HAPPY HALLO-WOO-WOO-WEEN!

Badge of Honor

Thanks to my lovely Texaconsin Diva friend, Jen, I have been given my first Blog award. As my readership slowly grows, I will do my best to bring you my best (& not-so-best) stories from the day in the life of me & my community. Thanks to all who stop by & read my ramblings and especially to those of you who help contribute! It's been more fun than I ever thought & I now consider it one of my favorite past times. Once upon a time, I thought I would never get into this crazy blogosphere, but I am still here and having a blast. I also want to thank ETK & Jen for getting me into this world of bloggage. Blogging is humorous, inspiring, creative, sometimes maybe even mundane, & always cathartic.

Much love & thanks to Jen & all my readers!

xxxooo

p.s. Please excuse my typos along the way. I have learned from this blogging experience that I am the queen of typos & misspellings. ;p

Weekly Word Challenge

I'm joining in on the fun with The Weekly Word Challenge brought to us by Tink.

Inspire

The beautiful plants and flowers at the Golden Gate Conservatory of Flowers are inspiring.

Create

The hubby has been doing a beautiful job creating our own little gardens.

Next week's words are "old" and "blue". Bonus sporks for "Halloween". You know you want to play, too!

Too Funny!

This is why I love old people, why I love Texas, and why I love Ellen

Don't get too used to it....

The husband comes home yesterday to me pulling 2 loaves of freshly baked pumpkin banana bread out of the oven & marinating pork chops. We then have these grilled marinated pork chops with parsley & butter red potatoes, cucumber & tomato salad and a glass of Jacobs Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. When we finish, I don't get just a "thank you for a lovely dinner", but I also get a "I am so rubbing this in V's face tomorrow! I came home to fresh pumpkin bread, marinating pork, & my wife dusting & vacuuming!!" V is one of his coworkers & his wife is a stay-at-home mom and apparently is also perfect, suburban little Miss Suzy Homemaker. In the oh-so-eloquent words from Pink, "That just ain't me."

I didn't realize this was a competition. Is this who has the best wife? So, my response while rolling my eyes, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't get too used to it. When I get a job again, this probably won't happen as much."

Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy cooking & keeping the house clean since I have the time right now. Especially, since the hubby did SO MUCH during these past 2 years when I was so crazy busy with school & clinicals.....of which I will always be grateful. However, it's going to go back to sharing more of the chores & less home cooked meals when I am working 40-50 hours/week starting next February.

I can't fix it

The difficult thing about almost being a PA, that I know I am going to facing for years to come, is that I will probably always be asked medical questions by friends & family. Ethically, I should always say that, "I am not your medical provider, so I cannot diagnose you. However, I can tell you that you should definitlely go see your PCP." However, I know there will be times when I will probably give more specific advice than that. For example, when the hubby asks me questions. Most recently he has been having ball-of-foot pain & actually my first response was, "make an appointment with your doctor." He tried this & his doctor is out of town & so is their podiatrist that they have in their office. So, my next word of advice, "Make another appointment with one of her colleagues & have them refer you to a podiatrist or orthopedist." I'm such a big help, huh? Well, he doesn't do this. So, I try to give him further assistance. Now let me tell you, I have very LITTLE orthopedic experience. Plus, I don't exactly have an xray machine in my house, so a definitive diagnosis would be tough (and again, unethical). So, I look up what it might be based on his symptoms, give him the possibilities, and then just end up telling him my catch-all orthopedic advice until he makes an appoinment which is RICE treament + antiinflammatories. RICE is rest, ice, compression, and elevation. The antiinlammatory would be something over-the-counter like tylenol. Oh, and he needs to wear comfortable shoes when he has to walk. I hear New Balance are recommended by a lot of podiatrists & orthopods. He frowns & says that's all? "Sorry, my love. I'm not an orthopedist. That's all I know what to do other than telling you to see your doctor & maybe an orthopod if necessary." I wish I could fix it for him, but I can't. That's all I can do. And he's luckier than most of my family & friends because, I gave him more advice than the "See your doctor" schpeal.

I'm going to be a PA people, not a miracle healer. MMMkay.

;)

I want it!!! I want it!!!! I want it!!!!

Yes, I think we are going to start looking.....

I want THIS one!!!!!

I couldn't have said it better....

Such Sweet Sorrow

Es todo

No more physician assistant school classes....ever.....I'm done....finished.....that's all folks!

It was so anticlimactic. But maybe that's because we still have 49 days until we actually walk across the stage to get that diploma.

I can't believe it's over......

OH. MY. GOSH! Are you kidding me?

Now, I love LOVE Coach bags & if I didn't have self-restraint (or if I had a job), I would probably own many more than I currently do.

BUT $20,000 for a handbag???? Are you freakin' kidding me? You want someone to buy a handbag that costs the same as a car? And how is it even right to place this on the same webpage as their regular $100 - $1000 bags? Even the thought of a $1000 bag freaks me out (especially since my tastes change all the time), but then again sometimes I can be a cheap-arse. ;) Don't get me wrong, I like nice and sometimes pricey things, but $20,000 for a purse?

The first car I ever bought myself wasn't even $20,000. There is even one on there for $30,000!!!! CRAZINESS! My current car wasn't even that much! SHEESH!!! FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!

Oh, and POOR Aligator!!!!

I wonder if I was stupid rich, if I would ever spend that much on a bag......hmm.....I don't know if I could ever bring myself to do that.

Craziness!!!!

We truly live in a world of excess, don't we?

My How We Grow...

The first home my parents ever purchased is this cute little Corpus Christi bungalow - we lived there from 1978 - 1983. This is how it looks today.....
I teared up when I saw this pic of our old Corpus house. I was 18 months - 7 yrs old when I lived there. I'm such a sap!!!

And today, their beautiful Texas Colfax Cottage on 2 acres........

And memories of the Bliss Farm house in New York....we miss it sometimes....

Bitter Sweet

I only have one more day of classes left. I'm relieved and sad all at once. I am relieved that I no longer have any more school responsibilities after my master's research presentation tomorrow other than showing up for graduation in December. However, I am sad that I probably won't see many of my classmates after this. I am REALLY sad because one of my classmates that I have just recently become good friends with is moving to another state because her silly husband had to go and try to be all successful with getting into medical school. Pfft! So selfish to be leaving me!!! Why does this happen to me???? I finally make some good connections with a few of the girls and one of them ends up having to move away. I can't even begin to tell you how often this happens to me in my life. I need to stay put & my friends need to stay put! I wish I could just keep my good set of friends right near me for-eva! I know, I'm so selfish! Well, I guess it gives me a reason to travel. ;) But it sure would be nice to have more good girlfriends near by again. Thankfully, there are a FEW sticking around the H-town area. Well, I guess that is the good thing about going to work in a BIG HOSPITAL as opposed to a tiny clinic, plenty of peeps to make good friends with. And hopefully when the hubby & I move again, we'll be in an area with more young adults with similar interests & goals (except for that whole having babies thing...).

So, tomorrow will be a good day and a sad day. Graduation will be even more emotional. It's always hard to say goodbye...I like "see you soon" better.

POLL QUESTION

So, I added a music list to my blog (on right side). And I need to know if you, my readers (old & new), would find it annoying if it played while you were reading my blog. I believe I can set it to play automatically or only when you click on it, it can be set to random, & I plan on updating it as frequently as I can.

PLEASE be honest in your answers. I certainly don't want to annoy anyone....

Lemme know whatcha think.....

New Favs

I've been sick-girl the past few days, hence the lack of deep, witty, thought-provoking bloggage (not that mine ever are....whatever.) Anywho, due to my germiness & since Hubby's outta town on bid-ness I have been able to catch up on reading some others & finding some new ones since doing pretty much anything else right now is tough & exhausting. Here are some new favs:

1. Post Secret. I want this book!
2. The "Blog" of "unnescessary" Quotations Marks. Some of their "Other Snarks" are funny, too. (I believe that I have correct usage of quotations here.) ;p

Figures I get sick my last week of classes. Good gravy! I guess it was all that time last week hanging out in clinics & hospitals begging for a job. When is my immune system going to get used to all the germs???????

Anyway, enjoy the sites. They're cute.

3 more days of classes!!!!!

Inspiration

Their strength inspires me.....

1. Crazy Sexy Cancer and her blog
2. Dr. Randy's farewell lecture (see video)

I got it!

So, after I published the post from this morning, I got a call from MDACC with the job offer!!!! Yeah!!! Of course I accepted!

I will be working in GI surgical oncology as the PA to a surgeon who specializes in hepatobiliary cancers (which means liver and gall bladder cancers). The job mostly entails working in his surgical clinic, but I will have the opportunity to occasionally assist in the OR (yeah!) as well as many other duties.

I cannot explain to you just how ECSTATIC I am.

It's my dream job. :o)

More later......

LOVE THESE!!!

Great patient education!!! ;)

Insomniac

My long week of marathon interviewing is over. Thankfully. It's funny how exhausting it can be, especially the all day interviews.

I feel that most of the interviews went very well. There was only one that I feel automatically was not a match, and that was the one I had on Monday where the patient population speaks mostly Español & hablo muy poco Español.

Yesterday was my all-day interview at UTMDACC & it went VERY VERY WELL. I do not have an official offer on the table, but I separately interviewed with 6 people, they all had great things to say & I suppose there is an official process that is followed at such an institution. So, I won't jinx myself by saying anything other than that. But it went well.

Let's just say I am 99% sure of where I will end up....



I was so excited after yesterday, I got very little sleep last night, hence the title of this post. The brain & sympathetic nervous system just would not shut off!!! I hate it when that happens! Naps are in order for today!!! :) I'm pooped!

GOOD GRAVY!

I think I am officially the Interview Queen!

I have FOUR interviews this week alone. SHEESH. Most of them are family and internal medicine. I had a family med one yesterday, an internal medicine one this afternoon, a family med one tomorrow afternoon, and my MD Anderson surgical oncology interview (with 7 MDs, PAs, & NPs...eek!...luckily I know some of them) on Thursday. WHOA!

The interview yesterday went ok. The doctor & his wife were very nice, but it is in a neighborhood that I don't think I would feel comfortable working in & the majority of their patients speak only Spanish and my Spanish skills are VERY minimal.

The one this afternoon is closer to my old stomping grounds north of H-town & the one tomorrow is about 10 minutes from where we live now.

Letcha ya know how they all go!

Great Post!

A great post from Sunshine...

HILARIOUS!

For the love of pets

If you are tired of my blogs about pets.....well....

TOO BAD! ;p

Thankfully most of my readers are pet owners, so you all understand my obsessions.

:)

So, it's been a rough week for poor Simon. He has been yacking all week (yes, talking about cat-yack again). I thought it was b/c he was upset about Marci, but it continued, he was eating less & less, and when he would eat, it came back up. Poor Slimy!!! So, yesterday I took him to the vet and he is STILL there. They ran some labs & xrays yesterday. THANKFULLY, it doesn't look like an obstruction, but more likely a gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) or gastroenteritis (infection) or possibly just "nerves." So, they have had him hooked up to an IV running fluids, antibiotics, and anti-emetics (anti-nausea) meds. He has the Elizabethan collar and all!!! (Wish I could get a picture of that!) He didn't eat at all yesterday & today they are slowly feeding him soft food with a syringe and he hasn't gotten sick. If he continues to not "get sick," then he can come home with meds today. I hope so. I'll just have to keep him away from Marci & Merlah for a while to let him heal & relax. Poor Ki-ki!!!! :( And POOR ME - that is probably going to be an enormous vet bill (I also took Marci in yesterday for her first physical and more vaccinations). Ug!!! Maybe I should get pet insurance....

Anywho, on a lighter note, here are more cute Marci pics...

Why Men Shouldn't Take Phone Messages

National Physician Assistant Week will have added significance this year as PAs and PA students celebrate 40 years of the physician assistant profession. On October 6, 1967, the first physician assistants graduated from Duke University. Today, approximately 64,000 PAs are providing essential medical and surgical services to people throughout the United States and internationally.

As it grows in the United States, the PA profession continues to influence quality health care in other countries, several of which are developing their own educational programs following the model of the American PA profession.

To celebrate the creation of the profession, many constituent organizations, PA student societies, and individual PAs will host community activities and public information programs throughout October. State and local government officials will participate by issuing proclamations and statements in support of the PA profession.

Hug a PA today! :)








from: http://www.aapa.org/newsroom/pa-week.html

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. More than 178,000 new breast cancer cases in women are expected to occur in the United States this year. Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast grow uncontrollably, damaging surrounding tissue.
An individual’s best chance for surviving breast cancer is early detection. When found early, the survival rate is 96%.

http://www.mdanderson.org/awareness/

YAY!!!!

I have an interview at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) next Thursday, 10/18!!!!!

Wish me luck again!!!!







As an update, I have had 2 interviews with 2 of my former preceptors from the clinical year. One is in family/pediatric medicine and the other is family/internal medicine. Both have extended offers, but I am a little disappointed with the salary/benefit packages they are offering. Not to be a snot, but I think I am worth more. I've worked my bootie off these past 2 years & have a good deal of education loans to pay off. Plus, PAs are in high demand. So, I am continuing to apply & look elsewhere. And as my readers are aware, MDACC is a top consideration for me. I had my last clinical rotation there in GI surgical oncology & absolutely loved it. I have been drawn to oncology for a long time, and have a special place in my heart for cancer patients. So, I'll letcha know what happens as the job search progresses.

I'm such a girl...

What is it with weddings that make me want to get married again?

The hubby & I attended his co-worker's wedding at a beautiful church in Galveston yesterday & reception at the Hotel Galvez. It was small, but so pretty. I don't even know the couple, and I got teary. I'm such a girl!

It made me want to get married all over again (minus the costs of course). Awwwwww.

I turned to hubby & said "let's get married again." He turns to me *blink*....."Are you kidding me? I don't think I could I handle that again." I frown. He definitely stressed over our wedding WAY MORE than I did. Don't get me wrong, he enjoyed it....but it stressed him....a bit. You know Pups.....he's a worry-wart and perfectionist. :) So I say, "Well maybe someday we can renew our vows & have a big party." *BIG GRIN* "Maybe," he says and smiles.

Wasn't it fun to get married???? :o)

She Got a Lickin! But She Keeps on Tickin!

ETK is hil-ari-ous!

And crafty....

In an email from her this AM....

Yes, Marci gets slimed on a daily basis now, thanks to the Merl-dawg.

Marci is doing very well. Although I need to take her to the vet for a check up and b/c she has been making hacking noises. We think she has hairball issues. Oh Joy. We aren't used to that since Simone doesn't (amazingly) have this problem. In the 5 years I have had him, he has only hacked up a handful of times. (Lovely to be posting about cat-yack....what's wrong with me?) Anywho, Marci is doing great! She is so sweet, very friendly, VERY PLAYFUL, and FEARLESS! She could care less that Merlah is a giant and that Simon (now AKA "Grizzly Bear" b/c is HUGE compared to the lil' girl) is a grouch at times. Simon is, however, gaining more tolerance for her everyday. In fact last night they were playing chase. This is exactly what I was hoping for. I have wanted Simon to have a kitten to amuse him and help him lose some weight. He is on diet indoor kitty food and I feed him the minimal amount without starving him, but he is still my chunky-butt ki-ki. Maybe Marci will be his Boot Camp.....(now I need to find my boot camp.)

The sleep is still inconsistant. She is now sleeping with us. The first night when she was in the guest bathroom, we didn't hear a peep. The second night, she awoke at 3:30am. The 3rd night she stayed with us in bed and slept until 5am (yeah!). Last night, she awoke at 2:30am and was squirmy here and there until 5am. Uggg. Oh well, she's cute. We'll forgive her. Eventually she'll get a normal sleep schedule......I hope!

MarciTV: All Marci, All the Time!

Too Funny!

If I was a real parent....

Lessons from Dooce.

Day 2 with Marci

We forgot how having a kitten is like having a toddler (except the whole putting her in the bathroom by herself when we have to get things done). We constantly have to keep our eyes on her & the occasional "No!" comes out when she chews on the plant moss or looks too interested in the curtains. Oh geez! But OH MY GOSH! She is so CUTE! Cutest kitten ever! I totally forgot what it is like to have a NORMAL cat. Now don't get me wrong, I love my Simon and actually the kitten makes me realize that even more. I am actually feeling bad for the Simonese. So, I make sure to spend my quality alone time with him when I can. He is NOT thrilled about having this kitten around...at all! He walks around hissing and yowling under his breath with an occasional growl. Poor Slimy! Hopefully he will eventually get used to her and maybe even eventually play and cuddle her.

So, I know you are wondering how the Merl-dawg is handling the kitten....Well, take a look at this:

Merlah LOVES Marci! She sniffs her, grooms her, and whines sometimes when she can't see her. HOW ADORABLE! I was actually a little nervous how she would react, because Merlah isn't always very tolerating. She loves most adults, but she does not like children and is not fond of all animals. She tolerates Simon & likes my family's dogs. But she loves this kitten. Maybe she thinks of Marci as her puppy. She has only snapped her twice and it was during her precious nap time. So the snap was if she was telling Marci, "go away kid, you're botherin' me." "QUIET! SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" ;p

The first night of sleep was ok, but last night Marci woke up at 3:30am, so I grabbed her & placed her in bed with us. She was squirmy, so I didn't really get much sleep after that. Needless to say, we are both tired today. Although I am lucky, I decided to stay home today since my lecture today was optional. (I'll study from home.) Hubby had to get up before 6am. I bet he'll be dragging by the end of the day. Poor hubby! "What did we get ourselves into?"

We may be losing some sleep, but I am no stranger to that after these past couple years. So, it will probably be more annoying for the hubby. BUT we both adore Marci. It's good to see the hubby cuddle up with her. Simon rarely lets the hubby even pet him (Simon is a momma's boy), & I think he has missed having a sweet, normal cat to pet & play with.

Other than the loss of sleep & no more quiet evenings.....

We are having fun with this precious little girl.