Rotation Dreams

I am on my last day of my two-week block rotating on Urology (well, 3 days a week of Urology, and then FP clinics for the rest of the time). I always think it is so great when, after spending time in a specialty, I start thinking of myself as "one of them," or at least imaging what it could like to be a xxxx-ogist. I think this is part of the reason that I found it so hard, during my fourth year of medical school, to decide on a "specialty," because (with a few exceptions-- radiology, pathology, anesthesia [sorry, Hans]), I really liked just about everything (which is why I am here in Family Medicine, which is a great fit!)!

I have similarly had a great time on many of the "specialty" outpatient rotations we do as part of family medicine training (dermatology, ENT, ophthalmology,etc.). This Urology block, however, has probably been my favorite rotation of residency yet! The doctor who I've been working with has been out in practice for over 30 years, and is a wealth of information. He also has an excellent sense of humor, is very good to his patients, and is, additionally, very well travelled and well-rounded. In addition to getting a lot of prostate exam experience, learning vasectomies (a procedure I really want to do when I get out of residency), and learning how to competently manage a ton of urologic problems, including BPH, kidney stones, hematuria, scrotal masses, hypogonadism, incontinence, erectile dysfunction, prostate cancer and more, I have gotten to hear about and see pictures of a bunch of the countries he has recently visited and listened to Tom Lehrer's songs on his office ipod speaker system.

It has been a great two weeks! A few patients kicked me out of their rooms when the time came for the exam... I guess this was expected, and I sympathized with my male colleagues who often get rejected from women's rooms for GYN/cervical exams or deliveries. In any case, if I wasn't a family medicine doc, I think I could totally be a urologist :). I may come back for a few half days in August when there is not another resident on with him because it has been a joy!

In other "rotation dreams"... I have elective time in August and have been dreaming, for many years, of going to Alaska. When we put in our schedule requests for next year, I specifically asked for elective time during the summer so that, if I was able to go up north to be able to complete a rural medicine rotation, I wouldn't freeze off my rear end. After moving to CA from MN, I am somewhat worried about wintry weather, although perhaps I could again get used to it if I were to spend a significant amount of time up there. However, I've been told that, due to residency/clinic requirements, I am only able to take 2 weeks that block to spend away.

I have emailed and called a bunch of different places, including in Nome (where one of my medical school classmates, Marla, rotated last year), Bethel, and around Anchorage and Sitka, but I'm not having much success in getting "accepted," because I am not able to sign on for four weeks. I just submitted one more application and am communicating with a smaller private practice to see if they will be able to accommodate me. I have my fingers crossed. Let me know if you have any inside connections to doctors/practices up there, so that I can spend time in what I imagine is an unbelievable state with great opportunities for practicing medicine.

Approved texting

I'm still not a big texter, but I've gotten a LOT better.

It feels a bit strange to promote an activity that I have so often denounced, but I thought I would post a quick note on something which has come up a few times in recent conversations and reading: the TEXT4BABY Campaign.

As someone who takes care of a lot of pregnant women and has a particular interest in maternal and infant health, as well as someone who is rather jealous of 99.5% of the population that is superior at texting than I am, I thought I would mention what a great idea this seems to be.

This campaign is a new (as of February) private-public partnership which pays for free texts to expecting and new moms to remind them of various pregnancy milestones and tips for newborn care. All a Mom has to do is text BABY (or, in Spanish, BEBE) to the number 511411 and enter her due date in order to be registered. The idea came from a chairman of a tech firm that planned to send texts as health reminders in developing countries, where the apparent access to cell phones exceeds the access to health care.

Pass this word on to your friends and patients!

Vancouver STFM Conference

This past weekend's adventure was to Vancouver, B.C., for the STFM (Society of Teachers in Family Medicine) Conference.

It had been over 10 years since I had been to Canada (ah, band trips...), and it was a blast, both educationally and sightseeing-wise!

There was great FM faculty and resident attendance, despite some of our only being able to "be gone" for limited periods of time, due to clinic/hospital responsibilities (Char flew in for less than 24 hours!)

Jeremy, Ashby and I got on a 6:15 AM flight from Sac, through Portland, to Vancouver on Saturday AM (I don't think I'd been at the airport that early... ever!!), and arrived at the hotel by noon-time. We checked in, got our badges for the conference, and got to do a bit of exploring of this beautiful city!

While the weather wasn't the greatest, we did walk around a bunch Saturday afternoon.

Vancouver has a very neat, clean downtown, with a nice waterfront.

Above is the CANADA sign above the "Canada Place" convention center by the waterfront.

Here are Ashby and Jeremy, posing by the maple-tree flags :)

Vancouver (like much of the west coast) has a large Asian population, and one of the largest Chinatowns of any city I have been to. We wandered amidst the streets, shops, and visited a pretty garden in the center.

Ashby, Jeremy w/ the guarding lion

Park Pagoda

Weird sign we saw in a mall:
You're right, I won't let you have Oxycontin over the counter!

Sunday morning, we went to a fabulous speech by a doctor who spoke about his challenges and joys, as a patient who suffered a devastating accident but who is now snowboarding and skiing with a prosthesis. I went to a lecture/discussion about a global health curriculum, and then got to visit the posters of and speak to other residents and clinicians about their experiences with important clinic topics such as continuity in FP clinics (a topic about which I am very passionate). Ashby and Kyla also presented an awesome poster about the factors going into graduates' decisions to practice/not practice OB after residency.

We took a short ferry ride across to Granville Island, which was filled with cute shops, markets, and galleries.

Ashby, Jeremy, Kyla, and me with Harry the Hippo.


A gelato cone, and view of Vancouver city (can you see the snow-capped peaks in the distance?)

We had a wonderful seafood dinner on Sunday night, with the whole UCD crew (about 20 of us!!)down by the waterfront and "Gastown" district, which is the main historic part of Vancouver.

Monday morning, I ventured to Stanley Park on a run, and had great views of the mountains!

Then, Char, Rocky, and I presented our poster on Obesity Management (we have a weight-mgmt clinic within our FP clinic which is efficacious in improving patients' 1- and 2- year weights). We had a lot of visitors!

Char, me, Rocky (pic stolen from Char)

Jeremy and I then had to try the Japadog stand outside our hotel, where there was always a n extremely long line!!! I had a yummy "Oroshi" dog, with Japanese mayo, horseradish, and the works! MMM.

Ashby and I then had to book it back to the airport, via Sky-Train, to fly back to Sac.

A short trip, but very worth it! I learned and saw a lot!

Now, if I can only figure out how to get off OB to be able to attend next year's conference in ..... NEW ORLEANS!!!

Earth Week and Sonic Boom

Tomorrow (4/22) is Earth Day! I have loved recognizing "Earth Day" ever since I was little.
I am not sure exactly how or why I became such an enthusiastic conservationist, but sometime around the end of elementary school, I decided to create a "scrap paper drawer" and ever since have extended my anti-wasting attitude towards many things ... including fruit and foods that most people argue should not be salvaged :) Before I forget to mention it-- in honor of Earth Week, ALL national parks are offering free entrance this week (4/17- 4/25) so, if you live near one, GO!!!

In addition to cutting down on waste, I also thought that, this month, I would try to do a little "cutting down" on some other vices. Kelvin and I were overseas in Asia in February and I kind of missed the Lent bandwagon this year in terms of "giving something up." I have also been, with travel and long hospital hours in March, not doing very well in the healthy eating department, finding myself overdoing it with sweets and sodas (I have become quite a little Diet Coke addict). So, with these various factors in mind, as of last week, I planned to give up both sweets and soda for at least a month. This probably doesn't help the earth in the slightest, but it is in the spirit of anti-indulgence that I thought it was somewhat relevant to this post.

I am also going to try something which some might find weird: giving up daily hair-washing. I don't know what most girls (or guys?) do, but I have been, for as long as I can remember, a daily-hair-washing person. I so envied my college roommate, Cathleen, who, despite working out daily with the track team, only washed her (always gorgeous-appearing) hair a couple of times per week. I truthfully am not sure I can get away with this due to my "hair type" because I always think it looks a bit weird and greasy after about a day, especially with attemped workouts in the mornings. However, I am going to give it a shot. I have located a very stylish shower cap from some hotel I stayed at once. I will still shower daily, but think I will save water by not washing the hair as much. Reducing the hair-washing frequency may make my hair healthier (?), but I wonder if I'm going to have to start straightening it or something to make it look presentable, which would kind of negate the environmental purpose and the health-purpose of such a stunt. I was told that my scalp will "get used" to the less-frequent washing, and reduce its grease production accordingly. Amy told me that there exists "dry shampoo" which might be worth trying. True stuff? I welcome any and all tips about surviving with q.o.d. hair-washing.

With all that "saving," it was about time that I did a little indulging, right? Well-- the indulgence was at a little fast food place called Sonic, which I have heard so much about (esp from my Florida friends), but which I had never tried. I didn't think that they existed out here, except in Fresno (about 2-3 hours south of Sacramento); however, Kelvin found out that there is one in Roseville, 20 miles from Sac and just down the street from the Urology office where I am currently rotating. The "jumbo" popcorn chicken was not so jumbo, but the jalapeno burger was awesome, and the drinks (cherry slush and a lime "chiller," which made me feel quite a bit guilty because it was kind of dessert-y and so tasty) definitely got gold stars. I will definitely head there again!!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! [Maybe you can celebrate at the Sonic by you :) ]

Red Eggs and Lost Luggage

I flew back from Cleveland on Sunday and went straight from the airport to Mason's Red Egg celebration, albeit sans luggage which is another story in and of itself but, really, does lost luggage even faze me anymore? (the answer is no)

In any case, the Red Egg celeration is a Chinese celebratory tradition where the parents of a new baby introduce him/her to friends and family. It usually is held when the baby is at least one month old (somewhere between 1-3 months), as infant mortality was so high in China and many newborns didn't survive the first month. The baby was traditionally "named" at this ceremony, although nowadays (at least in the U.S.), most babies are named much earlier. As far as the "red egg" part, parents hand out red-dyed eggs at the party which symbolize happiness and the renewal of life.

Mason is very special to me-- he is the son of Wai Kiu (fellow FP resident) and Hanh, and the first baby of "friends" I got to deliver, just after Thanksgiving last year. Being able to have had the opportunity (privilege) to do the delivery was so amazing, and every time I see the kid I remember what it was like to be the first one to hold him! He is now almost 5 months old (residents' schedules make it difficult to have red egg parties on time!), growing like a weed, and just a very mellow, calm baby. It is always fun to hang out with him and his family! Here are some pics (some stolen; thanks, Wai Kiu!) of the day:

Babyland! (Oliver w/ Madeline, 6 months), Swati with Mason, me, and Noelle (with Kacey, almost 1 year)

with Kelvin

The "Red Egg Boy" with Wendy, Jessica, and Kimie

With Mommy, wearing his dinosaur (1st) outfit!

With the proud parents, cutting the cake

And in celebrating other babies.... Noelle and Kacey (almost 1 year old!)

There has been a lot of baby-holding lately! Fun times!

P.S. My luggage, apparently lost in San Francisco, made it to my place by about 9 p.m. last night, 7 hours after I landed. Sigh. Maybe I can get my $25 back.

Computer Crossroads- your advice needed!

It is time to get a new computer. I think I graduated to this Dell laptop during the beginning of my third year of med school, which was about 4 1/2 years ago. While I was a bit wary of the switch to the laptop, I have been very happy with the PC. Until now.

I think it was sometime after Christmas that I noticed that my computer started to slow down and began to regularly freeze on me. I cannot reliably open word or powerpoint documents because the system seems to just think, think, and think (that hourglass is really annoying!) without very much happening. I am able to access any given saved document about 40% of the time, and this 40% is never predictable. I have (without assistance-- you may be surprised!) uninstalled and reinstalled the Microsoft Office suite, without any improvement in the above. I may have a computer system overrun with viruses or something, but I paid over $100 one time a few months back (when my always-reliable internet stopped working) to have a computer expert remotely access, diagnose, and repair my system and the friendly agent-guy seemingly got rid of all the junk that may have been screwing up my system. I have McAfee Antivirus software, and have been defragmenting the drive and all that (I know you computer experts are probably cringing at my terminology). And in case you were worried, yes, I have indeed backed everything up on an external harddrive.

I do admit that I am still quite technologically-challenged. As I mentioned in a recent post, I don't really trust the GPS and prefer paper- or (gasp) even personally-given directions. I continue to use a paper day- and week-planner over the Palm, which I found interesting (due undoubtedly to its novelty) for about a week. I don't like the idea of the Kindle or electronic book-reading and just want my good old paperbacks to hold in my hands and drag around in my checked luggage. I can't, for some reason, seem to "absorb" information read from online articles and have to print them out and highlight them in order to learn something :) When something happens to a camera of mine (including being dropped on Half-Dome, shutter buttons becoming detached in Peru, being lost on a ski slope....), I have typically replaced it with an inexpensive and simple (although not very good quality) alternative without fancy bells and whistles. I have gotten MUCH better at texting, but still prefer to be called, assuming I have daytime minutes ;). I don't think I will EVER own an I-phone. Actually, I don't think I could ever even figure out an I-phone. So I am debating on what my next move, computer-wise, should be.

For computer-purchasing advice, I immediately turned to my Dad, who is somewhat of a gadget genius and always has the latest consumer reports information on the best products nowadays. I can always ask him to tell me what research he has already dug up on any product I am considering buying. He also happens to be a happy Mac-owner, after making the switch a few years ago and he strongly feels, due to the lack of virus-infestations and apparent immunity from system crashes, that "once you go Mac, you won't go back." I used his Mac (desktop) when I visited my parents over Christmas and have to say that, for someone who pretty much uses a computer for playing music, the internet/blogging, and word- processing/powerpoint, I probably utilized a minute fraction of the "power" of the Mac; however, I remember just being frustrated by not having my PC commands work the same way, not being able to save things like I was used to, and not having blogger work the way I wanted it to. I know many of you are probably Mac owners and feel the same way.

So tell me, truthfully.... is the greatness of the Mac worth putting up with the frustration of learning a new operating system? Is it worth to put up with the Mac in a PC-dominated workplace and world (I really worry about the compatibility of documents across computers)? Is the cost (I think Mac laptops are running around $1000-1200, about 2-3 times that which I'd have to pay for a similar PC laptop) worth it? I know people tend to feel strongly about this, so I ask for your honest advice. If you were me, or, more importantly, LIKE ME in your approach to technology, which way would you go? Because I have this sense of dread that, any day now, my laptop will suffer sudden-computer-death, rendering it completely useless, I am probably looking to get a new machine in the next week or so. Let me know your thoughts!

Sturgeon Awe!

While in Wisconsin, I got a chance to see what some nature lovers (thought of you, JB!) may appreciate but may not have gotten a chance to view. I had no idea what a treasure was there in New London!

The activity was sturgeon-spawning. Unless you are John or perhaps his and Wendi's son Isaac, who, at almost two, already knows how to say "cygnet" as well as the names of monkeys I have never heard of, I did not know very much about these fish, except that they were big. I certainly had never seen one. In any case, I have since learned that they indeed are big (some 6 feet long!), prehistoric, and apparently are also quite rare, although the Lake Winnebago waterway system in Wisconsin has the largest concentration of sturgeon (around 58,000!) in the world.

The Wolf/Fox Rivers which run through the towns of New London, where my cousins live, and nearby Shiocton, population 945 (according to the sign we saw!), apparently is the only place in North America where spawning can be seen and which Allison, Ryan, and Brayden took me to see! The fish swim down from the lake system to the rivers, where, when the river water reaches the right temperature (which apparently was just last week), the females lay their eggs on the shallow rocks to be then fertilized. This includes much "dancing" around one another just offshore of the river, and occasional flops out onto the rocks. The fish then return back home.

Here are some photos of our afternoon out there. Although the pics aren't spectacular, it was a really neat thing to see! So there is my naturalist post from this vacation :) Soon it is back to "city" life!

Vacation pictures worth a thousand words (albeit stolen pics)

I am no longer in Minnesota. Since then, I have bounced two states-- to Wisconsin to visit my cousins in New London, and now in Cleveland, OH!

It has been a very productive vacation in that I have gotten the chance to catch up with so many relatives and friends! It has not been a productive vacation, photo-documentation wise. I have written many words but not posted many pictures; here are those which are long overdue and the majority of which I stole from either Rachel or Lesley!



From Rochester:

Friday night potluck

Here is Kristen, practicing being a mom to a baby girl with Rachel and Hans' baby Kaia (she is due in July!)





Brandon, getting Kaia to smile in his own way-- we laughed at watching him try to replace her very cute headband with bow

Saturday's baby shower for Lesley (and baby boy Jones due in a little over a month!)

Rachel, Les, Kristen

me with Rachel and Kristen, the hosts

Very yummy cupcakes and chocolate-covered strawberries

Kristen threatened Les and me with leftovers, saying, "please take them. Otherwise I'm going to just throw them out." Gasp! Okay, okay...

Opening gifts

Glowing mama-to-be


Kaia, trying to get at the cookies-and-cream Hersey kisses on the table

Les and me (and choco-flavored goods)- can you see the chocolate theme?

(I wish I wasn't wearing this fleece in every picture :( )

Afternoon at the park: with Hans and Kaia on the swing, which she loved!

I think the MN weather was better than that in CA (I heard it poured while I've been gone!)

Kaia, the swinging cutie

From MN, I drove the 4 hours to New London, WI, where my dad's first cousin Allison, her husband Peter and their kids, Natalie, Ryan, and Brayden live. Although it was a state away, they were geographically my closest family when I lived in Rochester, and I enjoyed many a long weekend relaxing at their beautiful home.

It was relaxing-- for me; my days were filled with reading, Glee-watching, recipe-finding (Allison has tons of magazines and cookbooks to browse through), and sturgeon-sighting (see subsequent post!). The kids' schedules, however, are another story. I barely saw Natalie, now a freshman in HS (soo hard to believe!), between school (she had an early bird class starting at, I kid you not, 6:30 AM or something!), softball practice/games, a confirmation interview, and homework (boy, I really don't miss high school!). The boys are also very involved in sports, and I was able to catch their baseball practice! I can't believe how grown-up they are. I'm hoping they take a westward vacation out to California to visit me sometime in the future!

Allison and me

Brayden (10), Ryan (12), me (still in the black fleece...), and Natalie (15)

I had to leave Wisconsin (sniff) on Thursday to drive the 4 and a 1/2 hours to return the rental car in Minneapolis, because for some reason it is cost-prohibitive to do one-way rentals in this country (why is that??!). Luckily, I had some idea of the way, because my GPS (which, Dad, I very much appreciate as a gift but which is not always reliable [I always still write down directions via Mapquest, and will always trust paper directions and a map over GPS]) was not "finding a satellite" through most of (rural) Wisconsin. I had two very smooth flights that landed me in Cleveland a half-hour ahead of schedule! In my Glee- addicted state, trying to squeeze in one episode in my 1-hour layover, I was actually overhead-paged to my gate in Chicago to board and, 25 minutes before take-off, was embarrasingly the last passenger to get on the plane! While I appreciated the efficiency of the day, I still think air travel, with its stupid checked-bag fees (I noted I did save $2 by checking in online the night before my flight), stupid food fees, and stupid TSA liquid restrictions, is obnoxious. But enough about that. I know I must tolerate air travel in order to be able to visit my very wonderful friends!

I landed and was greeted by Natasha (med school friend) and Nikola, who I haven't seen since med school graduation! We hung out with some Serbian friends of theirs, and then got to play with little Cristiano, just about 1 year old, who I obviously hadn't yet met!

Natasha is one of those incredibly hip people (doing her Derm residency at Cleveland Clinic) who I never thought would be having kids so soon (she would never send me any pregnant pics of her, so I joked that I wouldn't believe she was a "mama" until I saw the proof of the kid!), but she is a fantastic Mom! Her parents are here watching Cristiano during the day while she finishes residency, which is a wonderful blessing. It is so good to see them!

Proud parents

Hot Mama

I got him this train from the Philippines which he thinks tastes great! :)

Macedonian cutie!

Although she is doing *derm*, Natasha did have to work today :( Nikola took me around some of Cleveland, driving through downtown and passing various sports stadiums and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum (I guess Cleveland is supposed to be the birthplace of Rock and Roll?); we didn't walk due to vicious thunderstorms. The weather here is crazy-- it was 87 degrees yesterday, and today, the weather consisted of alternating pelting rain- and sun-showers, followed by a cold front which puts tomorrow with a high of 40-something. Brr! In any case, Nikola and I had yummy soup and burgers for lunch at an Irish pub, then waited in the alumni library until Natasha got off. Natasha and I had evening sushi and spent some lazy time wandering around Borders bookstore, which I could just do all day long. It's been so great to see them again!

On Monday, I have to go back to the *real* world of working-- clinic and urology, but I am going to savor my last (2) days here and as a free woman! I love vacation...

On the move / moving on

I am currently in Rochester, MN, home of the "WFMC" (World-Famous Mayo Clinic as we jokingly call it) and my med school alma mater. On Friday, I flew down to MPLS/St Paul ("The cities") from Grand Forks. I guess I didn't have the best airport-timing as I arrived there about 50 minutes before my flight left, with no pre-printed boarding pass and one bag still to check (with another $25 to pay... grr... I have two more flight legs on this trip before I return to CA! And if you think THAT is bad, as I definitely do, read about possible future and outrageous fees for using the restroom or bringing carry-on baggage here). Although some might think this arrival interval was no big deal, I tend to be a bit more conservative and anxious before flights, so this might have been the closest I have ever cut it; however, I was thankful that I was at GFK, which has a total of 2 gates. The flight, which lasted less than 1 hour, was uneventful and, despite plenty of sleep and a good book (now onto Harlan Coben's Long Lost), I was, again in typical fashion, unable to keep my eyes open for more than 10 minutes. I seriously do not know what my problem is.

In Minneapolis, my bag was already waiting for me at baggage claim (maybe the $25 checking fee pays for exceptional baggage-claim-delivery service?) and I then proceeded to a very smooth car-rental process at Alamo where (after declining the "upgrade" ["No, thank you, I just want your cheapest car, even if it doesn't have power windows" and gas-prepay options ["No, thank you, I can fill up myself before returning it"]), I got to hand-pick my "economy" vehicle. There were four with their trunks open. I went for the first, red one (it happens to be a Corolla but I did not know this when I picked it :)). And lucky I was! It smells brand new, and had just 90 miles on it when I drove it out of there. I kind of like driving a flashy red car :) Now as long as I (a prius-driver convert) can remember to put the keys in and take them out of the ignition and avoid cracking a window (happened on a previous rental, almost making me get insurance), I will be good!

I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post. I haven't been very good about photos on this trip-- I think I took one of my grandma and me, none when I visited Amy, Richard, Jacky, and Derek in Fargo, and just a few others today, but I will post some once I can successfully steal from the blogs of my more photo-on-top-of-things friends. Last night, Lesley and David had friends over for a potluck dinner to catch up. I saw Ebby, Ronnie, and the Ray kids who have grown tremendously (Veronica is graduating HS this year!), Kristen and Brandon, as well as Rachel and Kaia (we missed Hans who was on call for OB anesthesia). We chatted just as if no time had gone by since I left in 2007. I so appreciate these wonderful people who were such a big part of my life just 3 years ago when I was still living here. And who don't think it's weird to go to bed at 9 p.m. or to rescue leftovers (Lesley is the only person I know who takes this to the same extreme as I do! Love her!) :)

Today, Rachel and Kristen hosted a baby shower for Lesley, who is now nearing the end of her peds residency, and also 34 weeks pregnant! There was awesome food, great fellowship (with about 9 other "ortho" wives!!! I couldn't believe how outnumbered I was, some of whom have little ones, and 3 others who are currently expecting!), and Lesley got some much needed and practical gifts. We can't wait for the arrival of Baby Boy Jones; Les and David are going to be such awesome parents!

It is weird being here in Rochester. I'm staying with Lesley and David at their house which they bought after med school (we miss the Roch Towers but this is way cooler!). It is weird driving around this town which was my home for 4 years. Much is the same, but there are new restaurants and a lot of new housing developments now popping up. Today, we stepped into the med school "LRC" (learning resource center) which was the location of much studying and computer-using between classes, which brought back many memories.

Being here is very bittersweet. While Rochester was not the best fit of a town for me (very homogenous, very "married," very conservative, very cold, and not the most exciting of places to live) and, 3 years ago, I couldn't really wait to move somewhere new, there are certainly things that I really miss. I miss living 2 blocks from the med school and downtown clinics and spending 10 minutes (albeit sometimes a very cold 10 minutes) walking there. I miss the free and super gym (which has gotten even more super since I left, although I haven't seen it myself). I miss playing music and singing in church, and the Thursday night Beyond Eden Bible study. However, what I miss the most is the kindness and friendliness of all the people here, and the lasting friendships I made.

Being with the girls today at the shower made me really miss having a "community" of close friends with whom to share everyday life. I've met great people in residency, but conflicting and strenuous schedules have really precluded the kind of closeness and connections with people that I'd felt in the past. I don't think I ever had so many great friends in such close proximity as when I was in med school here. I shed a lot of tears here in Rochester for various reasons but never had better support from my wonderful classmates here. After med school, a few stayed on here at Mayo, but most of them scattered across the country for residency- Boston, Florida, Arizona, etc. I've gotten to see most of them at one point or another during the past 3 years-- I saw the Kits in Florida twice (before they leave for Turkey in a few months!) and at Ajit's wedding last May, Les and David and Rachel/Hans here in Rochester (last time was 2 years ago for Hans and Rachel's wedding), Nicole in Baltimore intern year, Tia/Rob in Boston during vacation 2nd year, Erin several times for skiing and hiking given that she's just in Palo Alto, and Molly in SLC and in San Diego over Labor Day. I will be visiting Natasha in Cleveland next week. I would say that's not bad considering we are all residents. However, it's just not the same.

We aren't all getting together for leftovers-potlucks and Mexican Trains, frisbee at Soldier's Field, or Idol at the Towers. I miss it. I realize that I have moved about nine times since I was born-- from NY to Nepal, to Pakistan, Virginia, then Bangkok, Nepal again, McLean for HS, Richmond, Rochester, and now Sacramento. I have never lived anywhere longer than 4 years. And while I love traveling and love living in and experiencing new places, the moving is starting to wear on me quite a bit, mostly emotionally.

I tend to get very attached to people. It's pretty devastating for me when I see people move away. And the thing (not the packing, nor the boxes and driving) which I hate the most about moving is leaving special friends (and family). While I definitely make quite an effort to keep in touch with family and friends from all walks of life, via email, blogs, phone (occasionally :)), now facebook (I am quite addicted), etc., I just miss being with them, physically and in the same town. I know that you meet people everywhere you go and I'm sure I will continue to meet many more wonderful people in my lifetime, but sometimes I kind of want to freeze time and capture all of my best friends and keep all my family in one place. Being quite an introvert, sometimes I don't want to make new friends and just want to keep the old and be around those who know you well and your history. While it's great to jet-set and visit people across the country and across the world, somedays, and more and more now that I'm "older," I wish I were finally just good and settled. I wonder when that will be.

Starting in a few months, I will have to start figuring out where I will took to get a job once residency is over next June. I don't see myself on the East coast, where I went to HS and college and where my parents, godparents, and sister are. I don't see myself in Minnesota, although I love visiting with my family here and friends from school and it is so comforting to be around people who know you so well. I think I am becoming a California (or at least a west coast) girl, although this is not set in stone and I could probably be convinced to become a resident of another state. Come this summer/fall, I will, yet again, be caught in the struggle of whether it is time to "try something new" or whether should stick around in Sacramento, which is where my new friends are and which has definitely become home in the past 3 years. Is it time to move again? Only time will tell.

Running musings

I am not a huge runner. I guess I like running a tad more than my friend Natasha who, on the first day of medical school after numerous people introduced themselves and commented that they "like to run," stated simply, "I only run when chased." I still remember this intro of hers like it was yesterday (and can't wait to see my non-running and now-mom friend next week!). In any case, I like running in order to chase objects (i.e. frisbees) more than I like the actual running. I'm no crazy Molly-girl who runs 50-milers and things like that "just for fun". I do it for exercise (boy, has my metabolism slowed in the past couple of years!) and since moving to CA, have run a couple of half-marathons for a challenge, which it definitely has been; however I don't think my body is built for long-distance running such as a marathon, as much as I'd like to accomplish one. I have been throwing around the idea of running another half marathon on May 1st, but I'm really having a hard time mustering up the energy and motivation to train, having been traveling, commuting to Stockton for work, trying to hide from the Sacramento rain, and trying to catch up on very critical Time and other magazine-reading (which I do at the gym in true multitasking-style). I am being very indecisive at this point and, if I could just make myself sign up, I might find the motivation to make sure I ran enough this month to make it possible; however, I just keep putting off and putting off the idea of committing myself. I would love to find a buddy to run with, especially on the day of the race so, if you are planning to run the American River Half Marathon on May 1 in Sacramento, let me know and I will sign up pronto!

And speaking of running, I wanted to mention and get some input on the latest seeming running craze. I remember hearing, for the first, time about "barefoot running" from my friend Char about 6 months ago. We went for a run on the American River Parkway one Saturday morning (a perfect morning capped with a yard sale and yogurt, if I remember correctly!) where she told me that she was starting to "run barefoot." "Barefoot?" I asked incredulously, totally clueless (like I generally am about most new trends) about this craze. It sounded incredibly painful and, frankly, just weird.


If you are in the dark about such an activity, as I was just mere months ago, the principle is that running "barefoot" simulates the way that we (and those Kenyan marathon winners!) used to "naturally" run and which optimizes the mechanics of your stride so as to decrease the potentially damaging impact on your body (you can read about such scientific evidence at a science daily article online here). Running barefoot uses different muscles, and is supposedly far superior to our artificially crafted way of running (with shoes) with its detrimental heel-striking.


Do you buy it? I was not so sure before, but I am starting to warm up to the idea... of trying it. Part of it is getting bombarded by articles by a particular running- enthusiast attending and seeing such supporters in action. While Char said that she started out running in barefoot "shoes" crafted from leather-like soles and socks, she (and Brenden, who sometimes wears them to clinic!) now own Vibram Five "barefoot running" shoes, which definitely keep them "on their toes" and up to speed when we play frisbee on Tuesdays.







So... to run May 1 or not? And with or without shoes? :)

Vacation is for...

.... spending time with old friends

Laura and Tony (great friends from college days at Richmond), Abbie (their newest addition -- almost 11 months!), and Laura's parents were out in California visiting family and took the time to drive to Sac to visit for the day on Saturday! I am so happy to have gotten a chance to see them (they came out to visit me in the spring of intern year) and meet (for the first time) Abigail, who was born on Mother's Day last year.

We started the day at the Davis Farmers' Market and then made our way to the UC Davis Arboretum (which I hadn't yet visited) to wander through the groves and have a picnic lunch. Since L and T had visited Sac in 2008 and seen most of the downtown area and Old Town (amidst my hectic intern schedule), we just came back to my place and had yummy desserts from Rick's Dessert Diner (legendary... if you come to Sac, make me take you there!) before they had to head back to the coast. Although a short visit, it was great to catch up! I think that, next time, it is my turn to visit them out in NC.

Some pics from the day (some are stolen from Laura)...

Picnic lunch (Abbie looks quite angry although she really wasn't; I think it is just squinting)


Girl time


Fending off the ducks


Smiles while picking out cake at the Dessert Diner



Comfy in my snuggie -- it's still been cold in CA!!

I am excited to see other friends-- David/Lesley, Kristen/Brandon, Hans/Rachel/Kaia, the Rays, and more (hopefully!) when I head to Rochester later in the week, and then Natasha, Nikola, and their baby at the end of this midwest trip.

...visiting relatives

Early Easter Sunday morning, I flew from Sac to MN to visit my Grandma up in Crookston. The last time I was here was for Thanksgiving about a year and a half ago.

Coming back to this part of MN always makes me a bit nostalgic. While for the most part, I often feel homeless and like a migrant, I spent pretty much every summer of my childhood here in northern Minnesota, and while life goes on, sometimes I remember this area just like I was about 7 years old (complete with gardening at the farm, grandma's baked goods, Lucky Charms cereal, and other treats unique to Minnesota :)). Although I could never live here (something about there being no one around, shoveling snow in April, and air that smells like sugar-beets year round...), it feels more like "home" to me than anywhere else I have lived.

My grandma still lives on her own in an apartment she moved into after my grandfather died 12 years ago. While she has slowed down considerably in the last few years and every time I come, I wonder whether it will be the last time I see her, she still has her stubborn ways and routines and I just smile and go along with things [since I am sleeping on the couch in the living room, I am ecstatic that she has pushed her "normal" waking time from 5 am to 7 am].

Bill and Carol, my sister's godparents, picked me up from the airport and we went to have dinner in Grand Forks (about a 1/2 hour west of here, and considered the "big city" ["Ooh, the traffic!" exclaimed Grandma as we drive into town. Wish she could have seen Manila traffic!!]. Grandma had a hip replacement about 2 months ago and this was her first major outing-- she did great!

Carol and Grandma (decked out in her favorite purple) outside the Golden Corral

Yesterday, my cousins Kristi and Nicole came down from Bemidji for the day, which prompted another trip into town for more lunch and.... shopping!

Now, you must know that I am not a big shopper. I seriously wish I could pay someone to do my grocery shopping for me, or subscribe to some kind of delivery service. While I love garage/yard sales and swap meets (!), I hate wandering through isles picking out things and I hate trying things on. I buy things from catalogues here and there, but haven't considerably changed anything about my wardrobe in recent memory, and the number of shoes I have in my closet is way out of proportion to the amount of style I have. I definitely think that other things are much more worth my time.

My grandma, however, loves, loves, loves to shop. When I was younger, we'd come home from our oversas post to see closets full of frilly dresses to try on; I think my younger (and much more stylish) sister, who, per Grandma, had a very successful shopping mission when she was here visiting in November, always enjoyed this more than I did. But shopping is just "something you do" when you come to visit Grandma. So, into Grand Forks we went. After something like 2 and a half hours of wandering through Walmart (Grandma's gold mine), T.J. Maxx, and J.C. Penney's at Columbia Mall (Kristi and Nicole found some cute shoes and clothes), I came away with a tank top, practical dress skirt, belt, and a new ring (not $1, though :(), which is more than I've probably bought in a year. At least that is done with :)

I am planning on seeing other relatives-- Duane/Marilyn (my great aunt/uncle) tomorrow, Amy/Richard/Jacky/Derek on Thursday in Fargo, and my Kurth cousins in Wisconsin next week.

What a friend- and relative- filled vacation this will end up being! It's great!

...reading

I love vacations for the time it permits me to read for fun. Since I've been doing quite a lot of time-pressured traveling, I haven't done a whole lot of "pleasure" reading this year, but got a few library books checked out and just hope I don't run out before I return back to CA! I guess, in a pinch, I could run across the street to the Crookston Library and camp out ; however, per my dad who was here in February, non-Crookston-residents are not allowed to check out books!

I am currently reading Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, which is good so far! Please send other book recs my way, as I may have some time when I get back to Sac to do more reading, and I may need to pick up an emergency paperback at the airport!

... watching TV

Watching TV is one of those things I do incrementally more than shopping. Phi always makes fun of me for not being "up" on pop-culture. I invite myself over to friends' houses to watch major sporting events (thanks, Alvin, Kristin and Caesar!) and shows which I hear are worth watching (Tuesdays is IDOL night at Phi or Jeremy's and, soon, will have to be Glee night too!). Back when I lived in Rochester, I was able to get a few basic channels on my TV; however, this somehow doesn't work in Sacramento. I am virtually TV- less and don't really mind it (I don't know how people have time to watch it, anyway!). However, my grandmother has tons of channels! While I know it sounds kind of ridiculous, I always feel kind of guilty "just" watching TV; i.e., I generally feel the need to multitask, whether it be write emails, open mail, do sit-ups (ha! kidding!), while watching. Back in HS, I watched a TON of college basketball while doing homework :) In any case, vacation may be the only time where I have just sat there and watched TV, focused, and guilt-free. Since being here, I have caught some reruns of Friends and The Office (my 2 favorite shows... ever), Dancing with the Stars (which I'd heard a lot about but of which I am not a big fan), specials on the Wedding Channel (very addicting!). And with basketball games like were on last night (poor Butler... but great game!), I could maybe get used to this..... :). I better stop blogging soon because Oprah is coming on! :)

... avoiding internet and work

I am definitely guilty of being a work-a-holic. I tend to worry about my patients long after hours and put in extra time on work-related-activites... even on weekends and vacation. It is a bit unfortunate, actually, that I can get wireless internet on this computer from my Grandma's apartment (who would have thought it possible!) and that I don't have to walk to the library to get it. It is tempting to check EMR and dumb lotus notes (UCD email). It is tempting to blog and blog-stalk, which is certainly a favorite pastime of mine. It is tempting to check g-mail at all hours of the day. But I'm not sure that that is what vacation is about. I should probably sit back and enjoy being a bit "oblivious," letting myself read those novels, catch up on much-needed sleep, and veg in front of the TV, guilt-free. So, with that, I will put this computer away and maybe go watch that Oprah :) So, if cell phones aren't off-limits, call me if you need me or want to catch up!