For those who were wondering...

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

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

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??

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!!

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...

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!!

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.