I'm back, with no proof :(

I made salmon last night. I swear! Jon text messaged me " hey would you want to grill salmon?" He was at Lunds. Of course! One MILLION bonus points. I showed up at his apt with spices (aren't you the spice girl?) and away we went. Holy yum. His new roommate has a grill on their balcony. Jon really lives in style, let me tell you. We grilled salmon and green pepper with EVOO, salt pepper and sate seasoning. (mom you might be missing a jar! oops). Make little tin foil pouches to ensure your eats stay GF. Oh yes. And Jon's new abode sports...you guessed it...a DISHWASHER!!!! Hear the choir of angels! Love it. Alas, I took one sad pic of appetizer guac and my underused camera breathed it's last battery breath. Oh well. Trust me, it happened and it was heaven. Tide you over with a pic???? Does this seem like your life? Not mine. no. no. no.





I started the ICU today. I already put in an arterial line. yikes. I was just sitting, content to be quietly reading about acetamionphen overdose, as my soon to be arriving patient imbibed a bit too heavily on some Tylenol. Disruption! A team member walks in and says "med students, art line" YIKES! He asked if we had done one. I said no, not on a human. True. My med student buddy says, well sort of. I guess well sort of, means, "I gowned up and missed, so I watched". Whatev-still more than me, meaning it was my turn. So to make a long story short. I found her artery, got in with one jab, saw my squirting blood, inserted art line and sutured it down. I did not 1) sweat profusely or 2) loose my cookies aka nectarine. Overall day 1 of ICU = success.

Ok Lisa's blog is addicting. So i'll play along, then sleep.



Here it goes!

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I'm not too familiar with hardcore details of paperback variety. But I likes me paperback. Hardcovers make my thumbs hurt. That's WAY too many calories expended keeping a book open.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
I like amazon. I buy novels there for really quite cheap. Sometimes you have to ignore some bimbo with bubbly letter's interpretation of "symbolism"... But yea. Still worth the discount. Jon asked me if when i'm a doc i'll want a fancy car. I said no. Maybe I will drive a volvo and have NON marked up books. Stay tuned.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark. I have a few bookmarks of my Grandmothers that I use. Otherwise, I use coupons or perfume samples. I rarely dog ear. Something deep inside tells me that's taboo.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
Amazon. I don't leave my apt. except to place art lines. book store? non intubated people? what?

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
Random. I have an entire book shelf dedicated to textbooks. I have an already read bookshelf, that also holds candles and white boards with dry erase markers. Finally, I have a bookshelf with dvds and not yet devoured fiction.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep. I'm a packrat. aka. a Geier

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
I keep them, see above. They are way freaking annoying though. Always be fallin off, makin more work for my tired thumbs.

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
These questions are seeming redundant. I might be tired

Short story or novel?
Novels. I do love me some David Sedaris though. And Hemingway: The Things They Carried holds a huge chunk of my heart. I love Hemingway before bed. So soothing.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Potter!

Buy or borrow?
Buy. When we were children, we rented ridiculous numbers of books though. I remember once my mom specifically telling me to browse the caldecotts as she went to new fiction to look. I really do remember her telling me where she went, and that I should just look around. However, I FREAKED out! Had to have my mom paged over the loudspeaker. Serious nerdage. Panic attack at the library. Whoa nelly.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
Um. If nick tells me its good I go for it. Otherwise, I peruse amazon all by my lonesome.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Tidy ending. No question. choose your own adventure = torture!!!

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Preferably camp ground reading. But realistically bedtime reading. Daytime reading consists of liver failure and renal failure and "insert favorite organ here" failure.

Stand-alone or series?
alone. I read babysitters club and american girls etc. Otherwise not so into the series.

Favourite series?
ok fine. boxcar children

Favorite children’s book?
Roald Dahl. All of his genius. I guess my favorite would have to be Matilda. I did check this out of Shannon Park Elementary Library enough times for the librarian to politely suggest I seek other options. Creature of habit? what works works right?

Favourite YA book?
Hmmm. Dances with wolves. I was a young adult...

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
I really liked in the time of butterflies. I feel thats lesser known? Maria alvarez. I also love Klosterman. Lisa knows. He's a gas.

Favourite books read last year?
The bell jar

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
Roald Dahl. The twits probably. 11 years old? Yeah, especially 11 year old boys.

Favorite book to re-read?
Matilda apparently. Also the awakening.

Do you ever smell books?
Yes. I love the smell of books, except when they smell like cheese. what? yes. real cheese. start smelling, I bet by book 5 you find your "cheesy" page turner.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
Dude. I read blogs

What are you reading right now?
Wasted.

What are you reading next?
Case Files-Internal Medicine. Woot! Fun ensues!

If you have a blog and are interested, post this meme and make sure you let me know that you are doing it. If you don't have a blog or don't feel like doing this, answer as many of these questions as you'd like! I love hearing about people's reading habits/interests!

Holy hodgepodge

Well, holy cow today was a great day! I was outta that hospital by 11:30 AM!!!!!! I'm not even kidding you. 6:15-11:30. wowza. I was post call today, and I actually got to leave when my residents did!!!! The "beauty" of medical school is that no work hour laws apply to you, which is awesome... so usually post call I have to stay oh, 6 hours after my residents leave. But not today! I came home, watched real housewives while eating lunch, then plopped my booty into bed for a 3 hour nap. REFRESH!!!!

So yes, yesterday I was on call. meh. Our patient load is pretty manageable right now number wise, but we have some sassy families! Heme/Onc is actually proving to be incredibly interesting from a psychiatry perspective. An attending even talked to me about considering oncologic psychiatry. But, call last night was filled with drama. Mostly the intense personalities and practicing "reflective listening". Only one real medical drama-ie code blue. But, I still didn't get home till around 10. le tired.




I start the ICU on Tuesday. YIKES! Shhh. Don't tell the med school Gods, but I have a 2 day weekend coming up!!! I have to round on Saturday, but have Sunday and Monday off!!!! Grilling anyone?

Finally, Lisa tagged me for this AGES ago. I'll partake, please excuse my tardiness.
5 Sexy Things' meme - Here are the rules:

* Write 5 things that make you feel sexy
* Post a pic if you dare!
* Pass it on to 5 lovely bloggers


*#1through2,000 is absolutely Black mascara
*Summer dresses
*Red wine
*Cooking a fabulous meal, serving it on pretty plates in a CLEAN apartment
*Doing exactly what I want, and not giving a hoot how ridiculous I may look.




Brad and I in Vienna. Being ridiculous and having a blast.

I'll tag ANYONE who reads this. Comment and let me know if you play along. I'd love to hear your responses!!! Signing off! auf wiedersehen!

AHHHH!

I'm still swimming. Promise. Barely. I'm on heme onc right now, pulling some crazy hours. I'm also trying to make feeble daily attempts at completing my application. I'm cooking, just not in a picturesque sort of way. I am however, way into eggplant right now. Quote from my resident at ?dinner? while on call...

um what are you eating?

Eggplant

hmm, how do you cook that?

I saute it in balsamic vinegar usually

Oh... so you're a vegetarian.

Um no. there is also tuna in my salad.

ok.

Clearly if you don't eat U of M supplied pizza 2 meals per day, your are some sort of freak of nature. Love those budding health professionals. Go go hyperlipidemia! I went home to la casa this weekend, stocked up on my mom's garden goods. Thank the lord for mothers. Alright, diversion complete. Back to essays.

Weekly wecap.

Not gonna lie. I'm really stinkin tired. I fueled my body last week with this scrumptious lunch. Nicoise schmicose. I took mama's garden green beans, shrimpies, tomatoes, nectarine and spinach to nosh at noon. I topped the salad usually with trader Joe's chipotle salsa. I'm giving TJ's a second chance, I'm forgiving like that. Bless you. Hold your applause till the end.

ID drew to a close and Internal Medicine part 2 loomed. I celebrated Friday night with this clown. Model photo shoot! I love my bro. Best company in the world. We gnomed it up. I love that restaurant, but I must say... they claim to have a wide variety of GF brews. Oh they lie. There is never anything besides redbridge. Fyi. The waiter always THINKS there is. Then he returns, tail between his legs. It's still a sweet patio. Christmas lights will win me over any day. I'm easy like that.




Saturday = America's pastime! Gluten free game day treats!!! Oh yeah. I'm swollen like a beach ball after all that Na+


Christmas at the twins! I was trying to support the team. Jon was... not sure, green brings out his eyes.

Jon's cousin Manolo was in MN with his beautiful girlfriend Silvia. We enjoyed the game together and then headed to the Green Mill. These folks were craving deep dish! Check out this recipe I made last summer, thanks to Manolo's input!


Finally, I went home to start my personal statement. Holy buckets. I start sweating bullets every time I even say that statement. I did manage to get some thoughts on paper.

Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong. -Ella Fitzgerald.

Plus raid my mom's garden. YUM! Thanks M & D, you saved me a pre call grocery trip. MMM tomatoes MMM.
Especially because this pretty much sums up my green thumb. Even with Cati. Sorry dad, I must of dumped those genes during some early blastocyst division.

Wedding Weekend

Ok lovlies. I'll start my marathon of posts with my cousin Abby's wedding. Abby is currently in nursing school in Arizona. She started out at UND, where she met her main squeeze Ryan. They ventured to the dessert together over a year ago now. She has an adorable blog with stories about their life together. Such a cute couple. Picture totally stolen from Lisa's facebook :)




We had a little family band for the wedding. I even got to play Handel's Largo during the processional. I love this song. My piano teacher told me to walk down the aisle to this piece. I fully intend to...when I'm 40?


At the ceremony. It was held in a cute catholic church in Battle Lake MN. Brand spankin new in fact, making Abby and Ryan's wedding the inaugural nuptials.


The lovely Lisa, the maid of honor. Looking fantastic! She did a wonderful job as a gracious hostess and spectacular speaker!




Then the fam headed to the reception at Thumper pond resort. The boys had already been there bright and early for 18 holes. I slept it. It was nice to have a leisurely morning and get the the church early to practice.





Mama Barb. She did such an amazing job playing during the ceremony. I'm always so amazed at how talented my parents are. And my aunt Rosie played the recessional. Holy buckets. She smoked up the keys!


Jon and I hung out with these goofballs all weekend. Love them! We hit up a local watering post Friday night when we arrived. We played pool, air hockey and listened to the musical masterpiece "Rockin the beer gut". On Sunday the boys golfed AGAIN, while Ellen and I bummed about Ottertail MN. We did some hot tubbing and hit up the Otter treat-aka imitation dairy queen.


A beautiful weekend for sure. Complete with M&Ms in those little green boxes. I may have had 1 or 8. Hey, if you leave your M&Ms unattended I cannot promise they won't end up in my belly. Sorry to anyone who found theirs missing :)

wow

I'm working on my application, and currently on my second bowl of peppermint ice cream. Feeling a bit like this picture. A little bit fun, but mostly feel like I might die. I have tons of pictures to post, I hope to get some new bloggies up soon! I'm done with infectious disease, and starting Internal Medicine in the U tomorrow. Yikes. Breathe....

Puffy Pancakes.

Yum. This Sunday morning called for something special. I had virtually nothing to do. I slept in, did some am yoga, and decided to whip up some gluten free goodies. This week at school was insane. It felt fantastic to do nothing but stand at my stove and flip some flap jacks.

Banana pancakes. Seriously delicious. Adding banana to your baking makes the "gluten-free-ness" SO MUCH less in your face. Plus, the banana bread-esque + maple syrup combo is ridiculous. Holy yum. Try these, they won't disappoint :)

Banana Pancakes: recipe from Gluten Free Cooking School

My version:
1 1/4 Cup Gluten free flour mix
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs canola oil
1 egg (jumbo)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 mashed banana

Whip up the wet ingredients, then add in the dry. Stir sparingly once you've added the dry ingredients. Cook them up, like you cook pancakes:) Use the bubbles as your guide. Keep the stack warm in your oven, then enjoy your Sunday creation.