Locopup

Whew! I do love me a weekend off. I have...well...I guess I still just have two of them this month, which is the same number I used to get when I was taking intern call, except that I'm only on call three times this whole month. Cannot tell you how exciting that is.

I'm finally starting to deal with fixing some of the collateral damage of intern year exhaustion. For example, this morning I dragged my laptop and my tired ass over to the Durham Starbucks and sat there for four hours or so doing paperwork that was way, way, way overdue. Dude, I had a lot of work piled up from last month.


I did something like fifteen discharge summaries this morning. And learned a few things. I.e., did you know that Trampoline is an official Olympic sport? As is BMX biking, which is apparently new this year (that was the free drink question of the day - what three sports are new in the '08 Olympics? BMX and Steeplechase are the two that I heard, although people had some other amusing ideas. Lawn Darts was my favorite wrong answer). I still have two more to do (the really difficult ones), so I'll probably spend a bit more time there tomorrow morning. Who knows what I'll learn then.

I am happy to report, however, that my second year paperwork is completely up to date. Every clinic note has been dictated and edited. But don't worry. I'm sure to get behind again in short order...

And Ruthie officially moves in to our office on Monday! I'm very excited. Peng and I have managed to have some semblance of productivity this past month, but, I'm sure that's going straight out the window. Add Ruthie to the mix, and no one in that office will ever get any work done in there again.

So tomorrow is PenguinShrink's birthday (Happy birthday, Peng!). Ruthie bought her a bonsai tree, because, she says, Peng is a Bonsai Psychiatrist - wee, but hardy. I laughed really hard. I may just start calling her Bonsai.

We had a very nice night out in honor of her reaching double digits turning not actually that much younger than me (although I like to give her considerable shit about her youth. Mostly because when we're fifty, I'm going to look 55 and she's going to look 30). Strangely, a lot of our cohorts were out of town this weekend, but we rallied the remaining troops. It ended up being more or less the usual cast of characters - Ruthie, me, Peng, Sparrow, and Tyler, who had quite a harem going tonight, really - as well as another of our classmates (whom I know I've referenced on here before but can't remember the pseudonym I gave her! Martha, maybe?), one of the social workers from State Hospital, and our psych pharmacist from Big Hospital. We went to this very good Persian place in town. I had some sort of pomegranate chicken that was outstanding, as was the assortment of appetizers we ordered, not to mention the Iranian beer.

We then wandered across the street to this place called Locopops. Which, as you might imagine, has a selection of unusual popsicles made in a Mexican tradition called paletas. They have such flavors as Cherry Hibiscus, Mojito, Olive Oil and Lemon (dude, I don't know about that one), etc. Our group sampled the Cookies and Cream, Blueberry Peach, Green Tea and Jasmine, and Mexican Chocolate (that was mine. Very cinnamon-y. So good). And, know what else they had? Are you ready for it? Beef.

Okay, they had beef and chicken, which were on rawhide popsicle sticks. Now does it make more sense? So, naturally, I had to bring one home for Maggie. Because she was a very good girl today, and deserved a treat. Maggie stayed home by herself while I was at Starbucks, out of her crate, the whole time I was gone (we're working up to making good use of that doggie door). And she did well - didn't destroy anything, didn't get into trouble, and her human even remembered to put all the garbage cans out of reach this time.

So I brought her home a beef pop.


She was super excited.


Started licking the bag, jumping up and down...in an effort to minimize the mess, I thought I'd give it to her in her food dish, but in her crate (since I figured it was going to end up in her crate anyway).


We played that game for a little while....I put it in the dish, she took it out. I put it back in the dish, she took it out again. Et cetera, until I just gave up and conceded that it was probably time to wash that stupid crate pillow anyway. (PS -see that maroon thing in the corner? You remember the shawl Peng gave me for Christmas? Maggie kept stealing it, so Peng made her one of her very own to curl up with. I know, awwwww...)


Maggie really liked the rawhide. She was pretty psyched about the beef part, too, but the rawhide seemed to be her favorite.


Okay, now we're just into gratuitous pictures. I'm sorry, I can't help it that I have the cutest dog in existence!


But then.....it was all gone....


She got over her momentary disappointment, though, and I got a lot of very cold, beef-scented puppy kisses. And she's currently sprawled out on my bed sleeping the sleep of the very contented.

A good time was had by all, this evening.