quick hits

-medicine is over! glad for a breather, sad it's over. i really enjoyed the medicine clerkship. it's my top contender for residency next to pediatrics.

-currently on "scholar's week" this week. i'm following a hem/onc (blood/cancer) doctor around. it's been ok so far. best thing about it: we meet at 9am. holycowthankyouJesus.

-henry took me to chattanooga, tn this past weekend for a quick getaway. we actually went up there around this time last year as well, and it was so much fun i got him to take me back. there are tons of neat things to do there. this time, we went to see ruby falls, rock city gardens, and the chattanooga market. we also found an amazing chinese buffet and a freaking huge mall. it was so nice to get out of town, if only 2 hours northward.

-got to have dinner with anjali, sarah, and chara last night, some of my classmates who are doing their 3rd year in tuscaloosa. what a treat. i miss them bunches.

-in love with the gorgeous fall weather we are getting here in birmingham. hoping it lasts longer than the usual 2 weeks. :-P

-got my surgery schedule a few days ago. ::has a cow:: so we have lectures scheduled for 6:30am. that's insanity. i'm going to have to start abusing caffeine or something. i will do 3 weeks of vascular surgery, take 3 nights of trauma surgery call, do 2 weeks of transplant surgery, then 3 weeks of general surgery at children's. i'm most excited about my time at children's - although i've been told by a classmate who just got off that rotation that you have to arrive at 4am. ::gulps:: holding my breath for this one, guys.

more later! smooch.

welcome, autumn!

...and it's october! i usually start playing green day around this time of year, y'know, "wake me up when september ends." apparently september ended this year before i even had a chance to sing. bummer.

but what's not a bummer: the ridiculously beautiful weather. 70s during the day, 50s overnight. if i didn't have to be up so early to head to the hospital, i might even become a morning outdoor exerciser! (convenient to have an excuse, eh? :-P)

and speaking of the hospital - things are going well in doctor world. i still really enjoy medicine... i've noticed about myself that i really like the initial work-up of a patient. someone comes in with symptoms, and we try to put together to puzzle with all the clues. cooper green has been a bit of an adjustment as far as getting things done from a technical standpoint: labs, imaging, etc. i've morphed into a gopher for retrieving these things over the past week or so. it's not so bad. it's satisfying to be able to be helpful, for sure.

life is absolutely busy, but i am enjoying 3rd year immensely. during rounds this morning i had this moment of euphoria thinking about where i was and what i was doing. it seems so cheesy to relate, but i've wanted to be a doctor for most of my life -- and there i was, donning white coat, talking medicine with 4 doctors and another medical student, taking care of real patients. even with the immense frustration and exhaustion medical school creates almost daily, i feel blessed beyond belief to be in a place where my work brings me such moments of joy and humbling appreciation. yippee!

in other news, henry and i got to have dinner last night with some of our close friends from high school. it was such a breath of fresh air. although i am fairly introverted by nature, there's something both comforting and energizing about sharing an evening with close friends. wish we could do that more often.