The delight of DAYS... (and other discoveries)

• I LOVE BEING ON DAYS!!!! Today commenced my two weeks of OB day float, and it is already infinitely better than night float. Not only do I NOT have to carry the gyn-onc pager or do post-op checks, etc., I have another whole resident helping me in triage (I kept saying, I LOVE YOU, Zhanna! Can I tell you again how much that I love you?!) and don't have to worry about "drafting" the list for the day! I may actually have time to go to and enjoy deliveries now :) We actually had time to sit down today and eat something quickly for lunch. I almost don't know what to do with myself, there's so much free time :) He he. Or maybe it's because I'm getting the hang of things and actually more efficient... who knows. There are a lot of variables going on; however, the bottom line is that it is BETTER.
• The only thing about days is that I have to get in around 5-5:15 a.m. in the mornings to round on PP patients.... I think it will be hard to continue to, every day, get up around 4:15 or so to bike there in the dark, but hey, IT'S BETTER THAN BEING ON NIGHT FLOAT. And there's minimal traffic at 4:45 a.m., so I get to work more speedily :). Today, I got let go a little early, around 6:30 p.m., but will, most days, be there till 7 p.m. So long hours, but still, let me say it again, BETTER.
• I've discovered that it really isn't that far to the locked-up bike cage where, from now on, I will be keeping my bike while at work (even with my current seat-leash) instead of just parking it out front of the hospital. I go in through the hospital by the ER entrance and find my way to the L and D floor.
• Dictating after being up for 24 hours is not a good idea. Yesterday, I went to sign an L&D discharge summary that I'd dictated on Friday, and there were all these blanks and nonsensical things that I must have, unknowingly, slurred while trying not to fall asleep. If I remember correctly, I think I did doze off once or twice while dictating. Good thing we have a chance to "edit" these before signing them and making them "official."
• Three of my new OB patients rejected me :( Of the new OBs I've seen recently in FP clinic, one decided to have a TAB (therapeutic abortion), another decided to finally switch her care upstairs to OB (she, if you recall, was the pt I was phone stalking earlier), and the third decided that she wanted to move and deliver her baby in CO. I guess I couldn't fight with her on that one-- I'd love to live in CO someday! Oh well. My advisor says I shouldn't worry too much about continuity deliveries, in that I will have plenty, with time, but I just feel like it will/would be so much more rewarding to deliver patients I know and have followed and am bummed that they left me!
• On a completely different note....The American River Parkway is a great place to bike/run. Yesterday morning, Kate and I went for the 50-minute run that kicked off our workouts for our half-marathon training. We plan to run the Cowtown (Sac) race on 10/7. I think there are other races that can also be weaved in to the fall, but I'm not sure I can work them into my schedule. From this month of OB (2 weeks of days left), I go to a month of Medicine at the VA, which Kyla tells me is WORSE (as in harder) than OB (It CAN'T BE, I keep telling her :)). I think the hours might be worse/longer, but the stress can't be nearly as bad. We'll see.
• I need to get used to spending 2+ hours each time I go to Sunday Service at Arcade. It was a very interesting service, missions-focused, with one woman who actually is doing women's health and needs OB doctors to go to Pakistan, and another Brazilian couple speaking about their mission work on the streets of Sao Paolo, but it did stretch quite a bit. I think my attention span has dwindled since medical school...
• I discovered a neat little coffee place, Coffee Works, on Folsom Ave., not far from my house. It currently has Persian and other rugs hanging up on the walls, is cheaper than Starbucks, and has free wireless-- it was a lovely place to spend Sunday afternoon, catchiing up on the Time, AAFP, and People magazines I haven't had time to read (okay, okay-- the People is from a free 3-month trial offer I got from signing up for this half-marathon training group--I didn't pay for that entertainment!), as well as working on (AGAIN!!! Does it ever end?!) my research paper revision.
• Ginger has been recalled in northern California, due to it being obtained from Chinese sellers who either did something bad or didn't do something good. I tried to get some at the groc store Sat. in order to make some Huli Huli chicken for our FP intern potluck get-together last night, and had to go with the pre-smushed stuff in jars!
• It can be cold in Sacramento in the summertime! We FP interns got together yesterday for a bbq/hangout session at Phi's, and were all huddled around the grill, shivering in in the windy weather, wearing our fleeces! We were going to maybe play some volleyball or frisbee, but it was too gusty!
• I think I've become wimpier in the 2 months I've lived here. We would be thrilled to have 70s and 80s in MN, but here, it's considered chilly!

Adeel and Fahtima

Jeremy manning the grill for a bit




Phi "flippin'" and Amy helping




• Raley Field is a cool place to go in Sac! Tonight, Kate, Amy, Amy's friend Michael, and I all went to a Sacramento River Cats minor league baseball game against Oklahoma. It was fun, BUT COLD!!!!! I wish I had had a hat or something! :) We left at the bottom of the 7th due to all having to get up early (and being cold!), but we were up 5-2. Go felines :)

View of the field from our lawn seats on "Home Run Hill"

Dinger, the River Cat (mascot)Michael, Amy, and Kate I was cold even with the blankie!

• I'm discovering that I'm probably going to get less sleep while on days than I did on nights, as I tend to want to stay up and "do stuff" during normal evening hours now, whereas previously, I didn't feel quite so guilty just coming home, crashing, and sleeping the days away. BUT I DON'T CARE!!! Days are way better than nights! :)