JENNETTE-ICS 101

Ketchup

2010-08-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been 6 months since I last blogged; and there are good reasons for that. But I'll just give you some highlights from the last 6 months -- other than the mundane everyday stuff:

*I did finally get my Christmas tree down before Easter.

*The Bataan Memorial Death march was AMAZING!! The outcome of that can be read here . Some pics of training and the event are below.

I was able to shake hands with some of the survivors, which was incredible. One 91 year old survivor marched the first 9 miles, as well as the 90 year old widow of another Bataan survivor. I have told people that even if they do not want to march, they should try to make it out to the event just to see these amazing veterans, whom are becoming fewer each year. 26.2 miles that day, I had never done anything like that before (I also did the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure 5K the day after an 18 mile practice march, I just walked that one.) I'm excited for the next year's March on March 27 for which I plan to do an all-female heavy team. My battle buddy Marsha won the female individual heavy this year so I'm sure she will prepare me well.

* I had 22 days of field training in the Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico. I didn't really mind the majority of it. I didn't have AHLTA notes to do, I got more sleep, sunshine, and fresh air. Sure, it was over 100 degrees in the summer, and I was getting a little annoyed by the people who since the first day kept declaring, "It's hot!" Yeah, like whining about it is going to make it any cooler, quit contributing your hot air! Near the end I think I had enough of the drama and some organizational issues that I was looking forward to getting back to the real world.

* While I was in the field, I had my first mass casualty (the basic definition is when your medical resources are overwhelmed, which was pre-planned as having more than 4 patients). This happened to be on an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon when all of my leadership (officers and non-comissioned officers) were gone and it was just basically myself and about 3 medics and an x-ray tech. There was a freak windstorm that pulled up our tent (the brigade aid station) from where it had been re-staked about an hour earlier. This tent, after knocking me over, flew over and knocked down the tent about 15 yards away that was serving as the patient hold area, and our company tent (serving as the medical support for the brigade) was knocked down as well. Everything was completely scattered as if a tornado had gone through, which was basically the case. Not even 2 minutes after this happened and I just barely picked myself off the ground, an ambulance pulls up and says, "You have two patients!" I verbalized my thoughts when I responded, "You gotta be kidding me!" We picked up a couple litter stands and proceeded to work on a guy with a concussion and a heat casualty. Another head injury patient is brought over and this guy was pretty bad. Word got out that there was a mass casualty and random people from the rest of the batallion came over. It was a blessing how everyone came together and that all of the people involved in the care were not hurt. I threw in people, including the chaplain and the social worker as well as other observers, to serve as human IV poles, hold stabilization, get ice packs, and other random jobs. 3 patients turned into 4, then a couple people who were injured or sick over the past few days were brought over. I admit that for a moment I was thinking, "C'mon, really? At all possible times, you decided NOW to get help?" In the end, all 6 patients turned out to be okay. The serious head injury who I wanted to get air evaced out had to go by ground, and he was in the ICU for a day, but recovered well and wanted to come back out. I sent back the other 2 head injuries as well and the other PA showed up in time to take care care of the last patient who had been sick for three days. Yay for mass casualties! I thought that we had filled our quota and would not have to do a mock mass casualty, but I was wrong. The last day and a half of training I was stationed at an ambulance exchange point with two of the medics. We had responded to a Humvee accident at 3 am that morning where 4 people fortunately had minor injuries but we did not get back until about 5:30 in the morning. At 7 am they decided to do a mock mass casualty with 40 infantry soldiers who had just completed a 25 mile overnight training exercise. Half of them did not know what their "injuries" were. Amongst them there were a few soldiers who really were dehydrated and a couple of them had some really messed up feet.

* Patients continue to keep things interesting for me. I have had some interesting ones. I had one week where I had to call patients up after 730 at night and tell them to go to the ER because one had a pulmonary embolism and the other an ectopic pregnancy. I'm sure the ER was wondering why I was still at work at 730 at night. One patient asked, "Can I eat dinner first?" I said no. He later came back and brought me and the other PAs a homemade macaroni and cheese dinner for his gratitude. This happened to be the same day that I had to be counseled because I got 2 patient dissatisfaction surveys over the last few months, which I actually fond to be kinda funny. I have had some moments where patients had tested my patience. I even yelled at and threw an E-7 (Sergeant First Class) out of sick call after I chewed him out for not holding himself accountable and disrespecting me. I'm still trying to build up my "mean" side. Army "customer service" is a lot different than civilian customer service.

*Oh, and to help me be a little more aggressive, I got promoted to the rank of Captain. Yes, I am now Captain Anderson. It's a rank I have to get a little comfy with because it will be a while beofre I will be a major. At least I won't be called "LT" anymore.

*I have been house/fish/cat-sitting for one of my co-workers since July. This involves taking care of four cats, three of them are females. You can bet there's a lot of drama that goes on.

*My last tidbit of news is that I am finally on "leave", a.k.a. vacation for 2 weeks. I'm spending it with my now three adorable nephews and sister and brother-in-law in Alabama. My newest nephew, Jacob Watkins, was born on July 20. He had some beautiful pictures taken already as seen here. More pictures to follow.

Reasons Why I Still Have My Christmas Tree Up

2010-02-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this weekend that maybe I should put my Christmas tree away (see previous post for picture).It's only 2 feet high and has a few ornaments other than the round glass ones, so it should have been done a long time ago, right? Well, here are some reasons why it's still standing by my fireplace:
1. Time. It's just one of those things that has not been on the top of my Saturday to-do list, especially since I did take an 11 hour nap after my road march last week (fell asleep at 3 pm, woke up at 2 am on Sunday morning).
2. It provides some "greenery" since it is just barely warming up to temperatures that a plant might survive in...but then comes the wind...
3. I don't have to water it.
4. The red base and red ornaments are festive enough for Valentine's Day. i guess I could acknowledge the holiday in some way. Maybe the red could be patriotic enough for the 4th of July? Maybe? Haven't you heard of celebrating Christmas in July? I did do it on my mission.
5. Since it is still winter, I can leave my snowman ornament on.
6. My Norwegian ornaments (thanks to my sis!). I can leave it up until at least the 17th of May!! (Sytennde Mai is Norwegian Independence Day, how else am I going to celebrate it in El Paso?)
7. Are we not suppose to celebrate Christmas everyday?

A Few Quotes of the Week

2010-01-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some memorable quotes from the last week, at least the G-rated ones...

* Medic: "This patient has MAD tenderness in their left knee!" I really hope they didn't document "mad tenderness" in their note. I'm trying to come up with a collection of lines taken from patient notes written by medics during sick call and use them for a future post.

* "Are you nervous Ma'am? Why are do you look so nervous? You're trembling!" This was the soldier who had to supervise me as I gave a urine sample for a random drug test. It could be the fact that I was trying to hurry for the three patients I had waiting up for me in the clinic, the company commander had to stop by and talk to about a patient before I went to the clinic, the fact that I had nothing to eat in the last 5 hours, or the fact that I just don't like having people watch me pee! I have come to terms with supervised random drug screens, as this was my third, but this person was a little bit too much into my business. As one fellow soldier says, "We get paid to have someone watch us pee!" Living the dream....

* Ruck march team member #1: "Do you see the horse?" Team member #2 " Oh yeah, yeah, I see it...yeah right..." Apparently in the Organ Mountains near White Sands and Las Cruces, New Mexico (which do look pretty cool) one of the mountains supposedly looks like a horse. Someday when I see it, I'll get a picture of it and show you, but for now...

I'll Bring the Strobe Light

2010-01-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

That was my remark following the suggestion that we should throw a "block party" or rave for the new offices that my brigade's PA's as well as myself moved to this week. The three other providers and I moved next door to the same building that houses the lab, behavioral health offices, dental clinic, and pharmacy, so we claim the little nook or hallway that makes up our four offices and the three medic screening rooms. So far, I've noticed a couple things that I have to get used to: 1. I'm feeling a little more claustrophobic and can't get my usual laps around the building as I talk with other providers. 2. Since the other PA's offices next door, our evening "documentation-music" can be heard very easily and might even clash. My singing might be heard as well, but it's okay. My neighbor and I sang along to the same song the other night. We'll have to do some karaoke for our "block party." On the plus side, I do FINALLY have a working telephone IN my office!! This makes life so much easier now. A couple weeks ago I finally got my printer again and will never have to hand-write a profile again, woohoo! Oh, and my Outlook email account got fixed, and I found out that I had over 300 messages.

I guess this was a highlight of the past few weeks. The first two weeks after the break were especially hard. They say that the day/week coming back from vacation is always hard, but these last two weeks were the type of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot weeks where I thought, "C'mon now, REALLY??" My first week back we were down two of our providers who were on leave, so that left me and another PA to handle sick call. Some of the patients had things that had been going since before or during the holidays and were just NOW getting it checked out, like guy with shoulder pain for three weeks (he actually fractured his humerus) and another guy who broke his hand over a week before. I got to know about the fracture clinic real well. And then there were the "incidental findings" of x-rays from lungs that didn't quite sound right. One had a hietal hernia (stomach pooches through diaphragm - which was actually great, because I had been working this guy up for chest pain), and the other was a young guy who had some weird calcifications and a 7mm nodule in his left lung. And then there was this awkward kid who I had seen for a couple of other things before who was complaining of headaches and turns out that on an MRI he has a brain mass. I referred him to neurosurgery, and the same day after his appointment he calls to complain that he knows more than the neurosurgeon handling his case. So what am I suppose to do?? Oh, and then there was the very brief phone conversation I had with a commander when I was trying to explain why I sent a suicidal patient (his soldier, who had 2 previous attempts before) to the ER and the only thing he asked me was, "Didn't you ?know he was being seen by behavioral health?" Uggg, that 's a whole other story, but if I had a little more rank I would really have told him what I wanted to say. These two weeks were finished off with me giving a lecture that I had spent hours on preparing and with little sleep, for which I only had 5 medics in attendance. Yeah. Thank goodness I had a four day weekend after that. It was much needed.
My fifteen mile ruck march for the Bataan raining was also very therapeutic, despite a couple of blisters. I am actually training heavy now (35 pound rucksack (backpack)) but unless I find another soldier to take my place, I may have to go back and support the light team. Our practice was cancelled this weekend due to predicted showers ("I'll bring a poncho!!" ) and I was a bit bummed because it turned out to be a very sunny, although cold and windy, day.

Still living the dream...

My Next Big Goal

2009-12-20T20:46:00.001-08:00

My next big goal is the Bataan Memorial Death March, which takes place in White Sands, New Mexico every year. Every year, thousands or people from around the world -- military member, civilians, amputees, children, adults, and the elderly-- participate in a march in memory of the soldiers who survived and died during the 60 mile Bataan Death March during World War II after they were forced to surrender to the Japanese. The intro to the movie, "The Great Raid," offers a good summary of the events of the Bataan Death March. It's a bit heavy, but pretty honest too.

Some of my military friends are forming a team to participate. We've been practicing for the last month every Saturday morning on Transmountain Road and through Franklin Mountains State Park. I've decided to be on the "light" team (just carrying water) because I really haven't been able to "PT" everyday and this is my first march, but I did try the 35 pound ruck sack the last time and it wasn't too bad (of course it was only for a little more than half of the 10 mile practice hike we did). Maybe I'll build up. We'll see.

This was after the weird November snow fall going up Transmountain Road. A perk of training on Saturday mornings and enjoying quiet, lovely views like these. A lovely view of Texas and New Mexico (Soccorro, far left)
For more information on the Bataan Memorial Death March, you can go here. Does anyone want to join me??

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

I broke out some of my very few Christmas decorations (mainly a few nativity scenes and a tree from Target) last week.

I also got a lovely poinsettia that was left over from the Holiday Ball. I guess it was one of the perks of staying until the end and dancing the night away. I told my fellow PA that we should cancel sick call on Monday to go to Legal Services to account for damages to the dance floor bece WE TORE IT UP!! And I was sober too. There might be someone out there who is waiting to black mail me with video of my moves, so beware!

A couple weeks ago El Paso was hit with a freak snow storm. It wasn't that bad, it's just that El Pasoans are not used to snow. A few days later there was another storm but it mostly left EVERY road (including I-10) covered in ice! I think I wore out my guardian angels that day as I did a little "gliding" on Fred Wilson Blvd early that morning. Of course I didn't get the message that the base was going to open up two hours later that morning.

Another tid bit, one job I'm really glad I don't have: the security gate people. Yeah, they have looked pretty cold recently. Maybe when I roll down my window to hand them my ID, I momentarily blast them with a little Christmas music and heat. It has warmed up since, so don't let a little cold weather deter you from visiting me in the "beautiful" city of El Paso!

It's been one of those weeks...

2009-11-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

These were my daily goals for Thursday:
1. Have my computer/electronic medical records system working. I was kicked off of the system at 8:30 the night before. I guess that was my sign to go home. Fortunately, it was working the next morning.
2. Talk to the clinical nurse psychiatrist about a patient whose needs exceeds that of a primary care provider. This was also my first "will not see again" patient. I've started THE LIST.
3. Not end the day with a mentally unstable patient, unlike the previous two days. Yeah, one of those weeks.

On an up note, my goals for tomorrow include:
1. Road march 6 miles through Transmountain Road. More details later.
2. Finish about 9 patient notes that had to be put off due to other events this week.
3. Go grocery shopping at the commissary when it is actually open. Open!
4. Prepare my lesson for Sunday school on Sunday. Yep, I'm subbing. It's actually from Preach My Gosple, chapter 2.
5. Enjoy my Bluebelle Groom's Cake ice cream (chocolate ice cream with strawberry swirl, chocolate cake pieces, chocolate covered strawberries, something like that.) I have been thinking about this ice cream for well over a month! It's my reward for setting a new personal record on my physical fitness test -- which I completed when it was 35 ndegrees outside. I think I will remember to bring gloves when it's that cold next time. Maybe keep the long pants on for the run too.

100th Post

2009-10-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ll who replied to my last post. I had really good suggestions from my last post and it was hard to pick just one, but it gave me ideas for future posts.
My 50th post was dedicated to things that I was grateful for, so go ahead and check it out.
I was afraid if I blogged on 100 people I could kill. I wouldn't want someone googling their own name and coming upon my blog.
I like my sister's idea, but I stopped around 28 of awkward moments. Maybe some future posts.
A major shout-out goes out to Heather and I dedicate this post to her. May you bask in the warm fuzzies from afar, Heather.

And for Rachel, here is the list of my favorite numbers from 1-100.

100 Reasons to Visit Me.

24. It's me!! Is there any better reason?

8. I MISS YOU!!!

80. Carlsbad Caverns is less than a few hours away. Camping! And bats (best seen during summer)!

99. Franklin Mountains State Park (America's largest urban state park). Good place to have a picnic at some overlooks with really good views. When I first saw it, I joked it was the "make-out point" of El Paso on the weekends.

15. Only 11-12 hours from California!! I'm not that far away. It's like driving to Utah, but you save more on gas.

12. We will laugh. Oh, yes. We will laugh.

18. You miss me.

21. You need to try something new.

16. One year until I'm deployed. The clock is ticking.

36. Lincoln National Forest (NM). Get my "tree" fix.

92. You can get lots of ideas for "desert landscaping"

34. Less than 6 hours away from the closest In n' Out (Arizona)

1. Old Mesilla Village

77. I have an extra bedroom and bathroom. Better than the Hilton, no? Well, maybe not.

33. Petroglyphs!!

43. I think El Paso still gets more water than Southern California. It may not be as "desert-ish" as you think.

49. Blue sky! I don't see very much smog.

27. Photo scavenger hunt (I love Heather's 100 photos of Texas idea, need to break out the camera!)

66. The weather has been in the 70'! And 40's, than 60's. Maybe 70's tomorrow. This was all this past week.

20. Albuquerque is less than 4 hours away, would make a good day/weekend trip.

28. Gas is cheaper here than in California.

3. Hueco Tanks State Park

54. You only have to drive on one freeway to get here (if coming from California). Yay for I-10!!

22. Home of the Sun Bowl!

37. The Aerial Tramway. I haven't even done the one in Palm Springs yet, this might be a good ride.

75. El Paso Museum of Art

2. Ysleta Mission - first established in 1682.

88. Minor League Baseball team : the Diablos.

100. An outlet mall that's pretty close. Plus there's at least 3 other malls in El Paso.

14. Lots of Latin music at YSA dances.

81. You can watch the sunset over two states and two countries

10. Avila's Mexican Restaurant

4. Good mountain biking (I have heard).

25. Good salsa.

50. You can walk some of the same roads Billy the Kid walked in Las Cruces, NM.

97. Albuquerque temple

23. Many of these places I haven't been to yet, we can explore together!

76. White Sands National Monument

31. It is possible to snow in El Paso (but not enough that you have to worry about shoveling the sidewalk).

64. I'll make you cookies. Maybe even a pie.

5. Good stopover to visiting other cities in Texas. Dallas and San Antonio are about 8-9 hours away. There's not much in between them and El Paso, believe me.

65. Lots of hiking opportunities.

69. Have you ever been this close to Mexico?? Sorry I can't cross the border with you.

44. Ciudad Juarez temple (sorry, can't go with you there either).

17. The night janitor is concerned for my social life. Having an out-of-town visitor may motivate me to procrastinate finishing my notes a little.

61. BlueBelle Ice Cream

77. Some bands/singers do actually come to perform in El Paso. So far since I've been here, there's been Brittany Spears, Parachute, and Kelly Clarkson, David Cook, Manheim Steamroller, and Third Eye Blind are coming in the next few weeks.

55. Hobby Lobby (crafts/home accents store - usually has good sales).

26. Just 40 minutes from the Land of Enchantment -- New Mexico!!

90. You can stop in Phoenix on the way here from California. It's a good half-way point.

3. Taco Cabana: 24 Hour Tacos and good rotisserie chicken.

60. Will you ever see a Wal Mart parking lot with more cars from Mexico than from Texas?

13. Home of the National Border Patrol Museum

86. It's Sun City, USA. Famous for an average of 302 days of sunshine throughout the yar.

9. A huge Cinco De Mayo festival

39. El Paso is the 21st largest metropolitan area in the United States.

6. How many people can really say that they've been to El Paso?

19. It's on the way to Houston, New Orleans, Florida, and a bunch of other places.

58. I have a nice view of cactus from my balcony. Lots of it.

96. UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) makes it a college town, I guess. Go Miners!

78. Lots of men and women in uniform.

7. Awesome lightning storms.

47. Tax free shopping at the Post Exchange (like a Target/WalMart) and Commissary (grocery store on post)!

59. I may actually be motivated to cook some real food.

41. Excuse to visit the largest state in the continental United States

89. There's a cool star that lights up on the mountain. It just happens to be the world's largest illuminated star.

67. Ruby's BBQ. Has some really good BBQ sauce. There's also a Famous Dave's that I still need to check out.

86. When I'm standing in line at the grocery store, people seem to be very chatty here.

11. Annual Amigo Airshow held at Fort Bliss.

73. Have you ever seen a volcanic crater? Well, now you can.

51. Since it's in the Mountain Standard Time Zone, television shows come on one hour earlier = a. better chance of catching your favorite show, and b. Getting to bed earlier.

79. Delta offers some of the cheapest, non-stop flights from Salt Lake City.

84. I recently discovered a place that sells frozen custard. I haven't seen one of those places since college.

83. Annual Wine and Jazz festival in Las Cruces.

43. Stephen's Hot Cocoa and a lot of imported German treats are available at the commissary.

30. You might be inspired if you watch "Glory Road"

45. There's a couple of scenic drives around El Paso, including a road known as "Scenic Drive."

32. Transmountain road is kind of fun to drive.

70. I live in a safe neighborhood.

29. 6th largest city in Texas!

35. You know you want to.

40. I have MREs available to use for any spontaneous camping trips.

52. Time to catch-up on your life.

63. I won't be making it to California for November.

72. You're missing out on all of my craziness.

82. You need a vacation.

95. I need to see some familiar faces.

38. Good, clean fun! But I don't mind get a little dirt on my clothes either.

42. I haven't had much bad traffic experience here in El Paso (then again, I leave for work at 5:10 in the morning).

56. Free hugs!

62. You can mark "Texas" off of your list of life-long goal of states to vist.

85. There's a Spanish radio station that plays a variety of English rock and alternative songs that you don't hear as often.

98. Carpe diem!!

68. I'm running out of reasons, but there really are more...

78. Complimentary sopapillas at Mexican restaurants. I have never seen that before.

46. Guadalupe Mountains National Park

74. "El Paso is like a big ugly wart, but it grows on you." -- Brother Jessop

87. I have hope for some wildflowers in the spring.

93. You can get your "Jennette-ic" fix.

48. Big Bend National Park

87. Time spent with those you love is the best investment.

94. El Paso is not really a tourist trap.

91. There's actually a Vietnamese restaurant in El Paso. How's that for culinary variety?

53. You can put your sunblock to good use.

71. Adventure awaits you!

57. Did I mention that I miss you?

Ideas, Anyone??

2009-10-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm approaching a big milestone in my blogging life...the 100th post. I was wondering if there was a special topic I should do to commemorate my 100th post like I have seen other people do. Should I do 100 random facts, top 100 of something, post a question and get 100 comments (I like comments), etc...etc...?? Let me know and the one I choose will get a free mug. Well, maybe not, but at least a shout-out and maybe the respect of random strangers thinking, "Good one..."

Please comment, please...

Welcome Home

2009-10-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here's some updates and randomness from the past couple weeks. I know, I've been slackin'.

* I made the 8.5 hour drive from San Antonio to El Paso on a pure sugar rush consisting of IHOP Nutella crepes for breakfast and a blue coconut creamfreeze from Sonic's when I reached my halfway point at Fort Stockton.

*When I got back, I wasn't sure if I was in El Paso because it was 74 degrees. I love coldfronts. Then I tried to re-program my radio stations, and sure enough, I was back in El Paso. One weird thing was that I found a Spanish station that occasionally plays some English alternative. Was that Pearl Jam that was just on?

*On a low note, when I got back I found out that my credentialing was not finished. I was told it would take another week before the next credentialing meeting. I was a bit disappointed. Then, 2 days before said credentialing meeting I found out that it would be another 3 weeks. I think I replied, if not shouted in my head, "You've got to be kidding me!!" "But you have a lot of stuff to do right?"said the lady in charge of my credentialing. Ummm, that's what I've been doing this past week. Why is it taking 3-4 months to get this done?? Needless to say, I was having feelings that were less than charitable to credentialing lady. Might I add, that I've never seen this lady in person? She's never there! Oh well, I guess I just have to continue to "flexecute."

*As part of my "flexecuting" I've started organizing the weekly medic training classes. My last one was on sore throat, and this week, by popular demand, it's sexually transmitted diseases. I have to alter my STI powerpoint presentation for a third version. Hopefully it will go over well.

*I have started doing sick call in the mornings. It stinks a little that I can't even write a prescription for something like Motrin. Tomorrow will be pretty busy since we get a lot of soldiers with post-weekend-itis. One of my partners likes to drug-test the repeat visitiors, especially those who come in on Monday mornings and it seems like the weekend had been a bit hard on them. Good idea. I'm still trying to learn the ways of chewing out soldiers who do dumb things. This may take some time. I did show less mercy on a private who was complainingg of coughing while exercising and at night after a cold two weeks ago. My prescription: Stop smoking!

*I do have my own office now! Complete with my name on the door. Oh, and I have my own stamp too. That one came at a cost. I think the lady in front of me was starting her own business and decided to order about 7 stamps and it took about 40 minutes.

*The first day I reported back, my commander said that he wanted to give the next Friday off to get some things done. I thought, okay, sure. After I found out that my credentialing will take a bit longer, I asked for an extra day off and changed the destination on my pass form. I got a plane ticket to California and flew in Thursday night. One of my first stops after I arrived was of course, to get an In n' Out animal style cheeseburger. Much of my weekend was spent attending the annual California Academy of Physician Assistants annual conference (couldn't believe this was my 6th time going) in Plam Springs. There were some good lectures, good advice ("Deep down, everyone wants a rectal exam."), brushed up on my suturing skills, cheered for USC as they won the College Bowl, and saw some good friends and former classmates that I had not seen in over a year. I was also very fortuante to spend most of my weekend in air conditioning, since it was over 100 wherever I went.

*I recognized the big difference between Texas drivers and California drivers: Speed. Californians like it. I had not driven that fast over the speed limit in a long time.

*After the conference I would drive back home and spend the rest of my waking hours visiting with friends. It was so good to see so many faces. I don't know how I know so many awesome people. The five hours of sleep every night was defiantely worth it. On my last day in California I stopped by the DeMaria quads. I can't believe they're walking!

Busy day tomorrow, and I have a mosquito with a death wish to take care of.

OBC Pictures

2009-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the past couple months.
San Antonio as seen from the temple (downtown is the fuzziness on the horizon).

Home sweet home. The tent I shared with 28 other ladies.

Cloudy skies were a rare but welcomed event. We were hoping to get some rain, but it didn't happen.

After the gas chamber: Feel the burn!! I really am trying to open my eyes.

The 2nd most popular mode of transportation (second to walking)
.

Remembering the Alamo.

Chillin' with the Dixons at the Houston Waterfall

Feeding turtles at the Houston Arboretum

Texas State Capitol in Austin

San Antonio Temple

Ketchup

2009-09-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's a bit hard to sum up the last few weeks, but I'll try. Still will have to wait until I get back to El Paso for some pictures.

*Here are some firsts: First pedicure (believe it or not, and after field training -- oh how needed it was!), first time feeding turtles, first Korean BBQ, chest tube insertion, and Wii experience (bowling, tennis, and boxing).

* I have to take back what I said about bees in my last post. There were a couple mornings where they were really, really bad when I was trying to eat breakfast. Stupid bees...

* The last week of field training seemed to go by quickly. I do miss the familiar call of the loudspeaker shouting, "Attention on the FOB!" "Time: Now," and "That is All." And the morning MJ/NKOB/Vanilla Ice music. We had some mass casualty drills and those were pretty fun. We couldn't use blanks that day so I had to verbally shout "Bang! bang!!" when I was on the guard tower and under attack. That's probably the reason why I got a fake knee injury and my partner was severely "wounded." I got to be the PA for aid station at the base and it was a good experience. The doc and I pushed 43 patients through in 1 hour! It was the first time I really had to do anything closely medically related in the past month. I love my job.

*I started coming up with a new song parody as I was cleaning my weapon to the tune of David Archuleta's "Crush" - which really was playing while I was cleaning it. "And you know this crud ain't going away-y-ay-y-ay-yaaaaaaaahh..." It was quite a long and tedious process.

* I had a wonderful time in Houston for a weekend visiting my friend Laura from PA school and her husband Cisco. We went indoor ice skating and to the Houston Arboretum. I'm going to miss the trees when I go back to El Paso, but I enjoyed the weekend while it lasted. If you're in the Houston area, apparently Lupe's Tortilla makes some really good fish tacos.

*I graduated from OBLC! I guess. It's weird thinking that I gradated when I still have a couple weeks of class left. The PA track also missed the ceremony because we were doing the Tactical Combat Medical Care (TCMC) course. TCMC was a great experience and it really made me appreciate what combat medics go through. My motto is: Learn/Train like your life depends on it, because it does.

*Fake blood is not easy to get out. Luckily I used my "field" pants, as they are now designated. Darn red food coloring...

*My California peaches let me down. Won't go into details, but I did call the grocery store to give them a heads up. Fortunately, it was only the girl next to me that noticed when I had a mild freakout and threw my peach back into my bag.

*There are some really ugly birds around here. I don't know what kind they are, but they look like diseased, strung-out, balding mini-crows.

* The San Antonio temple is very beautiful! It always feels like home, no matter where I am. I hope I can make it back again before I leave San Antonio.

*I've been enjoying a few other attractions of San Antonio. I was able to go to Sea World and Six Flags over Labor Day weekend. They're not quite like their California equivalents, but they were pretty fun.

*San Antonio finally got some rain!! It makes for a bit of mud around here, but it's been great.

So I finish this next week, drive back to El Paso and report back to duty next Friday. Back to the real world.

Week 2 of Field Training

2009-08-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm officially done with my second week of OBC! It seemed to go a bit faster than the first. Here are some things that happened:

*It didn't start out great. We had to report at 4:30 in the morning and knew that we had a long wait before we could get our weapons. That morning a new rule was instituted that we could not sit down unless we were eating. The week before we waited over 4 hours for the arms room to open up, so this made me a little cranky. Sometimes the time management is "menos eficaz" (less-effective).

* I found an evening of cooler, cloudy weather has a mildly intoxicating effect. Add some Erasure music playing over the loudspeaker and I became a bit giddy. Multiple this happiness with an instigated rule that we did not have to carry our lightening-rod weapons outside for the rest of the evening. Oh, the joy!! Some of the other music selections that were played over the loudspeaker included Vanilla Ice (my tent did get a premier of "Eyes, Eyes, Baby"), MC Hammer, LL Cool J, Michael Jackson, and New Kids On the Block. I waved my canteen to "Hangin' Tough" but found the whiny "I'll Be Loving You, Forever" to be a bit annoying.

* I survived the gas chamber! It's known as the "Mask Confidence" course and I do have great confidence in my gas mask. I was in a group of about 12 people and was led into a small room that pumped some sort of gas. The skin on our necks and hands burned as did some stretches and jumping jacks, and then we had to individually take off our mask and state our rank, full name, social security number, and where we were from. Some of the people in my group made it look so easy. When my turn came, I took a deep breath in, took off my mask, and proceeded to choke and cough my way through my words. It was almost like a drowning sensation while eating a jalapeno kind of feeling. Good time, good time.

*I had convoy operations training one day and started off in a simulator. I got to be the gunner in my group (stand through a hole in the "hummer" and shoot a really, really, large machine gun) and it was really awesome. During our field practice my job was to do security which entailed lots of kneeling on a very hot afternoon , and the radio person. While I was doing my radio job I missed out on the big "attack." On Thursday I did MOUT training which includes kicking doors, clearing rooms, and shooting enemies. That was pretty crazy yet fun too. This next week there is supposedly going to be some war games, woohoo!!

*I'm becoming more accustomed to bees and other stinging insects. There's always a lot of them during meal times and they just don't like to leave me alone. One of them suffered death by gravy. I do draw the line when they enter my tent. One victim suffered death by Blackhawk boot.

*The culinary highlight of field food this week was chicken. This was especially exciting after an encore of weird meatballs.

*I did make up for the MREs this week with some good food this weekend. Some friends and I went to a cool little dive in San Antonio called The Cove. It has its own car wash and has an indoor laundromat. It was nice enough to sit outside and we caught the last part of a local act in the var room. The food was amazing! It was all organic and we shared a vegetable appetizer that included falafel, naan, hummus, and sweet potatos. Most of the people had the bison burger and I tried the lamb burger with latin spices and sweet potato fries. Sooo good!! I tried some of the homemade ginger ale which was pretty good but really strong. My taste buds were on overload! Highly recommend this place!

* I ended this week with a wonderful visit with my friend Laura from PA school and her husband and met some of her sibs. It was a great afternoon and so fun to catch up. I may visit her in Houston in a couple weeks. Good times!

Stay tuned for more adventures next week! Last week of field training!

1st Week of Field Training

2009-08-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some thoughts and experiences from my first week of field training. It has been a lot different from the previous 3 weeks of "death by Powerpoint."

* It's still been pretty hot. There have been a few heat injuries, especially amongst my platoon. This week we're suppose to start our physical training again. Oh, how I'm looking forward to that!

* I think the most beautiful sight I saw was the porta-potty maintenance truck pull up. It almost brought a tear to my eye...well, maybe not. It was still rather exciting. Those things can smell pretty bad. I also learned it's best to get in line early for meals, as the line backs all the way up to the latrines.

* I've been getting accustomed to the MREs (meals ready to eat). I had quite a hit of indigestion after the first two. I'm even starting to get use to the rehydration salts, which tasted pretty nasty in the beginning. It's been nicknamed "sweat water."

*I survived land navigation. I've developed a greater appreciation for safety eyewear, patrol cap, and uniform. The daytime course had me going through a lot of branches and night-time I plowed through quite a bit of cactus.

*With all the bruises I've managed to acquire, I'm starting to look like a human Dalmatian.

* Often in the morning and during the few rest breaks there's music played over the loudspeaker. This included a wide variety of classics including Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now." One of the first mornings we were awoken by some weird movie soundtrack with a little girl crying, "Daddy!! Don't leave me!"

* My battle buddy had her birthday while we in the field. I bought her some lunch from the "gut truck" to spare her an MRE.

*I have to have my weapon - an M-16 - tied (literally) to me practically 24/7. Even when we use the latrines. I feel like it's my long lost conjoined twin. I named it Enrique. I don't know if Enrique and I will be reunited again for this next week. He will always be my "first"...

* I felt like I may have cheated on Enrique when I did my 9mm pistol training. I did do a lot better on the range with the pistol than with the M-16. I'm sorry Enrique...

* My shower Friday night was the first shower I had since Monday morning and it felt soooo good. Loved it.

* This weekend went way too fast. Part of it must have been the fact that I slept until noon on Saturday. Yep, I was that tired. One of the highlights was taking advantage of Sonic's happy hour. So many drink choices!! I was already thinking of my next drink before I finished my blue coconut cream slush. It hit the spot.

4 a.m. Monday morning comes way too early. There's sure to be more adventures this week.

Checking In, Beginning Week 3!

2009-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Time is sure going by! Looooong days but fast weeks. One of the highlights of last week was the M-16 training. I still have to practice getting it assembled and disassembled in under 4 minutes. Maybe I can tap my inner Forrest Gump. I did a computer simulated exercise and got the rank of marksman. I was pretty fun! I will officially qualify when I start my field training next week.

Another fun moment this last week was Saturday night when I went to a dueling piano bar called Howl At The Moon on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. The pianos were going non-stop and they occasionally added in some drums or a guitar too. The crowd sang along to all of the songs. I loved the contest of choosing the cheesiest song from the 1980's. It tied with "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Gloria". At one point they had all the prior and active service military come on stage and sing along to "I'm Proud To Be An American" and it was pretty awesome.

Today I was waiting to do some medical in-processing (get immunizations, put medical info into the system, and do a vision exam). I arrived at 7 with over 150 other people after a 5:45 formation before breakfast. It took over 3 hours to get the computer system back up again and when all was said and done, I got out 6 1/2 hours later. During this time, I played a few games of tic tac toe and the dot game with the captain next to me, checked my Facebook about a dozen times, chit-chatted with a few other people surrounding me, and attempted to write my first post via phone. Unfortunately, the online access wasn't that great so I'm just doing it now before I touch-up my powerpoint presentation on STDs for tomorrow. Ahhhh, STDs. Fortunately I don't have to give it before lunch. I made it out with a Tb test, a polio vaccine (weird military protocol...), my second Hep A, and the easiest and quickest vision test ever. I thought for sure I would have trouble with that one, but I could use my good eye. At least I don't have to wear ugly "Birth Control" glasses when I'm in the field.

More to come...

OBC: week 1

2009-07-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm almost finished with my first full week of Officer Basic Course (OBC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Here are just some random thoughts and evens of the past week:
* On Monday I had a paperwork fiasco with my unit and this resulted in me leaving pretty late (considering I thought I would have it all signed by 10 AM and could be making it on my merry way. I didn't hit the freeway until about 5 PM and drove through the night. I learned that Texas Highway Patrol are pretty strict about their speed limits and I tried to be careful with the speed limit for most of the trip. With a time change, the night-time speed limit dropping to 65 mph and getting a little lost in San Antonio, I made it to lodging around 5 in the morning. I ended up taking an hour nap in my car and then I was able to register.
* With the large number of people in my class as well as the other overlapping class, we were assigned to hotels off base, with our own rooms. I know my living arrangements will be drastically different in a couple weeks when I start field training (crowded tents, 105+ degree heat, no showers). I guess by then I'll be moved to on-base shared lodging for the weekends and probably for the rest of my time here.
* I did have a little elevator trouble the other night. I was going down to the first floor and when it stopped, the doors barely cracked open. Pulling them and pressing the open button didn't help. The elevator went back up, and then down and repeated the same thing. For the next couple minutes it continued to go randomly up and down while I called the help line. I was told that the elevator had been having problem (duh, why didn't they have a sign on all the floors?)and a mechanic was going to fix it. The elevator finally stopped and opened on the third floor where there was a man waiting to use it and I told him he shouldn't. Craziness.
* I still have a bit of catching up to do on sleep. My first 72 hours since Sunday night I totaled 9 nine hours of sleep. The last few mornings I had to get up at 3 and 3:30 in the morning. I guess it's better to do our outside stuff at 5 in the morning when it's 80 degrees rather than 5 in the afternoon when it's over 100 (and stays 100 even at 9 o'clock at night). It's been a little bit of a challenge to stay hydrated, although it's made a little easier with my "patriotic" blue Powerade. And bless the creator of flavor-enhanced water (except the lemon-lime flavor -- that one is nasty).
* It's nice that I'm not the only one new to the military. The class (over 300 people) is about evenly divided between newbies and prior service. There's also some reserve and National guard too, and three foreign military officers. The majority of the group is made of nurses -- 95% of the people I meet -- and I've met about a handful of PAs.
* I had a nice time last night on the Riverwalk and some good Italian food with some of the other students. Good times.
* It's taking me some time and patience to get used to this San Antonio freeway system. Circular freeways? There's so many different roads and one-way streets. Who's idea was that? Luckily there are some turnarounds, but really it should not be that complicated.
* I attended the military branch today on base that was held in the library. Attending church in the library is a first for me. In a couple weeks we might move to the child development center. There was a pretty good turnout of around 70 people and they said it was the largest group they have seen in a while. I was a bit distracted during Relief Society with the "Read" campaign posters of celebrities from the 80's. Does anyone remember those?

More adventures to follow. Stay tuned.

Soundtrack of Life (so far)

2009-07-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from my friend Brett and decided to try it out. I'm passing on the list of rules if anyone feels like doing the same. It is really interesting, fun, and a little challenging. If anyone would like to create their own playlist, feel free to share it with me or we can even swap CDs.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the soundtrack is to expose friends to new or different bands and discover one another's taste in music. One should not try to analyze the lyrics to figure out the person as lyrics may or may not reflect the person's own life. For example, some songs may be included that have a particular sentimental value, may be what one was simply listening to at a particular period of one's life, or may even be chosen for the lyrical content, but that can only be discovered by asking the compiler of the soundtrack, not by attempting to analyze and figure it out on one's own. Each individual has his or her own rationale for compiling the songs that he or she chooses and it may be extremely different from your own.

RULES:
1. You may choose any songs of your choosing for your soundtrack, but an artist can only appear once on your soundtrack (for example, I could not have two songs by The Smiths, but it is perfectly fine to have one song by The Smiths and another by Morrissey--who is the lead singer of The Smiths but later branched out on his own).
2. All songs must fit on 2 cds.
3a. Burn a disc with your soundtrack and swap it with a friend who has done the same.
3b. If you are swapping with someone from a distance and do not wish to mail the cds (or if you would like to swap with me, but don't want to burn discs or get my address, etc.) you may simply send the playlist with the name of the song and the artist. This will allow for the person to look up the music on their own if they like.
4. Swap the cd and playlist with your friend.
5. If you like, you can ask your friend why he or she chose a particular song for the soundtrack, but the friend reserves the right not to share that information if they do not desire to do so.

So here's my soundtrack of life (so far):
Disc 1

Beautiful Day – U2
We’re Going To Be Friends – Jack Johnson
When I Fall In Love – Nat King Cole
All We Are – Matt Nathanson
Winding Road – Bonnie Summerville
Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Passenger Seat – Death Cab For Cutie
Dreams – The Cranberries
Homesick – Kings of Convenience
Keep Breathing – Ingrid Michaelson
Analogue – A Ha
Angel – Sarah McLachlan
Chocolate – Snow Patrol
Smells Like Teen Spirit -- Nirvana
Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
When You Say Nothing At All – Alison Krauss and Union Station
Book Of Days – Enya
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Gabriel’s Oboe – Ennio Morricone/Yo-Yo Ma

Disc 2

Turn, Turn, Turn – The Byrds
Little Wonders – Rob Thomas
Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
Fix You – Coldplay
Am I Awake? – They Might Be Giants
Brand New Day – Joshua Radin
Dancing In The Moonlight – Toploader
When It Don’t Come Easy – Patty Griffin
Life Is Beautiful – Vega 4
Life Ain’t Always Beautiful – Gary Allan
California Soul – Marlena Shaw
Off I Go – Greg Laswell
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
We Will Never Forget – Savoy
What A Wonderful World – Eva Cassidy
Appalachian Spring, Simple Gifts – Aaron Copland
Ara Batur – Sigur Ros

Almost July: another update.

2009-06-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

* I had a bit of a laundry room fiasco last Monday night. I went to put my clothes in the dryer and found the floor to be flooded. First time that happened to me and I have no idea why especially since the washer wasn't overloaded. It took me almost a half hour to get most of the water up. Que lastima!
* As I came back from the main lodging laundry room I scared off a coyote in the parking lot. I must admit it was pretty cool to listen to it howl a couple minutes later. Maybe the back door should be kept close...
* I had dinner with Marsha, Brandy, and another girl and they continue in their efforts to acclimate my taste buds to spicy food, but it was very delicious as usual. may have to get some Jamaican spice. We watched the movie "He's Just Not That Into You" and we shared a genuine chick moment.
* Yet another tie-up in paperwork and processing as I have to wait for my AKO account, which supposedly will take a few weeks.I did get to start shadowing the PA in the clinic and so it was nice to get back into the setting.
* I went to my first dance here in El Paso (for the last 40 minutes)and was actually quite impressed with the variety. I really did not know how to dance to ranchero music so I joined a group hitting a balloon and thinking of foods that start with the letter "m." I said marijuana counts, as it is an ingredient in certain baked items. Could I be corrupting these people already?
* After the dance I went to Village Inn with a large group and enjoyed some Nutella crepes with strawberries and bananas. Good good stuff.
* I learned that at the commissary they sell individual servings of Stephen's hot chocolate. There were only three flavors, but oh what joy!!
* I moved into my apartment. I won't have my stuff until Wednesday. I kinda miss my fridge. I have little to no cell phone reception and the phone company told me that I really, really needed to upgrade. I guess it is about time.
* As I was unloading my car the missionaries stopped me as they were looking for an apartment. They asked me if I had talked to guys like them before and I said many times. When they asked me where, I told them I was Mormon. I was glad that I could offer them some water in the triple-digit heat, and they just did a tough bike ride up the hill.
* Downside of El Paso: The drivers. I know that the speed limit is 60 miles an hour and I'm used to going 72, but when people drive 50 in the middle lane, that's just plain wrong!!
* Upside to El Paso: I love, love, love summer rain storms. It allows me to turn off my air conditioning for just a bit. The thunder was loud enough to set off a couple of car alarms and I got a text saying there was a funnel cloud over Biggs Air Field (out where I work). There aren't many things more peaceful than falling asleep to the sound of rain.

Almost two weeks later...

2009-06-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just an update on the last couple weeks...
* I think I've been the personnel department's worst nightmare. Lots of issues and things to fix. Being reassessed in the system, hunting down other paperwork, waiting and waiting and waiting. It took me a little over a week to finally be in the system and on Friday I finally was able to get my ID card(makes leaving and getting around base much easier) and start my in-processing (basically paperwork and getting situated at the base). I should be done tomorrow. I thought today was going to be pretty easy and I would just pick up a paper before I headed to finance. That wasn't the story. Another hassle came up and I was sent to a couple other offices and found out that I didn't have a certain necessary account which I couldn't register because of another glitch, and so the cycle of frustration continued... Iwas finally able to get needed form at the end of the day and hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier.
* I have a really cool PA in my unit that I will be working with named Marsha, who happens to be from Jamaica. She's been a big help and the past couple weekends we went to the bowling alley on base and had a couple of dinners at her house with her roommate who also is in the Army. Last night I was really spoiled with some amazing marinated grilled chicken, potatos, and homemade salsa.
*Last night I also discovered the joy of watching the Dodgers in HD. Amazing.
* I've done some apartment searching and I think I've settled on one which is actually a town home apartment. Stairs will be good for me. It's actually the farthest one away from base but it's only about 25 minutes on a highway that crosses the mountains. I actually liked being a little closer to the mountains and I guess giving myself a little space between home and work could be a good thing.
* On Saturdays I've treated myself to some Mexican food for lunch. I went to a burrito place (it starts with a C, can't quite remember) and had some good mole with wonderful homemade tortillas. I also tried Avila's which is one of the most popular places in El Paso, and I can see why. Wonderful food! I may be developing an addiction to horchata as well.
* I have a greater appreciation for clouds. Sometimes brings the heat down just a few degrees, and I especially love it when it rains - which hasn't been often. Today it dropped thirty degrees just within 30 minutes and it was heavenly. I even turned off my car's air conditioner. Unfortunatly it didn't stay cool very long. It's still in the 90's at night, uggg....
* I found 1.5 more English stations to program onto my radio. Still have a couple more buttons to fill. One of the stations - the best I've found - is a bit fuzzy but is clearer when I'm near Biggs Airfield (where I'll be working).

The LA River

2009-06-11T20:30:00.001-07:00

I felt a touch nostalgic the other night when I saw this. During PA school I sometimes commuted to LA on the Metrolink train (as seen in the clip). A few minutes before we pulled into Union Station, the conductor would give us our wake-up call as we crossed the "beeeeeeaauutiful LA river." A fond memory.

First Day

2009-06-10T20:49:00.001-07:00

It'll take me a while to catch up with the events of the past couple weeks, so I'll just focus on today. It's been an interesting first day as I reported to my unit at Fort Bliss. Here's just a run-down of some of the events:
*Locked myself out of my motel room as I ran to get something from the car while I was on the phone.
* Had lots of salutes given to me. Failed to salute an officer because I was temporarily blinded by sun and blowing dirt while leaving a building and had to be reminded of this simple military courtesy by another officer. Sunglasses are a must here.
* Found out that I was still not in the system. Third time was not a charm, as I was previously told this at Camp Pendleton and Los Alamitos. My in-processing has been put on hold for a bit. Fortunately, I was able to get all of the paper work together and everything is now being put into the system. Then I can get my ID card. It was highly recommended that I do not leave the base until I get my ID card. This could take a few days since Friday may be off.
* While my breakfast sat like a rock in my stomach, I was reeeeally thirsty all day long. I finally re hydrated myself after a trip to the commissary in the late afternoon and I stocked up on gatorade and water.
* I was set up in one of the annexes for lodging. They are some pretty old buildings, but it's decent. The downside is that I have very low cell phone reception.
* I can see Mexico! However, I am prohibited from traveling to any part of Mexico.
* My orders for tomorrow: call the captain of my unit to let him know I am still alive (this is what he said) and search through apartment guides.
* I have not been able to find enough English stations to finish programming my car radio.

Aloha

2009-06-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I hate goodbyes. I'm really terrible at them. I try to hold back my emotions and I had been doing a pretty good job until my last couple days. I decided to replace goodbye" with "Aloha." It just sounds more cheerful that way. I know many people I will see again, but there are always those who I will not. I remember when I was on my mission I had to do it about every 6 weeks. Most of the people I met there I knew I wouldn't see again. While I was discussing with my trainer of why saying goodbye has to be so hard. She shared a quote that her uncle told her, "The only way to take the sting out of death is to take the love out of life." So, the only way to take the sting out of saying goodbye is to remove the love in a relationship. A man once said, "Grief is a by-product of love." A couple years later I was dealing with the death of my dog that I had for 13 years. It was pretty emotionally hard on me, even harder than some of the human deaths I had dealt with in life. I came to a realization of the emotional investment that people put into relationships, whether it be with family, pets, friends, crushes, co-workers, even jobs and homes. It's a kind of investment that I can never regret because it has brought more richness to my life. I don't look at time spent with the ones I care about -- whether it be a belly rub for my dog or staying up way past my bedtime to spend time with friends -- as wasted time. There are always things that we can focus our attention on, but some of those things will pass, become nothing more than a check-off an a to-do-list, or can be put off. This isn't an invitation to procrastinate, just re-evaluate your time with the people and things that make you happy and enrich your life.
**warm fuzzy**

It's Official

2009-05-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was commissioned as a First Lieutenant Officer and officially sworn in by Major Britson. I can't believe I leave for El Paso a week from tomorrow!

Not just a desert wasteland: embracing my next home

2009-05-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

I admit that the idea of living in the desert has not excited me very much; especially since I'll be surrounded by hundreds of miles of desert in any direction. There are some wonderful things about the desert such as beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and storms. I'm currently reading the book, "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer (yes, there was a movie too, but books are always better, right?) and I came across this quote and it gave me more hope in embracing my soon-to-be environment:

"The desert is the environment of revelation, genetically and physiologically alien, sensorily austere, esthetically abstract, historically inimical... Its forms are bold and suggestive. The mind is beset by light and space, the kinesthetic novelty of aridity, hight temperature, and wind. The desert sky is encircling, magestic, terrible. In other habitats, the rim of sky above the horizontal is broken or obscured; here, together wih the overhead portion, it is infinitely vaster than that of rolling countryside and forest lands... In an unobstructed sky the clouds seem more massive, sometimes grandly reflecting the earth's curvature on their concave undersides. The angularity of desert landforms imparts a monumental architectureto the clouds as well as to the land...
To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have soughtthe therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality."

~ PAUL SHEPARD, MAN IN THE LANDSCAPE: A HISTORIC VIEW OF THE ESTHETICS OF NATURE

27 Days

2009-05-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's 27 days I have until I leave California. I am trying to compile a list of things to do or places to go before I leave.
So far:
1. I went to the beach twice this weekend. I loved it and it hit me how much I'll miss it. It included a couple adventures, including a lifeguard coming up to us saying he received a complaint and proceeding to lecture us on the no alcohol/no smoking rules. It was hilarious since most of us were silent for about 90 seconds. Another beach-goer approached him and said that we were the wrong group and he apologized profusely. It was pretty funny. Maybe I'll throw in one or more beach trips before I go.
2. I had In 'N Out twice last week and I'm sure it won't be my last. My body is starting to revolt against fast food, but it may have to be patient. See #6
3. I will be attending my first Dodger's game next week. It's about time.
What I still need to do:
4. Go to the Getty. Haven't been yet and it's been on my to-do list for years.
5. Enjoy LA. Maybe see a concert or something. Anyone know of any shows?
6. Have a Tommy's Burger. I've never been there and it was brought to my attention recently that I must go there before I leave.
7. Get all the greenery I can. Maybe a quick camping trip or some hiking. Plus the exercise is good and needed.
8. I still have some more dancing left to do at the Coffee Depot on Monday nights.
9. A quick trip to San Diego. I'll probably go to the AAPA conference for a day or so and enjoy the beautiful, non-arid weather.
10. Last and certainly not the least: enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Anyone have any more ideas? Does anyone want to join me?

The Life A-Quad-ic

2009-04-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent another afternoon with 4 very cute babies. It's amazing how much they've grown since I first saw them a few months ago. There's a feeling that all is right with the world when you see 4 happy or sleeping babies. I debated stopping by the grocery store on the way home but figured my shirt was a bit too messy. I played "Name that stain" and my mom got it right on the second guess: sweet potatos! They are such a great family and the parents are wonderful. You can check them out on their family blog here.

El Paso I Will Go

2009-04-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I came to a final decision and it wasn't an easy one. I received a much anticipated phone call, but I still felt like I was deciding at almost the last moment because I did not have a really definite answer of where I wanted to go. It was down to two choices: El Paso, TX and North Carolina. I went over my choices with Captain Jones (he's going to be the White House PA starting next month) and he confirmed that both were two great choices and he helped me make my final decision based on what would be best for me professionally. Not that I wouldn't mind jumping out of airplanes (part of the airborne certification that I would have to go through at North Carolina) or the fact that North Carolina was a lot greener and not bone-dry like Texas. If I felt like I wanted to spend the rest of my career in family medicine, North Carolina would hands down be my first choice. It is the Army's medical center of excellence for family medicine and many doctors do their family residency training there. I figured I would have more exposure to emergency medicine and trauma at Fort Bliss, and since their major trauma center serves up to 25% of civilian emergencies, I may even get to keep up my Spanish a little.
When I hung up the phone one of my first thoughts was, "the desert...the brownness...the heat...why??" A funny thing was the fact that I was giving the family home evening lesson that night and it was on decisions. It was almost a sort of "decision-decompression-therapy" for me. I was reminded how all decisions, when made with good intentions, thinking and prayer, can be used to benefit our welfare and learning. There are also times when the answers to the decisions that we make are not so clear. Brigham Young said the following: "If I ask Him (God) to give me wisdom concerning any requirements in life, or in regard to my own course...and get no answer from Him, and then do the very best that my judgement will teach me, He is is bound to own and honor that transaction, and He will do so to all intents and purposes." And so it is with me. It will be interesting to see what experiences I will have there. I will be reporting to El Paso June 10 to start my processing and orientation and will start Officer Basic Course in San Antonio in July. I'm excited -- desert and all -- bring it on!!

Great Advice on Life and Spirituality

2009-04-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

This was great and I wanted to share it. It is by Elder F. Enzio Busche of the Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while speaking at a BYU devotional on May 14, 1996.

"Twilight" Impressions

2009-04-22T14:48:00.001-07:00

I realized that my last couple of posts were a bit somber and I hope maybe this one will help lighten up the mood.
Last weekend I was invited to watch "Twilight" at a friend's house. I had never seen it, nor read the book, but I figured I should catch up with the pop culture of 2009 and see what all of the hullabaloo was about. It was what I expected. No surprises. I knew that since this was going to be a part of a series, most of the movie would lack plot and focus more on the introduction of characters. This led my mind to be distracted by little details like these:
* Edward Cullen (the vampire), for as much attention as he seems to be getting, seems like nothing more than an obsessive, creepy, albino. Not that I have anything against albinos, I just think they went overboard with the "pale" look.
* I can't understand why Bella (the girl) seems like she always has her mouth open. Why?
* "It's anaphase...take a look for yourself" one of my favorite lines. I am a nerd. Maybe because it seemed like one of the most intelligent lines of the movie. The planarians brought back some memories of invertebrate zoology. Awww, flatworms...
* I also can't understand why Bella has such a problem with speaking/narrating in compound sentences. What's up with the pauses?
* The nasal cannula has always been a standard prop for any hospital scene. Why couldn't they put it on right? It always looked like it was going to poke her in the eye or something.
* I do give props for the Pacific Northwest scenery, it was quite beautiful and a little eerie at the same time, but a good setting for a vampire movie.

Bedford Falls or Pottersville?

2009-04-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

"Vice is a monster of such frightful mein,
As to be hated, needs to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace."
~Alexander Pope "Essay on Man"

In my last post I briefly commented on the apathy of people towards their own healthcare and now I want to brush on a continually growing moral apathy of America.
Yesterday I was thinking about my favorite movie of all time (yes, I know I've posted about it before - It's A Wonderful Life), and this time I was looking at it from a social perspective and found some eerie parallels. I recommend watching it again, even though Christmas is still 8 months away. You'll see where I'm coming from. Look at the background: Economic crisis (a bank run during the Great Depression), greed, power, and an effort to take over businesses (Potter takes over bank and wants to take over the Savings and Loan), and the transformation of Bedford Falls into Pottersville, where the Emporium, Movie House, and other buildings become sleezy motels and exotic dance clubs. Citizens are unhappy everywhere.

Right now I'm finding a couple of recent topics a bit disturbing that makes me wonder if our country is going the way of Pottersville. Some may consider me a "prude" or an old "fuddy-duddy" twenty-something. Maybe I am.
The first has to do with the legalization of "sexting." This is a new term that describes people taking nude or other inappropiate pictures of themselves or others on camera phones and then sending or texting these pictures to their peers. Some people estimate that 20-25% of teenagers have engaged in this - either sending or receiving. When minors are involved, this is considered technically as child pornography, which in many states carries stiff penalties such as prison terms and being labeled as a "sex offender." Many promoters of the legalization of sexting argue that children should not be subject to such stiff penalties and that it's just another form of lame adolescent behavior such as mooning or flashing. Many do warn that, yes, these pictures of them will be out in cyberspace forever and can impact them years from now, but they don't stress any form of strong punishment other than conversation and taking away their cell phone. To me, child porn is child porn, and teenagers need to realize this and some sort of legal prosecution should be in order.

My next worry is the legalization of marijuana. Some proponents stress that marijuana crimes are not serious and plug up the justice system's courtrooms, lawyers, and jails. Others think of legalization as a solution to easing the tensions and violence between drug cartels, smugglers, border patrol units, and other law enforcement. One California representative offered the suggestion that California would prosper economically off of the legalization and taxation of marijuana growers. Hmmmm.... Marijuana is practically harmless, right?
According to my Current Pediatric Diagnosis and Treatment, low intoxication levels can lead to impaired thinking - sure, we could use more of that. Would you really like to see the driver next to you on the freeway smoking a joint? Chronic use can also lead to infertility (could be touted as an alternative form of birth control!) as well as apathy (after substitute teaching high school, I really fear an increase in this) and amotivational syndrome. Amotivational syndrome is characterized as "decreased attention to environmental stimuli and impaired goal-directed thinking and behavior" which is due to "destruction of hippocampal and basal ganglia nuclei." I think that anything that causes destruction of any part of my body would be cause for concern. Doesn't it seem that all that money spent of childhood Ritalin is going to waste? Not to mention the studies of marijuana as a "gateway drug" and the effects of toxic intoxication (i.e. psychosis...). Other studies have shown that the marijuana stashed under your teenager's bed is not the same kind their dad smoked at Woodstock. One analysis in the late 1990's proved a 3-5 fold increase in the concentration of THC since 1970's and 1980s. Not to mention the possibility of "hybrid" drugs (smuggling hard drugs like cocaine and meth with marijuana).
I fear that we're only a few months to a few years off from public service announcements urging us to "smoke responsibly." Sigh...

2 questions I have are these: Are we teaching the future leaders of this country that when confronted with problems and social issues, we throw our up hands, shrug our shoulders, turn our heads, surrender, and let them infiltrate our society? Do we just legalize all vices just to make "life easier," "save money," and not "tie up our justice system"?

Let Real Healthcare Reform Begin With Me

2009-04-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

I came across this article this week and it serves a good reminder about the need of personal responsibility in healthcare. I was talking with a friend the other day who comes from a country that has a socialized health care system and he commented how people there seem to have a more apathetic attitude about taking care of their health (many smokers, etc...) because their health care is already being paid for. When a person views how much of their tax dollars are going into the medical system, who is to blame them for feeling entitled to any medicine or treatment they need? Unfortunately, when one keeps their poor lifestyle habits and opt for a tax-paid "pill" to handle/"cure" their diabetes, they don't see the long list of potential complications (dementia, amputation, death- as seen recently in the case of Larry Miller) that will impact their quality of life, not to mention the quality of life of their family members. These complications cannot be cured with money, whether from tax payers or from one's own pocket.

Hopefully this article will get some one's attention...

Let real healthcare reform begin with me - Los Angeles Times

Roadtrip Recap

2009-04-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

These are just some random thoughts/experiences from last week.

* I went to my mission reunion since I had not been to one in about four years. Usually when one goes to a reunion, they "reunite" with someone. I actually didn't know anyone else there. My mission president had to go out of town and here only a handful of people who served around the same time I did. I still had a really good time.

* On Sunday I met up with some friends who came up from California to go to general conference (a large meeting where leaders of the LDS church speak to people around the world twice a year). It was great and the messages were very uplifting. Between sessions we had a little "tailgate" party. I suggested doing some face paint with the mustard or mayo, but that idea didn't quite catch on.

* I love how the food is cheaper in Utah, I miss that!

*It's a good thing to occasionally listen to the radio in a different state. There were quite a few songs that I have not heard yet, and some that I have not heard in years.

* I was at a gas station and I noticed the car behind me had some dogs who were happy to stretch their legs. "Are those Norwegian Elkhounds?" I asked. "Yes, they are!" She replied. I told her they were beautiful. She said, "I'm surprised you even knew what kind they were!" I am a nerd.

* At my usual Fillmore, UT rest stop I took a moment to help the worker find a few more edge pieces of the puzzle she was working on. My efforts proved futile.

*I had a lovely lunch with one of my mission companions at Hires in Salt Lake, I had not seen her for years and it was great to see her. Hires has delicious hamburgers and fry sauce (it's a Utah thing) too.

*Speaking of food, I went up to Logan to stop by Gossner's Cheese factory to pick up some squeaky cheese (regular and fresh smoked cheddar cheese curds) and some ice cream - even though it was cold and rainy out. Slightly disappointed that the Huckleberry cheesecake was too frozen too serve up (I don't come across huckleberry anything much in Cali) but the Oatmeal cookie was still delicious. I also stocked up on a few canisters of flavored hot chocolate mix.

* I had a wonderful time in Idaho at a friend's wedding. It was almost like a family reunion because I grew close to her and her family while we were roommates. The weather was beautiful! I had a moment to enjoy the sunshine and take a little walk near the falls.
*I did get to spend a little time with my brother. I don't really see him that often since we've lived in different states for quite a number of years. I was amazed that he woke up before 7 A.M on his day off to treat me to breakfast before I headed back to California.
*My camping and hiking plans were rained/snowed out. My original plan was to spend a couple days in Yellowstone while I was up in Idaho, but they were expecting snow storms (and only one road open) for the rest of the week. Plan B was to go to Zion's National Park on the way home, but there were some expected thunderstorms that night and rain the next day - which would make for some very slippery sandstone at Angel's Landing and possible flash floods in the Narrows. Plus it was a holiday weekend. Dang. Plan C was to go on a short 2 mile hike around Cedar Break National Monument. After I traveled the 20 minutes through the canyons I got to the road about 7 miles from the trailhead and it was closed due to about 4 feet of snow. I wish I had some snowshoes... Oh well... I did get to see this lovely view and you may be able to see Zion's National Park in the distance on the left.
*On my way up to Utah I was disappointed to see that the world's tallest thermometer in Baker, CA was not turned on. Was this the end of a landmark that I always looked forward to since my childhood? I was relieved to see it turned back on and boasting a nice 71 degrees on my way home. I figured maybe they forgot to turn it back on after Earth Hour.
*One confession: I smuggled 3 Sunkist tangelos into California. I really did forget about them. It's not very often that I'm stopped at the checkpoint. The officer asked me if I had any fresh fruit. I said no. He looked at me, and said, "Where's that beautiful smile?" I gave him a cheesy grin and he let me through. Phew...
* I drove through/enjoyed a thunder and lightning storm from Baker to Barstow. There's something really beautiful and captivating about a desert storm.

That concludes my latest adventure. I got home safe and sound with no speeding tickets. I love cruise control. I'm definitly sure this won't be last road trip this year.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to listen to Elder Holland give this beautiful and powerful message about Christ and the Atonement. I highly recommend reading it in its entirety here. Here is a clip:

I am grateful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. I cannot comprehend all of it, but I know that he did it for each of us. He loves us despite our weaknesses and that without Him we will always fall short of our potential. I know that He can heal our hearts. He lives today. What a wonderful opportunity we have as a world to celebrate this. I would like to end this post with a beautiful scene about the Ressurrection.

Road Trip Snacks

2009-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I drove from California to Utah in 11 hours. This was pretty good, since I had some crazy rain, drove an acceptable "legal" speed (those cops in Nevada and Southern UT are always on the prowl), and hit some traffic in Vegas. Plus I had an unhappy cat in my backseat to motivate me to get to my destination as soon as I can. This did not leave much time to stop for food and I had resorted to my granola bars that I brought along with me and some brief browsing of the shelves at gas stations. This brings me to my first snack and a mini-review:

Welch's Strawberry Fruit n' Yogurt Snacks: Initial impression: yogurt covered fruit snacks. I had been on a yogurt raisin kick the week before, so it beckoned to me, and I thought, why not?
Pros:It was actually healthier than what I expected. Low fat, 100% Vitamin C and 25% Vit. A and D with a small amount of calcium, iron, and protein too. The taste was okay (brother commented that "it's alright"). It was actually made from fruit puree (first ingredient) rather than the artificial gumminess that I was expecting. The grape was a little overpowering to the strawberry flavor. Bag fits conveniently in arm rest/cup holder for mindless snacking. When combined with a granola bar and a Vitamin Water, held me over quite well for a few hours.
Cons: Some people may not like the grittiness from the fruit puree. The white appearance of the yogurt on the front is deceptive, it's actually a light brown. I wouldn't recommend eating the whole bag in one sitting (I did not attempt this). This could lead to some digestive issues.

A couple other foods that I discovered that were actually quite good: Sobe's Orange Creme drink and Chex Mix Turtle bar. Good, good stuff. Maybe I'll discover something new when I drive back to Cali later this week.

So, what's your favorite road trip snack?

It's Something Unpredictable, But In The End It's Right.

2009-03-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've made a decision. It hasn't been the easiest decision, and it took quite a bit of time and struggling to reach it. Now that I have decided to become more public with it, I haven't quite found the easiest way of sharing the news. I have told some friends individually, but I'm a little hesitant on blasting it on my Facebook status. It is easiest when I simply tell people straightforward. I come across the response of "Why?" quite often and it's hard to express all of my reasons.
How did I come about to this decision? It was an answer to prayers, fasting, hours spent in the temple, studying, weighing options, realizing that I wasn't where I want to be and I wasn't going where I wanted to be going. A result of frustrations over job opportunities, employers, physicians, and the hardships and utilization of physician assistant colleagues. There's been some tears, especially knowing that there was a strong possibilty of leaving family and friends. I had also been praying that my eyes could look at my situation in a new perspective.
Then there was the awakening of an idea that has laid dormant in my mind for years, aroused over a simple question from a friend during a lunchtime study session at B&N: "I know you talked about it before, but have you considered the military?"
My eyes began to open and I decided that this was the new pespective I had been searching for. I asked queations, I read, looked at the differences between the Army and Air Force -- decided on the Army for a few reasons, and prayed.
Last week I took another step. I went to San Antonio, Texas to get some questions answered, get a physical and a vision waiver (I wasn't sure if my vision would disqualify me, that's one of the reasons I've been quiet about my decision), and most importantly, get a confirmation that I was doing the right thing. And I got it. In the words of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "I'm motivated by the lack of doubt." I really don't have any doubt and for the first time in 5 months I feel confident in what I am doing. There are other reasons and feelings for why I'm going into the military, but they are a bit more personal and harder to express.

For those who have some questions (and I'll be happy to answer any more)
1. How long do I have to do it? It's a three year commitment. If I decide to do any kind of advanced training or pursue a doctorate, they require more service in return of at least another 3 years. I'm not sure if I'll go beyond the three years, it depends on what happens in the next three years (ie. family, etc...)
2. Could I be deployed? Yes, and I am willing to do it if I need to. I won't be involved in combat due to my gender, and most of it will be spent in a heavily secured hospital. The PAs that I spoke with that have been deployed said that it is more of an issue of inconvenience of being away from family that was a concern for them, rather than the issue of safety.
3. What will I be doing? Most of the time it will primary care for soldiers and their families for the first three years. I'm looking to be stationed at a large military hospital so that I can get some good experience. There's also some training of combat medics that I will be involved with as well. It averages about 45 hours of work a week, so there is hope for a life outside of the military. Deployment usually has longer hours and work 6 days out of the week, still lots of primary care as well as trauma care experience.
4. Do I have to go to boot camp? I will be going in as an officer, which is a bit of a different world than the enlisted soldier. I will spend 9 weeks in San Antonio going through the Officer Basic Course and I will learn some of the basic things about how to be an officer, some physical training (but not as intense as boot camp, and there really isn't any yelling at officers - they do keep it at a very professional level), and more training related to the medical field like combat trauma, etc... This will most likely start in June and when I am done I have about 2-3 weeks to get ready and move to my first post -- which I should find out in April, feel free to do the poll on the side.

So that's a bit of an update. These next couple of months will be interesting to say the least. Stay tuned.

A Public Service Announcement for Socially-Inept Men

2009-03-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last week at a social activity I noticed that one of my friends, who is still a bit of a novice to the single social scene, seemed a bit uncomfortable around a guy that she had just met. I swooped in and removed her from the awkward situation. I've had my times of similar situations when I needed rescuing too, even from "Superman" (a guy once introduced himself as Superman). She was a bit weirded out by the guy who seemed a bit forward and "touchy." I had to reassure her while she had just met a couple of weird guys, there are plenty of decent ones too, and she just happened to come across a couple "outliers." Those are the kinds of guys that stand out the most. I have met quite a few of them myself, and would like to take a moment to turn this post into a type of Public Service Announcement for guys who might be one of those left side outliers on the socially appropriate scale. This advice is based on personal experiences. Feel free to include your own ( for guys and gals).

1. Never grab a woman's waist unless you are 1.dating and she's comfortable with it or 2. you are dancing to actual music (imagined music or humming doesn't count) and only after you have asked her to dance.

2. If you invite her over for some home-cooked food to show off some mad cooking skills, make sure the food is decent. Gravy should not have the appearance nor the consistency of wet cement. I'd rather settle for a bowl of cereal. Cooking skills are definitly a plus, but I'm actually quite content with just a PB&J that is made with love.

3. Weapons do not have their place in most social conversation, especially when you have known the other person for only 5 minutes. Do not mention the machete and rope you keep in the back of the car. That is just creepy.

4. Beware of a flat affect. This can also come across as creepy. Show some facial expresion. Smile. Use a little voice inflection.

5. Do not claim that you have "special healing powers" or that you have "The Prophet" as a nickname.

6. Never underestimate the value of smelling good, or just even the absence of B.O.

7. Don't stare. Open mouth staring is even worse. Even if you don't think she notices, one of her girlfriends will and she will mention it to her.

8. Do not use Facebook applications to express your feelings about your crush or ask her out (not an actual experience, but I still find it really lame.)

9. On the first date, use discretion if you want to mention that you like to play "Dungeons and Dragons".

"Pleasure Music"

2009-03-05T11:52:00.001-08:00

I love coming across "creative English grammar." Having learned a second language I have had my share of funny mistakes and I do sympathize with those who have English as a second language. I recently received a free pedometer (15,830 steps so far today!!) and decided to look at the directions after I had it put together. The instructions were in English only and I didn't come across anything that said "Made in Hong Kong" or any other country on the device. Here is just a sample - as written:

"The paces are detected via the Movement of waist Mounting. Attach the pedometer to your waist band or belt, you will enjoy pleasure music or get news when climbing mountain or walking."

"...please change the battery when the LCD screen black or can't clear voice of radio, if the device is not working, please take out battery after 3 seconds, please fix battery again, it will be work properly."

"Don't use it in too low temperature condition, Maybe it affect its work of step count."

Words of "Experience"

2009-02-25T15:04:00.000-08:00

This weekend a friend and I drove through the town of Daggett to get some awesome shakes at Peggy Sue's Diner. The name of Daggett reminded me of the familiar expression of my parent's, "dagnabbit," and I used it as I thought we had missed the diner. In honor of my mom's recent birthday, I want to share some other words (most of them exclamations) of "experience."
I'm trying to refrain from the term "old fashioned."
If you have parents/relatives/friends that have other "words of experience," feel free to share them. Here is just a sample. Please forgive the spelling, as I don't come across these words very often:

dagnabbit
gol
criminey
shiminey louise (one of my favorites)
spiffy
looney
cattywompus
for the birds
golly willickers
Holy Toledo!

It's almost time...

2009-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

I was reading my sister's blog and I realized that it's about that time of year again. I'm not talking about the "post-Valentine-breakups-leaving-everyone-single-for-a-summer-fling-until- the-end-of-the-year-holiday-hook-ups-and-dating-and-engagements-begin" time. It's much, much better than that. It's time for...

Girl Scout Cookies!!

Is there any thing better that happens in March??(unless you are a college basketball fan)

I like all of the cookies, but my favorie are the Samoas, or whatever they are called, because I guess that name is not PC. It's the chewy, chocolately, caramely, and best of all- coconutty- goodness that is like a legalized version of crack for me. As much as I love the Dreyer's ice cream version, it hardly has enough pieces to get enough of the buzz that such a cookie brings.

Why must we "Beware the Ides of March" when there are wonderful cookies to enjoy??

Food For Less at 11:35 P.M.

2009-02-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

This may seem kind of weird having a second consecutive post about shopping. And it's a bit weird because it is not one of my favorite activities. Maybe I just have a little "blogger's-block."

Last night I had to make a stop at the grocery store to pick up some frozen corn for a FHE-related elbow injury. There were probably about 3 other shoppers in the whole store when I entered. A positive feeling enegized me at such a late hour. I felt like I practically had the store to myself. Like I almost owned it. No carts to go around or collisions to avoid from turning around blind corners. It was almost powerful enough to sing along to U2's "In the Name of Love," but I settled for lip syncing. And there was hardly anyone to stare at me.

Maybe I should always do my shopping at 11:30 at night all the time.

A Dollar Store Discovery

2009-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was getting new tires on my car and had a bit of time to kill. I could have planned this a little better so that I could be killing time at the mall instead of the shopping center across the street. Oh well... Part of that time was spent in one of those "Everything's a dollar" type stores. My inner child wanted to go to the toy section because that must be the most entertaining section of the store. You'll never know what you'll find, like my Crespo (Argentine soccer player) bobble head and a squishy miniature kidney key chain. I really wish I had a camera/camera phone to capture these discoveries, but you may have to check them out yourself:

The first item is something called "Grow-ems," those little toys that you put in water and they expand. There was "The Perfect Husband" and the "Perfect Wife". On the packaging it said that she will never nag you or run up your credit cards. And she was purple. I don't get that, especially since the man had a normal skin tone. So, if any of you are reeeeally desperate this Valentine's Day, this could be an option...

The second item that got my attention was a finger puppet. There were some finger puppets based on a couple of stories, being "1001 Nights" and - this is it - "The Emperor's New Clothes." It was the Emperor I was a bit concerned about. Fortunately this finger puppet was not anatomically correct, but still... I guess there was a reason I didn't have my camera. If I posted a picture, would it be considered puppet porn?

Would I Do It? Would You?

2009-01-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

Last week in my adventures of job searching, I came across this post:

"Meet Your new Neighbors! (Picture of a family of penguins)

Dark, Cold, Icy area needs a PA or NP from Feb through end of October, 2009.
Seeking a unique adventure as well as employment? How would you like to be one of the few people on the planet to have the opportunity to live and work in Antarctica. We are currently looking for a Physician Assistant/ Nurse Practitioner to deploy to one of Antarctic research stations on a contract basis starting approximately February ~1 through October 2009.
We are looking for Primary and Alternate employees to fill all contract positions. The Primary is first in line for the position. The Alternate is next in line to deploy should the Primary be unable to meet deployment requirements.
Responsibilities: The Physician Assistant/ Nurse Practitioner is responsible for patient care. Performs other clinical and facility duties within the clinic. Provides backup support to field camps and South Pole.
Required Qualifications: Minimum nurse practitioner degree or physician assistant degree required. Current licensure and certification in ACLS and BTLS required. Minimum of two years experience as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant working in a primary care environment required. Computer competence is required.
Desired Qualifications: ATLS certification and licensure to prescribe medications is desirable.
Additional Polar Info: All contract positions include competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. For the time you are in Antarctica compensation also includes travel to and from the ice, room & board, and you are eligible for a performance-based bonus upon successful completion of your contract. FYI - Only authorized personnel are allowed on station and you need to remain on station for the duration of your contract except in case of emergency. All applicants must be able to provide proof of U.S. or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency once employment is offered and pass strict physical, dental, and psychological (for winter-over positions) examinations in order to qualify for deployment. Offers of employment are also contingent upon ability to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check. Failure to meet these requirements may result in withdrawal of employment offer or other employment action. All employees must also comply with applicable safety, environment, health, and waste management policies and procedures.
Pay is $60,000 for 9 months, plus $18,000 finish bonus (more for the other location). Can't leave during the 9 months unless really sick and if they can fly out."

I am not qualified to apply for the job because I lack experience, but if I could, would I? Maybe. It may sound weird to some that i might actually consider it. Others are probably not surprised. I definitely would not consider it if I had some family obligations or I was at a job that I really loved. But it would be quite an experience and something to think about...

For now, I have to stick with the Northern Hemisphere...

An update: I was actually surprised that they responded. They asked me some questions and asked me if I could go in February. What the..? I reminded them that I do lack the required experience and would not be the ideal candidate, but they could still contact me... And even though it is for 8 months, this would mean I would be spending a WINTER in Antarctica. Get out those light boxes! The likelihood of me going is still very, very slim. It was an interesting thought...

Kudos to Kutcher

2009-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

I am not usually one who follows the lives Hollywood celebrities or pay attention to what they have to say about politics. Most of the time it seems obnoxious to me to hear their rants because they're usually one-sided and sound condescending to those "non-famous" people who don't agree with their opinions. Last night I was listening to the radio and Billy Bush brought up Ashton Kutcher's latest blog on his MySpace. Commenting on his experience at the inauguration, Kutcher mentioned this:

"I was less impressed by the boo's as the republican representative took the stage. I found it to be offensive and separating. I was also appalled by the people who didn't stand when former President, then President G W Bush appeared. I urged the people around me to rise. Regardless of whether or not you agree with, or like the man, he at that time was still our president and he gave 8 years of his life to serve you. The cook might not be making what you like but be grateful for the fact that he's serving you at all. How many people can say that they've dedicated 8 years of their life to the greater good of man kind, made the toughest decisions known to man... Part of being an American is standing by the process and respecting our commander. Don't be an Obama patriot, be a patriot. Let bipartisanship die and represent this country united!"

The country has just witnessed the transition of power from one President to another. Although there were some things I did not agree with about Bush, I believe he had worked extremely hard these past 8 years and tried to keep the best interest of the country in mind. He has had to handle crises, changes, and criticism from millions of people worldwide. It is no doubt the toughest job in the world.
While I was on my mission in Argentina, the Iraq war broke out and brought with it much criticism towards George Bush and Americans. The anti-war sentiment was evident (especially at the medical school) and strong enough that I had to avoid part of my assigned area that contained the US embassy. As a missionary, I did not have access to newspapers, radio, or television, so I did not have much info on what was happening or swayed any direction by commentary from the political pundits. I did, however, have faith. When asked by people on the street how I felt about Bush, my response was simple and expressed in four words: "I pray for him."

And that is how I feel about our next president. There are things that I do not agree with about issues that he has proposed, but I do want him to succeed as a president. If he succeeds, then our country succeeds. I do want to support him and the rest of the leaders of this country. I don't think our country can progress with this sharp divide of bipartisanship that has crippled it in recent years. I do hope that Obama will do what is best for this country and serve it well. And I will strive to respect him for it.

You know it's time to switch your emergency food supply when...

2009-01-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

In my attempt to be recessionist chic (and hopefully avoid a trip to the grocery store) I decided to go through my emergency food supply, or mostly my 72-hour food supply that I have kept in my car. I actually had more food than I expected. Luckily, much of the food is high in preservatives but some I did have to toss because it was either questionable or just tasted bad. One kit had a suggested rotation of 2 years, but I suggest sooner. Yesterday I triple-dog dared myself to live off of the recommended "menu" of my 72 hour kit for a day. Here are some things that I learned as I completed this challenge and went through some of the other food that I kept for who knows how long.

You know it's time to switch your 72 hour food supply when:

*You wonder if your granola bars have fermented.
*Beef jerky is crunchy (or dissolves easily)
*Your Lipton noodle soup package has been infiltrated with the smell/taste of the wintergreen gum that was also in your kit. (Note: keep gum in a separate plastic bag). wintergreen + salt + chicken broth tastes really bad.
* Vanilla pudding has turned a weird shade of brown.
*Fruit cups say "Best Before September 2006". Enough said.

This was a first...

2009-01-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

It happened. It was only a moment, but I cannot take back a thought. I could have quickly replaced this thought with a song, a recent joke, name off cardio drugs, or recite the alphabet... but I didn't. It was out of frustration and impatience that this thought was born from. It was this:
"Why did today have to be a national holiday?"
Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against MLK Day and I have NEVER once in my life took a holiday for granted. True, the post office would be closed and I could not mail off my bills as soon as I wanted to meet their deadlines. And the library was closed, so I had to go 36 hours without internet access. But it was when I thought another day would go by without hearing any progress from potential employers. The answer to whether I would be offered a certain job or not (the same job that I have gone through a 5 week+ application/wait/interview/wait/call to check on status/and wait another week). And there were those last (I really mean last) resumes that I sent out on Friday that I know would have no hope of being looked over until at least Tuesday. More waiting... I could also add the fact that some people may be in a post-innauguration day daze and may even find today to be an extended holiday and an excuse to not get anything done. Blast.

After this silent, mental rant I went on with my less-than productive day...

There must be some kind of penance for having a vile thought as this... I know it will come in the future when I do actually have to work a holiday. Forgive me, all ye employed readers who would give their left kidney for a day off!

I heart APL

2009-01-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a good reason to love being a card-carrying library-goer at Arlington Public Library.
And it has nothing to do with the selection of books, because unfortunately, for a library, it's not that great. Luckily the La Sierra branch has a better selection.

It's the DVDs. Move over Hollywood Video, because you have some competition. Although there is not a huge selection, it has some decent videos - many that I haven't seen -- to satisfy my occasional audio-visual needs (I am still without a TV, so I settle for my laptop).
Recently I have watched:
"Beyond the Sea" - one of those musical bio-pics similar to "Ray"and "Walk the Line" profiling the life of Bobby Darrin. I have to admit Kevin Spacey does a pretty good job with the singing.
"Stranger than Fiction" - a pretty clever and decent movie as well and I liked Will Farrel's character.
I am not much of a movie reviewer, I just want to express my joy that there are some quality movies available to check out at the local public library.

And best of all: It is free!!!!!

Are you honkin' at me?

2009-01-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

Dear girl in the silver sedan behind me at the In N' Out drive-thru,

I really don't know you, but I have to get this off my chest. You elicited a rare moment of anger in me today just by a simple act of rudeness. I know it is not entirely your fault. It seemed to me that you are quite young and on the cusp of adulthood; so may I, as one of your elders, proceed to give you a brief lesson in old fashioned civility.

So here was the setting: I was well aware that the line at In N' Out, just outside the parking lot of Walmart, at 5 pm on a Saturday night was not the most desired place to be. And I expected, as it did, to take 25 minutes of waiting before I could get my food and head back home. I went through all of this because I love my parents. And I love In N' Out...and I was hungry...but mostly because I love my parents and it was my last errand of the day. My previous errand was not a happy one, as I received some bad news as I looked at my bank account balance. Not too happy about it. You caught me at a very bad time. Nevertheless, I was keeping my cool about the whole drive-thru traffic issue. The line of cars inched forward and I held back a brief moment to let the customer in Jiffy Lube get out of their lot so they would not be trapped in by hungry fast food fanatics. It may not be known to some people outside of California, but the thought of In N' Out employs some weird mind control over hungry consumers that may make them totally oblivious to their surroundings as they focus on the sole thought of a Double-Double dripping with spread and caramelized onions. Perhaps you were under that same control. A nano-second after Jiffy Lube customer passed, you let out a few honks.
Were you about to hit me? Were you about to be car jacked? Was someone about to hit you? Did you pass out from hypoglycemia and hit your head on the steering wheel? I highly doubt it, as I saw you still bopping along with your friend and big smile on your face. May this be a lesson to you: Not only is unnecessary honking your horn rude, but it's dangerous also. It may startle a driver and either a. cause them to slam on their gas and hit the car in front of them, or b. give them a heart attack (a little exaggerated, but it could happen).
Anger is not something that happens much to me, but I think your impatience was the straw that almost broke the camels back. I actually did think about getting out of my car and confronting you personally (we were only nudging along every three or four minutes, I had time), but as quickly as my flash of boiled emotions came, they disappeared.

A while ago I heard the advice to treat everyone as if they were going through something traumatic in their life, and you would be right 50% of the time. I think if dealing with teenagers, you would be right 95% of the time. And while I don't consider my situation traumatic, you did just happen to be behind me during a bad moment of my day. And on the reverse, I could imagine that maybe you have only 6 hours left to live and, wanting your last meal on earth to be a double-double with animal style fries and a real-ice cream neopolitan shake, I would not blame you for being a little impatient. We all have our lives, our schedules, and our issues. Maybe we just need to give that benefit of the doubt to others who may annoy us or offend us. We haven't walked in their shoes, and I'm sure we wouldn't want to. And in the end, we will all get our food, head home, our fries will grow cold, and we will still enjoy it -- forgetting that long line and that extra 2 seconds of the car waiting ahead of us.

Your elder,
Jennettte

The Parable of the Windshield

2009-01-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

The New Year is always a time of self-analysis and resolutions. A couple years ago I came up with an an analogy based upon a simple windshield repair experience. I thought in the effort to be more Christ-like this year (but not to be sacrilegious) I thought I would turn it into a parable. I was going to save it for a talk in church, but I figured now would be a decent time as well. Please feel free to leave any insights into this analogy.

The Book of Jennette

1. Behold, a certain traveler, who had much commute, beheld some chips and a small crack in the windshield of her Corolla.

2. For the Corolla, being of much dependability, nevertheless, having traveled on diverse roads, sustained some minor damages.

3. And the traveler did ignore the damages, for she had little time and money.

4. And it came to pass on one hot, late spring day, the traveler had noticed the crack suddenly increased in size, yea, even longer than half the length of the windshield. And the traveler was grieved. Yea, she cried, I have a road trip of 2 weeks to embark upon soon, and I do fear much the highway patrol or that some greater damage may come upon my car.

5. And she did seek out the great book of information. Yea, a book of much wisdom, thickness and whose pages were of yellow.

6. And she came upon an ad that promised repair of very little cost. And the traveler rejoiced.

7. And the traveler journeyed unto a strange land, yea, even unto the boonies of Fontana.

8. And the repair man said unto the traveler: "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, I behold your cracked windshield and I exhort thee to replace it, yea, even the entire windshield. For the crack is very large and is beyond repair." And this did grieve the traveler much.

9. Nevertheless, the traveler had been blessed with means to repair her windshield, yea, even her financial aid, for she had spent it carefully. And she was also blessed to have a book for which to pass away the time as she waited upon a couch of much age.

10. And after much time had passed, she beheld her car with it's new windshield, yea, and also pieces of tape that were of bright blue. And the traveler rejoiced, for her view was much clearer and magnificent than she could remember, and she went forth on her journey...

Points learned...

When I was younger, I started driving with my parents around the empty parking lots of the church and park. These were the safest areas to drive. But as I got older, life took me on some roads that were a little harsh. Sometimes it was the road itself: potholes, construction zones, and other times it was other vehicles on the road, semi-trailers and cement trucks flinging matter into the air, only to chip at my paint and windshield. I learned that it's best to keep a greater distance from these vehicles...
Often these little chips and cracks will get bigger due to certain forces. Sometimes we forget to roll the windows up and heat builds up on the inside, causing sudden enlargements of the cracks in our windshield. Our windows, as necessary as they are sometimes, may also become barriers to things that are good. Guidance and inspiration are as necessary and wonderful as fresh air. Hot, stuffy air needs to be let out, just like our worries, anxieties, mistakes, bad habits, etc..., or it can do some damage.
When we begin to analyze these cracks, it may not be easy at first. We may have to go places that we don't want to go to or experience things that might make us feel uncomfortable. Often, changes, or the process of changing, may be outwardly visible to others, like the bright blue tape that holds the windshield on for the next 72 hours. While it may be a little uncomfortable or embarrassing, it is only for a moment and will eventually be forgotten. But when all is said and done -- the fears have been faced, the changes made, the price has been paid -- our view of life will be clearer and more beautiful than ever.
So, what chips and cracks do we have to repair, or remove completely from our lives? Is it a sin, a bad habit, or any other weakness that we need to overcome? A grudge that we have to let go? I hope everyone has a happier new year that brings more peace, clarity, and beauty to their lives.

2008 In Review

2008-12-31T15:06:00.000-08:00

2008 by the numbers:

Thousands: of miles traveled; money deducted from my gross pay for the government; money paid back on student loans, lights enjoyed at the Mission Inn Festival of Lights.

Hundreds: of people met; patients seen; dollars spent on cat's vet bill, car brakes, and repairing backlight of laptop; hours spent studying for PA exam.

Dozens: empanadas made for graduation; hours spent on trains; number of goals I came up with after I finish PA school; cactus needles pulled from my leg; friends that I haven't heard from in years that I found on Facebook.

60 blog posts written

33 classmates to share my joy of graduation with

28 years to look back on

14 hours straight of partying in Las Vegas

10 weeks of work

9 months eagerly awaiting arrival of new nephew

8 airports traveled through

7 trips to IKEA

6: European hostels; painful hours to get through the PANCE; job interviews

5: nights of dancing in Sweden, hot dogs eaten in Europe

4: camping trips; movies seen in the theatre; job offers; temples seen/visited; Independence Days acknowledged (U.S.A., Norway, Argentina, and Mexico)

3: trips to the Huntington Library, National Parks (Sequoia, King's Canyon, Joshua Tree); days spent with big bro; new CDs; Jimmy Stewart movies watched this year; inspirational people who fulfilled their missions in life: Lora MacPherson, President Gordon B. Hinkley and stake president John Hadfield

2: singles wards; medical-related conferences (CAPA and Alagille Syndrome Symposium)

1: Master's research paper completed; day I should have called in sick; Danish eaten in Denmark; lay-off; apartment; new library card; and finally, 1 brand new nephew: Lucas Wesley

Technology Decade

2008-12-29T16:29:00.001-08:00

I got this idea from Nicole and thought it would be kind of fun, especially to see how slow I am in catching up on technology. It's also kind of ironic that right now I am reading Don DeLillo's White Noise.

1998: AOL account, applied to college online (UC online system was a disaster)

1999: Received my very first PC desktop (Y2K compliant of course.)

2000: Survived Y2K, not much that I can recall...

2001: First DVD: "It's a Wonderful Life" birthday/Christmas present from roommates.

2002: Was on my mission all year, but the Church did allow email for all missionaries around the world. My parents probably would not have heard from me much otherwise.

2003: Not much this year, introduced to the concept that people can download and copy CD's.

2004: First cell phone, still have my Nokia old skool model. Last time I will ever use an overhead projector. First time making a Powerpoint presentation.

2005: First laptop, digital camera, Amazon purchase, and USB drive (no more floppy disks)

2006: First MP3 player. Myspace account.

2007: First Palm Pilot. First YouTube experience. Introduced to electronic medical records (not available in all clinics)

2008: First blog, blog-stalking, Guitar Hero/Rock Band experience, and Facebook account

What will 2009 bring? I'm thinking of possibly updating my phone, that was my goal this last year.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T01:18:00.000-08:00

I want to share the lyrics of my favorite Christmas song. I think it beautifully tells of the birth and mission of Jesus Christ.

"O Holy Night" version translated to English by John Sullivan Dwight

"O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim."

Hmmm....maybe not...

2008-12-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest obstacles I have had in my job search is my lack of experience. If I had one or two years of experience, I would be hired by now, no doubt. I have been paying close attention to jobs that do offer training and are accepting new grads. Those words are music to my ears and an Ansel Adams landscape to my eyes. Most of these jobs have been in orthopedics and pain management, but I did come across one tonight that made me crack up. I told my mother that since it was in Florida, I could still probably use my Spanish skills. She said it is not worth the 6-digit cost of PA school. Here it is:

"Are you a recent graduate (::cue visual euphoria::) and eager to work in the aesthetic field? Are you a seasoned PA who is interested in more independence at work without a Doctor’s constant supervision? If so, then Body Details is the place for you. Body Details is the largest provider of laser hair & tattoo removal services in South Florida and the Official Laser Hair Removal Center of the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. Body Details was named “THE place to get rid of unwanted body art and body hair” by Deco Drive. (Oh, the prestige!!) The laser hair and tattoo removal industry is growing rapidly. Come and join the experts. Contact us about starting your new and exciting career today. We are seeking interested PA’s to fill open positions to cater to our increasing client demand. Full training is provided, no experience necessary."

On a positive note, I am going to check out a job position on Monday. I'm not sure if I'll accept the job if I am offered it, I still have some questions and concerns. Nevertheless, it still is some progress. All I want for Christmas is a job...a job...

Still Waiting...

2008-12-19T12:53:00.000-08:00

I had made the goal that by the end of this week I would know where my life would be going. All of my decisions will have been made. I would know whether I would stay in California or Washington or maybe some other random place. I would know if I would be doing family medicine, urgent care, or pediatrics. But that hasn't happen. My state of unemployment limbo continues... I am waiting to hear back from 3 clinics for possible interviews -- and I have called them, but it's more like 'Don't call us, we'll call you'. There's the fourth job that I did interview at and still have uncertain feelings over. I feel like the single girl (wait, that's me!) who's waiting for the call back after a first date.
::Begin rant:: "Why won't he call??" Are they "just not that into me?" (inside joke, that's for another post). I deserve a phone call, darn it, because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me! ::end rant::

I try not to wait too much sitting around and waiting and use my time constructively. This week I played charades, caroled at a rehab center (not the drug kind), frosted a couple cookies, tried to keep warm without turning on the heat, paid a few bills, sent off a Christmas package, tried swing dancing for the first time at a college hangout, and checked out a couple of books at the library. But still no calls, other than the occasional one from my mom trying to get an update. I'm not sure with the holidays that I will be finding out much either, although I know some of the places will still be open. I remember being originally scheduled to have the 24th off because I told the office manager I would rather have my birthday off and keep up with tradition than taking the day after Thanksgiving off. I guess I could enjoy my "extended" Christmas vacation.

Stay tuned.

Do I really want to go back to my "roots"?

2008-12-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

I don't think so. As much as I loved going to Scandinavia this summer and exploring the lands of my ancestry, I don't think some of the other locations significant to personal and family history would have the same appeal as potential work locations. Today I noticed there was a job opening in El Centro, CA (where I was born) and there were quite a few openings in Rapid City, South Dakota (where my maternal grandparents were from). I figure there was a reason why they moved to Los Angeles and never moved back. I was emailed another job opportunity at an ortho clinic one hour from Sioux Falls. It's weird to think of Sioux Falls, SD as "the city."

Job search update: Still waiting to hear back from a couple clinics here in CA. Still not sure what to think of the one I interviewed at in Santa Ana. She said she would get back to me in the next week or two. Just found one in the Riverside area this past weekend and I emailed my resume yesterday. Not quite sure if I'll check Washington out this week due to the weather. I have to make a decision very, very soon.

Stay tuned!

I Do Need A Little Christmas...

2008-12-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

This was my thought as I was listening to the Christmas music at Food 4 Less last week. It's kind of weird how much I haven't thought about Christmas this year. It's very unusual for myself, especially since I'm a Christmas Eve baby and "Feliz Navidad" being piped into the nursery at El Centro Community Hospital was probably one of the first sounds I heard. Alas, this year is different. I have failed in my delegated duty of organizing the family gift-giving. I've listend to the 24 hour Christmas station only a few times on Sundays. My mother is still awaiting my list of Christmas/birthday wants and needs. Is "smog check" an appropriate Christmas gift? My car is due for one so I can renew the registration. The idea of shopping has been dreadful, and not just because of the crowds. I have watched "It's a Wonderful Life" only once this year, ::gasp!!:: I have been a bit distracted. The rollercoaster of job searching and interviews. The bills. A computer virus to add to my frustrations. The decisions that I have to make by the end of the month. It's all been a bit emotionally and mentally draining.
To remedy this festive anemia, I decided to go to the annual nativity and music festival in Upland last week. It was fabulous as usual, and great to see familiar faces. Some faces were less familiar as some of the kids I remembered being 4 years old were now teenagers. It was nice to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The celebration of the Savior, making his humble entrance into the world that He would save.
On another good note, this year does seem better than then years past for the fact that I don't have to worry about finishing my research paper on Christmas. I don't have to worry about final exams or CASPA deadlines or PA interviews. I can enjoy the fact that I'm not currently surrounded by sick people who would later cause me to spend the majority of my holiday shopping budget on antibiotics and co-pays.
So, maybe I could put more Christmas in my life. I am open to service opportunities and suggestions, let me know! If you need some cranberry sauce for your Christmas dinner, I would be thrilled to make you some. My offer on an "It's a Wonderful Life" movie night still stands as well. And for now, I can admire the little Christmas tree in the local public library just as I am doing right now or the large tree of lights at CBU visible from my bedroom window. Good thing I have blinds.

Typo

2008-12-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

For the record: Not long ago my mother pointed out a typo in a previous blog. I have changed it since then, but it had not been caught for a while. The opening sentence was meant to be, "Job hunting can be a bit monotonous..." It was pointed out that I had typed, "Jon hunting...". For those readers who have been wondering, my financial situation has not become as grim to force me into soliciting myself to Jons (or Johns) for money. I will not be found strolling the streets at night wearing a mini-skirt and fishnet stockings, hunting for Jons. That is one job I am not applying for. Sorry Jons.

For those who were wondering...

2008-12-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on my current job status...

Pediatrics job in Santa Ana: Group just posted their ad yesterday, I sent in my CV, job interview on Monday!! Downside: lots of driving...

Loma Linda: I was turned down for an interview for not having enough experience, which I was expecting anyways. I figured when they said "preferred" that would still give me a green light and I didn't have anything to lose.

Montclair: Family practice and derm, just found out from Mom today. Haven't heard back yet. Doctor is looking for a long-term partner I believe, especially one wanting more of the business responsibility, so....not quite sure how to feel on that one...

Washington (rural) pediatrics clinic: Still in the back of my mind. I figure if I don't have a successful interview next week, I may take a roadtrip later this month for an interview. Benefits do look nice, and it's pediatrics in a high-spanish area, we'll see...

There may be some other random job issues coming up in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned,

Thank you, Elder Wirthlin

2008-12-03T02:18:00.000-08:00

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, an apostle from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints passed away Monday night. Having lived 91 fulfilling years of service, this was not much of a shock to me, but I will miss hearing him speak. I love to listen to all of the apostles, but I think in the past I probably have not paid as close attention to Elder Wirthlin's talks until the last few conferences. Those talks were remarkable! He taught me and many others how to live more Christ-like lives. In honor of him, I would like to share some of his words.

Adversity (General Conference, October 2008)
" Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others."

Charity and Love (General Conference, October 2007)

"Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life... Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive. "

"Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life."

" Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will. We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming."

50th Post: 50 "Little" Things to be Thankful For

2008-11-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I made it to my 50th post. I was looking back on some of my old posts last night, and I laughed at some of the memories that came back even if they happened only a few months ago. I think one of the joys of blogging is being able to find humor in the little things of daily life. So, in the spirit of this weekend, I want to give a list of 50 "little" things that I am thankful for. Of course I am thankful the most for the big things like family, faith, freedom, friends, and other things that start with letters other than "f". These are the most important things in life, but for this post I want to acknowledge some of the more "overlooked" blessings and joys of life. This week I came across a journal that I haven't seen in at least five years. I had written in quite a few pages a list of things that I was grateful. Many of them were roommate and school-oriented, and refelective of the daily blessings of my early 20-something life; nevertheless my gratitude for these things still stand years later. Here are 50 of them, in no particular order, taken from that journal:

1. Sunday phone calls from the family.
2. The way the grass looks a little bit greener after I water it.
3. Plumbing that works
4. Professors who remember my name
5. Being able to laugh everyday
6. Air conditioning, even if it freezes me in class/church/work
7. Performing in a good concert.
8. Left-overs
9. Eating ice cream with friends.
10. October daylight savings time when I get an extra hour of sleep.
11. High-5's.
12. Wintergreen mints.
13. Seeing people that I know in the temple.
14. Walking to school when it's still dark and seeing the moon and stars still out.
15. Laughing at myself when I am soaking wet from rain or snow.
16. Coming home from a long day at school and seeing that my roommates (or mom) have already finished making dinner.
17. Sales on bananas, especially when they're slightly under-ripe.
18. Remembering good/funny dreams the morning after.
19. Making homemade hot chocolate.
20. Dancing silly with roommates.
21. Movie nights with friends.
22. Clean restrooms.
23. Sharing a new CD with friends.
24. Getting email from people from the mission.
25. Evening conversations with a friend on the porch.
26. Being able to stay awake in the most boring classes.
27. Being involved in the education of others and watching them succeed.
28. Beautiful Sunday weather.
29. Free bus fare in Utah.
30. Rain, especially the sound of it at night.
31. The feeling of confidence and relief after a test.
32. New sweatshirts.
33. Laugh attacks.
34. When people understand and laugh at my jokes.
35. Cool-looking clouds on full-moon nights.
36. Smell of fresh-dried laundary.
37. Hearing the weather report before leaving the house.
38. Catching the bus or train just in time.
39. Flannel pants.
40. A camera with a new roll of film (this was before digital of course)
41. The silence that hangs in the night air after a fresh snow fall.
42. The feel of new socks.
43. Eating cold cereal at any time of the day.
44. Hearing a frog croak.
45. Roadtrips.
46. Making homemade tomato soup.
47. The feeling after a funeral of wanting to become a better person.
48. Canadian geese.
49. Walking in soft grass barefoot.
50. The moment of the day before the sun goes down when the landscape glows for one last moment.

I could feel the breeze in their hair...what??

2008-11-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

Job hunting can be a bit monotonous. Some people do try to add an informal touch or advertise "community features" to encourage relocation. These are a few actual statements that I have come across in job listings:

For a job in Oklahoma: "Saddle up and lets get started."

Washington: "If you are tired of a big city we can help. If you are looking for an outdoor oriented lifestyle we can really help."

And this one is my favorite...
For a job in Nebraska: "Buffalo used to roam this land in the famous frontier days. If you listen closely in the quiet of the night you can still hear the settlers wagons cutting new ground and feel the breeze in their hair."

One of the best movies ever!!

2008-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday after a college football game I caught the beginning of the cartoon version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." This did surprise me a little because Thanksgiving was still a week and a half away. So I don't feel like I'm too premature if I share my love for what is often regarded as a "Christmas" movie. "It's a Wonderful Life" (IAWL) shouldn't belong in the same category of films such as "The Santa Clause," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," or "Frosty the Snowman," only to be dusted off once a year. This movie is awesome year round and only part of it takes place during the Chirstmas season. The story and cast are fantastic (more on Jimmy Stewart soon to follow) and Frank Capra is an amazing director. Here are some more reasons to love it:

There are few movies that I know of that captures so many human emotions: love, innocence, discouragement, fear, unity, courage, passion, the list goes on...

There are those classic one-liners, like:
"Say Brainless, don't you know where coconuts come from?"
"He's making violent love to me, Mother!"
And of course, "Every time a bell rings..." yeah, you know it.

There's also those timeless messages, as recited by Clarence the angel, how each man's life touches so many other lives, and no man who has friends is a failure.

If you're a fanatic like me, you might catch some of the little bloopers, the improvisations, and other behind the scenes trivia. If you want to know some, just ask me.

And one of the best reasons of all: Jimmy Stewart. Oh, yeah. One of the greatest actors who has the gift of portraying the "every man," and he delivers here as the memorable George Bailey.
We see the serious side of George as he struggles to provide for his family, stands up to the greedy Mr. Potter, and continuously demonstrates sacrifice and integrity.
There's the humorous side of George as well. Trying to get Violet to go to Mount Bedford and start a scandal that the whole town would talk about. His threat to sell tickets when Mary loses her robe... Then there's the romance. Who can forget the passionate scene when George is at Mary's house: The tension escalates, and he looks into her tear-filled eyes, knowing that loving and marrying her will cause him to lose his dreams of world travel and other endeavors. Then there is the kiss: Jimmy Stewart's first on-screen kiss since he returned from the war.

If all men were like unto George Bailey...

If you haven't seen it, see it. If you haven't watched it since you were a kid, watch it again. If you want a movie night, let me know and I'll bring the hot co'.

THIS is what I want to do...

2008-11-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

This is something I want to add to my bucket list. I thought it was worth sharing...

I'm on the hunt. Release the hounds!!

2008-11-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

I've been asked quite a few times today how my job hunting was going. I have sent my resume out to a few places. The lack of local jobs that I could apply for (especially since I don't have a lot of experience yet) has been a bit discouraging. I'm still looking...

After I tried to apply for a local position, I found out that I had uploaded my resume on a health career national database. Needless to say I have been receiving emails and calls from place like Bullhead City, Arizona and other places across the country.

Here was a conversation I had yesterday (yes, Saturday) morning.
Me: Hello?
Caller (very thick accent): Hello Janet (my name is pronounced this way quite frequently), my name is So-n'so from ::something incomprehensible, I thought I heard the name 'Pomona':: and Dr. So-n'so saw your resume and was wondering if you can come in for an interview next week.
::cue small earthquake - this really did happen and I was distracted for a moment::
Me: Sure, I'm pretty open. How about Tuesday at 2:00?
Caller: Okay, that's fine. Our clinic location is 380 Fremont. Will you be coming by car or bus?
Me: By car. What city is your clinic located again? (thinking it might be closer to Alhambra)
Caller: Da' Bronx. So you will be coming from the west?
Me: The east. I'm sorry, what city was that again?
Caller: Da' Bronx... ::moment of silence::...Oooooooohhhh, I'm sorry, I thought you were in Riverside, New York! Soooo... you probably won't be able to make it this Tuesday?
Me: I don't think that will happen.
Caller: Have you ever thought about working on the east coast?
Me: Um, how about you send me some information on the clinic and position and I'll get back to you.
Caller: Information? What do you mean?
Me: (Thinking, is she really asking me this?) Oh, things like, specialty, expectations, hours, benefits...
Caller: Oh, okay thank you!

Not all of the jobs I have seen have been weird. I did come across a good job at a rural pediatrics clinic in another state. There is even a lower cost of living and I would get paid extra just for being able to speak Spanish. To me, especially if it was a year or two ago, this seems like I would be living the dream! Before I started PA school and through most of my time in it I had thought about going into rural medicine in a high spanish-speaking population. Adding the factor that it's a pediatrics clinic sweetens the deal as I have considered that is the area I want to stay in for my career. But I am not sure if now is the right time to live that dream. Since the time I graduated, I have learned that timing is an essential factor in my career development. I recognized it first when I interviewed for a sub specialty position for my first job. While I had envisioned that type of job as an ultimate goal, it does not mean that it was the right job for me right now. I was even relieved when I was not offered the job after my interview. I am not sure if this current job offer has that similar lesson for me. I just know that right now I reeeeally want to stay in Southern California. This is where I have my roots. This is where I have grown up and lived with such a great support system. While I am a pretty independent person and can enjoy some solitude and I don't have a problem living alone, I still have a need for frequent social contact outside of work. Would a job in a rural area impede such peer interaction? There are so many things to consider right now and I must admit that I am getting a little less patient by the day and more stressed about financial obligations and the uncertainty of the whole situation. I am comforted by the fact that any decision I make will be used toward my good. I just have to keep relying on that fact. If I do have to cut my losses and find a better in situation in another city or state, then, as the Beatles would say, "let it be." We'll see what happens. Stay tuned.

The Matters of Rights, the Constitution, Discrimination, and Marriage

2008-11-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

"May I humbly urge you to learn about the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and other basic documents of our great country so that you can sustain it and the free institutions set up under it...Before we can intelligently sustain the principles of this divinely inspired document, we need to understand it and the philosophy that underlies it. We will then be in a position to determine encroachments on our liberty when well-intentioned, but unenlightened politicians attempt to circumvent those principles. The greatest watchdog of our freedom is an informed electorate." Ezra Taft Benson

This election season, much is being said in support of rights. From the rights of animals, to the rights of the unborn, rights of teenage mothers, and the rights of same-gender relationships. I have decided to take up Benson's challenge and review the Constitution and ponder about the meaning of rights. Much of this blog will focus on the same gender marriage debate that is happening in California, Arizona, and Florida.

Point#1 Protection of Voting/Democratic/Republican Rights
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government... Article IV, Section 4 Clause 1
In regards to California's Prop 8, regardless of marriage, it is the right of the citizens to have their government respect the voice of the majority. The Founding Fathers did not intend to have the states run by a monarchy or a mobocracy, but they sought to preserve republican values to maintain the stability and liberty of the states. One of the issues behind California's Proposition 8 , regardless of one's opinion on the definition of marriage, was the abuse of power of 4 judges who overturned the will of 61% of Californian voters to legalize gay marriage. While some people may support this action, what is there to stop these judges from overturning the state's decision on another matter in the future.

Point #2 Constitutional Amendments in Other States
The controversy over same sex marriage is not new. This is an important issue to all Americans, and Americans have made their voices heard on the matter. Currently, defense of marriage amendments have been adopted into the state constitutions of 27 different states. Of these, eight make only same-sex marriage unconstitutional, seventeen make both same-sex marriage and civil unions unconstitutional and two states have their own unique laws. Hawaii grants legislature authority to ban same-sex marriages and Virginia prevents the state from recognizing private contracts of unions that "approximate" marriage. These amendments passed in their states with an affirmative vote ranging between 52% (South Dakota) to 86% (Mississippi) with an average of the combined states being 69%. 16 other states prohibit same-sex marriage by statute. 2 states (New Mexico and Rhode Island) have marriage undefined. Have these 44 states suffered negative backlash, being labeled as "bigots," "intolerant," "inhumane," "homophobes," "unjust," and "unconstitutional"?

Point #3: "Fundamental" and Civil Rights
I have heard the word, "fundamental rights" used repeatedly in the argument of the definition of marriage. Looking up the word "fundamental" in Webster's dictionary, the definition includes the synonym, "essential". Is homosexual marriage essential? Does it fall under the same category of other essential rights (freedom to protect one's property, free speech (communication), freedom of religion?) There has been argument that some of these rights would be violated if same-gender marriage is legalized.

The roots of marriage as found in JudeoChristian beliefs point to spiritual and moral reasons (including upholding chastity), as well as the perpetuation of the human species and upholding parental responsibilities. Other ancient anthropologic reasons for establishment of the family unit include safety, providing of needs to offspring, and again, species propagation. Some years ago I visited a rural, Peruvian village along the banks of the Amazon river. I learned that while some of the moral vales regarding chastity were not given importance among this small society, marriage was deemed essential once a girl (usually a teenager) was determined to be pregnant. It was then she was put into a monogamous relationship under the title of marriage to secure the physical and social needs of the child. Such is an example of why marriage is essential, or "fundamental" to this village and the global society in general. Is same-gender, or any other alternative marriage arrangement, equally essential to society as traditional marriage?

The issue of civil rights has also been brought up in the argument. According to the Constitution, civil rights are those guaranteed to all individuals by the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments. The 14th Amendment was first intended to secure the rights of former slaves and has since helped different cases that are mostly racial-based . The Equal Protection Clause, which includes the text in the latter portion: nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, has had some debate with issues like afirmative action and proponents of same-gender marriage are claiming to fall under the protection of the Amendment. Many claim that their civil rights are violated because their domestic partner rights are not equal to those of married couples. Their argument is legitimate, but does that have to involve the changing of the definiton of marriage?
Often civil rights and natural rights are used interchangably. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "a free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate."

Point #4: "Promoting the General Welfare...To Ourselves and Our Posterity" and Discrimination
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."
This is the preamble, or the Constitution's statement of purpose. This is to show the principles for its existance and why it needs to be upheld.
Are there times when rights of some may have to be denied or restricted for the welfare of others? Is "discrimination," as often used in this argument, ever justified? One random example is the issue of convicted sex offenders. Is it unjustified to have their names made publicly known or restrict them to where they can live (certain distances away from schools, etc...). In California, the California Teachers Association, ACLU, and Equality California opposed a bill, SB1105, that would withdraw the teaching credential of a teacher who pleads "no contest" in a sexual offense case. Why did they oppose? Because they considered it "discrimination" against teachers who may be homosexual. Has our obsession with being "politically correct," our fear of offending another, or the opinions of our peers crossed the line?
On the other hand, others have justified discrimination when it comes to the welfare of others is held at a greater level of importance. France banned same-sex unions because they believed that it was in the best interest of children. The Michigan state constitution states, "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose." Is changing the definition of marriage, out of fear of being labeled "discriminators", justify the potential detrimental effects on society's views of marriage, family, and procreation? Will we have that same answer 10 year or 25 years from now?

There's more that could probably be said regarding this issue and the natural rights, democratic rights, and legal rights that encompass it. I hope all people, regardless of their politcal party or position on issues will look into the issues, become an informed electorate, and make decisions tomorrow that will uphold the prinicples of the Constitution.

One week later...

2008-10-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a full week since I've joined the ranks of the unemployed. Things are going better. No job prospects yet, but I am getting things organized, working on updating my BLS/ACLS certifications and resume, and making the most out of my time.
Here are a few things that did put a smile on my face this past week:
*I went jogging yesterday (it's been a very long time) and I discovered a lovely, quiet avenue that is lined with willows and orange groves as well as rose bushes on the median. It's been my highlight of Riverside so far.
*A friend bought me a super delicious cinnamon bagel with hazelnut cream cheese. It was reeeeaaaly good.
*I also was treated to a wonderful lunch at a Mexican restaurant called Anchos, very delicious.
* A fantastic Halloween party with lots of familiar faces and some new faces as well. And lots of candy.
*More cute nephew pictures on my sister's blog.
*Stopped by a health fair hosted by a local church. There were a lot of volunteers so my help wasn't needed much, but my Spanish did come in handy when I told a man that he had to ge to the doctor ASAP because his blood sugar was super high.
* I did finish watching the first season of "Flight of the Conchords."
*I Reviewed a research paper for a friend, anything to help. I'm still open for service opportunities, just let me know.
*I saved $2.75 with coupons yesterday, which means I can get almost a gallon of gas. Gas being below $3 is enough to put a smile on anyone's face.

The Scythe Has Fallen...

2008-10-22T16:24:00.001-07:00

The Scythe of the Grim Reaper of Unemployment, that is... Yes, my job is the latest casualty of the healthcare crisis. It was quite an unexpected blow to me. As I was clocking out for the day on Monday, my supervising physician pulls me aside and explains that due to current financial issues (less private-insurance patients, lack of reimbursement from Medicaid patients) the clinic could no longer afford to keep me. The news floored me. I was unemployed as of that very evening.

My emotions are still a bit raw. It is mainly the grief of loss, the unexpected shock, the stress of meeting my financial obligations (I have two loan payments due in a couple of weeks, and seven months left of my lease) and the sudden disruption of a life that had been progressing very smoothly. Today I reflected on Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's 5 stages of death/dying/loss and noted that I had a short moment of denial (the "is this just a bad dream?" thought I had on Monday night), and now passing through the sadness stage and gradually easing into acceptance with the whole thing. I have tried to self-medicate by watching the first season of "Flight of the Conchords." I really could use a laugh. And maybe some chocolate milk... Nevertheless, I feel no anger, no bitterness,* or need to "bargain." The grief is still real, and I have had shed more tears the past couple days than I would like to admit, but I want to arouse my optimistic nature as well. Things will work out. I don't want this to be mistaken as a false happiness to suppress discouragement, but it is as the adage says, "Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." I also reflected recently on a saying that Joseph B. Wirthlin said, quoting his mother, "Come what may, and love it." So, am I going to love being unemployed? Well, I may not like its effects and stresses, but I can still find joy in today. I have more opportunities waiting for me. More free time, that hopefully I will be able to put to good use including serving others. Anyone need help moving out? Some cookies or empanadas made? Or, hey, maybe I could even go out on a date on a weeknight! (Okay that last one might be a little too optimistic, haha!). My mother suggested a possible visit to see Cutest Nephew Ever I and II. Very tempting, I have to see how the remaining finances** go when I figure them out. I haven't come across too many jobs yet, especially since I may be commuting from Riverside for a while. There's an opening in Thermal (near Coachella/Indio), CA. Like I said, I haven't come across too many openings yet. We'll see what happens.

* I initially felt no anger of bitterness, but I later realized that the way that I was laid off was, as my mother puts it, "despicable" and was very unprofessional. It was an insult to me and to the physician assistant profession. I am not one gets angry very often, but I will say that this issue left me very, very disappointed.

** I have also decided that applying for unemployment is not a bad thing, especially since 1/3 of my paycheck (even my final paycheck) goes to the government anyway.

On a lighter note...

2008-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I moved to an apartment. I guess it's my first long-term (more than 6 weeks), all-bills, non-roommate living situation. I've been lucky to get some second hand furniture from the fam and won the battle of the couch with my Mom (it was easier to get her when she was in a good mood and thousands of miles away -- "Ask your father.." Victory!!) As of last Thursday I finally had a place to sit, woohoo!!! I'm still patiently waiting for a table and some chairs. I figured I'll get more "less-needed" stuff such as a television after the post-Thanksgiving or post-Christmas sales.
I think I'm now starting to miss television.
I thought getting by without it would be great for me, I can have more time to pursue other things, less temptations and distractions. I've gone for longer times without it. Now that I go home for lunch I don't get my daily mind rot of "Maury," but I am starting to miss watching the news and being caught up with things going on. I completely missed all the fun of the presidential debates (there's always the internet, I guess). There are those few other shows that I do miss. I had a funny thing happen last week. As I was locking my front door to run an errand, I heard the voice of Steve Carrell subliminally beckoning for my attention. I turned around and from my second-floor door step, I could easily glance into one of the neighbor's living rooms on the first floor across the way. Their sliding glass door was open and I could hear and see "The Office" so clearly on their big screen television. I stood by my doorstep for about a minute or two in my "Office"-induced daze until I realized that this could look very bad. Could my love for "The Office" drive me to become a voyeur? A peeping Thomasina? This would not be a good way to make a first impression with my neighbors.
::Sigh::
There's always repeats. And DVDs. My dear "Office," I have not forgotten thee. We just need a little time apart. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. On to more productive uses of my time...

Can Universal Healthcare Reeeeeaaaally Work?

2008-10-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

This was the question I asked my boss during a political discussion not too long ago.
"Sure," he replied, "they just have to lower their costs." If only it was that easy...

This is my first attempt at a political blog, so bear with me. I have been thinking about blogging on this topic for a while. Part of this blog was a response I wrote on an online q&a board a few months back. Last week I had thought about it while I was frustrated with an insurance group but I didn't want to spoil the happy auntie euphoria. This weekend I thought about it some more as I engaged in activities that included exploring bat-infested abandoned mines and scrambling up and down boulders with the consistent thought: "I don't have health insurance, I better not break anything..." It may seem a little ironic that the licensed health care provider who performs physical exams and prescribes your kid's drugs does not have health coverage herself. Fortunately, for me that will change in a few more weeks. Unfortunately, that's not the case for millions of Americans.

We all know that the current health care system is wracked with problems. Our healthcare system is crippled. We pay more money per capita on healthcare than any other developed nation in the world, we still have large populations of the medically underserved, health care costs are grossly inflated, insurance companies have way too much overhead/administration costs (CEOs are being paid way too much), there is a severe problem of Medicaid fraud and abuse, and health care providers and patients are frustrated. No one wants an elderly person on a fixed income to struggle with paying for their medications, a person to be denied a surgery due to their inability to pay, or a child to go without proper medical care. My last point is what I am going to use as a model for this blog because most children, if their parents are responsible enough to look into it, are able to get healthcare, whether through government sponsored insurance (Medicaid) or private insurance. No child should be going without proper medical care in the United States (or at least in California, anyway). I know this because all of my patients are covered under two Medicare insurance branches. For the past couple months I have been able to get a greater understanding of this type of insurance and have pondered about its potential as a model for a universal healthcare system that many politicians are pushing for. Another question: Is a single-payer system the best cure for America's healthcare crisis? I'm not sure if it is, but if it happens, there has to be A LOT of CHANGE on everyone's part. Everyone including every citizen of the country. Below are some points to consider when comparing healthcare systems and some of the negative points of why such a system may not be the best/easiest option (nothing will be easy) for the United States. This is also keeping in mind that the single-payer system will either be controlled or otherwise heavily influenced by the government.

1. Every health care system in the world has three main objectives: Access, Quality, and Low Cost. Unfortunately you can only pick one or two of those things for your system. No healthcare system can have all 3 nor is there a perfect system.

2. Different American mentality. Americans want the best, Americans want choices, Americans want it now. Someone with bone-on-bone knee arthritis living in daily chronic pain doesn't want to wait 5 years for a knee replacement (I heard that's the average wait in Canada). A friend's father flew from Canada to New York for his heart bypass that he paid with his own money because he didn't want to wait months and months for it and risk having another heart attack while he's waiting. I have struggled recently as one of the government health insurance groups has began to crack down on medications that are not listed on its formulary. An allergy sufferer who had been on the same medication for a very long time was trying to get refills. I write on the prescription, "intolerant to A." The pre-authorization was turned down. The insurance company only offered two choices of nasal spray: Drug A or Drug B. "But he's allergic to drug A!" says the grandmother (intolerant to the side effects most likely). Still can't get favored drug... Drug B it is, or nothing...

3. There will always be people who abuse the system and wastes tax-payer money. It already happens with Medicaid, I've seen it. Just one example from a universal-healthcare country: My uncle was in an accident in Norway and his hospital roommate, who was perfectly healthy, was there just because he wanted a "holiday." But it's okay, the government will pay for his holiday. People get ticked off when their tax dollars are misused. People aren't too crazy about how high taxes would have to go to provide universal healthcare. On another level, people will feel like they can go to the doctor for every sniffle or insect bite they get (trust me, I see it every day), because, hey, they're paying for it with their taxes. Never mind the fact that they are exposing themselves to more germs in overcrowded clinics...

4. Reimbursement for government-sponsored programs is horrible. I was talking with one of the other doctors who sees some of the same patients that I do and she says that we (healthcare providers) are only paid for one visit per patient per month, and it's not much of a payment to start with. Therefore, a patient can come back as many times in a month (i.e. follow-up for visit #2, mosquito bites for visit #3, runny nose for visit #4. cough three days later for visit #5 - trust me, this happens) and the provider is paid for the first visit only.

5. Many people don't trust the government handling healthcare. They have seen how efficient the government is handling other issues.

6. There are some lifestyle issues that affect the cost of healthcare. People in the United States live differently. There's fast-food on every corner. We spend too much time in cars or indoors. We're overstressed. Other countries get 6 weeks of vacation a year. Poor lifestyle contributes to many chronic health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and other problems. Chronic diseases are VERY expensive. A large percentage of people in the United States are overweight. Diabetes care (90% Type 2) used up 10% of government health spending in 2006. That's billions of dollars, and that will probably rise in the years to come. There's other cultural differences that can impact health and health costs.

7. Cost will still be an issue. Where will the money come from? The sponsored-insurance groups of my patients have seen some scary financial difficulty lately, but at least the Governator passed a bill recently that supplied more money. A temporary Band-aid.

8. Are people in single-payer healthcare system-countries satisfied with what they have? Many say no. Some countries are looking for other options. I heard that Canada passed a law making it illegal for Canadians to seek medical care in the United States. I don't have a source on that, but if it was really true...

So are universal healthcare and a single-payer system the main solutions to the United States healthcare problems? That's for the people to decide.

Welcome to the World, Lucas Wesley Mitchell!!

2008-10-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have auntie euphoria! My nephew count doubled on Sunday when Lucas Wesley (a.k.a Cutest Nephew Ever #2) entered the world after a very quick delivery (labor was only an hour, I hope I will share my sister's "labor genes"). He weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 oz and 22 inches, quite a big boy. All is well and he went home yesterday. My mom will be in Alabama until the end of the month to help out mainly with my older nephew. Brian Jr. will be such a great big brother. I can't wait to see them, although who knows when that will be. I am so blessed. My auntie love capacity has doubled. No recession here.

My first complaint

2008-10-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

This week I got my first complaint from a parent of a patient. Normally, this would be a traumatizing moment for me, as I am a bit sensitive and need to thicken my skin for for future incidents. The last thing I want to do is offend someone or make a bad name for myself, but I know I am not perfect, parents are not perfect, and I will unintentionally offend someone again. I actually found this incident kind of funny and an example of why patients and parents need to use common sense and courtesy.

Monday one of the doctors came to me and said that she received a call about one of my patients. My heart began to race. She told me the conversation and I knew exactly who she was talking about.
Rolling back to Friday... An hour after the scheduled appointment, I see a girl about 8 years old with a chief complaint of runny nose, congestion, and fever for three days. She had not had a fever since the first day, no fever now, and had not taken any medicine for fever (Tylenol or Motrin). No cough, no history of asthma or allergies, no sick contacts. The only thing I found on physical exam was a really congested, runny nose. Meanwhile, the mom had been talking on her cell phone in a heated conversation for about 75% of the visit. Yes, there were signs in the room about cell phones, and I did have the right to leave the room and come back when her conversation was over or have one of the assistants tell her to turn off the phone, but I was feeling a bit laid back and decided to ignore it. I wrote a prescription for some Sudafed Cold and Cough to relieve the congestion; (yes, I prescribe over-the-counter meds all the time because Medicaid will pay for it, and I figure even if it saves them a couple bucks, a couple bucks may be their children's lunch money). I explained that it's most likely a very bad head cold caused by a virus, that antibiotics won't help (when she asked if I was going to give her the "pink" medicine), and with the combination of lack of fever, no sinus tenderness, length of time, and her age, it most likely was not a sinus infection, and that because it was a virus it just needed some time to pass. I told the mom that if it did persist for more than a couple weeks without any relief, to come back in. The mom was not very happy about the medicine and just shook her head on the way out and mumbled about how "this stuff don't work."

Fast forward to Monday and the doctor tells me about the call she received from the same parent of the same patient. The mother said, "I don't mean to be mean, but I saw your assistant on Friday and she told me it was a cold and gave me some Sudafed." The doctor said that the mother's voice got angrier when she started telling her about her experience after the visit. During that same weekend (not sure if it was the same night of her visit or not), she went to an urgent care (wonder if she had to pay a co-pay, but that's another issue). The mother's anger reached it's climax when she said, "your assistant said it was a cold, but they (urgent care) diagnosed it as a VIRAL infection!!" The doctor reassured her that the two diagnoses were the same thing and that I was correct in my decision.

If only this parent had not been on the cell phone, she would have heard me say "virus" at least three times. Oh well. I guess the stronger the medical terminology, the more reassuring it is to the parents... I have also learned my lesson on cellphones: it's gotta be zero tolerance from here on out...

Do I surprise you??

2008-09-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

I'm behind in my blogging and need a little inspiration. I figured I could write one about some recent controversial issues and politics, but I'm not really in the mood right now. But stay tuned if you are into that stuff. Instead, I got this idea from my friend Heather's blog and thought that it was a pretty cool idea. One that I've put off too long. It's a list of 200 things that I have or have not done in my life. The things I HAVE done are in bold and italicized. There's quite a few things I still hope to accomplish, and if you want to help me accomplish them, let me know. If you've known me for a while maybe something will surprise you...

200 Have and Have-not's
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath/Shower (well, maybe not really ice-cold)
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day (does it count if I was sick?)
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (does a mission video count?)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone (do teeth count?)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child (Does it count that it was in a play?)
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (Does mini-golf count?)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Learned to hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on a friend's blog today.

Welcome to Pediatrics

2008-09-18T22:23:00.001-07:00

Now that I've been in my job for over a month I guess I can share some experiences. Jumping into pediatrics for my first job has been quite an experience. I've learned a lot and still have so much learning to do. There's been some ups and downs. Downs including demanding parents (PLEASE check your attitude at the door), kids coughing in my face, the shock of having over a third of my paycheck go towards the government, and a few others. Ups include the sincere thank yous, working with great staff, the smiles that I get from kids of all ages, the opportunity to express standards and morals (monitoring TV programs, abstinence, etc...) while being viewed as "an authority" - that part is still a little weird. I appreciate those little opportunities where I hope I make a small difference in someone's life during such a short encounter. And then there are those weird, crazy, and funny moments, some are as follow...
* A rule for parents: please do not bring your puppy to your child's doctor appointment. Even more important, do not weigh your puppy on the baby scale or use any other clinic equipment on your dog.
* Another rule for parents: Please do not steal soap from the rooms. That is just ghetto. Ghett-o.
* I do confess that there are quite a few parents who ,"do not present themselves well," as one of my friends would say. Sometimes they don't have to say a word and sometimes their kids will say it for them. I had one tot whose first words, according the parents, very closely resembled "shut up" and "stupid." The only response I could say was ,"Wow." I remember my program director in PA school very early on in our training teaching us the importance of the "thought bubble" - as seen in cartoons and comic strips - and keeping our potential reactions and thoughts inside that bubble. I have used my "bubble" often.
* I am often humored by "creative spelling" of kids names. I know with some of the parents English is their second language, and some parents are trying to be unique, but I can't help to chuckle when I see names like "Melony" and "Marical" and quite a few others. Plus, it makes me look a little foolish when I attempt to say their name after I read it off the chart.
* One of the important rules I learned in pediatrics: Teenagers will always take more time. Always.
* I love my Littman stethoscope. It has endured some trauma during this past month, but its durability has not let me down. On my one week anniversary working at the clinic, I came down with the stomach flu. Near the end of the day as I was observing one of the doctors start putting some sutures into the last patient of the day, my stomach could no longer keep my breakfast and lunch down. Before I bowed to the porcelain god, I threw my stethoscope off my neck and onto the floor. After I finished what I needed to do, I noticed that the chain was broken in the toilet. I removed the lid of the tank and placed it on the trashcan so that I could reattach the chain. As I was fiddeling with the toilet , the trashcan tipped over and with with a loud noise (enough to scare another staff member and have her knock on the door) the tank lid fell right on top of the bell of my stethoscope. Fortunately, the tank lid didn't break and the only damage my stethoscope received was a crack in the rubber no-chill ring. Sooo lucky.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had a three year old patient who was going through a major mood swing. After yelling at his mom and calling her some not-so-nice names, he grabbed my stethoscope, pulling it from my ears, bit down on it and pulled on it as hard as he could. After I kept my cool he calmed down almost instantly and with my constant praise for his good behavior, he was an angel for the rest of the visit. After sanitizing my scope with some alcohol, I noticed that there was no damage, no teeth marks even. Amazing! A vet student friend of mine commented on how her stethoscope has survived being stepped on by cows. Huzzah for Littman stethoscopes, Huzzah!!

That's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more stories from the trenches, in a HIPPA-protected sort of way. Stay tuned!

Bergen, Norway

2008-09-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

After I arrived in Norway, I was ready to achieve another part of my dream. This was to walk the same narrow, cobblestone streets that my great-grandparents walked at the turn of the 20th century - my great-grandfather as a missionary, and my great-grandmother as a resident. Other than the satellite dishes, many of the streets looked as if they had not changed much. I enjoyed the harbor, especially in the evening with the street performers, my first-night downpour without my umbrella, walking through the fish market on a Saturday morning (except for the smell), and the lovely shops that have existed for more than a hundred years.

One of my stops on the trip was to visit the home of Norway's most famous composer, Edvard Grieg. His name may not sound familiar to most people, but his music is. What I like most about Grieg is his ability to transform the emotions of life's ordinary and extraordinary moments into beautiful music, as well as his ability to embody the inspirational and spiritual nature of his surroundings (i.e. the wilderness of Norway.) Not surprising, his composing hut has a beautiful view overlooking a tree-lined lake that undoubtedly inspired his music.

One of my mandatory sites in Norway was to see a stave church - the centuries-old wooden churches with unique architecture and design that, as a tool to convert former pagans to Christianity incorporated early Christianity with pagan symbols. Unfortunately the original near Bergen burned down in the 1990s, but it was rebuilt. A stone cross from the early years of Christianity still remains there. I also had a good conversation with a graduate student conducting a survey about churches as tourist spots in Norway and Europe. We talked about his study, the religious lifestyles of Americans and Europeans, as well as a little of my own beliefs.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was my journey to Flam and taking a little cruise around the infamous fjords of Norway. It was incredible! I would love to return again someday and maybe take a hiking/kayaking trip around the fjords just like the American girl I met at the laundromat.

The train ride down into the Flam Valley was impressive and throughout my whole fjord journey I saw numerous cascades flowing down the deep green, and sometimes snow-topped, fjords. I also enjoyed seeing the beautiful little towns scattered throughout the fjords, from the deep valleys to the high peaks. The envy toward those Norwegian shepherds continued to grown inside me...

I enjoyed a sunset at the Bergen fortress one evening and it was very beautiful. My favorite sunset of the whole trip was enjoyed at the top of a hill overlooking the whole city and harbor of Bergen. I was able to take a tram up to the top and stayed until 11:30, just enjoying the view.

This pretty much wraps up my Scandinavia trip. Hope you enjoyed the ride. I would love to take this trip again, but I'm afraid it's going to have to wait for a very long time. I guess it's back to more diverse blogging.

Oslo, Norway

2008-09-02T18:50:00.001-07:00

This was it. This was my gateway to achieving my 17 year dream of going to Norway and now I had achieved it. I had only one day to explore Oslo. Oslo is a beautiful city, lots of statues, clean streets, (except for the section of downtown that was torn up for construction), fountains, a mix of old and new architecture (the majority still had the antique feel) and lots of flowers.

My first stop in Oslo (after a much longer than anticipated trip the day before from Copenhagen) was the Akershus fortress and castle. Much of the building dates back to the late 13th century. This was a great place to take some pictures and get a view of the city.

My second stop in Oslo was the National Gallery. So many wonderful works of art and masterpieces that were centuries old from different Norwegian artists. My favorite part was the room dedicated to the most well-known artist, Edvard Munch. I am fascinated by how he is able to convey such intense and personal feelings, philosophies, and experiences into his work. He is most well known for his painting of "The Scream", which I have a parody on the left side of my blog. It was fascinating to learn about how this painting was inspired by a personal experience of his. This particular version (he made multiple "Screams") was stolen a few years ago and recovered earlier this year. The restoration efforts, due to some defacing it underwent, were amazing. I was also able to enjoy the beautiful "Madonna" painting that was also recovered this year. Another painting that I was fascinated by was "The Sick Child" which was a work he painted at the age of 22 and was inspired by the death of his own sister. Despite the harsh criticism he received for his style and technique, I thought it was an excellent work. If I had more time, I would have visited the Munch Museum in Oslo, but I felt like I did get a good introduction to his life and works.

After an afternoon visit to the Royal Place and gardens, I spent the evening in Frogner Park and the Vigeland Sculpture Park.

The theme of the Vigeland Sculpture Park is the Human Condition and the cycle of life. Over 200 bronze and granite statues were designed and created by Gustav Vigeland during the early half of the 20th century. One of the highlights of the park is the Monolith, a single, carved piece of stone consisting of piled figures that look as though they are struggling to rise to heaven. This work is said to represent man's desire to become closer with the spiritual and design. It is suppose to portray a feeling of togetherness as the humans embrace one another as they are carried toward salvation. Another interesting point about the Monolith is that the humans at the top are children and babies, those who are closest to heaven and all that is divine. There was something about the range of human affections, emotions, and relations portrayed in all of the statues in the park that I found intriguing. The essence of the human soul and its basic relationships- parents, children, friends, siblings, lovers, enemies - all depicted in stone and bronze; giving life to the lifeless. It was a very memorable experience.

My day in Oslo ended with a trip back to the hostel on the tram, just in time to barely miss the beginning of a thunder and lightening storm. I wanted to see it, but it was quite late and I had a morning train ride to Bergen. Plus, risking electrocution when one is alone in a foreign country may not be a good idea.

Some other random observations about Oslo:
* I've never been to a city where street performers are dressed up as famous natives (well, maybe the exception of the Ben Franklins in Philadelphia). In Oslo's case , it was the playwright Ibsen.
*There were a lot of Spanish-speaking tourist in Norway. I would have never thought...
*I finally caught on about the true value of the recycling redemption value of plastic water bottles. A refund of a krone (probably about 20 cents) is a krone more to spend, especially in a country like Norway. I finally gave up buying bottled water in Bergen anyways.
* I did take a couple breaks from walking all over the city to watch some children play in the city's fountains on a hot, summer day. I was tempted to join them, but I refrained.

It is safe to say that Oslo was the cultural highlight of my trip. Stay tuned for more Norwegian beauty and adventures...

Kobenhavn (a.k.a. Copenhagen)

2008-08-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Copenhagen is an interesting city and has some of the "classic" European things including a castle, a palace, and a windmill. I think compared with other major cities I went to, it has a bit more of an urban, yet still historic feel to it.

* I attended Church and fortunately had all the meetings translated in English with the use of some interesting headphones, amazing technology!! Luckily I wasn't the only one who was wearing them. I still had the opportunity to slaughter the Danish language by attempting to sing the hymns. The Copenhagen temple was around the corner from the chapel and I was glad I could see it. Another highlight for that Sunday was seeing the original Christus statue (as replicated in LDS temple Visitor's Centers). It, as well as the statues of the 12 Apostles by the same artist in the same church, are wonderful works of Christian art. I attempted to catch a Carl Bloch painting but that shall have to wait until a future trip.

I had a nice walk along the harbor and was able to see the Little Mermaid statue. Hans Christian Andersen (no known relation to myself) is the famous Danish author of the tale. Tourists swarmed the statue but I was fortunate to get a few shots.

Fredericksberg Garden was a lovely park to spend a Sunday afternoon in. It even has hammocks! I rocked out, literally.

Copenhagen was still a pretty busy place at night and was bustling with tourists who were enjoying the end of the weekend. There was a long pedestrian street with lots of shops and some museums (I did stay away from the Erotic Museum). Other sites included the Round Tower (one of the oldest observatories in Europe, dating from the 1600s) and the World Clock Tower (supposedly one of the most accurate clocks). I set my travel alarm clock to it, but unfortunately a couple nights later it fell and the battery came out. Oh, well. Someday I would definitely like to go to the top of the Round Tower to get a sweet view of the city.

Some other random observations:

* Outside the train station I saw a male bike-taxi driver wearing a shirt that said "BYU Women's Track" which included the old BYU cougar logo. I thought it was pretty funny. (I know this must seem like an inside joke for some readers.)

* I don't like Copenhagen laundromat dryers. I couldn't get the dryer off of the "cool down" setting. At least the dryer was in English, unlike the washer with which I had to take a complete guess on how to operate.

*It was my reminder to put on sunscreen. Th sun seemed to be on steroids and I did get burned. I had a really nice ankle-sock line the next day to show off with my sandals.

* I cannot praise the strawberries enough. So good! And so good looking!! Not quite like the genetically-induced-oversized - mutant-looking strawberries that I have grown accustomed to in California.

*This was my first time staying at a YMCA hostel. I really had the urge to start singing the YMCA song and do the dance, but I settled for a more discreet whistling of the Village People tune.

*Danish danishes (the pastries, they're not called danishes in Denmark) are, not suprisingly, better in Denmark than the United States. I made sure I bought one at the train station before I left for Norway.

That's Copenhagen in a nutshell. Stay tune for Oslo, Norway next.

Stockholm

2008-08-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

My first and last destination in Scandinavia was the beautiful city of Stockholm. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen. From the greenery, to the cleanliness of the streets, to my favorite part of the city, Gamla Stan (a.k.a. Old Town) with it's history and beauty well preserved including its narrow cobblestone roads, colorful buildings, and numerous waterways. I admit that in my travels that Oslo did prove some good competition as far as "most beautiful city" with its historic buildings, parks, and flowers; but Stockholm does beat it with its beautiful old town, just barely. I had to withhold from expressing my true envy towards the Scandinavians about how beautiful their country is, with their green landscapes, enormous blue skies, rivers, and lakes. I just wanted to shout, "Do you realize how beautiful your country is??" As I continued through my journey and pondered more about it, I did gain a greater appreciation for the composers and artists that had the ability to capture it their patriotism and spiritual connection to their surroundings through brush strokes and musical notes and communicate the feelings that words can't describe. More on that in later posts.

Just a few other things I noticed when I arrived in Sweden:
* I learned that since I know a second language, I automatically go into Spanish mode when I hear a non-English language being spoken. From the time I got off of the plane, all I wanted to speak was Spanish. I even caught some Spanish slipping out. As I progressed through my trip, I wasn't sure if I should speak Norwegian or English and sometimes I felt the ability to verbally communicate in either language abandon me in my moment of need, reducing me to a mute (sometimes mumbling), pointing customer.
*I couldn't help smiling when I saw some pre-teen boys get on the train, sporting some interesting hairstyles. Yes, I thought, I am definately in Europe now.
*Scandinavia is a lot more diverse than I imagined. There is a huge immigrant population, especially from the Middle East and Africa. I had more pita kebabs than Swedish meatballs.
*I found it kinda funny how the airport terminal seating reminded me of Ikea furniture. Same fabric, in "airport-standard" black, yet with a touch of European style and comfort. If I had to take a nap in any airport in the world, Arlanda International would be my top choice.

On my last day in Stockholm, my "big" Stockholm day, I made it to a couple popular tourist sites. The first one was the Vasa Museum. In the 1600's a huge warship with 2 decks of cannons was built. It was set to sail to Poland, where the kings of both countries had some conflicting issues with each other. On its maiden voyage, supposedly to Poland, some gusts of wind toppled the top-heavy ship and it eventually sunk, no more than a mile or two away from the harbor, where it laid underwater for 333 years. Remarkably, due to the amazing Baltic Sea's mix of salt and fresh water in the harbor, the ship was preserved quite well and 95% of the original ship is displayed to the public. It was quite an amazing site! I'm also very glad to not have been a sailor in the 1600's.

After the Vasa museum, I hopped back on the ferry and journeyed to Skansen park, one of the most popular tourist destinations. It's a large park that preserves its Swedish culture and traditions with re-creations of Swedish buildings, shops, farms, windmills, and a small zoo. After eating a waffle with Swedish cloubberry jam and cream, I watched a couple of the craft demonstrations including pottery and glass-blowing. It was cool! As I was leaving Skansen, it began to sprinkle. The sprinkle soon turned into a downpour. The green beauty of Scandinavia does have its cost. I attempted to seek refuge at the National Gallery but I found out that it was closed on Mondays. Despite my little travel umbrella, my feet and legs began to get a bit soaked, and I sought temporary shelter in the tourist center (where I noticed a large collection of Abba CDs for sale, props to the Swedes for their loyalty to their pop culture) and a nearby mall. I made one last stop in Gamla Stan with the hope of a short break in the rain and maybe I could take more pictures. The rain never stopped until I got on the plane the next morning. By evening time I was pretty soaked and decided to stop by the grocery store for dinner and head back to the hostel. I wasn't the only one looking for a warm, dry place. The place was really hopping!! Some of the hostels I had been to were pretty busy, and most people kept to themselves, but this time dozens of people were sitting around and just talking, eating, drinking, and having a good time. I met some of the jovial French and Australian people I was sharing a room with, and talked with a concert pianist from London who was performing in Scandinavia. I met a guy from Zambia who was studying in Stockholm for a few months before he goes on to continue his studies in Spain. Nearby a young men's choir from Germany was singing (and I love it when guys sing) in impressive harmony of songs ranging from the 1950's pop to modern songs. As they started a card game and the beer came out, the singing turned into lots of laughter. It was a fun evening, and a great people watching/meeting experience. Probably for the first time in the trip, I felt like I was one of the first ones to retire early to bed at 12:30 in order to get up at 6:00 for my flight the next morning.

This is just a brief post on Stockholm. I definately want to go there again. Stay tuned for Copenhagen, Denmark next.

Notes On the Train 2

2008-08-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

This is from August 3, on my all day trip from Bergen, Norway to Stockholm, Sweden. Just some more random thoughts:

* "Good luck and bad luck continues with the trains. I didn't know I needed a reservation from Oslo to Stockholm. It didn't say anything in my train guide and I was worried when a conductor told me the train was full. I lost my comfortable seat in Karlstad when a young Swedish soccer team invaded the car and I had to settle for a jump seat in the next car. The good news was that my train wasn't late arriving into Oslo, woohoo!!"

*"I still have not bought any real souveneirs. I figured I could always go to the Scandinavian shops in Solvang, or San Diego, San Francisco, Salt Lake City... or any other places that start with an 'S.'"

*"How I hate sitting near the restroom! For the six hours from Bergen to Oslo, I would get an occasional whiff of "public restroom" smell, even though there were 2 doors that separated me from the restroom." Oh, the annoyance...

*"Last night I was assaulted with a bag of Museli in a Bergen grocery store. I guess if this is the worst crime I have to face as a tourist, than so be it. Those crazy Norwegian hooligans..."

Referring to my trip to Voss, Norway the day before. My plan for a day-hike to a waterfall was spoiled by rain and the need to do laundry at a partially-hidden laundromat (where I met a girl from the US who was born not far from where I live and has an aunt in my hometown, small world...). But I did manage to enjoy some of its beauty.

*"Skies are beautiful as usual, in their partly-cloudy manner. I loved how in Voss the clouds would delicately drape over the hills...

I LOVED the wild raspberries in Voss. At first I didn't want to touch them until I knew exactly what they were, but I saw a woman who validated that they were safe to eat. Having been "pre-washed" by the recent rain, I could just pluck them off the bush and pop them in my mouth. Sooo good...

Having recently tried the Voss brand water back in the states, I decided to see if the Voss tap water from the train station sink was any good. The result: Best tap water ever!! Much better than I expected, I don't remember any aftertaste. Huzzah for Voss tap water!! "

"I had a moment of free time that I think, in a "tender-mercy" kind of way, was meant for me to just chill. The batteries in my camera were dead and I had at least an hour before the train back to Bergen arrived. There was a small promontory of rocks that stretched into the lake where I just sat and chilled. It felt pretty cool to be surrounded almost entirely by water. I watched tiny ripples being formed by, as I later discovered, little fish no longer than my little finger. Although I was on vacation, I have found it hard to relax. I am always thinking ahead, trying to plan the evening or the next day, thinking about work, thinking about what I was going to eat next. thinking about finances, a little scared of the fact that I will be starting my new job in a few days. But I tried to soak in the moment and eventually a feeling of peace confirmed that everything will be alright. Enjoy the moment. And I did."

Here's just a few shots of Voss and my chilling spot:

That's it for now. Stay tuned for when I hit Sweden in my next post.

Notes on the train

2008-08-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned before that I spent a lot of time on trains while in Europe. A lot of time, some journeys consuming practically my whole day. Most of the time it wasn't bad at all. In fact, one of my favorite parts of my trip was the train ride between Oslo, Norway and Bergen, Norway. I knew Norway was beautiful, but I was practically floored. Here are some of my notes that I wrote while on my journeys:

*Copenhagen to Oslo (a trip that took me four hours longer than I previously planned, one of the rails was closed so I had to hop a bus in Goteburg, Sweden, and take one or 2 more trains from Sweden to Oslo.)

One of the cool things that I noticed as I was standing in a very crowded Swedish train to Goteborg, was a mother and son, both in full back-packing gear. I thought, how cool is that? What a great bonding experience for them both. I'm guessing they were German. The boy, who looked no older than 8 or 9 years old had his own large backpack with a tent hooked to it. Clad in typical outdoor wear, including a bandana around his neck and his shaggy hair poking out from his hat, he looked like he could be a model for REI. They finally were able to get a seat and there was such a tender moment to see the boy napping on his Mom's lap. I really was tempted to take a picture, but circumstances wouldn't let me, and I had no idea how to ask their permission in German. It was a sweet moment. I had seen a lot of young adult backpackers, but this moment was special.

As I spent a lot of time looking at the scenery (and I apologize for lack of pics in this blog, my windows on the trains would not open), it would start to bring out an inner poet. As I was accomplishing my 17 year dream of going to Norway, I could not help expressing some of my thoughts, so here are a couple...
"I stare at the horizon where my dreams and reality meet,
A view only attainable by the hills I climb.
The heavens above watch over me like a protective parent,
Reminding me of its consistency and infinite presence..."

Oslo to Bergen route
It's hard to describe some of the beauty of Norway in English, but here is an attempt with some words that I wrote down:
"Wildflowers of purple, pink, yellow, and white against the green back drop of fields, hills and fjords. Pine tree needles hanging from the boughs like the oversized sleeves of a wizard or the wings of angels. Patches of snow in late July cling settles in the crevices of the hills. Lakes and streams of emerald green. Grass-covered roofs, some occasional livestock, and capsized row boats catch my attention." For a moment I considered living out the rest of my days as a Norwegian shepherd in such scenery, but I realized this would not pay off my loans.

Some notes based on random thoughts from 7/30/08:

"The train system has not been as easy as I thought it would be. I'm stuck in a tunnel on the way to Bergen and we've just been advised to open the windows, (I was in that tunnel fo almost an hour, that's when I broke out my notes and camera and kicked off my shoes a seen above). Oh, and did I mention there's no air-conditioning? I'm beginning to worry about my trip from Bergen to Stockholm, since I jus have such a short window of time to catch the train from Oslo. From one end of a country to the end of another... "
In regards to eating on a shoestring in Europe: "They say man cannot live on bread alone (that's all I had on my train ride). Well, maybe kebab-pitas, an occasional hot dog, water, and chocolate milk can be sufficient. Not very well-balanced, I know. I still await mytaste of the famous Norwegian strawberries (bought at the fish market in Bergen, I liked the ones in Denmark better, but they're soooo good! And little too! And beautiful - almost took a picture of the Danish ones, but was holding out for the Norwegian ones.) I have become a con osier of Scandinavian chocolate milk. My favorite was called Chocio, which I believe was from Denmark. I have also discovered that there is such thing as hot dog dressing. Some dressing comes with a bit of a garlic taste, it was quite good. Sometimes potato salad might be added to the hot dog wrapped in a Scandinavian tortilla. That was new. "
"Phillips batteries stink - will not buy any more of them." I bought 2 packages of Phillips in Copenhagen for my cameras, none of them worked. I tried to uphold this oath when I was looking for camera batteries in Stockholm. Four or five stores - all Phillips. Finally got some more expensive German batteries at an electronic store, but oh, the peace of mind.
"Train seats are more comfortable than airplane seats." I had painful circulation issues on the flight over that kept me up most of the flight. Love the space of train seats.
"Why does a cool lightening storm have to begin once I get back to my hostel?"
"Scary, I'm starting my new job a week from now/ Luckily I have my Tarascon Outpatient Pediatrics pocket book. Something to rotate between my pocket Book of Mormon and Norwegian phrase book."
"Dutch guys rock!"
"Time to liberate my feet from my shoes. They've been so good to me. On Sunday I counted about 6 blisters. I curse my sandals!"

I'm going to leave it at that for now. I'll probably post more thoughts traveling between Bergen and Stockholm.

I'm back!!

2008-07-23T23:45:00.001-07:00

I'm back in the U.S. of A. now. Reflecting on my trip is going to take a lot time, so bear with me and the multiple posts. I'll probably just post some random thoughts and most of this will not be very organized, so hang on for the ride.
* Some people would think I'm a bit crazy for going to some foreign country by myself that I've never been to nor speak the language. Fortunately, the majority of the people could speak English. I could say some basics like "do you speak English?","Excuse me," "thank you," "restroom" and "one hot dog, please." One of my few times that I ran into somone who couldn't was at a convenience store. My pocket phrase book didn't tell me how to say, "I would like to redeem this empty plastic bottle and get my 1 or 2 kroner, please," but fortunately, I could just pull out my bottle, point and smile, and they got the point. I wasn't also too concerned about the safety issue. I told my parents, "Come on, it's Norway..." I 've been in scarier parts in San Francisco. Another plus to traveling alone is that I don't have to worry about someone else's comfort and I don't feel as bad when I make a wrong turn or some schedule mistake. Being a little low on money and with the high cost of Europe, I did have to rough it a little and really stretch my budget. And it was nice to spend as much time looking at a painting, resting (or not resting), nursing some ugly blisters, taking as many pictures as I wanted of the same object, and so on. Of course there are some downsides to traveling alone, the major one of just not having someone to share a beautiful scene with, share your thoughts, emotions, and perspectives on your experiences, or dance to the music that lingers through the a harbor's summer air. I guess those times will come and I will look forward to them even more, especially when I have my eternal travel companion that accompanies me on the rest of my life's journeys.

* I think I've experienced the majority of possible modes of public transportation. Lots of flying time, but that's to be expected, as well as the number of stopovers. On my way over, I left Ontario at 6:25 in the morning, had stops in Phoenix, Denver, Philadelphia, and Munich before arriving in Stockholm around 3:30 pm the next day. Munich was my first view of Europe and I was amazed with how green it was and all of the little, red-roofed villages scattered about the countryside, awwwww... While I was in the Munich airport I had the song, now I'm not sure if it's the right title so please forgive me, "Ninety-nine red balloons" (that 80's song where half of the lyrics are in German) stuck in my head. I was trying refrain from whistling it, afraid that some may find it offensive and think that I'm mocking Germany. I later found out from a friend who just came back from Germany that Germans love that song and would not have been offended. Next time, next time...
I admit I wasn't the most social seat mate (spent more time dozing), but I did sit and chat with this amazing women who had been vacationing in Atlantic City and was going back to Germany where she works for the Army. We somehow got onto the topic of goals and she mentioned that she was training for her first half-marathon. Wow!! I thought. I asked if she had been in any before and she said no, that this was her first. She said that she has multiple sclerosis and so is not very sure how much time she has left to engage in such physical activities. She said 2 weeks ago she couldn't even walk, so she just takes things a day at a time and tries to live the most out of them. Amazing!
Jumping forward... I almost didn't get home Tuesday night because the airline had overbooked the flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix. After spending more than 2 hours going through customs, and the nightmare of the security check (worst check line ever!) I found out that I was on the waiting list to get a seat on the plane. I was starting to get just a little stressed out at this point. Just a little. I was starting my new job at 8am the next morning and couldn't wait for the next earliest flight that didn't leave until the next morning. Fortunately, some kind soul, whose name will be written by angels in the eternal book of good deeds, took the later flight and I was able to get one of the last seats on the plane. I sat with a lovely couple from Sweden on their way to Phoenix. We chatted for a good time until we both felt the effects of Stockholm time and slept until the end of the flight. After the plane landed, they offered me a piece of candy that looked more like a large, oval, greyish-brown vitamin. I graciously accepted. Now, just a side note, I have learned that in many countries, children and adults acquire a taste for things that others may find disgusting. Australians have Vegimite (a spread for bread made from yeast extract, very salty), Argentines have mate (a drink that looks, and many say tastes, like grass), and Swedes have their salted black licorice. This salt doesn't just seem like regular table salt, it seems a bit stronger, like it's burning your mouth and up to your nose. This particular hard candy had a salty-black licorice and menthol taste to it. Yes, a bit strong. I tried my best to keep a straight face. It was too big to swallow, so I had to suck on it until I could bite into it and taste its full fury. Still trying to maintain a straight face. Ah, yes the joys of airplane travel...

I'm going to keep this short for now, but I will blog more later. Stay tuned for more Scandinavian adventures.

I'll be back!!

2008-07-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

For all of my loyal readers, have no fear. I'm currently in Europe so I won't be blogging much forthe next couple weeks, but stay tuned!! I get back August 5th and start my new job the next day, so it may be after that before you hear from me again.

A Walk Down...

2008-07-14T01:10:00.000-07:00

To increase the reader interactivity of my blog, I'm following a blogging idea tht I ran across on some of my friends' blog. So here are the rules:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Let those good times roll, again!!!

For The Fans: Eyes Eyes Baby

2008-07-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

During my PA-school years I discovered a talent for rapping and writing medical-related song parodies. I guess I could be described as a female, medical version of Weird Al Yankovic. Weird Al has been an inspiration to me for many years (in fact, the first CD I ever bought was his "Alapalooza") and I did enjoy some late nights listening to the Dr. Demento show back in the day. Despite time constraints with my busy student schedule, I realized that I still needed a creative outlet. Due to my extreme right-brain-ness and occasional boredom, I started organizing the information I was studying into rhymes and rhythms. This was taking mnemonics to the next level. It started with "G6PD-yeah you know me... G6PD with my Heinz body..." to the iron deficiency rap to a parody of Dave Matthews Band "Crash into me" called "Don't crash on me." and another take on the Fray's "How to Save a Life." I soon received the nickname "Rapper J" and a few others from my classmates and coworkers. One of the class favorites was "Eyes,Eyes, Bab," which is to the tune of "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. I did my first public performance of it at a church talent show last month and was fortunate to have some beat-boxing back up. I added a few more lyrics since its original circulation . Enjoy!

"Eyes Eyes Baby"
Yo PA-C lets kick it!
Eyes, Eyes Baby... Check out those eyes, eyes, baby...
Okay stop, grab your scope and listen,
My eye is red and it has some itchin'.
What's this stuff in my eye it's kinda goopy,
When I look around now everything's real loopy.
Quick to the doc, to the doc we're running fast as we can cuz my vision is blurrin'.
PA on the scene, you know what I mean,
Asking all those questions now everything is coming clean.
If you got a problem, yo I'll solve it:
Fill out these forms and we'll talk in a minute.
Eyes, eyes, baby... Check out those eyes, eyes, baby...
First things first is check acuity;
20/20 vision is not my ability.
Holy hordeolum! What's that stye I got on my eye?
Could it be chalazion -inflammation of the gland meibomian?
Reddish or grayish and it's enlargin' on the lid margin.
Eyes, eyes, baby...
Encroachin' on the cornea: possibly ptyergium but not pinguecula.
If it's hammer time - better wear safety glasses,
Cover yo' globes and lids and eyelashes.
If your blood pressure's high, I shouldn't fail to mention -
Papilledema is a sign of malignant hypertension.
Diabetes - is the leading cause of new blindness.
I'm running out of lyrics so I appreciate your kindness.
If you have a problem, yo I'll solve it,
Check out this brochure and this drug will resolve it.
Eyes, eyes baby... Take care those eyes, eyes baby....
Yo, let's get out of here.
Word to your ophthalmologist.

25th Post: 25 Feasible Goals

2008-07-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Before my mom retired a few weeks ago, she made a list of 25 goals she wanted to accomplish after she retired. A couple friends blogged their list of entirely plausible things that they wanted to accomplish during their life. Now that I am out of school and hopefully will have more free time, here are just some of mine in no particular order:

1. Learn a martial art
2. Have a garden or greenhouse
3. Learn Tai Chi
4. Write an original song
5. Get published – medical and non-medical related
6. Have my own art studio in my home
7. Learn 1 or 2 more languages
8. Write and illustrate a children’s book
9. Go to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Denali and hike Half Dome in Yosemite
10. Run a 5K at least once a year
11. Learn how to drive a manual transmission
12. Visit Vancouver, Canada, the UK, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, and Iceland
13. Make a quilt
14. Ride a snow mobile
15. Read at least 8 books a year
16. Plant a tree
17. Receive a compliment on my handwriting
18. Own a hammock and a library card
19. Become an awesome photographer
20. Participate in a Native American/Alaskan drum/chanting circle
21. Complete a “Diabolical” Sudoku
22. Have a secret recipe for homemade ice cream
23. Make a beautiful and delicious omelet and homemade strawberry lemonade
24. Learn to salsa dance
25. Go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

"There's Always the Mariana Islands."

2008-06-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was looking through some of the job openings for PAs at potential government -reimbursed clinics. There was an abbreviation that I didn't know, and looking it up (yay Google!) found out that it was the Northern Mariana Islands. "Where are the Northern Mariana Islands?" you ask. I was thinking the same thing so I wikied it (Wikipedia) to learn more. It's in the Pacific just north of Guam, and eyeballing it on a globe, looks like it's halfway between Hawaii and China. There are about 84,000 people there and the languages spoken include Chamorro, Carolinian, and English. Only about 2% of the Islanders are Caucasian, so I would probably stand out. It does have the highest female:male ratio in the world of 100 females to every 77 males, so that would be a disadvantage for the Island dating scene for me. My mother and I were discussing future job locations and I told her, "There's always the Mariana Islands." She replied with, "You're making Alaska look better and better."

I haven't 100% settled on a location. I do have a job offer in southern California but I'm not sure if I'll take it yet. There's still more job searching, particularly out-of-state job searching, that I haven't done yet. Earlier this year I was pretty open to going wherever there was a job, but then I figured it would be nice to stay in SoCal if possible... But who knows... There's a lot of things to consider: commuting, cost of living, weather (this 105 degree weather is making Alaska look better and better), population - rural vs. city, family med vs. pediatrics, salary, etc... I'm going to start a poll and if any of you want to leave a comment with a recommendation of where I should work, it would be welcomed and pondered upon. By the way, the Northern Mariana Islands job is no longer listd.

I still want a kayak...

One of the best science documentaries EVER!

2008-06-20T17:41:00.001-07:00

In one of my zoology classes in college I watched a film from the 1980's called "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History." Roger Ebert summarizes the plot as, "An assault of sex-mad giant toads munching their way across Australia." One of the funniest things about the movie is the people that they interview, some are included in the clips below. Enjoy!

An alternative use for cane toads

A man who loves cane toads:

"...and that's what I like about them."

Mind Decompression Part 2: Yay for Ikea!

2008-06-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

As I watched in sadness the elimination game of Sweden in the Euro Cup 2008 this last week, I thought I would highlight one of the important things that we, in the United States, receive from the Swedes: Ikea. For those who have never heard of Ikea, it's a huge 2-story home furnishings store that is complete with cafeteria, day care center, a "bistro", and a small food market where one can buy food products from Sweden. Though some of their European fashion designs are a little out of my field, their prices are a bit hard to beat. It is one of the few stores (other than book, music and recreational/outdoor equipment stores) that is hard for me to spend less than an hour in; and this is from someone who avoids malls and weekends at Walmart at all costs. I may not be the typical girl because I really do dislike shopping very much (and I would never, ever expect a boyfriend/husband to accompany me to share in the torture of clothes shopping with its sensory-overloading and crowed environment). Nevertheless, if I have an excuse to go to Ikea, well then...

My excuse came a couple weeks ago as I was coming back from an interview. Ikea is about 35 minutes away from where I live, but since it was on the way home, I thought I would stop and get the lingonberry jam that I had been craving for weeks. It's soo good on toast - such a simple pleasure. I meandered around the showroom floor that includes exhibits on how to live in a 400 square foot apartment with style. Since it was lunch time, I did grab a cheap lunch for under five dollar that included a slice of this great swedish chocolate cake. Not too much time later, I saw it... something I haven't seen in five years... a six-pack set of them...dessert spoons!! I fell in love with dessert spoons when I was in Argentina and vowed that I would someday have a set. They're just a smaller version of typical spoons, but for some unknown reason, I think they're great! I didn't buy the set that day, although I think it was under $7, but I figured I'll return soon once I get a paycheck. Until then, I shall enjoy my lingonberry jam on toast. I will be back Ikea, oh yes, I will be back...
Oh, and their yearly catalog is due out at the end of this month, what joy fills my heart...

Mind Decompression Part 1: That killed it.

2008-06-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

So now I can resume my normal blogging. There's way too much going on in my head right now and I have to let some things out. Between a whole lot of medical information, exam questions that persist in giving me anxiety and seek to destroy my peace and happiness of the fact my exam is over, trip planning, weekend planning, job searching and decision making, social deficiency, and a few blog ideas that have been sitting in the back of my mind for days...my mind needs some kind of release. So I shall proceed with one of my recent experiences...

I have spent quite a lot of time in bookstores lately (mainly Barnes andNoble - Borders is freezing cold and doesn't have all of the books I was looking for) because I am too cheap to pay $50 for a review book that has some wrong information. Last Saturday night I settled into one of the big, comfy brown chairs (B&N has larger chairs than Borders, btw) to continue with another multi-hour run of studying. During that time a welcomed distraction came. I usually don't notice guys out in public very often (reason #9 of why I am still single) but there is some unseen power in bookstores and art stores and galleries that heightens my attention just a little more. He was actually quite good-looking, tall, and wearing a white buttoned up shirt with jeans (willing to wear long sleeves in 100 degree heat in the name of style.) He sat in a chair in a location that allowed me to subtly make occasional glances at him from the corner of my eye. He was reading a few magazines, of what type I could not tell. I know that could have been an important clue in finding out more about this stranger. I may have felt more confident to approach him and start a conversation if I was not wearing my Saturday-just-planning-on-studying-all-day old jeans and t-shirt and hardly any makeup. Maybe it's just a subconscious warning sign of "Don't bug me, I'm studying ." Anyway, he eventually got up and left the store and it wasn't until later that I saw it: a pile of magazine cards next to the chair he was in. Not just one card that innocently slips out, but a whole pile! How lame was this guy!?! Lame!! I had just uncovered a pet peeve. Why couldn't he pick up after himself? Even if he just shoved the whole pile into one, magazine, I wouldn't have cared. But he just left it!! So lame...

That's when I began noticing a widespread problem at bookstores: people just don't pick up after themselves or return their books when they're done. I've seen them stacked on endtables and even worse, scattered across the floor. I've heard more than one comment from bookstore clerk and owners about people leaving them out. I know that it's been a long time since I've been in a public library, but generally there's a cart or table to put books back once you use them. Bookstores are slightly different than libraries because they operate on the thought that you intend to purchase a book after reading through it a little (supposedly you can't just stop after the first chapter, right?) So, with all the power that my blog has to influence my readers, can I start a resolution to bring back etiquette by ensuring the books and magazines that we look at are placed back on the shelf neatly and that we clean up after ourselves (I've seen cups and other trash left behind too.) This is a courtesy to all the bookstore clerks, managers, and librarians who spend enough time bending, searching, stooping, squatting, lifting, and carrying.

Thank you, and I might see you in the bookstore/library soon -- now that I can read real books again. And if you don't clean up after yourself...

Happy Birthday Little B!!

2008-06-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Technically, my nephew Brian's 1st birthday was yesterday; but due to recent circumstances (exam) and the fact that it is exactly 1 year today when I came home from Alaska and found out that he was born the day before, I don't feel as bad. We did have a pre-birthday celebration for him, his mom, and his other aunt a few weeks ago. I love this little guy!
During his first year his Aunt J introduced him to the mountains, snow, the Huntington Library Gardens, the cat, USC, some silly faces, and lots and lots of auntie love and kisses. We'll see what this next year brings for him (other than the title of "Big Brother").

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yay for fathers!!
I love this man!!

Some of the things that I have learned from him or that he has instilled in me include: trust, love for current events (news), how to make french toast, work, finances, service, family history, driving Virgin River Gorge, patience, dilligence, generosity, how to make a grilled cheese sandwhich, how to handle telemarketers, public transportation, faith, and love.

If you care to leave a comment, what are some of the things you have learned from your dad?

PANCE Fever: Boogie Woogie Woogie

2008-06-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes, PANCE fever... I could also include PANCE indigestion, PANCE attention deficit disorder, and PANCE tension headache (Oh Sven, Swedish masseuse of my dreams, where are you??). I have less than three weeks before the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE). The pressure is on!! I have been studying for a while, but of course it is now becoming more intense. I've been working on my focus for long blocks of time to prepare for the 6 hour test ahead. My social contact is decreasing. There are some things that are helping me get through this.

One has to do with finding a good study spot. If there's no one around and watching TV, there's a spot I like to study as recommended by my cat (cats know the best spots). It's the carpet of the living room where the sun comes in and leaves a warm sunny spot that moves throughout the morning. Studying on the floor has an advantage because it is harder to fall asleep.

I do have to take an occasional break once in a while. One of my favorite things to do is play peek-a-boo on the stairs with my nephew.

Hopefully exposure to study materials is not a health hazard and will not be considered a form of child abuse.

He flew back to Alabama today and I'll miss him, especially his goofy expressions. I could always use a laugh.

Most people have heard that listening to music is a good study technique; what I have found to be helpful and enjoyable listening to an Icelandic group called Sigur Ros. I find their music to be very beautiful and mind-stimulating. Plus, it is easier to not be distracted when I don't know the words. I have learned that it is still possible to get their songs stuck in my head, so the best I can do is a fake - falsetto-Icelandic rendition. I think it would be hilarious to try to make anyone do this at a social gathering. There's a few samples of their music below.

Well, on to more studying... heart murmurs, pharm, and arrythmias are calling me. Until next time...

For the Coach

2008-05-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

School is over now, the thought of no longer going to class or calling myself a student has sunk in, and I'm almost finished with my thank-you cards. At a moment like this one reflects back to the family and friends that have supported them along the way, whether it be a simple, "How's school going?" or my peers coming up with a way to get me out the house and rescue my sanity. I have been so blessed with so many wonderful people in my life who have helped me along this path. One of them I would like to recognize publicly. Although I gave him a thank-you card about four years ago, I wish I could give one more word of praise and gratitude.
Dr. Kent Van De Graaff had lived an amazing life, one that has impacted thousands of people, including myself. He wrote some of the top-used anatomy textbooks throughout the world, was published in research journals, and guided hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-med students into medical school. He even became a mnemonic for cranial nerves (O-O-O To Touch And Feel Van De Graaff's Very Accessible Hair!) He had his share of adversities in his life: losing both of his parents in his childhood, surviving over three decades after stomach cancer, and the death of his wife from complications of cancer treatment. Such resilience is to be admired. After being rejected for admission from vet school, he decided to pursue a Master degree and chose the education path, teaching zoology and acting as pre-med advisor at schools such as Brigham Young University and then returning to his hometown and alma mater Weber State University.
My first interaction with Dr. V. came when I was a high school senior. I was looking at some of the Utah schools and when I went to visit Weber, he took me in during his lunch break to sit and talk for almost an hour on everything I need to do to prepare for med school and what the school had to offer me in preparing for it. I left his office in amazement and a folder full of handouts. I did decide on Weber and looked forward to my next four years there. His lectures were amazing! He always had interesting points and stories and even some specimens. He welcomed his students to his office anytime. If we were overwhelmed or just feeling down, he offered us some "Damitol" (they were really jellybeans in a jar) and offered to write us a prescription for it if needed. He referred to us as the "Team" and so of course that would make him, "Coach." When I was taking the dissection lab, I realized my project was going to need some time outside of our weekly lab. Every Friday and Monday morning, he would hand me off the extra lab key between classes so I could work on my project over the weekend. He joked one day about our consistency, smiling and said" "We have to stop seeing each other like this." His humor was one-of-a-kind. At the end of that lab he asked me to co-instruct the advanced anatomy lab with another student the next year. Me?? I thought. I was only 20 years old, there's so many other smart and capable students...other reasons why I shouldn't have been asked to teach could go on; but his confidence in me built up my own confidence. He had a way of doing that with so many other students. He showed support for me when I told him I was taking a break from school to go on a mission, telling me that it will be a great experience and will benefit my own teaching. When I came back from my mission, his health was not very good. Having contracted hepatitis from his stomach surgery, his liver was poor and in need of a transplant. He took a sabbatical my last semester of college but he still wrote me an amazing letter of recommendation for PA school, a copy which I still have today. I took a year off to work after that, so I don't know if I ever told him that I made it into PA school. At the end of my first semester of PA school, I got an email that he had passed away. I flew to Utah for the funeral and it was one of the most inspiring moments I ever had. The stories of service and love shared by former students and his family were amazing. My grandfather said that his years at Weber State were his best years of education. I have to say it is the same for me and it is largely due to the influence one teacher had on me.
Many teachers hope to have an impact on the next generation just like Dr. Van De Graaff did to me. Maybe it's those movies and stories like "Dead Poets Society" and "Stand and Deliver" that renews hope and gratitude for the teachers who have impacted our lives. As a daughter and granddaughter of three teachers, I have been raised with an appreciation and respect for them. Five years ago I read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It's one of the few books that have made me cry, mainly because I have had my own Morrie in my life. There's a quote from it that I want to leave off on that describes Dr. V. and I also wrote it in my last thank-you card to him. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree with it or have had a teacher or other person impact your life in some way.
"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head."

Catching Up

2008-05-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post so I should probably do some updating. It's been quite a ride this past week.

1. I found out that I will be having a second nephew. Now Little B. is going to have to share his title of "Cutest Nephew Ever!" He's still set to make his arrival in October and things are looking well so far.

2. My sister arrived after a very long flight with Brian. She was quite tired. It took Brian a few minutes to remember who I was but I think he caught on. On our way home I pointed and said "Mountain!" (Not too many of those in Alabama and I took him there the last time he was here). He pointed towards the window and said "Ah-deet". He still melts my heart everyday. He's crawling, babbling, and poking my nose now. He's growing sooo fast!

3. I had a friend from Northern Cali come and visit and it was good to see him again. I hit the health science campus one last time and had lunch at one of my old post-exam lunch spots - King Torta.

4. Oh yeah, I had this thing called graduation. It was the beginning of a very long day. A very hot day with the temp hanging around 100. And of course I am in a black long-sleeve gown with a seat in the first row of the section directly beneath the sun. I forgot how much sun-burning toes hurt. It was an early morning and I left around 6:15. I found that my sister had decorated my car, it was so sweet of her! I got there in time. One of the top-bananas of Disney gave a commencement address for the 10,000+ students that were there. All of the speeches throughout the day were great and inspirational. I also loved the band playing at the beginning and the end and all of us doing the "Fight On" sign. I had my program ceremony after that and strutted my stuff down the red carpet. Luckily didn't stumble like I was afraid I would do (especially being the first in line).

I love my classmates!! Yay us!!I thanked some of my friends, faculty and staff afterwards. My family was great and even made some posters with "Rapper J" and other things on them, and of course, my nephew was my biggest fan.
I couldn't help showing him off. My family and I took some pictures and we left about 1:30. After a cold shower I did some final preparations for my open house that night. It was good to see so many familiar faces again. I have so many wonderful people in my life, I am thankful they were able to come out and celebrate with me. We had lots of food, including my homemade empanadas that many have raved about for the past few days (I took some leftovers to a church potluck). Great times had by all. The day didn't end for me until about 1:00 Saturday morning. It was still a "magical" day, as Mr. Iger put it, and a great end to my 20 years as a "student"

5. Saturday I slept a bit more than I had the past few days but I still felt a bit tired. I escaped the 104 degree heat and went down to the coast and enjoyed a shake at the Shake Shack of Crystal Cove.

6. I went to a wonderful wedding reception for some friends and saw more wonderful people. More good times.
7. Saturday night I celebrated Norwegian Constitution Day or also known as Syttende Mai. This was the first official celebration that I have been to for it. More wonderful people, more great food, more good times. I think my Norwegian ancestors would be proud, with exception for my boot-throwing ability. One event of the night was a boot throwing contest that began in the apartment parking lot. I was doing a practice throw and the boot ended up landing in the cab of a pickup truck with a loud "thud". Most of the people ran and tried to hide and we tried to muffle our laughter. The boot-throw was moved to the Walgreen's parking lot and my next throw was much better that time.

So now it's been a few days since that crazy week/weekend. I finally went back online after a nearly four-day absence (that's rare for me!). I had the ceremonial changing-of-the license plate-holder. I feel as though I have recovered energy-wise. Still enjoying my nephew. Still eating leftovers. Still working on some thank-you cards. Still studying hard. If my posts seem less and less frequent, it probably has to do with my studying. Less than 1 month until my big test. Uggg... I probably will write a post on that in the future just to let you all know I am still alive. Until next time...

Recommendations

2008-05-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a friend and fellow blogger who has used her blog as a force for good to share her happiness with others. I shall attempt to do the same and see if I may have a bit of influence on other people's lives. Oh the power....muuuahahaha!! So here are just a few pearls of wisdom and experience I would like to share and maybe bring some enlightenment to all those who may stop by:

Sondre Lerche
In honor of the upcoming Norwegian Independence Day, I would like to highlight one of the musicians of Norway. He has a indie/folk/acoustic style and his lyrics are fun. He's the third song on my playlist and if he sound's familiar, he has sung and composed music for the "Dan in Real Life" soundtrack. There's a few other Norwegian musicians I'll probably highlight in future posts.
Hold Off On the Q-Tips
This one is more like a public announcement and it must be said!! Over the past few months I had quite a few patients tell me that they didn't know they shouldn't use Q-tips in their ears. The last time I went to the doctor I was asked about how I clean my ears. I think there may be a crackdown on Q-tip usage, so beware!! They are okay to use on the outside of the ear but there's a saying that nothing larger than your elbow should go inside your ear. A couple reasons: 1) Crud is just being pushed farther back, and you risk damaging your eardrum 2) You can irritate the inside of your ear which can lead to dry skin, itching and infection. There's also the memorable story from Dr. Van DeGraaff: college student + Q-Tip in use + ringing phone = permanent hearing loss in ear. So, you may be wondering: how do I clean them? Other than our natural mechanisms (sneezing, etc...) you can occasionally use a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, and later in the shower let the warm water do it's thing. Cold water can be uncomfortable. There's also this way where you burn a long, cone-shaped "candle" and let physics do it's thing. I know a guy who did this during a first date. It's true, and it wasn't his last one with the girl either. A little earwax is fine, it offers some protection and it's an insect repellent too. Sorry if you're grossed out, but onto other things...

Northern Exposure
I fell in love with this show last year. Maybe because it has to do with a doctor in Alaska, or the early 90's nostalgia, but it was a hit back in the day and had won several Emmys. The reruns in southern CA run on the public television network most weekday nights at 10pm (no commercials) on channel 24. The series is also available on DVD.

Getting the Most Out of Life Tip #17
The next time you find yourself in a furniture store or office superstore, find the most expensive chair and sit in it. A moment of pleasure and luxury for free! I discovered this while I was waiting for some files to be printed up in a Staples store in Palm Springs a couple years ago. It was SO nice!

Best wishes in your pursuit of enjoyment!

A little bathroom humor...

2008-05-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Some people search for the road less traveled, I search for the restroom less used. They tend to smell less, and well, you know... A few months ago I discovered a new restroom where I go to school and noticed this on the door:

Pull to operate... yeah.... Fortunately this restroom wasn't in the area of the basement-consigned USC PA program, so I guess it doesn't really insult the intelligence of myself and my classmates. It does stay open a little longer and closes by itself, so I guess that's the big deal.