Autumn 2010 Update!

"Being an R2"

Slightly improved from intern year. Catch less crap from staff and nursing. Probably could write volumes on the latter, but what would it gain? Feelings of animosity, even less cooperation, and other repercussions. It is certainly not a blanket statement referring to all nurses, and there is an element of education mixed in with all the harassment. I just see it as a rite of passage for all new physicians. Live it, survive it, and we will all laugh about it one day.

On a more educational note, R2's start to move into more of a leadership role on different rotations. Cardiology, Trauma, Neurosurgery ICU, and community ER months are all away rotations where we are less insulated from the repercussions of bad medical decision making. Scary, but necessary. I think a lot of why I dislike going to work has to do with not being comfortable in my knowledge base. It also has much to do with the fact that there are lots of frivolous ED visits. But in spite of all this, there is still an underlying satisfaction with the knowledge that "what I'm doing matters," as Mel Herbert usually signs off with each month.

I was watching an episode of the TV show "Mythbusters" recently. The episode focused around duct tape and the myriad urban myths surrounding the amazing product. One of the challenges was to create a 50 foot rope bridge made entirely of duct tape and walk across it. I was fascinated and disgusted at the amount of resources they were using to answer a curiosity, to entertain. Of course, I was still watching this whole time....doh.

But getting back to "what you do matters." I think medicine is one of the purest professions. It not only remains through different eras, trends, technologies, but is shaped and advances with them. Mankind will always need physicians - we are navigators, mechanics, architects, pioneers. When the frills and sparkle of our greatest civilizations are lost, there will still be us. Indeed, we may someday conquer death - and in doing so, lose the very essence of what makes us human. Ambition and imagination are, at once, what will steer us to our greatest achievements and design our downfall.


"Germany"

Spent a week in Germany with Tao and one of his work friends, Austin. Munich, Oktoberfest, driving on Bavarian backroads, sneaking peeks at girls in drndls, sampling varying brands of German brews, and eating lots of meat/potatoes. Stayed in Switzerland one night and dipped over borders into Austria and Italy on our drive. Fantastic time in a new country, but a few words of (self-)warning: 1) learn as much of the language in the time allowed prior to an overseas trip 2) avoid travel with new companions if possible 3) try to build in some solo travel time to take in the sights & culture at your own pace. All in all, a positive trip. Germany merits a repeat visit and still within top 3 preferences for post-residency assignment.


"New roommate"

Brother Ben has been living with me since mid-July and it has been pretty swell. Originally my idea for him to move in for eventual schooling in Sea/Tac, I had just the slightest amount of hesitation (a few grams?) when it started sounding like more of a reality than a possibility. But arrangements have been excellent; he took over the 2nd bedroom which had just been a storage room. After lazing around for a month and a half, he was threatened with deportation back to Chicago and almost mystically became employed as an assistant high school swim coach.

This week marked his first day of school at UW - a little concerning because as a non-matriculated student he gets "nasty lasties," as he so aptly puts it, with regards to class selection. Of course, all the ones he wanted to take are full. Luckily, he had been regularly emailing the prof expressing his undying desire to learn and now is registered. Checkpoint, time extension! And that brings us to.....


"Burgermaster"

Had the day off and decided to drive Ben up to school. As he would be in class until noon, I decided to hit the coffee shop with my laptop like a good little Seattlite - but not before eating a nice greasy breakfast at a place called BURGERMASTER.



French toast, eggs, sausage links and OJ. Mmm. How did I know it was a greasy spoon joint, a.k.a. real good breakfast food? Old people. Exactly. It is usually very difficult to change an old(er) person's habits and food breeds some of the strongest and most irrevocable habits of all. Granted, not many of these old people were fat, but then again, this is Seattle. As I was eating, I had two notable thoughts.

First, it seems I unconsciously pace and portion my eating so that I have equal amounts of foods left on the dish. Case in point:


This was completely not planned. I was on autopilot and looked down to see this. Why was I on autopilot when eating such a delicious meal? So glad you asked. I was watching one of the older people order some food and then do something that instantly dated him: he stepped outside, rummaged in his pockets for some coins, and bought a newspaper from the box. I cannot remember the last time I saw someone buy a hardcopy newspaper from the coin-op boxes. When will the day come when some kid is going to watch me check sports scores on my iPhone 9 and think,"Shit, that old man is actually using his hands to check the news."

Reminds me of this scene:

"You have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"

That's all for now, folks.

STOP GAP ENTRY FOR MATASSA, NICOLE A.

This blog entry has been instituted as a stop gap measure until a regulation-length entry can be written. To be used for the prevention of, but not limited to:

-mental anguish associated with seeing the words "Doctor, I think I'm having mid-cycle pains"
-loss of voice associated with screaming "Foiled again"
-loss of employment associated with alienating co-workers secondary to screaming in the workplace

Do not use this entry for purposes other than those recommended without first consulting a physician.

500 Days of Summer

The first day of Summer 2010 is 20 June - in case you were wondering.

I think this post was supposed to be about the movie, but like the other 20 or so entries with little more than a title and maybe a line or two, it has been just a placeholder in my log - bookmark for my mind?

But on a related note, it is starting to genuinely feel like the long dreary winter is over in the Pacific Northwest - at least, this morning does. I awoke with the sun today, which is becoming an increasingly rare event, given the irregular hours of residency. What a fantastic feeling. I used the fact that I had run out of coffee filters as an excuse to actually WALK to a coffee shop and leisurely stroll home in that watery morning sunlight.

It reminded me of mornings in Naples - where rising early, stopping into a cafe for a cappuccino on the way to a ferry bound for....some famous ancient place....was a daily ritual (if only for 4 days).

Here's another thought. I am usually not the sentimental type with regards to consciously reflecting on life and my own mortality - but I should be. A quote from a book on my shelf:

"It is a good day to be alive in Chicago. I have never been a big fan of Chicago's weather. The city's winters are unbelievably cold and piled with snow. Between the frigidity of winter and the torrid heat of summer are two days called spring. But Chicago's autumns make up for all of it. They are cool days with clear complexions, flavored by crispy brown leaves and mellowed by a summer-aged sun. Today is such a day."

Correct, we were not talking about autumn, Chicago, autumns in Chicago, or brown leaves. But you see my point?

On a final note, my new favorite show is called 30 Days. It is currently in its third season on FX. Remember that guy that did the McDonald's movie, Supersize Me? Morgan Spurlock has created a show that really tries to cut through the bullshit of social issues and takes it to the ground, in my opinion. On each episode, he, or someone more appropriate, will spend 30 days immersing himself in the lifestyle of someone embroiled in one of the myriad hot topic social situations of today's society. Living with a West Virginia coal mining family and learning about the horrible environmental impact vs. an entire region's livelihood? Check. Spending a month on the Navajo Nation reservation to experience how Native Americans deal with poverty and lack of opportunity while trying to preserve their fast-disappearing culture? Done.

Not only does it seem like this guy is really walking the walk when it comes to learning about other people's pride and problems, but I like the fact that he is primarily focusing on different groups of people within America. Yep, the rest of the world has problems, but so do we.