cake topper

I've been browsing the internet for a cake topper that was non-cheesy, where the people don't look like their faces are melting, and where the bride isn't blond and the groom dark-haired. Haven't found one yet. I have however found these gems...







I mean, really? Fairy fantasy toppers? crystal dolphins? knocked up ladies and men being emasculated? on a CAKE TOPPER? There are very few decent things that are out there. I may end up leaving it bare out of sheer frustration.
We have our cake appointment on wednesday. I'm probably not going to eat before it. yum.

The pan-positive patient

Otherwise known as the "triple P", the pan-positive patient will report that EVERYTHING is wrong with them if you ask. If they've never heard of something before (such as uterine fibroids) they will ask what that is, just to make sure that they haven't been told in the past that they have such a malady, or maybe they just want to go home and google it so they can check themselves for occult symptoms. The PPP ranges from sad to comical to simply annoying. Sad if they really do have so many illnesses that not a single organ system is healthy. Here's an example:
Me: Good Morning Mrs. Peabody, I need to ask you a few questions and review your medical history. I understand from your chart that you have CHF? and you've had a minor stroke? But you're not sure when... um. okay. So you also have hypothyroidism, diabetes, fibromyalgia, manic depression, rheumatoid arthritis, and dandruff? And you're deaf in one ear and you can't taste things that are sour? And you're a morbidly obese cocaine addict with a 3 pack a day cigarette habit for the last 40 years? Anything else?
Mrs. Peabody: I have a lump up under my left armpit halfway down to my hip. and sometimes the pads of three of the fingers on my left hand feel a little fuzzy. And sometimes I get this cramping feeling that moves from my back around to the front.
Me: Ohhhkay... so to review, you're also worried about some tingling in your hand and a back lump and abdominal cramping?
Mrs. Peabody: Yeah... I'm going in for A full body CT scan tomorrow.
Me: Umm... sounds great. I think I have that down. Any surgeries?
Mrs. Peabody: I had to have surgery after I jumped out of a 3-story window and my arm fell apart. And also a dog bit my leg to the bone and I had to get that opened up. And I had my tonsils out when I was 12.
Me: erm... okayy... so why did you come in today?
Mrs. Peabody: well, I'm having some discharge from down there, and I haven't been to the lady-doctor for about 15 years so I figured I should come get checked up on.

Seriously?

Note: this patient is fictional but her story isn't much of a stretch. I combined a few patients to make her but you see some crazy stuff at a county hospital. People come into the ER with a duffel bag full of meds and a complaint of "feeling lousy". Well, ma'am, you haven't gotten out of your bed except to use your bedside commode for 6 months, you drink a pitcher of margaritas several times a week, you weigh 450 lbs, and you smoke like a chimney. You can't do that to your body and expect to feel good. It's like filling a car's engine with horse manure instead of gasoline and being shocked that it won't run. ugh.

Do you Fondue?

If you have a random fondue pot sitting around gathering dust, you should stop that and use it. We did with marvelous results.
Recipe for Chocolate Fondue (as made by E, because he's awesome):
2 Cups Milk Chocolate chips (we used ghiradelli)
3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp liqueur (or red wine if you have none)
Dash of Cinnamon

Heat up the chocolate chips on moderate heat in the microwave, stirring them to melt them. Then add the heavy cream, stirring the entire time. Then add the liqueur and stir again, then add cinnamon. Then dip anything and everything you can find into the fondue. We used strawberries, Mandarin Oranges, apple slices, and marshmallows. It makes way more than enough for two people.

For the record, My favorite dipping item was the orange slices, but E liked the marshmallows. I found them a bit too rich.
The fondue is enough food to make a meal if you don't get hung up on the whole finish your vegetables before you get any dessert thing.
in other news, my job/school situation is a joke. and if you don't like med students then definitely go to a private hospital because we're not allowed to touch ANYTHING. the residents hardly are.

16 facts

My sister inspired this post... I've not been too inspired lately. So here goes... 16 random facts about myself

1. I was born in Mission Viejo, CA. I moved cities at the ages of 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, and 22. Plus house moves within the cities.

2. My favorite book is War and Peace. I've read it twice. My old favorite was Pride and Prejudice. I also like Forster.

3. But when I want something light and easy I go for Agatha Christie novels. I've been reading them since I was 12 and I'm starting to have a hard time finding books I haven't read of hers.

4. I have two sisters who look more like each other than I look like them. but we still all look pretty darn similar. but I'm the tallest :)


5. I like things that are tweed/patterned/textured/paisley/multicolored. My winter coat isn't black, it's red and white tweed. and I only have two pairs of black socks... the others are all different colors and patterns.

6. During my sophomore year of college, my weight got up to over 200 lbs. I managed to gain the freshman 20 while working out around 20+ hours a week. I'm grossed out when I think about the amount of food that I must have been consuming in order to do that. And I thank my lucky stars that I got mono and dropped 20 lbs.

7. In college I double majored in Biological Anthropology & Anatomy and Cultural Anthropology. That's right... two kinds of anthropology. which is why I'm now in even more school. I also minored in Religion.


8. I believe in luck and I think that I am a lucky person. Ridiculously lucky. I also think that fortune cookies can shape your life if you only believe in them (the week before I met E I got one that said "the one you love is closer than you think")


9. People from my past (like, elementary school) sometimes recognize me. It's because I look incredibly similar to my childhood self.

10. My favorite food is a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with crunch peanut butter, raspberry fruit preserves, and toasted wheat bread.

11. I like dancing to 80's music. If it comes on in a bar I can't really help myself. Even if it's not a dancing type bar.

12. I have a tiara that I bought for myself. I sometimes put it on if I'm having a bad day when I sit around the house. Also, I sometimes wear it to sing karaoke in dive bars.


13. I used to be more of a wine person, but I've been transitioning to trying lots of different kinds of good beers. but I'm having my wedding reception at a winery so maybe I'll transition back.

14. I've always thought that I would end up in Austin once I'm done with my training (7 years down, 5-6 more to go!)

15. I love Sunday mornings and making big breakfasts before going to church. This morning was a spinach and white cheddar omelet, toast with honey and butter, turkey bacon, coffee, and grapefruit juice.

16. I have a dog now. I got him when I got E. He used to be E's dog but now he's mine too... His name is Reagan and he's a Basenji mix. He can fly and he receives free internet in his head. He also invented the internet.

Five years

It's been five years since my dad died, and it's still hard. I'm getting more used to not having him, but I still get upset that he was taken so soon. And it kills me that my father never got to meet E. And that on my wedding day I'll be walking myself down the aisle. And a million other little day to day things where I'm reminded that he's not here and I wish he were. I miss him.

Just because

I can act cheerful when told to be ready to present my patients tomorrow at 5:40. Does that make me a good med student or a good actress? I'm not sure. Last night I had three margaritas at dinner and still made it to work by 5:15. That's definitely the sign of a good med student.
Today we had a meeting in a room with a big honey-baked ham. And I hadn't eaten lunch and I was starving after a c-section. You know how sometimes in cartoons when someone was hungry then they could look at a chair and it would in their mind turn into a pork chop? well that would probably have already happened because I was that hungry. Except instead of hallucinating, I was listening to a lecture with a big-ass delicious-smelling honey-baked spiral-cut ham in front of my nose. So I did what any reasonable person would...I started snatching pieces of meat off of the ham with my fingers and eating them while the lecturer wasn't looking at me. And it was fantastically satisfying. What's up with my extended blogs about roasted meats recently? Can't tell you. but they sure are tasty.

another weird dream

Last night I had a dream that I was giving birth, and it was really easy. I remember being shocked that there was so little pain... in my dream, I remember asking if I'd gotten an epidural or something and when I was told no, I hadn't, I started wondering to myself what all the fuss was about with everyone else. In reality it was probably non-painful because A) I have never actually experienced childbirth and B) I don't know if one can feel pain in dreams. come to think of it I'm not sure I ever have. I was also shocked in my dream because I've always assumed that I'll have to have cesareans like my mom and sister did.
And for the record, no worries because I am NOT pregnant. I am extremely certain of this. The dream was spurred by my spending so much time around ladies pushing out babies all day. Felicidades Mama!
Today was amazing and relaxing... E got home last night and we slept in. Then we got up, took our dog Reagan for a walk and then to the white rock dog park (we let him go swimming today!) and went up to Plano to have brunch with his parents. Then E did some work on my car because he's all manly and he can do man stuff. I helped a little. We took Reg back to the expensive dog house (E's old apartment... mine doesn't allow pets sadly), went to Central Market, and made dinner together. It sounds a little boring in writing but it was somehow just a perfectly perfect and relaxed day. I kind of wish all my days could be so boring. Back to work tomorrow. It's gonna be a whole different kind of boring.