Sunday, October 26, 2008

Preparing

My first residency interview is in a very short 8 days. It's both exciting and terrifying. I think I'm ready. I need to think of a good, marketable weakness that isn't so cliche as "I work too hard" or "my standards are too high." (Internets? What are my marketable weaknesses?) My suits are clean, well-fitting, cute, and hemmed. I have a variety of shirts that say "Professional! But fun! And good at pelvic exams!" And...I may have bought new shoes. Because I want to be tall but still have intact nerves in my feet at the end of the day. Sofft claims that they can accomplish both goals with arch support and cushy insoles. And, look! Cute!

Did I really need new shoes? No, probably not. I could have just had my suits hemmed to work with flats. But then I wouldn't have had an excuse to buy new shoes.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Homesick

I'm in Pittsburgh. It's not a bad thing, but I miss my home. I miss B and the kitties and our kitchen and the water pressure in our shower (in approximately that order). It's fine here. I think this elective will give me an edge in the application process, and I'll learn a lot. I'm in a safe living situation with a bed and shower (albeit crappy water pressure) and fridge and microwave and such. It is a 45 minute commute, but my mornings aren't that early (and the commute involves waiting for the shuttle from the off-site parking lot).

I'll probably have weekends off, so I can go home then. Only four more days.

I'm trying to think of the ways in which this is my last big premarital quest. It's me doing something I love (family planning) for me by myself. I'm being really, mostly independent again. I'm sure it'll get fun soon. But for now, I just miss my home.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Pout

I am very busy. Very, very busy feeling sorry for myself for ridiculous reasons. And this state of self-pity is kind of maybe keeping me from being productive. You see, I am in the middle of interview offer season (follows application season, precedes actually going on interviews). And I have been very, very lucky. Too lucky. So now I have the problem of trying to schedule all of these interviews at the same time. To say that spreadsheets are involved in this process is putting it lightly: I live and die by my google doc of interview dates. Right now, the month of December looks something like this: drive to City A, interview, drive home, fly to city B, interview, rent car, drive to city C, interview, drive to city D, interview, return car, fly home....andonandonadnon. I will basically live out of a suitcase for three weeks straight. And then go to my grandparents' house for Christmas and collapse on their couch, more drained even than last year when I arrived 12 hours after finishing a nasty bout of food poisoning.

And, because OB/GYN seems to be offering interviews earlier than ER is, I'm scheduling things without really knowing where B will get interviews. So far, we do have a lot of overlapping cities, but there are a few where I might end up canceling (no point on going if we're not both interviewing there). So I can't buy plane tickets yet. Which is driving me nuts. Also, my schedule has become so full that I had to schedule two interviews during my rotation at Pitt. I was trying soooo hard not to do that. The people there seem cool with it, but I still don't like it. I mean, at this point, I love Pitt. A lot. And to leave a rotation there to interview someplace that maybe I don't love as much (but maybe I do! won't know until the interview!) seems...odd. But I'll do it.

I was reading Yarn Harlot yesterday, and I now have a new strategy (or is it a tactic?) for coping with this scheduling stress: pretend it's a book tour. See? More fun already. Instead of interviewing, I'm marketing the story of a young woman who has to convince an endless series of people of what a great doctor she'll be! The story gets a little repetitive in the middle, but the ending is worth it (I hope). The real question is, do you think I could get any of my interviewers to hold the sock?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Re: Religulous

Dear Bill Maher,

I love you, but your movie made my head explode. More specifically, the people in your movie made my head explode.

Warm regards,

Me

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I voted today

Because Ohio has an early voting option (in person at the Board of Elections), and because I'll be in Pittsburgh on election day, I voted today. It actually felt pretty special. And I got a sticker.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Photographic evidence

I recently downloaded a bunch of pictures off of Brandon's camera, which I now want to share. Because I've been seriously lacking in the picture department.

It turns out that I have continued on this whole knitting lifestyle thing (it's not a hobby...it's a lifestyle. You know.) This is Summer Lace Shawlette by Sandi Wiseheart. It's meant to be in a heavier yarn, but I had KidSilk Haze, so I used it. And.I.Love.It. I know that I'm an old lady, but I perhaps have worn this shawlette to coffee shops. I held off from wearing it to a bar. For now. Oh, but where am I in this picture? That would be the French Laundry. Indeed. My little shawl got to make her premiere at the French Laundry. Perhaps this is why I love her so.



Also, in case anyone out there is questioning why I am choosing B as my partner in life, I'd like to point out that he took this picture. We went to Art Fibers in San Francisco a few months ago. Not only did he happily hang out while I waffled between which yarn to buy for my mother, he documented the experience. Which is excellent, because I was way too overwhelmed to remember to take my camera out of the bag. In conclusion, my fiance takes pictures of yarn. The end.