Thursday, April 21, 2005

 

$2.00 margaritas and good friends...

So in 3 days, I leave the Quad Cities for the foreseeable future. I may come back for a 4th year rotation, but even so, the group of friends that I have here will likely not be there. While I'll probably see J once in a while, M will be off doing her anesthesiology residency, K will probably be back in MN with her new husband, G will be off God knows where, A will probably be back home in MN, L will be home with her husband and little boy in WI, Lu will probably be off in MN...

So tonight we went to Carlos O'Kelly's for some margaritas, food, and a good time. It's kind of weird, outside of G, J, and Lu, I didn't really know the others. K goes to a different school, M is a year ahead of me. And yet in these last 8 months, I'd like to think we've become good friends. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel like there's this camraderie that develops when you're trying to survive medical school. We form a small herd of us that crams into a booth every morning for breakfast, we've hung out together, we've vented about people and life, we've shared life stories, we've laughed... it's been a great experience. While I'm overjoyed to be moving back home and away from certain roommates (refer to my post from last week), I'm really going to miss my "A Crowd" as G has labeled us. It's been a blast, but I know life has to move on. Sigh...

Claud 11:27 PM 

Friday, April 15, 2005

 

A Note to My Beloved Stethoscope and PDA

Dear Stethoscope and PDA,

Let me begin by apologizing to you both for leaving you in Chicago all week. You will never know how much I missed you all week. It's pretty sucky to be on a cardiology rotation and not have a good stethoscope. And you're a great stethoscope. Bill's spare stethoscope, while appreciated, wouldn't let me hear a siren passing by let alone a heart murmur. The earpieces felt so foreign. I spent the whole week guessing at heart sounds. Unfortunately, I usually guessed wrong. I can only imagine what Dr. M was thinking... "Wow, she's dumber than usual..."

And my little PDA, I never realized how handy you are to have until I didn't have you. So many times I thought, "I need to look this up," or, "I need to put this into my PDA" only to reach into my pocket and realize, "Oh, my stupid ass left my PDA in Chicago." Poo.

In short, I missed you both. I hope I never leave you two behind again...

Claud 9:18 PM 

Thursday, April 14, 2005

 

Really, I'm fine...

Hey Irene, don't fret, I wasn't talking about myself in that last post. =) Just having some issues with someone out here. Needed to vent.

And in other news...

As I pack up my stuff out here for the move back home, I realize, holy crap, for being one person, I have a lot of stuff. Yes Fatima and Dan, I am trying to downsize.

A general question to any med students/physicians...

Am I:

a) stupid for
b) crazy for
c) completely out of my mind for
d) capable of

taking COMLEX step 2, USMLE Step 1, and USMLE Step 2 all in one summer?

Came to the realization that I may have to take USMLE to be eligible for some residencies if I am wanting to stay in Chicago... I know, I know, I should've taken USMLE Step 1 last summer, but it's a story for another post... [kicking self in head]

Claud 10:59 PM 

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

 

Ten on Tuesday...

Ten favorite foods:

1. Sushi - especially salmon
2. Salmon - in just about any form - grilled, baked, raw, even the eggs are tasty
3. Graeter's peach, double chocolate chip, or mocha chip ice cream
4. Steaks at Outback Steakhouse - I pondered the idea of having the wedding reception there
5. Pulpo a la plancha and chicken croquetas from Cafe Iberico
6. Cheetos
7. My dad's barbecue and pancit luglug (don't think I spelled it right, oh well)
8. Tita Ellen's pot roast
9. Chocolate chip cookies - specifically the nestle tollhouse recipe
10. I love food.


Today's rant, sponsored by the letters F and U...

Rant of the day...

Dude, I don't know how you make it through life with all the complaining you do. Do you have any idea how unpleasant you are to be around a lot of the time? I think I can count on one hand the number of times you've been happy about something or weren't offended by something. If you'd pull your head out yer ass and step back for a second, you just might realize that the world's not all about you.

Feeling slightly better now. 11 more days.

Claud 9:00 PM 

Monday, April 11, 2005

 

another typical conversation with fatima...


Me: So I was thinking about buying this cute pink purse I saw at [insert store here].

Fatima [with look of scorn]: Don't talk to me about pink purses. You want to talk about pink purses, you talk to Marilyn or something, not me. [now for those of you who know Fatima, she's got that look of disgust on her face, you know, the eyebrow thing...]

Once again, welcome to my world. Notice a trend here?

Claud 10:59 PM 

Saturday, April 09, 2005

 

a typical conversation with fatima...


[Fatima is watching some animal program, Jack Hanna or something]

[I enter the room]

Me: Oh look! An anteater!

Fatima: It's a tapir, dumbass.

Welcome to my world.

Claud 2:57 PM 

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

 

My orange and blue heart is broken...


By 9:00 last night, I'd had 2 glasses of wine to calm my nerves. By 9:15, I had eaten a large bowl of popcorn and 3 pieces of blueberry coffeecake out of sheer stress. By 10:00 Michelle had performed card tricks and tried on her wedding dress to distract me. At 10:15 I was rocking back and forth on Michelle's floor. By 10:30 PM I was semi-catatonic. And then it finally set in. My beloved Illini had lost.

As much as it sucks, I just have to remember - it was one hell of a season. I may never again see a team and a season like this. I've never watched as much college basketball as I have this season. No one can deny that Illinois deserved to get to the big game. Yes, they made some mistakes, but damn, did they live up to the name Fighting Illini. I so badly wanted them to win, for Coach Weber, for the seniors... but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. But at least now they know what it feels like to go to the Big Dance, what it takes to get to St. Louis... and maybe, just maybe someday they'll be cutting down the last 2 nets of the tournament...

Thanks for the ride, boys. It was amazing.

Somewhere up there, Dawn Weber is smiling.

And in related news...


I'm about to admit something that might raise me into the upper echelons of geekdom. This could cause Dan to re-think our future together.

"One Shining Moment," the theme of CBS's NCAA coverage, is one of my favorite songs.

Go on, shake your heads.

I love it. I can't help but bop my head and smile every time I hear it.

And that highlight reel that condenses 63 games worth of basketball into 3 minutes... I love it. Even after last night, I had to watch it. You know, if ever the "One Shining Moment" highlight reels are compiled onto a DVD or something, hell, I'd buy it.

"One Shining Moment"

The ball is tipped
and there you are
you're running for your life
you're a shooting star
And all the years
no one knows
just how hard you worked
but now it shows...
In one shining moment, it's all on the line
One shining moment, there frozen in time

But time is short
and the road is long
in the blinking of an eye
ah that moment's gone
And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
That one shining moment, you reached deep inside
One shining moment, you knew you were alive

Feel the beat of your heart
feel the wind in your face
it's more than a contest
it's more than a race...

And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
That one shining moment, you reached for the sky
One shining moment, you knew
One shining moment, you were willing to try
One shining moment...

Claud 11:06 PM 

 

A word on Pope John Paul II...


You know, for all the bad feelings that many may have against the Roman Catholic church, you gotta admit, Pope John Paul II was a good man. How many people can forgive and pray with the man who tried to kill them? He had a way with people, and you could tell he cared about the masses of people who would come to see him. Even when he was incredibly weak, he would go to the window and move his arm as best he could in order to bestow a blessing upon the people, and even celebrate Sunday Mass. On aol, they have a picture of him with a baby, and he's laughing... when I saw it I couldn't help but smile, but it also made me sad. And I'll always smile when I think of him riding around, waving at everyone in his little bulletproof Pope-mobile.

I'm glad he's at peace now.

Eternal rest grant unto him , O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

Claud 11:01 PM