Knit vs. Crochet

The ongoing drama(?) of a girl torn between two obsessions with too little time.

Monday, March 16, 2009

ABCs

...and I don't mean Airway Breathing Circulation.
Tired of thinking about important things like where I will be next year, financial solvency with 6 figures of student loan debt, and the practice of humanistic medicine in a non-patient-care-oriented specialty.
Time for some narcissism!

A - Age: 25

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I wish those cute-yet-oh-so-tough-on-grime cartoon scrubbing bubbles would actually appear out of the can to make my life easier.

D - Day of the Week: It's a tie between Friday and Saturday--Friday for the anticipation, Saturday for the sleeping in.

E - Essential start to your day item: COFFEE. And not that mop-water they like to make at gas stations in the south.

F - Favorite actor(s): I more have favorite movies than favorite actors, but a few...Ed Norton, Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Leung, Faye Wong

G - Gold or Silver: Depends on the outfit.

H - Height: 5'5" on a good day. They tried to tell me I was 5' 4 and a quarter last time I was at the doc's, but I refuse to let them take that 3/4" from me!!!

I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano

J - Job title: Medical Student (soon to be PGY-1!!!)

K - Kid(s): For me this should be Kat(s): Mei and Milo

L - Living arrangements: In sin (for about another two months, then it'll be legit in the eyes of god and man) on our compound, the Copperhead Ranch.

M - Mom's name: Huamei

N - Nicknames: S, Sarfa

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Stupid copperhead bite, stayed for study and for them to watch me for DIC.

P - Pet Peeve: Classmates who ask too many questions during lecture on topics which are clearly A) only pertinent to their specific situation B) designed to demonstrate their knowledge of a given field

Q - Quotes you like: Hmm, none off the top of my head... Ralph Waldo Emerson - "A man is what he thinks about all day long."

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Sex - None of your dang business. I mean...I'm female.

T - Time you wake up: An hour before I have to be at work.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Lima beans...but really beans of all kinds.

W - Ways you run late: 1) Too sleepy, moving too slowly 2) Cat disaster 3) Nothing to wear

X - X-rays you've had done: Chest, that's about it. But I've had a bunch of MRIs for studies, so I have proof that I've got brains for brains, rather than another option.

Y - Yummy food you make (made): Haven't made anything truly decent in a while, but as long as I have my non-stick wok I can always whip up a stir fry or some noodles. (So azn...)

Z - Zodiac: Taurus, which is a convenient excuse for my bull-headedness.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Transitions

Only two months away from my medical school graduation. I somehow feel obligated to write, but I’m not sure that I’m capable anymore of putting my thoughts, my emotions to paper (or screen).
Our exit course has been so centered around the doctor-patient relationship, the on-call scenarios, preparing us for the trauma of intern year. And I, who will not be starting an intern year in July, feel left out.
Perhaps it’s just the beginning of a lifetime of feeling “left-out”. On the periphery of the human drama and tragedy and wonder—the sound and the fury that drew me to medicine even before I knew (could know) exactly what it entailed. To not feel those depths of emotion, to cry over the frustration of the alcoholic patient who left AMA (whose parents showed me the glamour-shots “before alcohol” picture in the hallway in front of her room, who I assured we would do all we could).
I think it's for the best.