Holy Buckets. The Dotzenrod's have gotten to me. OK. I actually secretly love these questionnaires. My inner narcissist. whatev.


I got totally schooled in urinalysis today. I need to think about something other than bloody pussy pee. TMI? I think I've lost the ability to determine that. Read my blog at your own discretion! On with the show.



1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? I'm actually relatively scar free. Probably because I lived my childhood as a total chicken s***. I have a scar on my left knee from rollerblading backwards and getting a rock stuck in my wheel. Danger, danger Will Robinson.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Mostly TJMAXX pics of lovely flowers. I do have a "SUZANNE" Chinese calligraphy painting I picked up in Beijing! More interestingly... I have a Thai spirit house on my dresser. It is supposed to provide refuge to "those" who inhabit your home. My apt is slightly on the creepy side, so I think it may help. You put food offerings in it. I have chapstick and an almond. They seem satisfied.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I don't think so. I have some funky dreams though.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? I'm an indie rock girl. I like things Nick recommends, because he's just too hip. I also have been known to download random hymns, soul and old school folk songs. This Q is way too difficult for the progeny of 2 music teachers.

5. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Yes. for reals. I usually run. This was especially a problem when my parents would ask me to scoop the cat poop before bed. Heart pounding, terrifying TORTURE.

6. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? Interesting. Coffee. However, pre-test I require a sugar free red bull. I think its a psych thing.

7. FAVORITE QUOTE? Mundane Qs, then a doozie. let's see. Don't worry, Be happy. dah du du du du du dadadada. I also love my mom saying... Don't worry, you will be ok, I know these things. or. aahhh serenity now.

8. FAVORITE PLACE? Leech lake. Closely followed by my bed, or my green chair. I also really enjoyed Slovakia.

9. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's ok. Sometimes it's fan-freakin-tastic. But, when I write quickly it becomes sort of like a stroke patient attempting cursive.

10. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? Um. I'm in love with Karina's champagne vinegar potato salad. I also have a family history of potato salad obsession, including preparing this picnic essential in a gigantic cooler... strange but true. However, there will always be a soft spot in my gluten eating heart for Velveeta mac and cheese.

11. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? Democrat, for sure.

12. KISSES OR HUGS? Hugs. Long ones.

13. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? I'm reading "I was told there would be cake" But really, I mostly read uptodate.com articles on riveting topics such as Urine sampling and culture in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in adults



I now (1 week) do yoga in the am. Quick 20 min, stretch out and get some blood to my brain. I'm lovin it....even more than a 2 cheeseburger meal. Most importantly...breathe. Goodnight folks.

Weekend.

Yes. Refueling. Wowza. Infectious disease started this week. It was meh. Not sure yet. Mostly some time management issues... yes. Beware when the attending says " You guys don't have like, families or anything to get home to do you?" But, I really think it is a great rotation for me. I was hesitant, let me tell you. But I need to push myself to have a better command on complicated medicine. Chemo patients, AIDS patients, Elderly...they get really stinkin sick sometimes. I have already learned so much. Antibiotics terrify me, holy buckets there are so many choices. I am learning. So its all good. But yeah, the 12 hour day appears to be back. yuck.


George is refueling too. Truth: This picture was taken while I was doing Comcast supplied Yoga, George was doing George things.



As stated, I've amped up my morning eggs. 2 eggs in a pan. Spastic smattering of spices: whatever your heart desires. I strongly recommend the addition of tarragon though. mmmm licoricey in the am. Then add some spinach to the eggs and fold er up. After my eggs cook, a put them in a bowl and saute some sundry greens in either red or balsamic vin. yum! Top your eggs with some fiber. I bet you don't get enough anyways. Just sayin. Bein a med student and all.



Finally, backyard harvesting. YUM!!!! I don't think anyone else picks these babes. But holy yum! As long as your willing to have a few forearm scratches... delish snacking for free!!!! I just really hope the garage doesn't have lead paint. That may be bad... Basophilic stippling. Yikes.

Frugal foraging

What a lovely weekend. When MN weather behaves, it really behaves. I did do a little "sunning" yesterday at lake Calhoun. 75, breezy, not a cloud in the sky, unbelievable people watching... Perfection. I have a ridiculous amount of homework for my primary care clerkship. The type of homework that makes you think, "what, are you insane? You seriously expect me to do that?" Lecture after lecture after article on heath care models blah blah, bore my brains out. Breathe, serenity now. So at about 4 pm, my tummy was growling, and I moseyed into the kitchen. I'm mainly a produce girl. I opened the fringe and thought wow. I can have garlic, or pickles for dinner. Shoot. I moved to the pantry. I really needed to make something that will double for lunch tomorrow. Given my serious lack of produce, I'll probably have to make a trip after clinic. Forage away! I found pumpkin and fire roasted tomato. I can work with this. I close my eyes, and summon my inner food spaz, unafraid of dumping random junk into a pot :)

Battle of the Chilies All Purpose Goop

1 can pumpkin
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 spoonfuls Thai kitchen red chili paste
4 cloves of garlic
Heavy dashes of poultry seasoning, chili powder
A more reserved dash of granulated onion
pinch of salt
Glugs of red wine vinegar

Simmer in a pot till sauce thickens.

This is really tasty, and hearty! It will be topping some brown rice and frozen broccoli tomorrow for lunch. Yum. I think it may be asking for some frozen shrimp to be in the mix as well. I bet you could add red wine to the pot, which would be delish. It would be lovely on pasta and, its cheap!



I'm not kidding about the foraging. Look, the garlic is trying to escape it's long imprisonment in my dark fridge. My morning will include some raspberries picked from my GORGEOUS backyard. yum, yeah. Well, at least those little morsels are pretty.

Berry Brave

God bless America, the home of the ... processed foods? So, I had high hopes for the 4th. I was going to be so adventurous and creative. I poured over foodgawker.com as the week wound down, drooling over all fantastically festive creations. We decided to head to the Geier Ranch for the annual 4th of July shindig. Nicholaus has a par-tay every 4th. Usually it involves blowing up food items in the yard, fun folks, and more money spent on fireworks than the collective rent of all the attendees. (we live in the slums, so that's feasible). Anyways, the grill was in full swing, complete with bad-a$$ beef+injectables hot dogs and generic roundy's buns. That is EXACTLY what Jon wanted. So, I thought, I'll save my culinary juices for another time. I ate junk too, just not the roundy's bun + injectables kind. Not photo worthy, trust me.




I did however, buy baskets of bountiful berries. I was all about re-creating the red-white-blue theme. I suppose I could have thrown some blueberries and strawberries into a glass of white wine and called it good. My lovelies, I hope you know, I'm more sophisticated than that. Waah! Enter, my salad this week, ta - dah! I tend to create my lunches in under 5 min. I usually cook my eggs and buisnesss then lounge and eat while watching Angela Davis tell me what blew up or burned down overnight. Then at the last min, I jump up, put on a glamorous outfit to cover up with a white coat, and throw together some mangled creation called a ....salad. I really love salad y'alls. ESPECIALLY in summer. But, my taste buds have to be tingled by many many a flavor to feel satisfied. You also need some protein, or tummy's be growlin by your 7th Diabetes check of the afternoon. This week knocked my socks off. Beneath that hunk - o - junk is romaine. I topped the bed of glowing greens with sauteed onion, cooked spinach, tuna, blueberries and STRAWberries. The picture is pre-dressing smash. I then add a tiny tupperwear of rice vinegar, tamari and mirin. Those salad ingredients do not match! Somehow, the rice wine vinaigrette will magically meld any crazy concoction together.





Yum. I savored my salad over lunch. Today was Morbidity and Mortality lunch lecture. I had the above "eye candy" for dessert. HA! Jon was in the pulmonary function lab today. So I ate my masterpiece, and he scarfed the Domino's the U so graciously provides to all its health care professionals... Don't even start. Not a green leafy in sight! We learned about cerebellar strokes and chowed. Ahhh, then no kidding, I went back for some DIABETES checks. At least I can say I ate a salad. My patient was eating white castle every night for, oh, 6 months. He then transitioned, oh so gracefully, into a story about how he saw his dead aunts ghost in an old farmhouse. Something about hoodlums breaking in and putting pigeons in the attic, and ... yeah. psych is everywhere.

Non food fotos.

As we usher in July ( brrr) I am taking a moment to slow down and think. I think this post would be better with some hip shakin'. Let's start out with this fantabulous song I found. A boom ba.




I have not been doing too much experimentation in the kitchen lately. With the exception of my morning eggs, which I've GREENED up. I crack ma eggs in the pan, then spastically dump dill, basil, thyme, tarragon, and fancy pomegranate red wine vinegar on top. Sometimes I add some steak seasoning, if I'm feeling sassy. Then I fold em up, with my neon green spatula, and finish cooking. Delish. You see, they look so plain and simple, then you take a slice...Wham. Green surprise. So there, I classify again as a food blog. I do however, have high hopes for the holiday weekend. It's a 3 day-er you know. woot woot. I mean, yes America.



Do you ever just feel blah? Things get stressful, what? Medical school is stressful? no. I have MAJOR decisions to make. Like, woman-what are you going to DO with your life? I dunno. shoot. Anyways, sometimes you learn a lot when you make yourself...



Now, the slow down. Allow me to wax prophetic. When life gets stressful, I tend to freak out. Somehow things enter my life at the right moment. I do a lot of food blog reading. Bordering on strange and obsessive. Just sayin . Thank Gordita for googlereader. Anyways, there is something fantastic going on in this hip, underground world I snoop through. Enter: Operation Beautiful. Go there. It really is beautiful. Sometimes, seriously, this is exactly what a girl needs. Here were my entries.



My pics were included last week. These babies made it into friends purses, only after they spent some time in my apt. It does make a difference, and I really feel like it's 100% worth whatever small promotion I can make. I think when you get scared, you need to pump yourself up. This filled my soul-o-meter. I'm feeling more powerful. Am I ready to be introspective? Yikes, huge jass task.




Alright, I'm pumped up (with a hans & franz accent no less). If you think about it, being a medical student is honestly fun. There's a lot of torture and hoop jumping, but yeah, that happens everywhere. I get to talk to people all day. If I ask them something, they tell me. Usually they care what you tell them. When they don't, honestly, they are even more interesting. Like, what the bejeezus are you thinking? But anyways. People are wacky, and I love that. Listening to hearts and lungs, mmm, it's not that great. Freezing warts is pretty fun. Putting your sweet little thumb indent in a heart failure patients ankle is ok, I guess. But really, their stories are so much better.






That's what I'm learning. I think I like psych. yep I said it, online = super official. I'm still not sure. I'm a slow decision maker. I'm the type that lets things happen. Like pulling out my teeth, leave them in till they dangle. (sick, I know. Sorry Grandpa McDougall). Anyways, stay tuned I guess. Next the 4th.



I love the 4th. Almost as much as I love Netflix. But that's a WHOLE other issue. Sweet dreams, y'all. Carpe that Diem.