I came home tonight, and had a padded mailer in my mailbox, and a big Express Mail box on my doorstep. I was excited. The mailer, it turns out, was....odd. It was a book of "poetry" from the Center for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (sketch). They, of course, included a handy postcard telling me where I could mail a donation for the lovely gift they had just sent (even more sketch). The other, however, was from my aunt and uncle (the biological ones) in Chicago, and it was awesome. They sent me the 32-page Commemorative Edition of the Sun-Times Sunday magazine from November 9, entitled, "Obama: A Walk Through History."
Sometimes....my family makes me so proud....
It's funny, actually. My aunt and uncle (my mother's brother) have always been staunch Democrats. My cousins are both ardent Republicans (this makes no sense to me...my older cousin plays bass in a metal band....how can he possibly be a Republican? I think those two are mutually exclusive...). My parents are vehement Republicans (my daddy was not allowed to play with Democrats when he was little, because they were not nice people, according to my grandfather). And you ALL know what a flaming liberal tree-hugger I am. So I think my aunt and uncle are just glad one of us kids turned out to have some political sense.
They also sent me a Target gift card and a very nice card regarding the fellowship I was recently awarded through the PECC (it's a scholarship, really. They call it a fellowship because it sounds snootier). And you know how I always love me an excuse to go to Target.
The appearance of gifts made me slightly anxious, though, because I thought one of them might be from my Secret Santa - my knitting buddies back home are doing a holiday gift exchange, and I got to play along, too. Which was all well and good until this morning, when I realized that the socks I'm knitting for said exchange...um...don't match. And, okay, they're supposed to not match, but not in the way that they currently don't match. And apparently they're due next Friday, i.e., they have to be in Illinois by next Friday. Crap.
Also, a few days ago, my cousin (different cousin. Obama supporter) gave me the Aloha Award on her blog. Here are the rules:
"First, answer this question...If you were stuck on an island, what 5 things would you want to have with you? Then, spread the Aloha! Send this award to 5 other people and let them know they've been given The Aloha Award! That's it, easy peasy! Keep the chain going and spread the aloha all over the blogospshere! (be sure to link to the person that sent you the award...so we can keep the linky love going!)"
(Not Danielle's words, I'm guessing)
(PS - there will be no linky love allowed on my island of stuckness. Stop that! Stop that right now!)
Ahem.
Alright, if I were stuck on an island and given my choice of five things, I would take...
1. My dog. Not only would she be an wonderful companion, and enjoy running off leash (I'm assuming it's a relatively small island. Where's she gonna go?), but if I can learn to spin between now and the time I get stuck on this island, she could be an excellent source of yarn fiber.
2. A laptop with a solid satellite wireless connection (hey, it's my island, back off!)
3. Sunscreen. A lot of sunscreen. Don't make me tell you the story of the last sunburn I sustained in Hawaii.
4. A really good set of knives.
5. Phosphorus matches. Because, I am not patient enough to do the whole flint and steel crap.
And I tag....
Barb
Peng
Angie
Jenn
Allison
Pomaika`i, hoapili.
(Good luck, friends)
(I hope that's what it means...)
Showing posts with label toot toot toot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toot toot toot. Show all posts
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I'm a loser, baby...
This is today's song that's been lodged in my head.
This annoys me. For two reasons. A, I'm not a huge fan of Beck (although, I'll confess, that song has always sort of amused me...although, you can't listen to the lyrics too closely...). But B, because it's a symptom of just how effed up I am. Because you know when this started? Walking out of the auditorium.
I got a teaching award today.
No, no, yay for me. I got a similar award at The Emerald Palace, but it wasn't nearly as big a deal. Well, who knows, maybe it was, I'd already left. But it's really quite an nice thing - each year, one intern and one resident in each of the six core specialties receives this award, which is bestowed by the third year medical students. There was a ceremony and a check and a certificate suitable for framing involved. I really can't tell you how honored and humbled I am that they picked me. But initially, I was like, aww, thanks, that's nice. And then there was a lunch I was supposed to attend. And then, wait, it was a lecture. And then it turned into today, which turned out to be this giant auditorium (it has balcony seats!) about 60%-ish full of people, including all sorts of deans and faculty and students and then having to go up on stage (with about 8 or so other residents, thankfully) and me in the front row hyperventilating a little and wearing tennis shoes because it was kind of a hike from the hospital and I'm still having a lot of ankle issues. There were a lot of other awards handed out today, too, so it wasn't like it was all about me. Except in my head, where I was somehow ignoring the external validation and just focused on the fact that I looked like a Chicago commuter and was being completely neurotic about a whole host of other things.
Fortunately, no one else could hear the neurosing, no matter how loud it was in my head. It was a nice little shin-dig; this pathology prof gave a lecture about the history of medical education through the last three or so thousand years, the central point of which was, of course, everything comes from the Greeks. She started talking about how they evolved up from "this is punishment from the Gods" to the Hippocratic-era development of the four humours, and how disease resulted from their imbalance, and how redistribution of fluid was the answer back in 500 BCE, and I really, really wanted to yell, "just put some Windex on it!" It was actually quite a good lecture, though. I can see why she was their teacher of the year. And then there was lots of acknowledging of people who've done a good job with the med students this past year - best clinical rotation (Pedes), various faculty awards, a bunch of awards to this year's (as in, '09) graduating class. I cut out early because I had to get back for our afternoon of didactics, but I think there may have been a little buffet afterward, too.
I am so completely amazed that they thought enough of me to pick me. I seriously, truly, fully cannot tell you how much that means, especially after all of the intern-year PTSD and whatnot. Not to mention how much fun I had with the students this year. I mean, I really had some rock stars.
Okay, okay, I'm done.
Tonight I also had my first meeting as one of the Psych reps to the Housestaff Council (like Student Council, but, post-graduate. Residents and fellows, for those who aren't aware, are considered "housestaff". This is our governing body. You know, ish). It was quite nice. It was held in one of the conference rooms of this reasonably posh hotel in town. There was a good buffet, good conversation, and we got a little work done, too. I sat at a table with the other psych rep and our child fellow counterpart, a clutch of Family residents, an ER doc and this new Dermatology guy (Cute. Single. A little young). Basically we meet four times during the year at fairly upscale places, eat, and discuss a relevant issue or two. Not a bad gig.
Meanwhile, the outer bands of TS Fay have reached Carolina del Norte, although the bulk of the storm is still in Florida, at least according to all the NOAA emails I've been getting (I'm on their Storm Advisory Listserv - Atlantic). So it's raining nicely out there. I'm really, really hoping it grounds my plane in the morning, for no good reason at all except I, a, could really use the day off, and 2, so don't want to fly through a tropical storm - even the very edge of one, which, according to Forecaster Knabb, is currently back over water and gaining intensity - in a Coke can with wings that only flies a mile up off the ground. Yes, yes, I know that these are the same planes that they send directly into the eye of the storm, but, not with a flight-nervous psychiatrist on board!
This annoys me. For two reasons. A, I'm not a huge fan of Beck (although, I'll confess, that song has always sort of amused me...although, you can't listen to the lyrics too closely...). But B, because it's a symptom of just how effed up I am. Because you know when this started? Walking out of the auditorium.
I got a teaching award today.
No, no, yay for me. I got a similar award at The Emerald Palace, but it wasn't nearly as big a deal. Well, who knows, maybe it was, I'd already left. But it's really quite an nice thing - each year, one intern and one resident in each of the six core specialties receives this award, which is bestowed by the third year medical students. There was a ceremony and a check and a certificate suitable for framing involved. I really can't tell you how honored and humbled I am that they picked me. But initially, I was like, aww, thanks, that's nice. And then there was a lunch I was supposed to attend. And then, wait, it was a lecture. And then it turned into today, which turned out to be this giant auditorium (it has balcony seats!) about 60%-ish full of people, including all sorts of deans and faculty and students and then having to go up on stage (with about 8 or so other residents, thankfully) and me in the front row hyperventilating a little and wearing tennis shoes because it was kind of a hike from the hospital and I'm still having a lot of ankle issues. There were a lot of other awards handed out today, too, so it wasn't like it was all about me. Except in my head, where I was somehow ignoring the external validation and just focused on the fact that I looked like a Chicago commuter and was being completely neurotic about a whole host of other things.
Fortunately, no one else could hear the neurosing, no matter how loud it was in my head. It was a nice little shin-dig; this pathology prof gave a lecture about the history of medical education through the last three or so thousand years, the central point of which was, of course, everything comes from the Greeks. She started talking about how they evolved up from "this is punishment from the Gods" to the Hippocratic-era development of the four humours, and how disease resulted from their imbalance, and how redistribution of fluid was the answer back in 500 BCE, and I really, really wanted to yell, "just put some Windex on it!" It was actually quite a good lecture, though. I can see why she was their teacher of the year. And then there was lots of acknowledging of people who've done a good job with the med students this past year - best clinical rotation (Pedes), various faculty awards, a bunch of awards to this year's (as in, '09) graduating class. I cut out early because I had to get back for our afternoon of didactics, but I think there may have been a little buffet afterward, too.
I am so completely amazed that they thought enough of me to pick me. I seriously, truly, fully cannot tell you how much that means, especially after all of the intern-year PTSD and whatnot. Not to mention how much fun I had with the students this year. I mean, I really had some rock stars.
Okay, okay, I'm done.
Tonight I also had my first meeting as one of the Psych reps to the Housestaff Council (like Student Council, but, post-graduate. Residents and fellows, for those who aren't aware, are considered "housestaff". This is our governing body. You know, ish). It was quite nice. It was held in one of the conference rooms of this reasonably posh hotel in town. There was a good buffet, good conversation, and we got a little work done, too. I sat at a table with the other psych rep and our child fellow counterpart, a clutch of Family residents, an ER doc and this new Dermatology guy (Cute. Single. A little young). Basically we meet four times during the year at fairly upscale places, eat, and discuss a relevant issue or two. Not a bad gig.
Meanwhile, the outer bands of TS Fay have reached Carolina del Norte, although the bulk of the storm is still in Florida, at least according to all the NOAA emails I've been getting (I'm on their Storm Advisory Listserv - Atlantic). So it's raining nicely out there. I'm really, really hoping it grounds my plane in the morning, for no good reason at all except I, a, could really use the day off, and 2, so don't want to fly through a tropical storm - even the very edge of one, which, according to Forecaster Knabb, is currently back over water and gaining intensity - in a Coke can with wings that only flies a mile up off the ground. Yes, yes, I know that these are the same planes that they send directly into the eye of the storm, but, not with a flight-nervous psychiatrist on board!
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