So I'm currently transcribing interviews with the elder residents I'm consulting for my research, an evaluation of a retirement home program. I have hours and hours of transcription to go. I wanted to finish it all by June 1st, but I'm hoping to knock out the worst (i.e. longest) of the remaining ones before camp starts on Monday.
There. It's in black and white online. How much more real could it be?
:)
Friday, May 29, 2009
I'm cold and exhausted!
So I've been blogging about good days to guard myself against days like this one. It's now officially summer (last write up turned in, last meeting gone to! Yay), and B came up from SoCal to spend it with me. He's working, and I'm doing my research at home. It's like we're actually adults -- we've been getting up at 6 (okay, he gets up at 6; I've been shooting for 7), and going to bed around 10. Slightly nutty for two people who are usually on a 1 am to 9 am sleep schedule, but there you are.
Yesterday, I went riding. And, true to form for May in the Bay Area, it's been cold and foggy and drizzly and COLD. The barn was no exception, and all the horses were cranky. AJ, the horse I usually ride and love, tried with greater than usual vigor to bite me. He didn't manage, although he did nip a tiny bruise into my arm. He received a slap on the neck and a NO! for his troubles. But then we actually had a really good ride. One of our sweetest horses was acting up and bucking and just basically fooling around (our instructor checked to make sure he wasn't actually in pain because it's so weird for him to play around like that), but he settled down. However, I think he inspired AJ, who didn't do anything but was testing me the whole time (as in, now is she paying attention? How about now? Does she still want to do real work now? Look, why don't we just stand in the middle of the arena? No? But I wanna...). And on and on.
But we did get through the lesson, and we even got a halt to canter transition! It was slightly rough on my part, and AJ did a teensy buck as he departed in protest, but it was there. Next time, I was too subtle and he didn't hear me until I asked again. He's a LOVELY horse (pony?), but I need to read up on how to get him to let go of his nippy behavior. It's really off-putting.
Today, though, I was exhausted. Yesterday, tired from not riding in three weeks (another reason AJ was probably testing me), but today exhausted. With a threatening sore throat. And cold in spite of two warm blankets. B got up and was almost ready to go before I could drag myself out of bed (wow, I almost just typed 'the saddle'). Luckily, a hot cup of tea, the heater, a bowl of cereal, and some grapefruit juice have helped immensely.
Apparently some of my important passport-related documents have arrived, so I have to go pick them up. I might do that. And then I'm going to relax and work all day. Tonight, we're going to a dinner and music thing that should be pretty awesome. But urgh. If my muscles don't loosen up with some stretching, I'll take an Advil. That'll teach me to take time off riding.
Luckily, camp starts next week!! A whole week of horses, horses, horses. Now, I just have to do enough work that I can do camp with a clear conscience.
Yesterday, I went riding. And, true to form for May in the Bay Area, it's been cold and foggy and drizzly and COLD. The barn was no exception, and all the horses were cranky. AJ, the horse I usually ride and love, tried with greater than usual vigor to bite me. He didn't manage, although he did nip a tiny bruise into my arm. He received a slap on the neck and a NO! for his troubles. But then we actually had a really good ride. One of our sweetest horses was acting up and bucking and just basically fooling around (our instructor checked to make sure he wasn't actually in pain because it's so weird for him to play around like that), but he settled down. However, I think he inspired AJ, who didn't do anything but was testing me the whole time (as in, now is she paying attention? How about now? Does she still want to do real work now? Look, why don't we just stand in the middle of the arena? No? But I wanna...). And on and on.
But we did get through the lesson, and we even got a halt to canter transition! It was slightly rough on my part, and AJ did a teensy buck as he departed in protest, but it was there. Next time, I was too subtle and he didn't hear me until I asked again. He's a LOVELY horse (pony?), but I need to read up on how to get him to let go of his nippy behavior. It's really off-putting.
Today, though, I was exhausted. Yesterday, tired from not riding in three weeks (another reason AJ was probably testing me), but today exhausted. With a threatening sore throat. And cold in spite of two warm blankets. B got up and was almost ready to go before I could drag myself out of bed (wow, I almost just typed 'the saddle'). Luckily, a hot cup of tea, the heater, a bowl of cereal, and some grapefruit juice have helped immensely.
Apparently some of my important passport-related documents have arrived, so I have to go pick them up. I might do that. And then I'm going to relax and work all day. Tonight, we're going to a dinner and music thing that should be pretty awesome. But urgh. If my muscles don't loosen up with some stretching, I'll take an Advil. That'll teach me to take time off riding.
Luckily, camp starts next week!! A whole week of horses, horses, horses. Now, I just have to do enough work that I can do camp with a clear conscience.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Barn: a good way to wake up
DF&F,
Today I had a good day, and I want to make a note of it so that when I'm down in the dumps or sleep-deprived or stressing out on Sunday night because of our Monday exam, going, "Do I really want/need to be a doctor?" -- I'll remember that not all days suck, and some of them rock.
I went to the barn this morning, and rode Applejack. This horse is adorable, except for his habit of trying to eat my fingers. He's head-shy and he's been spoiled with too many treats before his workout, so he both expects carrots all the time and doesn't want you fussing near his face. BUT I managed to tack him up without too much drama, and then we went down to the ring. It was a glorious blue-sky day, and AJ did EVERYTHING I wanted him to. He was in high spirits, and the poor lil pony wanted to canter the whole time, but we only cantered once during the lesson. He needed to just shake his feet out and run. He's a dun pony with a stripe down his back, and I love riding him. Maybe, if I can ride him, I'll get up the confidence to be in the show...
Anyhow, then I came home and FINISHED the write-up that had been plaguing me (yes, the one about the 7 yr. old child that I wished the Write-Up Fairy would do for me). My friends are holding a study session tomorrow, which means I have to read LOs about one of our hardest cases, but that's okay, since I'll have to study it anyway and this will force me to. And I also have one last, lingering write-up. I'm up in the air as to whether I should just finish it now, or whether I should study for tomorrow and then do the write-up in the morning. Sigh. I should be better at finals strategy by now, this is the twentieth final exam period I've had in my life!
And my mom, dad (who's here from Japan), and I went and had a grand old time at a chaat house. Yum. I had dhai batata puri, which is puffed up mini-puris with chickpeas and potatoes and yogurt and tamarind and spices. And I brought aloo tikki cholle home with me for exam studying.
And then I found an abstract online from my old lab, with my name on it! It's from the Society of Developmental Biology meetings -- the abstracts get published in the journal. Apparently, my old lab went last year. Plus, yesterday, I found out that I got a grant for the summer, so I won't have to be poor and work at Pete's Coffee to support my thesis writing. I just have to figure out the details.
Yay!
Now, back to work!!
Today I had a good day, and I want to make a note of it so that when I'm down in the dumps or sleep-deprived or stressing out on Sunday night because of our Monday exam, going, "Do I really want/need to be a doctor?" -- I'll remember that not all days suck, and some of them rock.
I went to the barn this morning, and rode Applejack. This horse is adorable, except for his habit of trying to eat my fingers. He's head-shy and he's been spoiled with too many treats before his workout, so he both expects carrots all the time and doesn't want you fussing near his face. BUT I managed to tack him up without too much drama, and then we went down to the ring. It was a glorious blue-sky day, and AJ did EVERYTHING I wanted him to. He was in high spirits, and the poor lil pony wanted to canter the whole time, but we only cantered once during the lesson. He needed to just shake his feet out and run. He's a dun pony with a stripe down his back, and I love riding him. Maybe, if I can ride him, I'll get up the confidence to be in the show...
Anyhow, then I came home and FINISHED the write-up that had been plaguing me (yes, the one about the 7 yr. old child that I wished the Write-Up Fairy would do for me). My friends are holding a study session tomorrow, which means I have to read LOs about one of our hardest cases, but that's okay, since I'll have to study it anyway and this will force me to. And I also have one last, lingering write-up. I'm up in the air as to whether I should just finish it now, or whether I should study for tomorrow and then do the write-up in the morning. Sigh. I should be better at finals strategy by now, this is the twentieth final exam period I've had in my life!
And my mom, dad (who's here from Japan), and I went and had a grand old time at a chaat house. Yum. I had dhai batata puri, which is puffed up mini-puris with chickpeas and potatoes and yogurt and tamarind and spices. And I brought aloo tikki cholle home with me for exam studying.
And then I found an abstract online from my old lab, with my name on it! It's from the Society of Developmental Biology meetings -- the abstracts get published in the journal. Apparently, my old lab went last year. Plus, yesterday, I found out that I got a grant for the summer, so I won't have to be poor and work at Pete's Coffee to support my thesis writing. I just have to figure out the details.
Yay!
Now, back to work!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Full of Shit
I'm so full of shit sometimes. I just thought I would publicly acknowledge that I am fully aware of that. But it's fun to be me!!
What a Really Good Day is Like...
Dear F&F,
I had a really good day today. In honor of my day, I have composed a poem:
I really love the Human Race;
I check sensation to its face;
I can assess the way it walks;
And listen to the way it talks;
And when I'm introduced to one,
I like to think, "Feel Better, Hon!"
Take that.
Anyway, today was flea-bite-less (so far). I went to my clinical skills exam this morning and my partner and I only got minor, trivial feedback -- which is always a good sign. I think we are definitely improving. We're faster and we miss fewer things (like we were saying earlier, "Lungs? She has lungs? Oh, crap.") And then we decided, on the spur of the moment, to go to a Grand Rounds about H1N1, colloquially known as The Swine Flu...
Speaking of which, here's a really politically incorrect joke that my mom's friend came up with. I've modified it slightly:
Naysayer (in November): A black man as President? Sure, when pigs fly.
Retort (in April): Well, he's been in office 100 days. Lo and behold...swine flu.
So anyway, here's what I learned at Grand Rounds. The H1N1 is similar to other swine flus in severity, except that this one is transmissible from person-to-person. The major mode of transmission is droplet, so that means being within 6 ft of where someone with the flu was standing when they coughed or sneezed. Handwashing has not been shown to help, except that it decreases your risk of catching other stuff that will tax your immune system. The H1N1 has not been particularly virulent thus far, but we're afraid that it will follow the pattern of the 1918-19 Pandemic: mild in spring, horribly virulent in winter -- attacking healthy people, too. If this did come to pass, than those people exposed now will have some protection come winter, but the rest of us will have no immunity unless we are vaccinated. The vaccine is being produced. Priority for the vaccine will be to those considered necessary to keep society running, whatever that means.
So far, the epicenter is supposed to be Mexico, where there have been 590 cases and 25 deaths. We aren't sure why the deaths in Mexico also occurred in healthy young people -- it may partially be lack of care in time, or other factors. In the US, there have been 226 confirmed cases and only 1 death (a toddler). In the Bay Area, there has been one case each in San Francisco and Berkeley. The only way to confirm a case of H1N1 is by RT-PCR -- the rapid influenza test does not pick it up.
Right now, they are recommending self-isolation for 7 days and immediate medical attention if you're sick with respiratory symptoms + a fever, or GI symptoms + respiratory symptoms. Don't take Tamiflu unless you're exposed to a sick person, or are a baby, older adult, or pregnant. So far, the H1N1 has not been as lethal as regular flu, which takes 20-40,000 lives per year when you take pneumonia, one of the major complications, into account.
And don't panic. Chances are good that you will be okay.
So that was fun, and we got to have lunch with the doctors. There was an interesting man there (a surgeon, I believe) who thinks it's all a conspiracy to prepare us for bioterrorism. Whatever! Anyway, we wouldn't know that until after the fact even if it were true. Needless to say, I'm hoping we don't have a pandemic on our hands.
Then I went and wrote a paper just in time to turn it in, which always provides a small adrenaline rush. Hmmm. I might be a procrastination junkie; that's not healthy. I got an email saying I got accepted to a position I wanted. And I got to hang with my med school friends a bunch (one of whom gave me a FREE BOOK!) before coming home to my darling cat. That cat is pretty damn adorable -- I think she lowers my blood pressure about ten points when I see her. It's seven thirty and the sun is still out! I love spring!!
Sigh. Anyway. Now I have lots of papers to read and two clinical skills write-ups to write. Maybe I'll have chocolate for dinner. It's a beautiful day!
I had a really good day today. In honor of my day, I have composed a poem:
I really love the Human Race;
I check sensation to its face;
I can assess the way it walks;
And listen to the way it talks;
And when I'm introduced to one,
I like to think, "Feel Better, Hon!"
Take that.
Anyway, today was flea-bite-less (so far). I went to my clinical skills exam this morning and my partner and I only got minor, trivial feedback -- which is always a good sign. I think we are definitely improving. We're faster and we miss fewer things (like we were saying earlier, "Lungs? She has lungs? Oh, crap.") And then we decided, on the spur of the moment, to go to a Grand Rounds about H1N1, colloquially known as The Swine Flu...
Speaking of which, here's a really politically incorrect joke that my mom's friend came up with. I've modified it slightly:
Naysayer (in November): A black man as President? Sure, when pigs fly.
Retort (in April): Well, he's been in office 100 days. Lo and behold...swine flu.
So anyway, here's what I learned at Grand Rounds. The H1N1 is similar to other swine flus in severity, except that this one is transmissible from person-to-person. The major mode of transmission is droplet, so that means being within 6 ft of where someone with the flu was standing when they coughed or sneezed. Handwashing has not been shown to help, except that it decreases your risk of catching other stuff that will tax your immune system. The H1N1 has not been particularly virulent thus far, but we're afraid that it will follow the pattern of the 1918-19 Pandemic: mild in spring, horribly virulent in winter -- attacking healthy people, too. If this did come to pass, than those people exposed now will have some protection come winter, but the rest of us will have no immunity unless we are vaccinated. The vaccine is being produced. Priority for the vaccine will be to those considered necessary to keep society running, whatever that means.
So far, the epicenter is supposed to be Mexico, where there have been 590 cases and 25 deaths. We aren't sure why the deaths in Mexico also occurred in healthy young people -- it may partially be lack of care in time, or other factors. In the US, there have been 226 confirmed cases and only 1 death (a toddler). In the Bay Area, there has been one case each in San Francisco and Berkeley. The only way to confirm a case of H1N1 is by RT-PCR -- the rapid influenza test does not pick it up.
Right now, they are recommending self-isolation for 7 days and immediate medical attention if you're sick with respiratory symptoms + a fever, or GI symptoms + respiratory symptoms. Don't take Tamiflu unless you're exposed to a sick person, or are a baby, older adult, or pregnant. So far, the H1N1 has not been as lethal as regular flu, which takes 20-40,000 lives per year when you take pneumonia, one of the major complications, into account.
And don't panic. Chances are good that you will be okay.
So that was fun, and we got to have lunch with the doctors. There was an interesting man there (a surgeon, I believe) who thinks it's all a conspiracy to prepare us for bioterrorism. Whatever! Anyway, we wouldn't know that until after the fact even if it were true. Needless to say, I'm hoping we don't have a pandemic on our hands.
Then I went and wrote a paper just in time to turn it in, which always provides a small adrenaline rush. Hmmm. I might be a procrastination junkie; that's not healthy. I got an email saying I got accepted to a position I wanted. And I got to hang with my med school friends a bunch (one of whom gave me a FREE BOOK!) before coming home to my darling cat. That cat is pretty damn adorable -- I think she lowers my blood pressure about ten points when I see her. It's seven thirty and the sun is still out! I love spring!!
Sigh. Anyway. Now I have lots of papers to read and two clinical skills write-ups to write. Maybe I'll have chocolate for dinner. It's a beautiful day!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sometimes you just have to give up.
Dear Family and Friends,
Things usually come out better when they're in the form of a letter, so that's what I'm doing. Whew. You are not even going to believe what a nutty week this was. There was nothing really wrong, per se, but there were several things that were annoying. They resulted in me being pretty badly sleep deprived all week, and falling a little behind on my work schedule, which is ridiculous since I purposely kept it light this semester.
So to start with, we're coming into final exams. That means that from May 11-13, we will be doing non-stop exams, and then I still have a few 'final judgement' meetings with faculty the following week. After exams end, I have to really kick into high gear on my thesis, which needs to be largely done by the end of summer so I'll have time to study for the boards. I need to back up my data!! It's the most amateur mistake ever, so if I don't do it and then I lose my data, I will want to shoot myself. Or my thesis. Probably more likely my thesis. I also have two outstanding clincial skills write-ups that I really, really wish would just write themselves. I have not totally convinced myself that this doesn't happen to a few lucky medical students each year, and that maybe I'll get lucky. Fat chance.
Second, I am doing a massive spring cleaning, prompted by flea bites. I have an INDOOR CAT! How did I get bitten by fleas?? I don't get it. Did I bring them home from the park? Do my neighbors have them? I have no clue. But because I'm paranoid, and because I kept getting bitten, I decided to clean my entire apartment. This is how I did it:
1. I called Fleabusters, who sprinkle a salt-based powder into baseboards and corners which kill both adult fleas and larvae (just not the cocoon phase).
2. I put my poor little kitty on Program (generic name = Lufenuron), which essentially turns her into a giant birth control pill for fleas. If they bite her, they can't reproduce properly. It's a once-a-month pill that smells like yeasty chicken, and when I crushed it into her food, she actually ate it. This is the cat that can smell medicine a mile away and will studiously avoid any medicine-tainted food! Wow. Anyway.
3. Then I bought diatomaceous earth (DE) and sprinkled it under the new mattress protector I bought, and into any areas that the Fleabusters guy didn't cover.
4. I bought a new vacuum cleaner that has bags, and an electric steam mop. Before the Fleabusters guy came over, I vacuumed the whole place, threw away the bag, and then steam-mopped the floors.
5. I am now (with my long-suffering mom's help) laundering ALL the soft goods in my apartment -- pillows, rugs, animals, cushions, the works. And any clothes that were hanging out on or around the floor.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I got four hours of sleep because I was itchy and getting bitten. I think the one highlight of last week was an Ethiopian meal with my friend C (thanks babe). Since I took all of these steps, I haven't (yet, cross fingers) gotten another bite, and can sleep! At last! Which is why I'm going to bed soon.
On top of that, I have my period. Joy. Luckily, I also have Midol. Too bad I'm almost out of toilet paper (don't you just love housekeeping?!). And my DD (Dear Dad) flew into town all the way from Japan, so I kind of had to spend some time with him, work notwithstanding. Actually, I went over for dinner yesterday -- which was super fun! And then both the parents came and spent the whole of Sunday morning with me. We discovered this amazing tea garden restaurant.
On Saturday morning, I was practicing physical exam skills for a test I have on Tuesday with my pal E, and of course she saw my flea bites. Sigh...She was totally understanding, but I still wish the flea bites hadn't existed. But due to all these goings-on, I did the absolutely essential, crucial work for tomorrow and then called it quits. Because I need to catch up on my rest.
Therefore, good night!! And thank you for your love (ethiopian food), solidarity flea stories, and support during this slightly embarrassing and itchy time.
With hugs,
AAC
Things usually come out better when they're in the form of a letter, so that's what I'm doing. Whew. You are not even going to believe what a nutty week this was. There was nothing really wrong, per se, but there were several things that were annoying. They resulted in me being pretty badly sleep deprived all week, and falling a little behind on my work schedule, which is ridiculous since I purposely kept it light this semester.
So to start with, we're coming into final exams. That means that from May 11-13, we will be doing non-stop exams, and then I still have a few 'final judgement' meetings with faculty the following week. After exams end, I have to really kick into high gear on my thesis, which needs to be largely done by the end of summer so I'll have time to study for the boards. I need to back up my data!! It's the most amateur mistake ever, so if I don't do it and then I lose my data, I will want to shoot myself. Or my thesis. Probably more likely my thesis. I also have two outstanding clincial skills write-ups that I really, really wish would just write themselves. I have not totally convinced myself that this doesn't happen to a few lucky medical students each year, and that maybe I'll get lucky. Fat chance.
Second, I am doing a massive spring cleaning, prompted by flea bites. I have an INDOOR CAT! How did I get bitten by fleas?? I don't get it. Did I bring them home from the park? Do my neighbors have them? I have no clue. But because I'm paranoid, and because I kept getting bitten, I decided to clean my entire apartment. This is how I did it:
1. I called Fleabusters, who sprinkle a salt-based powder into baseboards and corners which kill both adult fleas and larvae (just not the cocoon phase).
2. I put my poor little kitty on Program (generic name = Lufenuron), which essentially turns her into a giant birth control pill for fleas. If they bite her, they can't reproduce properly. It's a once-a-month pill that smells like yeasty chicken, and when I crushed it into her food, she actually ate it. This is the cat that can smell medicine a mile away and will studiously avoid any medicine-tainted food! Wow. Anyway.
3. Then I bought diatomaceous earth (DE) and sprinkled it under the new mattress protector I bought, and into any areas that the Fleabusters guy didn't cover.
4. I bought a new vacuum cleaner that has bags, and an electric steam mop. Before the Fleabusters guy came over, I vacuumed the whole place, threw away the bag, and then steam-mopped the floors.
5. I am now (with my long-suffering mom's help) laundering ALL the soft goods in my apartment -- pillows, rugs, animals, cushions, the works. And any clothes that were hanging out on or around the floor.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I got four hours of sleep because I was itchy and getting bitten. I think the one highlight of last week was an Ethiopian meal with my friend C (thanks babe). Since I took all of these steps, I haven't (yet, cross fingers) gotten another bite, and can sleep! At last! Which is why I'm going to bed soon.
On top of that, I have my period. Joy. Luckily, I also have Midol. Too bad I'm almost out of toilet paper (don't you just love housekeeping?!). And my DD (Dear Dad) flew into town all the way from Japan, so I kind of had to spend some time with him, work notwithstanding. Actually, I went over for dinner yesterday -- which was super fun! And then both the parents came and spent the whole of Sunday morning with me. We discovered this amazing tea garden restaurant.
On Saturday morning, I was practicing physical exam skills for a test I have on Tuesday with my pal E, and of course she saw my flea bites. Sigh...She was totally understanding, but I still wish the flea bites hadn't existed. But due to all these goings-on, I did the absolutely essential, crucial work for tomorrow and then called it quits. Because I need to catch up on my rest.
Therefore, good night!! And thank you for your love (ethiopian food), solidarity flea stories, and support during this slightly embarrassing and itchy time.
With hugs,
AAC
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