Behind the Scalpel, Scores, and Textbooks

Match Day 2010

2010-03-19T15:32:00.005-04:00

The night before Match Day, I woke up randomly for 2 hours or so, unable to fall back asleep. When I finally did, I had the most random nonsensical "nightmare" of the day to come. It involved matching at a program high on Mr.'s ROL that I'm not crazy about, only under the name of a real program to which Mr. didn't even apply! Bizarre.

Anyway, I woke up around 8 and started to get ready for the day. At 10:30, Mr. left for a pre-match AOA meeting. By 10:45, STM and I were both getting a little stir crazy, so I went down to her apartment to finish getting ready.

We each represented the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of attire. She was in jeans, wedges, and her lucky purple cardigan, totally rocking the snappy casual look. By contrast, I was in a long sleeved slinky Calvin Klein black, white & grey patterned dress with a red belt and my 3" patent leather slingbacks, the nicer end of what I might wear to work in Corporate America. When we entered the school cafeteria, we noticed that neither of us was out of place.

As the AOA meeting came to a close, the cafeteria staff began to set up the tables. Mr. and STM's hubby went to grab their graduation packets and free t-shirts from the alumni association.

We found seats, and then STM's watch stopped at 11:45am. Having not eaten breakfast, I was starving. I helped myself to a tuna salad sandwich and some pretzels. STM grabbed half a sandwich, and our husbands were nowhere to be found, mingling with their classmates.

Mr. strategically positioned himself by the table of envelopes so that when they clanged the gong at 12:00pm, he was able to quick grab his envelope, look at it (I promised him he could see it first), and then bring it over to me. Before I knew it, the letter was right in front of me, and Mr. was pointing toward the answer.

He matched at his #1!

I yelped, jumped up, and gave him a long tight hug. His #1 was the only program on his list that we completely agreed upon. And it's a tiny tiny Midwestern community program at which he didn't rotate. Had we matched at #2, he would have been thrilled, and I would have been slightly bummed. The reverse would have been true for #3, and #4, though an amazing program, was in a city that would have been horrible for my career. Luckily, it didn't come to that. He matched at his #1.

STM's hubby had received communication from his #1 that he was ranked in the top [exact # of slots for that program], so I wasn't surprised to learn that he, too, got his #1 choice.

It was so exciting yesterday, as most of Mr.'s classmates matched at their #1 or #2.

I tried calling my mom at work. It was so loud that her secretary had to tell me three times that she wasn't in before I heard. So, I tried her at home only to get the fax machine. Finally, I tried her cell, where I was thankfully able to reach her. She grew up in the town where we matched, so she was happy (though perhaps a little disappointed we'll be 4 hours away instead of 90 minutes away). I wasn't able to reach my dad, so I just included him on a mass text I sent out.

I emailed my boss to give her the good for me / bad for her news. She responded to both congratulate and mope. I will truly miss this place.

I then called a good friend who is going into general surgery. She also matched at her #1 choice in a program <2 hours away! Mr.'s hospital had been #4 on her list. We should have coordinated better!

I didn't finish my sandwich. The boys didn't even eat. We were the last ones to leave as one of Mr.'s classmates took him and STM's hubby to the local humidor to get celebratory cigars. STM and I did our best to avoid the smoke. Blech.

Finally, we went into the city to eat some BBQ before hitting up happy hour with the rest of the class.

Since the four of us all had to get up early for work today, we made it an early night. However, we have big plans for tonight, as well. And fortunately, none of us have early morning plans for tomorrow!

So far today, I've started emailing my fashion school contacts like crazy in hopes they can introduce me to someone who wants to give me a job. I've started harassing people in the town for apartment recommendations as well as recommendations for good tailors and cobblers.

These next 2 1/2 months are going to fly by. I just hope I can enjoy my last moments as a New Yorker in the flurry.

01 day since The Match
76 days until Mr.'s Graduation

Beware the Ides of March

2010-03-15T14:58:00.005-04:00

This year, Black Monday fell on the date that has become synonymous with getting stabbed in the back, both literally and figuratively. Though most US MD students are breathing a sigh of relief today, there are inevitably some who feel they were betrayed by programs that didn't rank them high enough to match.

Fortunately, Mr. is not one of them. He matched in orthopaedic surgery. whew. I had been thinking up to this point that Match Thursday was bigger. I mean, Mr. was likely going to match and the Thursday is the day of the party and where we learn our next destination... but now I just feel so relieved. Where still totally matters, but not in the same way that it did a week ago.

03 days until Match Day
80 days until Mr.'s Graduation

Waiting to Exhale

2010-03-14T15:00:00.001-04:00

It was a windy, rainy weekend in NYC as a Nor'easter came through, flooding the courtyard and ripping one of the doors off our apartment building. Needless to say, yesterday was a great day to stay in. I went through piles of old mail, filing and shredding as needed and purged my closet of clothes I don't wear anymore. I now have three garbage bags full of clothes and shoes to donate when the weather clears up.

I'm currently waiting for groceries to be delivered while Mr. is studying in a classroom building.

I'm running out of ways to distract myself in this final day before "Black Monday".

Statistics are in Mr.'s favor. I haven't run a statistical regression, but if I did based on last year's Charting Outcomes for orthopedic surgery, I imagine his chances would be somewhere around 95-99%. But, it's impossible to not think about that 1-5%. It'll happen to someone; how can we know it won't be Mr.?
Last year I believe there was only 1 scramble spot for ortho in the country, and we don't have a game plan for what Mr. will do if he finds out tomorrow that he didn't match. If he matches, there are only 13 possible cities; if he doesn't... who knows? So, I'm really just holding my breath. In less than a day, we will have an answer of sorts. hopefully.

21 hours until Black Monday
04 days until Match Day
81 days until Mr.'s Graduation

Love, Life and Lady Gaga

2010-03-11T10:04:00.003-05:00

A friend recently quoted my fellow former fighting violet on facebook:

“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.”
-Lady Gaga, Cosmopolitan, April 2010

I found it interesting, because I've been pondering this balance recently. No, no, I have no desire to leave Mr., nor do I fear he will wake up to tell me he doesn't love me anymore. I don't want to sacrifice Mr. for my career dreams, but how much am I willing to sacrifice my career dreams for Mr.?

In one week (1 week!!), we will find out where we'll be moving 3 months from now, whether its halfway across the borough or halfway across the country. And I can't help but wonder what I'll do if we're not in New York City.

Last summer, I discovered something about myself that most have known about me for years. I love law. I want to be a lawyer. I want to lock myself in a room full of contracts picking apart the tiniest discrepancies that could have the largest impact all night until it's time to shower and come back into work again. What drudgery, right? I mean, I'm the girl who quotes Dead Poet's Society:

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

Law is merely a noble pursuit. My passion should be theatre or fashion, right? I greatly enjoy both of those. I even love both of those. But ultimately, I'm passionate about boring old law. My father's career. The predictable career. That's why I was 25 before I figured it out / caved in and admitted as much. And yes, I know that's still young, but kids in Germany more or less figure this stuff out at 12.

So, here I am in the somewhat unique predicament of discovering my passion years after getting married. Married to a med student entering a highly competitive specialty. The feminist in me wants to say, "you need to go to the best law school you can regardless of the impact on your relationship"... but the feminist in me also made Mr. move certain programs down on the list for their lack of law school. He's making sacrifices, and I should be expected to do the same if necessary.

I think we often try to paint things in black and white. We want everything to make sense, to fit into a package of quotes about passion and dreams. But ultimately, people are important. Even Lady Gaga, ambitious as she is, offers in her song "Speechless" to stop singing if that's what it will take for her father to get a potentially life-saving surgery. At the end of the day, I'll go with my gut with what feels right in terms of law and Mr., to find the balance between doing what is best for my career and doing what is best for my family.

I'd really like to have my cake and eat it, too. After all, what good is having cake if you don't get to eat it?

04 days until Black Monday
07 days until Match Day
84 days until Mr.'s Graduation

And Now We Wait

2010-03-05T13:41:00.003-05:00

The rank list has been submitted and certified. We've told our parents and a couple friends. The decision has already been made; now we just need to wait. I'm so impatient; I just want to know already! At the same time, I hate "wishing my life away" and am trying to live up these next couple weeks.

This weekend I have 3 social activities planned, another one tentatively planned, sorority meetings, and church activities. Earlier this week I tried a new chili recipe, and tonight or tomorrow, I'm going to try to make chocolate covered strawberries made to look like footballs for the Oscars (footballs because The Blindside is nominated...).

I also got my LSAT score back over the weekend and have been using the LSAC's UGPA/LSAT search to find out my chances of getting into various schools. I've then cross referenced this with a list of schools I'll apply to for each of the programs on Mr.'s ROL. I've found this to be calming. What is not calming, however, is writing my application addendum to explain the sole bad grade I earned (or failed to earn?) in undergrad and my previous LSAT score from that time I took it on a whim. *headdesk* I want to go back in time and shake my 21 year-old self. Can we just skip that year? Go from 20 to 22? Because everything I have to explain happened when I was 21. And no, it's not alcohol related; the age is a mere coincidence. Le sigh.

Annnyyyway, moving on. What I should be doing in this time before the match is packing. Regardless of where Mr. matches, we will be moving out of our current student housing apartment. I hate packing with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. And I just can't do it. I usually ease into packing by starting with clothes, but that clearly won't work as it's still sweater and coats weather, and we aren't moving until tank-top and sundress weather. Also, we don't have boxes. Maybe I'll work on that next week. We can pack all of the books Mr. won't need for his last two rotations... some wedding presents we have yet to use... keepsakes that don't serve a purpose.
I am also going to clean out my closet. There's a donation bin near our grocery store, so that makes getting rid of clothes so much easier.

I think I might try to pick up some overtime at work. For some reason I'm much more productive after hours (and it's not the money... even when I'm not submitting the time I find that's the case). Hmm.

Anyway, speaking of work, I should get back to it! Lunch break is over. :)

10 days until Black Monday
13 days until The Match

Rank Order List Advice

2010-02-23T07:15:00.002-05:00

On her blog, Marissa Nicole has discussed oh she and her husband have used their parents as a resource when creating their list. I think this is wonderful, but Mr. and I didn't opt to involve our parents much in the decision making. Part of this is because I already basically know the advice.

My parents are academic types. They actually met at a university that has a top tier law school, a top 10 business school, and one of the best music programs in the country. My dad was in law school, and my mom was in the music school. Through my college search when I was in high school, I learned that, in my father's opinion, it's not just about the name, but matching the offerings of the program with your own needs. I was in a rather unique program at NYU studying the entertainment industry - an industry that in the US only really exists in NYC and LA. When I considered switching my major to accounting, my dad said I should transfer back to an in-state school because his alma mater was just as good for less than half the price.
In short, my parents advice would be to go where he can get the best training. They'd love for us to be at the program closest to them, but not at the expense of his training.

Neither of my in-laws finished college, but my mother-in-law's father had a PhD from Princeton and moved the family frequently for work. She gets that the best opportunities aren't always in the same place, but she'd love for us to move closer to them and start giving her grandchildren.

So, who have we actually gone to for advice? Mr. has gone to various orthopedic surgeons in the area. For his independent study project requirement, an article on a specific orthopedic procedure, he's being overseen by a Spine attending with whom he has worked before. They have been in contact at least weekly since the fall. He received the specific advice that operating experience is paramount in determining rank order.

As for me, I've been talking to my boss a lot. I know it's often best to play your cards close to your chest, but I respect my boss too much to not keep her in the loop with everything. I plan to go to law school starting Fall 2011, and expect to be a slightly above average but not stellar applicant. My boss has advised to go to law school in cities where BigLaw exists if I want to do BigLaw. On our list, that would be New York, Chicago, or DC. (Ideally for her, we'd stay in New York, and I'd go to Fordham at night, continuing to work for her during the day.) While there are better schools in other cities on our list, they tend to train attorneys to work in those states, and the big firms don't necessarily look at mid-top-tier programs in smaller cities rural areas. I'm taking that to mean I will need to be aggressive in my job search, which I'm planning on being anyway.

In general, a lot of people have a lot of advice, but we've focused in to figure out what's legit and what we really want. I'm pretty happy with our list. I think it does well to look out for our oft conflicting interests. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out!

01 day until ROL is due
06 days until my LSAT score is back
20 days until Black Monday
23 days until Match Day!

The Rank Order List

2010-02-18T07:12:00.005-05:00

It is one month until Match Day... one short month since it's February to March, so if you prefer to count things in weeks it's 4 of those or 28 days. I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it!

Before Mr. can match anywhere, though, he has to submit his Rank Order List ("ROL"). As many of you know, this is the list of every program he wouldn't mind matching at of those where he interviewed. As I know not matching would be devastating to him, I've advised he rank all of them. Realistically, I imagine he'll match in his top 10, but you can't assume anything.

Mr. has had his #1 choice for a while, but lately we've been tweaking. Two days ago, he bumped what had been his #8 to #5. While this did bump one of my ideal cities down a spot, it also bumped my least favorite city down. Furthermore, I recently (as in, 14 hours ago) learned that my best friend is moving to the city we just moved to #5, so that makes it a very appealing move.

We've had to do a lot of balancing preferences. Mr., in support of my plans to pursue law, has lowered a program in loves in a city without a law school, and I've been less adamant about having to live in a big big city so that Mr. can rank programs that offer more operating experience. There are programs in less than ideal cities up there and programs with less OR time up there, but we've tried to work on ranking higher programs that have something in it for both of us.

I think our top 10 is now set. I like it; he likes it. In order for the Match to work properly, though, you must prefer each program over the next on the list. So, when Mr. showed me a printout of the current list, I asked if he could switch 11 and 12. While 11 does have slightly better weather and is closer to my family, it only has a 4th tier law school. 12 has a 2nd tier law school and is closer to cities with big firms. So, I think he is going to make the switch.

For more information on how the matching algorithm works, visit the NRMP website.

06 days until the ROL is due
11 days until I get my LSAT score
25 days until Black Monday
28 days until The Match!

Planning for the Unknown Part II

2010-02-14T14:15:00.003-05:00

Mr. has chosen his #1 program and has notified them. But, he interviewed at 20 programs in 13 different cities, and we have to be prepared to end up at any of them.

If we move, we'll have 2 1/2 months to find a place to live, plan our move, and find a job for me. Except, On-Campus-Recruiting has begun, and fashion retail executive training programs are accepting applications now.

So, what can I do?

Start checking out job prospects in the cities where Mr. interviewed.
Apply to jobs where applicable... I just submitted an application today (wish me luck!)
Research the real estate markets in the cities, keeping Mr.'s future salary for that city in mind.

...wait, where was I? I just found a luxury gated apartment complex in Mr.'s #1 city that looks amazing. Is it Match Day yet??

10 days until the ROL is due
15 days until I get my LSAT score
29 days until Black Monday
32 days until the Match!!

The Other Side of the LSAT

2010-02-08T17:50:00.002-05:00

Mr. has finished his interviews. I've finished fashion school. And now, I've taken the LSAT.

Last August, when I signed up for the LSAT, I opted to take it at NYU Law School because I know how to get there. Instead of having to worry about the trek from the outer borough in the wee hours of the morning sans cell phone, I instead chose to stay at a nearby hotel/dorm (yes, it is both a hotel and a dorm). Despite the warnings of a snowmageddan that shut down many test sites in the Mid-Atlantic region including some in Northern New Jersey, Staten Island and Brooklyn, I arrived safely at my destination on Friday before any precipitation accumulated, subsequently looking ridiculous in my rain boots. I went out for Mexican with a friend for dinner in the neighborhood and was in bed by 10:00pm. All was going according to plan.

Then, just before 4 am, I woke up to a woman screaming bloody murder outside my window. So, I jumped up and dialed 911. It took me a while to give the dispatcher my location as I didn't know the address and couldn't remember the second cross street, but once I did, she asked me to look out the window. The bottom of the window started at roughly 5' off the floor, so I got up on the bed and peaked out. Sure enough, there was already an FDNY ambulance out there. This should have been apparent as red lights were faintly flashing through the blinds, but hey, it was 4am and a woman was screaming! This dispatcher was nice about it, though. Better too many people call than none, right?

Anyway, since I already had quite a few hours of sleep by that time, it took a good hour before I could doze off again. Luckily, since I know the woman got help, the drama wasn't distracting during my exam. Even with the best plans, though, things can go awry. I'm really curious what happened. Hopefully everything worked out.

The test was okay. There was one truly awful section, which I'm hoping was the experimental section. My practice exam scores had a 17-point range and all felt more or less the same. So, I really have no idea what to expect but am preparing myself for a score on the lower side.

Anyway, my weekend didn't end with the exam. I got out a little before 3:00pm (it's a 3 1/2 hour test, and I arrived at 8:30...), so I met up with a sorority sister who lives farther downtown for a bite to eat. She had waited for me to get out of the test to eat, so we chowed down on Uno's deep dish pizza in order to span the calorie count of two meals. We then returned to her apartment to get ready for a charity event our former chapter was throwing while watching Glee on DVD.

I should mention that we got no more than a light dusting of snow in NYC that was gone by the time we left for the charity event. If I had been scheduled to take the LSAT in Staten Island, Brooklyn, or Northern New Jersey, I would've been extremely annoyed.

Though not snowing, it was freezing out. Thankfully, attendance at the charity event didn't appear to suffer because of the weather. They had an excellent turnout and raised a ton of money.

I left the party early to get home at a reasonable time, saying hi to Mr. briefly on my way to bed.

8 hours later, I woke up and went to church. After church I was going to pick up my Peyton Manning jersey from my friend's apartment, but when she wasn't home, I killed time at my office instead, and thankfully found that my email box was not over flowing from my Friday off. I then went downtown to a meeting, stopping by to pick up snacks for the Super Bowl Party later, and left the meeting early to finally pick up the jersey. It was 5:45 when I arrived at my friend's apartment and nearly 6 by the time I left. Since she lives in West Midtown and I was heading to the Upper East Side... and it was really cold out and I didn't want to miss the kickoff, I splurged on a cab, arriving at 6:25. Whew.

The game was disappointing, and so were the commercials. It was kind of a let down after a crazy weekend, but the party was fun. Plus, I don't see the point of getting upset over sports. Excited? Sure! It's fun to be happy when your team wins. But upset? Meh. Not worth it.

Coming up...
04 days until my birthday
16 days until the Rank Order List is due
21 days until I get my LSAT score
35 days until Black Monday
38 days until The Match

Planning for the Unknown

2010-01-13T17:39:00.003-05:00

This spring will prove to be quite hectic. I have a trip to visit my parents this weekend, the LSAT in February, perhaps a trip with Mr. to go on second looks in mid-February, the match in March, potentially a post-match weekend getaway with Mr.'s classmates, my best friend's bridal shower and bachelorette party sometime in spring, Mr.'s graduation in early June (with family coming from all over to celebrate), my best friend's wedding, and finally the move in June. Whether Mr. matches in NYC or halfway across the country, we will be moving OUT of student housing!

However, notice that those plans end with June. Okay, so there's another wedding in August on the calendar, but for the most part, I haven't thought past 5 months out. My cousin's experience has taught me that with the match, you can plan on nothing. Okay, I take that back. If you only apply in one city, then I suppose you can assume you will be in that city. Otherwise, it's the great unknown.

Except, life can't be put on hold. Events are planned, favors are asked, and commitments are needed. So what do you do? What can you do?

This morning, while Mr. was at an interview in the city, I received an email from one of my ministers notifying me that I had been nominated to serve on a committee that would serve next winter. Without anything set with Mr.'s career, I said yes. Here's why:
I feel honored to have been nominated and would like to serve on the committee if I'm in New York next year. Since I may be in New York next year, may be able to serve and would like to be able to serve, I said yes.
"But you may NOT be in New York next winter!" you may proclaim. That is correct; I may not be. I may also be hit by a bus tomorrow. While these are not equally likely scenarios, they are both possible scenarios. At any moment, anything could happen that would prevent one from keeping a commitment.
So then the question of Good Faith comes up. I realize that can be a misleading phrase since I'm using a church commitment as an example, but Good Faith in contract terms basically means honest intentions. A person should make commitments in good faith that s/he will fulfill the obligations of that commitment. Obviously, my situation has a grey area. Naturally, I was honest. I explained the situation and stated that the nominating committee could change their minds without offending me. Instead, we're all taking a wait and see approach. If I can't serve on the committee, they will find someone else.

Don't keep yourself from signing up for things you would like to do because of the unknown. Be upfront and honest about the possibilities, but keep living life and taking opportunities you like. Because, really, what else can you do?

64 days until the Match...

On the Road Again...

2010-01-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

After a nice 2 1/2 week break for the holidays, Mr. is back on the interview trail. This weekend is one of the most popular weekends for orthopedic residency interviews, and Mr. is booked solid. Four interviews in four different cities, none less than 350 miles from the next.

Of course, the entire country was dumped with snow, so that should make traveling interesting.

Yesterday, Mr. traveled from New York to a Mid-Atlantic city without hassle. Upon arriving, he learned from the program coordinator that she was able to put him in an earlier time slot. While he had already paid hundreds of dollars to switch to the later flight to his next destination in the upper Midwest, it was all moot when both flights were canceled today. As far as I could tell, there was one direct flight between where Mr. was and where he was headed that was not canceled. I'm not sure how he did it, but he was able to get on that flight.

While the flight took off 16 minutes early, the destination airport was closed when Mr.'s flight approached. Luckily, they weren't diverted, but it did take an extra half hour (or so) to land, getting in 8 minutes later than planned.

I haven't spoken to Mr. since; I suspect he may have actually gotten to attend the social event that, had everything gone as planned, he would have had to miss.

Update: The social event started an hour earlier than I thought, and by the time Mr. got his car and to the hotel, it was too late. Oh well; at least he got in in time to get a full night's sleep!

Four more flights to catch to get to two more interviews. Wish him luck!

70 Days until Match Day...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:43:00.002-05:00

2009 - what a year! It completely flew by for me.

To recap...
In January, as I entered my second semester of fashion school, I decided I wanted to go to India to visit a friend of mine. ASAP. I emailed a few mutual friends and one was in. Mr. decided on orthopedic surgery and started thinking about away rotation applications.
My birthday in February was low-key but fun, with the people I care about most in New York coming out to enjoy dinner.
By March the away rotation applications were out, and we played the waiting game.
In April I took the trip of a lifetime around Northern India with two incredible, hilarious women. I couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect trip.
Mr. finished his last rotation of 3rd year in May, and we also attended his grandfather's funeral.
June brought Mr.'s first orthopedic surgery rotation and it brought me jury duty. I made it to the voir dire but wasn't chosen (whew).
July and August, Mr. lived in the Midwest to complete his away rotations. I went to visit for a few days each month. Meanwhile, my friend from India moved to NYC, and I took her to all the essentials, including Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and the Bronx Zoo.
September brought Mr. back home to finish his residency application, and school started up again for me. At the end of the month, my grandfather passed away, an I took a last-minute trip to Ohio for the funeral while Mr. stayed behind to study for Step II CK.
October always breezes by as everyone fits in fall activities before the holidays take over. Mr. also had his first interview. I went to the Halloween parade in the Village with some of my favorite sorority sisters in creative and cute costumes.
November was hectic as we really started to schedule Mr.'s residency interviews, and I tackled final projects for fashion school. We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house, where Mr. bonded with my mom's dog. (If we have a yard next year, we're SO getting a boxer/boxer-mix!)
I finally finished fashion school in December (hooray!), Mr. went on six interviews, we got stuck in the blizzard but ended up being less than a day delayed getting to his parents' house for Christmas.

With all the ups and downs, I can't imagine having another year like 2009. But 2010 will certainly be exciting. Mr. has 12 interviews in January... hopefully the weather will cooperate! I'm taking the LSAT in February. My football team of choice will then win the Superbowl. ;)
March brings match day, and hopefully a quick celebratory trip. April and May will be full of preparations for the move, whether is be across town or halfway across the country. Our families come in June for his graduation. Another, bigger celebratory vacation, my best friend's wedding, sorority convention.
Then Mr. will [hopefully] start residency in July!~ Another wedding in August, but because of the match, I can't plan much past June. :)

Happy New Year everyone!

76 Days until Match Day...

Never Go to Bed Angry

2009-12-27T08:13:00.003-05:00

I always thought the "never go to bed angry" advice was not for me. Often, I'll get annoyed at silly stuff, go to sleep, and wake up feeling sheepish for getting annoyed at something so silly. So, many times, it is beneficial for me to just never bring it up, to sleep on it, and get over it.

Last night, however, was not one of those nights.

This past month has been kind of crazy - work has been busy, I finished up my fashion degree, and Mr. has spent a lot of time on the road, traveling for residency interviews. When I'm stressed, I drop the details. I just do what needs to be done, and then just veg so I don't burn out. Of course, when I drop the details, Mr., being slightly OCPD, becomes more stressed. And when he becomes stressed, he snarks and nitpicks.

It got to the point where I was looking forward to him being on the road and dreading having to be in the same room with him. (And since we live in a studio, we're always in the same room if we're home.) Finally, last night, after a lovely evening with friends, Mr. made a comment that just irked me to no end; he was essentially bragging about the very character flaw that had been making me miserable the past couple weeks. I had been dozing off after a long day of traveling and really just wanted to sleep. But sensing my bad mood, Mr. coaxed the issue out of me, and we had a long talk about what wasn't working and how to move forward.

We now are keeping each other in check. I don't like my opinion to be discounted or ignored, but I recognize that I often commit one of Mr.'s pet peeves: I'll talk about topics I only know a little about. I know a little bit about a lot of topics; as Mr. put it, I know "just enough to be dangerous". What can I say? I like small talk. But I know Mr. is right in that it's dangerous for people who don't really know what they're talking about to act like they do. So, for him to help me correct that behavior without making me feel like a know-nothing idiot, he's going to use the code phrase, "we'll have to read more about it".

Similarly, I can't take the nit-picking. Any comment alone seems silly to complain about, but when that's all I'm hearing from my husband, it feels like rocks building up in my chest. It just drags me down and makes me not want to be around him. Naturally, Mr. doesn't want to hurt me or be a drag, so when he starts to do that, I'm now going to respond by saying "don't be a grump".

We didn't go to bed angry but rather with a renewed sense of marital bliss. We had our airing of grievances (it's a Festivus miracle!), and came up with productive actions to take in the future if necessary.

I guess sometimes it is best to not go to bed angry.

Meanwhile... 81 days until Match Day!

Informal Pre-Interview Social Event

2009-12-11T07:27:00.003-05:00

Mr. has been on three residency interviews so far, but last night was the first pre-interview social event to which spouses were invited. Luckily it was nearby, so I was able to attend!

Here's my take:

What to wear
With orthopedic surgery, I've found that most of the social events are in private rooms at sports bars, dive bars and breweries. They're obviously pretty casual, but it's still part of an interview. Last night, most people were in jeans. I was in a jersey-knit modal wrap dress, tights, and stilettos. I'm happy with my choice. While I was dressier than almost everyone else, it was still a pretty casual dress. Plus, I'd rather err on the side of over-dressed than under-dressed.
For women attending these events, though, I think the ideal outfit (if highs are 60 or colder) is a cute sweater dress, tights, and flat boots. It's very casual, very appropriate for a bar but still an acknowledgment that it is a networking event.
If you're not a dress person, fear not; trousers are appropriate (unless it's at a swanky venue... so far, that has not been the case for Mr.).

Who to talk to
Anyone! I had a great time last night talking to the other applicants and their significant others. However, you certainly want to talk to those in the program and their significant others.

What to ask about
I think it's good to ask the residents and their significant others about the lifestyle, the housing options, the city (if you don't already live there), and life in general. It's good to get a feel for how happy they are in their program and express your willingness to live in the city of that program.

Overall, have fun! Don't dance on any tables or wear lampshades, of course, but be yourself and help your spouse be him/herself. Have fun finding the right program for you.

Tag Team

2009-11-12T09:50:00.005-05:00

As the interviews slowly trickle in, we have to become increasingly strategic in planning interview dates. The three highest priority programs are, of course, Mr.'s two away programs and his home program. So far he has heard from and scheduled interviews for one away and his home program. We have the interview dates for his other away, and one conflicts with the interview we have scheduled for his home program. It is imperative, then, that we schedule his interview from his other away (assuming he's offered one) for the date that doesn't conflict with his home program.
Not only does the day we want not conflict with Mr.'s already scheduled interview, but it also does not conflict with interviews from any other programs that we know of, so we expect it to be the popular choice among those invited. Therefore, Mr. must be in the first half of those who respond. It's an ugly, competitive process with a lot of people reaching for the same thing. It can be tricky, then, on days like today when Mr. has a shelf exam. He won't be able to check his email for 3 full hours, plenty of time for others to respond should he receive an offer.
That's where I come in. Having been some sort of assistant for years now, it is not out of character for me to draft someone else's correspondence or to reply to an invitation on behalf of someone else. So, at my desk job, I will keep constant watch on his email in order to pounce on an interview offer from his 2nd away, should he receive one.
Of course, there's that whole watched pot thing again, so who knows if my services will be needed anyway! Here's hoping we hear soon...

126 days until Match Day

"Tetris" That In There

2009-11-11T13:05:00.005-05:00

Dear fellow children of the 80's, remember Tetris? Of course you do. You probably still play it on your phone or computer. Though nothing can beat the memories of playing it on the original Nintendo, with Russian music celebrating your win. In fact, in college I once found myself at an Ozma concert where they played a cover of Korobeiniki (I subsequently downloaded it and added it to a number of playlists on my iPod).
A refresher for those less geeky than myself:
The point of Tetris is to position the dropping game piece so that no empty spaces are created. Once a row has been filled with squares, it will disappear. The trick, obviously, is to strategically pack all of the pieces as tightly as possible by appropriately rotating and shifting the dropping pieces.
This skill that so many of us 20-somethings learned as children has a number of practical applications. Mr. often uses it when packing a trunk of a car with a number of suitcases or grocery bags. to "Tetris" everything in there, he properly arranges the items to allow for little wasted space.

Last night I had what I felt was a Tetris moment. Only this time, instead of fitting together tangible objects, I was fitting Mr.'s interview schedule. Due to the limited time between now and the rank list due-date, many interview dates overlap. In order to maximize interviews, we want to try to schedule multiple interviews on the same weekend (one Friday, one Saturday). Of course, many programs also have social events the night prior, which can make traveling difficult. On one weekend, Mr. has a Friday interview scheduled in the Northeast with a social event the evening prior. Yesterday he accepted an interview in the Midwest for the next day (Saturday) that also has a social event the evening prior. Without knowing the start time of the Midwest social event, we estimate the gap between the end of the interview and the start of the social event is no less than 6 hours. Luckily, we found a direct flight that should take off roughly 3 hours after the end of the Northeast interview and land about an hour prior to the earliest likely start time of the Midwest social event. Unfortunately, the cost for that flight one way (there may be other Midwest interviews the following week, so we didn't want to book the return yet) would have been $600. Luckily, we were able to switch around his Thanksgiving flights to account for that and another interview trip using a multi-destination trip planner to arrange everything for far less. What a relief! Now we just have to hope nothing else changes between now and then. ...Easier said than done...

127 days until Match Day

A Watched Pot Never Boils

2009-11-07T09:35:00.002-05:00

Mr. hates that saying. As a scientist, he finds it ridiculous. All else equal, the water will boil at the same rate whether it is watched or not.

Of course, that saying is all I could think of as I eagerly looked for news of interviews on Thursday only to learn Mr. didn't receive any that day. I was getting anxious and becoming distracted from work and school.

Yesterday, though, I couldn't afford to be distracted. Work was piling up, and if I didn't tackle it then, it would only get worse. Meanwhile, Mr. received 3 more interview offers. The first little gush after what had so far been only a trickle.

So, the lesson of the day is this:
Be prepared, have a calendar ready to know which date to choose if given a choice, and be ready. Put the proverbial water into the proverbial pot and turn on the proverbial stove. But after that, live your life, do what you need to do, and trust that the water will boil in time.

131 days until Match Day.

The Thank You Note

2009-11-05T23:46:00.002-05:00

As I understand the world, it is common courtesy to write a Thank You note to anyone who takes time out of his/her schedule to interview you.
From the Emily Post Institute:
"At the end of the interview, stand, thank the interviewer for her time, look her in the eye and shake her hand. A short note of thanks—nothing fawning—is also appropriate. "

Of course, in medicine and the highly competitive world of residency applications, students do not want to miss any steps. I'm under the impression that it is very common to send thank you notes after residency interviews. Students debate between e-mail and snail mail, but I don't think that really matters. Mr. doesn't have the email addresses for those who interviewed him, so he plans to send letters. I think a hand-written note on nice stationery is more appropriate, but will that be feasible during what will hopefully be a busy season of interviewing in December and January?

I have never been on "the other side" of residency interviews. The closest experience I had was as an assistant to an attorney on the recruiting committee. She received thank you notes (handwritten cards), but most of the time she shrugged them off "he just doesn't have the grades" or "there are no openings". So, while I believe it is common courtesy to send a thank you note, I'm not convinced it truly makes that big of a difference.

Later in the process, I hear that many write "love letters" to programs. I don't even know what Mr. will do when he hears about that. I think he just likes to get stressed out about inconsequential things. 13 hour surgery? Very cool. 3 succinct but personal thank you notes? The world will end. Ultimately, he just wants to do a good job and be good at what he does. Schmoozing is not his thing... but does he need to do it in order to do what he wants?

133 days until Match Day.

Update: Mr. tells me the etiquette for residency interviews is different than any other type of interview. I'm skeptical. Perhaps he's referring to the "love letter" process that will happen later on?

Happy Election Day!

2009-11-03T07:41:00.001-05:00

Just got back from voting! The polls opened at 6am, so I dragged STM with me to our location at 6:30. The lines weren't too bad for the presidential election, but because there are more offices this time and fewer obvious names, I thought people might be taking longer.

We were the first ones there for our election district and possibly the youngest they expect to see all day.

Nevertheless, it was fun! Yay, civic duty! If you have an election in your town today, research the candidates (if you haven't already) and then get out and vote. :)

In other news... 135 days until the Match!

Interview Update

2009-11-01T07:25:00.003-05:00

I spoke to Mr. Friday night after his interview as he played Mario with one of his younger brothers, so, perhaps this isn't as thorough a report as I'd hoped.
He was scheduled to begin at 8:00am and had 3 15-minute interviews, including one with the chief resident. There was a lot of downtime at the interview, and it ended with a lunch. Overall it seems it was a positive first experience.

Everyone is looking for something different (operating experience vs. didactics vs. research vs. prestige vs. location vs. lifestyle...), and I'd rather not comment on his priorities right now, but he did like the program and thought it went well. Many programs are reviewed on Orthogate.

Now if he can just get some more offers...

Prep for Interview 1

2009-10-29T07:11:00.006-04:00

Once upon a time (June, to be exact), all of our umbrellas broke. All were over a year old, a fair lifespan for an umbrella in NYC, most even older. So, Mr. decided he would buy a new umbrella, a really nice one. Still, when I came home, I was surprised to find he had spent $70 on a really nice big umbrella that is roughly 3' tall folded. While I remarked how nice it is, I also balked a little at how impractical it is. Personally I was just thinking of city use. I always carry my umbrella in my purse so that I'm always ready. Obviously a big umbrella won't fit. It also won't fit in a backpack or briefcase, which means Mr. has to plan to carry it when it might rain. He has to carry it in his hand - one whole hand, that's 50% of his holding capability! In a city where people don't drive, the ability to carry things is vital.
Mr. also bought me an umbrella on his trip - a basic black folded umbrella that fit in my purse. While nowhere near $70, the cost was still significantly more than drug-store or street umbrellas, so I expected it to be high quality and was glad to have something reliable in my purse.
June 2009 was a very rainy month in New York, and it rained the night before Mr. left for his away rotations. I remember because I had left my black umbrella open to dry by our front door (so I wouldn't forget to put it back in my purse). However, two days later as I waited for the M60 bus to LaGuardia (I was off to visit a friend for the 4th), it started to sprinkle. When I reached in my purse, extra stuffed with my laptop and my quart-size bag filled with 3 oz liquids, I discovered that my umbrella was not in there. It then started to pour. I tried to stand under a tree, which worked well when the rain was light but was little help when the sprinkle became a downpour. I was drenched. Once on the bus, I texted Mr. to lament how I'd forgotten my umbrella. As it turns out, he had taken it with him on his away rotations. "It was out". Yes, out, drying out where I'd have to trip on it before forgetting to put it back in my purse. Mr. had been afraid he wouldn't be able to take his big umbrella with him on the plane, so he took mine instead. As you can guess, I bought another umbrella while visiting my friend, one that fits in my purse, so I wouldn't have to go two months without.
Now Mr. is flying out today, and it is yet again rainy in New York. My new umbrella is safely tucked away in my purse and very girly. The black umbrella is in less than perfect condition but still, in my opinion, perfectly usable, particularly if it's just going to be used to and from a car as it would be on this trip. Mr. disagrees, so his first mission last night was to find out if he could take it with him. He'll have a suitcase, a briefcase and a large umbrella, all to carry-on. I imagine they'll let him through, but I'm still a little nervous he's risking losing a $70 umbrella to the TSA. We'll see how this goes.

Mr.'s second mission was figuring out what to wear. While on one hand I can appreciate fretting over such a thing, on the other, I have little sympathy for a man in this situation. I mean, nice shoes, suit, button-down shirt, tie. If this were me, the question would be dress, skirt suit, or pantsuit with a million different ways to accessorize each style. But I digress.
His favorite suit is a dark-grey pinstripe (pictured left), and his other is solid navy. He's wearing the pinstripe. Now for the shirt and tie. Somehow this turned into a process, but he ultimately decided on a white shirt and a patterned tie. It looks nice. I suppose the big debate was whether or not to wear a different colored shirt (he has a dark purple one from Express that looks amazing), but at least for the first few (assuming he gets more than this one, haha), he should play it safe with the white. If other people are having more fun with it, he can switch it up.
Hmm... I hope he knows about the sometimes, always, never rule of buttoning his suit jacket. I'll remind him.

Interview prep isn't all umbrellas and suits, though. Mr. has to do his research on the program as well. What's it known for, who the program director is, etc. etc. I printed off the program's AMA Freida profile, and I'm hoping he found the rest on the program's website and Google news.
Enough typing; time to send my MD-in-training off to his first residency interview!

140 Days until the match!

Another Item to Check Off the List!

2009-10-28T13:03:00.004-04:00

Mr.'s dean's letter has been uploaded to ERAS! Though programs won't be able to access it until November 1 (or will it be November 2 because of the weekend? or does the entire field of medicine simply ignore weekends?), it's such a relief to know that it is up.

These last couple months have been kind of crazy. Mr. completed his residency application and submitted it to 52 orthopedic surgery programs and was also invited to become a member of AOA. He finished a radiology elective, took Step II CK, and is now doing an Ambulatory rotation while working on his Independent Study Project. I thought 4th year was supposed to be light?

Of those 52 programs, we've heard from 1 so far (more on that later). Very nerve-wracking as friends going into other specialties have nearly their entire winter set up. However, I understand it's common for orthopedic programs to wait until the dean's letter is up before offering interviews.

Mr. was given the opportunity to proof his dean's letter before it was submitted, and he seemed very happy at the kind words from his letter-writer. The letter also included the information about AOA and hopefully (though Mr. couldn't remember) the award he and one other student in his class won first year. Here's hoping the offers start rolling in next week!

As for the one program we have heard from thus far, he will be going there Friday! I'm excited to hear how it goes. I will not be joining him, but I'll be sure to get a full report to share.

141 days until Match Day.

Specialty

2009-09-07T20:19:00.006-04:00

Since I have the palate of a child and I imagine a number of you who read this blog may have children, I feel it only fair to share recipes for meals that I like.

This is a recipe I learned from my uncle who's from Minnesota where I'm told they have things like "dishes" and "bars". This, I believe, would be considered a dish. It's my uncle's specialty, so we just call it "specialty". Real creative with the name, I know.

Here's what you need:

Approximately 10 oz Pasta (I prefer rotini or elbow macaroni)
5 oz can of Chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken condensed soup
1 can of equal size of chicken broth
8 oz slice Mozzarella Cheese
Poultry seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook pasta
While the pasta is cooking, mix soup and broth in medium saucepan. Add enough poultry seasoning to give mixture slightly green hue.
Drain chicken and place in 9x9 glass dish.
When the pasta is done, add pasta and soup mixture to the dish. (Note: you may not need all of the soup mixture)
Stir so that all components are mixed together.
Place slices of mozzarella on top, covering the other ingredients.
Bake in oven 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown.

Serves 5-6.

I tried mixing vegetables in once. It was not a success. Serve veggies on the side; I'd recommend preparing them while waiting for the dish to bake.

Ways to make it less unhealthy:

Whole wheat pasta
Low-fat and/or low-sodium soup
Skim mozzarella
...If you're a health-nut, you probably already know! :)

I hope you enjoy!

Tips for 4th Year Part I

2009-09-02T07:31:00.004-04:00

Mr. submitted ERAS yesterday! We're still early in the process, but here are some of my tips for those who will go through this in the future...

Prepare to spend an extra $10k or so for fourth year interviews, particularly if applying for a competitive specialty. Many do this with loans (as we are), but if you can avoid the loans, awesome!
Prepare to spend an additional $2k per away rotation for rent and additional food. You'll probably spend less, but if you plan for $2k per month, you should be safe. Note: if your med student is going away in the summer, this will likely be before fourth year loans come in. If you have an income, start saving. If you live entirely on loans, request a little extra for third year.
Make a list of programs to apply to in spring of third year. Find out what specific requirements they have. They won't all be the same. Look for:

Who they want letters from. Clinical faculty only? Someone not in the specialty? The head of the department? You can submit up to four letters, but as the different programs want letters from different people, you may need 5 or more letters.
Additional forms for letter writers. Some programs have their own cover-letter for letters of recommendation, so you need to have that before asking for letters.
Any additional exams.
Program-specific personal statements.
MCAT scores, SAT scores, and/or your undergraduate transcript.
Anything else they might think of to request...

That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later. Good luck, everyone!!

197 days until Match Day.

ERAS

2009-08-31T07:30:00.003-04:00

Last night, Mr. got home from two months of away rotations. I kept myself very busy these past two months... apparently too busy to blog. :)

When Mr. came home last night, after a hug and a kiss, the first thing we did was sit down and take another look at the list of programs he'll apply to. We got rid of programs that would require those who wrote his recommendation to fill out a special form or were strictly 6-year programs. Since I'm thinking I might go back to school during residency (apparently I like to collect degrees), we also struck some of the more rural programs and added some from Boston, Detroit and Philly. I think we're at 53 programs and hope to whittle down to 50.

Tonight is the night to finish compiling everything as the first day to submit to ERAS is tomorrow.

We have to go through each program and make sure we're fulfilling special requests, such as undergraduate transcript or a program-specific personal statement. Then we'll carefully check the preferences for each program on ERAS to make sure everything is going to the correct place.

I know I always get a little nervous before sending an email at work to a large distribution group, even if it's just the attorney training department (with whom I often correspond). It's only more nerve-racking to send to attorneys, particularly partners. The more power a person has over your future, the more important it is to not screw up. And who could have more power of peoples' futures than the committees who review residency applications? With 50+ programs to comb through, I imagine tonight will be a lonnnnnng night...

199 days until Match Day.

Living Less on Loans

2009-07-30T07:50:00.005-04:00

For the majority of medical students, living off of student loans while in medical school is inevitable. Most families in the US can't afford to pay roughly $50k/year in tuition, fees, room & board. Medical students have little opportunity to earn income in the first two classroom years and no opportunities in the last two clinical years. Meanwhile, banks happily approve the loans knowing that US medical students are a good bet.

Some medical students support their entire family (spouse & kids) on loans. For some, this is the best and/or most cost-effective arrangement. However, childless young couples like us live a different way. I work.

It's easy to think of extra expenditures in medical training that require extra loans (such as the additional $11k we're taking out for the residency application process) as simply "drops in the bucket" of the 6-figure student loan debt. However, smaller expenditures add up, particularly when they accrue interest.

The point of this post is not to make our hair turn prematurely grey, but rather to explore the benefits of living less on loans.
In our case, we use my salary to pay for room & board, books, test fees, travel, all discretionary spending, all of my expenses, and away rotation expenses. Focusing on only the necessary medical school related expenses that we've incurred or will incur in years 2-4 (as we were married and merged finances in the summer between years 1 and 2), it breaks down roughly as follows:

Room: $575/month x 36 months = $20,700
Board: $250/month x 36 months = $9,000
Books: $1000/year x 3 years = $3,000
USMLE Test Fees: $2150
Visiting Rotation flights: $300
Visiting Rotation rent: $1600
--------------------------------------------
Total: $36,750

Now, just to be fair, let's assume that Mr. gets a nice offer right out of residency and pays off his loans within the first 6 months. Not likely, I realize, but at the bare minimum, that means that the loans will accrue interest for 5 years. Mr. has a number of different loans at various rates, but to keep a fair estimate, let's look at what that extra $36,750 would happen with 6% interest rate over 5 years.
Annually compounded over 5 years at 6% interest, that $36,750 would become ~$49,180. That's an additional $12,430 in interest.
Taking the full 20 years compounded annually at 6% interest, that extra $36,750 becomes ~$117,860, or an additional $81,110 in interest.

Now, I imagine there are a number of factors I'm missing. Perhaps you can get a better rate, pay more effectively, etc. The point is, paying for the little stuff now helps a lot in the long term. Few couples can pay for everything out of pocket, and not all additional loans are unavoidable. As I stated above, we're taking out extra loans to pay for the interview process. However, by learning to live less on loans and pay for what we can now, we will save a lot in the long run.

Writing the Essay

2009-05-28T15:16:00.003-04:00

No, my fellow fighting violets, I'm not talking about the required writing seminar at NYU that all freshman must take in some form or another. I'm referring to a little step in the residency application process known as the Personal Statement.

Though he's been talking about writing his first draft for the past few weeks, Mr. finally sat down last night and hammered out what turned out to be a nearly 800 word piece on how he came to choose orthopedic surgery. While I'm not sure if there is a specific word count, my cousin's statement (which received high praise) was just about 600 words long. Better too long for a first draft, so I feel this is a good start. Of course, after the edits I made to it this morning, it is now 2 words longer. Oops!

If I were the applicant, I think the personal statement would be one of my favorite elements. For one, I'd get to talk about myself, but more importantly I'd really use the opportunity to make those who read them see me as an individual and not merely a list of accomplishments. Mr., on the other hand, finds this element particularly stressful. It's rare for the personal statement to help you, but it can very easily hurt you. As an otherwise highly competitive candidate, Mr. primarily aims to "do no harm" with his statement but is nervous because he's not necessarily a strong writer...or so he thinks.

Upon listening to what Mr. tells me what he wants to say and then reading what he actually puts down on paper, it seems that he was taught ridiculous writing rules that are decent guidelines when first learning how to organize one's thoughts but very restricting parameters when attempting to be eloquent and eye-catching. As a result, my favorite phrases from his statement arose when he told me something and I responded, "write that down, just like you said it" and continued to insist despite his concerns that it wasn't the proper essay structure.

At this point, I imagine some of you are probably thinking, "Come on now, M. Your writing isn't exactly brilliant; where do you get off giving writing advice?" And that is certainly a fair point. My writing is not brilliant, but my reading is. At some point in almost all my jobs and internships, I have been assigned the task to read or proof things, not just for grammatical errors but for content and style as well. I once went through a pile of film scripts and was asked to discard any that weren't interesting after the first 10 pages or so. Another time I reworded descriptions of corporate event planning offerings in client presentations. As a legal secretary, I was often given the task of drafting correspondence to our clients or fixing the correspondence written by associates. Though I had many weaknesses as a producer, I'd like to think one of my strengths (as evidenced by the reviews and my other small successes) is piece selection. I know good work when I see it whether its intent is to entertain, to sell, or to simply just communicate. And though I often lack the talent to create good work from scratch, I truly enjoy tweaking rough drafts to help turn them into final, polished products.

So, this morning I took a look at Mr.'s first draft. I printed a copy and went to town with my pen. Then, I opened the Word doc, set the page to "track changes" and created a redline. After saving and printing the redline, I accepted all changes to give Mr. a clean draft with my edits. I'm sure there will be many more incarnations of Mr.'s personal statement. I don't even know if he'll accept any of my advice, but at the very least it's certainly fun to witness this creative work.

Photo by CPSutcliffe

Away Rotation Update

2009-05-20T14:18:00.003-04:00

As mentioned earlier, Mr. applied for two visiting student clerkships ("away rotations") in orthopedic surgery in the midwest. They're both strong programs. One is at a very good hospital affiliated with a top-notch university in an extremely popular city. Let's call that Program A. The other is a strong program with seemingly very happy residents in a city that is far less exciting to most but is halfway between our families and thus very desirable for us. We'll call it Program B.

The application for Program A required listing up to 2 alternative courses and 3 alternative dates. They also needed his Step 1 scores, a letter of recommendation, and his transcript in addition to all of the other usual administrative things. So, he applied for Ortho, Peds Ortho, and Trauma for July, September, and October.
The application for Program B required listing up to 4 alternative combinations of elective + date. So that he wouldn't be scheduling any conflicts, he listed a number of different ortho electives all in the month of August.

As STM's hubby heard back from the many programs he applied to, Mr. and I became antsy. We thought he'd be fine, but we wanted to know something. I would bug him every night when I got home, asking if he'd heard any news, and he would remind me that he would let me know as soon as he heard.

Then, today as I walked back to my office after lunch, typing a text to my friend in the Navy to see if he's in town for Fleet Week, my iphone vibrated. At first I thought I had a new email - a google news alert about the Schumer governance bill or something. However, for once today I had no new emails. Then I saw the little number by my SMS icon. New text message. From Mr.:
"I have been accepted to rotate at [Program A] in July for orthopedics."
I called him as fast as I could hit the speed dial on the touch screen. I can't remember our brief conversation, but I couldn't contain my excitement. Not only is this a great opportunity for him, but it also means that so far, things are going as planned. I'm very much looking forward to getting home tonight and reading his acceptance e-mail. Then we'll tell his Program A city friends that he'll be staying with them and figure out how much we'll pay them. I'll also start looking for flights to visit him.

Are wives normally this excited upon learning their husband will be gone for a month? :)

Minor Vent

2009-05-18T15:05:00.004-04:00

So, Mr. is a bit of a neat-freak. I often drive his little OCD-lite self nutty when it takes me two weeks to unpack or if I place a used shirt next to the hamper instead of in it. If I had my druthers, I'd keep up my slightly sloppy ways, but I try to be better about things for the sake of Mr.'s sanity.

Of course, when he then falls short, I get frustrated. For example, he always seems to forget to place a new trash bag in the kitchen trash can after he takes out the trash. Now taking out the trash is great! And in my former life, I would have just been happy about him taking out the trash. Except, if I were the one to forget to put in a new bag, he would point it out in a "you know better than this" type of tone. And because of that, I get annoyed. However, I don't want to nit-pick, so instead I point it out and say, "if I did this, you would get mad". Or "guess what you forgot again!" in a cheery tone. He takes it well...but still always forgets the darn bag!

Then there's the bed making. I don't like to make the bed when nobody is going to see it. In fact, making the bed every day may actually be unhealthy. But, again, it's something Mr. is picky about, so we do it. The deal is the last person out of bed makes the bed. That's usually Mr. so it works out for me. However, last night I put new sheets on the bed late at night...right before bed... When I was finished, Mr. noted my sloppy execution ...not in a mean way, it was kinda cute, but still, it was right before bed. You know, when we were going to mess up the sheets anyway?
It didn't affect me at the time, but it did irk me a little when I discovered this morning that Mr. (who wakes up after me but leaves before me this rotation) didn't make the bed. Normally I would leave it, but we have house guests coming today who are getting in while Mr. and I are both at work. Oy. Vey. Really??

So, I rushed to make the bed and then subsequently missed my bus. Luckily I wasn't late, but I cut it very close!

Ah well. No harm, no foul...

American Fried Rice

2009-05-13T11:49:00.001-04:00

First year of medical school, Mr. lived with two of his classmates. Both really chill, nice guys, they are also both Chinese-American. Why does that matter? Because they taught Mr. how to cook Fried Rice. Toward the end of first year as I was about to move in, all three boys made dinner, and I - one of the pickiest eaters ever - tried fried rice for the first time. It was fine and probably made wonderfully, but when it came my turn to make it, I put my own (bland Americana) twist on it.

I call it American Fried Rice.

It's a pretty balanced dish and really inexpensive to make, so here's what you need:

Vegetable Oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
3 cups of rice (day-old works best, but you can make it fresh as well)
3 hot dogs, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup? (I eyeball it...) of frozen peas
1/2 cup (again, eyeball) of frozen corn
(any other veggies you want to include)
3 eggs
Salt/pepper and any other seasoning you'd like

Here's how you do it:

If not using day-old rice, cook rice.
Scramble eggs with salt and pepper in separate bowl and set aside.
Chop hot dogs into 1/2" cubes (or smaller)
Pour a little bit of oil in a large pan over medium heat and move pan to coat with a thin layer of oil.
Cook hot dogs
Add corn, peas & any other veggies to the pan to cook for roughly 5 minutes.
Add rice to the pan, and stir all ingredients together.
Add eggs to the pan and stir so that everything is mixed well
Continue to fry until the egg mixture is coating all of the rice and is no longer raw.
Turn off heat and serve!

As a main dish, this makes about 4 servings. As a side dish, I imagine it makes about 8 servings.

If you have picky kids, this recipe might be worth a shot! :) I do, after all, have the palate of a 5 year-old...

Being Kiki

2009-05-06T00:42:00.003-04:00

My sorority little once read a celebrity magazine article where some female superstar mentioned her personal assistant/best friend. I think her name was Cocoa or something like that, because we then joked about me being my little's Kiki (also the name of the Julia Roberts character in America's Sweethearts). While I suppose some might be offended at the implication that they would be an assistant to their friend, I found it both flattering and fitting.

The last few years it has become clear that I love doing stuff for my friends. Most recently, I found sublets for my friend's friend who's moving here for a month with her sister starting next week as well as one for my friend who's moving here indefinitely in a month. It actually worked out that by doing so, I was able to help out two different sorority sisters unload their apartments for short periods of time.

I also made a google map for my friend who's moving here, mapping out neighborhood gyms, grocery stores, and landmarks in the area where she'll be working. For my little, I helped her to find a venue for a play her mother is producing as well as shared employment contracts I had used as a producer for her mother and her to work off of.

Let's not forget my spreadsheets that I've made for Mr., either. I actually have spreadsheets for Ophtho, ENT, and Ortho, but I only really update the ortho one any more.

Anyway, the point is I love this stuff. I love researching and organizing life. I like creating systems and playing an active role in transactions. I love this stuff so much that I'll spend my time working on this stuff instead of on studying during finals week.

And well, because of this, I think I'm really going to enjoy being a doctor's wife. From scheduling residency interviews to keeping track of the household budget while Mr. spends 80+ hours in the hospital, I will always have a project.

...and when that's not enough, I'm sure my friends will keep me plenty busy as well. And if that fails, I suppose I could become a professional life assistant... I think I'll go by "Kiki". ;)

For Fellow Future Ortho Widows...

2009-04-29T23:35:00.004-04:00

...And even moreso their ortho spouses,

I thought I'd share this resource Mr. is slightly obsessed with:

Orthogate

It has, I think, just about everything you want to know about orthopedic surgery in the US. I haven't spent too much time perusing it just yet, but I suspect it may come in handy in these upcoming months.

The Joys of Campus Living

2009-04-27T10:50:00.002-04:00

I lived in campus housing all four years of undergrad. Of course, I went to a college with very little campus and had a 30-minute commute from my junior and senior year dorm to the classroom buildings, but nevertheless, I loved campus living. In sorority housing, I had 9 suitemates my sophomore year and 4 my junior and senior years. There was always someone nearby, and on sunny days, it was great to sit out in the park, doing some homework. (Actually, I was once pictured in the NY Sun reading in Union Square Park on an unusually warm February 29... I remember the date because I called a friend of mine, a current MS3, actually, whose birthday it was.)

I spent one year between undergrad and moving to the med school, and one thing I looked forward to was living on campus again! It hasn't disappointed. We have friends who live nearby which makes impromptu plans easy to make, and I'll often run into a familiar face in the lobby or at the bus stop. This past weekend, I spent much of both days lounging in the courtyard, getting more of a tan 2 days in New York than I did during my week in India!

However, while I enjoy the perks of a student, I'm still not one myself. I'm sure more people know who I am than the other way around. I've been introduced to most of Mr.'s class by now, but, as hard as I try, I don't remember them unless I've actually spent time with them. So, when I'm lounging in the courtyard by myself, knowing my actions or inaction might reflect on my husband, I often opt to act and be oblivious. I bury my head in my book and/or wear my headphones. While I always love to run into people I know, I don't want to inadvertently ignore someone I should have said hello to. Luckily, those people who know me well will approach me even when oblivious, so it all works out. :)

Meritocracy

2009-04-22T12:29:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I saw my boss get a call from the HR manager. A little while later she asked me to stop by her office. Our firm recently laid off a number of support staffers, so I was a little nervous as I made the 30 second walk to her office.

Turns out I was right and wrong. I was right in that her calling me into her office was related to the call she received from HR, but wrong to be worried. It was time for my review, and my boss gave me a lot of positive feedback.

No raises are being offered this year, but they are still awarding merit bonuses. The bonuses are smaller than they've been in the past, but that's to be expected in this economic climate. My boss, happy with the work I've been doing, secured the top bonus for me and seemed apologetic that it couldn't be more.

Here's how I feel about it, though - I'm glad I have a job. I'm especially glad I have a job where my work is appreciated and my efforts rewarded. I understand the budget is tight, so I don't mind the amount. What matters to me is working for an employer that tries to encourage hard work by offering merit-based rewards.
Last year I worked at one of those "too big to fail" banks. After all of the reviews were submitted and evaluated, my boss called me into her office. Everyone on support staff was getting a 2% raise. Everyone. ...Okay, so it doesn't matter that these people gave far more to the company and far out performed those people? The only reward is the self-satisfaction of a job well done? I mean, don't get me wrong, that self-satisfaction can be pretty rewarding, but I was annoyed with the message this was sending us. To me, this says that the company doesn't respect what the support staff does enough to recognize top performers. It then, in essence, encourages laziness and "just getting by". Which in turn makes the entire company run poorly.
That is one of many reasons I lost respect for my former employer and opted to return to my current one.
My bonus this year is only 1/3 the amount of my annual raise at the bank, but the latter felt like a slap in the face whereas this one feels like a generous reward. The difference is the reason for them.

I think it's awful that layoffs are taking place here, but I truly see them as a reflection of the time. Bonuses aside, this firm is well run with priorities in the right places. I'm proud to work in a meritocracy. And if there's any confusion, I'd still be proud even if I hadn't earned the top bonus. If American companies hope to survive this recession, they need to focus more on rewarding good work. A little incentive will go a long way.

Shameless Request

2009-04-21T08:08:00.002-04:00

I hastily made a survey! About hot dogs!

It's for my advertising class, and I'd love if anyone who swings by here might take a peak at it and fill it out.

Click here to take the survey.

Thanks!

Susan Boyle & The Match

2009-04-20T07:06:00.003-04:00

Like many Americans & Brits, I have watched - and been moved by - Susan Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent. The song she sang, "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables, has been in my repertoire since I was 15 and saw that episode of Dawson's Creek where Katie Holmes' character sings it in a beauty pageant.
While not the most challenging song ever written, it does provide a number of challenges. The range required spans the break many female singers have between their chest and head voice, so you have to use your mix voice for the higher notes so as to not sound like two different people. While trained singers tend to bridge their break rather seamlessly, I've found it an issue for amateurs and pop stars alike (Shakira is the worst about it!).
Also, a lower-tempo song, the phrases are sometimes on the longer side, requiring good breath support. Personally, I always tend to have breath support issues which are only made worse when I'm nervous. Now, I've been singing in public my whole life. I don't really get nervous performing. I don't really care if audience members don't love me; I just enjoy being up there. However, I'm a ball of nerves whenever I audition because if the casting directors don't like what I do enough, I don't get the opportunity to do something I want. Ironically, this tends to hurt my audition. The nerves make breathing even more difficult, making my voice crack and my phrases trail off far too early. I hate auditions, but they're necessary in order for me to do what I love.

Similarly, Mr. is having a rough time with anxiety over this upcoming year. Is he choosing the right day for Step 2 CK? Will he stand out at his away rotations? Will he get enough interviews? And finally, will he match? After reassuring him that he will match but if by some fluke he doesn't it still won't be the end of the world, I gently reminded him that a career in orthopedic surgery doesn't stop being stressful.
He replied, "I know, but then I'll be doing what I want to be doing. I'll be learning about and then practicing surgery."
And that's when I realized that, like me, Mr. gets nervous for auditions despite his confidence when he performs.

Part of what I found so inspiring about Susan Boyle was her ability to perform despite her obvious nerves. I listened carefully at the bridge, waiting for her to crack or take an obvious breath in the middle of a phrase, and yet she powered through. Though Mr. is nervous about all that is ahead of him, I'm confident it won't show during his extended audition for residency. Still, the countdown for the match has begun. 10 months, 3 weeks, 5 days.

Back from India!

2009-04-18T00:49:00.005-04:00

I just returned back from a whirlwind trip of a lifetime earlier this week. Two friends of mine from high school (one who lives in Chicago and another who lives in Mumbai) and I traveled around India, visiting Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur and Mumbai.

It was a great experience on many fronts, but between the 26/11 attacks and it being the hot season, tourism was incredibly low. At our hotel in Udaipur, it felt as though we had our whole hallway to ourselves.

My favorite leg of the trip was Jaipur because of the people, the sights, the experiences, and the shopping. Here's a picture of us at Amber Fort:

I have too many stories to post, but I just wanted to stop by!

Come Fly with Me...

2009-04-02T16:18:00.002-04:00

I hate abandoning the blog, but I'm off to India!

See you after Easter.

Too Funny (and True!) to Not Post

2009-04-02T11:09:00.002-04:00

How to Date a Med Student

Remembering Boredom

2009-03-24T22:45:00.003-04:00

I am stressed. out.

I just took a midterm tonight, finished the first part of a group project over the weekend, and have 3 more projects in my lap. I have class 3 nights a week, an online class, church obligations, and sorority paperwork.

A year ago, I came home every night unless I had social plans. I'd get to make dinner and watch TV. I was really bored and felt directionless.

While I'm glad to be learning new skills and to have some direction, it's hard to remember what was so bad about not having stuff I had to do at night.

I wish my pride could handle being a law firm support staffer in the long term. I could work 35 hour weeks, have great pay and benefits, and spend my paycheck on travel and designer shoes. Sadly, I do want a career of some sort. Le sigh.

At least as a student I get spring break - 8 days until take-off!

Nerdy Fights

2009-03-20T20:39:00.004-04:00

Last night, I texted Mr. (who was in one of the classroom buildings studying for the oral exam he had today) that I was going to bed, and as it sent, he opened the door. Already 11:30, I was cutting it close if I wanted to get 6 hours of sleep. But we hung out and chatted, which was great. Then, as I was heading to bed, I mentioned that Obama had made an offensive comment on Leno. This prompted Mr. to turn it on to see for himself.

We saw the gaffe, and we also heard him make a few other statements, which made me think of another topic closely related and thus spurred what turned into a 2-hour argument about the economy, investment banking, AIG, Citigroup, employee compensation, contract breaches, and the long-term macroeconomic impact of short-term legislation. All of a sudden, it was 1:55am, and my alarm was set for 6. Luckily, by that point we actually achieved a shared position (sort of).

Now, Mr. and I have had many a "nerdy fight" as my friends call them. But typically, they just end with me changing the subject because we're out in public and I'm afraid we're making our companions (usually STM & her hubby) uncomfortable. Clearly this is a good move on my part as it apparently takes two hours for us to quasi-agree.

That said, it was fun to finally go through it all. I love being challenged intellectually and by not giving up, I didn't have to concede every point. I do still have to work on my strategy, though, so that I'm not always playing defense. I think I might mimic some of his techniques (like challenging every statement to ask for specific statistics I know he doesn't know)...

Match Day

2009-03-19T16:43:00.002-04:00

In 52 weeks, Mr. and I will find out where we'll be living for the following 5 years of our lives. For those of you who are MS4's or MS4 spouses, I hope you're out celebrating (and even more so that you feel the desire to celebrate)!

Sadly, my cousin (an MS4) is not celebrating at the moment. She matched at her #7 program and is considering switching to a less competitive specialty to get out of it. (I'm not sure if we currently know if that's an option).

I can only imagine what she's feeling right now.

However, I am making a mental list of cities I do NOT want to move to, and making sure they're not on Mr.'s list. You feel very out of control with the match, but the one thing you have power over is your list. I knew it before, but it's obvious to me now that you have to be okay with every program listed.

Roommates Part II

2009-03-18T10:38:00.004-04:00

Last fall, I wrote about how Mr. and I felt like roommates and that was about it. I'm under the impression that from MS3 throughout the end of medical training, there are those killer rotations during which you simply don't see your spouse. This, not surprisingly, seems to be one of them.

Mr. is finishing his surgery rotation, and as the shelf exam draws nearer, I see him less and less. The last time Mr. and I ate in the same place at the same time was Saturday evening, and that was just snacks, not a meal. Since I have class tonight and tomorrow and a friend in town on Friday, I expect the earliest Mr. and I will share a meal will be dinner on Saturday. Maybe.

However, unlike last September, it's not so bad. Sure it'd be great if I could see him more, but the important part is appreciating each other when we do see one another. It's really just an attitude adjustment for both of us. Instead of spending our 5 minutes that we see each other each day talking about bills or those dirty dishes in the sink, we ask how the other is doing. We each seek the other's advice. We remember that we're on the same team. So, even though we may be living like roommates or merely ships passing in the night, we feel like the united married couple we are.

(And it's a lot easier for me to tackle those dirty dishes in the sink when I know Mr. and I are on the same team.)

Away We Go

2009-03-16T16:08:00.003-04:00

Last week, Mr. turned in the second of his two away rotation (aka visiting clerkship) applications for a couple programs in the midwest. It's a little nerve wracking because to best guarantee a spot for yourself, you have to provide alternative preferences. But when applying for more than one away, you have to make sure that you're not setting yourself up for a schedule conflict. After all, it can't look good for a program to accept you for a visiting clerkship and for you to then turn them down.

At the same time, you don't want to find you've been rejected by a program only 2 months before you had anticipated starting it. I guess I'll have to let you know in a couple months how it works out for Mr. His primary concern right now is that the registrar's office mail his applications in a timely fashion. I feel this may require a lot of follow up, both with the registrar and with the visiting program site directors.

Countdown to MD

2009-02-21T11:42:00.003-05:00

This week, Mr. renewed the lease on our student apartment. That is the last lease we'll sign for this apartment, which is both exciting and terrifying.

This upcoming year will be filled with away rotations, step II exams, residency applications, interviews, and, in a year, Mr. will submit his rank list. I'm certain it will be exciting ...and expensive.
This week, the two midwestern programs Mr.'s thinking of doing away rotations at posted their applications and schedules for the 2009-2010 school year. As visiting students often have an advantage when applying for residency, narrowing down which programs to apply for aways at
has been like making a mini-match list... only we haven't seen any of these places yet, so Mr. can't judge based on the people or the program outside of rankings, location, and data posted on Frieda.
The first is easy. It's the program in located halfway between both sets of parents.
The other will be in Chicago, the city all midwestern 20-somethings dream of living. As there are four programs in Chicago, it's really difficult to determine which to choose. The location is the same, so that's a draw. Then two are prestigious while the other two aren't as prestigious. From there we're stuck. One has a really strong ortho program, but the other has a decent ortho program and an extremely good and well-known brand. I'm leaning toward the latter, but of course I'm not in medicine.
How are we supposed to make this decision?

Bad Day Cliché

2009-02-09T17:58:00.005-05:00

Today started alright. I think I got close to the 7 hours of sleep I had hoped to have. STM let me know about service changes on the train so that I was able to alter my route accordingly.

However, today has been decidedly bad.

It's been busy at work, which is sometimes a good thing, but not today. A file we needed was corrupt, and after going back to the original email and pulling it back from the archives, I discovered that it, too, was corrupt.

A room for a presentation today that had been moved twice already was moved, yet again, unbeknownst to me or my boss. So, she sent the wrong room number to the distribution group of 800 or so attorneys only to be corrected by one of the girls in attorney training (who actually hadn't been notified of the 2nd or 3rd change but luckily the 3rd change was to the same room as the 1st change had been). Point of story - my boss looked bad, and she doesn't like that. This was not my fault but still not good.

Then, a couple attorneys couldn't open the documents links from that same email. Must have been some technical glitch, so still not my fault but still not good.

However, shortly thereafter I did screw up by not calling someone I was supposed to. This is a minor slip but it was not my only one of the day.

Lunch came and went, and I only had time to eat the sandwiches I had packed, unable to get any chips as I had intended.

Then, my bigger slip came from not changing the sharepoint calendar for this training that was switched last Thursday. The frustrating part is I could have sworn I changed it. I know to update the calendars. There have been lots of changes lately, so I've made a deliberate effort to be more on top of these changes. So I was shocked to see that that particular change hadn't been made. Of course, this came to light because my boss emailed 4 or 5 attorneys reminding them of this date (better than 800 attorneys but still not good).

On top of work stuff, my iphone's touch screen just decided to stop working today. I slid to open it, and then couldn't type my password. I turned it off and couldn't even slide it on. I tried turning it off to see if it was just the bottom of the screen that was broken, and I can't slide the top bar to power off. wtf. And, of course the genius bar doesn't have any appointments until like, tomorrow at midnight.

However, to top off this already bad day, when I went to the vending machine to get some cheetos for my now starving stomach--10 minutes after my shift had ended but with work still left to do--they got stuck in the machine. We have really nice machines here. Stuff like that never happens. But of course it happened to me. today. I'd take a picture to show you my sad cheetos stuck in a crevice at the bottom of the shelf above them, but I can't. My phone (also my camera) is broken. Boo.

Next thing I know some one will accuse me of having a case of the Mondays.

Update: I just tried the vending machine again in hopes that the second bag of Cheetos would push the first bag out. Now they are both stuck. Really?

Crocs

2009-02-05T10:09:00.005-05:00

So, it's been quite a while. And then, after a certain amount of time of not posting, the pressure to write a good post grew. Should I post about Mr.'s rotations? He finished with peds a couple weeks ago. Nothing very noteworthy there (except observations that would probably be offensive and thus I'd rather not touch).

January I was overwhelmed with a research-heavy online winterim course, and I decided that cramming a 15-week course into a 3 week period is not such a good idea, particularly when the student also has a full-time job.

However, Mr. started his surgery rotation this week, and what better topic to write about as the wife of a to-be surgeon and a fashion student than his new choice of footwear:

Ah, crocs. I remember first seeing them on the feet of tourist children one summer a few years ago. I thought they were the most hideous things I had ever seen, but considering my shoes lit up when I was a child, I had no room to judge.

However, a season or two later, I began to notice them on adult tourists wandering Murray Hill trying to find the Empire State Building. They quickly became equivocal in my mind to fanny packs and cargo shorts. Sure, they might have a function, but they're really really ugly. Since I don't garden and prefer enclosed shoes for hiking, I never imagined I would ever own a pair.

And then I married a medical student. A medical student - I might add - who has relatively good fashion sense most of the time. However, last Saturday he went to the academic Barnes & Noble on 18th & 5th to purchase a pair of crocs for surgery. His choice of store is somewhat reassuring. While I imagine there are plenty of places closer to our apartment that sell crocs, he views them strictly as a necessary accessory for his medical training. This didn't stop me from teasing him about them, but ever so secure, he expressed no shame in his beloved, navy blue crocs.

Monday was an orientation, and Tuesday he scrubbed into his first surgery of the clerkship. It was 12 1/2 hours long. How he survived that without eating or taking a bathroom break is beyond me, but I'm sure he's glad he had comfortable footwear.

Still, I hope he never wears them outside the hospital. ;)

Much to be Thankful for

2008-11-28T11:33:00.003-05:00

These past two days have certainly been crazy.

Less than 48 hours ago, I heard on the news about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. I have 2 friends from high school currently living and working there, one of which I'm very close with. At the time, I thought the attacks happened around 1 am there and thus assumed my friend was probably asleep and out of harm's way. She lives with family and has a driver, so I knew she wouldn't be at the train station. I thought there might be an off chance she was at one of the hotel's bars, but since it was a work-night, I assumed she was home. Still, I posted on her facebook wall to make sure she was okay.

Not yet understanding the scope of the attacks, I had a pleasant evening Wednesday. I got off early from work, stopped by Saks, and then met up with Mr. to see the balloons being blown up for the parade. We ate at the Uno's on the upper west side, where we were treated a little like VIPs which boggled us both.

When we came home, Mr. turned on the news and there was non-stop coverage of the Mumbai attacks. I heard that they were singling out Americans and British, which is when I remembered my other friend living there. The friend I'm closer with, while American, is racially Indian and thus wouldn't stand out as an American. Our other friend, however, is a tall white woman with light-brunette hair. So, I posted on my friend's wall again to check in on our other friend.

I was very relieved to wake up to an email early Thanksgiving morning notifying me of a facebook wall post made by my friend assuring me that she and our other friend were both safe. I went back to sleep for a couple more hours before waking up to prepare for Thanksgiving.

I spent the morning watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, cleaning up, and setting the table. I even folded napkins, just for fun. All the while, I spoke to my cousin online, bummed that we couldn't be together for the holiday that used to be the guaranteed time of year we'd get to hang out and catch up.

I then began to prepare our feast and was almost done, when I received a text message from my friend letting me know that her uncle was one of the hostages. I told her I'd be praying for him and her family, feeling helpless that I couldn't do more.

I told Mr. what was going on but continued to finish Thanksgiving dinner. My brother arrived right on time, and the three of us enjoyed the food. I have to say it turned out quite well, with full bellies all around. We then set up the Christmas tree and watched some Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes on HBO onDemand.

When my brother left, I wrote an email of support to my friend, offering my ear if she needed or wanted it. I was relieved to be able to focus on her again after playing hostess.

Shortly thereafter, though, I started to feel miserable all over, discomfort, nausea. I had food poisoning, it seems. Luckily, neither Mr. nor my brother got sick, so I'll still count my first solo Thanksgiving as a success. But, for someone who rarely gets sick, I was miserable. Luckily, Mr. was there to doctor me and to make a CVS run for me. He even cleaned up after me, which is when it's really great to be married to someone in the medical field - they're not easily grossed out.

I sort of napped on the couch for much of the night, when I received a text message from my friend that her uncle had been freed. What a relief!! At that point, with my food poisoning over and my friend's uncle safe, I was truly able to count my blessings.

I ask for continued thoughts and prayers for the recovery of the former hostages as well as for the families of all those affected. The attacks on Wednesday were truly abhorrent and sickening. I wish they had never happened at all.

Is this thing on?

2008-11-21T16:48:00.002-05:00

Remember that time I posted here? Wow, it's certainly been a while.

Life has just been crazy busy lately. My job is such that it gets busier when the lawyers have less to do, so needless to say, things have been a little nuts at work. I've even been putting in some overtime, which is always nice to see on my paycheck.

Meanwhile, I just finished with a bunch of tests and papers in school, and I'm confident that I'm going to pass all of my classes. In fact, I think I've figured out what I want to do as a career as well. I'd like to be a planner, which in the fashion industry is the math geek who crunches the numbers and figures out what has sold before and what will probably sell again. We've glossed over planning in my buying class, but I'll take a more planning-focused class in the spring. If I like it, I'll try to sneak into an advanced election for my last semester.

Mr. has re-started his networking in orthopedics, so we're getting to a comfortable place as far as where he needs to be at this point. Right now he's focusing on finishing up his psych clerkship, and then Thanksgiving!

Now I need to figure out how to get to a christening in New Jersey on Sunday. This would be a good time to have a car...

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2008-10-30T10:34:00.006-04:00

I guess 'home' could have two main definitions for me - home with Mr. in New York or home where I grew up in the Midwest - and being 'home for Christmas' could refer to the actual day or the days surrounding in celebration of the holiday.

Either way, the statement pretty much stands. Since Mr. gets Christmas Day (and only Christmas Day) off during his next rotation, I'm going to spend Christmas Eve and Day in the city and then fly back to the Midwest on the 26th for 8 days in my hometown (which only requires taking 19 hours of my vacation time. woot.).

While I'm a little bummed I'll miss the Christmas Eve service at my small hometown church (and subsequent mini-reunion with the kids I went to Sunday school with who have also left town), I am very curious and excited about the service at my church in the city. Everything is bigger here, and Easter is fabulous across the city as the one day a year New Yorkers go to church. At a church I attended on Fifth Avenue for a few months on a particularly ritzy corner of Manhattan, families would line up around the blocck for the 11 o'clock service, dressed in their finest, few without a fancy hat.

Though my current church is still in a nicer Manhattan neighborhood, we don't have lines outside to get in on Easter Sunday. Most of our members visit family during that time. So I'm curious to see the balance on Chirstmas - will most people be out in the 'burbs celebrating with non-city family? Or will there be droves of C&E Christians popping in on one of the two days a year they go to church?

Regardless, this city is also magnificant at Christmastime. Shopping is a nightmare, of course, but everything is so pretty. There are decorations in every nook and cranny you can find. Filled with holiday spirit and those holiday bonuses, New Yorkers are even more generous than usual. It's a splendid time of year.

Enough about Christmas in NYC, though, and back to the real point of this post. Holiday plans tend to be tricky in most families. It's a time for extended families to gather, but families extend in multiple directions. Who do you see and where and when? In fact, I think there's a movie coming out this winter with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn based in part on this concept.

Last year, when Mr. was an MS2, we went to his parents' for Thanksgiving and mine for Christmas. We were going to switch this year, but the schedule doesn't allow for it. He has a week off the first week of December, but I still have class, and he'll probably use that time to shadow surgeons/network/breathe.

Luckily both sets of parents are awesome and always totally willing to work with our schedules. So when I ask my parents if I can come the day after Christmas, they're totally fine with it and will pick me up from the airport!

Now I'm just hoping my friends from high school (none of whom live in our hometown anymore, but all of whom will drive back for the holidays) will be around after Christmas this year. Last year they were all around prior to Christmas and left Christmas Day or the day after, but I'm hoping since it's on a Thursday this year instead of a Tuesday, they'll be around for the weekend.

It should be interesting to see how holidays are moving forward. I imagine Mr. will usually be working. Pre-kids I'll probably enjoy this as it means I get to go to my parents (not that I don't love the in-laws, but they're not my parents) every Christmas. Once we have kids, though, I'm not sure how we'll adjust. I imagine we'll be hosting. Since I love hosting and only have one sibling who doesn't love hosting, I think it will work out pretty well. That's a long trip down the road, though.

Burnout Avoided

2008-10-26T22:30:00.002-04:00

No, not Mr.'s. Mine.

10 Days ago, I stayed in Manhattan following NYU's annual Greek Night. The following night I went out to dinner with my family line. The next morning I woke up early along with Mr. to volunteer for New York Cares Day, and the following morning up early to walk in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The next two nights I had midterm exams.

Sounds like a recipe for burnout, but luckily Mr. was there to pick up the slack. He went grocery shopping, cleaned the entire apartment, and did the laundry. I think he might have done the dishes once. I'd ask if that's what being in a non-medical marriage is like, but I imagine even in those that level of helpfulness tends to be a special occurrence.

I spent much of the rest of this week playing catch-up, but since Mr. is on his psych rotation at the moment, he's still been able to help out here and there (I got my grocery buddy back today!).

I'll have to enjoy it now, though. It looks like Mr.'s going to go with orthopedic surgery after all. le sigh*.

*I'm just being dramatic. I'm warming up to the idea of him going into orthopedics.

My Latest Project

2008-10-13T14:08:00.004-04:00

Hopefully STM will jump on here to explain her latest project, but for now I'll tell you what I'm working on.

Since Mr. is now thinking he wants to specialize in Ophthalmology, I have been charged with finding out what in the world this early match stuff means and what he needs completed by when.

First, I went to SF Match, where I learned:

You register online no earlier than June and pay $100
You're applying to start PGY-2
You also need to go through the regular match for a transitional year
Each individual program has its own due dates for the application sometime between June and December
Your match list is due in the beginning of January (for the class of 2009 it's January 8, 2009)
You learn your match results in January, before you submit your match list for your transitional year.

Awesome. So next I wanted to find out where the top ophthalmology residencies are. Unlike college or even medical school, figuring out residency rankings seems to be a little tricky. So far I've looked at NIH to see which residency programs received the most awards, and then I looked at the top hospitals for ophtho in US News & World Report. The first is flawed because it's three years old and purely based on monetary awards. The second is flawed because its referring to hospitals, not residency programs and thus doesn't focus on teaching, research, etc. (not to mention most residents rotate through a handful of hospitals within a single program). If anyone has other listings, let me know!

Anyway, using those two lists, I created a spreadsheet with 35 ophthalmology residency programs and am going through right now listing the city, state, region, NIH ranking, US News ranking, US News reputation score, CAS deadline, interview time frame, number of positions available each year, contact information, and the website.

I'll ask Mr. if he wants me to add anything. Suggestions welcome!

Might we have a winner?

2008-10-12T15:10:00.014-04:00

~~Opthomology!~~ erm, ~~Opthamology!~~ grrr.... Ophthalmology!!

Mr. attended a 'speed dating' event this morning to help determine what he wanted to specialize in and to network with doctors in that specialty. There actually wasn't an Orthopedics table nor an Otolaryngology table, but the ophthalmologist he met did assure him that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to doctoring the... eye. And in doing so, he helped sway Mr. toward that profession.

Not only is there more going on with the eye than say, the hand (Mr. had recently mentioned specializing in hand surgery...), but there are also symptoms for larger problems that show up in the eye. So, as an ophthalmologist, Mr. would be able to still diagnose larger problems including diabetes and a bunch of other diseases and conditions I had never heard of before/can't remember now.

Of course, ophthalmology has an early match program, so now we're running around trying to find out how it works. It looks like there will still be time to do an away or at least an elective in optho before making any definite decisions. He'll also (hopefully) shadow during his next break and take a week to specialize in optho during his surgery clerkship.

I hope this sticks. When he was telling me about it, he really did finally seem to care about the work/life balance aspect of it. "I've been working hard a long time" (he started working at 16 and didn't stop until coming to medical school, where he's also done research outside of class and worked as a PA in anatomy). "I think I'd like a career where I can spend time with my family."

Hallelujah!

Now, if he changes his mind, yet again, and decides that ortho really is what he wants to do, I will still support him. But I'm still excited about ophthalmology for now. :)

Nights!

2008-10-10T16:40:00.002-04:00

Mr. just finished a week of nights. Well, really it ended up just being Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, but considering he worked 14-15 hour shifts, plus a day shift on Monday and lectures Tuesday day, he certainly had a full week delivering babies and learning ob/gyn.

He worked something like 6pm-8/9am. On days when I don't have class, I leave for work at 8:05am and get home at 6:30pm. That's actually not bad considering my old commute and work hours had me out of the house for a bare minimum of 12 hours/day (7am-7pm, usually closer to 6:50am-7:30pm). BUT, of course that means Mr. and I haven't been home at the same time since I left for work on Tuesday morning. And tonight I'm catching up with a friend who's in town from Hong Kong for the weekend, and then I'm crashing in Manhattan.

I'll see Mr. eventually. :)

Billy Elliot

2008-10-09T13:29:00.006-04:00

Last Friday (holy crap, why am I only just now getting to writing this??), I saw the best thing on Broadway right now (with the possible exception of South Pacific). I say that with confidence even though I haven't seen everything on Broadway.

Last Friday was the annual support staff outing for the law firm. All of the partners' were out of town for their annual meeting, which meant we could go party while the associates fended for themselves! (Okay, so there were 5 staffers on, just in case). The partners generously treat all of us non-attorneys to dinner, drinks and arcade games at Dave & Busters in Times Square followed by a Broadway show. Each year there are 5 choices for shows, which we rank in order of our preferences, and preferences are recognized in order of who responds first.

Since the support staff outing was within 2 weeks of Mr.'s next shelf exam and coming along would mean violating his 2 week rule, I made plans to bring my work friend who recently left the firm to have an actual career instead. As soon as the list came out, she and I figured out our preferences. Most of my coworkers were remarking that they hoped they liked the show they were seeing. I was confident Billy Elliot would be phenomenal, and it didn't disappoint.

The opening number, admittedly, is a little weak vocally, and this is not a show you see for the brilliant singing. However, the music is catchy and enjoyable. It's hard to go wrong with Elton John (well, except he does take the melody from the bridge in 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables and put it into 'The Letter' in this show. Oh well, it's a good melody).

The story, as those of you who saw the movie (I did not) already know, is heartwarming and perfect for the stage, despite being a little predictable. I won't go on about the plot because I'm assuming everyone knows the premise.

So yes, this production has triple-cast the physically challenging title role with three brilliant young men. I had the privilege of seeing Kiril Kulish perform the role. I was completely captivated. He totally blew me away with his dancing talent. He was performing choreography that would be impressive for an adult professional dancer. And he's barely 14. When I got home that night, I looked him up on youtube to watch his past competitions because I couldn't believe it. I also discovered a video of him playing a difficult Chopin Fantasie on the piano and became angry at myself for not being more dedicated to dance and piano when I was his age.

I realize I'm totally rambling, but go see it. Soon you will not be able to get tickets because I have a feeling it will sell out very quickly. Go. Seriously, go now. If you have any appreciation for dance whatsoever, you have to see this show.

By George, she's got it!*

2008-09-30T09:40:00.003-04:00

So Mr. wasn't as thrilled with otolaryngology as I was. Basically, I think my 'Eureka!' moment should have come a year earlier when he had time to get excited about it, shadow doctors, scrub in on surgeries, etc. BUT, he is considering it. In fact, I think it's basically down to 2. Two high-paying, uber competitive surgical specialties that begin with the letter 'O' (in order of likelihood):

Orthopedics
Otolaryngology (yes, I really like that word)

When we both took a look at the little data that we could find, I've learned that when comparing the two, the pay for otolaryngology isn't quite as high and the hours (after residency) aren't that much better. That said, I'm still pulling for ENT over Ortho. I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because the only medical problems I've ever had have been in in my head and neck? Or because I'm a singer and thus have a fascination with the vocal cords? Or perhaps because I've read about ortho being bad enough times that I have this notion that it's very very very bad and anyone who chooses it hates sunshine and happiness. Or maybe it's a combination of those things. Who knows. I just have to keep repeating the mantra I wrote yesterday: it's important to find the right speciality for him, because if he's miserable in his job, he'll be miserable at home, and I won't want to see him those extra hours throughout the week anyway!

Regardless of which he chooses, though, my pseudo-obsession with the idea of otolaryngology finally made the whole location part of residency search 'click' with me. After my blog post, I went to go find the various match statistics and research the different residencies. This past year, there were 273 otolaryngology spots to be filled. By comparison, Ortho, also very competitive, has 636 spots. A lot of programs only have 2 ENT spots to fill. Yikes! Mr.'s a competitive candidate, but that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. I started thinking, 'okay, we have to apply to every single program in the midwest and NYC as well as Baltimore, Tennessee, and certain programs in the South. Maybe we should throw Connecticut and Boston into the mix, too. And well, since Pennsylvania is between NYC and the midwest, we might as well look there as well. Oh, what the hell - lets just apply to all of them and see where he gets interviews.' Oh. yeah. That's how it works. Maybe people going into peds or medicine have some options with regards to region, but with the competitive specialties, you just have to go where you can.
I don't know why it took me so long to get that. I think I had just been reading too many message board posts saying 'I have a family so I'm only looking in x area' that made me angry Mr. didn't have the same mentality. But at the end of the day, you just have to go where you match. And in our case (competitive as we are), not matching is not an option.

That said, I still hope he ranks certain midwestern locations rather high... :)

*Bonus points for correctly naming that musical
**Double bonus points for naming the song in said musical
Googling is cheating. ;)

Calendar Communications

2008-09-29T21:08:00.004-04:00

If there's one thing I've learned over these past 2 1/2 years as a blogger and a wife, it's how important staying organized is for maintaining peace in a relationship. It's hard enough staying organized myself, but throw my husband's endlessly-changing schedule into the mix it can easily turn into chaos. Add that to my obsession with knowing where everything and everyone is at all times, and you can start seeing why I'm slightly obsessed with keeping myself, my husband, and everyone around me on a tight schedule. Up until now, the hubby and I'd basically been using a system of emailing schedules to each other and then keeping them in our inboxes for a handy reference. But what if his shift changes? We would basically be screwed.
Which is why I was so excited when MW mentioned Google Calendars on here the other day. Syncing calendars was something the hubby and I hadn't thought of before. So guess what? We tried it (got all set up, etc.) on Sunday before the start of his week-long night shift and so far so good. If he's wondering which nights I'm home and which I'm with friends, it's on the calendar. If (or more likely, when) I forget what time he gets off in the morning, it's on the calendar. Genius.

When I grow up...

2008-09-29T11:08:00.005-04:00

After a long wonderful day of various events, I got home to Mr. who, at 10:00pm, hadn't eaten dinner yet. I made him some spaghetti, and an hour or so later, technically my 'bed time', he decided that he was going to choose his specialty before going to sleep.

He started out with a list of 6:

Orthopedics
Gynecologic Oncology
Ophthalmology
Interventional Radiology
Otolaryngology
Anesthesiology

Naturally I was excited to hear 3 of the 4 ROAD specialities (if IR still counts for Radiology, that is), but I think my enthusiasm for those three delayed our bedtime unnecessarily.

This was our pro/con list (disclaimer: our pros and cons may not be the same as yours):

Orthopedics:
Pros: High pay, Lots of procedures, deals with various anatomy, challenging, has helped with research in the field, changes lives (going from not walking to walking makes patients happy)
Cons: Notoriously poor work/life balance

Gynecologic Oncology:
Pros: Interesting Procedures, knows that he finds it interesting based on his rotations
Cons: Moderate pay, would have to do OB/Gyn residency first (no guarantee he'd match in gyn onc and he doesn't want to be an OB)

Ophthalmology:
Pros: High pay, great work/life balance, cool procedures
Cons: Focused on only one tiny part of the body, early match (so he'd apply before doing a rotation in it)

Interventional Radiology:
Pros: High pay, cool procedures, possibly good work/life balance?
Cons: Would have to do a regular radiology residency first (no guarantee he'd match in the fellowship, and he doesn't want to read x-rays the rest of his life), no experience in it

Otolaryngology (ENT):
Pros: High pay, cool procedures, deals with various organ systems
Cons: No experience in it yet

Anesthesiology:
Pros: High pay, good work/life balance, requires a lot of knowledge
Cons: No procedures - would have to sit by and watch surgeons do 'the fun stuff'

Not all pros and cons are created equal, so now the list, in no particular order, is:

Orthopedics
Gynecologic Oncology
Ophthalmology
Otolaryngology

I know you're thinking 'Oh no! She lost 2 of the 3 ROAD specialties, and the 3rd is hanging on by a thread!' However, it's important to find the right speciality for him, because if he's miserable in his job, he'll be miserable at home, and I won't want to see him those extra hours throughout the week anyway!

I also am thinking that otolaryngology might be a good fit for him (and us) after doing a little more research today... the pay is really good (don't judge - we have crazy mad loans to pay off!), and it has a decent work/life balance. Plus, there are a lot of different surgeries and procedures he could do. Sure, there would be a lot of tonsillectomies, but every specialty is going to have its 1 or 2 extremely common and relatively unexciting procedures. With Otolaryngology, though, there is a wide range of less common and rather exciting procedures, too!

Now I just need to find where the good ENT residency programs are...

24-hour call

2008-09-26T23:24:00.003-04:00

Mr. and I have google calendars that we both have access to so we can each know what the other is doing. For Saturday (today), I saw Mr. had marked '12 hour weekend call'. So, I figured Friday night would be a chill night. I'd make some dinner, do a little laundry, and hang out with Mr. during his study breaks. On my way home, though, I received a text message from him informing me that he had 24-hour call and wouldn't be home until 6am.

So, I went home, made dinner, put the rest of it away, did the laundry, washed the dishes, and took out the trash. And while I did that, I though back to the housework shift from single life to married life. It's not that husbands are so high maintenance that they require so much housework, particularly not in my case. Instead (in my completely unsubstantiated opinion), it's because we're more motivated to take care of others better than we take care of ourselves. For example, it's more fun to cook for someone else than just yourself. When I'm just cooking for me, I want the food to be done as soon as possible so I can eat it. When I'm cooking for other people, though, I want them to enjoy it, I want it to be balanced, etc.

By getting into the habit of caring for another person, I feel like perhaps I'm growing up a little bit. There's a reason, after all, why immature characters in movies and tv shows are always eating ramen noodles and Chinese take-out.

Making Time

2008-09-24T20:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday when I was out to lunch with a coworker, I told her about how it feels like Mr. and I are more like roommates at the moment. We talked about the issue and tried to best figure out what exactly I was feeling. Toward the end it just became about time. "We just have to find time," I remarked. She corrected, "no, you have to make time, because you're never going to find it."

I was then reminded of a passage I had selected for our wedding by C.S. Lewis.
...Love in this second sense -- love as distinct from 'being in love' -- is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit...
(The emphasis is mine).

It's hard for two independent and goal minded individuals to start new habits, particularly when there are so many distractions like work and school, especially medical school. Medical students barely have time for themselves, let alone for others, and I imagine it only gets worse as the training progresses. That's why making time is necessary, whether it means Mr. hangs out with me, talking or playing cards during his study breaks or I stay up an extra 15 minutes to pay attention to him.

It will be difficult to start making time. We both have a lot of stuff on our plates - a lot of stuff that is important to us. But I'm confident that if we put the effort in now, it will eventually become habit and stop being difficult.

Roommates

2008-09-22T17:10:00.003-04:00

Thursday night, I was an hour or so getting late after finishing some things up at work. By the time I got home, he was in the classroom building studying. By the time he got home, I was in bed.

Friday night, I got home a little after midnight after attending an event at my old sorority house. Mr. was helping our friend bottle beer. I was exhausted and was again asleep before he got home.

Saturday was a long day for me. I did a little homework in the morning while Mr. slept, and then headed into town to grab a quick bite with a friend before heading to see our mutual friend in About Face, a delightful musical comedy that had me laughing out loud throughout. Even the scene changes were adorable. I hope it gets picked up for Broadway. I think it would do quite well there as it certainly has oodles of mainstream appeal. If you're in the city, you should try to catch it Wednesday night!
After the show and a quick bite, I headed up to church for a social event I spearheaded. The regulars of the group were very pleased, and I hope the newcomers weren't intimidated by the small numbers.
Anyway, Mr. was actually home by the time I got home! But, he was studying and 'in the groove' with his noise-canceling headphones on, so we said a few words to each other before I hit the sack.

Sunday morning, Mr. was still asleep when I left for church and out studying when I came back. He came home early... because the Yankee's game was on.

Tonight I have class, and tomorrow I have class followed by a cabaret in Manhattan after which I'll crash at my friend's apartment.

Maybe I'll see Mr. on Wednesday. We definitely feel more like roommates at the moment.

Back to the Grind

2008-09-15T14:20:00.004-04:00

I usually get to work roughly 20 minutes early, but about once every month or so, there's some sort of train delay that has me rushing to my office in order to swipe in by 7 minutes past the time I'm supposed to arrive (to avoid having my personal time docked).
By some cruel twist of fate, this always seems to happen on the morning of this monthly meeting that my boss hosts. The morning of this meeting, I always need to take care of a number of issues, including compiling all of the handouts and sending out the invitation to remind everyone. The meeting starts 90 minutes after the start of my day. It would be a bit of a race if it weren't for my train delays.
Even though my personal time won't be docked as I swiped in 6 minutes past, I still spent much of the morning running around like a crazy person. No easing into the day today.

Luckily, I was passed along this hilarious video, which I think will be appreciated by anyone who has worked in or with IT (You may have seen the original Norwegian version, but I like this one better.):

Warehouse Galleries

2008-09-14T21:29:00.003-04:00

The summer before I moved to New York, I would drive around my Midwestern town listening to a Lisa Loeb tape after a rough break up and dream of spending my evenings listening to singer songwriters in tiny hole-in-the-wall venues.
While I don't do that sort of thing as often as I had once dreamed, I do still enjoy those little hidden warehouse like venues and discovering emerging artists.

Last Friday, STM and I attended the menswear show for Kesh, a young British designer, held at Anonymous Gallery on the Lower East Side. The actual show started roughly 75 minutes after the scheduled time, and the other audience members were robed in all sorts of eccentric attire. Perhaps that was intentional, as Kesh's quirky men's line seemed tame in comparison.

The show, of course, lasted but a few minutes, and we went to dinner afterwards at B Bar. The atmosphere was great, and the food was alright.

Overall, an eventful Friday evening girl's night out.

Blah Days

2008-09-12T10:47:00.002-04:00

Ever have those days where your instincts just seem to be a bit off?

Mr. and I, both perfectionists in our own ways, have had those this week. I mislabeled something on my boss's calendar, asked for the wrong case from the librarian, and I think spoke too much in class on Tuesday (my M.O. is to answer as often as possible so he won't call me when I don't know something, but I think I overdid it last class...). Mr., by luck of the draw, had one day to prep for a written and oral presentation when most students have 3 days and are further into that rotation. Okay, so his blah day was more a result of unfortunate circumstances contrasted with my careless slips, but we were able to keep each other company in our misery.

The week is ending, though, and every moment brings new opportunities to make things better. Mr.'s oral presentation (made on fewer than 2 hours of sleep) was well received, and I'm getting back in the groove at work. I'm also very excited for an eventful weekend.

TGIF :)

911

2008-09-11T06:48:00.006-04:00

Last night I was in the financial district for a NY Cares Day Team Leader Orientation. As I walked up Wall Street to the train back to the borough, for some reason I did what I rarely do as a New Yorker - I looked up.

When I did, I saw the image on the right and remembered the day.

September 11, 2001, I was in my AP Government Class, which, as a senior AP, was a class where the nerds could hang out and just debate each other silly. The class where, just a week prior, the faux sexist and I discussed how the Taliban was even more extreme than he would prefer.
That particular morning we were discussing vocabulary. It was a slow morning for our well-intentioned young teacher who just couldn't seem to drag answers out of us.
Then his TA, another senior, came back from the office and told us the world trade center was on fire. At first I figured it must have been some office fire that got out of control. I think many of us were just happy to stop talking vocab and turn on the news.
We then learn it was from a plane. Weird, some private pilot flew into the tall skyscrapers. Right?
Then the other plane hit. That's when we realized it was real. The school was put on lock down. Clearly Al-Qaeda wasn't going to attack us in the middle of a cornfield, but this sort of thing brings the crazies out. Everyone who ever dreamed about placing a bomb threat was now doing so, making the already chaotic day even more so.
We stayed in my AP Government class all morning, watching the news as the third plane hit the Pentagon and the fourth went down in Pennsylvania.
We watched as we learned the Taliban was likely responsible. I had known about their horrendous treatment of women, but I hadn't realized they hated us. I was pretty sheltered and unaware at that time.
Lockdown ended in time for our third period class. For me that was choir.
At that time, I had already decided I was going to try to come to New York for college. I was looking as NYU and Marymount Manhattan College, in that order. A good friend of mine in the year below me was interested in those two as well, so we had planned a college visit trip to New York with our mothers for mid-October during fall break. I saw my friend in choir. This city we had been obsessing about as we planned our visit was now under attack.
Fourth period (after lunch) there was a bomb threat, and they evacuated us to the football field.
We returned for roughly 20 minutes of fifth period, I think, and that was the end of the day.

I was glued to the news that evening. I knew it was big. I knew it was awful. But it seemed so far away. It didn't seem real.
A month later, my friend, our mothers and I made our trip, despite the gasps of shock and horror from other adults in the community that our moms weren't just flying but flying to New York with us so soon.
My friend's mom was a teacher, and her students made a sign for us to place at the site expressing their thoughts and prayers. As we walked down there we saw the roads were blocked off to cars. Pedestrian traffic only. There were fliers everywhere with pictures of missing people, posted on lamp posts like advertisements for a concert.
Throughout the visit, everyone was still talking about it. We'd walk down the street and the party behind us would mention so-and-so who lost her uncle or this person who was there. It became real.

I've spent every September 11 since in this city. As the years go on for those who were here, it becomes a more distant memory. Particularly for those who were here and were fortunate to not lose a loved one.
For me, I think it gets more real each year. First I just lived in New York. Then I lived just a 10 minute walk from the site. Now I work in a skyscraper and truly have context for who would have been there that day. 8:46 am. Janitors, security guards, receptionists. Eager young analysts and low-level professionals getting a crack on the day or still working after a long night. The old secretaries who always take the Express Bus in from an outer borough to arrive 30 minutes early every day. The guy selling donuts and newspapers. The mail guys and gals preparing for their first run of the day. Most people who are in sky scrapers at 8:46am are people who work hard, people who are responsible, people who are probably under appreciated.
It's weird to work in these buildings and think, 'What if it had been this one?'

Depending on where Mr. ends up for residency, I will probably be spending the 9th anniversary away from this city. Never fully inside but never fully outside either, I wonder what the shift will be like.

For today, though, my thoughts and prayers are with those whose loved ones were lost, for those who were here and in DC 7 years ago, and for all of us as we continue living.

Lonely Ring

2008-09-10T07:30:00.002-04:00

This morning it took me a little while to realize my alarm was going off. Mr. had left an hour ago. As I walked past his 'office' on the way to the bathroom, I noticed his wedding ring sitting on his desk. If he hadn't made a special point last night to tell me he loves me, it probably would have taken me longer to remember he's in labor & delivery this week.

Home Brews and I Do's!

2008-09-09T23:25:00.003-04:00

This weekend was mostly spent with med school friends. Saturday Mr. was hanging out with one of his classmates when he called me to go over there for dinner. He also asked me to bring his camera and our 2 cup measuring cup.
When I went over there, I discovered said classmate had recently invested in a home brewing kit and was going to start his first batch after dinner. Mr. helped, and I documented the whole thing with the camera. The process which should have taken 3 hours took roughly 5. The two medical students diligently made sure the proper materials were adequately sanitized and clearly had to pay close attention to the directions. The longest part of the process was waiting for the wert to cool to a temperature low enough to not kill the yeast. It was also the chilliest part as we had the A/C up high. Overall, it was a very cool and fun experience. Mr. got a text the next morning letting him know that the yeast was already hard at work.
The home brew will be ready by October!

Sunday evening, Mr. and I took a long train through Manhattan out to another outer-borough for an engagement party. We've known this couple since before they were a couple. In fact, I remember being confused when I first started to see them break off from the main group to be all cute and couple-like first year. Mr. had clearly neglected to tell me they were an item. Since then, though, they've become a staple couple in the class - two great people heading in the same direction together. He proposed to her on Sunday afternoon, then had a surprise engagement party waiting for her after she accepted. It's all very exciting, and I'm very happy for them. Mazel tov!

A Researcher's Dream

2008-09-06T10:45:00.005-04:00

First, apologies for not posting this past week. I was sick, busy, and caught up in everything going on in the news. Can't. Look. Away.

Anyway, more on that later. For now, I can't not share this tidbit that everyone probably already knows about already, but I've just discovered it and am way more excited than I should be. On NYTimes.com, you can find articles from the early parts of the 20th century. Perhaps even earlier, I don't know. Many of them cost money, but some are free, such as this one from 1914, with the headline FASHIONS FOR SUMMER FROCKS HARK BACK TO 1870; Styles One May Buy in Paris at Small Prices --More Plaids Than Roman Stripes in Fashion Centre.

This may prove infinitely useful as I work on my research paper about Madame Grés for my online class. The daughter of a librarian, I've been around microfilm and whatnot my entire life, but I never did master the art of researching the old fashioned way. Putting everything online, even if they are pdf's, makes life so much easier. As for how you find these wonderful windows to the past, if you search a word it will give you every article they have with that word, I believe... including articles from 1914. :)

ETA: They have articles as early as 1851, which I believe is their entire collection. You can narrow down to search for only recent articles, though.

Adoration

2008-08-31T07:21:00.004-04:00

So Mr. is done with his first rotation and finally gets a break. We didn't make it to the zoo, but we did go out to dinner with STM and her hubby to the Boat Basin. Good food, great atmosphere. I'd heard of Boat Basin for a while, so I'm glad they suggested it!

Later last night, as Mr. was packing to go home, we had Nick at Nite on. As you may know, Nick at Nite currently shows sitcoms from our childhood and adolescence: Home Improvement, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, and George Lopez. Judge us if you will, but this is the time slot he and I can agree on.

As I nostalgically remembered all the handful of nights one or both of us has stayed up packing with Nick on this past year, I remarked, "I love our mutual [inner monologue: don't say love again] adoration of cheesy 90's television." "Adorittion?" Mr. repeated, confused. Thinking I had said it sloppily, I repeated, "a-dor-RAY-shun". He was still clueless. "Adoration! Like, adore, but in noun form!" He then went on to insist that he had never heard the word before in his life. Now I know how my parents felt when I thought 'cajole' was such an out-there word to learn during my SAT prep. Except adoration is still so much more common than cajole. I think Mr.'s head must be so full of medical stuff, obscure raps, and commercial jingles from the late 1980's that he doesn't have room for regular knowledge.

The Right Choice

2008-08-28T10:41:00.003-04:00

When I was in 7th grade, there were two boys named Matt in my class (the advanced class - we were all nerds). One was tall and skinny. He was my 'boyfriend'. The other was shorter, stockier, and wore glasses with transition lenses. This second Matt was a really nice guy. He wasn't particularly anti-social, but many times if there was downtime in class, he wouldn't jump into a bunch of conversations with his friends like everyone else was doing. He'd sit back and observe. I supposed I was also observant then as I noticed this and asked what he was doing.
"Sometimes I just like to sit back and watch people."
At the time it seemed a little creepy, but since I liked just about anything that was outside the norm, I also found it kind of cool. I started to imitate, probably lacking the actual thought process to fully analyze at that point. But then it became a habit, and I became curious by various cliques and social tendencies. In high school, I was curious where exactly my group of friends fit, and in college I was quick to observe the differences between a New Yorker's attitude and the attitudes of those from the Midwest.

Being a huge math nerd, I have an eye for patterns, trends. I'm only one week in, but this skill I've developed is precisely what working in fashion is all about. Taking note, anticipating, etc. It's a big math and numbers game, which will probably give me a slight academic advantage over most of my classmates, drawn to fashion for the artistic side. The one exception would be that girl who used to be an investment banker.
The rest of it is getting inside the mind of the every day consumer. Not insisting on your own taste, but recognizing the mainstream taste or the specific taste for your market. This is the same sort of thing needed in entertainment, but people actually pay attention in fashion.

Yes, this was the right choice for me. This will be good.

Every time I start a new job, a coworker gets pregnant.

2008-08-27T18:36:00.002-04:00

Well, 3 for 3 at least.

A little over 2 years ago, I started my first full-time job as a secretary at a law firm. After training, I was placed almost immediately in a pairing of desks with AS. We had just hit a groove of a friendship when she revealed to me that she was pregnant. As she was preparing for maternity leave, a new girl, AR, started at a nearby desk station. When AS left, I was moved to the desk station with AR and formed a friendship with her.

I then got an opportunity to be a secretary elsewhere for more money. It sounded promising, so I left shortly after AS returned, and AS moved to the desk station with AR.

My phone coverage at the new job was a woman a year or two my senior, RP. It took a little longer for us to warm up to each other, but we eventually formed a rapport. Sure enough, she soon became pregnant. Meanwhile, I hated my new job and longed for the law firm again.

So, I called my old boss and put plans in motion to start back in a new position there.

My top priorities upon my return (4 months ago) were to see AS and AR, particularly AR as she was leaving for California for the summer for her husband's job. Now that the summer is over, AR has returned, and when we met to catch up, I was delightfully surprised to find that she was, yep, 4 months pregnant.

You heard it here first, kids. Trying to conceive? Get your boss to hire me as your coworker.

Always feels like a race against father time...

2008-08-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

...In the streets of New York.

On Monday, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood instead of going to the gym on my lunch break. I work in a 'shiny' area of the city, full of high end retail stores. It's probably my favorite neighborhood of all with the crisp, clean smell that gently wafts from the doors of the high end shops, the artful ads, the smartly dressed business men and women walking in a streamline fashion.

It's not the preferred neighborhood of most people I know, though. You see, New York (or Manhattan specifically), is just a bunch of little neighborhoods squished together on one tiny little 34 square mile island. There are countless names - some of them familiar, like Harlem and Times Square, some of them better known to New Yorkers, such as Murray Hill and Tribeca, and even some yet that many New Yorker's wouldn't be able to locate on the map like Manhattan Valley or Turtle Bay. Each has a unique personality developed through the shops, the restaurants, the real estate prices, the inhabitants, and the entertainment, just like any other town. Except these are not towns - these are neighborhoods of sometimes only a few blocks. So, despite this being the 'big apple', there's nothing all that terrifying about moving here from a small town. You just need to find the neighborhood where you belong and make it yours. The rest of the island's neighborhoods are simply like neighboring towns - great to take advantage of and visit but not necessarily home.

I had started out with a point I had wanted to make, but I like this better. Let me just finish this off with a statistic, though, that I learned in my buying class last night:

The average 30 year old woman in Westchester County has 3.2 children.

The average 30 year old woman in Manhattan has 0.8 children.

Not surprising, but fascinating nonetheless.

Previewing the Future?

2008-08-24T09:34:00.003-04:00

I added a new blog to our blog list on the left, Ricochet Dreamer, written by the wife of a family medicine resident in Texas. I just started reading it a few weeks ago, but so far it has really kept me interested, mainly because it seems like a lot of the things she's going through are the same things we'll be facing in just a few years: New places, new jobs, new routines, and a very tired husband (This post made me laugh.) So anyways, hopefully I'm not the only one who likes the blog, and hopefully she'll keep updating and keep me entertained.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2008-08-24T01:26:00.007-04:00

One of my favorite parts about being grown up is getting invited to dinner parties. Tonight I was invited by a friend of a friend (who is now a friend herself) to an end of summer all girls dinner party. When I asked if I could bring anything, she suggested dessert. Woot.

My first thought was to make these delicious peanut-butter cupcakes that Mr. made once, but then I found out that the hostess is allergic to nuts. Plus I can't find my cupcake cookbook. :(

Attached to the cupcake idea, though, as they're somewhat easy to transport, I started on the hunt for a simple yet unique recipe with ingredients that could be found at the nearby supermarket.

First I looked at Little Ms Foodie's blog remembering she had this delicious recipe I've been meaning to try for Mascarpone & Strawberry cupcakes, but I wasn't confident I would be able to find mascarpone cheese at the supermarket. However, she did have a link to How to Eat a Cupcake, where I discovered a link to the recipe I ended up using for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

The mere thought of whole milk makes me a little queasy, so I instead used 1 cup of skim milk and 2 teaspoons of melted butter. I also wasn't able to find frozen cookie dough, so I bought 1 lb of the refrigerated kind, broken into 24 pieces, then froze, as suggested.

I didn't quite feel up to making icing from scratch, so I just bought some store chocolate icing... with sprinkles.

Since the recipe makes twice as many cupcakes as I was taking to the party, I enlisted the help of STM. We make quite the baking team. We also make quite the eating team. After the first batch, we sampled them to make sure they turned out alright.

Yes, that's cookie dough goodness in the middle. Content with our results, we continued with the rest.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say they were a huge hit. I was the second guest to arrive, so most were unaware that I was the one who brought the cupcakes when they moaned in delight. Mission accomplished.

Even if the cupcakes hadn't been a hit, though, the dinner party was truly fabulous. I met a lot of people, including a girl who had gone to undergrad with Mr. - what a small world! I only knew two people going into the evening, but by the end of the night, I felt like I had known all of them much longer.

And as I headed to the subway, I noticed this text message from Mr.:

'I hope the dinner party is well. The cupcakes are good.'

What a lovely night!

The Two-Week Rule

2008-08-22T10:45:00.003-04:00

Mr. has a rule that he doesn't leave the borough within 2 weeks of a test. For the boards he rarely even left the classroom building for the month prior.

His first shelf exam is less than a week away, so for this Golden Weekend, he'll be stuck indoors.

Don't get me wrong - I admire how disciplined he is, and his strategy is definitely effective for achieving great things. However, he's seriously in danger of becoming one of those guys who always talks shop because he has nothing else of interest to say. Maybe next weekend (after the shelf but before his next rotation) we can do something fun and not medically related. My vote is the zoo. :)

Student v. Student

2008-08-20T22:03:00.002-04:00

Last night before bed, Mr. called me, 'Ms. Student' or something like that in a sweet tone. It really felt nice because after orientation, I feel that he gets this is real.

I have varied interests, and let's face it, none of them are live saving. They're life enhancing. They're also not very profitable, so it can seem a bit silly for me to spend all this money on my undergrad degree and then spend some more money to get a lower level degree from a less academically competitive school. The confusion is compounded when surrounded by future doctors, of both philosophy and medicine. Why would you not seek to get the highest degree you possibly can?? This confusion has caused a slight disconnect between Mr. and me once or twice since I got my acceptance letter. Here's the breakdown:

They don't offer Fashion Merchandising at the graduate level.
Even if they did, I don't have the appropriate background to pursue it.
Associate's degrees are cheaper than master's degrees.
For what I think I want to do in fashion, a master's would be overkill.
If I get to the point where a master's would help my career, my employer can pay for it!

Pursuing a career in medicine, with all the competition, is pretty straightforward: You go to college, pre-med, take the MCATs, apply to medical school, attend medical school, apply for residencies, make a match list, [hopefully] match, and the process continues. Other careers, particularly those in artistic fields such as theatre and fashion, are less linear. Those wacky right-brain industries! Instead it's all about connections and having something to offer besides that. For some it's talent, others it's experience, and for me it'll probably be my studies.

I think in addition to the confusion, though, Mr. was just worried about the time factor. He's in school, and his schedule is intense. I'll be in school and working full time, not to mention my commute. How will anything get done? It won't be easy, but we'll make it work. Plus, with neither of us home, the apartment can't get that messy, right? I figure now is the time to do this, before throwing pets or children into the mix. And ultimately I'll have to be doing something to rake in the dough while Mr.'s a resident and putting his entire salary toward student loans. BigLaw doesn't exist in the boonies, after all, and who knows where we'll be for residency.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love - these are what we stay alive for.

~Dead Poets Society

Oriented

2008-08-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

Today I left work early in order to attend my orientation for fashion school. Since the bookstore is only open until 6:00pm or early on weekdays and closed on weekends, today was the only day for me to pick up my books. So, I rushed out of work, caught the train, and coolly and calmly walked up to my school for the first time. The thing about fashion school is that everyone thinks they know about clothes and fashion and most of them do. My style is much more classic than that of those I passed. It's also more, ahem, work appropriate. After picking up my books, I passed a girl who looked like she stepped out of a Madonna music video circa Holiday complete with a mini jean skirt, teased hair, and many thin bangle bracelets.

Suddenly feeling old/out of place/from the wrong decade, I tried to find the seminar rooms. Luckily it only required talking to 2 different security guys. The orientation sessions were broken down based on program, which means I was with other night and weekend fashion merchandising management majors who already have a bachelor's degree. Those 10 other women and one dude seemed much more like me than some of the students I had passed on the street. More conservatively dressed, varied interests, born prior to 1990... One even has a kid! Hopefully I'll have classes with a few of them.

Then of course, one of the professors at my orientation advised that we don't buy our books prior to our first class, but half the books I purchased were listed on the syllabus for one class, and well, the other 2 look interesting at least!

Added bonus - I got my id card after orientation, and there was no line! Sweet.

The Alarm Clock Tango

2008-08-18T16:03:00.002-04:00

There are two types of people in this world: those who snooze and those who don't. Mr's the former. I'm the latter.
I set my phone's alarm for 7:00am every weekday, and 8:00am on Sundays. The alarm rings, I shut it off ASAP, and I head to the bathroom to start my routine. On days I didn't get enough sleep, I'll ease into the day by checking my email first before heading to the bathroom. For me this is the start of a leisurely morning. I'm physically ready by 7:30, dressed, hair done, make-up applied. That gives me 35 minutes to check my email some more, look on facebook, watch the CBS Early show, make my lunch, make the bed, and do the dishes. By the time I leave at 8:05, I'm a fully functioning and awake person.
Mr., on the other hand, has a complex system involving his phone alarm and an actual alarm clock that I bought freshman year of college. At 6:30, his phone alarm goes off. At 6:40, the actual alarm. He continues to snooze and reset until he finally rolls out of bed, which has lately been after I've finished brushing my teeth. This means that I actually wake up at 6:30 and just sort of lie there until my alarm goes off.
The awkwardness of the half-hour between his first alarm and my alarm is compounded by the face that he sleeps on the side of the bed adjacent to the wall, requiring him to either crawl over me or exit at the foot of the bed in order to hit his snooze button. It's an interesting dance we do each morning.
I wonder how the routine will change when he starts OB. Only 2 more weeks of Medicine. *whew*

This morning after the alarm clock tango, I was commuting to work, as I do every morning, and at the 2nd to last stop in the Borough, the pre-recorded announcement told us: "This is the last stop on this train; everybody please leave the train. Thank you, and have a safe day." Some passengers got off. Many of us stayed on waiting to see if there would be an actual announcement by a live person. It's not totally unheard of for the operators to press the wrong announcement button in there. 30 seconds to a minute later, the same pre-recorded message was played. At that point, most of the remaining passengers deboarded...until we heard the voice say, 'Stand clear of the closing doors, please', at which point we rushed back on the train. A number of passengers remained on the platform, which meant those of us who had boarded now all had seats. Sweet. The train continued into Manhattan. Suckers!

Friday Night in the City

2008-08-16T11:53:00.004-04:00

My friend from work turned in her timecard yesterday. It's time to start her 'real job'. While I'm sad to lose a lunch buddy, it's always reassuring to see people make it out. That doesn't mean I hate my job. No, quite the contrary. I really enjoy working at the law firm...I just don't want to work there forever. The danger of working a job that you love is that you'll do it forever and never move on to a career. I have too much pride for that. I love the law firm and all they've done for me, but I want to do something that I've chosen, not something that just happened to fall in my lap.

Anyway, since it was her last day, she was invited to happy hour by one of the attorneys. Not wanting to go alone, she invited me to come with her. I felt a little awkward wearing my rain boots, but it was happy hour, not a club, and besides I'm married, so what does it matter? My friend also kept insisting that the boots were super cute.

We stopped off at her apartment first and ordered in Pizza 33. Best. Pizza. Ever. No joke. I've been to Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, and Patsy's, and while they are all phenomenal with incredible ingredients and toppings, Pizza 33 also has delicious crust. Seriously, go there. Like, yesterday.

After the best pizza ever, we headed out in the sprinkling rain - you know the type that is hard enough to be annoying but not hard enough to be the jerk with umbrella? - to happy hour at Borough. I was relieved to find a casual, chill atmosphere, and while I still felt silly wearing my rain boots, I didn't feel terribly underdressed. I had much more fun than I expected to have. We played some pool. I hit about 3 balls in on purpose, all in the last game. Unfortunately, I also scratched about 6 times. I get the mathematics of pool, but I totally suck at the mechanics. I ended up staying an hour later than I expected and realized I miss going out. Not clubbing, because, in my opinion, it's not worth it in New York (too crowded and expensive), but just hanging out, playing pool, doing stuff you can't really do in our neighborhood in the Borough. My friend, I think, felt the same way. And since she's a granny like me who likes to go to bed at a reasonable hour, I think she'll make a good going out buddy in the future. And I'm totally down with being her wing-woman.

Back to School!

2008-08-15T16:36:00.003-04:00

Okay, confession time - I'm a nerd. Like, a huge nerd. When I was in kindergarten, I was jealous of my brother in 2nd grade because he got homework. I wanted homework! Before 6th grade, I remember using the map of the school to plan my route during passing period. To be fair, my middle school was 3 stories high and our passing periods were 4 minutes long. However, I also did the same before my freshman year in high school...and did what I could before freshman year in undergrad as well.

I will be starting school in 10 days, and while I don't have to worry about passing periods as I only have once class per night, I have planned for just about everything else. I've even poked around the site I'll use for my online course. I'm confident I'll be able to find the classrooms for my regular class as the buildings are identified by letters (A, B, C, and D). However, I was worried about where to go for my orientation, which is next Tuesday. I've known the date and time for weeks now but not the location. You can imagine how awkward and nervous I was getting until yesterday when I received a letter in the mail with all of the room locations for all of the program orientations. Most seemed to be in classrooms, a few in the amphitheatre, one in the faculty dining room. Mine was toward the bottom of the second page. SR 8. SR8??? I scrambled for the campus map online. Nope, no building S or SR. We're new students; how is this supposed to help? Sure, maybe there will be people there to direct me that day, but I'm going after work. I don't have an extra 20 minutes to get lost.

So today I called 3 different people at the school. Yes, I'm going to be that girl. First I needed to dispute a charge on my bill (why something called 'student refund' is a charge to me, the student, is beyond all reasonable logic). Then I needed to figure out how to get into my email which hasn't worked for weeks now. After that, I discover an email from an administrative assistant regarding mail to me that had been returned to them, and that I needed to reply by today. So, I quickly called her to straighten out the mail situation and afterwards slyly asked her, 'um, do you know where the SR rooms are'? And the mystery was solved - they're in the basement. 'SR' stands for 'Seminar Room'. Crisis averted.

On Calls and Curtain Calls

2008-08-14T00:14:00.006-04:00

It's a quarter after midnight, and I just got home. Mr. is not yet home. He was on call today, and it looks like it's a late night.

As you see, it was also a late night for me, but for a much more enjoyable reason: I saw Boeing Boeing on Broadway! Ah, the rough life of being married to a guy who's never home, always having to find ways to amuse myself...

Okay, really a sorority sister wanted to take advantage of her employer's theatre discount, so a few of us headed out after work tonight to see this brilliant comedy revival.

Boeing Boeing is about a man with 3 fiancees, all flight attendants, and the hilarity that ensues when an old friend stops by for a visit.

The show was great, but it has only a little to do with the writing and much to do with the acting, timing, and staging. This production features respected performers Bradley Whitford, Christine Baranski, Gina Gershon, Kathryn Hahn and Mary McCormack, but the man who made the show with his deadpan delivery was Mark Rylance, playing the friend.

Far more seasoned critics have reviewed this piece, so I'm not going to do so here. I just want to give it a thumbs up, declare it a must see, and to remind anyone who might be curious to always try to see a show with its original cast. It truly makes a difference.

Mr.'s home now, and I'm ready for bed. Good night!

Point for me!

2008-08-12T09:58:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows Mr. knows that he can be incredibly difficult to argue with. In the past (and by 'past', I mean 2 weeks ago), this used to bother me. I just wanted to watch Project Runway without him over my shoulder claiming that the producers probably design all of the outfits themselves, controlling every single aspect to insure the highest level of entertainment.
However, the steeper the climb, the greater the satisfaction when you reach the top! That's right, Mr. conceded a point to me.

Saturday night before bed, I was reading Peony in Love in dim lighting.

Mr. MW: You shouldn't read in dim lighting, it's not good for your eyes.
MW: I thought I read somewhere once that was a myth.
Mr. MW: (scoffs) No, it strains your eyes. We should get you a reading lamp.
MW: (just wanting to get back to the novel) Okay.

Now, I've been scolded about reading in the dark since I was old enough to read. It doesn't hurt my eyes, it doesn't bother me, I don't mind. So, when I read an article or saw on the news (I can't remember) that reading in the dark doesn't actually have long term effects, I was triumphantly satisfied. I may have forgotten the source, but I don't forget being right. :)
Last night I decided to find verification, so I googled, and found this link. It seemed like a decent source, and pretty much said that reading in the dark can cause eye strain, which is exhibited by a bunch of symptoms I never experience. This is mostly short term anyway but can in some cases possibly cause long term effects in nearsightedness. I am nearsighted, but I doubt it's related to eye strain as I've never experienced any of the symptoms of eye strain. It took a little bit of arguing to quasi-persuade Mr. who was rattling on about how I haven't been studied in a controlled environment or something. But finally, he questioned my source and went to find his own. A few minutes later, he conceded the point, finding verification in a legit medical journal.
Woot.

In other news, we're officially married again! Okay, so we've been officially married for over a year now, but at the beginning of this summer, Mr. lost his ring in the ocean. He decided that his original ring had been too bulky and heavy and wanted instead to have a basic small band. So, last week I dropped by the Zales by my work, found and paid for a ring, got it sized, and picked it up yesterday. Hooray, we're married! And now even strangers will know it. ;)

Black Weekend

2008-08-11T09:27:00.007-04:00

Mr. worked every day this weekend with his on call day on Saturday, so I was left to my own devices.

On Saturday, I caught an afternoon matinee of the documentary American Teen at Sunshine Cinema on the Lower East Side with one of my sorority sisters.

First, the theatre - I've always gone to the Angelika or Quad Cinema for independent films, but Sunshine is so much better! The lobby is still quirky, giving you the full experience, but the seats are actually a) comfortable and b) above ground. Woot.

Anyway, American Teen is about a few of the high school archetypes in a small Indiana town. Having grown up in an only slightly larger Midwestern town, I was curious to see how fair the portrayal was. I suspected the stereotypes would be exaggerated, but they weren't. This was a genuine slice of life look at seniors in high school.

What I found especially interesting (and accurate to my personal experiences) was that with one exception, there was very little intermingling of the groups despite the small size of the community. While Megan, the princess, was definitely a mean girl, her victims were often within her same circle. Likewise Jake, the geek, wasn't tormented by the jocks but by a more popular band geek. It's an accurate look at the pressures your typical American teenager faces. It's definitely worth checking out if you're as fascinated by the every day as I am.

After the movie, my friend and I grabbed some coffee, then dinner. It was fun to talk about just about everything and anything. I ended up getting home around 10 that night and felt bad abandoning Mr. ... until I got back to the apartment and realized he hadn't been home yet. The only thing that sucks worse than having to work the whole weekend is having to work late on the weekend. Poor guy; welcome to medicine.

Sunday morning I finished Peony in Love, which I had started on the subway on Saturday. It's set in 17th century China and is a fictional work about actual women who had all married, and widowed, the same man.

It's well written in first person with a voice that sounds like that which you would expect from the character. Perhaps because of the setting, very different from anything I've experienced, I wasn't drawn emotionally to the story. However, I was still captivated. I simply couldn't put it down and had to know what happened next.

It kept me interested - I'd recommend it if you need something to read on a plane.

After I finished the novel, I made and ate lunch, did the dishes, went grocery shopping (which I would stop doing on Sunday afternoons if it weren't so darn convenient!), made dinner (chicken parm - shockingly easy!), did the laundry, and worked on my scrapbook.

Mr. came home and took a nap. Only 5 more days until he gets a day off.

Puppy Please

2008-08-09T12:37:00.004-04:00

Last night in the Village the hubby and I stumbled onto a pet shop with the cutest puppies ever. Seriously. The. Cutest. Puppies. Ever. And while I'm not so pro-pet shop (I'm all about the rescue shelters instead), I am pro dog.
But anyways, this post isn't about dogs, it's about the next set of criteria when it comes to choosing a residency. The pet shop started off this whole conversation about when we'll be able to get a dog (we can't now because there's a strict no dogs police in our med school housing). Eventually, the hubby decided he's not applying anywhere that doesn't allow dogs in the (mandatory) resident housing. I emphasize that he decided this, not me. But wanting a french bulldog more than just about anything, I heartily agreed with the new criteria.
So now it's my job to figure out what that rules out. So far St. Luke's-Roosevelt looks like it's the only program impacted, but that's just because I haven't really looked into all the others, yet. At least now I know what I'll be busy doing all weekend!

Book Review: Marley & Me

2008-08-08T10:09:00.005-04:00

For our paper anniversary, Mr. gave me a couple of books. Knowing I've breezed through quite a few novels on my commute, he chose two New York Times Bestsellers: Marley & Me and Peony in Love. I'm certain he has not read them and likely either chose them because they were under a section called 'Great as Gifts' or because he was advised to do so by a Borders salesperson. Mr. is very bright, but a literary scholar he is not. To be fair, neither am I, but I would argue that my grandmother, both my parents, and my brother are. The bar was set high.

I started with Marley & Me by John Grogan because the title was more familiar and who can resist that adorable puppy on the cover? My first impressions were lukewarm. Sure, it seemed like a nice story and the writing wasn't bad, but it didn't strike me as great literature either. When I lived with my brother, an unpublished poet and unapologetic literary snob, he would lend me works by the likes of Dave Eggers, Tom Perrotta and Michael Chabon. When I read their books, I couldn't help but feel a sort of pride and pretension knowing that I had stumbled upon the works of great talents of our generation. I didn't have that reaction to Marley & Me.

However, I've read "US Weekly" shortly after finishing Anna Karenina; I don't demand that everything I read be brilliant, just entertaining, so I continued. Suddenly I was engrossed in the story. Disobeying the unwritten rule to remain stoic on the subway, I chuckled at the crazy antics of that wild yellow lab, Marley. Without pretension, Grogan brought me in with the clean, crisp writing of a columnist, and I fell in love with his family and their beloved pet.

This morning on my commute as I finished the memoir, while I managed to prevent the many tears in my eyes from falling down my cheeks, I wasn't able to prevent myself from sniffling. Even worse than giggling, I was crying on the subway. The classic rave review - I laughed; I cried - holds true in this case.

The purpose of art, no matter the medium, is to provoke and stir emotion. Sometimes there is a bigger agenda attached, such as a political message of some sort, but what good is that message if it doesn't stir people to act? Marley & Me met this objective head on, and I now see why it reached that coveted #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

And the awkwardness compounds itself

2008-08-06T19:45:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was on the train home back to the borough when I made eye contact with a familiar-looking Asian man sitting across from me. It wasn't until I returned to my sudoku puzzle that I realized he was the benefits guy from my office. Knowing it would be awkward to initiate a conversation on a crowded train, especially since some time had past since we made eye contact, I decided to say goodbye to him once he got off the train.

The commute continued and suddenly we were not just in the borough, but the train was above ground. Since there were significantly fewer people on the train, I looked up and had the following conversation:

MW: I didn't know you lived all the way out here.

HR Guy: (Stands up to hear better) I live by [Borough Medical School]

MW: (Shocked at the coincidence) My husband's a student there!

HR Guy: Yeah, I live in [my building]

MW: Me, too! I'm on [x floor]

HR Guy: I'm on [x+2]

HR Guy: So, do you work in the city?

MW: (Realizing he's not actually my HR Guy) Yeah, I work at a law firm

HR Guy: Oh, that's cool

We continue in silence, him still standing, for the next two stops until we both get off the train.

Since that day, I have seen the guy around campus from a distance ...and promptly avoided him. Today I almost got on the same bus as him from the train to campus. Instead I just kept on walking to a different bus stop for a different bus that also takes me to campus.

Maybe not the most mature response to an honest mistake, but so far it's workin' for me.

Is there a doctor in the house? Part 2

2008-08-05T12:39:00.003-04:00

One of the nice things about being married to a medical student is that there's an almost-doctor in the house.
Another nice thing about being married to a medical student if you live in student housing is that there are almost-doctors filling the whole building.

This morning, shortly before 7:00am after Mr. had hit the snooze a few times, we heard some thuds and then a minute later a woman yelling "Can somebody help me??" while banging on our neighbor's door. Mr. and I both sprung up, and while he put on pants, I ran over to the apartment. The woman needed someone to bang down a door. The other neighbor ran to get something from his place to pry a locked door, and I cam back to my place and started fumbling around in my purse to get a card or something to card the door. I told Mr. that she needed someone to kick down the door, and he ran over. Realizing that the neighbor now had 2 male medical students assisting her, I didn't return. Mr. can card a door better than I can, and he and the other neighbor are surely both more capable of kicking in a door than I am.

The woman's husband/fiance/boyfriend had collapsed in the shower and was unresponsive. It's unclear what made him collapse in the first place, whether it was a slip and fall situation, or if he fainted.
Mr. ran downstairs to tell the security guard in our building and I assume to call 911. He then grabbed his stethoscope and went back next door. Either he or the other neighbor performed chest compressions; I could hear them counting. Mr. eventually came back to say that he was stable and the paramedics were on their way.

Meanwhile, I did everything I could for Mr. so that he wouldn't be late to work (packed his lunch, laid out his scrubs). I'm sure they'd understand, but there was certainly no need for him to have that added stress.

The paramedics came at 7:15. Why it took them so long, I have no idea. We live directly next to a huge hospital and across the street from another. There's yet another hospital 2-3 blocks away. Luckily Mr. and our other neighbor were able to help in the mean time.

I'm not sure we'll find out how this story ends as we don't know our neighbors, but my thoughts and prayers will definitely be with them.

First Anniversary

2008-08-04T12:51:00.005-04:00

Dear Mr.,

What a ride! This past year has been filled with ups and downs, successes and disappointments.

You tackled 2nd year while we paid off my producing debut, changed careers, and then changed careers again. Now you're waking up before me to hit the wards, and soon I'll be taking classes, too, leaving us each to balance working and studying. With conflicting schedules, we probably won't get to vacation anytime soon, so instead we'll cherish the time we have, baking cookies, watching Curb Your Enthusiasm onDemand, and simply 'hanging out'.

Together we've set up our place, tackled our finances, and settled into our routines. It's not always easy for this independent girl to share things, but it's worth it to get to share my life with you.

Happy anniversary! Only 49 years until our golden anniversary... but your homepage already told you that. :)

Love,
MW

Hold That Line

2008-08-03T12:33:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to the workshop of a new musical, Cheer Wars at my alma mater. A friend of mine had one of the larger roles, and I was excited by what I'd heard of it.

While the music wasn't necessarily as strong as that from last week's production, it was catchy and sufficient. The story was great, and I was literally laughing out loud at a lot of it. I'd like a little more character development, better costumes and much stronger choreography. But, this is why we workshop pieces! Kudos to all involved; I really enjoyed myself. And I've had one of the songs from the show in my head all morning... Hold that line; hold that, hold that line...

I had hoped Mr. might join me, but he had to work. In fact, because he got to drain a patient's peritoneal fluid (or something like that), he didn't get home until 8:30.

No worries, though - that's what gay boyfriends are for! My gay boyfriend from home moved to the city earlier this year, so he came with me to the musical. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it much more than Mr. would have, anyway.

Is there a doctor in the house?

2008-08-02T14:51:00.002-04:00

One of the nice things about being married to a med student is that there's an almost-doctor in the house.

One of the bad things about being married to a med student is that he's almost never in the house.

Today in an act of utter clumsiness involving a ceramic soap dish, I managed to get a small but gnarly gash on my back. There were little ceramic pieces around the broken soapdish which made me concerned that there might be some around the wound as well. Since Mr. was at the hospital, I awkwardly called STM to come take a look. She successfully identified a tiny ceramic crumb and went back home.

Okay, so not exactly like borrowing a cup of sugar, but it's good to know your neighbors... especially when those neighbors are fellow student spouses who are familiar with the hours involved in being a med student. Thanks again, S!

Speaking of Dreaming...

2008-08-01T09:28:00.002-04:00

Last night I dreamt that Mr. had too much studying to do and couldn't make it out to our anniversary dinner. However, he encouraged me to still go out to dinner by myself, which I did.

wtf does that mean?

I'm Dreaming of a White...Dinner...

2008-07-31T12:24:00.006-04:00

So, while I cook something almost every night, I try to cook something that is neither pasta, rice, nor frozen pizza at least once each week. Actually, I lied, as often my 'special' dish will be a combination of ground beef and pasta.
...Moving on...
So last night I started out planning a meal that I hoped to be feasible in a tiny New York kitchen after my long day of work followed by my long commute that was also well-balanced.

I ended up with this:

Yes kids, that's chicken (white) for protein, mashed potatoes (white) for starch, and zucchini (white with green skin) for the vegetable. Who says meals should be colorful anyway?

Monochromatic color scheme aside, I think I did a decent job on a budget, no less!

The meal, which fed us both for dinner and me for lunch (yum) cost $8 + seasoning (small amounts of butter, milk, lemon pepper, flour, salt & pepper).

What you need:
1 lb Chicken
2 lbs Potatoes (more if you really like potatoes like me)
1 Zucchini
1/4 c. Flour
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
1/3 c. Milk
Butter
Salt/Pepper

How to prepare (in very simplistic terms):

Boil water in a medium or large pot
Peal potatoes and chop into 1/2" cubes (or whatever size you prefer)
Place potatoes in boiling water, set timer for 20 minutes
Mix flour and lemon pepper in bowl.
Coat chicken in lemon pepper mixture. (Note: there will be mixture left over, so if you want to save to use again, use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the chicken)
Place a small amount of butter in a large skillet over low heat (the thicker the pieces of chicken, the lower the heat).
Place chicken in skillet.
While chicken is cooking, chop the zucchini into slices and place on microwave-safe dish.
Use your discretion in determining when to turn the chicken over. For thin slices, it may only need 2 minutes on each side; thicker slices may need 5+ minutes per side.
After the timer rings, buzzes, whatever, drain the potatoes
Add milk, butter and salt to potatoes and mash. Using a significant amount of butter makes them extra yummy...but it also makes them extra fatty. Season as desired.
Place zucchini in the microwave for roughly 40 seconds, butter lightly and season with salt & pepper.

And, serve. See? Super easy. And cheap. Yet, real food.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

2008-07-30T09:58:00.005-04:00

A few months ago, Mr. spearheaded this project doing something for a surgeon with a couple of his classmates. I don't know much about the project except that it meant even more time spent in the anatomy lab and that Mr. was the lead med student on it.
Well, somehow between helping first years with anatomy, sitting on the board for the student-run free clinic, finishing 2nd year, studying for the boards, and dealing with a long commute and even longer hours, he dropped the ball and hadn't yet gotten around to contacting the surgeon about writing up an abstract. It had been on his mental to-do list for some time, but sometimes people just beat you to the punch.
Luckily, the guy who beat him to the punch this time was a nice guy who gave him a heads up before doing so. Via text message, Mr. originally said it was fine that the other guy write the abstract. But the thing is, it wasn't fine. This was his project. He and I talked it out, and I advised him to just be honest with his classmate about how he was really hoping to be first author, etc. From what I could tell only hearing one half of the conversation, I think his classmate was understanding. Crisis averted.

Mr. spent the rest of the night editing another abstract written by a PhD whose first language is not English. I'm pretty good with grammar (not always apparent on here), so I tried my hand at it. Unfortunately, I don't spend my days reading science experiments, so I wasn't sure if I should be fixing all of those sentences written in passive voice or if I should just leave them. I think I'll stick to proofing legal documents.

Mr. (Dr. Jekyll) didn't mind, though, and took back over the editing.

This morning, Mr. (aka Mr. Hyde) and I got into a playful argument that started about McCain's VP Choice, then moved on to Bloomberg and peoples' desire for him to be president, to McCain's senility, and then I looked at my watch to see where I should be in my morning routine. It was 7:25, and since Mr. typically leaves at 7:15, I said 'don't you have to leave?' To which he replied 'yes' and went on his way.

5 minutes later I get a text message from Mr.:
"don't you have to leave?". Glad to know I'm wanted in the house.

Sarcasm or anger? Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? I suspect it was the latter, but as my first instinct was sarcasm, I went with it:
lol. I love you, baby. Just didn't want you to be late as it seems you normally leave around 7:15/7:20.

Above comic by Michelle Au. Ever since STM linked the underwear drawer to our site, I've been reading the archives from 2004 to now. I think Mr. is either a Gunner, a One-Track Mind, or Painfully Enthusiastic. This morning I picture him as a gunner. Thus, the unnecessary frustration.

Last Night

2008-07-29T07:54:00.002-04:00

MW: Did you find out what your schedule's going to be like this weekend?

Mr.MW: Oh, sorry, I forgot. I'll find out tomorrow.

MW: Cool; let me know.

Mr.MW: I'll probably have Sunday off.

MW: Then we can go out for our anniversary.

Mr.MW: (at least half joking) Aw, my only day off and I have to go to stupid anniversary!

MW: (playfully) But it's to mark the happiest day of your life!

Mr.MW: A year ago was the happiest day; this is just an anniversary.

MW: pfft.

Mr.MW: Alright, but I'm bringing my books!

MW: Awww, it'll be just like our honeymoon. :)

Golden Weekend: Friday & Sunday

2008-07-28T16:20:00.004-04:00

Normally I wouldn't go out of order like this, but Friday evening and Sunday were pretty much the same.
Mr. and I 'hung out'. This means he studied in the apartment instead of the classroom building. Since we live in a studio, we were in the same room. Exciting stuff, no?
We were going to actually hang out by grabbing ice cream, but alas the weather turned before we made it out. (And who wants to go out for ice cream when it's raining?)

In other news, I got to make use of my new, permanent gym card today, making me feel all cool and athletic (though in reality I'm neither).
But just look at it - all shiny and official looking!

And in other other news, Mr.'s on call again tonight, which means the possibilities are endless for what I'll do tonight. Am I a bad wife for kind of being excited about that?

Something In It For Me

2008-07-27T15:17:00.004-04:00

I've discovered a good thing about having a husband who spends way too much time at the Barnes & Nobles on 18th Street.
When you've been going around town all Sunday morning, drinking multiple coffees, and you run into B&N looking for a bathroom, he knows exactly where where to point you.
Finally, all those hundreds of dollars he's spent in the B&N medical section are paying off for me.

Golden Weekend: Saturday

2008-07-27T08:56:00.004-04:00

This weekend, Mr. had a 'golden weekend', meaning he wasn't on call on Friday but also had Saturday and Sunday off. Of course, I didn't realize this until Friday evening after making plans for a packed Saturday in Manhattan. I suppose it was good for him, though, to not have me around while he was studying. Since we live in a studio, I've found it hard to entertain myself without distracting him.

So, I left for Manhattan at 11:00am, while he was still asleep (apparently he slept until 2:00pm) after making a post office run. I was running early to meet my friends when I was one stop away on the subway and the train was delayed due to a signal problem. Since I was early, I figured I'd just sit it out. 15 minutes later, though, the conductor made an announcement that they didn't know how long it would take, so I made a couple of transfers and was only 5 minutes late or so. My friends had been on different stops on the same line, though, so they each took cabs to Around the Clock, where we had brunch. It's an East Village staple that I definitely recommend.

After brunch, we walked around the block to NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing building where a friend of ours was performing in a new work. The actors were good. There was very little dialogue... or story... or clear objective. But the music was great, the voices were great, and it was under 90 minutes.

Next weekend another friend is in a different new work (which honestly sounds much better) in the same program. I'm looking forward to it.

After the play, I met up with an old friend whom I'd only recently reconnected with at a mutual friend's wedding in May. Before that, I think the last time I saw him was 8 years ago, maybe? He moved away after my 8th grade year but came back to visit once when I was in high school.

Anyway, I found out via text while I was stuck underground that he was in town for the weekend before jetting off to Europe, so we walked around the village, down the middle of a street fair and then settled in Washington Square Park to talk about life. He's in medical school as well in a D.O. program in Ohio, so I was curious to hear how the programs differ.

After that, I headed uptown to meet with a few church buddies regarding the direction of our 20s/30s group. I have a big to-do list now, but am super-psyched about all of our ideas! Mainly the retreat we'll have sometime next spring. Woot. :)

I'm about to run to church, but I just had to post because I realized this morning that Mr. did a fair number of the dishes and also took out the kitchen trash that had been staring me down the past couple days. Since he cares about things like clean floors, I wouldn't be surprised if he did that as well. When I get home (since he's still sleeping right now), I'll have to thank him.

Thank you, Mr.!!

Little Triumphs

2008-07-24T21:54:00.003-04:00

The hubby's on call tonight, which means it's time for me to break out all the unhealthy, non-dinner foods I always crave for dinner. Froot Loops and Diet Dr. Pepper here I come!

Around the Home

2008-07-24T20:18:00.007-04:00

A recent study by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan found that while men on average save an hour of housework upon getting married, women gain seven. Seven!!

Let's see... before I got married, I lived with my brother in Manhattan. I never made my bed, in part because I didn't care and partly because I didn't mess it up. I only picked the clothes off my floor in order to take them to the wash & fold place to be cleaned. I rarely bought groceries and ate mostly spaghetti or chinese delivery. Because I cut him a break on rent, my brother would sometimes do my dishes and usually took the trash out. Yeah, I didn't really do any housework.

Mr., on the other hand, was the most frequent dishwasher in his apartment he shared with 2 of his classmates and would be embarrassed if his bed wasn't made or if a single pair of pants was on the floor. He'd go grocery shopping twice, sometimes 3 times per week and did his own laundry. On top of being a first year medical student, he did everything around the apartment.

Over a year after moving in with Mr., I now cook dinner at least four or five times per week, go grocery shopping at least once a week, make the bed every morning, do laundry two or three times per month, dust, swiffer, and take out the trash. Plus, while we used to have the deal that he would do the dishes after I cooked dinner, I picked that up a few weeks before the boards.

Don't tell Mr., but oddly enough, I'm kind of starting to like it. I prefer to do the dishes in the morning before work. I time it while listening to music or watching the news. I may still have a pile of clothes sitting directly next to the hamper, but living with Mr. and his ridiculous schedule has brought out a better, more responsible side of me. Crazy, huh?

Go Yankees!

2008-07-22T23:09:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I'm really a Cubs fan, but since I've lived in New York for 6 years and the Cubs are in the National League while the Yankees are in the American League, I feel I'm allowed to root for the Yankees once in a while. :)

For a good part of the summer, Mr. has been watching baseball on tv (or rather, has had the tv on baseball while he studies), which has been a little less than thrilling for me. I may have played softball for 6 years and understand the rules of baseball better than those for any other sport, but I can't watch it on tv. It's just sooo slow.

However, I absolutely love to go to games! Tonight we were invited to join another med school couple at the Yankees v. Twins game. The weather was great, the game had its exciting moments, and the Yankees won. The best part of the night, though?

Dippin' Dots! In a Yankees cap!

There used to be a Dippin' Dots stand in the mall in my hometown, but I haven't had the delicious treat in years. I'm not sure why ice cream is so much better when served in tiny little spheres, but it is.

Okay, okay, and while Dippin' Dots was great, the real high point of the night was getting to spend some time with the Mr., just relaxing and hanging out. I know that these times have to be few and far between, but it's nice to know we can still have them every now and again.

Hopefully it's not unrealistic to hope for at least one baseball game per year in the future.