Saturday, April 7, 2012
I've been trying to slowly give Jake (oh, BTW, I got a dog, in case you didn't know. His name is Jake.) a little more freedom at night and when I'm out running errands. So I took a jaunt to Lowe's (like my 5th of the day) and the grocery store, and left Jake out on his own. I came home to this...
I think he systematically walked through the house picking things up and dropping them in the yard... Let me make it a little clearer...
The red may be hard to read... In this picture is a pair of pants, two books (one mine, one Tina's), a couch cushion, and a shoe. There is also a dog toy, but that's not unusual. NOT pictured are a pair of scrub pants, the other shoe, and a Save the Date card.
Needless to say, there won't be any more freedom of the whole house for Jake for a little while. I think he was trying to exercise his herding skills, but had no live animals so resorted to inanimate household objects.
And, if you're wondering what this Jake character looks like, here ya go! This was a picture on Petfinder before I got him.
I spent most of the day outside trimming trees and working more on my secret project... I have no more pictures, but I can tell you that out of about a million swings of the hammer, I did whack my finger once. It hurt. And I also bought a circular saw. Not one, but TWO people asked me (the check out guy at Lowe's and the Starbucks guy at the drive through window) if I was actually going to use it myself. For the record, yes.
Now it's time for ice cream and bed.
Happy Easter!
Friday, April 6, 2012
One more rotation is in the books. Intern year is now officially 10/13ths over. In medicine, it's important to be precise.
I also head to the wonderful world of non-call block starting tomorrow. Meaning no call, free weekends, upcoming vacation, and not very many late nights. It's gonna be awesome. I've got a lot to do in that time... here's whats on the list for this weekend.
Finish secret project
Paint kitchen ceiling and hallway
Paint deck lights
Trim giant tree in front yard
Pick up stones and plant grass along fence
Weed
Pull up old bushes
Plant new bushes
Hang pictures
Do laundry
Finish poster for presentation
That shouldn't take much time......
I also head to the wonderful world of non-call block starting tomorrow. Meaning no call, free weekends, upcoming vacation, and not very many late nights. It's gonna be awesome. I've got a lot to do in that time... here's whats on the list for this weekend.
Finish secret project
Paint kitchen ceiling and hallway
Paint deck lights
Trim giant tree in front yard
Pick up stones and plant grass along fence
Weed
Pull up old bushes
Plant new bushes
Hang pictures
Do laundry
Finish poster for presentation
That shouldn't take much time......
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Every once in a while on a call block, we get this beautiful thing called a golden day. It means you're not on call, and you don't have clinic, so all you have to do is see your patients, go to noon conference, and pretend to be normal. It's a glorious thing. Today was a golden day. And it went a little like this...
530: Wake up.
540: Wake up again. Take shower.
615: Go to work.
815: Go to breakfast.
1045: Finish seeing patients.
1100: Admit new nursing home patient.
1200: Noon conference.
100: Go home and clean.
200: Drywall man comes to fix hole in ceiling.
300: Nap.
330: Lowes to get paint, wood, grass seed, a shovel, curtains, floor samples, nails, and other stuff.
530: Eat dinner and drink iced coffee.
600: Cut up big fallen branch with saw.
615: Build secret project... well, part of it.
730: Unload dishwasher and clean basement.
800: Learn to use new leaf blower.
900: Book hotel room for Tough Mudder.
And now, it is time to watch HGTV and go to bed. I lead an exciting life. But first, a glimpse of my secret project...
530: Wake up.
540: Wake up again. Take shower.
615: Go to work.
815: Go to breakfast.
1045: Finish seeing patients.
1100: Admit new nursing home patient.
1200: Noon conference.
100: Go home and clean.
200: Drywall man comes to fix hole in ceiling.
300: Nap.
330: Lowes to get paint, wood, grass seed, a shovel, curtains, floor samples, nails, and other stuff.
530: Eat dinner and drink iced coffee.
600: Cut up big fallen branch with saw.
615: Build secret project... well, part of it.
730: Unload dishwasher and clean basement.
800: Learn to use new leaf blower.
900: Book hotel room for Tough Mudder.
And now, it is time to watch HGTV and go to bed. I lead an exciting life. But first, a glimpse of my secret project...
Anyone wanna guess what it is??
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I think we've all experienced Blinking Cursor Syndrome. When you have something to write, want to write, and all you can do is look at the cursor on the screen, hoping that the words will magically appear. But they don't.
Well, that's what this blog has become for me over the last few months. I would say that I've just been too busy to write anything, but that's not true. It doesn't take that long to write a post, whether it's about medicine or anything else. I think the problem is that I always want to be profound, interesting, and engaging. Which is admirable... but some days just don't have that in them. And I feel like this blog is supposed to be about me and my life in residency, which should involve a whole lot of writing about actually being a doctor because thats how I spend most of my time. But so many of my posts this year have been about other stuff that I stopped writing all together because I felt like it wasn't an accurate portrayal of what my life looks like.
So, here's the deal.
I'm just going to write something every day. About something. And post it. The more I write, the easier it is to write. So I'm going to ban the blinking cursor and just put some words on the screen. Maybe a picture or two...
Bear with me and hopefully something good will pop up now and then.
Peace out,
Kari
Well, that's what this blog has become for me over the last few months. I would say that I've just been too busy to write anything, but that's not true. It doesn't take that long to write a post, whether it's about medicine or anything else. I think the problem is that I always want to be profound, interesting, and engaging. Which is admirable... but some days just don't have that in them. And I feel like this blog is supposed to be about me and my life in residency, which should involve a whole lot of writing about actually being a doctor because thats how I spend most of my time. But so many of my posts this year have been about other stuff that I stopped writing all together because I felt like it wasn't an accurate portrayal of what my life looks like.
So, here's the deal.
I'm just going to write something every day. About something. And post it. The more I write, the easier it is to write. So I'm going to ban the blinking cursor and just put some words on the screen. Maybe a picture or two...
Bear with me and hopefully something good will pop up now and then.
Peace out,
Kari
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
You may be wondering if my momentum from the first two weeks in my new house have continued over the last 8 months of working 60-80 hours a week. Well, I would say it has slowed but not stopped. Here are some update pics of the major rooms, move-in day compared to now, and the projects still to go!
Dining room:
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| Move in day... very yellow. |
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| I'm digging the crooked light fixture |
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| Love the big window. |
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| Today |
Still to do: Paint table white, add stuff to walls.
Guest Bedroom:
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| Slightly after move in day... |
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| Painted, got a bed, added ceiling fan |
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| Curtains, shelves, etc. |
Still to do: Add a headboard, couple things on the wall.
Master Bedroom:
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| Move in day... empty. |
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| Move in day... note the missing outlet covers. |
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| Today, walls painted, mirror up, new(ish) bedding, cat. |
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| Today: Bedside tables, white ceiling fan. |
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| Today: Stuff on walls, curtains, lots of sunshine (it was nearly 70 today!). |
Still to do: Paint doors white, flowers in vases.
Living Room:
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| Move in day: Wooden fireplace, pink/orangy walls, big picture window |
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| Move in day: Kinda tunnel-like, missing outlet cover. |
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| Today: White fireplace, new sectional, coffee table, rug. |
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| Today: Bookshelf, picture window, entryway. |
Still to do: Fun chair for the corner by the TV, hang mail holder by front door, move around artwork, add mirror over fireplace?, get real flowers to replace fake ones.
Kitchen:
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| Move in day: Green metal cabinets, broken sink hose, old linoleum floors. |
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| Move in day: lots of bisque appliances. |
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| Today: White cabinets, new stove, trash and recycling, new faucet/hose, new hardware, new light fixture, old floors are still there. |
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| Today: Shelf painted white, wine rack, extra counterspace, homemade window treatment, awesome mixer. |
Still to do: FLOORS!!!! They are in truly terrible shape. It may or may not have to do with me dropping a heavy metal cabinet door on them from 5 feet in the air... they turn white with water. They need to go. Also, replace counters, maybe replace sink, get new(ish) white appliances to replace DW and fridge, maybe add backsplash.
Other projects in the works (or in my head):
Redo full bath
Add beadboard to half bath and repaint
Paint sunroom
Add door to basement with cat door
Restain deck
Redo front landscaping
Paint trim in various places
Paint downstairs hallway/hang art
Progress is being made!
Peace out,
Kari
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A few weeks back, another resident and I had the opportunity to serve as the IAFP Physician(s) of the Day for the Indiana General Assembly. Basically, you hang out at the state capitol and treat another with urgent or emergent medical problems. There's a little medical office with supplies and an exam table, and you get a pager so you're not tied to the office if there aren't any patients to see.
Things were relatively slow that day medicine wise, so we spent most of the day wandering around the capitol and eating free breakfast from the Indiana Soybean Alliance. No, really, the ISA provided a delicious (non-soy based) breakfast for Senators, Representatives, their staff, and apparently a couple of "you don't look old enough to be a" doctors. Go figure. Drug companies can't provide free pens because they might skew our prescribing practices, but the Indiana Soybean Alliance (and about 100 other interest groups) can provide free breakfast, and maybe some informational pamphlets, to our lawmakers. Hypocracy if you ask me. And yes, I did take an ISA pen off the table.
Anyway, part of being Physician of the Day is that you are introduced in both the House and Senate when they convene. The Senate's meeting for that day lasted about 2 minutes, and sounded more like an auction than lawmaking. But it was certainly interesting! Our stint in the House was a little more dramatic.
So, one of the perks of being POD is that you actually get to stay on the floor of the House (or Senate) while they're in session. Really no one other than the Representatives, the occasional staff member, and the Minister of the Day get to do that. Normally, I'm sure that's a pretty pointless perk. There's a gallery that any Joe Schmoe off the street can sit in and overlook the session... and the day we were there, there were a LOT of Joe Schmoe's sitting up there, as well as a lot standing outside the doors of the House. We just so happen to have come on a day that the house was voting on "Right to Work" legislation, which deals with whether or not an employee can be required to be a member of a union. I don't really get unions all that well, so I don't have a great opinion of this legislation. I do know that a LOT of people were very worked up about it. Looking at the debate (which lasted about 4 hours that day, involved a fair bit of yelling, chanting, and some stories that made absolutely no sense), in the pure sense of a debate, I would say the republicans (who wrote the legislsation) won, hands down.
Either way, it passed, to later be voted on by the senate and signed by the govenor. It was very exciting.
I think this was a slightly atypical day as POD, given the high profile legislation that was being voted on. However, I still think it was a cool opportunity and would love to do it again!
Peace out,
Kari
PS. Yes, I do realize it has been over a month and a half since I posted anything. I'm terrible, I know. I have lots of things to share, though, so be on the lookout!
Things were relatively slow that day medicine wise, so we spent most of the day wandering around the capitol and eating free breakfast from the Indiana Soybean Alliance. No, really, the ISA provided a delicious (non-soy based) breakfast for Senators, Representatives, their staff, and apparently a couple of "you don't look old enough to be a" doctors. Go figure. Drug companies can't provide free pens because they might skew our prescribing practices, but the Indiana Soybean Alliance (and about 100 other interest groups) can provide free breakfast, and maybe some informational pamphlets, to our lawmakers. Hypocracy if you ask me. And yes, I did take an ISA pen off the table.
Anyway, part of being Physician of the Day is that you are introduced in both the House and Senate when they convene. The Senate's meeting for that day lasted about 2 minutes, and sounded more like an auction than lawmaking. But it was certainly interesting! Our stint in the House was a little more dramatic.
But prior to the drama, we capitalized on a photo op...
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| Excuse the sideways-ness of this picture. In trying to fix that, I almost threw my computer on the floow, so I decided to just give up. |
So, one of the perks of being POD is that you actually get to stay on the floor of the House (or Senate) while they're in session. Really no one other than the Representatives, the occasional staff member, and the Minister of the Day get to do that. Normally, I'm sure that's a pretty pointless perk. There's a gallery that any Joe Schmoe off the street can sit in and overlook the session... and the day we were there, there were a LOT of Joe Schmoe's sitting up there, as well as a lot standing outside the doors of the House. We just so happen to have come on a day that the house was voting on "Right to Work" legislation, which deals with whether or not an employee can be required to be a member of a union. I don't really get unions all that well, so I don't have a great opinion of this legislation. I do know that a LOT of people were very worked up about it. Looking at the debate (which lasted about 4 hours that day, involved a fair bit of yelling, chanting, and some stories that made absolutely no sense), in the pure sense of a debate, I would say the republicans (who wrote the legislsation) won, hands down.
Either way, it passed, to later be voted on by the senate and signed by the govenor. It was very exciting.
I think this was a slightly atypical day as POD, given the high profile legislation that was being voted on. However, I still think it was a cool opportunity and would love to do it again!
Peace out,
Kari
PS. Yes, I do realize it has been over a month and a half since I posted anything. I'm terrible, I know. I have lots of things to share, though, so be on the lookout!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
After living in North Carolina for 4 years, my winter weather wardrobe was somewhat depleted when I arrived in Indiana. All fall, I was looking for a pair of winter boots since I was told there' lots-o-snow up here near Lake Michigan. Pretty much the only specification was something that will keep my feet warm and dry without weighting 47 lbs. I ended up with the Sorel Suka II.
They were put to the test the other day when we got about a foot of snow, which I had to shovel (problem with living on a corner lot... twice as much sidewalk to clear). They were awesome. They absolutely kept my feet warm and dry. They have clasps on the side and there's no lining covering the gap, but once they were all closed up, no snow snuck in (like I was afraid might happen). I also wore then all over town for two days because it was snowy and slushy, and got a couple complements on them.
They are super comfy, easily fit my jeans when I tucked them in, and are a cinch to get in and out of. I knew from the start that I wanted Sorel's (high quality, great durability, really warm). From what I've heard, pretty much any boot of theirs will do the job, but I thought these were kind of unique and interesting, without sacrificing function! And boy to I love function...
Now all I need to do is buy a pair of snow shoes to strap onto them so I can walk to work when it snows!
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