Hey folks, as the year ends, I thought I would take a look back. I stole this from a friend's blog (only he used it in 2007, but who cares) and shortened it a lot so we wouldn't both be here forever. So, here's the year in review:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Won the flag football league, volunteered at a homeless clinic, bought a car, snowshoed my first 5K and ran my first 7K, played DDR and Rock Band (SO fun), did 4 14er's in one day, ate a pizza with an egg on it (thanks, Jenni!), drank a boot at the Crescent Moon, went to a Cubs game, and a college football game, and a WPS game, went to Salt Lake, Sacramento, and Minneapolis, rented a car, got published in an academic journal, and all sorts of medical procedure/surgery things that might gross you out but were actually really cool (intubating kids, holding a beating heart during surgery, doing a circumcision, stitching people back up, getting an arterial line in).
2. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Well, I'll list a couple, since following directions has never been my strong suit. Passing Step II of my boards, orchestrating this whole residency interview thing, getting through my Sub-I's and my surgery rotation, and if I had to pick just one, I would say doing so many new things (see above) cause I'm pretty comfortable in my comfort zone and it's a big deal for me to step outside it.
3. What was your biggest failure?
That I still can't wink.
Just kidding.
I really can't, but if we're being serious, I would have to say that I wish I had kept up more on reading for school during all this down time. I know that I needed my elective time, and I've appreciated it, but I could have done much more with it and not stressed myself out too much. Epic failure.
4. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Chicago with Hilary. Everything about it made me really excited-riding the El, Cubs game, WPS game, Chicago dogs, Buckingham Fountain. Everything.
5. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Eating meals with friends. I ate a lot of meals alone. Also praying. Also riding my bike. And I wish I'd cooked more, like real food.
6. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sitting at my computer doing stupid things. And eating crap.
7. What was your favorite TV program?
If I had to pick only one, Firefly. Hands down. But also, I really like Castle and have gotten really into NCIS. And of course, Bones and The Office are returning favorites.
8. What was the best book you read?
Oh, that is indeed a tough one for me. I really liked Sherlock Holmes and The Book Thief and the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. I read a ton of other good things, but those would probably be my favorites.
9. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
I think one big thing I learned was that I regret not doing things much more than doing them, whether it's trying something new, stepping outside my comfort zone, doing those things I've always wanted, or even just calling up a friend--I need to just do it. You'd think it wouldn't have taken me so long.
That's it, kids. I'd love to hear your highlights/lessons learned/favorites of the year. May your 2010 be a year to remember!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Most Wonderful Time
What a great Christmas! Because we weren't going out of town, my parents planned all sorts of fun activities and yummy food. Christmas Eve, we did lunch at Maggiano's, which is pretty much one of the best places ever to experience that wonderful Italian-food-family-everyone-together thing. Holy delicious food, Batman! And leftovers!
When we got home, I did my best to whip up a mayonnaise cake, a special goodie that my grandma used to make every Christmas (and usually when we visited in the summer, too). We'd walk in the door, and after dropping our luggage in the bedrooms, the first thing we'd do is head for the mayo cake. "Jannie, I saved you a whole row." Grandma was the only one who ever called my mom that, and mayonnaise cake was pretty much the only type of food that my mom ever ate a whole row of. It's not quite the same as when Grandma used to make it, but it was pretty darn good. And, unlike the banana cream pie that I dropped upside down on the garage floor, we get to enjoy it for a few days.
Mass was perfect. Everyone was there, the youth choir did their songs, and per request (not my request) Fr. Paul made his homily very short. And there was this adorable old man across the aisle that sang along in this super loud, super deep voice (think James Earl Jones).
I'm super excited about my new belgian waffle maker and espresso machine, so if you're in need of a good breakfast sometime soon, come on over!!!
The only bad part is that I can't move my neck because it's cramped up after trying to put together the 1,000-piece Twilight puzzle (whose brilliant idea was it to do that in black and white???).
Hope your Christmases were equally wonderful!
When we got home, I did my best to whip up a mayonnaise cake, a special goodie that my grandma used to make every Christmas (and usually when we visited in the summer, too). We'd walk in the door, and after dropping our luggage in the bedrooms, the first thing we'd do is head for the mayo cake. "Jannie, I saved you a whole row." Grandma was the only one who ever called my mom that, and mayonnaise cake was pretty much the only type of food that my mom ever ate a whole row of. It's not quite the same as when Grandma used to make it, but it was pretty darn good. And, unlike the banana cream pie that I dropped upside down on the garage floor, we get to enjoy it for a few days.
Mass was perfect. Everyone was there, the youth choir did their songs, and per request (not my request) Fr. Paul made his homily very short. And there was this adorable old man across the aisle that sang along in this super loud, super deep voice (think James Earl Jones).
I'm super excited about my new belgian waffle maker and espresso machine, so if you're in need of a good breakfast sometime soon, come on over!!!
The only bad part is that I can't move my neck because it's cramped up after trying to put together the 1,000-piece Twilight puzzle (whose brilliant idea was it to do that in black and white???).
Hope your Christmases were equally wonderful!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
O!
My last interview before the break was in Omaha-a joint program between Creighton, UNMC, and Children's. But let's be honest, the best part of the trip, by far, was seeing Mary and my friends.
We went out to The Matt (Old Mattress Factory) for lunch when I got in. Mary graced us with her presence as a break from studying. (Side note: Sweet potato fries=yum!) By far, the funniest part of lunch came when deciding what to get for dessert (are you surprised?). The Matt has 2 Ted and Wally's flavors of the month to offer as one of their dessert selections, and one this month is aptly titled Quit Your Job and Eat Chocolate. I'll let your imagination take it from there. I was familiar with this flavor, only because Mary had called me-yes, actually called me up on her own-just to tell me about this amazing flavor the first time she had it. So that was high on the running, as was the chocolate mousse. I told Mary to pick one. She gets these big eyes, leans across the table and says, "K, but can we get both?" I leaned across. "No." "K, but can we get both?" There is no reasoning with this girl. And it's hard to turn down the sister I never see, so both it was. Delicious. Back to studying, Mary.
So the next day was my interview. The Chair of Pediatrics at Creighton just happens to be the dad of one of Mary's teammates, who we tailgated with and bonded with at various games over the years. So, I'm sitting in morning report, with all the other applicants, attendings, residents, and Dr. Zach walks in, and when it gets dead silent, he says from the back, "How ya doin', Zappy?" Can you be a teacher's pet at this age?
The ice breaker at lunch was "What is the Christmas present you always wanted but never got?" I said, no offense, Mom and Dad, that many Christmas mornings as a child were spent in mild disappointment, but the one I could remember the most was the giant battery-powered, (child) life-size Army Jeep that never made it into our living room on Chrismtas. One of the residents was "A spoiled only child. I got everything I asked for, including a pony." How tragic.
That night, after a wine-tasting where I forgot my ID and had to watch MJ drink 5 glasses for me and describe them, and after a delicious dinner at the Greek Islands (the restaurant, not the geographic location, unfortunately), MJ, Mary, and I headed out to the Crescent Moon for a boot. If you're near or in or visiting Omaha and have never done this, it is truly a unique experience, best done with more than three people, but whatever. It is 64 oz of German beer served in a giant glass boot, which needs 2 hands to hold. There are a set of rules for drinking the boot, the most basic of which is that the boot must continually be passed around the circle without touching the table. The breaking of any of the rules results in having to take another sip, or buy another boot, depending on the rule. Which may or may not be seen as a deterrent. Case in point--Mary at one point was "tap-dancing" on the table with the boot. "Guess I have to take another sip." Nice. Also, with the reuniting of Therese and Mary, there was abounding laughter as they came up with new ways to "park the car"--ask to see it sometime...possibly is funnier after drinking a boot. That's more than I laughed since Kristi tried to act out "dump".
If the trip didn't have to end with an 8 hour drive through Nebraska and eastern Colorado, it would have been perfect, but overall, a great trip.
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope that the peace and love of God that made itself manifest so many years ago in the manger reigns in your hearts this week.
We went out to The Matt (Old Mattress Factory) for lunch when I got in. Mary graced us with her presence as a break from studying. (Side note: Sweet potato fries=yum!) By far, the funniest part of lunch came when deciding what to get for dessert (are you surprised?). The Matt has 2 Ted and Wally's flavors of the month to offer as one of their dessert selections, and one this month is aptly titled Quit Your Job and Eat Chocolate. I'll let your imagination take it from there. I was familiar with this flavor, only because Mary had called me-yes, actually called me up on her own-just to tell me about this amazing flavor the first time she had it. So that was high on the running, as was the chocolate mousse. I told Mary to pick one. She gets these big eyes, leans across the table and says, "K, but can we get both?" I leaned across. "No." "K, but can we get both?" There is no reasoning with this girl. And it's hard to turn down the sister I never see, so both it was. Delicious. Back to studying, Mary.
So the next day was my interview. The Chair of Pediatrics at Creighton just happens to be the dad of one of Mary's teammates, who we tailgated with and bonded with at various games over the years. So, I'm sitting in morning report, with all the other applicants, attendings, residents, and Dr. Zach walks in, and when it gets dead silent, he says from the back, "How ya doin', Zappy?" Can you be a teacher's pet at this age?
The ice breaker at lunch was "What is the Christmas present you always wanted but never got?" I said, no offense, Mom and Dad, that many Christmas mornings as a child were spent in mild disappointment, but the one I could remember the most was the giant battery-powered, (child) life-size Army Jeep that never made it into our living room on Chrismtas. One of the residents was "A spoiled only child. I got everything I asked for, including a pony." How tragic.
That night, after a wine-tasting where I forgot my ID and had to watch MJ drink 5 glasses for me and describe them, and after a delicious dinner at the Greek Islands (the restaurant, not the geographic location, unfortunately), MJ, Mary, and I headed out to the Crescent Moon for a boot. If you're near or in or visiting Omaha and have never done this, it is truly a unique experience, best done with more than three people, but whatever. It is 64 oz of German beer served in a giant glass boot, which needs 2 hands to hold. There are a set of rules for drinking the boot, the most basic of which is that the boot must continually be passed around the circle without touching the table. The breaking of any of the rules results in having to take another sip, or buy another boot, depending on the rule. Which may or may not be seen as a deterrent. Case in point--Mary at one point was "tap-dancing" on the table with the boot. "Guess I have to take another sip." Nice. Also, with the reuniting of Therese and Mary, there was abounding laughter as they came up with new ways to "park the car"--ask to see it sometime...possibly is funnier after drinking a boot. That's more than I laughed since Kristi tried to act out "dump".
If the trip didn't have to end with an 8 hour drive through Nebraska and eastern Colorado, it would have been perfect, but overall, a great trip.
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope that the peace and love of God that made itself manifest so many years ago in the manger reigns in your hearts this week.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Musings from the dark side
Kelly has spent this week teaching Nutmeg to come when she says, "Accio!" and to play dead with "Avada Kadavra!" Considering Nutmeg previously did not know how to play dead, but only to roll over and wag her tail, this is quite the accomplishment. And it's freakin' hilarious.
This morning I was in the adoration chapel after Mass, which meant that so were 20 other people. While the STM students were totally distractable, they did redeem themselves by repeatedly giving up their seats in the cushiony kneeler chairs for the other adults that came in. Maybe humanity isn't on its way to ruin after all. (For more encouragement, see Chris Stefanic's article in the DCR on culture/NCYC)
Thanks, David, for posting Tom Duckett's latest video. It let me spend a few minutes listening to songs I really miss and reminiscing about wonderful times: singing up the sun, bawling my eyes out, and screaming "So Good to Me" at the top of my lungs.
After my crazy trip last week landed me in 6 cities in 4 days (including layovers), I am super relieved this week to only be visiting one place, even if it means no slot machines in the airport. Plus, I will actually know someone in this city. Always a plus.
Hey, yay Project 600!!!
Hope that your Advent has been a time of preparation and joyful anticipation. There's still time...
Be blessed, or as the Guayaquilians say, Be Saints!
This morning I was in the adoration chapel after Mass, which meant that so were 20 other people. While the STM students were totally distractable, they did redeem themselves by repeatedly giving up their seats in the cushiony kneeler chairs for the other adults that came in. Maybe humanity isn't on its way to ruin after all. (For more encouragement, see Chris Stefanic's article in the DCR on culture/NCYC)
Thanks, David, for posting Tom Duckett's latest video. It let me spend a few minutes listening to songs I really miss and reminiscing about wonderful times: singing up the sun, bawling my eyes out, and screaming "So Good to Me" at the top of my lungs.
After my crazy trip last week landed me in 6 cities in 4 days (including layovers), I am super relieved this week to only be visiting one place, even if it means no slot machines in the airport. Plus, I will actually know someone in this city. Always a plus.
Hey, yay Project 600!!!
Hope that your Advent has been a time of preparation and joyful anticipation. There's still time...
Be blessed, or as the Guayaquilians say, Be Saints!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
From the Trail
So I'm almost halfway done with this crazy process they call the Interview Trail. I'm learning a lot about what I want in a program--good advocacy, supportive director, forgiving call schedule--and enjoying seeing some new cities. But mostly, it's a huge relief to finally be doing this part of my training, to be scoping out what the next three years of my life will be like, to see residents who are living in the trenches and still smiling, even if they can't keep their eyes open. So, for a whirlwind tour, here's been my last 3 weeks:
Minneapolis--very cold, but not cold enough to keep the program director (PD) from biking to work; popovers for lunch--yay!; Gophers everywhere! Awesome international program, beautiful cities
Phoenix--holy cow, so much warmer than anywhere else I've been; super awesome funny residents that got sent home from kindergarten for being disruptive and get mistaken for nurses daily; AMAZING food, not limited to perfectly cooked salmon and the famous "pizookie" (pizza shaped/sized cookie); great program and great PD--"Work hard. Play hard. Love hard."
Denver--hard to beat that mountain view driving to Denver Health, or Carey's hilarious stories about being an intern ("When are they going to figure out I'm not supposed to be here?!"); pumpkin gelato, enough said. Great education and breadth of experience
Salt Lake--3 teams of Mormon missionaries tried to convert me in Temple Square; saw 120 kids (and kids at heart) sledding in Sugar House; beautiful city and great views, am already planning another visit to see all I didn't get to see
Albuquerque--crazy (in a good way) PD who in response to the question, "Does the pain radiate?" at morning report, replied, "No, we try to stay away from radiation. We don't even own a microwave!"; very supportive environment, supposedly great hiking and awesome food, and lots to see in surrounding areas.
The rest is yet to come...
Minneapolis--very cold, but not cold enough to keep the program director (PD) from biking to work; popovers for lunch--yay!; Gophers everywhere! Awesome international program, beautiful cities
Phoenix--holy cow, so much warmer than anywhere else I've been; super awesome funny residents that got sent home from kindergarten for being disruptive and get mistaken for nurses daily; AMAZING food, not limited to perfectly cooked salmon and the famous "pizookie" (pizza shaped/sized cookie); great program and great PD--"Work hard. Play hard. Love hard."
Denver--hard to beat that mountain view driving to Denver Health, or Carey's hilarious stories about being an intern ("When are they going to figure out I'm not supposed to be here?!"); pumpkin gelato, enough said. Great education and breadth of experience
Salt Lake--3 teams of Mormon missionaries tried to convert me in Temple Square; saw 120 kids (and kids at heart) sledding in Sugar House; beautiful city and great views, am already planning another visit to see all I didn't get to see
Albuquerque--crazy (in a good way) PD who in response to the question, "Does the pain radiate?" at morning report, replied, "No, we try to stay away from radiation. We don't even own a microwave!"; very supportive environment, supposedly great hiking and awesome food, and lots to see in surrounding areas.
The rest is yet to come...
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