Traveling

I leave tomorrow for interviews. I found out today that since the last time I traveled, airlines have started offering the option of having E-boarding pass sent directly to your Blackberry/iPhone/PDA. This is the kind of technological advance that makes me very proud to be part of the human race. No more crumpled up pieces of boarding passes that are only good as temporary bookmarks.

So I'll be honest. I'm a bit nervous. I love to see new places and meet new people, but increasingly I find myself very attached to the things/spaces/people I know. After a childhood spent migrating from one city to another, from one country to another, I think I have at last, found the desire to just stay put. Perhaps I'm just getting older.

Anyway, I just want to send an electronic "thanks" out there to all the people who have helped me get to this point, the night before I begin my interview tour. You know who you are, and I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for embarking on this exciting journey with me.

Earache

I woke up with an earache in my right ear today. It happens sporadically, is piercing, feels like an electric-shock wave traveling out from my inside my ear and spreading all over my skull.

As a physician to be I know the most likely diagnoses. In fact, I have narrowed it down to just one diagnosis. In fact, I even know what to treat it with and at what dose. And in a few months, I will be able to write that prescription.

But that doesn't take away the fact that I feel SICK and want a DOCTOR to make me better already. And that I'm scared something totally weird is going on and something will crawl out of my ear any minute. I tugged on my ear all day like so many 3-year-olds with the same condition. In fact, I was probably just as whinny today.

So I was reminded today of what being a doctor means, and in a way, it is nice to know that even if an earache is just an earache to the doctor, it is everything to the patient. And if I can make the pain go away some of the time for some people, it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Ok, so now will someone PLEASE make my earache stop???

MD-PhD Retreat

The MD-PhD Program Retreat has been an annual event for me for the last six years. This year was particularly special since it's most likely to be my last retreat as a student. The foliage was stunning, and I got to hang out with friend from my class (we are now the really OLD seventh years), and of course, eat lobsters. As usual, NH turned out to be very cold. I decided that I have aged, but in a good way.

Jamaica Pond

I spent a quiet Sunday afternoon around Jamaica Pond last week. The weather has already turned chilly, and I couldn't really stay by the water for too long. But I did get to bath in some of the last brilliant autumn sunshine. Living in Boston makes you very appreciative of the sun.

Arboretum

I drove myself to a nearby arboretum. The visit was really long-overdue, given that I've been in Boston for >6 years. Due to a minor mishap with GPS-lady (she has a British accent), by the time I got there the beautiful light had disappeared. Still, it was wonderful to breath in the smell of the trees, or touch the gnarly bark.


Boston has a way of doing this...letting autumn creep up on you. Each additional sunny day is a blessing from now on.


On my way out of the park these two robins caught my attention. They were singing to each other. How lovely.

Today

Amazingly, I survived the month, learned a ton, and no longer feel scared about starting internship next year.

On my first day off, I accomplished the following things:
- slept for 12 hours
- scrubbed kitchen, bathroom, bathtubs
- vacuumed apartment
- mopped the floor
- did laundry
- made super-salad for lunch
- organized finances
- got haircut
- made "bed bath and beyond" trip
- had coffee with friend
- had dinner

I will work on "slowing down" tomorrow.

One more call day

and I'm done. Sunday, 2 pm.

Golden weekend

I got both days of the weekend off this week: the so-called "golden weekend" of the month. I spent a rainy Saturday in Worcester visiting Robin and Rhik. Eating, watching TV, and learning a great deal about how to construct a pond from scratch. Of course, there was also "cuddling" with the 200-pound American mastiff named Jordan. He's a great dog.

Sunday, after sleeping for 12 hours (wonderful!), I woke up to a perfect Boston summer day. The plan was to take a bike ride, but it turned out that someone had managed to steal my bike seat as well as most of the wheels on the bikes parked in my building's garage. Seems like a professional thief with access to the building...Anyway, I didn't let that disturb me too much and enjoyed the afternoon by the Charles on foot instead.

Then, on my way home, I noticed this beautiful looking cabbage that was part of the arrangement outside my front door. Very nice. Back to the hospital again tomorrow...on call, again. Halfway done with the month.

One down, three to go

I survived my first week as a sub-intern. I think I did my best to take care of my patients. I made many mistakes, forgot to do many things, but over all, four patients got better and went home. One became sicker due to complications of a procedure.

I have to be on call tomorrow and into Labor Day. I'm trying to be like this piece of wood...dedicated and resilient. Wish me luck.

Sunday night thoughts

I start my month as a sub-intern ("sub-i") in internal medicine tomorrow. That means I'm going to function as an intern and make REAL decisions about REAL patients, except that I'm not yet an intern.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this right now. It seems both exciting and scary. Finally, I get to make some clinical decisions! But what if I'm no good? What if one of my patients die? What if I come up with yet another life-realization that forces me to redraw my path?

Ran into hordes of back-to-school shoppers today at Staples. So much excitement constructed on new pencils/pens/binders! I was glad my sub-internship gave me a reason to join the crowds for a few minutes.

Don't know if I will be able to keep up with blogging for the next month. But I will try.

Hiking in the White Mountains

The original plan was definitely to take the Ridge Trail to Summit. But then I decided to take it easy (it was Sunday afterall) and do the Al Merrill Ski Loop instead. It started out pretty boring...


But soon there were moose tracks,


fallen logs,


exposed (beet-red!) roots under a stream.


And of course, the mandatory Hannah-on-a-rock shoot.



For fungal finds along the trail please see next blog entry.

P.S. It occurred to me recently that readers of my blog might think I have only this pink Black Dog shirt to wear on the weekends. (Or alternative, I could also have many copies of the same shirt.) Neither is true. I shall work harder to display my limited but > 1 shirt recreational wardrobe in the future.

Mushrooms

It almost feels like there should be little people living under the mushroom.

Notice the fly?


Appetizing to the slug...

Halibut Point, Cape Ann

This was an old quarry next to the ocean. The rocky shore contained some of the best tidal pools I've ever seen--full of starfish, crab, lobster, etc. There was a family with two boys, ages 8 and 5, who shared my love of sea creatures. We had a great time getting our shoes wet and bottoms covered with seaweed. Simple pleasures at the end of a long week.

Lady with parrot

Rocking to a country tune.

Craft Fair (Lake Sunapee)

Hum...in comparison to Narie and I, the bears are actually rather small.

Don't know what they are saying, but they certainly don't look lonely.

On the way out, I looked behind me and found this magnificent little creek, creeping along. If I were ten I would jump down and look for crayfish. Alas, I am not.