A Happy Reunion

(To the tune of Amazing Grace.....)

Oh coffee mug
I love you so
At work, you comfort me
I lost you in the ICU
Today, reunited with glee!

Ah....so much to be thankful for!

A Brief Glimpse into the Weirdness that is my Brain

I was on long call at the VA last night.  Luckily it was a pretty slow night with only four admissions.  So there was no wailing and gnashing of teeth....the way I prefer it.  And for me, there is nothing quite like post-call sleep.  Crawling into bed, utterly exhausted, with a belly full of eggs and bacon is one of the best feelings ever.  And knowing that the crazy that lives at the hospital is now someone else's problem....well that's good stuff! 

So I crawled into bed at about 10:00am and, per usual, slept like a baby.  With a few interruptions from Charlie.  Per usual.  Luckily he usually responds to me yelling, "SHUT UP CHARLIE!  GAH!"  My post-call sleep was going well until the dreaming started.  In my dream Danny gave me a kiss on the neck....which turned into a huge hickey....because my INR was high.  Then my dad yelled at me because it looked "tacky" and "unprofessional." 

Awkward....

Veteran's Day at the VA

This morning I went to see an elderly patient with severe dementia.  He was in a pleasant mood during my exam and on my way out the door I wished him a happy Veteran's Day.  His face instantly changed and he began to weep quietly.  I could only make out a few of his words...
Laying there....

Dead...

Birds pecking at their eyes....

And then he broke down.  Inconsolable.  There are some memories that even Alzheimer's can't erase.


To those who have served our country so bravely.....

Thank you.

Sometimes it's hard to keep my pants up....

The Quadruple Grenade Sign....the poorest of prognostic indicators.

You say it's your birthday.....

Ah, October 18th.....a blessed day! 

It's really kind of sad when facebook has to remind you that it's your birthday.  Oh well, so be it. 

I woke up yesterday at 4:30am to the sound of my dear husband doing P90X.  He is a freak of nature.  I'm still trying to figure out what mutant gene he acquired that causes him to wake up at 3:50am to work out and that entices him to eat vegetables on a daily basis.  I have the opposite of that gene.  Or I'm just lazy and prefer buttered noodles, take your pick.   

Anywhoozles....I stumbled down the stairs and hurdled the baby gate, as I do every morning.  Yesterday I cleared it without incident....not always the case.  I glanced in the mirror and noticed a few pimples on my nose....probably from my increased Nestle Quik consumption.  I may be 31, but at least I have the complexion of a 13 year old!  Ah...thank you, T-Zone, for making me feel young.   ( I can hear all of you gasping....you thought I was 24, didn't you!?!?!)

Work was uneventful.  I would like to give a shout out to the patient, who prior to receiving a rectal exam from yours truly, stated, "Gosh, I wish you were some old, ugly lady....that would make this easier."  You made my day, sir.  You made my day.  Oh, and you were hemoccult negative....so that's good. 

My lovely attending, knowing that it was my birthday, decided that I should take off early in the afternoon, and so I did.  Thank you Dr. L for being so thoughtful.  And as for you, Dr. P.....YOU forgot my birthday....even though I'm sure facebook reminded you.  But I'm over it.  No, really.....it's cool.  I'm fine.  Clearly. 

I got home and called Danny.  He was at the store picking something up.  I imagined that he was buying me flowers for my birthday.....and the following is what I was planning on blogging after I received said flowers:

"My sweet husband....even though I've told him dozens of times not to buy me flowers.  He knew deep down that I really did want flowers."

He came home with a card and a bag full of Aspen Mulling Spice, a CD and Nutty Bars....no flowers.  And to that I say:

"My sweet husband....he knows that flowers only wither away, but this girl LOVES HER SOME NUTTY BARS!!!"

Later in the evening, Danny and I attended a free dinner at Ruth's Chris.  This doctor gig if finally paying off....'bout dang time!  Unfortunately, my steak came out well done.  In the ultimate show of selflessness and devotion, Danny gave me half of his steak, which was cooked medium to my preference.  I drank 1.5 glasses of wine, and per usual, declared myself drunk after the first glass.  Wine at Ruth's Chris is very potent.  I'm not sure what the speaker was talking about, but he was very energetic....and blurry. 

So that about sums up my birthday.  It was a good one. 

In crummy news, my Grandma B. fell and broke her hip last night.  She's currently at SMMC where they're getting her fixed up.  If you could send some prayers her way, well, that would be nice. 

An Ode to Rachel....on the Eve of her Wedding

All the wine at the rehearsal dinner tonight sent me into an emotional tailspin...several unfortunate people sitting in close proximity can vouch for this.  I will now type and cry, type and cry.  It's therapeutic.


Rachel is the one I met in the 1st grade.  She had just moved from the "dot" and I was her mother's worst Johnson County nightmare.

Rachel was my three-legged-race partner during field day.  We won second place.  I have not seen her move faster than a walk since that day.

Rachel is the one who cried with me before I told my mom about the stupid thing I did in 8th grade. 

Rachel is the one who used to love wearing "country apple" body lotion from Bath and Body Works.  That is, until her mother told us we were too old to go around smelling like fruit.

Rachel is the one I spent countless hours with at 3&2, watching baseball games on warm summer nights. 

Rachel is the one who spent hours with me at Abercrombie & Fitch, even though the plaid carpet made her dizzy. 

Rachel was my very first roommate.  She is the one who tolerated one year of me eating powdered coffee creamer out of the can, leaving my cheese wrappers lying around our room, and setting my alarm clock for ungodly hours.

Rachel is my Endless Love duet partner....even though she always makes me sing the boy part.

Rachel is the one who looked me in the eyes and said, "I've always thought you should be a doctor."  And when she said it, I had the confidence to do it. 

Rachel is the one who thinks that God sent a hail storm just for her, so she could collect the insurance money and buy herself a Louis Vuitton bag.

Rachel is the one I think of when I hear Aerosmith or Tom Petty on the radio.

Rachel is the one who fell in love with a boy named Travis.  And when I saw the way he looked at her tonight as they were practicing their vows, my heart was happy....because I know he is the one. 

Congratulations, my dear friend!

I'll see you in the morning, after I buy myself some waterproof mascara.

First Impressions

I'm fairly certain that when people meet me for the first time, they think, "Now there's a girl who is clearly more concerned with skin cancer than she is with vitamin D deficiency."

This has been on my mind for a while....just needed to share.