Monday, November 29, 2004

Daytona or Bust!

I am sitting at Panorama Flight Service (my part time job) this morning. I do customer service here. It's also where I got my private pilot's license. They asked if I could come and fill in for a few hours this morning. What better way to pass the time before my next travelling adventure than to get up at 4:30am so that I could work at 6am? I can think of nothing more exciting. RIGHT!

I am off to Daytona, FL for an interview today. It's with a program called Halifax. This is my "How fun would it be to live at the beach?!" interview. I don't know that I REALLY want to move to Florida, but the program actually sounded like it has a lot of what I am looking for in a residency. Getting there should be interesting on the Monday after Thanksgiving. I will be among all of the people who couldn't get back home on Sunday. So I imagine that the airport will still be a little hectic. There is definitely something to be said about being able to check in and print your tickets online ahead of time and then not having any checked luggage. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it!

Also on my list of things to do in this life is take up a sports hobby. I need something that keeps me active, but doesn't necessarily require me to be part of a team. I have considered doing a marathon, but I get bored just running 2 miles. So my next thought is taking up triathalon training. Seems like I wouldn't get too bored since I can mix up my routine quite a bit. It's a little more expensive than just running. I need to buy a bike and helmet, a swim suit and swim cap and a wet suit, and then I've already got my running shoes. We shall see. I may just stick to running...but never a marathon. 5k's are more my cup of tea. I couls even see myself doing a 10K, but the 26.2 miles of a marathon I just don't see in my future. My friend/sister Dianna ran in the Hartford Marathon in October. Check out her blog site and her running adventures at www.runningchick.blogspot.com.

If you have any suggestions for how to attain and then maintain my girlish figure, feel free to pass them along.

Dr. T

Saturday, November 27, 2004

The Single Girls Club

I promised an explaination about this SGC thing I've been talking about, so here it is.

Somewhere back in the first or second year of medical school, a few of us ladies, unhappy with the state of our dating lives, decided to start the Single Girls Club. It was origianlly comprised of myself, my friend Tessa and another classmate, Kate. Well, when I mentioned name of the club, they seemed all excited an ready to take it on, but I don't think they really thougth I was serious. Kate kind of dropped off, and Tessa was still on board, an we were able to recruit my friends Erin and Danielle shortly thereafter. There were no rules, no official membership, no real agenda.

We all met up at a local bar, talked about our love lives, or lack thereof. Wings, onion rings and beer were the fare for the night, and so began our tradition of wings, 'rings and beer for every meeting. Erin has the wimpy palate so she gets 'em naked (the wings). No sauce for her. Danielle and I are a bit more daring, so we generally get the hot. Just the way we like our guys...HOT and NAKED!!! Notice no mention of our dear friend Tessa in all of this. Yes, well, Tessa missed enough meetings (she really only came to the first) that the other three of us decided..."Thanks for playing, you can apply again later." Not sure what our rule is on attendance or reinstatement for that matter. We pretty much make it up as we go along.

The next rule came when our the lovely Danielle began dating a man that we dubbed "Pizza Boy." She should have been studying pathology, but instead she was taking an extended study break, a.k.a. procrastinating, at one of the local pizza joints. Started chatting with Pizza Boy and next thing we know, she going to the movies, out to dinner, getting a little somethin' somethin', yada, yada, yada...HMMMM. So, if you are dating, are you allowed to still be part of the SGC??? It IS the SINGLE Girls Club, afterall. Well, Erin and I debated about this and before we could make a decision, Danielle took initiative. Just like a good club member should, she wrote us a letter of why she should be allowed to remain a part of the SGC. Or maybe that letter came when she was dating Priest Boy...She sent the poor man to the priesthood. He's out now. Anyway, she wrote us a lovely "reasons why she should be allowed to remain in the SGC, even though she wasnt single" letter. Erin and I read it, thought about it and without too much resistance, decided to keep Danielle. Besides, its not much of a club with only two members.

So, as I see it, the real stick to it, follow through founding members of the SGC are Erin, Danielle and myself. Here we are:



Rule #3 One who is not single may become an honorary member if we like you enough to want to drink beer with you and share our wings and 'rings. We have had many occassions where our married, happily dating and unhappily married friends have joined us. It makes for a nice break from our usual boy stories and med school gossip. Actually, it usually adds to the med school gossip, but gives us some good perspective on how the in love people live.

Well, that the intro to the SGC. I hope to get Erin and Danielle to add to this. So if you are single and looking for a good woman, we have three right here for you.

Erin- Athletic, participates in triathlons and will be completing a marathon in the spring with Team in Training. She wants to be an OB/GYN shen she grows up.

Danielle- Athletic. Was a collegiate softball player. Comes from a great Italian family and can make a mean pot of gravy. (that means red sauce or spaghetti sauce). She wants to be a Pediatrician when she grows up.

Tamieka- Athletic. Has done amatuer boxing and played rugby at SUNY Buffalo. Enjoys the adventurous life like motorcycle riding, being a pilot, and scuba diving. She wants to be a Family Physician when she grows up.

So here's a short, but not all inclusive listing of some people that have been able to enjoy some SGC time.

Potential Members- (not sure how we make them official members) Cristin, Rena, Ivy
Honorary members (and reason why they are honorary)- Laura (married), Alex (has a penis), Lorna (married)

Monday, November 15, 2004

Great to know...

It's great to know I have friends out there who I was sure had long forgotten me. People I haven't spoken with in a year or more, but who I met as long as 20 years ago. Thanks for letting me know you were still out there. Still plugging along in world of business and work til you're too tired to deal with friends and family. Its hard, I am just as guilty as the next person of forgetting to take time for myself and my friends. Don't forget that the work will still need to be done whether its today or tomorrow, but you never know if your friends will still be there. So call, e-mail, snail mail someone today.

Dr. T

A Day in the Life

Life is great today! I had one of the best weekends in a while. The only thing that would have topped it off would have been an SGC meeting. I decided to forego a few social activities this weeknd in order to make it back to N. Windham, CT (my home base for now) in rain and sleet. It was one of those times where I hadn't been back to base in a while and needed to go, regroup, relax and do laundry. I arrived mid-afternoon on Fri met by Jake and Darren (the doggies) and the house guest, Riley. Two dogs are pretty manageable, but three is definitely pushing it. Anyway, I relaxed with the doggies, sorted through weeks worth of mail that had piled up. Bills, junk, magazines, residency info... My sister Dianna arrived (yes I am an only child...more at a later date) any way, she arrived a little after five and we decided to do Chinese take out for dinner while catching up, enjoying each others company and keeping Darren from killing the house guest. I wathced TV with Di until my eyelids were so heavy that you needed a pulley to keep them open. Bed time for me.

I awoke the next day to 3 INCHES OF SNOW...yes, 3 maybe even 4. More than I am ready for. I am in denial about the winter being here. I wore only a sweatshirt for warmth up until this day. Winter is here...no more denying it. Out comes the peacoat, away go the open back shoes. SIGH... But, it was a pretty snow. The dogs were happy and I was to, cause I was there to enjoy it. My day way great again. We relaxed on the couch til noon, watching tv and keeping each other entertained, then it was time to wake up Di's husband Jason, he's like my older brother that hasn't outgrown his late teens. We sent the dogs to go wake up 'daddy'.

Jason and I had kicked around the idea of doing homebrew. I did it back in March with my friend Scotty mentoring me, but I was ready to do my own. We called up our friend Brace and it was on. I had a date with two guys for Sunday to make homemade beer. After a trip to the natural foods store to get most of the brew supplies, we were off to see "The Incredibles". I highly recommend it. But dont eat too much popcorn and M&Ms...I think my stomach still hurts. We topped off the day with homemade chicken soup (thanks Dianna) and a relaxing evening at home, among friends.

Then there was Sunday...Brew day...I was up at 7:30a and Jason couldn't wake up soon enough for me. It was probably close to 10 when he quit hitting the snooze buttong and we called Brace and the day began. Remember that little thing about forgetting something on a trip??? Well, I forgot something for the brew...The grain! Very important ingredient. We had a few more things to get together for the brew so we made lists and and Brace and I headed to the natural foods store for some barley while Jason was off to the hardware store for some homemade brew items. The brewing was fun. Hopefully it will ferment. We left Jason in charge of keeping the temp and making sure it is fermenting. I'm a little anal when it comes to projects I am involved in and really wish I were there to read the thermometer twice a day and see if there are bubbles in the airlock...I know, simple tasks, but we've all been in group projects where you just want to do it yourself instead of trusting someone else.

Ok, so the brew is started and my weekend has yet to end. My friend Ivy is leaving me on Thurs and since I will be leaving for NC again tomorrow and not returning til Fri, we had a little going away dinner for her. It was myself, Ivy, Rena, Michelle, Neil and Mickey O. Fun time at the Cheesecake Factory with the waiter from Indiana who moved here cause he was at a cousins wedding and someone told him there was tons to do here and he stayed. Been here since June.

Well, I think thats enough for now. There's so much I want to tell and share with everyone. My trip to NC last week, my boy issues, my Single Girls Club, life in general. Stay tuned for more fun. If there is something in particular you want to hear about, feel free to let me know.

Until next time,
Dr. T

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

This Ain't Yankee territory!

Greetings from North Carolina. The events of the last several weeks have been quite interesting for me. As I alluded to in my last post, I have been traveling the country for various reasons. This turned out to be a long writing session...So bear with me...they wont all be this long.

For those who aren't aware, I am involved very heavily with Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs) and serve as the National FMIG Coordinator for the American Academy of Family Physicians. I was elected to this position this summer. My friend Jocquese did a long distance "it's the night before I have to give a campaign speech and I have no idea how to put my thoughts into words" coaching session. He has a way with words thanks to his law background. Anyway, in this position I oversee the Regional FMIG coordinators who are in direct contact with the FMIGs at all the medical schools in the country. I get to do some traveling for presentations at various conferences around the country. This took me to Orlando in early October. I had never been there before or to Florida for that matter. It was alright...not much going on but quite a number of tourists. No mouse sightings. The two best parts of the trip were that my grandmother and her sister were able to join me and hang out with me for a few days and that I rented a Harley for 2days. That was fun. I woke up early one morning, before the sun came up and got on the bike to head east. and east, and east...not that east is really that far in Florida, but it seems like it at 6 in the morning. Anyway, I headed east to see the sun rise at Cocoa Beach. It was pretty cool. About a 50-60 mile ride. Then I headed up to the Kennedy Space Center and thought I might check it out til I saw the entry fee was about $50 bucks...Thats ok, I just took picts at the entrance and got back on the bike to Orlando. I did see my first wild crocodile on the way back, or maybe it was an alligator...which ever one doesn't have the pointy mouth. He or she was just hanging in a swampy area about 20 feet of the side of the road. That was a great way to top off my riding adventure.

So, after Orlando I returned to CT (I'm staying with some family there) for a few days. Then it was off to Phoenix. Met up with some old friends for 2 days, then went out to San Jose, CA to see my friends Matt and Patty and their new baby boy, Silas. What a cutie he is!!! I am so excited to be his Auntie Meeka. I just wish I were closer so I could see him grow up. And get to hang with his way cool parents. I took a little side trip to San Francisco and Sonoma with my mom since she happened to be there for a conference. Have you ever been wine tasting? It was my first time...The biggest thing I learned from the trip is eat before you go and bring some snacks for the car. Not sure if I should have been driving back to SF from Sonoma or not. And I didnt even drink all the wine they gave me. I took about a sip of most and pour the rest into the discard bucket. But I did have fun.

After that trip I once again returned to CT mostly to do laundry and repack my suitcase. And off to Valhalla, NY I went for a couple of days before my next trip. So it was a weekend of pretty much non-stop drinking. I think it was 5 days in a row I consumed enough alcohol so that I felt like I should be asking myself the C.A.G.E. questionnaire. It was a fun 5 days. Now keep in mind that I was also attending and presenting at a conference in Rye, NY over this same weekend. A party in Danbury, CT on fri. Then the annual Halloween Party at my boss' house in Brewster, NY on Sat. A Sunday afternoon quarter poker game in Norwalk, CT...I can't do laundry for 2 months now. When I ran out of quarters I decided to keep the wine bottle company while watching everyone else play. This brings us to Monday...following my orientation for the NYC marathon medical team, we decided to meet some friends in Manhattan for a few beers and some pool. Tuesday rolled around and I spent a night out for the Single Girls Club (SGC), more on that in a later post.

Things brings us to my most recent soon to be string if new cities I will have been in. I headed off to Anderson, SC for a residency interview. Anderson was nice and quaint. The people were friendly. But I was glad to get back to NY.

I spent the weekend with my friend Erin (one of the original SGC members) and some of my new 1st year med student friends. Again, way too much alcohol consumed. We all worked the ING NYC Marathon Sunday morning providing medical care. That was fun. I was stationed at the finish line this year. I was at mile 20 last year, which was a bit more interesting because I was able to actually see people in the race. The finish line medical tent was set up in a way that I didnt get to see any of the finish line. Only what becomes of people after they cross the finish line.

So that brings me to North Carolina...my current place of being. I am writing from the O. Henry hotel business center computer. I am here for an interview with Moses Cone Family Medicine residency program. I just returned from a great evening out with some of the current residents and another interviewee. Very friendly people they have here in Greensboro. And a cute little city with greenery and lawns. A slight contrast from the concrete of Manhattan that I was in yesterday. I like it so far, we shall see what the interview holds for me tomorrow.

Of course no trip is complete in my world without something not quite going right. You know when you pack for a trip and you're thinking 'I know I'm forgetting something'? Well, if its a toothbrush or comb, no biggie, you drop another $2 and you're back in business...Well, I forgot my dressy shoes to go with my interview suit. All I had was my sneakers. So needless to say, my first stop after I checked in to the O. Henry was to the mall that was conveniently located across the street. I was able to get my black shoes (and 2 other pair) before heading off to dinner with the residents from the program. Life goes on, shoes or not and mine shall too...

Until next time...

Dr. T

Friday, November 05, 2004

Where in the World am I?

A question not only asked of my friends, family and acquaintances, but of myself as well. I decided to start this blog for a number of reasons.
#1 So all of my dear friends and family can keep track of my whereabouts since I have been in 8 cities and 6 states in the last 3 weeks and that list will only continue to grow.
#2 So I can have a place to post my latest accomplishments, upcoming activities. There's a lot coming up. BIG decisions to be made. Residency interview time is now and I will soon have to decide where in this great big U.S. of A. I will choose to plant my rear end and make my mark on the world as I begin my 30 something years.
#3 They say its good to write, that it's therapeutic. I figure I'll save a few hundred bucks on shrink bills this way.

Feel free to respond to anything I write, inquire about whatever comes to mind, give your two cents worth or just say hi.

So here it goes...Let the therapy begin.

For those who haven't been updated on my life in quite some time or for those who are wondering in by chance, I am a 29 soon to be 30 year old medical student due to graduate in May 2005 from and school in NY. I have decided to go into Family Medicine for my specialty. There is a humanistic quality and some sort of societal duty that draw me to this area of medicine. Some say, "oh, your gonna be a doctor so you can make the big bucks?" Let's clear one thing up from the start...I haven't chosen to enter medicine for the prestige, the monetary reimbursement or the desire to be $250,000 in debt when I am finished. I have chosen the wonderful specialty of Family Medicine because that is where I am needed. That is where I feel I am at home. I would much rather spend a long day in the office caring for a young mother who delivered 19 years ago whose baby I delivered last week and whose grandmother I see in the nursing home on Wednesday mornings to manage her diabetes. Followed by a drug addict, who just needs to know that someone is in his corner as he tries to kick the habit and move on in life. I look forward to the friday nights away from home because I am spending time at the local high school football game ready to jump into action should a player be hurt on the field or a saturday morning in the local boxing gym covering as ringside physician for a group of 8-18 year olds that have nothing else they think they can be proud of until they step into that ring. I am not going to mind the 3am page because my 25year old single father patient doesn't know what to do when his 3 year old son (also my patient), has a temp of 104. I'm not going to mind when Mr. Jones walks into my office at closing time feeling like his life can't go on. Why? Why would I choose such a busy life, a life filled with relationships built on trust, trust that my patients have chosen to have in me to insure that they are well, to educated them on the ways to stay well, to listen when it hurts in their bellies and in their hearts? Why would I chose to live such a filled life? Because it is just that...Filled with the reward of knowing that I am making a difference in at least on person's life and maybe an entire family's life. I may not change the world or even change my community, but making a positive change in that one person's life will mean the world to me and my patient. This is why I don't need the glamour of the money making plastic surgeon, the hours of the Benz driving dermatologist. I just need to be in my world, in my patients world, where they need me, where they want me and where I can be me.

I think this is it for now...I will continue to write more and update you all on where I am and where I am coming from in the coming months. I hope to post at least twice a week if not more.

I look forward to your comments and words of wisdom. Peace be in your hearts.

Dr. T