Even when I know it isn't true, some little part of me always clings to the hope that everything would be different if I just had a new color of lipstick.
This was the quote on my calendar this morning. I am not sure new lipstick can fix my day, but am willing to try. Also planning to meet a couple of guys from work for a dinner and a drink - maybe that will work.
Maybe "City Life" is too much for a small town girl like me. I was just coming in from the parking deck when I noticed this really cute guy pushing his bicycle. We end up standing waiting on the elevator. He made some comment about the weather, and we struck up a conversation. We were both flirting by the end.
Harmless enough, right? I left out a very important part of the story - the kid was barely old enough to drink legally. As all of you know, because I have whined about it quite loudly, I just turned 35. I have no business flirting with a 21 year old college student - even if he has the most adorable blue eyes, and curly blonde hair. I mean come on - he isn't even my type. I tend to go for the dark and brooding type.
I don't know what has come over me, but I guess I have some latent cougar tendencies. I think I should take two aspirin and go to bed. My Life Today is just too outside "my box".
Wow - seven short days ago, I was complaining about my overabundance of time. One would think that I am old enough to know better. This past week has been crazy. Finishing up my first weekend call, and I think I may survive it, but barely. I know I have said this before, but it is amazing to me how differently they do things here. Still adapting - some days easier than others.
I did finally break down and cleaned the call room at work. I threw away five bags of trash and collected one large trashbag of scrubs and underwear. DISGUSTING! However, I can now at least walk into the room without holding my breath.
Have had an otherwise quiet weekend. I missed Matt's pirate party on Friday - it looks like they had a great time. Wish I could have been there. Today is my friend Jackie's birthday - Happy Birthday - mom to be again.
I did finally figure out how to change my blog background. Plan was to add a few pictures of Philly so that you guys could enjoy the city with me. However, it has poured down rain all day so there wasn't much for any of us to enjoy. Hopefully things will clear up soon.
Big plan for the week is my first Philly haircut. Very nervous, but can no longer stand my bangs that now reach past my nose and have a serious case of trailer park highlights. Wish me luck. talk to you soon.
I never thought I would say this - but I have too much free time.
Before several of you buy plane tickets to come here and hit me over the head - hear me out. I have not had loads of free time in quite some years, I fear that I have forgotten what to do with it. I know I am still settling in to Philly, and haven't yet made a lot of female friends, but that is not even what I mean. I have plenty of things that I should be doing today. I need to mail Matt's birthday present, send some thank you cards, shop for groceries, go to the gym, call some friends, and the list goes on and on.
However, because I have nothing else to do this weekend, I keep telling myself I have plenty of time to do it later. It is now four hours past my normal start of the day, and I have accomplished absolutely zero so far. Now one, could argue that I deserve a lazy day, if one did not know as I do that I have had two weekends full of lazy days. I need to be productive. What is wrong with me that I can only function optimally when I am running full out at the end of my rope? Am I getting lazy?
I try to reassure myself that I just need to practice, but I am open to any ideas. I would lie to you all and tell you that I need to end this blog so that I could run some errands, but the chances are that I will curl up on my couch with a book and accomplish nothing else for a few more hours.
Yours,
Couch Potato
As I sit here during my second night of call, I realize there are certain things that I miss A LOT. Some expected, and some much less so.
Matt and Grace - not that I don't miss my friends over age 5, but I never realized how much I used those two to stay sane. One "want to play Go Fish Aunt Tammy" or a giggly "do it again" for some reason righted my world more than I realized. I wonder what the chances are of Kris moving here for a year?
Nurse Practioners - I miss quite a few of the NPs as friends, but I miss all of them as members of the team. I feel somewhat as if I am selling out my own profession here, but I am sorry - the complexity of our patients, and the rapid way in which things change - it is much nicer counting on the same NP that you know and knows you and more importantly knows how "we do things" than whichever random surgical resident that you get. They have NPs here, but I have yet to figure out exactly what their job entails.
Non-smelly call rooms - I am the only girl here. Not the first time, but I am the only girl that has been here in quite some time. I can not even begin to describe the call room/office. There is an odor that I can't quite put my finger on, but it is not good. Underwear litters the floor - NOT KIDDING. The TV is balanced precariously on a file cabinet that doesn't open, a desk that wobbles and a Bible. There are three book cases of odd pieces of I am sure someone's medical record. The upper bunk of the bed is reserved for dirty scrubs - these must be kept seperate from the dirty socks and shorts you understand. As soon as I am no longer the "new girl" I plan to seriously clean house - until then I just close my eyes of "Think of England".
Diet Coke - this hospital only has Pepsi products. Enough said.
Sweetheart Attendings - I miss Attendings that view me as something other than a way to get the job done. Literally as I sat here writing this blog - I talked to one and texted with another Vandy Attending who just wanted to check in on me and see how things were going. The attendings are perfectly nice here, but I doubt that I will be having Thanksgiving dinner at any of their homes. It is just different.
Oh well, enough whining. I promise this will not be a place for me to complain. I just wanted you all to know that I miss you like crazy especially tonight.
Survived my first night of in house call - barely. My black cloud followed me here to Philly. First night on call - I have a stab wound to the heart and a patient on the floor dies (saved both), but not exactly a nice quite night. Spent a good portion of yesterday asleep.
When not asleep yesterday, I finished unpacking most of my stuff and hung a few pictures on the wall. Finally starting to look like an apartment. A surprise to no one but me - I have A LOT of stuff. Embarassing tidbit I swore I was going to tell no one but Kris, my dad had to add closet space into my bedroom for all of my clothes. Ridiculous I know for someone who spends most of her time in scrubs.
My parents are leaving for Georgia tomorrow. They have been seeing the city and reporting back to me about what I should see and things to skip. Most things they have enjoyed a lot. We all took a trip to Lancaster, PA on Sunday and went thru the Amish countryside. Beautiful. We also rode over to Hershey and did the tours. I will be honest, a whole town devoted to Chocolate is my kind of town. My dad also got his "authentic" Philly cheese steak last night so he is happy and ready to leave. (He had one earlier in the week, but didn't think it was all that special.)
Hoping to see my friend Beth with Calla and Giulia this weekend. It will be nice to have a girls weekend and catch up. I am off for the second straight weekend - unheard of for me, but I could get used to it. I think I have found my "cable" box so I will get some pictures added soon.
my life today: sunny and pleasant
Let's face it - most of my friends are afraid to call me because they hate talking to the operating room nurses and/or they are afraid to wake me. I am afraid to call most of you, because I figure no one will continue to be my friend if I wake them up at 5 in the AM - which by the way is when I have the most free time as I am getting ready to go to work. Therefore, I decided to steal my friend Kris's idea and start a blog. I will be honest - this is not the first idea I have stolen from her.
You may all hate this and if you do let me know, but I thought it might be a good way to keep everyone informed as to how life in my world is progressing. I hope you guys also use it to keep me informed. I often feel that I am living on Jupiter and news arrives very late here.
As almost all of you know - I am now living in Philadelphia. For a girl who HATEs being cold - this should be interesting. I arrived two weeks ago. I have found my way around the City fairly easily, but am still struggling to find my way around the hospital. It is actually a very old hospital, and has multiple additions thru the years named after dead men that no one knows. Unfortunately, most of the floors of the different buildings do not actually connect - so to go from Founders 3 to Ravdin 3 you have to go downstairs to 1 and across. Let's just say I spend a lot of time lost.
Luckily most operating rooms look and work basically the same. It is the one place I feel most at home, and have already done a few cases. Some of you will be amused that I have already done my first esophagectomy. (I swear that organ haunts me.) My first call is actually tonight, and currently relatively quiet. They are reportedly fairly brutal so we shall see.
Now to the real story. As some of you know, this move has been incredibly educational for me. I decided this move that I wanted to try to minimize stress. Therefore, in April I went online and found a moving company to arrange for my move. I signed a contract for them to pick up my belongings which I packed myself on June 20th or 21st. They then promised to deliver them to Philadelphia on June 25th or 26th. Sounded simple enough - WRONG. I received a call at 8 pm on June 20th that the "truck was full" and they would have to reschedule my move. Many phone calls later, I received a call today - July 7th - that they might be able to pick up my stuff on Friday. As most of you could guess - I did what I always do. I called my dad. He drove to Nashville last week, picked up my stuff, and delivered it to me here in Philly on Thursday. I have great parents.
I learned a lot during my 10 days without stuff. First, I miss my stuff. I may rarely get to watch television anymore, but I missed the option and the noise. Second, I have too much stuff, currently still unpacking and have a closet that is full with two more boxes of clothes to unpack. (Yes, I know I have to many clothes, but I like them all so get off my back). Third, you can see all of Philadelphia in two days if you omit shopping. (Which I had to do - please see lesson two.) Fourth, all of those lessons we learned in drivers education - they don't seem to apply to the people of Philly. Driving between lanes is normal here. Changing lanes without regard to people being in the new lane - also good. Stopping in the middle of the lane with flashers on and getting out of the car - acceptable. Making a sport of trying to hit pedestrians - encouraged. Very glad that I only have to drive to work. Everything else can be reached by foot. My fifth and final lesson - moving companies could really care less about you or your stuff and the sooner you accept that the happier you will be in the long run.
Oh well, lessons learned and hopefully this experience will never be repeated. I need to actually go round in the ICU so I will stop today's blog here. I will tell you all more about the city and my apartment in upcoming blogs. I will also add pictures once I actually figure out which box my camera equipment is in so that I can download my pictures off my camera.
My life today : A little overcast, but sun starting to peak thru the clouds
