Boo Hiss

I need to vent.... I just had an unsuccesful night at Town Lake. My goal? Take The Dog on a walk and get out of the house. It's been a ridiculously hot 3 weeks in Austin. Highs in the hundreds, with no rain. Poor Kilo has been stuck in the house because its just too hot to get out. However, tonight, 99 degrees didn't feel so bad, so I thought it would be good to take him on a walk at Town Lake.

We headed down there around 715pm, thinking the closer we got to sunset, the heat wouldn't be so bad. Kilo had been in air conditioning all day, just sleeping, so I thought he'd be okay in the heat. Before heading down the trail, I stopped at the water station to give him some water, and then we started down the trail. Kilo acted ridiculous. He refused to walk. REFUSED. Stop, go, stop, go. This is how it went for a quarter of a mile. Finally, I had enough. I was NOT going to drag this dog on a walk. We had stopped at the rowing center, I gave him some water, and was trying to drag him back to the car. Then, the woman running the rowing center, came out and talked to me. She said that if it was her, she would dip Kilo in the lake and get back to the car ASAP. She thought he was overheated, and she was afraid he was going to have a heatstroke. Her intentions were good, but it was frustrating. How do I know the difference between him being a stubborn, 5-month-old boxer, and an overheated puppy?

I walked back over to the dock, and I wasn't sure what he would do if I just dropped him in the water, so I decided to start pouring water onto him with my hand. The rowing lady then came over to "help" some more, and offered the use of her bucket. She dipped the bucket into the lake and poured it over Kilo, the water coming dangerously close to my recently purchased expensive phone.... *insert deep breath* I thanked the lady, and did my best to coax Kilo back to the car. He sure didn't act overheated 5 minutes later when he spotted a Doberman he wanted to play with.

I know the lady had good intentions, but I first felt like an idiot for trying to drag a dog on a walk, and then I felt like a jerk for potentially putting this puppy in danger.

We finally made it back to the car. I'm attempting to shake off my frustration with an unsuccessful dog walk, and I find a note on my car....

When I parked the car prior to the "walk", I pulled up behind a SUV that had just parked there as well, and there was no one behind me. The note on my car was neatly folded and said "Please be curteous of others and share parking! Park right! Thanks"

what?!? I looked at my parking job and I had nooooo idea what was wrong with my parking! I don't mind being called out for something I've done wrong, but it makes me mad and frustrated when I don't think I did anything!

I'll let you guys judge for yourself:










Please note that there is a 2-foot wide biking lane beyond those white lines you see.



WHAT DID I DO WRONG? I submit that I did nothing wrong. AND even if someone could nitpick and find an error in my ways, I don't think it warrants a note!



At that point, I gave up. Kilo and I headed home, he got a bath, a nail clipping. I vacuumed, and at the same time taught Kilo not bark at the vacuum.



After that, Kilo was exhausted. me too. Being a dog-dragging, puppy-over-heating, parking-spot-hogger is tiring.

a return of sorts

Dear Readers,
I've been on a very long hiatus. If you are reading this, that means you're one of my faithful followers (all 5 of you!) whom are still checking this, even after a 2 month absence. You're probably expecting an ultra exciting post filled with amusing stories of what has kept me away from my blog. To be honest, I've just been busy with my job and have come down with a smidge of laziness and a bit of writer's block.

Tonight however, you are going to get a sensitive soliloquy of what God is doing in my life currently.

I used to say a lot (usually off the cuff) "Crushes really help break up the day". It would get a chuckle, and on the surface, yes, this is a true statement. It's fun to meet someone new, hope they'll call, etc... So we begin with a typical story in the life of a professional single woman. Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, girl thinks boy likes her, boy likes other girl who is infinitely more *insert any adjective here*, girl is rejected and acts like an emotional mess.
Here's what God, in His infinite grace, taught me, even in the middle of my emotional girlie-ness. Thinking the guy liked me? my PERCEPTION. thinking the other girl is better than me? my PERCEPTION. girl being rejected? PERCEIVED rejection. What's my point? At no time did I seek for God's Truth in the situation. I went and took a God-given desire to be pursued, and turned it into sin. So, the result of not seeking Truth in this situation led me to feel jealousy, rejection, discontentment, and over-zealously obsess about the splinter in someone else's eye when my own plank was causing me to fall flat on my face.

So, now that I've just thrown up all my emotional baggage from the last month, Good news! I've bought my plane ticket and I will be in Africa August 5th through September 13th. 5 weeks. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm very excited. Any tips for good ways to manage long flights would be appreciated.

em

An essay response to my dad's previously constant question: "When are you going to medical school?" --top ten reasons why I wouldn't be a doctor

I'm in Boston right now for the marathon and to see my brother for a couple of days. As I write this, I'm sitting in a conference room with my brother as he studies, on a Saturday night, lending him support by being another warm body in a cold building filled with nude mice, research projects, and one lone security guard.
If I was the one who decided which people got into medical school, I would definitely let him in. Unfortunately, I'm not that person. So, instead, I lend my company, and an ear to listen if needed.

There are multiple reasons why I will never be a doctor. I've compiled my top ten.

10. I look better in a short lab coat jacket. Doctor's wear long ones.

9. Medical school is competitive. Unless we are playing a board game, don't put me in the competitive category. Competition doesn't spur me on. I realize I will never be #1 at anything, and I am totally okay with that. What I loved about physical therapy school, was that it was never a competition. We were all there to learn, and now being a professional, it's always about helping your fellow PT do better.

8. It's difficult to be a doctor and a mom. Note: I did not say "impossible" or "unadvisable". I salute all women who have a career and are a mom, however I purposely chose a career where it was not as difficult to be a mom, and still work part-time. Kudos to the Dr. Mom's out there.

7. Hospital food. Enough said.

6. I don't think I could ever put a needle inside someone. It gives me chills just thinking about it. I'd feel so bad poking and prodding around just to find a tiny vein! Give me a cadaver any day to work on, and I'd be perfectly happy, but don't ask me to shove a tiny needle in someone.

5. Scrotal edema. Edematous scrotum. I encountered it once as a physical therapy aide and it burned scars on my eyeballs. I hope to never see it again, and I have a feeling you can't avoid things like that in medicine.

4. Is anyone going to read reason #4 since it came after the scrotal edema comment?

3. Egos. I have no patience for people with big egos, who totally wiped out their humility brain cells as they went on hour #2 of talking about themselves. Not that everyone in medicine is egotistic, but the farther you go up the intelligence food chain, the greater number of people who think they are bad a**.

2. One of the best things about being a physical therapist is that I get to build relationships with people. Most of my patients I see for at least 4 weeks at a time, 1x-2x a week, and you learn a lot about a person when you see them that often. I love it when a patient shares thoughts, memories, and experiences with me since they now consider me a friend. A month ago, I visited a church that one of my patient's goes to and I was fortunate enough to meet her husband and get to know them better. During one of our appointments a couple weeks later, this woman shared with me how God had changed her life, and her outlook on life, after her ex-husband had broken into her home, raised a gun point blank to her forehead and fired. The gun misfired, the bullet never discharged, and he ran away. And the incredible thing is, through God's grace, she forgave him.

1. I love sleep. Seriously, I love sleep. Medical students, residents, and attendings alike sacrifice hours of sleep for our well-being. I am not willing to sacrifice my sleep. period. On top of that, I don't work well on lack of sleep, and I'll be honest: I become quite cranky without it. Eventually, after a few weeks on reduced sleep levels, my brain goes on autopilot and shuts down. This has happened about 3 times in my life, where I go to sleep, and hear nothing (that includes an alarm to get up for work/school!) until 10+ hours later. Not good when you're supposed to me the life saver.

Sorry dad, that I won't be following in your footsteps of taking the hypocratic oath, but I have a great brother who will.

Easter 2009

I went to Houston on Sunday to see my grandparents for Easter. I thought I would take a friend, just to have some company, a little entertainment, create conversation with my grandparents (which he did!), and help keep me awake while driving.

Oh my. Talk about a mistake. While he was good at creating conversation with my grandparents, and keeping them entertained, he slept the whole entire way!! Seriously, within 5 minutes of getting on the road he was out. I took a picture for evidence:

And, he would not stay in his own seat! Boys.... We did take take time to smell the flowers, a whole field of bluebonnets blooming on the side of the road.

My Granny B., bless her heart, I know it was a sacrifice for her, was kind enough to allow him in her lap. As you can see, she hated every minute of it, but she put on a brave face. My Papa, was also hospitable, but a little standoff-ish as well, my Papa didn't want him making himself too comfortable and staying the night.

Me and Papa having fun too...

In the end, I decided to keep Mr. Good Looking around, because, really, how can you say no to that face? Kilo is 8 weeks old, weighs 9 pounds today, and I am his foster mom until Mid-August when Graham moves back to Texas and can live in a place that allows pet. We are all having fun with him, and it is definitely taking all 3 of us girls to keep up with him! I never realized how much responsibility it is to have a puppy, but it sure is worth it when he is sooo excited to see you at the end of the day.

The Collaring of Kilo

Hail, don't that beat all!

It's good to be back in Texas where Spring comes at ya the way God intended: With thunder and rain, and tornado warnings, and most especially: golf ball size hail. I'll have a picture soon of the hail I retrieved from outside that allegedly (it's pleading the 5th) left 2 big dents on the hood and 5 on the roof of my new-to-me car. I may have to enact some PC torture techniques to get the truth out of him, but I have a feeling he'll squeal like a ferrel pig when I take him out of the freezer and place him next to the BURNER 'O TRUTH! (my oven).

In other news, if you read my recent Facebook status, apparently placing your pajamas underneath your pillow while you're not wearing them is NOT the work of crazy people. Sorry Colleen, that I called you crazy. And wrote that stuff about you on the bathroom stall at Chuey's on 183.

Finally, I've realized I have a really hard time keeping up with all my friends and family. I've been blessed by having amazing friends/family, but they all live in way different places, i.e.: parents in Africa; Boston friends (Ruth and Kelly: Shout out to Baby-Mama-To-Be-Ruth! What do they call "aunt" in Ireland?) + Boston Graham Bo; Mandy, Kate, Sarah, Mandy, JP in Fort Worth; Grandparents in Lubbock and Houston; Aunt, Uncle in Pennsylvania; Sal in Petersburg (to be honest, that's Petersburg, Tx, but I'll let you think Russia because it's a bit flashier); Em K in Macedonia; El in Cali/Arizona; My Other Sister Allison A. and her clan in Lubbock; And my Sundown family; Not to mention the friends/family I have here in Austin. Whew. That was like a long Oscar thank you speech. The point is, if it takes me this long to list all these people out that I am close to, and consider family, how do I stay involved in their life and encourage them as God leads? Where's the time? Any suggestions? Mass mailings perhaps?

Tomorrow is Thursday. Which means the day after that is Friday. Pay Day and Jean Day at work. My favorite combination! (Other than Chicken + Fajita and Cadbury + Egg)

To all my homies,
much love

Here's a little Whine for you

If I wasn't so tired right now I would write a blog about "Amish beards" (A name I thought I invented for mustache-less beards but alas, google proved me wrong), old women who like to interrupt me, a lot, and further lessons on the High Life, including how to make sure you're never welcomed back into a "fancy" restaurant in downtown Georgetown, Texas. However, I just spent 1 hour google-ing a hotel in Washington D.C. that apparently does not exist called the "Magnolia", and I'm tired.

On a high note, it's 9:45 and I'm going to bed. I use to think my dear friend Allison A. was a wimp for cutting out at 9pm every night, but I have now found the joy, and energy, one receives from going to bed at the same time every night and getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep!

Oh, and I made the boss's wife say "sh**" today. Yes, as a matter of fact I am, just that good.

God Bless Texas,
E