Hi! I'm back. My mom and dad were in town this weekend (drove up from the homeburgh!) and it was great. I've been feeling a little tired and in need of TLC and their (albeit short) time here hit the spot. They seemed to be happy to have come too. They didn't think the place was a pigsty (yahoo!) and they just made the home a cozy happy place. Mom also made a ton of awesome food and I feel full and happy.
Today I took mom and dad to the ophthalmology department to show them around. I did a quick exam on my mom's eyes and saw early cataracts. OK so everyone over the age of 40 has some degree of cataract but it's always a shock to know that rules that apply to the general population also do apply to my mother, who in my mind is always perfect. You know? It's weird. I kind of wish I didn't even look. At the same time though, it reminds me of why doctors in general tend to be a little lax about their own health, and sometimes even in recognizing problems in the health of their close family members. It's "patients" who have the messed up health, not any of my own!
Back to reading, like usual. Happily though. :-)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Cross my heart...
I should be reading but I need to get some things off my chest.
1.) Today I did my first intravitreal Avastin injection. If you understand that, you know that I mean that I injected medication into a patient's eye. Can you believe it? I hardly can. Most patients, upon hearing about "an injection in my eye??" are bewildered and interested at the same time. Kids in elementary school used to give their word in an agreement by saying "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Meaning... that sticking a needle in the eye was the second worst thing a kid could think of aside from dying. Well, it's not nearly as bad as dying, and in the case of severe vision loss, sticking a needle in the eye is actually a very necessary and helpful thing to do. I hope to check up on this gentleman and find out that he's doing much better. I also hope that in the future I am less nervous and shaky with the steps. I can do it! I just need practice. This is what I've been wanting to do in life... and I plan to do it very well. What a day!
2.) Had an ethics conference this evening as well. It was interesting to say the least. One thing I learned about and am still pondering is the political movement to change physician reimbursement into a payment per patient episode of care instead of the current fee for service structure. This would mean, possibly, that one patient episode of care would encompass 1 year worth of care by a certain physician for a certain condition. A glaucoma specialist seeing a primary open angle glaucoma patient would be reimbursed a fixed amount for caring for this particular patient. This reimbursement would not change whether the physician elected to do 4 OCTs (optic nerve/retina imaging modality) that year or none at all. This puts the decisions regarding allocation of testing and other resources squarely on the shoulders of physicians. Those physicians who want to maximize efficiency towards profit will likely try to test as little as possible or even prescribe the cheapest medication if this is factored into the payment.
While on one level putting pressure on physicians to deliver cost-effective and more efficient care sounds like a good way to stop our unbelievably high level of health care spending in this country, I'm troubled by the idea that our culture doesn't seem ready for this kind of change. Americans, including myself, gravitate towards and outwardly express desire for the latest and greatest medicine and technology. By pushing the idea of cost-containment, will we be squashing innovation and use of medications that may be good (but that are very expensive)? It's a lot of responsibility to put onto physicians, something that may require all physicians in the future to hire consultants just to help with cost-benefit analyses. And perhaps its a bad thing having physicians involved in semi-financial decisions like this. Will it erode patient trust for physicians if they know that they may not be getting tested in certain ways because the physician will lose money by ordering it? People don't seem to be bothered by being over-tested, but they sure do holler (and sue) over undertesting. How will this play a role?
It's a lot to think about.
3.) It's getting late and I'm getting sleepy. It's been a long day. I will try to update more often. Lots going on, lot to talk about. Until then, goodnight.
1.) Today I did my first intravitreal Avastin injection. If you understand that, you know that I mean that I injected medication into a patient's eye. Can you believe it? I hardly can. Most patients, upon hearing about "an injection in my eye??" are bewildered and interested at the same time. Kids in elementary school used to give their word in an agreement by saying "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Meaning... that sticking a needle in the eye was the second worst thing a kid could think of aside from dying. Well, it's not nearly as bad as dying, and in the case of severe vision loss, sticking a needle in the eye is actually a very necessary and helpful thing to do. I hope to check up on this gentleman and find out that he's doing much better. I also hope that in the future I am less nervous and shaky with the steps. I can do it! I just need practice. This is what I've been wanting to do in life... and I plan to do it very well. What a day!
2.) Had an ethics conference this evening as well. It was interesting to say the least. One thing I learned about and am still pondering is the political movement to change physician reimbursement into a payment per patient episode of care instead of the current fee for service structure. This would mean, possibly, that one patient episode of care would encompass 1 year worth of care by a certain physician for a certain condition. A glaucoma specialist seeing a primary open angle glaucoma patient would be reimbursed a fixed amount for caring for this particular patient. This reimbursement would not change whether the physician elected to do 4 OCTs (optic nerve/retina imaging modality) that year or none at all. This puts the decisions regarding allocation of testing and other resources squarely on the shoulders of physicians. Those physicians who want to maximize efficiency towards profit will likely try to test as little as possible or even prescribe the cheapest medication if this is factored into the payment.
While on one level putting pressure on physicians to deliver cost-effective and more efficient care sounds like a good way to stop our unbelievably high level of health care spending in this country, I'm troubled by the idea that our culture doesn't seem ready for this kind of change. Americans, including myself, gravitate towards and outwardly express desire for the latest and greatest medicine and technology. By pushing the idea of cost-containment, will we be squashing innovation and use of medications that may be good (but that are very expensive)? It's a lot of responsibility to put onto physicians, something that may require all physicians in the future to hire consultants just to help with cost-benefit analyses. And perhaps its a bad thing having physicians involved in semi-financial decisions like this. Will it erode patient trust for physicians if they know that they may not be getting tested in certain ways because the physician will lose money by ordering it? People don't seem to be bothered by being over-tested, but they sure do holler (and sue) over undertesting. How will this play a role?
It's a lot to think about.
3.) It's getting late and I'm getting sleepy. It's been a long day. I will try to update more often. Lots going on, lot to talk about. Until then, goodnight.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Boom Boom Pow
Hi! Still here! Working hard but right now I'm hardly working so I thought I'd update. Just got back from the gym. Felt good to get the old blood pumpin.
Work is going ok, just the feeling of always needing to learn more is always weighing on me. It feels like second year of medical school all over again, complete with unbelievable amount of notetaking and knowledge volume that needs to be memorized before TUN TUN TUN - OKAPs. Back then it was Step I. Apparently the OKAP is just as big a test. Sigh. I guess I'll keep on chuggin along... it's gotta come to an end sometime. All the stuff during M2 year felt overwhelming (and often was accompanied with the feeling of "when will this actually be important to me??") but by M4 year, all the repetition of the stuff made me feel more and more comfortable with it. I actually had some confidence during intern year with applying the material. So I'm hoping a similar thing happens with ophthalmology... except much faster, because I'm over this feeling.
What's interesting here in ophthalmology residency is that I not only have to learn the book-type material, but I also have to hone surgical skills. It's something that attracted me to the field in the first place -- the fact that I'd be providing (what I thought of then as) comprehensive - medical and surgical - care of the eye. And it is true, to a point. Well anyways, I've had 1 wet lab so far in addition to my several trips to the OR for retina cases... and it's not very much like breast or abdominal surgery. The suture isn't even visible by the naked eye; you need a microscope to see and work with it. Every tie is an instrument tie (you don't / can't tie it with your hands). You have to get used to moving your instrument up / down / right / left in a way that's different than just using your naked eye. Somehow the scope makes it a bit of a challenge to learn these movements. It's really neat, but like I said, I've got a lot to learn.
How's that for repetitive themes? I'll try to stop talking so much about how much I have to learn. Maybe I can even mention the cool things I've learned instead. Ok, I'll do that.
Lollapallooza was this weekend and it was fun to at least go just outside the fence and watch the jumbotron and listen to the music. Maybe next year we can buy tickets and go. The weather right now is sunny and hot - to die for! We've been keeping the windows open almost all weekend and it's been a great way to get a taste of the outside while we're inside working.
I'm missing the fam while they're away in Canada, but the pics they're sending me from over there are great. Every pic looks like a Bob Ross (Joy of Painting!) original with a family member of mine in the foreground. Haha it's great. I'm looking forward to having them back so that I can call them whenever I want again. Not having them in the States has taken a major part of my daily life out of the picture!!
Quick story about Bob Ross's Joy of Painting -- when I was little I watched Sesame Street A LOT. In fact, at times eating was a no-go unless SS was on. Well as I grew older (and after I learned to feed myself and turn on the TV myself) channel 13 (PBS) was my go-to channel. And certain afternoons they played these marathons of Joy of Painting. I'd be disappointed but at the same time transfixed by Bob Ross's soothing voice and the beautiful creations he made. And EVERY time -- I fell asleep. Like clockwork. I'd always find myself waking up when the credits and music began to play. A couple of times I was sick and stayed home from school... and his show would be the beginning of my afternoon naptime. It's a nice memory.
OK! More later!
Work is going ok, just the feeling of always needing to learn more is always weighing on me. It feels like second year of medical school all over again, complete with unbelievable amount of notetaking and knowledge volume that needs to be memorized before TUN TUN TUN - OKAPs. Back then it was Step I. Apparently the OKAP is just as big a test. Sigh. I guess I'll keep on chuggin along... it's gotta come to an end sometime. All the stuff during M2 year felt overwhelming (and often was accompanied with the feeling of "when will this actually be important to me??") but by M4 year, all the repetition of the stuff made me feel more and more comfortable with it. I actually had some confidence during intern year with applying the material. So I'm hoping a similar thing happens with ophthalmology... except much faster, because I'm over this feeling.
What's interesting here in ophthalmology residency is that I not only have to learn the book-type material, but I also have to hone surgical skills. It's something that attracted me to the field in the first place -- the fact that I'd be providing (what I thought of then as) comprehensive - medical and surgical - care of the eye. And it is true, to a point. Well anyways, I've had 1 wet lab so far in addition to my several trips to the OR for retina cases... and it's not very much like breast or abdominal surgery. The suture isn't even visible by the naked eye; you need a microscope to see and work with it. Every tie is an instrument tie (you don't / can't tie it with your hands). You have to get used to moving your instrument up / down / right / left in a way that's different than just using your naked eye. Somehow the scope makes it a bit of a challenge to learn these movements. It's really neat, but like I said, I've got a lot to learn.
How's that for repetitive themes? I'll try to stop talking so much about how much I have to learn. Maybe I can even mention the cool things I've learned instead. Ok, I'll do that.
Lollapallooza was this weekend and it was fun to at least go just outside the fence and watch the jumbotron and listen to the music. Maybe next year we can buy tickets and go. The weather right now is sunny and hot - to die for! We've been keeping the windows open almost all weekend and it's been a great way to get a taste of the outside while we're inside working.
I'm missing the fam while they're away in Canada, but the pics they're sending me from over there are great. Every pic looks like a Bob Ross (Joy of Painting!) original with a family member of mine in the foreground. Haha it's great. I'm looking forward to having them back so that I can call them whenever I want again. Not having them in the States has taken a major part of my daily life out of the picture!!
Quick story about Bob Ross's Joy of Painting -- when I was little I watched Sesame Street A LOT. In fact, at times eating was a no-go unless SS was on. Well as I grew older (and after I learned to feed myself and turn on the TV myself) channel 13 (PBS) was my go-to channel. And certain afternoons they played these marathons of Joy of Painting. I'd be disappointed but at the same time transfixed by Bob Ross's soothing voice and the beautiful creations he made. And EVERY time -- I fell asleep. Like clockwork. I'd always find myself waking up when the credits and music began to play. A couple of times I was sick and stayed home from school... and his show would be the beginning of my afternoon naptime. It's a nice memory.
OK! More later!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Chik nuggets
Just ate vegetarian chicken nuggets for afternoon snack. That was really tasty. Felt like I had my own little Happy Meal right here at home. I'm lovin it.
In other news, Billy Elliot turned out to be a shoulder-shrugger. The 12 year old boy playing Billy (Giuseppe Bausilio) was cute and danced beautifully, and there definitely were some memorable scenes. None of the songs, however, despite being written by Elton John, were catchy or memorable. The characters were supposed to have a British countryside accent which was, many times, unintelligible. The "be yourself" theme was laid on a little thick, especially through some very cliched song lyrics. I'm not sure who named it "musical of the decade," but as I left the theater, something told me that it was a man who saw himself in the little boy who just wanted to dance. Unfortunately, he himself turned out to have two left feet and was left to live vicariously through Billy Elliot. Well, I'll let him enjoy his rapture... and in my mind I'll respectfully disagree.
Big week of clinic and morning conferences chock-full of reading assignments ahead. Doing my best to keep on top of it...
In other news, Billy Elliot turned out to be a shoulder-shrugger. The 12 year old boy playing Billy (Giuseppe Bausilio) was cute and danced beautifully, and there definitely were some memorable scenes. None of the songs, however, despite being written by Elton John, were catchy or memorable. The characters were supposed to have a British countryside accent which was, many times, unintelligible. The "be yourself" theme was laid on a little thick, especially through some very cliched song lyrics. I'm not sure who named it "musical of the decade," but as I left the theater, something told me that it was a man who saw himself in the little boy who just wanted to dance. Unfortunately, he himself turned out to have two left feet and was left to live vicariously through Billy Elliot. Well, I'll let him enjoy his rapture... and in my mind I'll respectfully disagree.
Big week of clinic and morning conferences chock-full of reading assignments ahead. Doing my best to keep on top of it...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Packed Day
Lots going on today. At noon is a new residents welcome party - we're playing miniature golf! Should be fun! Although from what I hear, it's going to be a steamy day today. No rest for my skin that's probably darkened like 3-4 shades over the course of this summer. Actually I saw a wedding picture of mine on the wall yesterday and compared my skin color now to the way it was then. Had to ask the husband if the pic was photoshopped to make me look lighter. Apparently I really was that light-skinned for the wedding. I've just tanned immensely. Anyways, I'm married now and so I DO WHAT I WANT! Haha.
Mini-golfing reminds me of when I used to go to the local minigolf place with my mom. I was an interesting kid when I was little, and somehow mini-golf made me feel very competitive. Anyways, my mom and I had our moments on the course with good shots and bad shots, but finally we came up to the final hole. This hole had the stipulation that if you were able to time your single putt just right (and from a pretty long distance!) and were able to get your ball past the swinging windmill and down the right series of tubes, you'd get a hole-in-one that qualified you for the next visit free! I went first, and my ball hit the windmill (not even the fan blade, but rather the actual base of the windmill) and came right back to me. Mom followed, and her's miraculously went through the small hole in the windmill, through an awesome series of tubes, and right into the hole in one basket. She got a card for a free game. I lost it. I must've been acting like a real loser over it, so my mom threw the free game card in a stream as we walked to the parking lot. Then I felt worse. Ok so this story reflects terribly on 8-9 year-old me. But the memory is vivid. I watched the card get swept away by the slow current, and thought to myself "what the heck is wrong with me?" And now everything is all better. I am CURED! Haha. Actually I still can't play board games against the husband because his childhood seemed to include boardgame master training, so I get crushed everytime. These days I'm able to play probably 2-3 times before I stomp away saying the game is stupid. Heh. Maybe I'm not cured completely.
OK! The rest of my day today -- dinner and a show! Dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant in the city, the same set of restaurants where K and I went after we got engaged. By the way, today is our 9 (NINE) year dating anniversary. That is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I was a child 9 years ago, and I'm pretty sure I had no idea I'd be blogging about this 9 years later. Heh.
After dinner, we're seeing Billy Elliot, the Broadway show based on the movie about a working-class English boy who just wants to dance! Haha I love that byline. Can't wait to see it, I've been looking forward to seeing it for quite some time.
So in the meantime, I must study. I'm trying to read 3 books at once because I have to... and it really feels like slow goings. Here goes nothing!
Mini-golfing reminds me of when I used to go to the local minigolf place with my mom. I was an interesting kid when I was little, and somehow mini-golf made me feel very competitive. Anyways, my mom and I had our moments on the course with good shots and bad shots, but finally we came up to the final hole. This hole had the stipulation that if you were able to time your single putt just right (and from a pretty long distance!) and were able to get your ball past the swinging windmill and down the right series of tubes, you'd get a hole-in-one that qualified you for the next visit free! I went first, and my ball hit the windmill (not even the fan blade, but rather the actual base of the windmill) and came right back to me. Mom followed, and her's miraculously went through the small hole in the windmill, through an awesome series of tubes, and right into the hole in one basket. She got a card for a free game. I lost it. I must've been acting like a real loser over it, so my mom threw the free game card in a stream as we walked to the parking lot. Then I felt worse. Ok so this story reflects terribly on 8-9 year-old me. But the memory is vivid. I watched the card get swept away by the slow current, and thought to myself "what the heck is wrong with me?" And now everything is all better. I am CURED! Haha. Actually I still can't play board games against the husband because his childhood seemed to include boardgame master training, so I get crushed everytime. These days I'm able to play probably 2-3 times before I stomp away saying the game is stupid. Heh. Maybe I'm not cured completely.
OK! The rest of my day today -- dinner and a show! Dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant in the city, the same set of restaurants where K and I went after we got engaged. By the way, today is our 9 (NINE) year dating anniversary. That is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I was a child 9 years ago, and I'm pretty sure I had no idea I'd be blogging about this 9 years later. Heh.
After dinner, we're seeing Billy Elliot, the Broadway show based on the movie about a working-class English boy who just wants to dance! Haha I love that byline. Can't wait to see it, I've been looking forward to seeing it for quite some time.
So in the meantime, I must study. I'm trying to read 3 books at once because I have to... and it really feels like slow goings. Here goes nothing!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Eye Chapter Begins
Wow. Ophthalmology has begun. Actually I'm close to 2 weeks in. Week 1 was orientation, week 2 was the start of my time on the Retina rotation. The rotation is 3 months long, and boy do I have a lot to learn. I can hardly see things through the indirect ophthalmoscope sometimes, and it is just so frustrating how inconsistent I feel. All of my seniors say that they had an a-ha! moment at which they were suddenly able to see lots of detail through the indirect and feel comfortable with it. It took a while for most, if not all, of them to master it. All I can say is that I'm practicing as much as I can but I'm also eagerly/impatiently anticipating the point at which I can do a basic eye exam (!!!) with confidence.
Anyways, in addition to the basic exam stuff I'm up to my ears in reading. So much to do. I'd really better get to work soon.
To end on a positive note, I went to the OR yesterday and it was AWESOME. Same feeling as I got during medical school. Scrubbing in is fun. Being listed as the resident and being the main assistant in the case was great. Listening to light music while fixing someone's eyes, awesome.
Lots more to share with you soon. Later!
Anyways, in addition to the basic exam stuff I'm up to my ears in reading. So much to do. I'd really better get to work soon.
To end on a positive note, I went to the OR yesterday and it was AWESOME. Same feeling as I got during medical school. Scrubbing in is fun. Being listed as the resident and being the main assistant in the case was great. Listening to light music while fixing someone's eyes, awesome.
Lots more to share with you soon. Later!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Countdown is on!
Two days until I begin Ophthalmology!
Got back yesterday early afternoon from H-town. I liked it there a lot, and of course staying at my sister's actual house made it a comfortable and fun trip. I can't wait until I can have a little patio and a garden like she does. Until then I'll try to make the most of my beautiful 1br apartment in the city, and share the outdoor terrace with the sunbathers and picnic-ing families.
Today is a reading day and definitely a cleaning day. Dishes, laundry, bathroom cleaning, vacuuming... lots to do! Ooh and at some point we'll be heading to the Taste -- it's that time of year again! :-)
In interesting and completely unrelated news, my new workplace is including health, eye, and dental insurance with my income, so I wanted to get rid of my current insurance that is currently through my husband's work. Well when I called to office to take my name off of his insurance, they said that they can't do that. Rather, I have to have him turn in my proof of new insurance to them, and only after that will they take me off of his insurance. Its weird because insurance isn't mandatory, but suddenly in this case it is. What if I just decided that I no longer want to pay for vision insurance? Can't I just go without it? The lady at that office says no. I think she's not telling me the whole truth. Anyways, I'm probably going to end up just doing what they want because I don't want to go into a whole against the grain insurance struggle. That is all.
Time to get workin!
Got back yesterday early afternoon from H-town. I liked it there a lot, and of course staying at my sister's actual house made it a comfortable and fun trip. I can't wait until I can have a little patio and a garden like she does. Until then I'll try to make the most of my beautiful 1br apartment in the city, and share the outdoor terrace with the sunbathers and picnic-ing families.
Today is a reading day and definitely a cleaning day. Dishes, laundry, bathroom cleaning, vacuuming... lots to do! Ooh and at some point we'll be heading to the Taste -- it's that time of year again! :-)
In interesting and completely unrelated news, my new workplace is including health, eye, and dental insurance with my income, so I wanted to get rid of my current insurance that is currently through my husband's work. Well when I called to office to take my name off of his insurance, they said that they can't do that. Rather, I have to have him turn in my proof of new insurance to them, and only after that will they take me off of his insurance. Its weird because insurance isn't mandatory, but suddenly in this case it is. What if I just decided that I no longer want to pay for vision insurance? Can't I just go without it? The lady at that office says no. I think she's not telling me the whole truth. Anyways, I'm probably going to end up just doing what they want because I don't want to go into a whole against the grain insurance struggle. That is all.
Time to get workin!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Travel Frenzy!
Left the burgh after a fun 3 days at home, now spending 3 days with the other sissy in H-town! I like it here a lot. It's a city with a more suburb-like feel. Also, I woke up this AM to the sounds of birds chirping and playing.... I'm pretty sure I also heard some frogs! I loved it. Sissy keeps her place awesomely clean so its also very comfortable.
Yesterday we explored the city and spent lots of time in a local park. After living so long in the City, in a place kind of a long walk to a big grassy area, it was so nice to feel grass under our feet. This park also had a miniature version of the Washington monument and a reflection pool -- a nice reminder of my DC past!
Anyways, having a good time here. I love summer. :-)
Yesterday we explored the city and spent lots of time in a local park. After living so long in the City, in a place kind of a long walk to a big grassy area, it was so nice to feel grass under our feet. This park also had a miniature version of the Washington monument and a reflection pool -- a nice reminder of my DC past!
Anyways, having a good time here. I love summer. :-)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Burgh it Up
Came home for a few days. There's no feeling like being back in the cozy cocoon that was my home as I grew up. I wanted to spend time with my sister and parents before things got really busy.
My mom's on the phone with the realtor right now who's working on selling this house. It's kind of sad to hear and think that this house may be sold, but it's understandable that my parents want to downsize now that my sisters and I are out of the house. I learned during our last move that it's not so much the house but rather the things inside it and of course my family that mean the most to me. So that's good. That didn't stop me, though, from feeling outraged when the people who moved into our old house painted the front door red and put up a fence under the deck for their dog. Obviously they have terrible taste. Obviously.
I read a book recently called The Geography of Bliss and it had the same thesis - that it's not the place in which you live but rather your outlook on life and the quality of the cultural atmosphere around you that makes you happy. People in Iceland are high on the "happiness index" when people of the world were surveyed, and they have days where there's only 1 hour of sunlight in 24 hours! It was a really interesting book. I thought Quatar / U.A.E. had a compelling story too because they have all this ridiculous amounts of money from oil, so everything is super-posh. But despite being able to stay in all this luxury, the author kept feeling incomplete and as though the place was just kind of sterile. Good stuff.
OK! Going to try to enjoy the little time I have here with the fam!
My mom's on the phone with the realtor right now who's working on selling this house. It's kind of sad to hear and think that this house may be sold, but it's understandable that my parents want to downsize now that my sisters and I are out of the house. I learned during our last move that it's not so much the house but rather the things inside it and of course my family that mean the most to me. So that's good. That didn't stop me, though, from feeling outraged when the people who moved into our old house painted the front door red and put up a fence under the deck for their dog. Obviously they have terrible taste. Obviously.
I read a book recently called The Geography of Bliss and it had the same thesis - that it's not the place in which you live but rather your outlook on life and the quality of the cultural atmosphere around you that makes you happy. People in Iceland are high on the "happiness index" when people of the world were surveyed, and they have days where there's only 1 hour of sunlight in 24 hours! It was a really interesting book. I thought Quatar / U.A.E. had a compelling story too because they have all this ridiculous amounts of money from oil, so everything is super-posh. But despite being able to stay in all this luxury, the author kept feeling incomplete and as though the place was just kind of sterile. Good stuff.
OK! Going to try to enjoy the little time I have here with the fam!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Walk straight.... no need to mutate
A GIANT finding online today!! I just found all of the tracks from the tape entitled "Comin' Out of their Shells" on YouTube. First, this is one of the greatest tapes I ever owned. Secondly, this find makes me think that YouTube may be one of the greatest inventions of the last decade. Seriously. Now, about this tape and what makes it so special...
When I was in elementary school I, like most of my peers, frequented Pizza Hut due to the Book It! program. This program rewarded reading by allowing teachers to give out these little slips for a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut if you showed evidence of having read a certain number of books (at least that's how it worked in my school). I loved reading, so naturally I was there at least every month and a half. OK so during all those years in the early 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies had come out and there were all kinds of promotions going on where you could spend a couple more bucks and get a toy or basketball or tape or poster with your meal. So my parents spent the extra $3.99 on me one day (obviously they loved me a lot), and I received a tape entitled "Comin' Out of their Shells" with my dinner. It is supposedly sung by the TMNT themselves.
I took the tape home, listened to it, and it turned out to be AWESOME. My favorite song: Walk Straight. A ridiculously good song. My sisters and I had dance marathons to this tape, and afterwards would collapse into a happy, exhausted slumber. I had some great memories made while playing this tape. Here's a link to the track, complete with the tape's cover art shown in the video!:
In addition to songs like Walk Straight, there's a rap on the tape, April sings a ballad, and even Splinter gets a chance at the mic at some point. Every song sounds distinctly and awesomely early 90s. This made my day.
When I was in elementary school I, like most of my peers, frequented Pizza Hut due to the Book It! program. This program rewarded reading by allowing teachers to give out these little slips for a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut if you showed evidence of having read a certain number of books (at least that's how it worked in my school). I loved reading, so naturally I was there at least every month and a half. OK so during all those years in the early 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies had come out and there were all kinds of promotions going on where you could spend a couple more bucks and get a toy or basketball or tape or poster with your meal. So my parents spent the extra $3.99 on me one day (obviously they loved me a lot), and I received a tape entitled "Comin' Out of their Shells" with my dinner. It is supposedly sung by the TMNT themselves.
I took the tape home, listened to it, and it turned out to be AWESOME. My favorite song: Walk Straight. A ridiculously good song. My sisters and I had dance marathons to this tape, and afterwards would collapse into a happy, exhausted slumber. I had some great memories made while playing this tape. Here's a link to the track, complete with the tape's cover art shown in the video!:
In addition to songs like Walk Straight, there's a rap on the tape, April sings a ballad, and even Splinter gets a chance at the mic at some point. Every song sounds distinctly and awesomely early 90s. This made my day.
Akshay Kumar
Just watched a BBC clip featuring one of my favorite Bollywood actors, Akshay Kumar. He's funny in his movies and, well, he's not ugly. Unfortunately, based on this video alone, he's kind of a boring guy. Spoke in monotone the whole time, didn't seem very interested even though the interviewer was asking thoughtful and well-researched questions. Upon being asked about his wife (Twinkle Khanna), who the interviewer referred to as "also a big Bollywood star," Akshay corrected him -- "WAS a big star." Oh, ok. Maybe some may not find that a big deal, but I've always found it important for members of a couple to make each other look good in public. Why make his wife seem less "big"? It doesn't detract from his fame. I'd still be starstruck if I met Twinkle Khanna.
So I also just did some Wiki-research on Akshay, here are some interesting facts:
1. Akshay's given birth name was: Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia. Wow.
2. He studied martial arts in Bangkok early in his life and initially worked as a chef.
3. He was a playa! Dated Shilpa Shetty and Raveena Tandon, then got engaged two different times to Twinkle Khanna.
4. Twinkle Khanna stopped doing Bollywood acting after she married Akshay citing that she no longer enjoyed the acting profession. Now she's an interior designer and owns a store in Mumbai called The White Window. She just recently did up Rani Mukherjee's interior for her. Interesting.
----
In news that actually pertains to me, last night there was a graduation dinner in a nice Marriott for the graduating ophthalmology residents from my program. It was really nice. It was emceed by various members of the program, and they were all hilarious. Sat next to Dr. K, she was really friendly. Got to meet a bunch of current attendings. Seems like a nice environment to work in. I'm looking forward to being part of that group!
So I also just did some Wiki-research on Akshay, here are some interesting facts:
1. Akshay's given birth name was: Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia. Wow.
2. He studied martial arts in Bangkok early in his life and initially worked as a chef.
3. He was a playa! Dated Shilpa Shetty and Raveena Tandon, then got engaged two different times to Twinkle Khanna.
4. Twinkle Khanna stopped doing Bollywood acting after she married Akshay citing that she no longer enjoyed the acting profession. Now she's an interior designer and owns a store in Mumbai called The White Window. She just recently did up Rani Mukherjee's interior for her. Interesting.
----
In news that actually pertains to me, last night there was a graduation dinner in a nice Marriott for the graduating ophthalmology residents from my program. It was really nice. It was emceed by various members of the program, and they were all hilarious. Sat next to Dr. K, she was really friendly. Got to meet a bunch of current attendings. Seems like a nice environment to work in. I'm looking forward to being part of that group!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Little Miss Muffet
I was sitting at the breakfast table this morning eating my Frosted Mini Wheats when a little spider cruised straight down from the ceiling and hung by its thread about a foot from my eye level. Creepy! I can't handle picking up those things, even with a napkin, to throw them somewhere (and attempt to let them live). So I did what my husband does - pulled out the vacuum and sucked it up with the tube attachment thing. Hopefully, the spider is having fun in the collection canister with the previous bugs that were transferred into there. Right?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Great success!
Yesterday was great. Finally (!) the sun was out full-force, instead of the cloudiness that had lingered for days. Got to exercise in the morning, do some reading, cleaned and vacuumed the whole place, ate a nice Mediterranean-style lunch, and even took a nap! I awoke with Jamba on my mind, so walked over to Jamba Juice for the $1 smoothie. I was kind of anticipating either a ridiculously long line or that the promotion was already over because I was going there in the late afternoon.
Lucky me! I got there and was the third person in line. The lady who works at the Jamba near me is a little nutty/weird. I asked her which flavor of the 5 that were on sale was the best, and she gave me a good answer (Pomegranate Paradise, if you like tart; something else I don't remember if you like sweet). So I ordered my Pomegranate Paradise and saw $5 pop up on the register. Hoping to understand what was going on before things became awkward, I asked "Oh, it's not $1 anymore?" Her response: "IT IS. I'm changing it next, if you didn't ask so many questions!" Ha! OK then. No more questions. I did, in turn, receive a really good Pomegranate Paradise and sipped it all the way to the Park.
Walked to Grant Park for the Vivaldi Four Seasons free outdoor concert -- I got there an hour early, laid down in a nice fluffy grassy spot, and read a magazine. Soon people were all around me, setting up some really beautiful dinners for themselves and their families. Too bad the husband was on call, would've loved to picnic there with him. Got some great ideas though -- this one family brought 4 milk crates and put them in a big square over a nice blanket. They covered the crates with a white tablecloth. They sat around this "table" with lawn chairs (the older family members) or sat directly on the blanket. They had several homemade submarine sandwiches (looked like pesto, tomato, and fresh mozzarella inside an Italian roll) that they brought over in a cooler, individually wrapped in saran wrap. They also brought over wine and wine glasses. It looked so simple yet so elegant. I've gotta try that sometime.
The concert ended just as the sun was setting. It was so nice to enjoy the outdoors for that long, especially with all that beautiful music in the background. I need to make sure I spend all the time I can outside these next few days before residency begins, so I don't feel like I missed out. OK! Hopefully another good day today!
Lucky me! I got there and was the third person in line. The lady who works at the Jamba near me is a little nutty/weird. I asked her which flavor of the 5 that were on sale was the best, and she gave me a good answer (Pomegranate Paradise, if you like tart; something else I don't remember if you like sweet). So I ordered my Pomegranate Paradise and saw $5 pop up on the register. Hoping to understand what was going on before things became awkward, I asked "Oh, it's not $1 anymore?" Her response: "IT IS. I'm changing it next, if you didn't ask so many questions!" Ha! OK then. No more questions. I did, in turn, receive a really good Pomegranate Paradise and sipped it all the way to the Park.
Walked to Grant Park for the Vivaldi Four Seasons free outdoor concert -- I got there an hour early, laid down in a nice fluffy grassy spot, and read a magazine. Soon people were all around me, setting up some really beautiful dinners for themselves and their families. Too bad the husband was on call, would've loved to picnic there with him. Got some great ideas though -- this one family brought 4 milk crates and put them in a big square over a nice blanket. They covered the crates with a white tablecloth. They sat around this "table" with lawn chairs (the older family members) or sat directly on the blanket. They had several homemade submarine sandwiches (looked like pesto, tomato, and fresh mozzarella inside an Italian roll) that they brought over in a cooler, individually wrapped in saran wrap. They also brought over wine and wine glasses. It looked so simple yet so elegant. I've gotta try that sometime.
The concert ended just as the sun was setting. It was so nice to enjoy the outdoors for that long, especially with all that beautiful music in the background. I need to make sure I spend all the time I can outside these next few days before residency begins, so I don't feel like I missed out. OK! Hopefully another good day today!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Second Post!
A very busy day yesterday! I was going to start this post last night after dinner with a quote from the Olsen twins, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... actually, it was dinnertime." Haha. Well it was appropriate at the time.
The husband had a day off yesterday, so we took the chance to head out to the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, IL. We're not even Swaminarayan but its always a treat to go there when we get the chance because of the nice environment and Indian food downstairs. As usual it was beautiful and obviously meticulously cared for. After darshan, we went downstairs to the Shayona restaurant -- the food was so good! The menu was rotlis, mattar paneer, rice, and daal. We even packed up some of their frozen foods to go! Outside there were fountains and hanging flower baskets everywhere. Too bad it's an hour drive from our apartment. We'd go there all the time if it was closer!
Anyways, we did a couple of other errands and picked up a Matt Damon movie called "The Informant!". The husband used some new frames that we bought to put up pictures at home while I made homemade pizza and salad. (Actually, a little side note -- while we were trying to get the pictures in the frames, we realized that the picture of flowers that were already inside the frames as the filler pictures were really nice! We contemplated just putting up the flower pictures instead of our wedding pictures, haha). Dinner was tasty and so filling we couldn't handle dessert. The movie turned out to be a bit of a dud... too much to concentrate on in the evening and things weren't really going anywhere when we just turned it off. Then we fell asleep. Heh.
So all in all it was a great day -- it was so nice to have lots of things to do and spend some QT with the hubster. I woke up this AM and walked into the living room -- the photos on the wall look awesome. We had this one blank wall behind the half sofa that was kind kinda sitting there, and I think the frames really spruced things up.
This morning I'm watching Saved by the Bell and eating Cheerios and banana slices (inspired by the picture on the box!). According to people.com (another favorite), Tiffany Thiessen (aka Tiffany Amber Thiessen aka Kelly Kapowski) just had a baby girl named Harper yesterday. How nice. I thought I had more to say about that but I don't, heh. Anyways, in this episode that I'm watching right now, Jessie used the terms "sexist pig" and "sexist pigism" like 10 times just now. She just used her high school radio show to get a female student the chance to try out for the wrestling team. The wrestling coach initially turned down the girl by telling her she'd be better upstairs in home ec. class and that while she's there she should bake him a cake. Ooh the discriminatory tension. This is too good to be missed.
OK. The cool thing of the day that I'll be trying to catch is $1 smoothie day at Jamba Juice. Will let you know if I was successful!
The husband had a day off yesterday, so we took the chance to head out to the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, IL. We're not even Swaminarayan but its always a treat to go there when we get the chance because of the nice environment and Indian food downstairs. As usual it was beautiful and obviously meticulously cared for. After darshan, we went downstairs to the Shayona restaurant -- the food was so good! The menu was rotlis, mattar paneer, rice, and daal. We even packed up some of their frozen foods to go! Outside there were fountains and hanging flower baskets everywhere. Too bad it's an hour drive from our apartment. We'd go there all the time if it was closer!
Anyways, we did a couple of other errands and picked up a Matt Damon movie called "The Informant!". The husband used some new frames that we bought to put up pictures at home while I made homemade pizza and salad. (Actually, a little side note -- while we were trying to get the pictures in the frames, we realized that the picture of flowers that were already inside the frames as the filler pictures were really nice! We contemplated just putting up the flower pictures instead of our wedding pictures, haha). Dinner was tasty and so filling we couldn't handle dessert. The movie turned out to be a bit of a dud... too much to concentrate on in the evening and things weren't really going anywhere when we just turned it off. Then we fell asleep. Heh.
So all in all it was a great day -- it was so nice to have lots of things to do and spend some QT with the hubster. I woke up this AM and walked into the living room -- the photos on the wall look awesome. We had this one blank wall behind the half sofa that was kind kinda sitting there, and I think the frames really spruced things up.
This morning I'm watching Saved by the Bell and eating Cheerios and banana slices (inspired by the picture on the box!). According to people.com (another favorite), Tiffany Thiessen (aka Tiffany Amber Thiessen aka Kelly Kapowski) just had a baby girl named Harper yesterday. How nice. I thought I had more to say about that but I don't, heh. Anyways, in this episode that I'm watching right now, Jessie used the terms "sexist pig" and "sexist pigism" like 10 times just now. She just used her high school radio show to get a female student the chance to try out for the wrestling team. The wrestling coach initially turned down the girl by telling her she'd be better upstairs in home ec. class and that while she's there she should bake him a cake. Ooh the discriminatory tension. This is too good to be missed.
OK. The cool thing of the day that I'll be trying to catch is $1 smoothie day at Jamba Juice. Will let you know if I was successful!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Can I keep this up?
I'm new to blogging, but I've been following blogs for probably 8 years now. Some people start blogs when they reach milestones like getting married or having a baby. A blog I read often, theunderweardrawer, was started by a now physician during her M2 year to stay creative and keep sane. I'm kind of in the middle of all these things. I graduated medical school last May (2009), and got married 2 weeks after that. I just finished my intern year, and ophthalmology residency begins in 2 weeks. Until then, I'm home - working on projects my mind keeps coming up with, reading some ophtho texts, and generally thinking about a lot of stuff. I've learned over time that I ruminate over things a lot, a habit I most likely got from my mother. I also love telling stories, and both of my parents can take credit for that one.
I think blogging could be a good place for me to let out some of the things that I think about. Maybe someone else will read this, and maybe not. Hopefully, it'll just feel good. I titled this blog "Bring Your Own Sunshine" because in college, an upperclassman once told me, "No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." I was under a lot of stress at the time, and getting that advice was a good reminder to stay positive. I still think about that quote sometimes. Also, doesn't the idea of carrying around sunshine just seem awesome?
Oh and by the way, the sunglasses part is a reminder to always wear protective eyewear in the sun - I am a future ophthalmologist of course (haha). Well, in reality "bring your own sunshine" was already taken. I guess that gave me a reason to further customize.
Aside from introducing myself, I want to use this post to talk about blogs in general. I think they're such a great way for normal people to exchange news, ideas, and opinions. They've made me think more about my own stance on many occasions, and have opened me to brilliant minds that are out there. Here are a couple blogs I check on almost every day:
1. theunderweardrawer: The author started blogging as an M2, and continues through today as an anesthesia attending. She's clever and writes in a way that reliably makes me laugh. She seems to be handling career and family in a way I'd like to in the future.
2. bookofjoe: Interestingly this is another blogging anesthesia attending. He posts multiple posts every single day with new, cool, and interesting inventions and art pieces. He also occasionally has articles he reposts from WSJ, NYT, or The New Yorker that are just fascinating. This article about Bill Gates and his Think Week was probably one of the most interesting things I've ever read.
3. Sepia Mutiny: I'm really proud of all things Indian. I grew up in a strong Indian community and I value keeping up with what's going on with other Indians in the world who are trying to do big things. It's awesome to have an online desi community -- and this one is well maintained and frequently updated. Some of the writers are brilliant writers too.
4. Om Sweet Om: I'm a proud Hindu as well. The author was the Hindu chaplain at my University as he finished training as a lawyer. How cool is it that we even had a Hindu chaplain? Anyways, he writes with humor, clarity, and includes all sorts of current day references.
5. mental floss: A great one stop shop for any and all interesting factoids. I've quoted many of their interesting facts and I'd like to think that knowing unusual things makes me an interesting person. Actually, not "I'd like to think" -- I KNOW I'm an interesting person. Heh.
6. feministing: OK. I struggled with whether I wanted to put this on my page, because I don't agree with everything on that site. There's a fair amount of gender and sexual identity stuff on there as well, which I think is unrelated and shouldn't be on that page in the first place. Nevertheless, there are some thought-provoking articles up there that are worth a read. And for anyone who's afraid of this -- there is no male bashing on the site. Just FYI.
OK! I'm looking forward to continuing this blog. Hopefully I'll keep it up!
I think blogging could be a good place for me to let out some of the things that I think about. Maybe someone else will read this, and maybe not. Hopefully, it'll just feel good. I titled this blog "Bring Your Own Sunshine" because in college, an upperclassman once told me, "No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." I was under a lot of stress at the time, and getting that advice was a good reminder to stay positive. I still think about that quote sometimes. Also, doesn't the idea of carrying around sunshine just seem awesome?
Oh and by the way, the sunglasses part is a reminder to always wear protective eyewear in the sun - I am a future ophthalmologist of course (haha). Well, in reality "bring your own sunshine" was already taken. I guess that gave me a reason to further customize.
Aside from introducing myself, I want to use this post to talk about blogs in general. I think they're such a great way for normal people to exchange news, ideas, and opinions. They've made me think more about my own stance on many occasions, and have opened me to brilliant minds that are out there. Here are a couple blogs I check on almost every day:
1. theunderweardrawer: The author started blogging as an M2, and continues through today as an anesthesia attending. She's clever and writes in a way that reliably makes me laugh. She seems to be handling career and family in a way I'd like to in the future.
2. bookofjoe: Interestingly this is another blogging anesthesia attending. He posts multiple posts every single day with new, cool, and interesting inventions and art pieces. He also occasionally has articles he reposts from WSJ, NYT, or The New Yorker that are just fascinating. This article about Bill Gates and his Think Week was probably one of the most interesting things I've ever read.
3. Sepia Mutiny: I'm really proud of all things Indian. I grew up in a strong Indian community and I value keeping up with what's going on with other Indians in the world who are trying to do big things. It's awesome to have an online desi community -- and this one is well maintained and frequently updated. Some of the writers are brilliant writers too.
4. Om Sweet Om: I'm a proud Hindu as well. The author was the Hindu chaplain at my University as he finished training as a lawyer. How cool is it that we even had a Hindu chaplain? Anyways, he writes with humor, clarity, and includes all sorts of current day references.
5. mental floss: A great one stop shop for any and all interesting factoids. I've quoted many of their interesting facts and I'd like to think that knowing unusual things makes me an interesting person. Actually, not "I'd like to think" -- I KNOW I'm an interesting person. Heh.
6. feministing: OK. I struggled with whether I wanted to put this on my page, because I don't agree with everything on that site. There's a fair amount of gender and sexual identity stuff on there as well, which I think is unrelated and shouldn't be on that page in the first place. Nevertheless, there are some thought-provoking articles up there that are worth a read. And for anyone who's afraid of this -- there is no male bashing on the site. Just FYI.
OK! I'm looking forward to continuing this blog. Hopefully I'll keep it up!
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