Well, it seems the ante has been upped.

So... Work is still tiring. And long and hard (unlike other parts of my life- har har). Today I did 8 operations. Some lifesaving, some not. But I got out at a reasonable hour. Came home, indulged in some chocolate, had a nice long chat with girlfriends... Watched lost... ahh, simple pleasures. Again I didn't study, which is contributing to my guilt-ulcer, but eh, I'll deal with that later.

But so operating today, plus my current drama, plus girl chat, plus talk of stripclubs got me thinking...
about what? What else do girls talk about. penises. duh.

Guys- just so you know, if you are in any significant (or sometimes insignificant) trauma and are taken to ECMC (or anywhere for that matter)- there is a very high chance you will have your clothes cut off. All of them. And a pretty good chance you will have a foley (urinary) catheter placed. Into your bladder, via your penis. This is a routine, minor task, often delegated the med student. In front of a few nurses and maybe even female surgical residents like yours truly. But the rectal exam is too advanced for students, so I get that job. So while I am of course the consummate professional, I usually have to check out your package. And for the record- what they say about black guys is true, in general.

But so the boring-routine-workday part of the story...
We (surgeons) fix hernias. A lot of them. Every day. Umbilical hernias, incisional hernias, and mostly inguinal (groin) hernias. Obviously to do this we have to expose your groin. And we have to make sure it's not just clean, but sterile. [which brings me to a random tangent PSA- please clean out your bellybutton lint before elective laparascopic surgery, or else we will have to.] So after you are put to sleep, we will take your gown off. And then we will scrub the whole area with betadine. then we cover most of you back up, except a little sterile square where we will work. Then we go about our business and fix your hernia. When we are done, we clean up our mess. Which includes scrubbing off the excess betadine. Now like I said, you are asleep through this. And we are professionals and do it day in and day out.
But as the most junior person in the OR (usually), I end up with the clean-up task.
And i swear, every time the moment comes that I have your dick in one hand, holding it up out of the way, scrubbing the betadine off your balls- you wake up.
The guy always wakes up with me scrubbing his junk. Lovely. Maybe it's just the cold water that does it, but I think the anesthesiologists just like to embarrass me and time it that way on purpose. Fortunately the amnesiac effect lasts a little longer, and I don't think you remember this. I can only remember a guy getting hard on me once. Not sure if that's a commentary on the anesthesia, or how I look in scrubs and a mask.

But once I did a varicose vein case- and the guy didn't want general anesthesia. Fine, reasonable choice. But that means he's pretty awake. And we had to prep his ENTIRE leg with betadine. Up into his groin. Again, the job falls to me. start with his foot, calf, knee, all fine. But eventually i have to move higher- and I end up with his foot on my shoulder, while I scrub his crotch, while he is awake. All I could think was "poor guy, bet you wish you were asleep now."

And how perfect- as I typed that the Ying Yang twins came on. "wait'll you see my dick. beat the puss up, beat the puss up."

I don't have anything to add about the ex today. It still all sucks. Nuff said.
But haha, the song switched and now I have SNZ- "when you lose the one you love, there's always plenty more!" I think it's a sign.

I don't really have anything political to contribute either.
Well here's something- Ray Nagin (mayor of new orleans) is a jackass for this "chocolate city" crap, and then trying to backpedal and say "well how do you make chocolate? dark chocolate plus white milk! that's what I meant". dumb-ass.

And I haven't bought any custom or designer clothes in a long time. Though I did find a fantastic grey silk strapless dress over christmas. It's hot. I just need somewhere to wear it.

But the bottom line is- I post because it feels good to write. I don't consider myself a writer, and while I have been accused of having a wit, I don't really try to be entertaining. I write for me. And if people like reading it, well then great. But if you don't like it, if I'm too boring, it won't break my heart if you pass me by...

G'night peeps!

God, what a dreary, ugly, depressing day it is out there.
I think I will take a lesson from (e:jason) and hibernate for a while.
(i wish).

But so I just got my gas bill. I used TWICE what I used last january. How is that?
Yes I keep my apt very warm. (I hate being cold, and I'm willing to pay for it.) But i haven't really turned the thermostat up since last winter. I was out of town for a week last january, but that can't be it.
But I did start using my electric blanket this year. It's just so damn cozy. I turn it on for a while before getting in bed so the sheets are warm. Could that be it?? Anyone know if they use much electricity?

And while I'm yelling about bills, WTF is up with adelphia raising rates, AGAIN?? Grr. I've never seen anyone pay as much for cable as I do.

But on a good note, work crush #2 has switched hospitals, and is on my team now. Ah, the hotness. However, he has totally pissed me off since he is flaking on a proposed schedule change, and kind of screwing me over. It sucks. I am pissed at him for that. Makes me a little less enamored. For the moment. haha. I'm sure I will be back to swooning as soon as we make it through our big exam and I don't have to be so pissy about the schedule.

so while i'm whining...

Ex-boyfriend has got to go. "But wait" you say, "you said that a month ago!" (e:jenks,19) Indeed I did, gentle reader. (I'm impressed you were paying attention.) But I caved. But this time I mean it. He has proven over and over that he doesn't give a shit about me (i mean really, he dumped my ass, what other hints do I need??), so why is it so hard to let him go? The only thing left to do is delete him from my phone. But I can't quite do it. Yet. Part of me knows that never talking to him again is what I need to do. But part of me fears that more than anything in the world. he was (is) such a huge part of my life in buffalo.

Ugh. I'm sorry.
I had made a pseudo-promise to myself to stop whining to you all about my ex. I hate sounding this pathetic. (I also promised to stop bitching about work, actually just to stop bitching so much in general, but that hasn't happened either. ha!)

Man I hate studying.

sigh.

what a ball of negative energy i am. man. I need something fun to happen.
Two weeks..... then the test is done, and I can procrastinate to my heart's desire without having to feel guilty about it. can't wait.

later peeps.

Good "morning" peeps.
I cannot think of a better way to spend my first day off in two weeks than sleeping til 11. I loooooove sleeping. Don't really love that the day is half over when I get up, but that's ok. And considering that I usually get up around 4, this was a huge sleep-in.

And I probably would still be asleep if I hadn't been awakened by an icky dream... I was trying to get a puppy for my brother. And I started out in some weird industrial looking place (prison? high school basement?) with white painted cinder block walls and buzzing fluorescent lights, being led around by some sketchy toothless guy who was telling me he didn't think he had what I wanted. But then he took me outside- it was like a habitrail [remember those hamster cages?] for puppies. Multiple little areas connected by tubes, etc. And there was The Cutest little white bulldog puppy frolicking around... [i (well my parents) have a white bulldog in real life]. He was sliding down the slide and squeezing through the tubes... So cute. I was running around trying to take pictures. Then he jumped in the little 'pond' to go for a swim. he was paddling around (cutely), then went underwater. I didn't think twice, figured he was diving for something. [give me a break, it was a dream]. Then he was gone a while, and i noticed this trail of bubbles coming from the bottom and i got a little nervous... then all of the sudden the water cleared and i could see the bottom- no more bubbles, and just a little piece of white hide laying on the bottom.
He had been eaten by an alligator.
What the fuck.
Why do I have to have a dream like that???

But so now it's sunday... Time to figure out which lazy way to spend my day. I really should get to studying, but I want a little relaxation time first. So many choices.... drink coffee and read the paper in my yummy cashmere robe? Bubble bath? Big breakfast? Watch a movie? All of the above??

So I met another peepette last night... I had dinner and a nice long coffee at spot (under some strange cold-wind-blowing fan) with (e:ladycroft), (e:theecarey) and (e:pyrcedgrrl). It was a pleasant, well-behaved way to spend a cold evening. Despite our weird waiter who kept trying to join our conversation- at one point he called himself a lesbian (because he loves women!), tried to convince us that nascar is great, and somehow mentioned herpes. Hmm.
But it was strange out last night... the streets were empty, no one was around... I mean I know it went from like 60 to -60 overnight, but this is Buffalo- aren't you (we?) used to that yet??

So now I'm off to try to find my favorite earring. It was poking me in the cheek on my way home from spot, and was missing when I got ready for bed, so I'm hope hope hoping that it's in my car, or maybe the driveway. ((e:ladycroft), keep an eye out for a silver flower with little dangly pearls. Maybe it jumped onto you.)

Oh, and you can all thank me for bumping the student loan total over the million dollar mark. How depressing. I consolidated last year, so now it's just one humongous loan. It's so much money it's like monopoly money to me. I just can't even fathom owing that much money to someone. (it's just shy of $200K.) But until the deferment paperwork went through after consolidating, I was technically in repayment, so I got a bill and a payment schedule- I owe $432/month. Until 2035. Except I'm not paying yet, so it's going to take even longer. I just have to hope that someday this 30+ years of school/training will pay off.

Well on that lovely note, I hope you all have a wonderful sunday.

-J

Ok so I just lost another post b/c IE is misbehaving.

But bottom line of my long-winded message:

D'Brickashaw may be the MOST ridiculous name I have ever heard.

I thought it was a joke.

I googled it.

It's not.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Football player from virginia (or something.)

Why, WHY WHY oh WHY would you do that to your child?????

I don't get people sometimes.

Ok, off to the ER.

Later peeps.

A

Ugh.
I just got home from work. At 2am. Went in at 7am this morning.
Have to be back at 7am tomorrow- until noon on saturday.
They are killing me.
And taking a sick day/personal day/etc is not an option.
the thing is, one of the guys there until 2 with me had been there since 7am the day before: i.e. about 43 hours, and he has to be back at 7 tomorrow too. And the "boss" that had been in operating from 5am til 2am: well it was his 20th wedding anniversary, and he didn't see his wife for one minute of it.
So it's not just me that's getting screwed, but it's really wearing me down.
I know i know i chose this and there's no one to blame but me, but god it sucks. I love what I do, but not being abused like this.
the other thing is that it's totally illegal. And at $25,000 per violation, you'd think they'd be a little more careful to at least TRY. Like the other hospitals know we stay too late, but they yell at us about it. They know we're not supposed to be there. But tonight there was no apology, no thank you, no nothing.
Ok that's not true. I got half a hot dog from louie's.

Ok, considering my 30hr day starts in about 4hr I guess I should go to bed.

6wk down, 12 to go...

oh yeah- and maybe i'm just overtired and cranky, but i just got an email that someone left me a comment on myspace, and i checked it out- andrew wrote "go back to friendster, bitch!" Now, i'm all for friendly ribbing and stuff, but there's nothing to that to even hint that's it's a joke. I assume it is, but I don't really see the point. I think he probably just wants to see if i reject the comment or not. stupid.

Going to be late for work; but-

For the record, I am not a fan of high-schoolish drama and secrets either. However I did have my reasons for remaining partially hidden that I can't/won't go into here.

Just in case anyone was wondering.

Have a great day peeps!

haha. Wow. Maybe I have ADD. Or maybe it's alzheimer's, ha. I had thought of a few things I wanted to say. And now I can't remember a single one. Isn't that great.

Hmm. i was probably going to complain about work. Or boys. Or both.

So maybe you're better off for my brain fart.

No motivation to do anything. I should probably take my tree down. I really should study.

Instead I think I will make coffee, watch tv, and listen to music. After all, it's sunday afternoon... I need a little veg time once in a while. Work was a mess last night.

Oh I remembered some of my thoughts. (phew, I was was nervous for a minute.)

There is not much I hate in people more than closed-mindedness/intolerance, in any of its forms- particularly homophobia and religious-right-ism.
I went and saw Brokeback Mountain the other night with (e:theecarey) and (e:ladycroft). It's a touching/tragic love story. So it's about two guys. So what? Big deal. It's still love. When I got home I ran into my landlord/downstairs neighbor's new husband. I'd always thought he was a really cool guy. Always nice and really helpful, fixes stuff around the house, offers to help with groceries etc. I thought he was a real stand-up guy. So I ran into him, he asked how things were going, etc, I said I'd been to the movies, when he asked what we saw, I told him, and he goes "oh, yeah... isn't that the gay cowboy movie?" then elbows his friend and goes 'yeah, dan was the star of that one!" and they howl with laughter. Oh.... yeah.... I forgot, the 'call your friend gay' jokes are SO funny. Ick.
It's amazing to me how one stupid comment can completely change my opinion of someone.

I guess I will leave you with this picture of me... it was taken this summer, and the chick that took it just figured out how to download her pix and sent it to me, so I've never seen it til now. I think it's a little funny since it's not the typical smiley-face picture I usually let people take. I swear I look exactly the same in every single "smile for the camera" pic I have; kind of amusing. Looks very intense. ha. Don't mean to sound vain; I just think the pic is kind of funny. (and, I usually don't like pix of myself.) It's also a very rare picture of me and the ex; there are only about 3 in existence.

I had just written a big post and it got lost b/c "mysql server is down" or something.
Boo! And since I don't have the energy to retype it all- here's an outline.

I: I wish I could quit you!
A. i feel that way about someone
B. saw brokeback mtn tonight. it was/did
1. good
2. well done
3. sad
4. not have as many hot sex scenes as I was hoping for

II: I'm on a roll!
A: met another peep tonight- (e:theecarey).
1. yay
B: makes me wonder:
1. who's next?
a. any takers?

III: Permission denied!
A: was reading craigslist today.
1. Very funny (sometimes), i recommend it. see link --->
B: the topic was raised that you need
1. a license
2. to reach a minimum age
3. to take a test
4. to pass a course
5. to pay money
C: to do so many things in life. Like:
1. drink
2. drive
3. vote
4. get married
5. run the fryolator at mcdonalds.
D: but- having kids is totally unregulated.
1. obviously a huge ethical can of worms.
2. but deserves some thought.
a. seeing the babies born 3m early to a 14yr old is terrible.
b. we have driver's ed, why not (mandatory) parenting 101?

• i haven't written an outline since high school. My apologies to anyone who might actually notice/care if I did it all wrong.

• doh, all my indents didn't come through and my html is too rusty to try to fix it. (and i don't even know if that's how I WOULD fix it here.) It was much funnier in real cascading-indent outline format.

not the best pic, but the only one i've got.

Ok (e:peeps). I did it. Met a real live estripper in the flesh. woohoo. (thanks for lunch, (e:ladycroft)). So that's it, my cover is blown. I guess now I can stop playing the semi-anonymous game I was trying to play. Hence the full-face pic (I know the suspense was killing you.)
So to introduce myself- my name is Alex(is). (Jenks is my middle name).
I filled out my profile a little less generically if anyone is interested.
Not sure what else to say, but Hi!
Bring it on peeps, I ain't scared of ya!

-A

edit: ok, well I TRIED to update my profile, but for some reason it won't stick. Ok, now it does. All fixed.

edit 2: and just to come clean (like it matters)- I had another short-lived account here, under Alex. One and the same. Phew, now all my secrets are out. ;)