Weekly Update May 29 - June 4

The Week in Review 

Where do we start? This time last week I was in Europe and now I am sitting in a completely unpacked apartment in new ResidencyCity. It's hard to wrap my mind around all the things that happened in the last week from a trans-atlantic flight, to a two day car trip, to unpacking a thousand boxes and moving dozens of pieces of furniture.

And now, it's just me. Just me alone in this new and strange city with only two days left until I'm supposed to go be a resident. I thought that orientation was supposed to start tomorrow, but luckily realized that I had misread the calendar and I actually start on Wednesday, so I had a couple of extra days to get used to being here.

Sweetheart and I have managed the first couple weeks of this new long distance thing, but it's hard when I wake up in the morning and want to roll over to see him or fall asleep at night and miss snuggling. Skype and cell phones can replace a lot, but they can't replace just being in the same room as someone. I used to be really good at living alone, the silence didn't bother me, but I've become much less used to the quiet and the loneliness.

The new apartment is absolutely beautiful and came together so well. I'm so happy to feel like it's an excellent, comfortable, and functional space that will serve me well in the next year. It would be nice if it would stay as clean and organized as it is now through all of intern year -- but I know that will never happen! Ha.

I'm planning on doing a video or photo walk through when I get the chance -- but since everything really JUST finished getting unpacked it might take me a day or two. But I'd love to show you all around while it's still beautiful!

The Week in Photos

cute little duck not too far from the hospital / brand new apartment kitchen / bed in progress / amazing granola from a new favorite brunch place / heartland sky

Reading 
I just finished reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald which was a really interesting semi-historical piece! I fell in love with Great Gatsby in high school and this was an excellent piece about the lives of the Fitzgeralds, the prohibition era, and dysfunctional relationships.

Listening 
Everyone needs some upbeat music when they're moving and unpacking and working, and I found myself again and again flipping through to listen to this incredibly old album by Regina Specktor that I hadn't heard since college

3 Things

• I really like IKEA but I am also really glad that I won't have to go back to it for a long time (I hope). 
• I am not handy the way the love of my life is, when I had a fuse blow the other day I had to have Sweetheart walk me through how to fix it on the phone. Good to make him feel needed. (I did get it fixed though with direction!)
• I cooked the first meal in the new apartment today (red lentil dal with cilantro brown basmati rice) -- then I had a glass of wine with dinner to celebrate. All about the small things. 

Loving from Around the Internet 

I am completely loving this recipe I made for dinner tonight from Oh She Glows -- a super healthy and delicious meal you can make in a huge batch and have plenty leftover for later in the week! My new favorite recipes will all make extra so I can cook once and eat three or four times! 

Weekly Update May 22 - 28

The Week in Review 

Everything I own is currently sitting on a truck headed to my new home for the next seven years. Meanwhile, I'm sitting on a train streaking through the English countryside. The entire experience of coming to Europe is always a bit surreal for me, but never as surreal as being in the UK. Everyone here speaks the same language and walking down the street I can spot many of the same chains I'm accustomed to at home, but there are constant reminders that this is the world I'm used to only turned slightly sideways. My accent, foreign, my proclivity to always look the wrong direction first when checking which way to cross the road, stupid, and my requirement to always take a second longer to count unfamiliar change out to a cashier, silly.

London has changed a lot in the ten years since I was last here. No offense, Londoners, but the entire town is much more reminiscent of New York City than it was before. Although, my ability to get a decent cup of tea at any restaurant I walk into definitely means it edges out NYC in my list of favorite places. My idea of travel involves lots of wandering, I manage to do a lot of the touristy destinations when I go somewhere (Buckingham palace, Westminister, etc) but always try to do them at off hours and leave the rest of the day for simply wandering. I, however, will happily spend hours instead of any history or science museum in existence. Probably my favorite part of travel is spending time in the climate controlled halls of museums filled with pieces of a place I will never visit. Just my own strange fascination with museums -- probably makes me a less than exciting travel companion. To be honest though, I think anyone who thinks they couldn't spend three days inside the British Museum alone is a complete liar. We also made our way down to see a play at the Globe Theater -- a moment that satisfied the theater nerd still living inside of me.

The weather in London held out for us, allowing us to do lots of walking and wandering, easily hoping on and off the Underground. We scored some perfect afternoon tea and scones in a small cafe and managed to get a couple of excellent beers in dark, crowded pubs. I feel like we definitely had the London experience.

We picked up a train at King's Cross, snagging photos at Platform 9 3/4 before heading to Edinburgh. Edinburgh, being the original place where my mother's side of the family hails from, felt strangely familiar though I'd never been there before. It was raining and rather cold when we arrived, and hauling luggage to the hotel was quite an ordeal. I wouldn't recommend anyone come to Edinburgh who is not in good enough shape to carry their bag up hundreds of stairs. The next morning offered us more rain, which allowed us to see Edinburgh Castle in an entirely Scottish experience. Luckily, the next day, the sun managed to escape for a bit to demonstrate Scotland in all its glory. We sampled the local delicacy (scotch of course!) and made more time for tea and scones (what else). Only a few days there afforded us not enough time to really see everything we would have liked, but I think we could have found months worth of amusement in the city.

We've returned to London, though only for a few hours before we'll be back at Heathrow and headed back stateside. I'll be arriving there, only to leave in a matter of hours on a long, long, long road trip to my new residency home. Only one more of these weekly updates left before I'll be writing them from in the middle of residency.

Cheers from the UK my dears

The Week in Snapshots 

British museum / the globe / the queen?? (Jk) / platform 9 3/4 / proper tea and scones / sunny Edinburgh

Reading
I had a lovely read of Nick Hornby's About a Boy on the train to and from Edinburgh. I'm firmly of the opinion that Hornby's books should only be consumed on planes, trains, or in the backs of cars on long road trips. Anytime I come across a new one in a used bookshop, I pick it up and set it aside for just this reason.

Listening
I have to confess to you all that I haven't really listened to much music on this trip, walking around so much with my brother means I haven't been sitting around working and listening to anything. So no new recommendations for the week -- though I was able to hear some impressively loud music from the bar near our hotel last night -- who knew you could play traditionally Scottish music with a dub step beat.

3 Things
> I've decided that it's entirely unreasonable that I can't have cookies and tea every day at 3 o'clock. Once I start residency I'm going to file an official petition for mandatory resident tea time.
> Sweetheart and I are officially through the first week of the start of our year of long distance relationship. Luckily, we'll be seeing each other again in only three weeks. I miss him already. <3 I know so many people who do at least a year of long distance in medical relationships -- but just because it's the norm doesn't make it easier to miss someone!
> I am not in the least bit excited for the next week of unpacking, trying to go to the DMV,  doing residency paperwork, figuring out a new city, and being slightly jet lagged on top of all of it. If you have the means to mail me a cup of coffee -- please do so now!!!!

Loving from Around the Internet
Spotty wifi and limited cellular data means I've been quite behind on my internet reading as well. So I'll spare you all from reading something else this week.

Weekly Update May 15 - 21

The Week in Review

As part of this week, I had the opportunity to do a couple of poster presentations for research I had worked on as a third and fourth year medical student. I was able to see several of the surgeons that I had worked with over the last couple of years, all of whom very gleefully walked up and addressed me as "Doctor".

My father also happens to be a doctor -- a PhD doctor -- but still hearing the word Dr in front of my last name makes me turn around and look for him instead of assuming that someone is addressing me. How long in my life will it be before I'll stop looking for my dad when I hear that?

Strangely, this was also the last week I will spend at home for a very long time. I'm waiting in the airport right now to get on a plane to go to London with my brother (a trip we've been wanting to make for about 5 years or so...). But immediately on flying back from the UK, I'll be heading directly to ResidencyCity to start my life there. It was incredibly hard to say goodbye to all the people and places that I love in my Hometown.

The hardest part of it was saying goodbye to Sweetheart who will be staying behind to finish his last year in medical school. He'll be in ResidencyCity for part of the next year to visit, do an away rotation, etc -- but it's going to be very hard to be apart for a whole year.

In some ways, I think it won't be too much different than if we were living in the same place when I will be a surgery intern -- we may actually get to see each other more living in different cities than we would in the same city with me at work all the time. Haha. I'm glad to live in an era where Skype and airplanes exist and we'll be able to get through this year quickly.

The Week in Photos

I have photos for this week I just can't figure out how to get them into this post on mobile right now... Grr... I will continue to work on it.

EDIT: I got it

Bags packed / date night / brunch / everything I own in boxes / goodbye brunch with the girls / London packing
  Reading
In honor of us heading to London for the week, I quickly read Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island. For anyone who is a fan of books about travel, Bill Bryson's books are witty, quick, and make you feel like you've actually been along for the ride.

Listening
Bad Blood by Bastille has been my album of the week for it's lead singer's unique voice.

3 Things

• Having been a doctor for a whole week now, it still does not feel any more real than it did last week, I'm thinking somewhere around the middle of the week that first week of residency it might START to sink in. 

•  Had an interesting conversation with a surgeon I worked with as a third year about the importance of fear in making us good doctors. I'm mostly mentioning it here as a note to self to write more about this in some form at a later date. 

•  I should have some internet access while out of the country, so I'm hoping for Instagram pictures (@ladykay4477) and a weekly update next week, but forgive me if it's delayed a day or two until I'm back in the US.

Loving from Around the Internet

 I recently discovered that people have made playlists themed to each of the Harry Potter houses. I've listened to about a thousand of these while I was working on packing. Many of them really do capture the feeling of Hogwarts houses. It was excellent.

Weekly Update April 24 - 30th

The Week in Review

I spent most of the week avoiding studying for ACLS. But the good news is that I am officially ACLS certified. I am not convinced that I will ever be comfortable running a code by myself. I guess that's why residency is 5 years, right? I'm trying to get a thousand little projects done before I have to leave, everything from making decorations and save the dates for our wedding to to packing up boxes of stuff for the new apartment. Some of you have probably figured out that we're not getting married till May of NEXT year. So why am I doing all this work so early?? Two words: SURGICAL RESIDENCY. There is no way I will have time to cut wine bottles down to vases and individually make dozens and dozens of save the dates after June.

Sweetheart's had quite a cold for the last couple of days -- but being his normal self he's been completely unwilling to take time off or relax or sleep -- you know the things that will help you get over a cold. I love him, even for all his stubbornness. But send some well wishes that he'll feel better in spite of himself.

The Week in Snapshots

Working on Save the Dates / Cut wine bottles for some vases for our wedding table decorations / healthy oatmeal breakfasts to get through these long days / Cute boxes to propose to my bridesmaids!


Reading
This sequel to House of God has been sitting on my shelf for months. Now that I'm several pages into it, I can't believe I waited this long to pick it up!

Listening 
Hamilton. Just all the Hamilton all the time.

3 Things

• I know that all these little DIY touches to our wedding will turn out AMAZING but I'm definitely getting lost in all the little details of it. 
• Our dishwasher exploded, literally. We're hoping the new one gets delivered tomorrow. I'm tired of hand washing all our forks and coffee mugs. I'm realizing now how many mugs I use a day. 
• I certainly feel like I don't own that much stuff... but packing it up has been a proof of just HOW MUCH STUFF I OWN! 

Loving from Around the Internet 

I just picked up this amazing bath bomb from Lush and promptly used it the same day I bought it. I cannot recommend it enough. I felt like a freaking Midsummer Night's Dream fairy floating around in all the rose petals and pink.