gin and jazz

Gin and Jazz go together like peanut butter and jelly. Our hands down favorite place to go for both is the Balcony club, located just above the Lakewood Theater. We went there on one of our first dates (where I was congratulated by E's best friend that I was "approved" ) and we went there on our wedding night (and I have to admit that on that occasion we overdid the gin more than a little bit)



I get a gin and tonic, extra lime. E gets a dirty gin martini. Listening to jazz while nursing a cocktail is almost as relaxing as soaking in a hot tub or getting a massage. Almost.

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.

And the winner is...

Me. I'm the winner. But don't tell this guy, because he thinks that he is. Maybe we both win... I'm not counting.

 

So yesterday I was on call on general surgery. I was waiting for my patient to be called to the OR from 8 AM until 1 AM (and if you were counting, that's 17 hours). At that point, They told me to go see another case because my patient was likely not going to go to surgery today. It was an open laparotomy for a ruptured gall bladder, and we finished at 4 AM. Then I slept in a chair for an hour and got up to see my patients. I'm pooped. But i almost don't care, because I've got one of the most marvelous people I've ever met to call up at the end of the day. And now I'm falling asleep as I write this post, so I'm off to nap for a loooong time. peace in your barrio. I know I'll have some in mine.
mwoah,
Lauren Losefast

what's up.

I spent last weekend in Austin with my family. My sister Shannon had a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband and it was awesome. Family, friends, and unlimited barbecue. I ate a beef rib that made me feel like a Flintstone.

 

Here's the wonderful decorations:

 

Shannon, Ben and Anna:

 

 

then I helped Anna climb a tree outside. Her mommy didn't see this... I'm not sure she would have approved (I was holding on really tight Shannon!)

Finally, Anna helped Shannon to clean out her purse.


I love going to Austin but I'm always tired afterward. This time was worse because I came right back to a call day (32 hour shift). I still like the VA though. All my patients sound like movie cowboys... probably because they're all from podunk TX towns and have been smoking three packs a day for forty years.

Here's a list of what I meant to do today when I finished with work (at 2 pm):
1. call grandma, wish her happy birthday
2. take nap
3. do laundry
4. call Brittany
5. get mail
6. work out
7. study
8. groceries
9. pay rent
10. catch up in bible study reading of Heresies and How to Avoid Them (about orthodoxy and heresy in the church. Brings up a lot of things that I never thought to think about before)

Here's what I actually got done:
1. take a nap
2. eat four macaroons bought on sale at Simon David last week because there aren't many Jews in the Park Cities and they had a whole bunch of kosher food on sale. (I also got some matzo bread. It makes a nice alternative to water crackers)
3. re-read Agatha Christie crime novel (I think I've read everything she wrote at least once. don't believe me? I started reading her books when I was in the seventh grade. I am now in the 19th grade, and I can read two a day if I don't have anything else going on. My favorites are The Big Four and What Happened in Baghdad?. I haven't been able to find any new ones that I haven't read in the past year or year and a half, so I think I've come pretty close to reading them all.)

Yeah so my day was less productive than planned. And I have a pimple on my earlobe, which I have no idea why and how you even get one there, but I'm pretty weirded out by it.

good night.

everything's coming up chrysanthemums...

Today was my last day of enforced dysfunctionality. It's been a heck of a ride. In case you're wondering, yes, my grade did stink (I wasn't getting my hopes up), but so did the other student's and we have addressed the powers that be to appeal and try to fight the woooaahhh...man.
The good news is, I got to sleep for SEVEN hours last night even though I was on call, I got finished today at around 10 AM, and then I got to go home. Then I went to Lowe's and bought some terra cotta pots and a bunch of plants to make myself a container garden in front of my front door. I of course called my sister to ask her what I should plant (and by that what I really meant was what can't I kill?) and she told me to get something tall, something short, and something viney that droops/spreads. I took her advice, and this was the result:


Charming, no? of course after I finished I read the back of my bag of dirt and it said "NOT FOR POTTED PLANTS!!! KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. ALWAYS WEAR GARDEN GLOVES WHEN HANDLING THIS SOIL"... after I had happily been digging my hands into it for like twenty minutes. Oh well, my hands aren't burning just yet so I think I'm probably safe.
My sister told me I should be careful about what I'm bitching about on this blog... looking back, I haven't used any names, and I haven't said anything that I didn't also tell to my course director, resident, and other classmates.
This weekend is for fun only. Next Monday I start at the VA... on a team by myself. I'm already dreading the undivided scut!

aaahhh

I'm only 144 questions away from being FINISHED with usmleworld already. I'm going to own those suckers tomorrow. And my friends from church are planning a wine and hors d oeuvres party next Monday night which will be a perfect follow-up to a long day of testing!
During one of my very short but necessary study breaks today, I stumbled upon some lovely gold and chalcedony jewelry from Banana:

I love chalcedony but I don't have any and I probably won't get any for a while (at least not until my new loans come in) but if anyone wants to get me a spontaneous gift of jewelry, you know where to find it. The only thing I might worry about is that last necklace making noise. It's one of my biggest pet peeves in the world when I can hear my jewelry tinkling every time I move. I have a pair of earrings that do that and I only ever wear them if I know I'm going to be someplace LOUD.
I'm off to sleep, because it keeps me beautiful(ish). mwoah!

crackalackin

I don't usually remember any of my dreams, but last night I had a really weird one. I dreamed that I went to Target and bought a bunch of crack and smoked it in my apartment. Except that the crack came in packets like cigarettes. What does this dream mean? I don't habitually smoke anything (hookah for a special occasion, and the occasional cigar when I'm feeling a little like a 50-year-old man) and I obviously don't smoke crack. Maybe this is a sign that I need a vacation.

DC wedding weekend

More to come later (if you're lucky!) but here are a few pictures from last weekend when my cousin Alex got married at the meridian house in DC:

This is when Uncle Dan said that Anna didn't look very Mexican
Three generations of Nelson descendants with the matriarch:

My Cousin walking down the aisle

Me and my sisters in the linden grove with Anna

Um yeah their faces aren't in this picture but that's why they hired a professional wedding photographer.