Saturday, July 07, 2007

What I did with my (unexpected) summer vacation

It's been a weird week.

So, I do not yet have a NC medical license. Why? No idea. They've had my paperwork for a week. It's administrative, the delay, we think, not that they've decided I'm a crappy doctor. And these delays happen not infrequently, it seems. So, I wait. And, I wait. And I wait.

Did I mention the waiting?

I'm thisclose to calling shenanigans on the NCMB.

It's frustrating. Especially because I've been getting somewhat mixed messages about if I'm going to wait until the next rotation to start or the next day after my license comes through. Now, I know whose message is going to win, and it's the next day. Which in many aspects I prefer. Because, damn it, I want to get to work already!!!!!!!! (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) And, every day I'm "off" is another day tacked on to the end of my residency, which interferes with when I start my fellowship, which is of course doable, especially if I stay put, but regardless, I've waited two years to get back to this, let's get moving already! However, it's also the much more stressful option, waiting for the phone to ring every day to tell me if I can start my life yet. I can't make plans in advance. I can't make decisions about major undertakings. I can just wait. And, watch a lot of CSI.

I still love the DVR.

So I've been trying to be a little more productive than just improving my knowledge of the history between Grissom and Sidle. I got my NC tags for my car. I had a very fun Fourth - one of my fellow interns and her husband had some of us over, along with a few of his (single, male, attractive, amusing, employed) coworkers. We went and saw Transformers, which, well, it was not good, but I freaking loved it. LOVED it. Not sure why, because, not actually all that good (and why on earth was Tom Lenk in that movie?). But it was a good time. The seven of us that went ended up sitting in four separate locations in the theater, which worked out well for me - I wound up with single male attractive amusing employed coworker #2, who happened to be from back home (of all the things), and we had really good seats. Anyhow, there was later the inevitable cookout, and much fun with the Nintendo Wii. It was a fun way to spend the day.

Also this week, my chief resident has been after me to go the beach. Because, this time is a gift, she keeps telling me (if I keep the receipt, can I get a refund?). So finally, yesterday morning, I decided to take her up on it. So I look at the map, and discover that if I more or less just drive east for two hours, I'll hit the coast, roughly in Wilmington, and there will be beach. All right! So off I went. And I drove. And I started following the signs that said "Carolina Beach". Because, that had to be the beach in question, right? Well...

Carolina Beach is a town, not an actual beach.

Ah.

Nevertheless. I started then following the signs (you'd think I'd have learned by now, wouldn't you??) for Carolina Beach State Park. Because that would have beach, right? Like, a state beach. I've seen those in Florida. That makes sense. So I get to the state park, and I see....trees. And, campgrounds. A picnic area. And then finally, I'm looking at the sky, and it has that peculiar blue about it that only occurs over water, you know? So I think, there, that must be beach!! And so I follow, and, well, mostly it was marina. But, lo and behold, there was actual beach!!!


All five feet or so of it.

Never the less. I took a picture of my feet in the sand and the Atlantic, which I then emailed to the aforementioned chief as positive proof that I had, indeed, gone to the beach.

I also took some nice environmental shots, although it was like 11:30 at this point, and the light was less than ideal. Maybe I can tweak some of that with some editing.


That's some little cool cactus growing in the sand. We have those here.

And, I acquired a mediocre sunburn. In, like, ten minutes. Because I am the whitest girl alive. It was also about seven million degrees yesterday. Or so.



Now, as luck would have it, I then wandered around town a little more, and about five or six miles down the road, I found the actual beach.

This is a town called Kure beach, which strangely enough reminds me of the crappier parts of Miami (and by that I mean the cheaper, not-flashy, touristy parts where you can still safely wander around as a white girl by yourself).

And, I found some other interesting things nearby. Take for example, the Myrtle Grove Volunteer Fire Dept. Which seems to offer a flavor of the day.

And, natch, I of COURSE found the LYS. Which was a fantastic place called Yarns of Wilmington (Needlepoint, Too).

Fantastic. Tiny, overstuffed, great selection. I bought a little needlepoint present for my mom (who does that sort of thing), a pair of the Addi Lace in #2 reallyfreakinlong (I've heard mixed reviews; I figure they're worth a try, and hell, at the moment, I've got the time!), and some wacky-colored Jitterbug sock yarn to go with the new needles. 'Cause I only have two socks on the needles right now, and a crochet project going. Even with all this time on my hands, I mean, really though....

Anyhow. That's been my week. Well, actually that hasn't even been the half of it. Tomorrow I'll tell you how they tried to evict me today....

5 comments:

Barb Matijevich said...

We are leading parallel lives.

Well, except for the part where I'm 42, married with two kids and not a doctor. But you know, other than that.

While on vacation in Alabama, I went to a LYS --except it was in Columbus Mississippi but that's local enough. I took my older daughter Ana and on the way back to my FIL's where all I had to do was get on 82 and get off at 17 and then take 17 to Reform. (Or as the locals say, "REE-form.") Somehow I went wrong getting on 17 and ended up driving around the back roads of Alabama, which have NO SIGNS. Zipper. Zilch. I was seriously starting to panic because I'd left my phone back at the house and what I know about rural Alabama people comes mostly from seeing the movie Deliverance. (And this despite the fact that everyone we met was nicer than nice.)

Anyway, somehow, I made it to the beach --er--the town just to the South of Reform and made it back to my FIL's from there. As we got out of the car, I aplogized to Ana for getting lost and she said, "Gosh, Mom, think of how much more of Alabama I got to see with you driving!"

Yeah. Just think of it. Parallel lives--if you squint hard.

Lorna said...

Well, I think the beach #1 that you found is where you're supposed to take single, attractive, funny, employed guy...

The OTHER beach is when you go with the girls.. hahahah

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures! It really looks like a beautiful area.

The NCMB sounds like the Illinois CPA licensing board...

Valerie said...

Well, at least you found the beach, I would still be driving around. Maybe this coming week the medical board will have returned from their July 4th holiday; get back; do their job, and then let you practice.

Sarah said...

Well, looks like fun, sort of. I'd love some time off about now.
I'm pro-Addi lace. Lorna is not, and passed them off to me, so muahahaha. I haven't tried them for socks, which she was trying them on, but for the lace shawl I did, they were a godsend when I got the p5tog part.

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