concrete jungle

so it’s official: i matched at columbia university for internal medicine residency and henry and i will be moving to NYC in just a few short months. ::deep breath:: NYC! the capital of the world!

i never wrote a post about my interviews – opinions, preferences, etc. this was deliberate at the time as i did not want to taint any opportunity at places before i “matched.” now that the match has passed, i will say with great excitement and humility that columbia was my favorite program – and my first choice. there were a number of other programs i really liked (& some that i really didn’t), but in the end it ultimately didn’t even matter which i ranked second. i feel so incredibly lucky.

…and thus begins the next chapter of our lives. i start at columbia on june 9. between now and then, henry and i are undertaking the (insufferable) task of finding a manhattan apartment. we are selling our cars. we are craigslisting/donating/trashing most of the furniture/excess stuff we’ve accumulated. henry is going voluntarily unemployed here in hopes of finding a similar/even more awesome job in NYC. and we’re so excited about all of it. although i never imagined i would live in nyc, this is somehow the day i’ve been waiting to embrace for a long time.

take it away alicia:

in new york, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh
there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in new york
these streets will make you feel brand new
big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for new york
new york, new york

.jay-z & alicia keys, empire state of mind.

3

in three weeks, i will know where henry and i are moving in 3 months for at least the next 3 years. it's going to be a long 3 weeks.

...good thing henry is making me laugh by catching pictures of what our cats do while i'm sleeping. (i had no idea this happened/picture existed until henry showed it to me tonight. :-P)

same

but the people on the street
out on buses or on feet
we all got the same blood flow...

sometimes we forget who we got
who they are
oh, who they are not
there is so much more in love
than black and white
keep it loose child
gotta keep it tight
keep it loose child
keep it tight

.amos lee.

interviews

26 flights. 12 interview days. 7 taxis. 5 hotel rooms. 4 air mattresses. 3 times through a body-scanner, with 2 subsequent patdowns. 1 cancelled flight. 1 rented car. countless amtrak, light rail, subway, and bus rides. ah, the residency interview process. it's been quite a season. i started interviewing in november, did a month in the MICU (medical intensive care unit) in december, then spent the entire month of january away from home (see below). every one of my interviews, save one (my own hospital), were in locations that required a flight. i can't even describe to you how much i loathe airports at this point.



i will refrain from talking about which residency programs i liked best/details of interviews/etc at this point. look for an exciting post on march 17 about which program i've matched to! Or, feel free to talk to me in person. :)

for now, here are some highlights from the trips i took for the interviews. in addition to the excessive traveling i did in january (narrowly missing countless snowstorms, i might add), i also travelled in november. i picked a few pictures from a few places... especially ones henry came on.

pittsburgh, pa. where i grew up! here's a shot with my childhood street sign, and another of the beautiful downtown.


baltimore, md. the beautiful inner harbor.


chicago, il. plenty of snow and ice and cold, but loved every minute of it. at the ice-skating rink and "the bean" in millenium park.


new york, ny. the winter wonderland that is central park and ice-skating


lawrence, ks. not an actual interview location, but a short trip from st. louis and the location of university of kansas and my little sister! here's a shot of her with the beloved jayhawk and a lovely building on campus.


... what a whirlwind, but what fun! although i am happy staying put for a little while, i'm planning a few more trips for the end of 4th year - making the most of less responsibility before the ultimate responsibility of being an MD creeps up on me. :)

2011

happy new year! 2011 is going to be the best year yet. i can smell it. spent last night ringing it in with dear friends.

taken a few minutes after midnight:

thankful

this christmas season, i was surprised to find myself in one of my favorite places: the company of old friends. we had a dinner party of 10 at our place, and it was perfect.



i was also lucky enough to spend time with my little sister. can't ever seem to spend enough time with her.


there were presents at my parents' place. oh, there were presents.


the best present award probably goes to cat tank given to us by my sister beth and brother-in-law drew for our cats. that's right, a cat tank.


all-in-all, it's been a lovely break -- first one henry and i have spent at home in two years! (taiwan two years ago, philadelphia last year) even so, i'm looking forward to hitting the interview trail again in a few days for my fun-filled month of seeing the entire northeast. :)

genetics

a light-hearted post since my past 2 weeks in MICU have been anything but...



from xkcd.com

if you don't already check out this website... you should probably check out this website. it's geektastic. :)