tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-213538452012-02-13T07:25:23.273-05:00Please do not mistake anything that you read here for medical advice or common sense. If you have a medical concern, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your doctor. Anecdotes are exaggerated, anonymized, and edited for entertainment purposes.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.comBlogger4151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-1028013390887655142011-07-19T18:39:00.007-04:002011-07-21T12:52:36.711-04:00

Meet Shelby, our 6-week old Vizsla puppy! We picked her up from the breeder on Saturday, and it's been sleepless nights ever since! She is very cute, and likes to snuggle, but won't stay in a crate at night and can't be relied on to not have accidents overnight yet. So, I have been getting up with her and holding her while she sleeps at night. Bad habit, I know. I have this week off of work, and

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-66130829553050766282011-06-08T09:56:00.008-04:002011-06-08T11:02:49.096-04:00

Well, the boxes are finally unpacked, and AG and I are both here, in the same house! The house is much larger than the apartment we were living in, and for the most part, it's pretty empty. The sofa and armchair that made our apartment living room feel cozy and filled, doesn't even take up half of our "bonus room" upstairs. The living room and formal dining room downstairs need to be furnished in

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-34623095163745529882011-04-28T00:17:00.003-04:002011-04-28T00:42:41.121-04:00

Next week, we are moving. Yes, it is finally time to leave the land of blizzards and taxes. I have just a few shifts left at the workplace. And, while it has had its challenges, at least I am familiar with the problems and the players here. For the most part, I like my co-workers. I have been here almost two years, and I think I have gained a lot of self confidence. Looking back, I didn't want my

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-50368473961440578272011-01-19T21:15:00.003-05:002011-01-19T21:19:30.405-05:00

This is the picture of my dashboard when I was driving home from an overnight shift the other morning. That's right, it says -16! And the sun was out! Stupid winter.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-53196763438316365792011-01-14T22:28:00.013-05:002011-01-15T00:17:14.929-05:00

Despite the lack of blog posts, 2010 was a great year. Here's some of what I didn't get around to posting.January- AG returned from Afghanistan after a 13 month deployment! This was the Welcome Home ceremony that is done for each planeful of soldiers before they can greet their families.April- AG and I got married, and headed off to the Canary Islands for our honeymoon.We island hopped from

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-70522170407915134442010-12-11T23:03:00.003-05:002010-12-11T23:11:24.504-05:00

Life is changing again, and I am trying to keep up. September was full of shifts crammed together, a week of interviews, and getting to spend one whole weekend with my husband.October brought on oral boards, a visit to AG and my hometown, and the never-ending upper respiratory infection.November meant AG returning home after five months of training, a Thanksgiving with his family, and a house

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43700400631940671762010-10-14T00:09:00.010-04:002010-10-14T01:30:20.430-04:00

Last weekend, I flew to Chicago to take my oral boards. To be board-certified in Emergency Medicine, one must first pass a written exam (woohoo!) and then the oral boards. Oral boards are scheduled twice a year, and there is a lottery system to determine whether or not you get the Spring or Fall test date. Luckily, I drew October, since there was that whole wedding business going on in April. If

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-90669072870226952002010-09-11T17:48:00.004-04:002010-09-11T18:16:26.965-04:00

It is hard to believe that it has been nine years since September 11, 2001. While I personally didn't lose any friends or family members that day, I still remember that awful feeling of seeing the Pentagon burning, planes crashing into the World Trade Center towers, and people evacuating across the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. A lot has changed in my life in the past nine years. At the time, I was

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-119365069305332572010-08-23T23:13:00.004-04:002010-08-24T00:10:34.651-04:00

Me: "So, the chart says that you cut yourself yesterday?"Pt: "Yeah."Me: "Why did you do that? Were you trying to hurt yourself?"Pt: "Yeah. I thought that if I cut my hand deep enough, you could amputate it, and then I could get disability."Me: "Do you work now?"Pt: "No, I'm on disability."Me: "So the idea was to get more disability?"Pt: "Yeah."----------No, the hand didn't need to be amputated,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-25150190586389389802010-08-20T00:48:00.007-04:002010-08-20T02:19:17.616-04:00

The other weekend, AG and I went to see the movie "Restrepo". I actually hadn't heard anything about this movie, and apparently it is only playing in certain theaters. AG had heard from one of his instructors that it was playing in Tucson, so we were able to catch it up there. "Restrepo" is actually a documentary that follows an individual platoon during most of their 2008 deployment in

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-79773290519303277112010-08-04T21:44:00.005-04:002010-08-04T22:15:54.941-04:00

Well, so much for regular updates. Life has been a little complex lately. AG (Army Guy) and I have been married just short of four months now. We had about a month together after the wedding, but the last three months we have been apart. I suppose that it is not the most conventional arrangement, but we are making it work.Basically, AG is at a point in his military career where he had to attend a

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-58372461224856650482010-07-18T00:43:00.004-04:002010-07-18T01:12:45.308-04:00

I looked at the nurse's notes, and there it was:Chief Complaint: "My skin is all yellow."I sighed, and pulled back the curtain. 2 am isn't exactly when my peak diagnostic skills are kicking in. To be honest, I think I almost dropped my clipboard when I first saw her. Icteric eyes blinked back at me. There in the stretcher was probably the most jaundiced woman I have ever seen. She was fluorescent

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-3644492813208575372010-07-14T22:08:00.004-04:002010-07-14T22:22:14.600-04:00

Nobody died during my last shift. Normally, I would say that deaths in the ED (at least mine) are a fairly infrequent occurrence. However, for a couple of weeks, I was pronouncing someone every shift, sometimes two a shift. In my defense, all but one of them were dead on arrival, so it really had nothing to do with me, but it still got around to where some of the techs were calling me Doctor

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43107687860831488282010-06-28T12:46:00.002-04:002010-06-28T12:51:48.139-04:00

Sorry, things have gotten pretty stagnant around here. I am now a married lady, and there's been a lot going on. I haven't entirely forgotten about blogging, it just kind of got shoved on a the back burner. I have been thinking more about what to do with this blog--whether to start a new one, and whether or not I want to re-evaluate making this more accessible to friends/family. Thanks to my few

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-71378146366254054302010-01-21T10:48:00.005-05:002010-01-21T10:58:45.915-05:00

Currently, I am feeling rather content with myself. Downstairs, there are BBQ ribs slowly cooking and tenderizing in the crockpot, releasing a wonderfully spicy smell.My legs and butt are giving off small, painful protestations about how they have spent the last two days at the gym every time I sit down or climb stairs.AG has been home for almost two weeks now, and it is starting to feel more

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-57763083827784524552010-01-05T23:46:00.008-05:002010-01-06T00:51:32.025-05:00

Currently I am recovering from a string of overnight shifts. Here are my reads from this past year. Since graduating, I have tried to not be a complete recluse by joining a book club. It has been good in that a lot of the books I probably would have never come across otherwise. As far as discussion goes, we are really more of a wine and dessert club, with often hardly a mention of the month's

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-58736222268317344502010-01-01T23:27:00.007-05:002010-01-01T23:55:00.844-05:00

I borrowed these questions from another blogger. Several of my answers are kind of redundant, but if you've been reading lately, it has just been that kind of year.---------1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? I sold my house, and took my Emergency Medicine boards. 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?It doesn’t look like I made any

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-34045221944295196852009-12-22T18:04:00.003-05:002009-12-22T18:13:25.727-05:00

I have been a bad blogger. At this point, I don't plan on giving up. I just have not been good about getting my thoughts down, and then later I can never remember what I wanted to write about.I am now six months into the new job and am starting to feel more settled. Like any other job, some days are better than others. I do really like my co-workers and am glad that I ended up here.AG has

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-76400696008502927182009-11-30T02:37:00.003-05:002009-11-30T03:02:37.873-05:00

I am not accustomed to dealing with drug reps. During residency, they were banned from our program by our department chair. Generally speaking, I think that emergency physicians are a much less optimum target for sales than internists or family practitioners. Probably at least 75% of my prescriptions are based on about five different medications. In addition to the fact that I stick with

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-66613165154577865132009-11-25T17:20:00.003-05:002009-11-25T17:43:39.285-05:00

It is that time of year again. As always, there is a lot to be thankful for. I think that it is important to remind myself of that from time to time.-I am thankful that the boards are over. I think that I did ok, but am mainly just happy to put a checkbox by that bundle of stress.-I have a wonderfully thoughtful and supportive fiance, who won't be home until after the holidays, but as of now, he

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-29664757017801266762009-11-16T22:33:00.003-05:002009-11-16T22:34:54.541-05:00

I am taking my EM Boards on Wednesday. I'm not feeling so confident, and yet I am so tired of studying.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-47703705077507358962009-11-10T22:07:00.006-05:002009-11-10T23:13:43.806-05:00

AG was recently home on leave. The two weeks flew by faster than I think either of us would have liked. It felt almost like he had never left, right up until I had to take him back to the airport. He seemed to re-adjust to life back home well--razzing me about my driving, "Slow down, I can't find IED's at 75 mph!"We did a few wedding things-- cake testing at a bakery, and menu tasting at our

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-57050300081261973882009-11-03T22:02:00.005-05:002009-11-03T22:21:12.581-05:00

The other morning when I went into work, there were a slew of patients waiting for me. One was a guy who obviously needed suturing done on his face, and appeared to still be a little intoxicated. There was more blood on his shirt than I thought the lacerations warranted, so I made him strip down to make sure that he hadn't been stabbed anywhere in the chest. (Stranger unnoticed injuries have been

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-31778266908139054722009-09-30T20:46:00.004-04:002009-09-30T21:05:20.692-04:00

Last week I went through a five-day board prep course. A few of my classmates from residency and I flew out to the Midwest and camped out in a hotel. We endured 50 lecture hours over 5 days! I had forgotten how painful it can be to spend so much time in a lecture hall, and haven't slugged down that much caffeine in a long time. A couple of my classmates from medical school were there as well,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-59636567859340777812009-09-17T20:31:00.003-04:002009-09-17T20:46:15.771-04:00

I have been well-intentioned about updating more regularly, but this last week has been hell. Now that I am done with residency, there is no protective 80-hour work week restriction. So far, my shifts had been scattered here and there, but due to a number of trades I did to accommodate my partners and my leaving town for a board review course, I somehow ended up doing 8 shifts in 9 days (at all

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-45289524036311613652009-09-07T21:44:00.000-04:002009-09-07T21:44:00.372-04:00

I just finished watching "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. In the movie, Morgan Freeman's character is constantly watching Jeopardy and always knows all of the answers. It made me remember a high school math teacher of mine that only lasted a year in our meager school district. The guy had a fixation with Jeopardy and was always talking about the database that he had made

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-2721168433117112872009-08-30T09:09:00.004-04:002009-08-30T09:15:57.474-04:00

If you are a teenager, please note that updating your "mood" on MySpace to "suicidal" is not a good idea. You might just end up in my world via police escort. Once you arrive, you get stripped down, and you can lie in a psych room with questionable stains on the wall for hours before the doctor can see your lame ass. And your mom will be very, very pissed.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-71789046618740386232009-08-29T00:04:00.006-04:002009-08-29T00:52:19.679-04:00

Sometimes, my patients just baffle me with their requests. Such was the case recently, when a pregnant young woman asked if she could be admitted to the hospital because, "All I have for food at home is peanut butter and Goldfish."She was a young, newly-married Army wife, and the request made me look again at her ID which listed her age as 16. Her medical complaint was easy enough to deal with;

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-25430784855579968522009-08-09T10:30:00.009-04:002009-08-09T13:27:38.928-04:00

Having been raised in a very small town, I figured that I would have no problems fitting in here. After all, here there is an actual mall, a Starbucks, a hospital, and several chain restaurants. I guess I have become accostomed to all of the creature comforts that come with living in a city with a large University- theatre, museums, sports, active downtown life. Most of that I don't miss,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-68633511938286686962009-07-28T19:53:00.003-04:002009-07-28T23:17:50.479-04:00

In just a couple of days, I start my new job. I pretty much took the whole month of July off, which was good because there was so much junk that needed to get done. I moved, the house got sold, I went home to AZ for a week, and I went to a family reunion in the Midwest. The new place still needs a lot of unpacking and organizing, however I have been dawdling. It is kind of strange being up here

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-41876658502172065192009-07-06T14:04:00.002-04:002009-07-06T20:23:13.422-04:00

My largest television appears to be a casualty from the move. I cannot directly blame the movers because when it was unloaded from the truck, I hooked it up immediately and it worked. However, the very next day it would not turn on. I tried unplugging it. I tried resetting the fuse box. I tried a different outlet. I even tried to turn it on and off with its original remote. And nothing-- the

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-79111925708002157822009-07-04T22:15:00.006-04:002009-07-04T22:37:32.434-04:00

The past two weeks have been a blur. I graduated from my residency program. My parents were here for a week-long visit. An aunt, uncle, and cousin came out for the occasion, along with my older brother and his wife. My classmates and I were roasted in appropriate fashion by the second- and first-year residents. It was a good sendoff. My last two shifts in the department were crazy-busy with very

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-41493372647523315322009-06-13T09:58:00.004-04:002009-06-13T10:11:37.649-04:00

Today marks the 6-month point in AG's deployment. For some reason, his "mid-leave" two-week break doesn't happen until October. So, I will just have to be patient, and since he was in a small group that left early to set things up for their unit, we don't know yet if he'll be coming back exactly 12 months from when he left, or if he gets stuck in Afghanistan until January. When I think about all

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43877862555891370292009-06-11T10:09:00.004-04:002009-06-11T17:49:02.696-04:00

Seven shifts, that is all that remains of my residency. Part of me is eager for it to be over, and the other part is panicked about not having that safety net of an attending to run things by. There will be a new safety net--specialists to talk to on the phone, skilled nurses and physician assistants who know the in's and out's of my new hospital.Some things I am happy to leave behind, like

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-69700904163961303692009-06-02T10:45:00.001-04:002009-06-02T10:46:55.407-04:00

I hate speaking and making Powerpoint presentations so much that I would rather type this here than work on my stupid lectures!

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-13182920889349846942009-05-30T09:50:00.007-04:002009-05-30T10:36:02.467-04:00

Of course it wasn't all work while we were in St. Lucia. Our group managed to stay at a resort for 2 nights/3 days to relax.One night, we went to dinner at an old sugarcane plantation called Balenbouche (French for bullet-in-mouth--apparently named for a duel that took place that didn't end well for someone!). The grounds were very pretty, and there was a small, black sand beach on the

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-35144478046766851502009-05-26T10:00:00.002-04:002009-05-26T10:47:40.443-04:00

Our residency program has been sending senior residents down to St. Lucia for several years now. We volunteer in an Emergency Department at a small hospital there and in exchange, they provide us with food and housing. It's a different experience than back home. Resources are limited, and patients must pay for service and medicines up front. Patients pay a fee before they are even seen in the

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-58405034120084919602009-05-24T09:15:00.003-04:002009-05-24T09:19:24.001-04:00

--Ok, so maybe that isn't a real word. What I had intended to be a month-long hiatus stretched a little longer than planned. It has been a busy few weeks, but I think I am ready to return to work and to writing, perhaps with a better attitude.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-77298433984704397682009-03-31T00:24:00.004-04:002009-03-31T00:39:12.141-04:00

I had today off, but it wasn't very relaxing. My realtor met with me and did a walk-through of the house. I have a few more things to finish up and then a lot of de-cluttering to do. My plan is similar to what I do when my parents come to visit. I just throw a bunch of crap in boxes and shove it in the attic. I'll post some before/after pictures soon.It snowed again today. Just a little bit of

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-31832281417478266832009-03-29T10:50:00.005-04:002009-03-29T11:12:34.378-04:00

In my line of work, it is important to get along with one's coworkers. Doing shift-work means that we don't stay until the patient is dispositioned. Often a patient gets seen and examined, labs and imaging studies are ordered, and then their care is transferred over to the new doctor when it is time for the original provider to go home. In regards to patient care, this can be the most dangerous

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-49372866910940022682009-03-18T15:50:00.004-04:002009-03-18T15:58:22.159-04:00

I was talking with my mother the other day and she was telling me about some new sort of lettuce-type plant that she was growing in her garden. She couldn't remember the name of it, me- something or other. Jokingly, I asked her if it was mescaline, which she thought it might be, but clearly that is not it. Although that would make it more interesting when the javelina raided her garden. --------

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-31512088170334122602009-03-16T23:26:00.004-04:002009-03-16T23:51:01.168-04:00

My attitude has been in the toilet lately. I'm not sure what did it: maybe working too much, maybe not taking the time to do anything fun/relaxing, or maybe I just need a change in pace. My vacation time is all used up, so that is not an option. Fortunately, I have an elective block coming up where I will be spending two weeks with some of my co-workers staffing a small emergency department in

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-50638709546862480052009-03-03T14:04:00.002-05:002009-03-03T14:06:42.643-05:00

Should I be creeped out that a teenage patient of mine called me "sweetheart" the other night? He's a manipulating emancipated teen that mainly comes in for med refills and to be fed a meal every now and then. I'm sure he has a lot of great relationships in his future.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43110344363868892652009-02-27T23:52:00.004-05:002009-02-27T23:56:55.638-05:00

Ok, so it's not my favorite sign that Spring is on its way, but last night as I was driving in to work, I caught an unmistakable whiff of skunk. Hey, I'll take it if that means we are almost done with this winter! We got dumped on with snow again this week, but it has almost all melted away the past two days. I'm actually getting a good view of my lawn for the first time in months. The crocus are

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-42257145788073508062009-02-22T13:13:00.009-05:002009-02-22T13:48:17.846-05:00

It seems that no matter how small or large the workspace, there's always one: the wackadoo. You know who I'm talking about, that special guy or girl who is prone to sudden outbursts and unpredictability. Sometimes they mark themselves with crazy hair colors or head scarves (or both!), and sometimes it's a little less obvious than that. I think that we have more than our alotted wackadoos at my

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-68097235762278436932009-02-16T20:32:00.005-05:002009-02-16T20:45:40.975-05:00

I celebrated Valentine's Day with a phone call from AG and we were able to exchange gifts in the mail. That morning a plumber came to the house and installed a brand new garbage disposal for me (I didn't trust myself around water AND electricity) as part of my getting-ready-to-put-the-house-up-for-sale project.This weekend I worked a couple of shifts where we were actually overstaffed, so we all

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-89009374869745122152009-02-12T16:38:00.002-05:002009-02-12T16:40:40.522-05:00

Yesterday it was 50 and sunny-- or so I'm told. I slept the day away after working the overnight shift. Today I'm off and it's now alternating between raining horizontally, frozen rain, and big wet flakes. Argh.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-75551932149051082692009-02-09T21:00:00.004-05:002009-02-09T21:32:53.695-05:00

I haven't been doing much writing around here lately. Work in the PICU the past several weeks was somewhat monotonous. See the sick babies, write progress notes, round, check the babies labs, round again, blah, blah... in to work in the dark, home from work in the dark. Sick babies depress me. The unit was actually slow while I was there. Given the time of year, I had expected a lot of nasty

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-48254312048848304992009-02-03T19:38:00.002-05:002009-02-03T19:40:42.311-05:00

Phil is now on my hit list. I don't want another six weeks of winter! On the plus side, it now doesn't get dark here until 5:30 pm, so spring must be on its way, although not fast enough!

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-727562312918527362009-02-02T19:35:00.001-05:002009-02-02T19:52:27.784-05:00

Ate too much and didn't think about work. I thought that this commercial was the best.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-2530716285592931872009-01-25T16:35:00.007-05:002009-01-27T18:21:18.774-05:00

She was already dead when I came in to work. Blunt head trauma sustained during a common winter activity. Not breathing, and intubated on scene by paramedics. Despite two emergent neurosurgeries, there were no signs of improvement. The day before she had failed neurologic and apnea testing. For some reason, the weekend team did not want to declare her brain dead the day before, so we waited, as a

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-59031703165322477432009-01-22T18:00:00.003-05:002009-01-22T18:15:47.304-05:00

Continuing in my quest to read less and less each year:The Kite Runner - Khaled HosseiniThis book was pretty engaging, an interesting account of the author's life in Afghanistan.Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara KingsolverAn account of a year's worth of sustaining a family by only buying locally, growing fruits/vegetables, and harvesting poultry. Is this really possible? Probably not for your

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-56612456530214990822009-01-20T18:40:00.007-05:002009-01-20T19:06:32.918-05:00

The PICU is running at about half-capacity this week. As a result, we had the Inauguration coverage playing live on the television in Room 1. There were about a half a dozen of us clustered together in there at one point, when suddenly-- "Who's the guy in the wheelchair?" a lone voice questioned. "That's Dick Cheney, he strained his back packing, or something." I said. "Who's Dick Cheney?" she

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-33608021514735755152009-01-16T19:58:00.001-05:002009-01-16T20:00:11.377-05:00

-11F is really just too silly to go outside.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-89790141967741826242009-01-13T20:26:00.005-05:002009-01-13T21:17:54.791-05:00

The other day I confronted a woman who was seeking pain meds. The medical student saw her first and there were a few things during her presentation that just screamed that this lady was going to be trouble:1. Abdominal pain x 1 year2. Recent month-long admission with no diagnosis3. Multiple abdominal surgeries4. Allergic to morphine, "Only Dilaudid works"5. "I need a PICC line, no one can ever

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-5086662279675043392009-01-09T13:38:00.009-05:002009-01-09T14:08:52.355-05:00

I have been meaning to post more, but it's been a busy week with lots of minor headaches.A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for direct deposit at my moonlighting job. Last week, I got the paystub, but somehow no $ showed up in my bank account. I gave it a few extra days becuase of the holiday, but nothing came of it. So, I went into the bank. I showed them the pay stub, it had the right account

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-28441248438445081192009-01-01T17:52:00.009-05:002009-01-01T20:24:34.115-05:00

Happy New Year! I decided to finish off 2008 by breaking my right pinkie toe. It was stupid-- I was putting away laundry and just managed to stub it hard on the corner of the bed. I've iced it, buddy-taped it, and have been taking ibuprofen when I can remember to. Most of the time, it's fine, but it has caused me to hobble around and try to heel walk on that side at work the last two nights.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-83883052014794886632008-12-27T19:41:00.005-05:002009-01-01T18:24:57.689-05:00

Luckily, I was able to squeeze in a quick visit to my parents' home this past week. Originally, I had planned on leaving after my shift on Sunday night. I raced to get all of my dictations done and sprinted out to the parking lot in the snow. The usual 20-minute drive to the airport took over 45 minutes, and sadly my flight was canceled due to the current storm, which ultimately resulted in 13

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-30279921215863751052008-12-21T18:02:00.005-05:002008-12-21T18:10:53.196-05:00

It has been snowing a lot here lately. The snowblower has piled snow up past the the height of the doors of my car on each side. I have a narrow driveway, so there's barely room anymore to drive down between the walls of snow. The other night I was working in the Pediatric ED, when I happened to glance over at the adult side. There, in room 19, was a man in his 60s wearing a t-shirt that tugged

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-52593454916966071902008-12-19T08:45:00.005-05:002008-12-19T09:16:31.043-05:00

Last week we wrapped up the first arm of our rat study. The study was time consuming, in that I had to drive into work 2-3 times per day to check on them and do testing. It was also interesting in that we learned to develop our protocol along the way. For example, one of the symptoms that we were looking for was renal failure, so we were monitoring urine output. At first, we were going to base

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-62650540768881426922008-12-13T17:47:00.008-05:002008-12-14T10:54:24.707-05:00

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?How about love? How about love? How about love?Measure in love. Seasons of love."Seasons of Love" - RENT----------I hate goodbyes. Yesterday,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-18054339628100845192008-12-09T10:37:00.005-05:002008-12-09T10:44:01.281-05:00

Well, it's official: AG and I are engaged. We exchanged Christmas gifts early as he is leaving for Afghanistan later this week. I thought we were done when he suddenly pulled a ring box out of his pocket, dropped to one knee, and asked me to marry him.Of course I said, "Yes!"We have talked a lot about the future over the past few months, and although we had talked about marriage, I didn't think

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-69497196105646646722008-12-04T16:23:00.004-05:002008-12-04T16:51:28.343-05:00

I just finished putting up more Christmas lights. Last year, I was working in the ICU up until the week of Christmas, so I just didn't bother. The year before, I was disappointed to see that the strand of lights that I had bought didn't span the width of the house. When I went to buy more lights, I was disappointed that the store was sold out of the weird snowflake-style icicle lights that I had

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-55975684750687073492008-12-02T08:50:00.010-05:002008-12-03T23:59:39.095-05:00

My holiday weekend got off to an unusual start last Wednesday. AG and I had planned for an early start, however at the last minute, I found out that the meeting I had been waiting for the past week to occur was going to happen at last that morning. My rat study is finally becoming an actuality. However, to make it happen we had to have one more day of animal training. Bits of white fur went

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-19114884183834538282008-11-25T23:28:00.001-05:002008-11-25T23:30:11.395-05:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I hope that the Holiday finds you healthy and with loved ones.-K

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43465280916527118312008-11-21T15:04:00.004-05:002008-11-21T15:27:20.667-05:00

"Don't worry, about dinner tonight, I'm bringing it down." he said."Are you sure? I was just going to heat up some leftovers.""We can have the leftovers if you don't like what I bring." he countered.At this point, I was baffled. AG can make a mean pork chop, so I don't doubt that he can cook, and to keep the leftovers handy didn't sound too promising. I had no idea what he could be talking about.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-9531436918674330962008-11-19T18:10:00.008-05:002008-11-19T18:26:25.940-05:00

I am almost ashamed to admit how much I enjoy your Gingerbread Latte. However, what I do NOT enjoy is at the very end of it, I always somehow nearly gag myself with the last sip when something solid and chunky hits the back of my throat. Tonight I actually bit down on a piece of it, and I'm just guessing here, but it was semi-crunchy and I think that it may have been an honest-to-God actual

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-87302795138940291222008-11-18T01:25:00.005-05:002008-11-18T01:53:52.392-05:00

This year I have been moonlighting at one of the community ED's nearby. It's a different type of patient mix-- most of the patients are insured, and maybe it's all in my head, but they seem to be more polite, and actually follow-up with their private physicians. I typically work a shift or two a month for extra money. I don't want to miss any time that I could be spending with AG before he

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-5351630936432117272008-11-14T18:24:00.004-05:002008-11-14T18:37:08.640-05:00

I get a lot of work-related emails. Most of it is just instant-delete type junk, but this one made me laugh: ---------- EM Residents and Faculty, Need your help with an issue here, digits with no owners.... Since August 2008 we have had three separate cases where finger tips or most of a thumb were found unlabeled on trays or in drawers in a bag. The most recent was yesterday. It is impossible

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-66047065074028539262008-11-06T17:06:00.005-05:002008-11-06T17:53:38.378-05:00

Last night, I happened to glance down the hallway and there they were-- gleaming, copper-colored calf boots with a good 5-inch heel. They belonged to a young woman, and how she managed to walk in them I will never know, but it reminded me of a couple of strange cases that I had recently. In the Emergency Department, it sometimes seems like patients seem to come in clusters with the same injury.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-9250657367829999852008-11-04T09:49:00.005-05:002008-11-04T10:05:45.720-05:00

If you are taking the time to read this, I hope that you have already taken the time to vote today. Ok, it may be for selfish reasons, but I hope that most Americans are out there voting and glued to the television today-- that way they're not coming into the Emergency Department with their sore throats and belly pain of six months that must be fixed post-haste (come in all you want after

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-85662649959475803052008-11-02T12:11:00.004-05:002008-11-02T12:36:08.375-05:00

It's been a while since I've written anything here, and it is not for lack of activity. Today is day 14 since I have worked a shift in the Emergency Department. Two weeks ago, Army Guy and I packed up my Saturn and drove off to Ohio to spend a week with his family and high school friends. (AG's car threw a fit and decided to throw a piston while he was driving down the other weekend, which

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-8512294496971684952008-10-14T22:09:00.012-04:002008-10-14T22:55:02.511-04:00

I extended my time in Alaska to include a week of vacation. "The Phoenix" came up and joined me, and we spent a week cramming in as many activities as possible.The first day we went on a bear-viewing tour. We chartered a small float plane and went to a nearby bay where we could safely view the bears from a boat.Mama grizzly bear fishing for her two cubs:I wouldn't want to be a salmon! These two

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-4629320744813791112008-10-06T18:52:00.007-04:002008-10-06T19:24:51.154-04:00

More pictures from my recent Alaskan trip:Pink salmon, about to die after spawning.Silver salmon, hung out to dry in one of the villages. I went fishing (for the first time EVER), while I was doing a four-day village stay to do annual check-ups and medication renewals. I didn't actually catch anything, but by the end of a couple hours, I was no longer casting into the weeds. The best part of it

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-11675079701720476432008-09-19T18:40:00.014-04:002008-09-20T15:31:16.956-04:00

I am not sure I can summarize the whole 4-week rotation and vacation in just a few entries, but I am going to try. My rotation was through the Indian Health Service, and it took several months of filling out paperwork and waiting for a temporary resident permit to get the thing set up. I chose to go to Alaska, partly because some residents the year before me had gone there and had a great time,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-49081010045727460882008-09-09T19:05:00.002-04:002008-09-09T19:07:33.401-04:00

Missed a couple of numbers:32. Calculators so that I don't have to rely on my math/counting abilities48. Three-Paycheck months (happens twice a year if you get paid every 2 wks)

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-68641088123079165692008-09-08T18:39:00.011-04:002008-09-09T19:01:07.279-04:00

I have been home for about a week now, and it's taken me a little time to get back into old routines. I spent five weeks in Alaska (four of it working, and 1 of it playing). A few days since I have been back were spent catching up on sleep and mail, and then diving back into busy night shifts.There are a ton of pictures to sort through, and stories to tell, but I am glad to be home. I'm going to

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-47045920239564074372008-07-26T10:55:00.005-04:002008-07-26T10:59:53.112-04:00

I am off to catch a flight today and start a new adventure. The plan was to get a lot of entries done before I left and take advantage of Blogger's scheduled posting options, but of course that didn't happen. I don't know what my internet capabilities will be, so there probably won't be any updates for a while. Let's just say the next five weeks will include working without a CT scanner, Air

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-669220700216401832008-07-24T09:37:00.003-04:002008-07-24T09:47:58.150-04:00

Thankfully, with July has come the end of the workplace softball season. I think we actually ended up forfeiting the last two games due to lack of interest. Unlike the record number of injuries last year (my eye, a broken nose, and a broken HAND) for slow-pitch softball, this year's injuries were pretty tame. One of my co-workers dislocated his knee, and another one strained an already bad

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-54085740033456248192008-07-21T13:50:00.006-04:002008-07-21T14:28:48.753-04:00

Every now and then, unique opportunities present themselves at work. This past weekend I helped staff an all-day rock concert. We worked for free (I'm sure someone got paid somewhere, but it wasn't me!), keeping the air-conditioned first-aid building a revolving door of heavily-tattooed drunk punks walking in and out. It was a rock/alternative concert, so naturally there was an all-day mosh pit

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-17426766952731121162008-07-14T10:40:00.004-04:002008-07-14T10:46:58.700-04:00

My parents were in town last week for a quick visit. They took a large detour to come here on their way to the annual family reunion. We spent the few days I had off work exploring and driving around. They also met Army Guy for the first time. I hadn't seen them since Christmas, and I'm not sure when the next time I will fly back home will be. It was good to see them, but hectic working my shifts

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-27067114606792171072008-07-09T19:53:00.005-04:002008-07-10T11:09:28.491-04:00

The other day, an EMS crew dumped a guy on one of our trauma stretchers. He was on a backboard, so we did the usual stuff as far as stripping him down, looking for injuries and asking him a whole bunch of questions. I can always get a bit of a hint from EMS about the patient. If the patient's been difficult, they pretty much transfer them over and take off before you can get any questions in. If

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-16609262408018229792008-06-30T08:00:00.007-04:002008-06-30T17:53:17.605-04:00

Every fall I have added new bulbs to the existing ones slumbering in the flowerbeds around my house. I often forget where and what I have buried. For the past year, there have been prominent green leaves next to the front steps. I could not remember what kind of flower they were, but given the size of the leaves, I had great expectations.A few weeks ago, giant iris blooms appeared out of nowhere

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-23123632486877667282008-06-26T09:51:00.006-04:002008-06-26T23:47:11.507-04:00

It has been a rough week for me procedure-wise. The other day I saw a septic patient. He had a fever, diarrhea, a heart-rate twice normal, and a soft blood pressure. So, we did all of the usual things, and then I got called to his room because there was a problem getting IV access. No problem-- time to put in a central line (an IV placed into one of the larger veins in the body- internal jugular,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-72863569240724812762008-06-18T20:26:00.008-04:002008-06-18T20:47:42.987-04:00

Thirteen miles is a long way to run. I ran a half marathon last Sunday (Yes, I also called my father!). I ended up finishing much better than I thought, at 2:30. For some reason, I had it in my head that it would take me 3 hours to finish. I did walk about a quarter of a mile of the race because I got a bit overheated, but overall I'm pretty happy with how I did. This particular race has only

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-67137887939253787632008-06-12T22:56:00.007-04:002008-06-12T23:43:21.071-04:00

Day 2 was another full day of walking, museums, and monuments.International Spy Museum, which featured all sorts of mini cameras, a dog poo radio transmitter, a lipstick gun, and an emergency rectal tool kit (Unfortunately, I am not making that last one up!):Recently built (2004) World War II Memorial:The Washington Monument:The Lincoln Memorial:Korean War Memorial:Statue next to Vietnam Memorial

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-69877715068708289992008-06-10T18:25:00.007-04:002008-06-10T18:53:05.576-04:00

Some traditional and not-so-traditional sights found walking around Washington D.C. I am still not sure what they meant by "Kiss & Ride" at the Metro Station:No clue what building this is:The Capital:J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building:The White House:This was at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The title of the display was something along the lines of "Man Taming a Goat". It cracked me up,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-21003638671621422582008-06-08T10:41:00.006-04:002008-06-08T11:02:57.781-04:00

Last weekend AG and I went to Washington DC. I had never been there before. He did a summer internship during college at the FBI, so he was a great tour guide and helpful at navigating the Metro and figuring out where to stay inexpensively. We spent two full days cramming in every museum and memorial we could find. I quickly noticed that Washington DC seems to be a city in love with horses. AG

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-526653374625596902008-06-04T20:00:00.007-04:002008-06-04T20:43:18.432-04:00

AG came back last week. It is nice to be able to talk to him regularly on the phone, not to mention being able to put my arms around him! For once, we both had a three-day weekend off in common, so we seized the opportunity to jump in the car and make a break for it. Our trip was almost ruined before we even got to our destination. After stopping for dinner about 2 hours into the drive, we went

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-7944275147102626782008-05-29T22:17:00.006-04:002008-05-29T23:22:30.793-04:00

Last weekend was spent visiting Aunt Ruth. I had wondered why the flight to Indianapolis was so pricey. As it turned out, it was the same weekend as the Indy 500. I perplexed more than a few race fans on the plane when I said I was planning on spending a nice, quiet weekend in a retirement home rather than watching the race.Last fall, Aunt Ruth suffered a hip fracture from a nasty fall. She made

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-53097484660741516742008-05-22T22:01:00.002-04:002008-05-22T22:05:10.743-04:00

I have been neglectful about updating this thing as of late. Lately, I just seem to be content at doing nothing. Free time abounds, and instead I am content to waste it all. The running has continued, in spite of the "unseasonably" cold weather lately. My motivation has off and left once again. Tomorrow I am heading out to visit my Aunt Ruth, if I can get myself packed and on the plane! Let's

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-7175962568527351862008-05-18T21:31:00.006-04:002008-05-18T22:00:30.018-04:00

Yesterday, I ran in a 5K race. I had participated in the same race last year, but this year I did much better, coming in over 3 minutes faster than last year's time. The first mile I ran in 8:34, which is flying for me (I am typically a 10 min+ distance runner)! For me, the highlight of the race was passing by this guy doing Beatles karaoke by himself dressed in a Sgt. Pepper-style costume,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-14013067809834813122008-05-15T21:10:00.003-04:002008-05-15T21:25:49.593-04:00

One of the things that I have discovered that I like most about running is the ability to clear my head. After a certain point, it is just one foot in front of the other, with breaths rising and falling as part of the pattern. I think that I must be somewhat unbalanced, as after I get going, I inevitably develop an ache in one shin, which melts away as an ache in the opposite knee develops, which

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-38369859729001235002008-05-09T13:32:00.002-04:002008-05-09T13:32:01.405-04:00

I was more than a little surprised when I opened the curtains today to look outside and found this guy staring back in at me! The storm window on that window is broken, so he had flown up and gotten caught in between the layers of glass.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-35123379959624029622008-05-06T18:50:00.005-04:002008-05-06T19:13:05.422-04:00

On Sunday, I lined up behind the starting line with a bunch of serious runners. For 10 miles we ran up and down the streets of this city... through downtown, bad neighborhoods, exclusive neighborhoods, the university campus, and past "Hospital Row". I surprised myself, and was able to do the whole thing without walking! Granted I have been building up to this run for months, but up until now, my

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-8054882081869992402008-05-05T19:45:00.004-04:002008-05-05T19:57:14.181-04:00

The other night, a couple of my friends and I went for a nice dinner at the local casino. Afterwards, we decided to hit the gambling floor. It made for some interesting people-watching. Despite being in the middle-of-nowhere, there were a few women who were dressed up in mini-skirts and heels. However, there were no well-dressed men to be found-- mostly biker-types, seniors, and scruffy-looking

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-27332572002673070792008-05-02T14:26:00.006-04:002008-05-02T14:45:29.268-04:00

One of my friends was sharing this clip the other day at work. (Beware of office-inappropriate language!) My friends give me a hard time about not liking Billy Joel, but here's a more tolerable version of one of his songs:And finally, I think this one's the funniest:

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-43466676483337730422008-05-01T21:50:00.006-04:002008-05-01T23:01:15.178-04:00

Yesterday I turned the big 3-0. I think it is safe to say that a sure sign that one is getting on in years is the feeling of being younger than your actual age. Sigh.The morning I spent sleeping in (there were snow flurries!). Although I had the day off, I went in to work in the afternoon because we were having pig lab. Pig lab, like cadaver lab, involves performing as many surgical procedures as

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-71881491801085256452008-04-28T18:20:00.005-04:002008-04-28T18:24:26.872-04:00

Heavy spring rain showers pummeled the flowers outside. I love all of the color, but the sickeningly soapy-sweet smell of hibiscus is a little overwhelming when I open the door.

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21353845.post-45123023910123524602008-04-24T20:19:00.004-04:002008-04-24T20:46:14.079-04:00

"So this was part of a check-off thing tonight, right?" he said, with the last word said with a hopeful lilt."Yeah, they've been wanting to meet you for several months now, and I had been blowing them off. But now it's done," I answered."Good." ----------Army Guy and I were leaving from a dinner with some co-workers and friends. I am still really impressed with AG. He's willing to try new things,

Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18434200154377829826noreply@blogger.com3