Social Faux Pas and other musings

It is best when speaking with a nice blind lady who brings you dinner NOT to talk about how excited you are for autumn to come. She might feel a little left out when you exclaim how you can't wait to see all the beautiful colors that the East Coast has to offer during that time of year. When she responds with "Yes, well, I wouldn't know about that.", trying to smooth it over by saying you REALLY just want autumn to come for the more mild weather will most likely come across as a weak way to remove your foot from your mouth.

When being called to the position of second councelor in the Primary, it is best not to burst out laughing and say " Wow! I've never had a REAL calling before! Holy Crap!" Ok, so I say "Holy Crap" but I sure felt like it. And the Bishop was quick to tactifully tell me that there is no such thing a "real calling", every member a missionary and all that jazz. Hm. Apparently, he's never been in a ward where they set apart kids for bogus positions such as "Head Hymn Book Passer-Outer" and "Ward 'Happy Birthday' Wisher."

You might be wondering why a blind woman brought us dinner. Well, the ward brought us dinner when we first moved in a couple of weeks ago because our house was trashed and it was just a bad situation. The people who had lived there before left behind tiolet bowls that were brown and hadn't been cleaned in months, a refrigerator that hadn't been cleaned out in years, it looked like, along with dirty counters, filthy sinks, grimey floors, etc. Since we closed back in June and let them live there until their house was finished getting built (without demanding any kind of security deposit, etc), they knew we were eager to move in, Brandon had a tight schedule, and we didn't have any where else to go, so they had us and took advantage of our situation and if I were back in high school, I would probably find out where their new house was and then TP it.

Anyway, some wonderful girls from the RS came and helped clean, people brought us dinner, which was totally unecessary, especially getting dinner from a blind woman. It took us a lot longer to move in since we were cleaning like mad and the carpet cleaners still have to come and redo everything, so things aren't up against the baseboards like they normally would be, since the carpet along the baseboards are filthy. ANYWAY, other than the carpets, everything is clean now and moved in. We've done a lot of work. I will post just a couple of pictures, but keep in mind that these were not meant to be the official "Here's Our New House!" pictures, so I didn't clean or set anything up and there's still a lot left to do, like put up curtains and little stuff like that, so here is just a couple of pictures to tie you over until then. Ok just kidding - the photo thingee isn't working. I'll post some later. Try to get some sleep until then...

A Birthday Wish and More Self-Deprecation

I have many weaknesses. A list of them ranges everywhere from my addiction to dark European chocolate to an affinity towards hairy chested men (numbers #1 and #2 respectively). Wedged right between a preoccupation with everyone else's business (#7) and an insatiable craving for day-old circus peanuts (#9), is my inability to remember birthdays.
Annie, HAPPY 25TH (or is it 26th?)! It depresses me to think of how old (or young) you really are :)
I so hope you had a fun day and know that even though it slipped my mind in July, I am thinking of you on August 13th.
And for everyone else, happy birthday from me in advance.

They walked and walked and walked - Part Deux

We have been taking our kids on all sorts of hikes this summer. Poor things! They get dirty and sweaty and tired and convinced that the trail might never end. Their whining was almost enough to make us give up trying to turn them into good hikers, when we were inspired to buy a camel pack for them to take turns with while hiking. Now they love going out just so they can suck on that silly hose the whole way. If only all of life's situations were that easy to solve. Needless to say, we've experienced a paradigm shift about the phrase, "Go suck on it."

And they walked, and walked, and walked, aaand walked

Yep, this photo definitely captures the essense of my demenor. Rob, I'm glad to hear that things are getting better and that you have been staying under 80 hours a week. I look forward to the week that will be under 100 hours. I have high hopes for this as I am on a new service, Transplant. My favorite. I get to stay out of the OR all day and only do paper work, round, and fiddle with medications for 15 hours a day. OK the dry sarcasm is getting old. My program stinks and everyone in it knows it. They work us way to much and have almost no teaching time. We do have hope though, as the RRC is coming to review our program this month and there is no way that we will pass on the 80 work week as I don't think the faculty do anything to help us say even remotely close to this.

I am actually enjoying myself even with all of the scut and sleepless nights. I have adjusted to sleeping less, and spending my free time in zombie mode hanging out with the fam. We are finally moving this weekend into our home. I think we all are ready for furniture, a kitchen table, and cooking utensils. I look forward to thanksgiving next year. I'll have to give you all a call sometime to commiserate and share the small simple joys in life.

Tough women with tools.

More wall pics:
These are the ones I really wanted to put up last night, but I was having a tough time--and then it was time to go to bed, so I thought I'd give it another try today:

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."

Med School Buddies
I hope as you read the title you have the Counting Crows version of the song running through your head and not say, the Amy Grant version...By saying that I'm also probably exposing myself as the only person on this blog who knows there is an Amy Grant version of that song...but I digress. Chad's last post hit at something that I've been thinking a lot about lately--that there really were some great things about Iowa and about UIHC. I do miss the Avagard, the stuff here doesn't leave your hands as sliky smooth. And I miss the lighting. Everything at Iowa was well lighted. Here's it's like they are trying to save money on light bulbs or something and there aren't many windows, sometime when I do see the sun, it's a complete suprise, like "oh wow, it is sunny outside, it is still daytime." I'm afriad the last vestiges of my Hawaii tan are fading away.

To other matters, Alisa thanks for the David Hasselhoff clips--I can't believe he's still working the Knight rider thing. For some reason watching those vidoes, I started wondering if there was anyone else in American Pop culture that holds a similar position to Mr. Hasselhoff. Then it hit me--William Shattner--someone famous from a weird sci-fi TV show, who should be washed up by now, but is kept alive by a strangely devoted fan base (although it's trekkies, not germans like it is for DH) and by the weird fascination he generates with the rest of the public. Strange music videos seem to help too. Check these out as evidence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yerCiByca4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yerCiByca4 Other than that, I really don't think there is anyone like those two. Any other nominations?

Brandon, thanks for your post, you pretty much said exactly what I was feeling after my first couple of weeks as a surgery intern--it sucked. It still sucks, but it's getting better. The most hours I've logged in a week so far was 98, and I've been under 80 for the last two. I'm also getting more used to being on call and I think we are all adapting to our new scheduled--Gracie still seems to remember my name. The one nice thing here is that they are good getting me out the door early when I'm post call, so my compensation for another sleepless night as a scut monkey is that I get to spend the day with Julie and Gracie--after I pass out for a couple of hours. The residents I've been working with have gotten better since the first couple weeks too. My favorite quote from my first week is "yeah, I know I"m suppossed to be your back-up call tonight, but don't call me, I'm going to be drinking so you better just call the cheif." which is what one of the upper level residents on my first team at the VA told me. Since then I've been working with better senior residents and that's helped too. Anyway, it's tough, but it's getting better--I think I may actually be starting to enjoy myself a bit. As you saw, the house is coming along too, the wall is now offically gone and I think it's going to look good. I do have to say that beating the crap out it with a sledge hammer was fun though.