A little place for me to vent

What's on your holiday wishlist?

Ok, so I was looking at my holiday wishlist last year and not much has changed.  I actually didn't get most things on it except for the thermarest.  Well, I thik I probably bought some more perfume and some socks, but that's about it.  Oh wait!  Last week I finally bought a snowboard.  I still need to get the boots and bindings, but I made the first step.  I also didn't take any of those trips I talked about, but I think I'll be ok. 

Next year, I am going to South America for 3 weeks.  I'm also thinking about going to China and Nepal to do some trekking, but those plans are not set.  That should hopefully satiate my wanderlust for a year or so.  I also have to figure out what to do next summer.  Maybe work in a nat'l park or something like that.  I always wanted to do that, and next year seems like the best time to do that.

Well, getting back to the point....here's my wishlist.  Some of the things are still the same.

1.  Personal trainer.  I still want that hot body, but unfortunately I have little motivation and self-restraint when it comes to food.  I need some help!

2.  Bindings and boots for my snowboard.  I should go shopping for that soon, but these ice-storms just make me want to stay in all day.

3.  A boyfriend.  I'm tired of being single, and I just want some companionship.  I do stuff by myself all the time, and it's getting old.  Though, I don't just want any boyfriend, I want someone that I could actually take home to meet my parents.  Someone with potential...not just a fling.

4.  I can't think of anything else.  That's strange.  My wishlist should be waaay longer but I can't come up with anything else.

Oh, I thought of something.

5.  Professional teeth whitening.  I don't like those little strips and whatnot.  I want to go to the dentist to get it done.

That's it for now. 

Ok, I secretly really like that new Britney Spears song.  It's super catchy, and I like hearing it when I'm driving in my car.  I feel like I shouldn't like anything Britney especially 'cause of all her crazy antics lately, but sometimes I am just a sucker for pop music. 

In other news, nothing has changed.  My life is still just work and applications.  Yesterday, I had this patient who is an adorable cute, little, old lady.  She's 81 years old and she was beaten up by a bunch of muggers.  I can't stand seeing that.  The poor thing can barely get around as it is.  If someone were going to rob her why couldn't they have just taken her things and leave her be?  She's got bruises all over her face, a black eye, 10+ stitches in her head.

I think I've really taken to geriatrics.  Well, except for senile old patients...I do not enjoy working with them.

This is for all you girls who complain about my outdated blog.

Well, my life is work.  That's all I do nowadays.  I really don't do much else besides work that even now I dream about it.  I don't know why.  Everyone else who's part of the normal full time working world probably has things to do outside of work, but not me.  Maybe it's my weird hours.  I wake up a few hours before work, and am usually not in the mood to get out of the house.  After work, I do have more energy to run errands, meet up with people and whatnot but most everything in the suburbs is closed.  I need to change something about my schedule.

So, yesterday I had a bad day at work.  I'm a patient care tech at a hospital, so I pretty much am at the bottom of the totem pole.  However, I do not think that gives the right for doctors to talk down to me.  I have had it with doctors, med students, interns and the whole bunch.  I just want to scream at them that I have a college degree (two actually) so there's no reason to treat me like an idiot.  I probably did better on the MCAT than most of them and part of me just wants to rub that in their faces....but I can't.  [OK, I don't know if that last part is true, but I like to think so.]

Ok, well, last night these neurosurgeons asked me to translate for a spanish speaking patient.  I told them that I do not know that many medical terms, so I wanted to grab my little dictionary.  The damn doctor told me that he'd talk in basic terms and wouldn't let me grab my book.  Anyways, so I went in the room and the doctor asked me to tell the woman that she has a build up of fluid in her brain and part of her brain was slipping down into her spine.  I didn't know how to say spine (and I told them I didn't know internal body parts) and they made me feel like I was useless.  So, one of the interns who speaks much worse spanish than I do took over.  And, one of the damn residents started talking about me saying stuff like I don't know spanish while I was still in the room!!!  Ok, I may not be fluent in spanish, but I sure as hell am not deaf.  He could at least have some respect and not talk about me behind my back while I'm still in hearing range.  My translating days are over, at least for the neurosurgeons.

One of the housekeepers who is Mexican and speaks fluent spanish didn't know how to say spine either.  She told me not to feel bad 'cause it's not our job to translate, especially for the doctors.  I would not want to be responsible for a patient misunderstanding her treatment, diagnosis, etc.

Ugh!

So, hopefully I'll be a doctor one day, but I sure as hell hope that I do not turn into one of those cocky bastards that I deal with everyday.  They act like they're god's gift and they're the only people who know what they're talking about.  Oh...and I cannot stand it when med students act like that too.  F*** you...I'm probably just as smart as you guys. 

So, for all my future doctors who might read this: please be nice and respectful to everyone involved in patient care, do not put new lab orders in every 15 minutes because patients hate being stuck several times in a row, be prompt with your diet and activity orders 'cause patients also get frustrated when they can't get up or have anything to eat or drink, be clear about your discharge orders, and do not talk down to patients either.

[Ok, this post is not meant to offend any of my med student friends.  I know you guys are all very nice and are not like any of those neurosurgeons that I have to deal with.  I just needed to vent.]

Lola's toe is infected.  She cracked her toenail sometime ago and we took her to the vet.  At the time, the doctor just trimmed her toenails and said it should be ok.  But she also said that if Lola continues to favor the toe then we should call her.  So, a week goes by and I notice that Lola keeps licking/favoring her toe and I tell my mom.  My mom said it was ok, and didn't want to call the vet. 

So, another week goes by and now her toe is pink, and the nail is black with dried blood.  I just noticed this two days ago so I called the vet, without consulting my mom.  My appointment was for today, and when I picked up Lola her nail wasn't even there!  Poor thing.  She doesn't seem like she's in pain, but I'm sure it's uncomfortable, to say the least.

Now she's on antibiotics for the next two weeks, and she can't go outside because of the open wound.  I felt so bad today when I let the other dogs out and I had to shut the door on Lola.  She just stood at the glass door, watching us, and barking. 

Poor girl.

Hopefully she'll be back to normal in two weeks.

I'm also tired of my mom not taking things seriously with the dogs.  This is not the first time this has happened.  Last year when I took the dogs to get their vaccinations, Zoe's face started to swell.  My mom said it was ok, and did not want to take her back to the vet.  BUT Zoe's face was getting bigger and it was obvious she was having an allergic reaction.  I took her back to the vet myself and they had to give her shots of steroids and benadryll.

Just recently, we went out to dinner and my parents had some lamb bones left over.  My brother said that we had to roast the bones before giving them to Penny 'cause they would crumble otherwise.  Of course, my mom was not paying attention to him. So, when I came home from a long day of class and studying there were several piles of vomit left for me to clean up.  Oh, and they were full of pieces of bone.  My mom had given her the bones without roasting them, and she obviously choked on the fragments.  I called my mom up immediately and yelled/scolded her. 

I shouldn't yell at my mom.  I do not normally yell at her, but this time I was just very frustrated. 

Even though my mom's a doctor, I don't think I should take her medical advice anymore when it comes to the dogs.

What is going on with the Sox?  I love them, but they fresh off a 3 game losing streak.  They're playing Minnesota right now and I don't want them to get any further behind in our division.  Let's hope that Garland pitches a good game tomorrow.  Actually, I'm pretty sure he'll pitch a good game.  It's our bullpen that I'm worried about.  I do not think they're up to par at all, especially that Aardsma.  He's been losing lots of games for us.  Actually, I'm not completely sure that's true but it sure feels that way.  Oh, and that guy Dewon Day who made his major league debut and ended up with an era of 18?!?!  Masset and Logan are not good either.  I do, however, still love big ol' lovable Jenks.

And then my favorite, Pablo Ozuna, is now on the disabled list.

Please pray for my boys so that they start performing better.

At least the '05 World Series will keep me happy for another couple years or so.
 

So, I joined the Celebrity Fit Club's weight loss program.  It's called the Fat Smash Diet, and I've been doing it for about a week or so.  I have to say, I am frustrated!!!!  I keep reading all these success stories about all these people that lost 4, 5, 6, or 7 lbs or more in the first week.  I, on the other hand, have gained two pounds!  GRRRR!

I am trying and hoping and cooking and working out and doing all that I can so that I'll slim down (at least back to what I looked like in college).  It's very discouraging when nothing is working. 

I ran my 10K last month and didn't lose a god-damned pound.  I did, however, run the race without stopping.  That's something, I guess, but it was not my ultimate goal.  Now I'm following a strict meal plan and exercise plan, and I can't shape up for the life of me. 

And, I really do not want any of my skinny friends telling me that I do not have to lose any weight.  That does not help.

Yesterday I took the MCATs and my semester ended last week.  So, now I have loads of free time and I just don't know what to do with myself.  So far today I've eaten breakfast, signed up for a diet plan, and figured out my meal plan.  I'm about to go work out in an hour or so, but apart from that I don't know what to do. 

I guess I could clean up my room, put all those MCAT books away.  Gen, if you're reading this, let me know if you want some of them.  I did not highlight them all, so you'll be able to read them.  They're examkrackers, which I liked much better than Kaplan.  Plus, I have Monica's old Princeton Review stuff...so just let me know.

I should go shopping since I have this new meal plan and my fridge at home is full of all the stuff I should not be eating.  Maybe I could fix up my bike.  It's in desperate need for a tune-up. 

So, I guess there are lots of things I could be doing, but they're all solitary activities.  I didn't mind being alone all the time when I had to focus on school and studying.  But now that I don't have to, I'm feeling way too much like a loner. 

Plus, I'm still unemployed.  I need a job desperately.  Once that happens, I'll feel much better.  I just need to be busy, otherwise I feel like I'm wasting time.

On the bright side, my friend just won two tickets to South America.  She's thinking about going for three weeks at the end of November to December.  She also just asked me if I could go with!!  I'm super-excited about that, but I think she's also asking around to see who's available.  I just have to figure out if I have the time to go.  Right now, I feel like I do 'cause I have nothing going on.  Let's hope she chooses me!

So, yet again I'm long overdue for a blog.  I just forgot about this for the past month...I guess.  In fact, I don't know what I've been doing for the past month.  I remember at the end of February I made myself a study/workout schedule for March, and I didn't follow a single day of it!  Before I knew it the month was over and now it's April.  What the hell happened?  That might have been the least productive month of my life, or maybe not.  It seems l don't remember it all that well. 

In other news I got an update from the orphanage in Guatemala.  Apparently the organization I used has pulled out of Guatemala.  I don't know if they pulled out of Guatemala completely, or just the home.  I guess some recent volunteer's bad feedback about the organization (not the home) 'caused them to pull out.  I am terrified that it was my feedback.  I really hope it wasn't because I didn't complain a bit to i-to-i afterwards.  I just don't think they operate their business well.  I never once thought that leaving bad feedback would cause them to stop all services to Guatemala.  Maybe it wasn't me....I don't think I have that much power.  I really hope it wasn't me 'cause I could not live with that guilt.  The home got a little bit of money from i-to-i, but they definitely got a great deal of good volunteers from them.  Eeks!  In case it was me, maybe I should do some good to counteract this guilt.  Fundraise, market, something.  

Well, in case anyone is reading this do go to Orphan's Hope Project.  One of the past volunteers to the home started a non-profit for the orphanage.  Hopefully this organization will be able to do a lot of good and help out where i-to-i left off. 

I think it's time for me to learn another language.  I feel like I've pretty much got Spanish down, and if I refresh my Catalan then that'll make two languages.  I just have to keep using my Spanish, which means I really have to actively look for opportunities to speak it.

I want to learn Hindi next.  I think it's a shame that I don't know any languages from India considering both my parents are from there.  I wish they seriously taught me one of their mother tongues, but I can't dwell on that.  I was looking up classes on Hindi at my local temple, but the courses don't start until September. 

If I weren't applying to med school this summer I would definitely take advantage of the U.S. State Department's Critical Language Scholarships.  They are great opportunities:  all expense paid (including travel), study abroad programs during the summer.  This year there are scholarships offered in:  Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Punjabi, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu.  That's quite a few more than last year.  I would love to do the Hindi program in India but there aren't any programs for beginners.  There are, however, beginner classes for Bengali, which I would love since I am half Bengali. 

I'm hoping this program will still be around next summer and then I can apply for it then.  I've told myself that I have to stay in the country this summer so that I actually apply to med school.

I'm going to run one in April.  It's called the Wrigleyville Early Start, and it's on April 21.  Does anyone in Chicago want to join me?  10K is like 6.2 miles.  It's 8 weeks away, so I think that's enough time to train for the race.

Hal Higdon (halhigdon.com) has great training programs for all sorts of races.  I initially wanted to do the Shamrock Shuffle, but I think that's too soon.  I am way out of shape right now, and I don't think I would last in the shuffle.

Anyways, I don't know how many people in the area read this blog, but if you're in Chicago then you should run this race with me.  It'll be fun!