nice. Went to her friends' wedding, which was a very intimate event in their backyard. Ceremony took all of 15 minutes with a justice of the peace. Reception was in their house with close family and friends. It was very sweet. They have been together for over 8 years, so the ceremony was practically a formality. Then I went down for a weekend in New York City to see a bunch of fraternity brothers I hadn't seen in a long time. Great times. Reliving some good and forgettable moments. Even though we've all moved on to our separate lives, it's amazing that we could all still get back together and be stupid around each other and hang out like old times. And it's great to catch up with all of them. Makes me wish for those days in college, days of very few responsibilities and a world full of opportunities.

Mandy was in town this past weekend. I'm excited for her. She was here for an interview with an engineering company. I'm sure she's a great candidate and would do well at the job. I'm just excited that she's going to be moving to Detroit soon. We've been living in separate cities for 3 years now. It's felt like forever. Our times when we get to see each other are awesome and totally reinforces that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But those moments these past few years have been too few and far between. I just hope I don't get on her nerves when she does move here.

Chris just left today. One of my friends since childhood. I don't have many friends that have lasted this long. Now, two of my closest friends are in southern California. Am I missing out on something? At least they're making it easy to visit them. Not only that, they're in southern California. And fortunately, I have a vacation during the dead of winter in January. He'll be missed. He was such a reliable friend, someone I could call for almost anything. He's been there for a lot of memorable moments. Plus, he's known me since the beginning, back in my big glasses days when we danced on Ann Arbor's Main Street for the ethnic festival. It's good to know that he's moving on to an area where he's going to have more opportunity. It's just sad whenever a friend moves away.

Would you have been drafted into the NFL?

2005-04-26T02:34:00.000-04:00

Take this sample from the Wonderlic test they give for potential NFL draftees:

http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/pak/wonderlic.cgi

Funny little thing.....

2005-04-26T02:18:00.000-04:00

..I learned while perusing NBA news on SI.com

Rasheed Wallace had his championship ring re-sized to fit his middle finger.

Perhaps to show everyone who is number 1.
---------------

Tough month

2005-01-29T17:45:00.000-05:00

January 2005 has proven to be the most difficult month for me so far. And not because of being on call every third night. I've had to deliver more bad news than I was prepared to deal with. I've diagnosed people with liver cancer, lung cancer, and end stage liver disease. And those weren't the hardest to deal with.

The hardest by far was the first person I had to pronounce dead. I know this is a downer of a blog.....but there isn't a single minute of medical school that prepared me for that moment. The patient was DNR (do not resuscitate). In the process of preparing him to go home, his vital signs were found to be deteriorating. I didn't think he would have made it home.....and I didn't want him dying in an ambulance. So I called his family and told him the grim outlook I had. They rushed over and I described what had happened. I led them to the bedside and gave them their time. It was long after I was supposed to be there, and many of the nurses told me that I should go home. I couldn't pull myself away from what I knew was going to happen soon. So I waited. It didn't take long. I had the chaplain called. Then one of the family members came down the hall. "I think you need to check him, doc." I remember the words ringing down towards me and the look on her face. I grabbed my stethoscope and made my way down. I did everything that I technically had learned to do: sternal rub, listen for heart and lung sounds, check pupils for reaction. I looked at the peaceful look on his face. Then I looked up at the clock. 6:52 pm. I felt the words barely pass my lips. I looked at the family and offered my condolences. As I walked down the hall, my feet were heavy. And I felt alone.

It took a while for the situation to settle in. I finished up some work, then went to talk to the family one more time. They thanked me for calling. They appreciated that they were able to make it to his side before he passed. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Then they one-by-one gave me a hug. I don't know who those hugs helped more. I hope they were being comforted. I know I felt the heaviness from my feet lighten up with each hug.

It felt like the longest day ever. Mandy was great when I called- extremely supportive, encouraging. It took a couple of days for me to get over the funk. I still remember everything so clearly. Though I wasn't ready for it at the time, I don't think any lecture could have prepared me for that situation. You can only learn that from the experience. At least I'll be more prepared for the next time. I just hope it doesn't happen too soon.

New pictures

2005-01-29T16:21:00.000-05:00

See links on right for new pictures

Long live the dream

2005-01-17T07:13:00.000-05:00

An excerpt:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Long live the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fun game

2005-01-14T13:07:00.000-05:00

Try to outsmart this game:

http://www.smalltime.com/dictator.html

Just 'cuz it's funny

2005-01-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

Randy Moss on getting fined $10,000 for pretending to moon the fans at Lambeau Field

Reporter: "Write the check yet, Randy?"
Moss: "When you're rich you don't write checks."
Reporter: "If you don't write checks, how do you pay these guys?"
Moss: "Straight cash, homey."

Gotta love it.

Scary

2005-01-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

I was excited today to have a day off. After today, I am scheduled to work for 12 straight days. I was looking forward to getting all kinds of errands done, working out, sitting down for a relaxing cup of coffee.

As I get out of my door to start my day, I close the door and get ready to lock my deadbolt. I reach into my pocket and fear sets in......I can't find my keys. All of my keys are on one keychain, my car keys, my work keys, my house keys. The nearest extra set of keys to get into my place are in Ann Arbor. ARGH!

Thoughts are flying through my head. I'm not going to get anything accomplished today. Where can I go to stay warm? Who is going to be nice enough to bring me my keys from Ann Arbor? HOW STUPID AM I?

I start making phone calls, all while digging through all of my pockets to make sure I haven't stuck the keys in a different pocket. My heart is racing. I'm feeling like a moron.

It's snowing, too. I'm dragging myself through the snow to walk to the nearest coffee shop. I develop the plan to get some coffee and hang out there until someone can bring me the spare keys. And insults upon insults, I slip. Luckily, I don't fall. But, what's that noise? IT'S JINGLING!!!! and it's coming from my backpack.

At first I thought it was just some change I left in there. So I shake my backpack again. It sounds heavier than change. I dig and find those familiar keys in a pocket in my backpack, with my PDA and pager that I had shoved in there mindlessly before leaving.

A huge feeling of relief took over me. I gotta start paying more attention to my morning routine. I guess I must set myself on automatic in the mornings and go through a programmed sequence of events without even thinking about it. Luckily, I'm so automatic I put my keys somewhere before leaving.

That was enough excitement for me today. I didn't even need that cup of coffee for that morning jolt.

Still adjusting

2005-01-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all.

I can't believe that I'm 6 months through with residency already. Other residents told me that the time would fly by, and I didn't truly believe them. It is slowly settling in with me that I'm really taking care of people. The order of things at this time seem to be more learning first before actually taking care of medical problems. One secret you may not be aware of: sometimes when the doctor has you waiting in that paper gown in the examination room, s/he may be flipping through a book in his/her office trying to figure out what weird disease you may have.

One palpable sign of progress: patients are actually coming back to see me. They have asked for me by name. It's a really good feeling seeing a patient a second, third, even a fourth time. For one thing, it means that they trust you enough with their care to come back multiple times. Second, each subsequent visit is shorter because you don't have to go through asking all kinds of questions about their condition. You already know most of their medical problems and can just deal with updates since their last visit. It's really nice to have the pediatric patients follow up, especially the little ones. I'm actually watching a couple of kids grow up. It shocked me to think that the few newborns I've seen over the past few months will be 4 years old when I finish my residency. I'll see them through the major portion of their shots, follow their growth and development just until they are ready to start school.

This month is a bit tougher than previous months. Before, when I had a call month, I was on call every 4th night. It's pretty frequent, but having a couple of days in between call nights seemed to be enough to recover. This month, call is every 3rd night. Small change makes a lotta difference. Instead of being on call 7-8 times this month it's 10-11 times. And by the time you are barely recovered from one day of call, another one comes around. It's rough. It doesn't help that I've stayed up late a couple of nights playing poker when I probably shouldn't have been. Although, the last time I played, I earned more money playing poker than I did from working that day. Sad, but true.

End of the year

2004-12-27T13:31:00.000-05:00

Belated Merry Christmas to all.

Vacation has been good. This is the first time in a real long time (probably since college) that I took a vacation without going anywhere. Very relaxing. No standing in line to take off my shoes and get full-body scanned. No worrying about making flights or carry-on luggage.

But a few more things to deal with. Like finding a place and date for a wedding reception. And budgets. We looked at about 8 places for the reception. Have the list knocked down to 2 or 3 potential places. Just have to work out a few details and we'll set down the deposit and reserve our date in the next couple of weeks. Finally!

The date has been an ever lingering question whenever I meet up with people. It generally comes up within the first 5 minutes of conversation. We'll have the answer for you right shortly. I've been wondering myself for a good amount of time, too.
-------------------------------------------------------
Each year seems to go by faster. I barely remember 2004, yet there have been so many landmark moments for me. Got engaged to begin the year. Finished medical school. Bounced around Europe. Started residency. And those are just the big moments. Interspersed amongst those big moments I dabbled in a sales job at the mall, watched friends get married and have children, played some poker and soccer. And interspersed amongst that were everyday moments, getting to know the people I work with, missing the people I haven't seen, loving those people who are close to me.

With such big moments, I re-prioritized things. I learned how to live without owning a television (going on 6 months now). I focused on work. I got into better shape. I learned to take advantage of opportunities, whether they be financial, occupational or social.

Yet with everything that has happened in the blink that was 2004, there's still so much that I would like to/need to do. Continue to learn about medicine. Practice at finishing in soccer. Plan a wedding.

Here's looking forward to 2005. Happy New Year to all.

From the dark side

2004-11-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

Being a med/peds resident, I get to experience the contrasts between the two specialties. And for the residents in med/peds, we call the internal medicine portion "The Dark Side." Over the past 10 days, I have been reminded why it's called that.

On pediatrics, patients come in generally with only one complaint/problem. You take care of that problem and the patient is easily discharged home to their parent/guardian. In fact, most of the time a child sees a doctor, they are doing well and are coming in for vaccinations or a school physical.

On internal medicine, patients tend to come in with multiple problems. Their medication lists are endless. Many of the patients are on 8-10 medications at home and have to take medicines 3-4 times in a day. When they come in to see a patient, it's because something is wrong. And even when they are ready for discharge, there are often delays dealing with nursing home placement, insurance or other socioeconomic issues.

But there are good contrasts for internal medicine as well. As complex as the problems are with adults, it requires a lot of thinking and holds a lot of intellectual stimulation. When you are able to take good care of a patient, you see them as often as once every couple of weeks and can keep good progress of their health, which can be very satisfying. And adults are often easier to make diagnoses on since they are able to better describe their symptoms.

As difficult as it is to switch from kids to adults and back, it's the best thing that I could have found to do for a residency. I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

Sign of the apocalypse?

2004-10-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

So the Red Sox won last night.....amazing run. On the brink of elimination in game 4 against the Yankees, down a run in the 9th inning facing the best post-season closer in baseball history. And they turn around to complete the most amazing comeback in baseball history. Then they follow it up by sweeping the best NL team by turning their best-hitting line-up into a bunch of confused swingers.

What scares me is that they defied the dreaded 86 year Curse of the Bambino on the same night as a total lunar eclipse. Coincidence? I don't know. But I will be hiding under my bed for a while just in case.

Selling out

2004-10-26T07:52:00.000-04:00

This is one tradition that shouldn't have been touched. I can't look at the Michigan-Ohio State game in quite the same way now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1909426

An outside fan

2004-10-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that I hate the Yankees. Can't stand them. I truly believe that Steinbrenner offered a huge contract to Drew Henson just because George is an Ohio State fan.

So it was awesome to see that the Yankees could possibly be serving up one of the biggest choke jobs of all time. I mean, the Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 having just given up a 19-8 game, facing the fact that no team before this week had ever come back to even tie a series after losing the first 3.

And I have felt Boston's pain with their baseball team. I was there last October when Aaron Boone hit the homer off of Wakefield to win game 7. That town lives and dies by that baseball team. The Patriots may be what Boston is proud of, but the Red Sox are what Boston lives for.

And the performance by Schilling has got to be one of the gutsiest of all time. His ankle was being held together by sutures for crying out loud. I think the viewing public was actually done a great service only seeing his bloody right sock. And if that thing snapped, it would have ended his career. Yet he was out there throwing for 7 strong innings. All because he made a promise to the team. Can't say enough about him.

One thing I do wonder right now: could this whole series have been rigged? I mean, the drama of the whole series, the history between these two teams is really making for great TV. And I would guess that tonight's game will grab huge ratings. Considering all of this, could it all be scripted just to boost baseball back up to it's status as America's national pastime?

Whatever the case, it's been a great set of games. This will be remembered no matter who wins. Although it would be much more enjoyable for me if the Red Sox come out the victors.

A Chantastic weekend

2004-10-13T20:24:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I went to Chicago to watch my fiancee run in the Chicago marathon. She did an amazing feat, not only finishing, but also finishing faster than her goal. She completed in in 4 hours and 6 minutes. Not only that, but she felt good enough at the end that she probably could have done it in under 4 hours. It tires me just thinking about it. Awesome job. Something to be proud of.

What made the weekend memorable for me was the opportunity to hang out with Mandy's family without Mandy. The only times I've ever hung out with them was when Mandy was around. This past weekend, I had separate opportunities to hang out with her parents and her sister while Mandy either rested or ran the marathon. I rode up with her parents into and out of Chicago. We talked about a lot of different things like on any road trip: work, politics, what Mandy was like growing up, where we're headed for in the future. It was a great bonding moment.

The bonding moment was much different with Mandy's sister. We got drunk. We went out to a bar with her friends, chugged beers and had a grand old time. She's a pretty fast chugger, too. It did feel a little weird because she kept on introducing me as her brother-in-law. Kind of strange to hear it out loud repeatedly. Plus, it ruined my game :)

And during the marathon, all of us trekked across the city trying to get glimpses of her as she persevered through the race. It was great. It really felt good to know that I'm going to be a part of such a nice family and that they are so welcoming to me. Now we just have to get that whole wedding thing out of the way.

New pictures

2004-09-26T08:29:00.000-04:00

New link on the right for pictures from my trip to Boston and Ogunquit

Been busy

2004-09-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

A lot has happened since my last post...but not for me. Congrats to Eric and Anna on their beautiful baby, Isaiah. Congrats also to Ryan and Lorie on their marriage.

Had a nice break from the residency last week. Took a week vacation to go see Mandy in Boston. We spent a couple days in cozy Ogunquit, Maine at a B & B. Much to my chagrin, B & B does not mean beer & brats. Once I found out it meant bed & breakfast, I wasn't too disapointed. It was very relaxing, we got to eat some good seafood, though it seems that there was a large proportion of older adults there. Spent the rest of the week walking around downtown Boston and hanging out with Mandy's friends. It was a much needed respite.

The residency itself is going pretty well at this time. I haven't had to be on call at all this month since I'm in clinic. 8 am-5 pm everyday. Much easier hours. And most of the time, it's seeing healthy babies for their vaccinations and regular check-ups. It's very uplifting to see such healthy kids after working on the floors for the previous two months seeing really sick kids. And it's very fulfilling interacting with the parents, seeing what they're doing right and pointing out ways to improve their care for their kids. Occasionally, I see a sick kid who needs help, which keeps me on my toes and is also very fulfilling.

Michigan football is not looking great right now. It took a great 4th quarter against Miami of Ohio to put them away, a tough loss at Notre Dame and then they barely get by San Diego State. (Did you get a lot of flack there, Galvez?) I think that today they found a solid RB, but things need to solidify next week as they enter the Big 10 season. Especially against an Iowa team that has beaten Michigan the past couple of years. I have the feeling it's going to be one of those seasons where you feel like you're gonna have a heart attack every Saturday afternoon if you're a Michigan fan.

On call

2004-08-10T17:55:00.000-04:00

I'm currently stuck at the hospital on call right now. Sucks because I would be getting to the soccer field right about now for the weekly scrimmage, which has turned out to be a monster of a gathering the past couple of weeks. And considering what fills up my time lately, soccer is the one thing that I truly look forward to.

I'm doing floor work for the pediatric hematology/oncology service right now. It consists mostly of A) kids with sickle cell coming in with pain, and B) oncology kids coming in for their chemotherapy or for a fever. It's a tough floor to work on. Not because of the work itself. The protocol for these kids are pretty straight-forward. It's realizing how difficult it is for children to be dealing with such potentially devestating diseases. And through nothing they have done. Sometimes, with older adult patients, I rationalize that some disease processes were brought on by their own work--pancreatitis from alcohol, lung cancer from smoking, hepatitis from injecting drugs. It may not be true nor fair, but rationalizing in this way makes it easier to deal with.

This type of rationalization isn't applicable for children. Especially not with the little ones. What is amazing is how they all seem very upbeat despite their condition. Perhaps it is because they don't realize the severity of what they have. Or maybe all they've known is having their disease so they don't realize what it is to not have their disease. In any case, it's an admirable thing to see their cheeriness and positivity despite their condition. It's part of the beauty of the innocence of childhood. It's one of the reasons why I went into pediatrics.

Back from the missing

2004-07-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while for me on this blog. I've been extremely busy at the hospital. Good busy. Very glad I don't have a television right now. On the days I work, all I have time for is work, sleep and a short workout. Not even time to eat. Lunch is usually in the conference room with a pile of charts developing management plans for my patients. And dinner is what I can fit in before I pass out. But I've been learning lots. Like what the typical bugs are that cause meningitis at different ages, how to approach kids with asthma attacks medically, how to differentiate epiglottitis from viral croup. I barely even notice that I have no furniture. All I would do with a couch right now is sleep on it. Which may be nice because it would save me time from walking up the stairs to go to bed.

I can see now why a lot of doctors end up marrying either a) other doctors or b) nurses. My residency is 16 days old and, if I estimate that I've spent ~90 hours in the hospital each week (which is made up of 168 hours), I've spent the equivalent of 8 and a half full days in the hospital. And when I'm on call, it's just me and the patients and the nurses. And when I go home, I have no energy for a social life. So the hospital practically serves as my social life. I'm sure my fiancee is real happy to hear about this. Don't worry.....the nurses are nothing compared to her.

Comparatively.....

2004-06-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

It's bad to look good because other people around you look horrible. And a little uncomfortable for the good people to get praise and the horrible people to get a reprimand in front of each other.

For years, this was actually part of the education of medicine. Teams of doctors, residents and medical students would go around seeing their patients. The most senior doctors would ask junior people questions. This process is known within medicine as "pimping." And the junior person would get "pimped" often until they were stumped. Upon getting stumped, the senior doctor would question why the junior did not know the answer and move on to the next person with the line of questioning. Very public affair for all involved. And often very stressful. It's often comically depicted (though pretty accurately) on the television show "Scrubs". The argument for why it was so prevalent in medicine was that embarrassment often motivated the junior person to go back and study what they previously could not answer.

So today the first year pediatrics residents were tested in resuscitation for newborns. Extremely important. Requires quick thinking and quicker action. And it has a major impact for all involved. We were provided with situations, mannequins and all the necessary equipment. Two instructors provided us with the information which we would ask for such as "what is the heart rate?", "what is the baby's color?", "is the chest rising?". Depending on our known parameters, we would have to make decisions such as whether to aid in the baby's ventilation, to start chest compressions, to perform intubation or to give medication. We've been preparing for these "mock codes" for about 3 days now. And in my team of four, there was one person who obviously was lagging behind. I'm talking poorly organized, lacked sufficient information, not assessing the situation appropriately. This wasn't me. When the situation was completed, that person was given some pretty harsh criticism and told to retake the examination. The rest of us passed.

A few things:
1) Be prepared. Boy scout motto. Applies to all situations. There was no reason to be unprepared this morning. We'd been studying this one subject for 3 days, had books to study at home. Especially with something as important as newborns, be ready.

2) Just because someone else looks bad doesn't make you spectacular. There were still a few things that everyone in the group needed to brush up on, including myself. I'd hate for us to get complacent and look unprepared for the real thing just because we set a low bar for ourselves.

3) I'm scared as $#!+ for the first real situation that I'm going to run into. I did well during the mock code, but I also wasn't Speedy Gonzalez when it came to doing some of the procedures. Thankfully, there are more senior residents around for those times to hold our hands through it.

4) I said it before, I'll say it again: If you're at a teaching hospital, don't get sick in July.

The future has begun

2004-06-24T16:55:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of my orientation right now for my residency. It's been quite grueling so far with 10 hour days of sitting through lectures about hospital policies and procedures as well as demonstrations and presentations. I guess I can't say that it's too bad considering that I'm going to have worse hours in less than a week once the actual residency starts.

In the meantime, the other residents I've met have been very nice. And very smart. I feel quite dumb around some of them in fact. It's a great combination to have people around you who are nice and smart. You can learn from them and they won't be jerks when you they know something you don't.

I also closed the deal on my co-op unit. I'm officially the owner now. WOO HOO. Lots of papers to sign. And I get to move in much sooner than I thought. Though, I don't think I'll actually have everything moved in anytime soon. I figure that I will be splitting my time 50/50 between my place and the hospital for a while. I really don't have much stuff to move in. At least not nice stuff. Most of my furniture are actually second-hand things that I got from the university dorms. So for the beginning, it's gonna feel like living in a dorm. At least it's gonna feel like living in a dorm that I own.

New and not improved

2004-06-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

Out of pure curiosity, I tried a bottle of that new low carb Coke, C2. To me, it doesn't taste as bad as Diet Coke, but it is perceptibly different from Coke Classic. In fact, it tastes like they mixed Coke Classic and Diet Coke and gave it a name. If I find out that is how they came up with this new Coke, I'm gonna be very disappointed in Coca Cola Company. What does anyone else think about the new C2?

Prince at the Palace

2004-06-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

Went to the Prince concert last night with Chris and J.....and it was amazing. No need for an opening act. Just Prince doing his thing with his band. And J did a great job getting awesome seats. Audience was on the older side-- average was around late 20s to 30s. But energetic nonetheless. His band was sick. Each player was individually great and together they played like a tight unit. Sounds like some other players at the Palace :). And Prince did the last half of his set wearing a Pistons jersey. Which one? Number 22 of course. Tayshaun's. The one that says Prince on the back.

The end.....

2004-06-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

....of the retail chapter in my life. Ended on a whimper. No big deal. Made a couple of purchases to take one final advantage of the employee discount.

One of those purchases: a set of electric clippers. Which brings me to the other ending....an ending to my bushy head of hair. Just cut it all off. I figure that this would be good for a couple of reasons. First, with my own set of clippers, a couple of mirrors and steady hands, I should be able to save time and money from having to go to get haircuts every 2 weeks. Second, I don't want to have to gel up my hair and comb it all nice every morning during my residency when time is of the essence. In any case, it's a done deal and I can't go back to the way it was for a couple of months. Luckily, I don't have to impress anyone at this point.

Want to kill some time?

2004-06-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

Try figuring this one out:
http://www.pibmug.com/files/crimson_room.swf

TOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!

2004-06-16T17:47:00.000-04:00

The Pistons are now the WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!

They not only beat La Lakers, they thoroughly demolished them.

The bandwagon is not only getting full, it's busting at the seams and sagging from everyone now trying to jump on.

The concept of what it takes to become champions has just been turned upside down.

There is a great beauty in what happened over the past 5 games. There is beauty in that fundamental basketball won out over flash. "Play the right way" is a tremendous mantra. One that should filter down to the elementary school kids who are picking up organized basketball for the first time. Play defense. Pass the ball. Set screens. Rebound. Move your feet. Play TOGETHER. As a unit. Unselfishly.

It makes sense that Larry Brown is the first coach to win championsips at both the college and professional level. He TEACHES basketball. He's not just a coach. He doesn't just manage the players. He makes sure everyone plays the way basketball was meant to be played. And it shows in his teams. He takes losing teams and makes them into winning teams. He takes winning teams and makes them into champions.

Congrats to the Pistons. Another reason to be proud to live in Detroit.

It's OFFICIAL!!!!!

2004-06-09T18:46:00.000-04:00

I GRADUATED!!!! I can actually write the M.D. after my name now.......

Graduating is a good feeling. You get to put on a crazy black costume (with a hood even, if you're lucky enough) with some funky hat you'll never wear again with a flimsy tassel that really serves no purpose. We march in lines the way you had to march around in kindergarten. And people laud praises for you from a podium even though they don't personally know 98% of the people graduating.

Graduation is good because it's a transition into a new role. From role of student to role of practitioner. I get to practice medicine for the next 4 years, with an emphasis on the use of the word practice. Since the start of medical school, I've been asked many medicine related questions. And I have yet to be 100% certain on any piece of advice that I have given. And I don't think that I will gain certainty anytime soon. I just hope it occurs sometime in the next four years.

Graduation is also a time to recognize how far I've come along and how much support I've received. I'm convinced that it would have been nearly impossible for me to make it this far without the help of my family and friends. I've received so much support and understanding that it's hard to fathom getting by without all that support and understanding. So I'd like to take this time to thank all of you that have supported me through the years. (Sorry I won't name you all individually, but I'm afraid of leaving someone out, so I'll stick with the general blanket appreciation).

So thanks everyone. I'll make sure to transfer the energy that you've invested in supporting me to energy to care for my patients. I hope that's the best way to show my appreciation.

Spelling is INTENSE!!!!!

2004-06-03T18:56:00.000-04:00

This year's spelling bee champ won on "autochthonous" meaning originating where found; indigenous. Looking at the words the champ had to spell on his way to the trophy (gaminerie, arete, sophrosyne and sumpsimus) makes me sad; I have no idea what any of those words mean, much less how to spell them. And one of the kids even passed out while on stage. After he regained consciousness, he spelled his word BEFORE getting sent away for medical attention. But if you really want to get an idea of how focused some of these kids are for this spelling bee stuff, watch the movie Spellbound. It's a documentary and is very well done. It follows several kids through their training and onto the competition. It also gives some background to the spelling bee with interviews of past champs who've grown up. I give it two thumbs up :).

Good times......

2004-05-31T14:19:00.000-04:00

....are when you can be comfortable and happy. And it doesn't necessarily require lots of money and planning. In fact, I've had lots of great memories which were unplanned, spontaneous and only required a couple of bucks out of pocket.

Yesterday was a happy day. After waking up and cleaning a little around the house, I went over to Alvin's and Chris's for a nice Memorial weekend tradition........barbecue. Grilled vegetables, grilled brats, grilled steak, and beer. Mmmmmm. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

We sat around, watching Paycheck and making silly comments. And we sat around some more, watching Pistons basketball and cheering at the top of our lungs so they could all hear us in Indiana. And we sat some more, playing poker, getting slap happy at 6 in the morning. The whole time we laughed, high-fived and got to know each other the way friends do. Give me a day like that anytime and I'll be happy.

KA-PLOWWW!!!!

2004-05-25T08:48:00.000-04:00

....was the sound of the ball flying away from the Pacers rim after Tayshaun Prince swatted an attempted Reggie Miller lay-up. The play of the game. Potentially, the play of the series. If ever you needed an illustration of hustle, that block was a great example. I must've watched the replay 30 times last night.

Series tied, 1-1. Coming back to the D. Gotta defend the home court.

GO PISTONS!!!!!!!

Getting on to the next step

2004-05-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

YEAH PISTONS!!!!!!! This series with the Nets was one of the most exciting series I've ever watched and I got to be at two of the games.....and it's even better now that the Pistons have emerged the victors. Up and down, two blowouts by Detroit, two by New Jersey and then a couple of tight games. Capped off by a clinching game of dominance by the Pistons. Gotta cheer 'em on as they go on against a tough Pacers team.

-----------

So I can really tell I'm getting older now. On our way to the game, Alvin asked if I wanted to take a day trip to the Ikea near Chicago. If he had asked me that 5 years ago, I would have snorted and wondered why we would go to Ikea when Chicago is full of all kinds of real fun things to do. But last night, I responded as if I was a kid just being told that he was going to Disney World. The excitement surprised me. And thoughts of coffee tables and bookshelves and ottomans swirled through my head.

Movin' on up....

2004-05-15T23:18:00.000-04:00

....to the east side. I came to an agreement on the price of my new place. Check it out by clicking on the link on the right.

The whole negotiation process was pretty exciting. My buying agent has been excellent and has made sure I've known everything I've needed to know. Stuff about negotiations, contracts, financing. And it seems like we got the place for a steal. I probably won't be able to move in until July or August, so maybe I'll have a little get-together in the fall for everyone to come by and check it out. Now, I just gotta find furniture to fill it up...

The best thing about it is that there isn't much improvement that needs to be done according to my tastes. With me being so busy during the first year of my residency, I don't think I could have lived at a place that I thought needed improvement and not have the time to make those improvements.

Speaking of not having time, I'm gonna try going my first year without cable. I'll still have a television set in my place to watch DVDs. I figure that I won't have much time to watch television with my schedule. And I guess I'll be saving a little bit of money.

So the community I'm buying into is a cooperative. It's similar to a condominium with a few important distinctions. First, I'm actually buying a share of a corporation. Once I close, I'm going to own a title to a share, not a deed. So, I have a say in what goes on within the community decisions. The major appliances (refrigerator, stove, oven, furnace, washer, dryer) are actually owned by the coop and so it is responsible for their upkeep, along with plumbing and electricity. My association fee is much higher than what I would pay in a condo, but that is because a portion of it goes towards my share of the property tax, which I can write off when I file my taxes. The coop takes care of landscaping, snow removal, roads and trash pick-up. Overall, it's a very convenient way to live. Another big plus is when I move to a house, at that time I will still be considered a first-time homebuyer and can get some of the benefits associated.

Let me step up here......

2004-05-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

.....onto my colloquial soapbox for a little while. This is a little bit of sociological observation I've been tossing around in my head for about a week.

Before I start, I'm not a big fan of making sociological observations like the one I'm about to present for a few reasons. First, I've never taken a sociology class, so I do not resemble anyone knowledgable about making sociological observations. Second, many times, sociological observations that I have made have been previously observed by someone else and were presented much better. And third, these observations tend to come without practical solution and so generally are complaints with no other purpose.

With that said....

It seems to me that many of society's problems revolve around the need for immediate gratification. Credit card companies thrive on this. It's part of the problem leading to drug use and unplanned pregnancy. It's the reason why teenagers are spending time in gymnasiums trying to be the next 18-year-old #1 overall draft pick. Casinos are successful by enticing people with opportunity for immediate gratification.

I will admit that the chance for immediate gratification is a temptation to me, too. I get excited watching somebody push all their chips into the pot during the WPT. I've bought a couple of lottery tickets in my lifetime.

The fulfillment of immediate gratification is dramatized and promoted all the time on television. Ed McMahon made a living on it. It's seen on reality-based shows. It takes up huge segments on the news.

But most of life is not the realization of such opportunities. Most of life is lived as a series of miniscule steps. We try to move forward with these steps, though this is not always the case. These miniscule steps never make it on television. It's never hyped up in the news. You won't see pictures of it on billboards.

This is a shame. Putting forth effort and moving forward slowly but surely is not something to be taken lightly. It requires a great deal of energy and perseverence to work towards a far off goal in small increments. Most people live their lives this way. It is an honorable way to live. And it hardly gets any press.

Some would say that reality based competitions such as Survivor and American Idol are a microcosm of endurance and perseverance. And I would say that is a load of crap. Those shows are taped over a few weeks and focus on the gratification portion. Their goals are realized in a very short time span. The larger goals of most of society are set in timeframes of months to years. And the work towards those goals has yet to be televised.

So what is my point here? I don't know. Like I said before, I'm not very eloquent when it comes to making sociological observation. But these are some of the quirky thoughts which have been sloshing around in my head for a little while.

Today was a good day....

2004-05-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

....and it's not even noon. This morning there was the smell of freshly cut grass, the sight of blooming flowers and the feel of soft spikes scraping against the gravel cart path. Yes, I went out and golfed this morning. A tremendous way to relax. 9 holes of morning golf with no group behind to hurry me along. I teed off 4 balls on every hole. One of the greatest lessons golf teaches you is how to be humble. It may be the sport which can teach you this the best. I had been playing ok by my standards for 3 holes (meaning I hadn't yet lost a ball in the woods) when I crushed 4 beautiful drives on the 4th hole. All in the fairway, consistent distance, within about 15 yards of each other, about a pitching wedge from the green. I looked over my accomplishment and smiled. I stepped over the first one with a feeling of immense pride, swung and proceeded to duff the ball about 20 yards. The next I sent left towards a tree and it came careening off the side into the rough. The third went high into the air the perfect distance only to land in a sand trap. And the fourth was a repeat of the first. Humbled from my high perch. But I was still out on a beautiful morning golfing. So it's still a good day.

Wasted education

2004-05-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

I am now realizing one of my regrets from my undergraduate education. I never took an economics class. The closest I came to economics was the plethora of math classes I had to take for my biophysics degree. I wouldn't even know where on campus the classes would be held. And it's biting me in the butt right now. All kinds of terms of financing which I'm hearing which are as good as Greek to me at this point. PMI, ARM, points, blah, blah, blah. And the numbers floating around are larger than any numbers I've personally had to deal with. The most I've ever had to pay for has been for a computer. And now the numbers are almost 100 times bigger than that. This growing up thing is going way too fast for me right now.

And yet, the growing up thing seems to be going so much smoother for others. Some of my friends are already purchasing houses. I can't even imagine having to take care of a house. The community I'm looking at takes care of maintenance of plumbing, most of your major appliances, landscaping, trash and snow removal. I can't trust myself to mow a lawn regularly. I'm hoping that I can have my mothly payments directly taken out of my checking account because I can't trust myself to remember to mail out checks at the beginning of every month.

I'm sure my patients would be pleasantly pleased to hear about all this responsibility I can't handle. Yet the medical system can trust me with taking care of some of the sickest of the sick. Just remember: if you need to go to a teaching hospital, don't get sick in July.

Bright ideas

2004-05-01T17:37:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a great idea that you never carried out?

About 5 or 6 years ago, I had an idea of opening up a slushie shop. Kind of like an ice cream parlor except with different flavors of slushies. I wanted to call it "A World of Slush" and each slushie flavor would represent a different country. And for filling up a cup on a particular flavor, you would get a stamp in your slushie passport the way you get visa stamps when going through customs. Each flavor would have a different stamp. And you could turn in your passport after getting visas from 10 countries in return for one free slushie. Or you could get one stamp from all the different countries for an "Around the Slushie World" prize. I told various people different parts of this idea, but never seriously thought of opening such a place.

So I was walking through town one day on my way to get a haircut when I pass a new shop. I stop in to check and inside, the wall is lined with the distinctive slushie machines, about 8 of them with sixteen flavors churning around. And it's got some tropical theme to the store. The first thought through my mind was, "Did this guy steal my idea?" I couldn't believe it. One important part of my idea, though, which was not reflected in the location of this new shop was that I would put a liquor store right next door to my slushie shop. I figured that some people would get the bright idea of buying a slushie and then going next door to buy some rum or vodka and have themselves a little happy drink to walk down the street with.

So, I got another bright idea today and I wanted to document it. And if I see this idea get developed, I'm hoping to snag some royalties down the road.....though I think this idea might be in the works already.

Since I'm moving into a condo, I was thinking that I would not want to have a land line because I already have a cell phone and don't feel the need to have a separate land line phone. But one thing I would hate would be to be at home doing some work in the basement and leaving my phone on the 2nd floor. So my bright idea today would be to have a system where once you're home, you can plug your cell phone into a central station that would charge the phone as well as detect incoming calls. Once a call comes into your cell phone, if it is plugged into the central station, satellite stations that you can place throughout the house would also become activated and could be picked up to answer the call. And, as long as the cell phone was plugged into the central station, then you could even make outgoing calls at a satellite station that would channel through the cell phone connection. One problem with this is the situation where you forget to plug the cell phone into the central station and you attempt to make or take calls at a satellite station. I'd really appreciate some feedback about this little idea.

Being a mall rat

2004-04-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

I have a new respect for retail people. I realize now how frustrating a job it can be.

High school kids coming around, picking up a nicely folded shirt, unfolding it and putting it down with no intention of buying it. Families coming around, asking for what's on sale, showing it to them only for them to make faces saying that the sale stuff doesn't look nice. Old ladies saying they're looking for something to buy, not knowing exactly what, but sending you on a wild goose chase for 45 minutes and only buying a tie. Long periods of time--up to an hour--in the middle of a weekday where not a single customer passes by. And all while keeping an upbeat attitude........for less than $10 an hour. I'm so glad that I only have to do this for a couple of months. It'll be a relief to have to deal with pneumonia, heart attacks and broken bones in the hospital.

On the hunt

2004-04-25T21:54:00.000-04:00

Today I went with my dad to look at property downtown. They were all in a nice cooperative about a 5 minute drive from the hospital. We saw probably 8 units, all the same floor plan, all with very different decorating styles reflecting the character of the different owners. One place was disgusting-- even though it was totally vacant. It had a burgundy bathroom and burgundy basement. Carpeting was dirty, walls needed painting. That property was off the list in 5 minutes. One had a tremendous kitchen. It was obvious the owner is quite the cook. Another property had decoration that was all over the place-- living area was half tile, half torn out carpet; 1st floor was neutral color, 2nd floor carpet was dark blue. I would guess that even without meeting any of the owners I would be able to figure out which ones I would be compatible with just by looking at the way they kept their townhouses. After seeing all the property, I have it narrowed down to 3. 2 which are very nice and require a little bit of work to fit my style. One which is a lower price, but requires a lot of upgrading. Since I figure to be pretty busy during my 1st year of residency, I'm kind of leaning toward the nicer places.

Detroit sports rule!!!!!!

2004-04-24T19:13:00.000-04:00

It's a great day to be a Detroit sports fan.

Pistons beat Bucks to take 2-1 series lead.
Red Wings beat Flame(r)s to tie series 1-1.
Tigers beat Cleveland with walk-off home run.
Lions have awesome draft.

Europe pictures

2004-04-23T15:32:00.000-04:00

I just added a link of the pictures Mandy and I took in Europe
(see Other Links at right)

In the beginning......

2004-04-23T13:01:00.000-04:00

So this is my first foray into this blog business.

I'm very slow when it comes to this computer and electronics stuff, so I hope anyone reading this can bear with me at the beginning of this whole adventure.

I'm in this weird transition point in my life right now, which is why I even have time to try this blogger thing. I just finished medical school (woohoo!!!) and have a couple of months to fill before starting my residency in July. So I'm working at the mall in a department store. Now who is crazy enough to get three degrees and apply to work in the mall? Me, that's who. I'm not putting down mall jobs. I applied for one 'cuz it sounds like fun, I don't have to study and the hours are flexible. But after going through the training, it seems like I'm not going to be doing too much thinking on the job.

Other transition things-- I'm looking to buy a condo right now near the hospital where I'm going to start my residency. So in the meantime, I'm living at home with my parents. Nice 'cuz I get home-cooked food and laundry. And I'm only earning mall-job money. It was only after I started looking for property that I started actually feeling like an adult. Before, I always felt like a student, which didn't feel very adult-like. Of course, technically and legally I'm an adult because I've reached my final adult height, I can vote and I can buy alcohol. But I didn't feel like an adult. Now that I'm looking forward to a life with a mortgage hanging over my head and a job, then I'm going to have to be an adult. It's just when I think of mortgage, I think of Death of a Salesman and I don't want to end up like poor Willie Loman.