Thumbs up, thumbs down

Happy Thursday.

First, let me give you the thumbs down. I tried the new Blended Lemonade Beverage at Starbucks this morning. I am a big Frappucino fan, in general (my total favorite? Dulce de Leche. I think that was limited time only. Caramel comes in a close second. And the new, also limited edition, Mint Mocha Chip, well, I haven't had one this year, but three years ago when they were out - back when I had just started drinking coffee - they rocked), and I thought, wow. What a lovely, summery idea.

Eh. Wasn't impressed. In fact, I wasn't even impressed enough to take a second sip. Well, oh well.

Secondly, I HAVE ANTS. I'm displeased. I went into the kitchen earlier and there they were, stupid little sugar ants scurrying around. They all seem to be coming from the window over my sink. But my aunt (ha!) told me this thing she'd read about using cinnamon to repel ants. So I tried it. So far a couple have managed to break through the line (hence the arrow) but in general it seems to be holding the little fuckers at bay. If it works, I'm going to go get a cheap bottle of cinnamon at the Food Lion or something (as opposed to the organic stuff I just dumped all over the sill) and fill my window well with it.


Damn stupid ants.

Third, the NC State Mental Hospitals are in the news again. Fortunately it isn't State Hospital this time (although apparently it was last week), but one of the other ones. It's heartbreaking. And disgusting. We're all a little outraged at SH.

Also, my dad's in the hospital again (hi Dad). Actually, he may not be any longer by the time this gets posted. It's nothing major. He does this once a year or so, and they caught it while it was still "a little pneumonia". This is why you shouldn't smoke, kids. He sounds good and he's feeling better and they're probably going to throw him out this afternoon, but still, not the best email to come home to, I have to admit. The pneumonia gets a thumbs-down, but of course, my dad certainly falls under the Things I Love list.

Here's five other things that, this week, I totally love...

1. LAST NIGHT WAS MY LAST 30 HOUR CALL EVER, EVER, IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! You have no idea what this means to an ex-obstetrician. And what a beautiful call it was, too. I didn't admit anyone after 4pm. (I KNOW!) I had three seclusion-restraint calls, and I always sleep horribly at the hospital (If it isn't "Will this stupid pager stop beeping for five bloody seconds!" it's "why hasn't my pager gone off in so long?"), but I had the potential for almost a full night of sleep. Now, it's not my last in-house call, ever - that's currently July 2, 2009, although that could change if I end up doing second year call all next July - but I have six short (16 hour) calls left and other than that, my calls are all 24 hours. The beauty of those is that when your shift is over, you're done. Never again do I have to slog through the day's work after being on call for 24 hours. Never. Ever. Again.

2. While I was at the hospital yesterday, Maggie miraculously got a doggie door!


The handyman came to install it, and fortunately Sparrow, who's on vacation this week, was around to let him in and tell him where it went and whatnot. And Maxine even showed her how to use it. Maggie's not too thrilled with the idea of pushing through the plastic, yet (as you can tell) but she'll get it. And once she does I know she's going to like the idea of going outside anytime she wants. But it's cut through the back wall of the house (I know. I don't know why) and so it stands about 3 feet off the ground. So he built this lovely platform and a very nice ramp to walk up to it. Maggie? Refuses to use the ramp. She just leaps up and down from the platform.

Even though she's six, and technically a senior.

Love that dog.

3. On the way home, I discovered that my very favorite snooty-patootie grocery store, where I always used to shop and was sad that I had to leave when I moved out of Cary, is opening up around the corner from my new house. Oh, if only they'd put a Char-Gill next door to it like the one in Cary (where every Sunday, I used to go buy groceries and then I'd go next door and get a hamburger combo, with mustard and onions, and a cheeseburger, plain. Guess who the cheeseburger was for), life would be completely as it should.

4. This week at the Whole Foods (the one here is massive, and expanding) I discovered a local salsa from the makers of Bone Suckin' Barbecue Sauce, oddly enough called Bone Suckin' Salsa. I don't know how authentic it is, but wow, I think it's the best salsa I've ever had out of a jar. And look, it even comes with a handy recipe on the side:


Now, that's something you couldn't have come up with on your own.

Seriously, though, you should check out the website. It's a nice little company, and they have great products. Plus, there's even a Bone Suckin' Song, now. What psychiatrist could not love a song about barbecue with the refrain, "We're talkin' serious, we're not delirious"?

5. The nap that I'm about to go take. There is seriously nothing better in the whole wide world than a post-call nap. Unless it's a post-call nap all buried under the blankets, curled up with a warm puppy.